The Mormon Question

Whether convenient or not, or interesting to some or not, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints makes a bold claim (through modern scripture): that it is "the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well pleased, speaking unto the church collectively and not individually" (D&C 1:30). It's not a unique claim--many religions profess to be God's church, at least implicitly. The LDS church, however, claims that the Lord himself says that this is His church. We claim that Jesus Christ is at its head and that there is no other church in which the Lord is well pleased.

While perhaps offensive to some, it should be the claim of any Christian church, except perhaps those who believe that no church could receive His approval. And any "true" church--one professing to represent Jesus Christ on earth--should make that claim. The question then becomes: Is the claim legitimate or not?

The foundations of the LDS Church are believed to be ancient: that Christ established His Church when He was alive on the earth, and that the LDS Church is the same church organization, only restored in modern times. That restoration or re-birth of Christ's church took place in the early 1800s in the Eastern U.S. Joseph Smith, a 14 year old, claims to have been conflicted on the subject of religion and, after much study, retired to a quiet place in the woods of upstate New York and prayed with earnestness on the subject, to determine which of all the churches to join.

In response to his prayer, he claims that "I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!" JS-H 1:16-17.

Joseph Smith's claim is unique, quite obviously, and simplifies the Mormon question quite substantially: either Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ, or he is either a liar or insane.

As he shared his story with others, he was met by many with open ridicule and mocking, as he describes: "I soon found, however, that my telling the story had excited a great deal of prejudice against me among professors of religion, and was the cause of great persecution, which continued to increase; and though I was an obscure boy, only between fourteen and fifteen years of age, and my circumstances in life such as to make a boy of no consequence in the world, yet men of high standing would take notice sufficient to excite the public mind against me, and create a bitter persecution; and this was common among all the sects—all united to persecute me. . . . However, it was nevertheless a fact that I had beheld a vision. . . . I had actually seen a light, and in the midst of that light I saw two Personages, and they did in reality speak to me; and though I was hated and persecuted for saying that I had seen a vision, yet it was true; and while they were persecuting me, reviling me, and speaking all manner of evil against me falsely for so saying, I was led to say in my heart: Why persecute me for telling the truth? I have actually seen a vision; and who am I that I can withstand God, or why does the world think to make me deny what I have actually seen? For I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it; at least I knew that by so doing I would offend God, and come under condemnation." JS-H 1:22,24-25.

You'll note how bold his claim was. He retained that same claim until he died a martyr's death in 1844 for his testimony of what he had seen. During his life, he organized the LDS Church.

So the Mormon question isn't vague. It's crisp and clear: The Church of Jesus Christ claims that it is Christ's organization on the earth. It claims that there is a prophet on the earth again today, and 12 apostles. It claims that it is the Kingdom of God on the earth and has the authority to act in God's name. That's a bold, unambiguous claim.

The question is, is it true? Was Joseph Smith indeed called of God or was he a charlatan and a fraud? If his claims are true, then this life is the time to prepare to meet God and there are certain things we need to do to so prepare. If he's right, God lives, Jesus Christ lives, and there's a prophet on earth today whose sacred duty is to guide us and direct us through the challenges of the moral experience.

If he's right, we ought to test the claim to know for ourselves.

I have enough experience to know that the vast majority of people will hear of these claims and dismiss them without further consideration. I'm not sure I blame anyone for that. Certainly plenty of people have claimed to act in God's name--many of whom are unbelievable. But this is different. I think an honest inquiry into the question shows that we're not dealing with a casual claim. The life of Joseph Smith, the lives of Church members, the story of the LDS Church: all deserve special consideration. If it's by the fruits that a thing can be judged, the LDS Church can be judged by its good works, substantial growth over less than 200 years and a message that emphasizes the need for honest, productive, moral living.

The invitation I present here is simply to consider the claims and to study the question and judge for yourself. It's worth listening to and I can provide my witness that it's fruits are good and it is true. I invite you to read here or elsewhere to explore these issues and to make your own decision. If it is as Joseph Smith and tens of millions of other people have claimed, it's worth knowing.