Why did Joseph Smith pray?
An early account says the purpose of this prayer was to ask God for mercy for his sins while later accounts emphasize his desire to know which church he should join. Smith said he went one spring morning to a secluded grove near his home to pray.
What did Joseph Smith ask God?
So, he says, he found a nearby spot — now called “the sacred grove” — knelt down and asked God which church was “true.” Smith reports that he was visited by two embodied beings, standing above him in a “pillar of light.” One pointed to the other and said, “This is my beloved son. Hear him.”
What changes did Joseph Smith make to the Bible?
The Joseph Smith Translation (JST), also called the Inspired Version of the Holy Scriptures (IV), is a revision of the Bible by Joseph Smith, the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, who said that the JST/IV was intended to restore what he described as “many important points touching the salvation of men, [that] …
What books did the Mormons add to the Bible?
Scripture – The Mormon Holy Books
- The Holy Bible (King James Version)
- The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.
- Doctrine and Covenants A compilation of revelations and writings given since the restoration of the Church began.
Did Joseph Smith translate the entire Bible?
He considered this project a divine mandate, referring to it as a “branch of my calling.” 3 Yet while portions were printed in Church publications before his death, Joseph Smith’s complete translation of the Bible was not published during his lifetime.
What was Joseph Smith translating in 1830?
From late 1827 to the end of 1830, Smith would translate the golden plates, publish the Book of Mormon, and establish the Church of Christ. To translate the golden plates, Smith enlisted the assistance of Martin Harris, a wealthy Palmyra landowner who acted as Smith’s scribe.
What happened Sidney Rigdon?
Rigdon lived on for many years in Pennsylvania and New York. He maintained his testimony of the Book of Mormon and clung to his claims that he was the rightful heir to Joseph Smith. He died in Friendship, New York on July 14, 1876.
Where is Sidney Rigdon buried?
Maple Grove Cemetery, New York, United States
What happened to the Whitmer family?
All surviving members of the Whitmer family broke with Smith in 1838 in Far West, Missouri, and were excommunicated from the church. Whitmer moved to Richmond, Missouri, where he lived until his death.
What happened to David Whitmer?
In 1887, Whitmer published a pamphlet entitled “An Address to All Believers in Christ”, in which he affirmed his testimony of the Book of Mormon, but denounced the other branches of the Latter Day Saint movement. Whitmer died in Richmond. The Whitmerite church survived until the 1960s.
Did any of the 8 witnesses of the Book of Mormon leave the church?
The eight witnesses bore testimony to the physicality of the plates – that they “hefted” them. Of those 11 men, five died consistently faithful to the church. Six left the early Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but two of those six returned later in life to full membership.
Did any Book of Mormon witnesses deny?
None of the Eight Witnesses is known to have denied his testimony of the authenticity of the Book of Mormon or the golden plates.
Did the Book of Mormon witnesses actually see the plates?
William Smith, who knew the Eight Witnesses well — his father and two of his brothers were among them — explained “they not only saw with their eyes but handled with their hands the said record.” Daniel Tyler heard Samuel Smith testify that “He knew his brother Joseph had the plates, for the prophet had shown them to …
Did anyone really see gold plates?
Smith eventually obtained testimonies from 11 men who said that they had seen the plates, known as the Book of Mormon witnesses. After the translation was complete, Smith said that he returned the plates to the angel Moroni; thus they could never be examined.