Latest Updates: joseph smith RSS
-
Josué by staff
-
Indiana by staff
I Know that Joseph Smith Has restored Christ’s Church to the earth and has spoken with him.I know that Jesus Christ is our savior who has broken the bands of death and has died for all the sins of mankind. He sits on the right hand of God This is His Church and we are Born of him. Through His word all shall be saved. I Know that Jesus taught Repentance, Baptism , And gives the Holy Ghost to us in this world.
I will Put all of my Faith in the Lord
And I Say this in His Name Jesus Christ
Amen.
-
Giuseppe Martinengo: how I found the Mormon Church by admin
At the end of 1984, I was almost 20 years old. By that time I had dropped from school, since I had realized that the physics taught at the University would not help me find what I was looking for. Most of my friends and relatives couldn’t understand exactly what was going on with me and some of them tried in different ways to help me but without any concrete result. The problem was that I knew what I didn’t want, but I was not sure about what I wanted.
Nobody around me seemed to have the answers I was looking for. However, I had the feeling that I was in the right path. I had faith that by following the best principles I had learned and trying to improve my life by getting rid of what was not in harmony with my ideals I would finally find the answers.
On a certain day close to the end of the year 1984, I was in my home, reading a book, when I felt the sudden urge to go for a walk in downtown Asti, my home city, in Italy.
While I was walking in Corso Dante (one the main streets of the city) I saw two young men, two missionaries, walking toward me. One of them later told me that he didn’t really want to talk with me, but I looked at them and they looked at me and we stopped and started to converse. I remember that they asked me what I believed about the Savior. I can’t remember what I answered them, but they left me with a pamphlet about the Mormons, and asked for my home address.A few days later, the same missionaries rang at my doorbell. My mother answered, and since they asked for her husband, she said that he wasn’t there. The missionaries then left before I could talk with them. I wasn’t completely ready yet.
A few more days passed and I finally reached the right point. I can remember that I was laying down on my bed, tired of my apparently fruitless search. I offered a simple silent prayer, in which I basically said, “I have done all that I knew I should do… now I really need help since I don’t know what to do next…”
As soon as I expressed my thoughts to God, I started feeling an incredible peace and I felt as if heaven was close to me. In that exact moment, the doorbell rang. This time I was alone at home. I went to answer at the door and the missionaries were there. When they entered the living room, and shook my hand, I knew that they had the answers I was looking for.
Later, I realized that what I was looking for was not just a set of doctrines or a nice church, but the feeling of the Spirit. When they entered my home, I felt that they brought with them that nice Spirit, even if I didn’t know what it was at that time.
I understand now that the Lord gave me several experiences in which I felt His Spirit. Those experiences were so sweet that I was always looking for that feeling, even if I couldn’t name it.
The missionaries’ teachings fit perfectly together with my understanding. They were answering my questions about where we come from, why we are here, and where we will go after this life.
As I have written elsewhere, when the missionaries showed me the filmstrip of the Prophet Joseph Smith’s First Vision, it was difficult for me to contain my tears. I felt that the story of his search for truth was in some ways similar to my own. My search had lasted longer, while his had been probably more intense. Moreover, he had been chosen to have the glorious vision of the Father and the Son while I had to content myself with two missionaries. However, those two missionaries were like angels to me, bringing with them the answers to my deeply heartfelt questions.
However, in spite of all these feelings, I still didn’t have a solid testimony. It was the reading of the Book of Mormon that brought to me the confirmation of the truthfulness of all those teachings and experiences.
Early in our discussions, the missionaries mentioned the practice of fasting. They didn’t stress that point too much, but for some reason I began to read the Book of Mormon while fasting at the same time. My later experience in teaching families and individuals with other missionaries showed me that it is not easy to find someone who accepts the challenge to fast while reading the Book of Mormon. However, those experiences also convinced me that when people do it, and they are sincere in their search, it is almost impossible for them not to receive an answer. And, in fact, that happened with me.
In less than a week, I read the entire Book of Mormon. I would fast for 24 hours, then have a lunch, and then fast for another 24 hours. My mother really thought that I was behaving strangely. At some point in that process, I decided to kneel down and ask if those things I was learning were true. I did it, and, after my prayer, an incredible feeling of peace surrounded me, a feeling similar to the one I had just before the missionaries came to my home, but much stronger. Together with those feelings came the answers to my specific questions about the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and of the Church. I received a confirmation by the Spirit of God that all that the missionaries were teaching was true. From that moment, to paraphrase the words of the Prophet Joseph Smith, “I had a testimony; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it, neither wanted I do it”.
I knew that the Church and the Book of Mormon were true and I was eager to learn all that was possible about the Church. However, my mother was not at all happy with my new “discovery” and, although the missionaries tried to teach her the day they challenged us to be baptized, it became clear that she was not interested like I was. Her opposition created some problems that led me eventually to leave my home.
However, I had finally found what I had been looking for after many years and this was what really counted. More than 20 years have passed since that day and I have had many experiences that reinforced that initial testimony.
So, why do I believe in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? Simply because I know that it is true. The Spirit of the Lord testified it to me over and over again after that first experience. I don’t believe what I do because the Church is a wonderful organization, I don’t believe because I have friends, I don’t believe because the doctrine is clear, understandable, and sound, I don’t believe because someone told me so, but I believe because, in fact, I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true.
After all we can say and do, each person will have to honestly search, ask, and receive an answer directly from God about the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and of the Church. I searched, asked, and received my answer, and therefore I can honestly say that I know that these things are true.
This story was first published in my blog at Giuseppe Martinengo’s blog
Giuseppe Martinengo: before I met the missionaries of the Mormon Church
-
Giuseppe Martinengo: before I met the missionaries of the Mormon Church by admin
I was not born and raised in Utah, among the Mormons, but I was raised a Catholic in Italy. When I was 10 years old, my father died because of lung cancer (he used to smoke) at age 47. His death changed everything in my life. I was then the only child of a widowed young mother (33 years old). In spite of all the efforts made by my mother to help me cope with the situation, very soon I realized that something had changed not only in my outward normal life, but also inside me. I wasn’t anymore like many other children who could go about being just children without many problems and especially without many questions about life or sudden sadness.Because of the death of my father, I noticed that some people started to treat me differently and, over time, I had to face some hard questions about the purpose of our existence here on the earth. I didn’t realize how important what was happening inside me was until I was 13 or 14. However by the age of 14, I was beginning to be highly unsatisfied with the world around me and with the answers that my teachers, family, or religious ministers gave me to the important questions of life. I was beginning to realize that perhaps something was missing in the worldview and beliefs of most people around me, but I was not sure what.
It is important to stress that the presence of the Catholic Church were so strong in my environment that I can still remember a time, when I was about 9 or 10 years old, in which during a lesson at school about people with other beliefs, I asked myself: “How can people not to be Catholic? Do they know that they will all go to live forever in… (a very bad place)? Why they don’t change religion and become all Catholics?” Such was the power of tradition in my environment.
The death of my father, however, started to change my situation. The Lord sometimes works in mysterious ways to bring about His purposes. In fact, after the death of my father, my mother reduced her involvement with the Catholic Church. She was still a Catholic, but, perhaps because she didn’t find the help she was looking for in that organization to cope with her loss, she started looking elsewhere.
She started reading books about oriental religions and philosophies such as yoga, Zen, and Buddhism; in particular, she started reading about and practicing yoga. Her exploration opened up a new world to me. Suddenly, I was learning about other religions and philosophies and I was discovering that there were a lot of good things to be learned. I began to realize that perhaps the Catholic Church didn’t have the best answers to the questions of life. Moreover, and especially, I began to be familiarized with the concepts of spiritual progression and the idea of spiritual self-improvement. Not that these concepts are completely absent from the Catholic tradition, but in the daily life of a Catholic they are almost absent, since they are usually stressed only for those who abandon the “normal” life and became “full-time, forever single, priests or nuns.” My favorite Catholic “hero” was Saint Francis of Assis, but I didn’t like the idea that a religious man or woman should give up marriage to pursue a religious life at its best.
I had a dear friend, Stefano, who was a member of a small Protestant group. I had always been fascinated by the fact that this and other Protestant groups rejected the principle of celibacy in their church. When people like me are immersed in a strong Catholic culture, even these little examples or ideas can make a big difference over time and give us the courage to pursue something different in spite of the strong pressure of the tradition.
When I was 15, I had another key experience. The setting was a trip to Rome. The purpose of the trip was to take the Catholic youth from all Europe to meet with the Pope. At that time I was involved with the Catholic youth of my parish, even if I was beginning to question some of our beliefs. During that trip, something special happened.
On the specific day, thousands of youth were ready to meet the Pope in the Saint Peter’s Basilica. We had been preparing for months for this special meeting. Youth from all over Europe had traveled to get there. Obviously, the Pope was not present when we arrived and so we all sat on the floor of the church and started singing. I really didn’t sing, but I listened for at least an hour to those Gregorian lyrics but I started feeling bad. I had great expectations about that special meeting with the Pope, but after a while I began to think: “What am I doing here?”; “Why I am here after all? Just because others told me that it would be special?” I struggled for a while, but then I decided to stand up and leave. I had a feeling of relief when I left that strange atmosphere in the Saint Peter’s Basilica. I had an uncle in Rome and I decided to visit him and spend some time with his family instead than meeting the Pope: not a big deal anyway, I thought.
On the way back to my city in northern Italy, while still on the train, I had the opportunity to tell what I had done to our main guide, a very outgoing and friendly priest. I told him about my feelings, my doubts, and the fact that I had left the meeting. I began to ask questions about Catholic beliefs. After listening and discussin with me for some time he finally said: “If you believe these things, then you are not a Catholic”. That was really a strong and challenging statement, a call back to orthodoxy. I was a little perplexed, but I replied: “Then, I am probably not a Catholic!”
I suppose that the Spirit of the Lord was present that day to support me and open my mind, because I felt relieved when I said what I was really thinking, and I was not afraid of the priest’s reaction. After that episode, my search for answers was directed mainly outside the Catholic Church, since even that apparently open-minded priest had failed to help me to understand. When confronted with hard questions, he couldn’t find anything better than suggesting that I rely on blind faith or consider myself a heretic!
Several years passed after that episode and I continued to meet with my Catholic friends, but I was now always more involved in reading books about other religions. Books were my main font of information about religion. One author that really had a strong influence on me for a period, for example, was Sri Aurobindo. I can’t remember the details of what I read at that time, but Sri Aurobindo, in his books, suggests that humankind can evolve spiritually beyond its current limitations and reach a future state of “supramental” existence. This would be like an “evolutionary” step for humankind that should lead to a divine life on Earth. (This make me thing of the Millennium now, even if according the Bible this “almost divine life” will not the product of “evolution”; but at that time it was an interesting concept that gave me some hope and meaning for the future).
Based on my current knowledge and testimony of the teaching of the Mormon Church, I can’t avoid thinking that by reading his writings I was moving a step forward in the direction of understanding key Mormon concepts, some of which are not clear or even accepted by many traditional Christians. I believe that the Spirit of the Lord teaches people according to their language and understanding, and moves forward the true seekers one step at a time until they are ready for the fullness of the Gospel.
My search for the truth continued to intensify until it reached its climax when I was 19 years old. One day, I was in Torino, where I was supposed to be moving forward with my studies in physics. I had chosen to study physics not because I wanted to become a new Einstein, but because of books such as The Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capra, books that discuss the parallels between modern physics and eastern mysticism. It is probably unnecessary to say that since my interest for physics was nothing more than another step in my search for the truth, I was very disappointed with my undergraduate program at the University of Torino. Therefore, as in many other occasions, on that particular day I was not studying physics but I was reading a book about the history of Indian philosophy.
At a certain point, that day, I decided to go for a walk to relax and think about life. While I was walking downtown someone stopped me and asked me if I wanted to do a psychological test. I didn’t mention it before, but I had also been interested in psychoanalysis and psychology, and I especially liked books such as Eric Fromm’s The Art of Loving or To Have or to Be? and so on Therefore, I was somewhat curious about this test.
That test was the beginning of my last step in my search for the truth. After that, I had lost my fear of disconnecting from the Catholic tradition, and I was almost incomprehensible to my family and Catholic friends. I can say now that I was ready to meet the Mormon missionaries, and especially to understand and accept their message, less than a year later, because of all those experiences.
But who was behind that psychological test? The people of Dianetics and Scientology. Their focus on personal improvement and their blending of scientific, religious, and psychological knowledge attracted me for a short period, even if I never became really involved with them, because after the initial interested, I realized that they didn’t have the answers I was looking for. However, even this relatively negative experience had at least one important positive outcome. Scientology completely severed my last psychological (and some doctrinal) connections with the Catholic Church. I freed myself even more from the weight of tradition and I grew stronger in the belief that there was something out there, in some place, in some organization, or in some book, that could help me answer my questions about the purpose of life.
It may seem of little importance to some, but to have the courage to be unorthodox, to challenge at least in our own mind the tradition is an important step before we can be ready to receive a testimony and to accept the restored gospel. This was especially true for me, since I didn’t accept to be baptized in the Mormon Church for social reasons or out of a temporary interest, but only because I was touched by the Spirit, after contemplating the simple but powerful architecture and logic of Mormon doctrine. The concept of obtaining a testimony of the truth by the Spirit of God implies that to rely on tradition to believe is not enough, even when the tradition is true.
I can testify with all my conviction that the scripture that read “seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Luke 11:9) is true, because the Lord guided me by the hand through many different experiences until I found what I was really looking for, the true Church of Jesus Christ once again established on the earth.
The Dark Ages of my life were dispelled when I finally met the missionaries and I can only be thankful that I was born in a time when the true Church is present in the face of the earth. I can’t imagine the hardship imposed on those people who tried to find the Church when it wasn’t on the earth.
I need to recognize that I owe to the Catholic Church my first limited understanding of and belief in Jesus Christ, belief that never left me even when I was focusing on other religions. However, I owe to these other religions and philosophies a better understanding of many true principles and a more opened mind that helped me not to be afraid when I finally found the true Church of Jesus Christ.
Other Giuseppe’s pages
-
Ed Pinegar by staff
-
DMC by staff
I was raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but like all people, whether “born in the church” or not, I had to find out the truth for myself. I don’t ever recall really questioning what I had been taught in church or by my parents, but I will always remember one Sunday in particular. I was 12 years old, and one of my Young Women’s teachers was discussing the importance of gaining a testimony for yourself. She talked about how we couldn’t always lean on the testimony for others and how we cannot have blind faith, but that we needed to know the truth for ourselves. She challenged and pleaded with us to go home and to pray to find out the truth for ourselves. At church I thought her message was nice, but I didn’t understand the importance of it… yet. After church her face kept coming into my mind, pleading for me to find out for myself. The more I though about it, the greater the need I felt to do just that. So I went to my bedroom and thought about what I wanted to know, and I knelt down and prayed. I will never forget the amazing power that filled my entire body, how full my heart was, and how close I felt to my Heavenly Father at that moment. I knew that God was there, listening to me- and ready and waiting to answer my prayer. Since then I have never doubted.I know that my Heavenly Father lives, and that He knows me and every person individually, and that He loves me. I know that my Savior lives. I know that He lived a perfect life and that He suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane and again on the cross for me, that He died and was resurrected that I may not only live again, but that I may become clean and pure through the power of the atonement. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, that he was an instrument in God’s hands in restoring the fullness of the gospel on the earth again. I know that this is the Church of Jesus Christ. I know that President Hinckley is a prophet today, that he, under the direction of the Savior who stands at the head of this church, is His spokesman for the world. I know that the Book of Mormon is true, that it is scripture, that it has the power to change lives, and as we follow the teachings of Christ and the prophets we find in all scripture, that they will work together to lead us to God. I know that there is a great plan of salvation and that plan truly is a plan of happiness, and as we follow that plan, as we follow Christ and keep the commandments, we will find peace and joy in this life and in the life to come.
-
David Buchanan: my testimony of the Mormon Church by staff
-
Crystal Gwilliam by staff
I know that God lives – because I see and feel His influence in every moment of my life!I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior – because through the Atonement, I right my wrongs to feel clean again; my heart is healed; my mind is clear and free from worry and fear; I can use my body to serve and uplift those around me.
I know that Jesus Christ showed the WAY and is the LIGHT of the world – because of the way He leads MY life and guides me through the darkness into a ever-brighter life of LIGHT and LOVE.
I know that the Priesthood is the POWER of GOD – because I have witnessed and felt its’ holy power in my life through healing and comfort, guidance and direction.
I know that Joseph Smith, through the power of the Priesthood, restored the Gospel of Jesus Christ – because I have visited the Sacred Grove, I have prayed about Joseph’s experience and I KNOW, undeniably, that he saw GOD the Father and Jesus Christ; that he translated the Book of Mormon into a language we could study and understand; that he gave his life in defense of the Kingdom of God.
I know that I can be together with my family for ALL ETERNITY – because I have made sacred covenants in the holy temple, GOD’s HOUSE, and I diligently strive to keep those covenants each day. When I make mistakes and fall short of the covenants I’ve made to be a disciple of Jesus, I know that through the Atonement and GOD’s loving mercy, I can be made whole again – physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally.
I know we are guided and directed by living prophets – because I have the Spirit testify to ME every time I hear the prophet and apostles’ words. I know it is TRUE!
I love the gospel of Jesus Christ with all my heart! I know that it is the ONLY way to have true happiness and peace in this life and the life to come. There are many ways that bring happiness nevertheless this is the BETTER PART. In the name of Jesus Christ, AMEN!
Crystal Gwilliam
–Crysdawn 06:58, 1 June 2007 (MDT) -
Conviction wrought within my soul by staff
I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I love the hope, love and happiness it brings into my life. Even when I am having the worst day ever, I can always rejoice in the fact that my Father in heaven loved me enough to send His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to suffer and die for me and even more so that He rose again, overcoming death so that I can too return to my Heavenly Father. I know that He loves us. I know that the Atonement of Jesus Christ paid the debt we could not pay for ourselves. I know that Joseph Smith restored the gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth so that we can all know of this wonderful news. Heavenly Father is the literal father of our spirits. Jesus Christ is truly Jehovah, Savior and Redeemer. Joseph Smith truly was a prophet. The Book of Mormon is truly the word of God. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is truly God’s church once again established and organized on the earth. This is my testimony, deeply embedded in the fleshy tables of my heart and within my soul, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. -
Brandy Jo McComb by staff
I am a new and recent convert to the Church. I was in a small town; stuck in a residential Care facility (I lived there because I have a mental illness) and was given the opportunity to move out on my own. So, I decided to move to the town in which I now reside; stepping into the great unknown and uncertain as to whether I would have sufficient means to make it out on my own. That in itself was a giant leap of faith. Things were great for the first 3 or 4 months. Then I encountered a situation that was a strong possibility of leaving me homeless and with no money. I attend a recovery program here in town and the people here are definetly God’ s people. I came in one day crying and was very distressed as to whether or not I would be homeless soon. I had recently began meeting with the missionaries here in town. As I softened my heart to their message and began applying what they were saying, I noticed a big change right then and there. I felt a peace and a calm sweep over me and I knew within my heart that everything was going to be OK. The people at the rehab center stepped up to the plate and got me an apartment. I had no money. I could not pay my deposits. These people got me emergency funds via some agency of sort. I had got me an apartment. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that that was The Lord; that that it was no coincidence. I felt a burning confirmation in my heart. So, I begin attending Church every Sunday and partaking of the Sacrament. Not long after, I was baptized into the Church. Now I am serving a Calling as assistant librarian and being trained in Gospel Principlesand am looking forward to Spiritual Growth and to bigger and better things. Also, The Lord is healing my shattered mind and shattered spirit as I exercise a little more faith on a daily basis. The past is over. There are cobwebs of course and some past damage that I am overcoming daily. My personal testimony is that I know Jesus is my Redeemer and Savior. I know that the Church is so true. I can personally attest to the fact that Joseph Smith was a true Prophet of God and that he translated the Book of Mormon and is the founder of the Restored CHurch here on earth. I know that God calls people to do His divine Work. I am so thrilled about my new life. I know these things to be true.
« Previous Page — Next Page »
