Joseph Smith, Nephi and Moroni

26 July

Joseph Smith, Nephi and Moroni

moroni-211Nephi or Moroni, Who Visited Joseph that Night?

What do you think?  Could both stories be true?

Introductory page of D&C 1976, 3rd paragraph; This took place in the early spring of 1820.  In September, 1823, and at later times, Joseph Smith received visitations from Moroni, an angel of light, who revealed the resting place of the ancient record from which The Book of Mormon was afterward translated.

Joseph Smith History 1:32-33; The room was exceedingly light, but not so very bright as immediately around his person. When I first looked upon him, I was afraid; but the fear soon left me.  33 He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Moroni; that God had a work for me to do; and that my name should be had for good and evil…”

Times and Seasons, vol. 3 (November 1841 – October 1842): pg. 753; “The room was exceedingly light, but not so very bright as immediately around his person. When I first looked upon him I was afraid, but the fear soon left me. He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Nephi. That God had a work for me to do, and that my name should be had for good and evil…”

2 Cor. 11:13-15; For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.  14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.  15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

The warning from Paul to the Corinthians is scary and should make you want to run the other way as fast as you can!

Why would you be proud of people knowing your name for evil?

In addition to that there are other discrepancies.

In the book Joseph Smith, Seeker After Truth, pg 23-24 it says that Joseph didn’t go to the woods to pray until after his brother Alvin’s funeral in the fall of 1823. That book was written by Mormon apostle John Widstoe.

In Joseph Smith’s history we read that he went to the woods and saw his vision in 1820.  Which story is correct?

Furthermore, at the funeral of Joseph’s brother Alvin the preacher gave a sermon titled “Which church should I join?” and he preached this sermon from the text of James 1:5; if any man lacks wisdom let him ask of God.  Wow – what a coincidence eh? Then again, maybe not…

In Joseph’s history he said he went to the woods to pray in the spring. That would put us in the spring of 1824 since Alvin died in the fall of 1823. If he went to the woods to pray in 1824 and whoever it was told him he had to wait to get the plates and translate which took seven years according to Smith’s 1838 history account, this puts us in 1831 – a year after the Church was organized.

The LDS book “The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith” compiled by Dean Jessee gives a word for word account of Joseph Smith’s diaries. There are as many contradictions to times, dates and which spirit appeared where as there are languages in the world. The submissions made in Smith’s diaries will keep your head swimming while trying to figure out exactly what happened.

So now we’re at a conundrum.  Was it Nephi or Moroni or was it Heavenly Father or Heavenly Father and Jesus and just exactly when did this happen or did it happen at all?

The questions posed here will hopefully prompt a healthy questioning process in the mind of the Mormon and in turn force them to open their Bibles to the truth of Christ Jesus.

With Love in Christ;

Michelle

1 Cor. 1:18-19  …

One Response to “Joseph Smith, Nephi and Moroni”

  1. Larry May 15, 2014 at 5:23 pm #

    I share your questions. I have documented 10 different versions of Joseph Smith’s alleged first vision and all are different in some way or other. The city of Moroni in the Cummorah islands off southeast Africa was founded in the tenth century. Joseph Smith does not tell us how he learned these names (Moroni and Cummorah). Are we to believe it is all coincidental? Are we to believe John Widstoe about JS not going into the woods to pray until after his brother Alvin’s funeral? Which of the ten different accounts of his first vision are we to believe? Why are they different from each other? Why is there suck confusion about whether it was Nephi or Moroni who appeared to him and told him about the gold plates?

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