First Vision

Three locations in a new list of the world’s most holy sites will be especially familiar to Latter-day Saints.

The inability to convey his ideas in writing was one of the horns of Joseph’s dilemma. The other was that he had been commanded to convey his ideas in writing.

A recent article compares Joseph’s experience to some early American conversion narratives and concludes that Joseph’s accounts lack the angst and the typical “transformations of the heart.”

For Latter-day Saints today, the Pittsburgh Gazette interview is most notable for providing us with a detailed account of Joseph Smith’s First Vision.

This article was originally published by LDS Living in March 2020.

More than 200 deliveries of food to local pantries across the state of New York were made by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2020 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

President Joseph Fielding Smith taught an important principle when he explained that “all revelation since the fall has come through Jesus Christ, who is the Jehovah of the Old Testament. In all of the scriptures, where God is mentioned and where he has appeared, it was Jehovah who talked with Abraham, with Noah, Enoch, Moses and all the prophets. He is the God of Israel, the Holy One of Israel. . . . The Father has never dealt directly and personally since the fall, and he has never appeared except to introduce and bear record of the Son.”1 Elsewhere President Smith pointed out that “after Adam’s transgression he was shut out of the presence of the Father who has remained hidden from his children to this day, with a few exceptions wherein righteous men have been privileged with the glorious privilege of seeing him. . . . Since the fall all revelation and commandments from the Father have come through Jesus Christ.”2

Church magazines are full of accounts of the Lord guiding hearts and hands around the world. This month, however, there is an extra special story behind the magazine itself. Hidden in the brushstrokes of all four magazines’ cover art (The Ensign, Liahona, New Era, and Friend) is a stunning story of the Lord’s tender involvement in the world.

Self-taught Argentinian artist and Latter-day Saint convert Jorge Cocco Santángelo has caught the attention of art lovers around the world with his new artistic style called “sacrocubism”—portraying sacred and religious events with post-cubist features. We asked him a little more about his creative process and what he loves about the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles says he has testified hundreds of times of the Father, the Son, and the prophet Joseph Smith, but he still remembers a time as a 16-year-old boy when he shared his testimony of the First Vision.

Elder Tade Biesinger has loved to dance and entertain others ever since he was a little kid and remembers constantly showing his parents what cool new move he had come up with.

Editor’s note: Most of us are familiar with the story of the First Vision. Some might even have the account from Joseph Smith—History memorized. But that account is not the only time Joseph Smith shared his miraculous experience. Using nine different accounts, Muhlestein shares one harmonized story of the First Vision, including what led up to it and what Joseph learned from it, in his new book, I Saw the Lord. This excerpt offers an idea of what it might have been like for Joseph to have overwhelming, hopeless darkness dissipated by intense light as he first saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

What is the sound of a silent night or an empty tomb? Is it something you hear with your ears or rather something you feel in your heart? A new video released by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sunday, March 15, invites viewers to ponder how they “hear Him.”

*This story originally appeared in the March/April 2020 issue of LDS Living.

At the end of the October 2019 general conference, President Russell M. Nelson said that April 2020 conference would be "different from any previous conference."

Many Church members are familiar with the account of the First Vision contained in the Pearl of Great Price, but not all members are familiar with a version that combines all nine surviving accounts into one.

The following has been republished with permission from taylorhalverson.com and complements this week's Come, Follow Me study.

In celebration of the 200th anniversary of the First Vision, President Nelson announced, "General conference next April will be different from any previous conference. In the next six months, I hope that every member and every family will prepare for a unique conference that will commemorate the very foundations of the restored gospel."

Captain America, the Silver Surfer, Black Panther, Flash, Batman, Aquaman—and now Joseph Smith. These are some of the epic characters artist Sal Velluto has depicted in his career.

Prior to the historic Face to Face featuring President Henry B. Erying and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland broadcast from Palmyra, New York, the Church premiered a new video of the First Vision, titled Ask of God—Joseph Smith’s First Vision.

“Great effort has been taken to portray things as accurately as our knowledge of history permits. We hope that this will become the reference portrayal of the First Vision in classrooms, homes, and personal study,” said John Heath, a communications manager in the Church History Department.

How do we respond to antagonistic questions we receive about the Church? How do we respond to sincere questions and curiosity? Here's one profound principle that can help us in any situation.

As a young elder in the MTC, I thought I knew how to do missionary work until I had an experience that changed everything about my approach to sharing the gospel.

"Some have mistakenly argued that any variation in the retelling of the story [of the First Vision] is evidence of fabrication," said Elder Richard J. Maynes, of the Presidency of the Seventy. "To the contrary, the rich historical record enables us to learn more about this remarkable event than we could if they were less well-documented. . .

In spring 1820, 14-year-old Joseph Smith prayed in faith and was answered by God and Jesus Christ in person. This remarkable vision is foundational to Latter-day Saint history. Joseph left four known firsthand accounts of his vision, and contemporaries recorded five more known accounts after hearing him speak about it. Combined, these accounts are a rich resource, providing Latter-day Saints with a greater understanding of this significant event. The following narrative integrates details from all of the accounts. Spelling, capitalization, and punctuation have been standardized.

Graciously, from time to time, the Lord communicates His will to those who seek after Him. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught: “When we understand the character of God, and know how to come to Him, He begins to unfold the heavens to us, and to tell us all about it. When we are ready to come to Him, He is ready to come to us.”

Yesterday, the Church History Museum was officially reopened, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Elder Holland and Elder Cook among other Church leaders, including Elder Snow of the First Quorum of the Seventy. Elder Holland shared a few thoughts with those in attendance at the event before cutting the ribbon.

When President Boyd K. Packer was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, he and his wife, Sister Donna Smith Packer, decided to move closer to Church headquarters so he wouldn’t have to spend a lot of time commuting to their home, which was then in Lindon, Utah. They found a home on enough acreage where they could have a garden and keep animals and birds so their children could have daily chores. In those days, before widespread development, the home was essentially in the country.

We all want to be good member missionaries, and usually we can answer questions about our religion without too much difficulty. But occasionally a particularly difficult question comes up. Thankfully, the Church is providing valuable resources and very recently released new topic pages to help with these challenging questions at the "Gospel Topics" section of LDS.org.

I was a mischievous boy disturbing Primary classes for conscientious teachers in Southern California when something happened that changed me at a profound level. The Junior Primary chorister came into the class one day and told us she was going to teach us a new song. She would sing it for us and then we would sing it with her. I listened while she sang, “The golden plates lay hidden deep in a mountain side until God found one worthy in whom he could confide.” She had a high soprano voice and it carried me to Palmyra. I could clearly see in my imagination the young Joseph Smith and though I did not comprehend at the time the testimonial endearment that was being instilled in my heart I loved him; believed that what he told people had happened to him really did happen and what’s more I too wanted to be a boy in whom God could confide.