Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith Reviews

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  Maria Trying to write my book Park

  An excellent source of information about the teachings of Joseph Smith, the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
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  Lisa

  I enjoyed the lesson on Sunday about trials. I certainly have mine. Joseph Smith must have been pretty amazing to get up and preach a sermon and baptize 3 people after a night of being beaten, tarred, and feathered. I don't know that I would be up to that. But I guess I can get back up and keep trying when I have trials, the way he did. And keep praying!!!!
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  Wendy

  Really enjoyed reading this!
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  Misty Lynne

  Loved what was there. Would have liked more detail, but that's probably beyond the scope of this book's purpose.
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  Tyler

  I read this book as part of following President Russell M. Nelson's invitation to immerse myself in the light of the restoration. In a few short weeks as of my writing this it will be the 200th anniversary of Joseph Smith's first vision-- his experience of seeing Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in vision in a grove of trees near his home in western New York. I know that that event really took place and that Joseph Smith was a genuine prophet of God, called and commissioned by Jesus Christ to restore his gospel and church to the earth. I am grateful for my testimony of Jesus Christ and of the the Prophet Joseph Smith. I know what I know of Jesus Christ and his gospel because of what has been revealed and restored through Joseph Smith, and I am an incredibly grateful beneficiary of his life and mission.
  
  This book addresses Joseph Smith's teachings by topic, which I found very helpful and edifying. I find that this book, the Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith compiled by Joseph Fielding Smith, and the Words of Joseph Smith by Cook & Ehat are all different but very much complementary volumes. Each in its own way has deepened and enriched my knowledge, understanding, and testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith. I highly recommend this book to all.
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  Ashley

  What a rosy version of history the church chose to present. No mention At all of the 23 young ladies he “sealed” to himself in marriage behind his wife and congregations backs. No promising a 14 year old girl that if she would be his wife then her whole family would get celestial glory. They left out all of the spiritual manipulations of young and vulnerable girls. And because Joseph lied about these women, their sacrifice and dedication go unnoticed in history. Just a whisper in relief society if one of the ladies is bold enough speak of it, even in hushed tones.
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  Ethan Chappell

  This was a good book about the mission of joseph Smith. It helped me realize how much Joseph did for the early church and that he was truly called of God. I mostly read this to prepare for General Conference but it wasn't that engaging or interesting so I had to push myself through it. It had some good history sections at the beginning of each chapter which kept me going.
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  Anita

  I read this book to fulfil the goal read a book by or about a martyr. it is part of his teachings and part of his life history. it can be found for free on the gospel library app put out by the church of jesus christ of latter day saints.
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  Travis

  The teachings and experiences of Joseph Smith are always enlightening and inspirational. There were quite a few stories about how his contemporaries felt about him and how he treated them. Makes me want to be a better person, and especially a more Christ centered person.
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  Brian

  Stories of faith that endures persecution. I have loved the stories of these remarkable modern prophets, and Joseph Smith was unique, having started it all.
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  Joseph

  Non Member review
  
  I read this because I wanted to know more. I have learned a great deal. May those who read this and The Book of Mormon be richly blessed.
• 
  Mabi

  Una vida ejemplar; un testimonio inmutable.
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  Anna

  READ IT!
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  Brent Wilson

  Good collection of Joseph Smith's thought, selected and organized around some key topics of interest to the current LDS Churh leadership.
  
  I serve in Primary so don't attend regular priesthood meeting sessions where the book is used as a text. My reaction on reading it was - Joseph Smith is remarkably clear and accessible, when comopared against other 19th century thinker/writers of his time (e.g., Jefferson, Lincoln, Emerson, etc.). Then I wondered, why do I find him so clear and straightforward? Is it because I've grown up hearing his words? Maybe partly. But I really do think he is a clear, sharp, persuasive thinker, ranking with the best of his generation. He set a good standard for the Church, which I think has continued in his tradition.
  
  I compare his account of first visions with that of Oliver Cowdery, his cohort and collaborator. Cowdery's description is much more typical of how I think of 19th century writers - less direct, more flowery and ornamented, more emotionally based. Josph speaks like a witness, not like a salesman. Seems like Arthur Henry King made a similar point in one of his books or articles.
• 
  Dad

  This was an excellent manual reinforcing my testimony of the prophet Joseph Smith. There are many testimonies of important men who knew Joseph and were related to him. Some may say if you were related you would give a quick witness of him. I don't believe so. Many relatives would know his good and bad and just might want to testify against him. These didn't.
  I have been to his boyhood home in Palmyra, New York, and experienced the sacred and peaceful Sacred Grove where he saw God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. The grove is so wonderful. I could feel the spirit of the Lord there. I have also climbed the Hill Cumorah where the plates of gold were given to the young Joseph to translate the Book of Mormon. I have also been to the Grandin Press in Palmyra where the Book of Mormon was printed. I have been to other sites related to Joseph Smith in Kirtland, Ohio, Missouri, and Nauvoo, Illinois. Finally, I entered the room in the Carthage Jail where Joseph and Hyrum were murdered. I felt the spirit there too -- a witness that Joseph was a prophet of the living God and that the Book of Mormon was true as well as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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  Daniel Clark

  Joseph Smith was a prophet. You know--the kind that speaks with God and relays a message. If you don't know it's true, you haven't really truly checked. If you haven't checked, maybe you're scared it might be true. As Joseph Smith is quoted as saying in this church manual, "[Mormonism takes] a deep hold in the hearts and affections of all those who are noble-minded enough to lay aside the prejudice of education, and investigate the subject with candor and honesty." I don't think many people can lay aside what they have "learned" and know for themselves. I don't think many people have such candor and honesty of soul. Maybe that's why the church will always be relatively few in number.
  
  Aside from me trying to convert people, though, this book really is good and inspiring, and I'm glad I finally got the chance to read it. The teachings about what happens after death in the case of young children especially comforted and thrilled me. I think it's kind of exalting to see through someone's eyes who knows that this life is not the end of our journey.
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  Ashley

  Really solid, as far as study manuals go. It is nice to have so many quotations from Joseph Smith in one place and organized by topic. The sources cited can also provide additional resources for further study.
  
  I read this all the way through, treating it like a novel, as part of my Restoration study regime. I wouldn’t say it is a page-turner but it is a great resource!
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  Celeste Batchelor

  Yeah! We've finished studying
  Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith this year. We have used this book as a core devotional book for religious studies. I have to say, there is a lot of information in this book. My children and I found new nuggets of information, topics to discuss, and new understanding to add to our every day lives.
  
  I highly recommend this book for all people who wish to understand Joseph Smith's teachings and/or wish to know more about the LDS or Mormon church. The core beliefs and principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that he taught are clearly explained in this book.
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  Sandy

  This was a very compelling book for me. I have read it in its entirety over the past two years as we studied it in Relief Society. It was very thought provoking for me. I enjoyed reading it and I also found the questions at the back of each chapter very insightful. On the surface the book may seem repetitious of doctrines already known and the questions may seem rote, but for me, I found new insights and knowledge as I read the text. I also found that the questions could be answered on two levels--a surface level and then a deeper more complex level.
  
  This has been a good two years of study for me which I have benefited from. It has increased my understanding and strengthened my testimony of gospel principles, as well as of Joseph Smith as a modern day prophet.
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  [Name Redacted]

  It's a good introduction, both to Joseph Smith Jr.'s life and to his teachings, but it's fairly sparse. Its strengths are probably: the breadth of the teachings included, the attempt to contextualize them historically; and the lack of "Mormon-only" cultural jargon. Judging it as a lesson manual, I'd give it 4 stars; judging it just as a collection of his teachings, I'm going to have to give it 3 stars.
  
  Also worth noting is that I actually got to see an early copy of this, a year or three before it was actually published. The original copy was much shorter -- more in line with the other books in the series -- and I think they were wiser to expand it. The task of choosing which teachings and which historical events to include must have been daunting.
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  Steven Hummer

  LDS.org has the mp3 files for free so having this on my iPod is very neat lets me keep up with the class.
  The manual is an easy informative read and has a lesson preperation section at the end of each chapter. ITunes has an application with all of the standerd works and the lesson manuals for free! I love using the itouch version because I can make the print very large. If you are an iPhone or iPod touch owner I highly recommend you pick this app up.
  Regardless of the format of you Joseph Smith lesson manual you'll enjoy the content.
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  Darleen

  Joseph Smith was such a hero, in my eyes! Accepting the call that he didn't know the magnitude of, and growing with all of its requirements, enduring external persecution, and overcoming the various deaths of his loved ones, and receiving divine revelations, while translating ancient scripture; and being willing to share, with humility, all that life has taught him, while sharing with the saints what God wanted them to know; are some of the things that I read about in this book; I am so glad to have it in my collection.
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  Haley Grizzell

  I am grateful for my membership in the Church; and my testimony of it's divinity hinges upon the simple story of the lad under the trees kneeling and receiving heavenly visitors- not one God, but two separate, individual personages, the Father and the Son, revealing again to the earth the personages of the Godhead. My faith and testimony hinge upon this simple story, for if it is not true, Mormonism falls. If it is true- and I bear witness that it is- it is one of the greatest single events in all history.- President Howard W. Hunter
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  Chelsey Ortega

  This is the first book that I have read about Joseph Smith, so far, and I have been a member all my life! This is a great combination of stories from his life, excerpts from letters he has written, excerpts from the revelations he received (also found in the Doctrine and Covenants), and excerpts from the journals of the saints who herd him speak. What a testimony to the truthfulness that he was a prophet!
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  Craig

  It's nice to learn more about the man who found his own way (spiritually) before God and taught others to do likewise. Five stars for content. Minus one star for the non-sequitur integration of quotes and sources, some third-hand. These *are* all thoroughly referenced, however, in the (often overlooked) chapter notes.