Who Was Joseph Smith and Why the Opposition to his Message?

Was Joseph Smith a true prophet of God, a genius conman or possibly a boy who made some lucky guesses to establish a church that would grow to be found throughout the world. The falsehoods of his detractors are not supported by the facts of history. From his personal history we read this verse.

25 So it was with me. I had actually seen a light, and in the midst of that light I saw two ^aPersonages, and they did in reality speak to me; and though I was ^bhated and ^cpersecuted 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 ^dfalsely 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 ^edeny it, neither dared I do it; at least I knew that by so doing I would offend God, and come under condemnation.

Not many people in the course of modern Christian history have come along claiming to be a prophet of God. Some prominent religious leaders in the last few centuries have claimed some prophetic gifts but not prophetic authority. Even the leaders of the Protestant reformation didn't make assertions that they were prophets or to have special authority to act for God. Yet, we as LDS hold the idea that they were aware that the Catholic church in their day had been corrupted.

In 1820 Joesph Smith declared that he had a vision and that subsequently a series of events took place. He was visited by resurrected beings acting as angels from God. His claims started from the time he was 14-years old. His revelation did not follow traditional doctrines. The rest of Christendom did not believe that God had a physical form. His testimony shows that the heavens are again opened contrary to the idea of sola scripture promoted by the Protestant reformation leaders.

No religious leader, Catholic, Protestant or otherwise claimed such visitations and acted on them in such a way to initiate a world wide church. In fact, their claims are and were quite the opposite, that the heavens were closed and that God does not speak to mankind on the earth. It is not wrong to infer that they were right. God had not spoken to them. Although some claimed to be, they have not been authorized servants like the prophets of old were to reveal his truths.

For some 2000 years after his death, Jesus ministered to the earth by the power of his spirit, the light of Christ. The teachings of Jesus, the ancient prophets and his apostles were gathered together into a Bible controlled by the clergy for centuries. The honest in heart, the true believers still felt the light and lived with a hope of salvation without understanding what that might be. The true church and its authority to administer the ordinances of the gospel was taken from the earth with the death of the apostles. Those faithful believers would await the day of the restoration of the fullness of the Gospel when all mankind on earth and beyond the veil of death would again hear the Savior's voice as the time for the Second Coming of Christ would approach.

Joseph Smith was a seeker of spiritual direction and knowledge. He testified that in answer to his prayers seeking truth and understanding, God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him and subsequently other angelic messengers visited him and conferred knowledge and authority upon him. To this day his testimony stands that he received a divine call to organized The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There is no question that it holds a unique position in modern Christianity. Here is a short video explaining the restoration of the Gospel and Church. I will only highlight some of the allegations of critics that have opposed Joseph Smith's story when he was alive and those that have continued to speak out against it over the two centuries since he first declared to be God's prophet of the Restoration.

One prophecy among many has clearly been fulfilled regarding Joseph Smith's calling as a prophet. Coming from an obscure frontier boy in the 1820s he said an angel of God declared, "my name should be had for good and evil, among all nations, kindreds, and tongues; or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people.”

This prophecy has been and continues to be fulfilled. Was this prophetic or was he a lucky guesser in making such a statement.  If he guessed, how did he go about constructing such a scenario to take place throughout the world for almost 200 years that it would come to pass? No critic can tell us how he did it other than he is a "false prophet" or genius conman. Their allegations are unfounded, unprovable and highly unreliable.

If what Joseph Smith taught, and his testimony was or is so unbelievable, why do his detractors need to fight against it?   Why don't they just let it go or why doesn't it just stop growing? The reason they don't is that it is the truth and there is an enemy of truth that has put a spirit of opposition and anger that is very observable in Joseph's detractors.  The atmosphere and bias of apostasy are evident in their many declarations and books. He also declared in prophetic scripture through the Book of Mormon that many with the Bible would deny the need for any further testaments of the Savior. That was and is the sad state of affairs with many that claim Christ as their Savior.

Thousands of early converts and millions more joined the church without ever meeting him and so it continues for 190 or so years as a hoax of some kind?  The early and current day missionaries find success because the Book of Mormon and the message of the restored Gospel attest to a living and actively involved Jesus Christ. Even initially skeptical minds when able to read the Book of Mormon with some openness have discovered that it could not have been written by an uneducated frontier youth. None of the detractor's allegations have demonstrated anything other than what Joseph said. He translated it by a divine means.

A 14-year-old boy announced to the world that he has a vision. He claims to translate an ancient record calling it additional scripture about Jesus Christ. He starts a church years later and it endures and extends to almost all parts of the earth over a 190-year period.  Thanks to the internet, everywhere the church is, there is mention of Joseph Smith’s name in and out of the church for good and for evil.

The critic's stories are actually harder to believe than Joseph's testimony is. They allege that he is a fraud. How does a 14-year-old boy conceive and perpetuate a 190-year fraud? Or, conceive a scheme so diabolical that would allow most of its adherents to find a great measure of happiness in their lives?  No Christian evangelist or preacher has done what he did. How he could conceive a system of the leadership of volunteer bishops to lead the congregations supposedly under a state of constant deception? The allegations of fraud or deception are ridiculous, to say the least.

His declarations calling his movement a restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is easily believable because Biblical Christianity is a fractured divided house with no unity to speak of.  In his asking of God which church he should join, he was told to not join any of them. None of them had the authority to act for God. A restoration of truth, the church, and the gospel was and is clearly in order.

I have observed firsthand that the gospel of Jesus Christ as taught by this prophet blesses lives.  His teachings strengthen family relationships by demonstrating how important they are in the here and now and in the eternities.  We now understand with greater clarity our relationship to God and Christ because of his role as a prophet, seer, and revelator.