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Finding Christ
First Vision
Articles by Steven C. Harper about the First Vision.
Three Lines from Hymn 26: Joseph Smith’s First Prayer
When the powers of sin assailing filled his soul with deep despair, Joseph Smith sought the God of love. His humble prayer was answered....
Steven C. Harper
Jun 23, 2022
How Apostasy Shaped a Family that was Ripe for Restoration
Remember: “Long before Joseph Smith offered his first prayer, thousands and millions of people must have yearned, as Sarah did, for the...
Steven C. Harper
Jun 16, 2022
Do you know how old Joseph was when he saw his first vision?
Why is this even a question? Doesn’t everyone know that Joseph Smith was 14 when he saw God and Jesus Christ in a grove? The answer is...
Eastin M. Hartzell
Mar 25, 2020
One Being or Two?
Did Joseph Smith see one divine being or two in his first vision? The question may seem absurd to Latter-day Saints who can quote the...
Steven C. Harper
Mar 2, 2020
Joseph’s Other Dilemma
In my last post I wrote about the dilemma between Joseph’s head and heart that led him to seek and receive the revelation we call his...
Steven C. Harper
Feb 24, 2020
What dilemma led to Joseph Smith’s first vision?
There is a dilemma at the heart of Joseph Smith’s first vision accounts. It is hidden in plain sight. Once you see it you wonder how you...
Steven C. Harper
Feb 7, 2020
Joseph Sought the God of Love . . . and Found Him
There is so much more to the story of Joseph Smith’s first vision than is commonly known Besides the familiar account included in the...
Steven C. Harper
Jan 28, 2020
The First Vision: A Narrative from Joseph Smith’s Accounts
“At about the age of twelve years,” Joseph Smith wrote, “my mind became seriously impressed with regard to the all important concerns for...
Steven C. Harper
Jan 14, 2020
How will you study Joseph Smith’s First Vision: Some thoughts on seeking, assuming, and knowing
In philosophical terms, Joseph’s first vision is epistemological (e-pis-tem-a-loj-i-cal). Epistemology is the philosophy of knowing. It...
Steven C. Harper
Dec 29, 2019
Was Joseph Smith a true or a false prophet?
Joseph Smith, Christmas, and the End of the World Today’s post discusses what the Lord’s Christmas day 1832 revelation to Joseph Smith...
Steven C. Harper
Dec 23, 2019
(Bi)centennial of Joseph Smith’s First Vision, Part 2
Joseph Fielding Smith stood at the Tabernacle pulpit In Salt Lake City on the second day of General Conference in April 1920. “One theme...
Steven C. Harper
Nov 6, 2019
(Bi)centennial of Joseph Smith’s First Vision
What are Latter-day Saints planning for the bicentennial of Joseph Smith’s First Vision in 2020? A living prophet, Russel M. Nelson,...
Steven C. Harper
Oct 14, 2019
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