Restoration

“The Church is a real place to do real work on being real children of God.”

“We may begin with habit, duty, fear of hell, or hope of heaven. But the only durable discipleship is rooted in the capacity to feel and reciprocate the love of Christ.”

“It’s overly simplistic to say that the Presbyterian God abhorred people and the Methodist God didn’t, but the contrast helps us see a difference that meant a lot to Joseph.”

When the first volume of The Work and the Glory series was published in 1990, readers instantly fell in love with the Steed family and their adventures in 1800s Palmyra.

While the First Vision holds great significance, little would have happened had Joseph’s interactions with heavenly messengers ended there.

“What does [the priesthood] bring into our lives? Why did God need this authority? Why did God need these ordinances in our lives at this time?”  

How can the gospel of Jesus Christ help heal our fallen world and provide answers in an age characterized by “wars and rumors of wars” when “the love of men shall wax cold”?

Did you know the first baptism for the dead was a mother acting in proxy for her recently deceased son?

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.

Anthony Sweat isn’t just a BYU religion professor and an author; he is also a talented artist. We recently sat down to ask him about his latest book, his faith, his family, and his love of painting unique Church history events.

This article was originally shared on LDS Living in 2017 and has been updated to reflect additional recent counsel.

Two hundred deliveries to food pantries and charities in the state of New York are being donated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the first appearance of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, in Palmyra, New York, to Joseph Smith, prophet and first president of the Church.

One of the many ways April general conference was "unforgettable" was the introduction of “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ: A Bicentennial Proclamation to the World.”

Editor's note: Our bi-weekly Friday column, “Found in the footnotes,” explores some of the footnotes from remarks given by General Authorities and General Officers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In May 1829, Hyrum Smith traveled 160 miles from Palmyra, New York, to visit Joseph and Emma in Harmony, Pennsylvania, eager to learn more about Joseph's recent work and revelations as prophet. During Hyrum's stay, Joseph received a revelation for his brother, which is now known as section 11 in the Doctrine and Covenants.

Two months ago, President Russell M. Nelson introduced a new bicentennial proclamation in general conference.

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.

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.

Editor's note: The Power of Stillness is the LDS Living Book Club's book of the month. Join the conversation on the LDS Living Book Club's Instagram.

How have you done with your general conference prep? Maybe you feel your desires to study the Restoration per President Nelson’s invitation have exceeded your ability, or maybe you have been successful in your study but want a little refresher? In a new video published on Monday, David Butler and Emily Belle Freeman remind viewers that preparing for conference in a way that makes it extra special can still be done in a few easy steps:

Editor's note: Due to COVID-19, this event has been rescheduled for June 4.

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."

President Russell M. Nelson posted a video across social media platforms Wednesday morning issuing his second invitation of 2020.

Is the Restoration finished?

At noon on the Ides of March, 1493, a small wooden ship rode the rising tide up the Río Tinto and into the harbor of Palos, Spain. She wasn’t much of a ship—her deck was only about 55 feet long. She was weathered but solidly built and appeared to be newly caulked. She was named the Santa Clara, but was usually called the Niña after her owner, Juan Niño of Moguer. The Niña had last been seen in Palos on August 3, 1492, sailing down the ebb tide with two other ships, the Santa María and the Pinta as part of an attempt to reach the Orient by sailing west across the uncharted waters.

The people of Connecticut in those days thought it wicked to believe in any religion, or belong to any church, except the Presbyterian. They did not believe in having any prophets, apostles, or revelations, as they had in the days of Jesus, and as we now have in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

It's amazing to see how historical events helped shape the Restoration of the gospel.

The Restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood took place on May 15, 1829. For nearly 200 years, different depictions of this event portrayed in film and art, as well as in photographs that claim to represent its location, have led to confusion about its true location. This recent video from Book of Mormon Central explains historians' current understanding regarding where the Aaronic Priesthood was restored.

As Latter-day Saints, we tend to assume that the heavens were sealed until the Sacred Grove appearance in 1820 and that the Restoration didn't really begin until Moroni tutored Joseph and subsequently gave him the plates in 1827. But that isn't entirely true.

The following is an excerpt from the book The Witness of Women: Firsthand Experiences and Testimonies from the Restoration, by Janiece Johnson and Jennifer Reeder:

Close behind the organization of the Church in the meridian of time came the apostasy, accompanied by a diversification of beliefs that would lead ultimately to thousands of different Christian denominations. Every doctrinal disagreement seemed to be a cause for reorganization: perhaps the only cause. In any religious organization where doctrine does not matter, or where there is unity of opinion about the doctrine, splinter groups are not likely to break off from the main body. But thousands had broken off and now, on the 6th of April of 1830, the time had finally come for the Lord to put things right and to restore “the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth . . .” (D&C 1:30).

Joseph Smith–History 1:1–26

What a beautiful testimony from this post: "That was Joseph. Unlikely, uneducated, untainted. God, knowing a successful restoration was imperative to the divine plan, chose Joseph. Not just at age 14, but every step of the way."

Look at how the prayer of a teenage boy has transformed the world we live in today. Check out these great insights from John Bytheway about what the world would look like if Joseph Smith had never been born.

Within the first few pages of the Book of Mormon, readers come across the names of 11 witnesses, each who has signed his name as someone who has either seen or felt the ancient plates that Joseph Smith used to translate the Book of Mormon.

Over 180 years ago, on May 15, 1829, the priesthood of God was restored in a quiet and remote corner of what used to be Harmony, Pennsylvania. This past Saturday, September 19, President Russell M. Nelson traveled back to this sacred spot to dedicate the Church's newly developed site and visitor's center, making the surrounding areas the last of the major historic Church sites to be developed.

What a beautiful rendition!

As I consider each of the various arguments against Mormonism, my mind always comes back to the many questions that Mormon doctrine seems to answer with ease. These questions….and their answers form what I consider to be a doctrinal “Mormon Superstructure”.

Image from LDS.org.

A group of about 20 people met frequently the first few months after the fire to determine if the building should be rebuilt as a tabernacle, torn down and replaced by something new, or maybe transformed as a temple, Utt said.

Come, Come Ye Saints

President Spencer W. Kimball’s remarks on “The Gospel Vision of the Arts” thrilled many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints of my generation.

Preparation: Make separate word strips for each scripture reference (see below). Gather the pictures needed from lds.org, the Gospel Art Kit, or Gospel Art Book (see below). Post the pictures from the time of Christ down the left side of the board. Post the modern pictures down the right side of the board (mix up the order). Place the scripture reference word strips in random order down the center.

How do you top the Hill Cumorah? You write The Book of Mormon, a biting, bawdy musical satire about two naïve young Mormon missionaries in Africa. It won nine Tony Awards in 2011 and became the hottest show first on Broadway and then on tour.

Mormons may think they understand the Restoration, but in 19th century America, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was not just another restoriationist religion. Scholar Terryl Givens explained at the “Exploring Mormon Conceptions of the Apostasy” conference on Friday afternoon at BYU: “It is historically misleading in one important regard to consider Mormonism another variety of restorationism. Parley P. Pratt made this seemingly obvious point, ‘We can never understand precisely what is meant by restoration until we understand what was taken away.’”