Ready Always / Who we are / Beliefs

Do you guys worship Joseph Smith?

1

The hallway answer

About 15 seconds

“No. We worship God the Father and pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Joseph Smith was a prophet, kind of like Moses or Peter. We honor him, but he isn’t the one we worship.”

Then ask them: Is there someone from history you really look up to?
I want the real answer ↓
2

The real answer

About 5 minutes

The first Article of Faith, written by Joseph Smith himself, says: “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.” Latter-day Saints pray to Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ. Nobody prays to Joseph Smith or to any prophet.

The Church’s Topics and Questions page on worship explains that to worship God is to give Him “our love, reverence, service, and devotion,” and that placing any person above God would be idolatry. So honoring a prophet and worshipping him are two very different things.

Members respect Joseph Smith because they believe God called him, much as Christians respect Moses or Paul. His own testimony points away from himself: in his First Vision, God the Father pointed to Jesus and said, “This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” Later he wrote of Christ, “That he lives! For we saw him” (D&C 76:22–23). When you hear a hymn like “Praise to the Man,” think of honoring a hero of faith, not worship.

Scriptures to know. Tap to read.

Articles of Faith 1:1We believe in God, His Son, and the Holy Ghost
1We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost. Read in Gospel Library ↗
Joseph Smith—History 1:17“This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!”
17It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him! Read in Gospel Library ↗
D&C 76:22-24Joseph’s testimony of the living Christ
22And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives! 23For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father— 24That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God. Read in Doctrine and Covenants, Connected →
Exodus 20:3No other gods before me
3Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Read in Old Testament, Connected →
3

Go deeper

Research room

What’s behind the question

Joseph Smith comes up a lot when people learn about the Church, so it’s easy to assume he’s the center of it. Some friends have also heard a hymn or a quote praising him and wonder what it means.

OfficialTopics and Questions: Joseph Smith ↗OfficialTopics and Questions: Worship ↗OfficialTopics and Questions: Godhead ↗OfficialGospel Topics Essay: First Vision Accounts ↗Joseph Smith’s own accounts of seeing the Father and the Son

Source labels: Official = published by the Church. Scripture = the standard works. Faithful scholarship = independent Latter-day Saint researchers. Helpful, but not official.

4

For me

Think it through
  1. Who do I actually pray to, and how do I feel when I pray in Christ’s name?
  2. What does it mean to honor a prophet without putting him in God’s place?
  3. Read D&C 76:22–24. What does Joseph’s testimony teach me about Jesus?
Act in faithWhat do I already know and believe here?
Eternal perspectiveHow does God’s plan change how I see this?
Good sourcesWho could I ask: a parent, a leader, the scriptures?

Notes stay on this page while it’s open and aren’t saved or sent anywhere.

5

Practice this one

Pick a reply

Friends also ask

You really think there’s a prophet today?Are you guys Christian?What even is the Book of Mormon?

Weak Things is an independent site, not an official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Answers are written to match the Church’s published teachings, and every answer links to its sources.

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