As I read through the passage in Joseph Smith History this time, I was struck by how identifiable his story is to most people. Although there are so many awful and derisive beliefs and comments about Joseph Smith, if a person is open enough to read this short history, they just might identify with the boy they question.
Joseph explains that in his 14th year, there was religious upheaval in his town between three main sects: Baptists, Presbyterians, and Methodists. Religious upheaval still exists today between those sects and much more. The list of different religions would take up a lot of room on this blog, so I won't name them. But I will mention that we are faced with some other interesting decisions where religion is concerned: non-religion, hobbies that become passions, causes (noble or not) that become our beliefs, apathy, family tradition, to name a few. With all of these and more, I would guess that a person in whatever stage of life, will one day ask what Joseph asked:
10 In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be aright, which is it, and how shall I know it?Joseph went to a resource he could trust: the Bible. It is assumed that he already believed in God, but up until this time, had not had any personal experience with receiving answers from Him. So what kind of belief he had in God, is not sure. But he recognized enough to access the God he knew for enlightenment regarding religion.
When Joseph read the scripture in 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."
He said: "Never did any passage of ascripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart."
The power he felt was the Spirit of Christ which is described here in The Book of Mormon (Moroni 7:16):
16 For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.And from this power he was compelled to follow the scripture literally. He would ask God for wisdom.
As soon as he knelt to pray an evil power overcame him:
I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had such an astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak. Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction.This too, is something people can relate to, but they may or may not be cognizant of it. An experience like this can be anything from following a curiosity about truth to following a prompting from God. I dare to guess that almost always, truth seekers experience some sort of distraction while trying to discover answers to questions. It may be a lack of time, jobs, other priorities, fear, laziness and more. Some give in to distractions, others overcome it by will of wanting answers, like Joseph:
16 But, exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy which had seized upon me, and at the very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to destruction—not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being—just at this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.Joseph, gathering himself after experiencing initial astonishment, proceeded to ask his intended question: Which of all the sects is right? To which he learned:
17 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 fBeloved gSon. Hear Him!
19 I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.”
There was the answer to his question. He also received answers he did not ask questions for. He learned that God and Jesus Christ are separate beings and that man was actually created in their image, meaning they appeared as men. He learned that indeed, if you have a question and would like more wisdom, you can ask God and He will answer you.
From the point of feeling the overwhelming evil power, Joseph continued to experience opposing forces to his question, experience and direction from God. But he stayed true. He wondered why something like this would happen to a young, poor, farm boy. But it did happen and he explains the reality of it. Verses 24 and 25 are some of my favorite scriptures ever and have given me reason to continue to believe what I do based on the experiences I've had:
The integrity he had concerning this first vision is to be admired and thanked. Because of the reality of it and Joseph's integrity in testifying of it, The Church of Jesus Christ as it was established when He was on the earth, is established once more. The truths contained within this Church is the gospel of Jesus Christ and bring understanding, wisdom, peace, joy and hope to those who seek for wisdom they lack.23 It caused me serious reflection then, and often has since, how very strange it was that an obscure boy, of a little over fourteen years of age, and one, too, who was doomed to the necessity of obtaining a scanty maintenance by his daily labor, should be thought a character of sufficient importance to attract the attention of the great ones of the most popular sects of the day, and in a manner to create in them a spirit of the most bitter persecution and reviling. But strange or not, so it was, and it was often the cause of great sorrow to myself.24 However, it was nevertheless a fact that I had beheld a vision. I have thought since, that I felt much like Paul, when he made his defense before King Agrippa, and related the account of the vision he had when he saw a light, and heard a voice; but still there were but few who believed him; some said he was dishonest, others said he was mad; and he was ridiculed and reviled. But all this did not destroy the reality of his vision. He had seen a vision, he knew he had, and all the persecution under heaven could not make it otherwise; and though they should persecute him unto death, yet he knew, and would know to his latest breath, that he had both seen a light and heard a voice speaking unto him, and all the world could not make him think or believe otherwise.25 So it was with me. 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.
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