Who is Joseph Smith and why is he so important to the LDS Church?

Joseph Smith Jr was a boy in the 1820’s. His parents were merchants and farmers, and they lived in upstate New York, and his family were split between two different Churches. Some were Presbyterian and others were Methodist. A firm believer in The Bible, Smith struggled to understand which Church was the true Church of the Lord, and after reading James 1-5 (If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him) knew that the only way he would know which was the true Church, was to ask the Lord in prayer. Smith went into the woods behind his house, found a quiet area, and prayed for guidance.

Smith experienced something far greater than he could have ever imagined. Whilst praying, he became aware of a pillar of light, which slowly descended from between the trees, and then descended upon him.

From Joseph’s Smith’s own account:

“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!”

Smith states that he never believed all the Christian denominations were wrong as such, just that they had a distorted or altered version of the truth. Therefore, he went to ask which sect was right, rather than which was wrong. The instruction given to him was that none of the Churches were right, and that he must not join any of them.

Despite only being 14/15, Smith was actively persecuted by the preachers of other Churches. They claimed he was deceived by the devil and was not of sound mind. Despite the majority of the community turning on him, Joseph Smith remained steadfast in his account of what had happened.

A couple of years later, Joseph was visited by an Angel. The Angel said his name is Moroni, and that Smith was required to retrieve a book of great importance. The Book would be written in ancient script, but that a breastplate and seer stones (called Urim and Thummin) would assist Smith in being able to decipher the text.

Joseph headed to the place where the messenger had told him the Book was kept (inscribed on plates), but when Smith found it and tried to remove the plates and the equipment, he was contacted by the messenger to tell him that the time was not yet right. It took Smith 4 years before he was finally admitted to remove the plates for translating. The community had heard of his efforts, and had also heard the plates were very precious. Smith was often having to hide and work in secret to keep the plates from being stolen. Eventually, the harassment became too much to bear, and Smith with his wife Emma, moved to Pennsylvania. Smith’s friend Martin Harris had copied some of the characters from the plates and had them verified by a literary scholar as accurate of the period (Egyptian, Assyriac and Arabic characters from many years B.C), and an accurate translation of them. When the scholar found that the translation was regarding a book of The Lord, he suddenly refused to cooperate further.

Smith went on to translate the Book Of Mormon, and found the Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints. He is considered by the members of the Church to be the man chosen to restore the Lord’s Church to the Earth. He is seen as the first modern-day prophet of God, an authority which has passed down through the years to today, where we have a living prophet of the Lord by the name of Thomas S. Monson. He is not worshipped, nor idolised, but directs the Church and helps spread the word of God.

Unfortunately, Smith and his Church were persecuted and harassed throughout their attempts to settle. They were forced from town to town, state to state, and eventually settled in the Utah Salt Lake Valley. Sadly, Joseph Smith never got to see the city flourish, as he was murdered by a mob in Carthage Jail, Illinois in 1844, along with his brother, Hyrum.

The role of women in the LDS Church

Surprisingly, many non-Mormons seem to think that women in our Church are downtrodden, undervalued and exploited. I’m not altogether sure where this came from.

Either way, it’s certainly not the case. The Church needs all members to stand up and be counted, men, women, youth, everyone. Women in the Church cannot hold the Priesthood, but this is not due to worthiness or responsibility issues. Women have their own organisation called Relief Society.

Relief Society is the biggest and oldest organised group in the world, and the work undertaken by the ladies in Relief Society never fails to astound me. First off, anyone who needs it, is able to have meals made and delivered to them. Those who are unwell and struggle to cook for themselves, those who have just given birth and may need an extra helping hand, those who have regular care, but need a stop-gap to cover now and again. The Relief Society provides meals as one of its first service commitments.

They also arrange for transportation help. Whether people need help moving house, need help getting to/from Church and Church activities, need help getting to Hospital to see loved ones, or who simply need some help getting around from A to B, the Relief Society arrange all these things. I know in my Ward, that one of our members is disabled and is wheelchair-bound. The Relief Society arrange for someone to drop round his home 30minutes before Church, and help transport him to Church. Not only is this good for the member who gets to Church each week, but it’s good to socialise before and after, as the care home he lives in are always stretched for staff, and it’s a pleasure to help someone so grateful.

One of the commitments of the Relief Society that is most prominent, is Visiting Teaching. Members visit other members and they share a spiritual message, socialise, and assist in any way they can. This simple monthly contact is sometimes the lifeline for members who live alone, and may not have seen anyone for some considerable time. This provides both physical and emotional support to other women in the Ward, and in a more homely setting, may feel more comfortable sharing some issues they may be having, rather than speaking up at Church or such.

I am grateful for the service of the Relief Society in my Ward, Stake and throughout the world. I am also immensely impressed with the speed and efficiency of the organisation to react to the needs of the people of our Church.

Women are deemed to be just as important to the Ward as men, and I certainly know that without the Relief Society, a great many people would be suffering more hardship than they are right now.