One of the biggest concerns I have heard people have about the Mormon religion has to do with Joseph Smith. I have had a few emails about Latter-Day-Saints worshiping Joseph Smith and the crazy idea that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him. It sounds crazy. It sounds insane. And people wonder. So I'm answering.
First, at the age of 14 years old, Joseph Smith was looking into all types of religions. He went into the sacred grove, prayed and asked God which religion was correct. He got the answer 'none of them.' The LDS church was originated by Christ; however, there was an apostasy and the religion wasn't alive on the earth during that time. There were bits and pieces of the church throughout various organizations but not the full truth.That being said, when Joseph Smith prayed and received his answer, he restored the gospel on the earth today.
Now, onto worshiping Joseph Smith. We do NOT worship Joseph Smith. In fact, in the "ten commandments" we believe in -- the first one is having no other gods before me. We do not worship anybody but God. We do look up to Joseph Smith for the brave acts he committed (you can read about them here). On the other hand, we only worship God.
Do YOU have any questions about Mormonism? Feel free to email me at we(n)serendipity(at)gmail.com and your question could be featured publicly or privately on future Mormon Monday posts!