On his first visit to the
Prophet Joseph Smith at age 17,
an angel called Joseph
by name and told him
that he, Moroni, was a messenger
sent from the presence of God
and that God had a
work for him to do.
Imagine what Joseph
must have thought
when the angel then told
him that his name would
be had for good and
evil among all nations,
kindreds, and tongues.
Perhaps the shock
in Joseph's eyes
caused Moroni to repeat again
that both good and evil would
be spoken of him
among all people.
The good spoken of
Joseph Smith came slowly;
the evil speaking
began immediately.
Joseph wrote, "How very strange
it was that an obscure boy ...
should be thought ...
of sufficient importance
to attract ... the most
bitter persecution."
While love for Joseph grew,
so also did hostility.
At the age of 38, he was
murdered by a mob of 150 men
with painted faces.
While the Prophet's
life abruptly ended,
the good and evil spoken of
Joseph were just beginning.
Should we be surprised with
the evil spoken against him?
The Apostle Paul was
called mad and deranged.
Our beloved Savior,
the Son of God,
was labeled gluttonous,
a winebibber,
and possessed of a devil.
The Lord told Joseph
of his destiny:
"The ends of the earth shall
inquire after thy name,
and fools shall have
thee in derision,
and hell shall rage against
thee; while the pure in heart,
... the wise, ... and the
virtuous, shall seek ...
blessings constantly
from under thy hand."
Why does the Lord
allow evil speaking
to chase after the good?
One reason is that opposition
against the things of God
sends seekers of truth to
their knees for answers.
Joseph Smith is the
prophet of the Restoration.
His spiritual work began
with the appearance
of the Father and the Son,
followed by numerous heavenly
visitations.
He was the instrument
in God's hands
in bringing forth sacred
scripture, lost doctrine,
and the restoration
of the priesthood.
The importance of Joseph's
work requires more
than intellectual consideration.
It requires that we, like
Joseph, "ask of God."
Spiritual questions deserve
spiritual answers from God.
Many of those who dismiss
the work of the Restoration
simply do not believe
that heavenly beings
speak to men on earth.
Impossible, they say,
that golden plates
were delivered by an angel and
translated by the power of God.
From that disbelief,
they quickly
reject Joseph's testimony.
And a few, unfortunately, sink
to discrediting the Prophet's
life and slandering
his character.
We are especially saddened when
someone who once revered Joseph
retreats from his or
her conviction and then
maligns the Prophet.
"Studying the Church ... through
the eyes of its defectors,"
Elder Neal A. Maxwell once said,
is "like interviewing Judas
to understand Jesus.
Defectors always tell
us more about themselves
than about that from
which they have departed."
Jesus said, "Bless them
that curse you, ...
and pray for them which
despitefully use you,
and persecute you."
Let us offer kindness to those
who criticize Joseph Smith,
knowing in our own hearts
that he was a prophet of God
and taking comfort that all
this was long ago foretold
by Moroni.
How should we respond to
a sincere inquirer who
is concerned about negative
comments he or she has heard
or read about the
Prophet Joseph Smith?
Of course, we always welcome
honest and genuine questions.
To questions about
Joseph's character,
we might share the
words of thousands
who knew him personally
and who gave their lives
for the work he
helped establish.
John Taylor, who was shot four
times by the mob that killed
Joseph, would later declare,
"I testify before God, angels,
and men, that [Joseph]
was a good, honorable,
[and] virtuous man, [and]
that his private and public
character was unimpeachable--and
that he lived and died as a man
of God."
We might remind a
sincere inquirer
that Internet information
does not have a truth filter.
Some information, no matter how
convincing, is simply not true.
Years ago I read a
Time magazine article
that reported the discovery of
a letter, supposedly written
by Martin Harris, that
conflicted with Joseph Smith's
account of finding the
Book of Mormon plates.
A few members left the Church
because of the document.
Sadly, they left too quickly.
Months later, experts discovered
(and the forger confessed)
that the letter was
a complete deception.
You may understandably question
what you hear on the news,
but you need never doubt the
testimony of God's prophets.
We might remind the inquirer
that some information
about Joseph, while true,
may be presented completely
out of context to his
own day and situation.
Elder Russell M. Nelson
illustrated this point.
HE SAID: "I was serving as a
consultant to the United States
government at its National
Center for Disease
Control in Atlanta, Georgia.
Once while awaiting a taxi
to take me to the airport
after our meetings were over,
I stretched out on the lawn
to soak in a few
welcome rays of sunshine
before returning to the
winter weather of [Utah].
Later I received a
photograph in the mail taken
by a photographer
with a telephoto lens,
capturing my moment of
relaxation on the lawn.
Under it was a caption,
'Governmental consultant
at the National Center.'
The picture was true,
the caption was true, but
the truth was used to promote
a false impression."
We do not discard
something we know
to be true because of something
we do not yet understand.
We might remind the inquirer
that Joseph was not alone
in the visit of angels.
The Book of Mormon
witnesses wrote,
"We declare with
words of soberness,
that an angel of God came
down from heaven, and ...
we beheld and saw the plates."
We could quote many
others as well.
A sincere inquirer should see
the spreading of the restored
gospel as the fruit
of the Lord's work
through the Prophet.
There are now more than 29,000
congregations and 88,000
missionaries teaching the
gospel across the world.
Millions of
Latter-day Saints are
seeking to follow Jesus
Christ, live honorable lives,
care for the poor, and
give their time and talents
in helping others.
JESUS SAID: "A good tree
cannot bring forth evil fruit,
neither can a corrupt tree
bring forth good fruit. ...
By their fruits ye
shall know them."
These explanations
are convincing,
but the sincere inquirer should
not rely on them exclusively
to settle his or her
search for truth.
Each believer needs a
spiritual confirmation
of the divine mission and
character of the Prophet Joseph
Smith.
This is true for
every generation.
Spiritual questions deserve
spiritual answers from God.
Recently while on
the East Coast,
a returned missionary
spoke to me
about a friend who had become
disillusioned with information
he had received about
the Prophet Joseph Smith.
They had spoken several times,
and the returned missionary
seemed to have
some doubts himself
as a result of the discussions.
Although I hoped he could
strengthen his friend,
I felt concern for
his own testimony.
Brothers and sisters, let
me give you a caution:
you won't be of
much help to others
if your own faith is
not securely in place.
A few weeks ago I boarded
a plane for South America.
The flight attendant
directed our attention
to a safety video.
"It is unlikely,"
we were warned,
"but if cabin pressure changes,
the panels above your seat
will open, revealing
oxygen masks.
If this happens, reach up
and pull the mask toward you.
Place the mask over
your nose and mouth.
Slip the elastic
strap over your head
and adjust the
mask if necessary."
Then this caution: "Be sure
to adjust your own mask
before helping others."
The negative commentary about
the Prophet Joseph Smith
will increase as we
move toward the Second
Coming of the Savior.
The half-truths and subtle
deceptions will not diminish.
There will be family
members and friends
who will need your help.
Now is the time to adjust
your own spiritual oxygen
mask so that you
are prepared to help
others who are
seeking the truth.
A testimony of the
Prophet Joseph Smith
can come differently
to each of us.
It may come as we
kneel in prayer,
asking God to confirm that
he was a true prophet.
It may come as you read the
Prophet's account of the First
Vision.
A testimony may
distill upon your soul
as you read the Book of
Mormon again and again.
It may come as you bear your
own testimony of the Prophet
or as you stand in
the temple and realize
that through Joseph
Smith, the holy sealing
power was restored to the earth.
With faith and real
intent, your testimony
of the Prophet Joseph
Smith will strengthen.
The constant water-balloon
volleys from the sidelines
may occasionally get you
wet, but they need never,
never extinguish your
burning fire of faith.
To the youth listening today, I
give a specific challenge: Gain
a personal witness of
the Prophet Joseph Smith.
Let your voice help fulfill
Moroni's prophetic words
to speak good of the Prophet.
Here are two ideas.
First, find scriptures
in the Book of Mormon
that you feel and know
are absolutely true.
Then share them with family and
friends in family home evening,
seminary, and your Young
Men and Young Women classes,
acknowledging that Joseph was an
instrument in the Lord's hands.
Next, read the testimony
of the Prophet Joseph
Smith in the Pearl of Great
Price or in this pamphlet,
now in 158 languages.
You can find it
online at LDS.org
or with the missionaries.
This is Joseph's own testimony
of what actually occurred.
Read it often.
Consider recording the
testimony of Joseph Smith
in your own voice, listening
to it regularly, and sharing it
with friends.
Listening to the Prophet's
testimony in your own voice
will help bring the
witness you seek.
There are great and
wonderful days ahead.
President Thomas S. Monson has
said: "This great cause ...
will continue to go forth,
changing and blessing lives.
...
No force in the entire world
can stop the work of God.
Despite what comes, this
great cause will go forward."
I give you my
witness that Jesus is
the Christ, our
Savior and Redeemer.
He chose a holy man,
a righteous man,
to lead the restoration of
the fulness of His gospel.
He chose Joseph Smith.
I testify that Joseph Smith
was an honest and virtuous man,
a disciple of the
Lord Jesus Christ.
God the Father and
His Son, Jesus Christ,
did appear to him.
He did translate
the Book of Mormon
by the gift and power of God.
In our society beyond
the veil of death,
we will clearly understand
the sacred calling and divine
mission of the
Prophet Joseph Smith.
In that not-too-distant day,
you and I and "millions [more]
shall know 'Brother
Joseph' again."
In the name of
Jesus Christ, amen.
Amen.
