The truth I learned about Joseph Smith
My testimony of Joseph Smith didn’t come from debates, podcasts, or comment sections. It came from a quiet, unmistakable reassurance from the Holy Spirit. Critics can be loud, but the voice of God was calm, clear and reassuring.
I went online to defend Joseph Smith and then learned the truth about him. I've always felt like I had a strong testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Book of Mormon, and Joseph Smith. When I decided to serve a mission in 1998, the internet was still pretty new, and I thought I was being smart. I thought the best way to prepare would be to research every hard question people might ask me.
I opened the floodgates. website after website, story after story, accusations I had never heard before. Negative things about Joseph Smith that shook me to the core. I didn't know what to do with it. Deep down, I still believed in the gospel, but I wasn't so sure about him anymore. Then I went to the MTC. Every week, we practiced teaching native Japanese speakers. One week, we taught a young woman who had been baptized just a few days earlier.
She was only 19. When we got to the part about Joseph Smith, I wanted so badly to explain everything away, to defend him, to justify him, but I couldn't. My Japanese vocabulary and ability was tiny. The only thing I could say was, "I know Joseph Smith is a prophet." And the problem was, I didn't feel sure when I said it. And so, I said it again. I know Joseph Smith is a prophet.
Still stumbling over the words, still feeling inadequate, not just in the language, but in my heart. And then I said it a third time. And in that moment, something pierced me to my soul. A warmth filled my entire body. A piece I can't describe. A certainty so strong, it felt like fire in my chest. And I knew I wasn't lying. I knew what I was saying was true. Tears started falling from my eyes.
And the girl we were teaching started to cry, too. She nodded. I nodded. And I said it again. Joseph Smith is a prophet of God. Afterwards, we hugged and I apologized for my terrible Japanese and she said, "No, I felt the spirit so strong. I know what you said is true." Since then, the criticism has only grown louder. The internet, social media, it feels like we hear more negative than positive.
But Joseph Smith once prophesied his name would be spoken for good and evil. And that's exactly what we're seeing. And because of that moment, because of the witness God gave me, it doesn't matter what I hear from men. God let me know that he called that young boy as a prophet, imperfect, human, but trusted by the Lord.
