Having said that, I'll begin telling you the account of Joseph Smith in (mostly) my own words. At the bottom of the post, you'll find a video depicting some of the key points I'll mention.
Joseph Smith was born on December 23, 1805 in Vermont. When Joseph was about 10 years old, his family moved to a place in New York called Palmyra. He had five brothers and three sisters. After a couple of years in Palmyra, there began to be a lot of commotion regarding religion--Church B said they were right and Church A was wrong, while Church A claimed to have the truth while Churches B-Z were blasphemous. You might say it was your typical (albeit magnified due to its weighty effects) I'm-right-and-you're-wrong situation.
Joseph was 14 years old at this time. Much of his family joined with the Presbyterian church, although he identified to some degree with the Methodist faith. With all of the different churches pointing fingers and making claims, though, he couldn't find a feeling of sureness at any one of them, and he refrained from committing to any. "[S]o great were the confusion and strife among the different denominations, that it was impossible for a person young as [he] was, and so unacquainted with men and things, to come to any certain conclusion who was right and who was wrong... In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, [he] often said to [himself]: What is to be done? ...If any one of them be right, which is it, and how shall I know it?" (JSH 1:8, 10).
One day, he was reading in the New Testament--the Epistle of James, to be exact. In the first chapter and fifth verse, it reads: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally [freely], and upbraideth not [does not rebuke he who asks]; and it shall be given him."
Joseph knew upon reading this passage that he must take his concerns to the Lord. So, he went out to the woods to pray. It was his first time praying aloud, and he found a quiet spot where he knelt down and began to pray.
A glorious light descended and fell upon Joseph. In it, stood "two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description" (JSH 1:17). One of them, God the Father, called Joseph by name and said, indicating the other, "This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!"
Remember, Joseph had gone out to pray because he wanted to know which church he should join--which church was God's. Joseph now thus inquired of Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ. He was answered that none of the churches on the earth at that time had God's full truth. Joseph, although very young, had been entrusted with great and sacred knowledge. In the years to come, he became the first prophet of the latter days (the days leading up to Christ's Second Coming).
This account is known as the First Vision. It is true. I can't tell you to believe it not; that's up to you to find out. But I can tell you that I know it's true. God restored (or brought back) His true gospel to the earth through the prophet Joseph Smith.
Again, Latter-day Saints (Mormons) do not worship Joseph Smith. We respect him. We know he was a prophet called of God. We are grateful for him. But our worship is reserved solely for God the Eternal Father and His Son Jesus Christ.
Thank you for reading this. I'm so glad I have the chance to share it with you, because it is so special to me. If you have any questions, always feel free to ask. As promised, here is the video depicting some of these main points:
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