Joseph Smith: Mormon Prophet

Joseph Smith was the prophet of eternal love. As the first president of the Mormon Church, he laid the framework for what members of that church believe. This includes how Mormons view romantic love.

The foundation for all that Mormons believe about love is the Atonement, or Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection. This act was the greatest act of love in eternity. It is also the foundation for all other forms of love: camaraderie, friendship, and romantic love. Since the Atonement is a miracle of cleansing, the cleaner we are, the better we can love.

Joseph Smith also taught that heaven is an extension of earthly associations:

“And that same sociality which exists among us here [in earth] will exist among us there [in heaven], only it will be coupled with eternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy.” (D&C 130:2)

The word “sociality” includes friends, families, and communities in general. Therefore death means nothing to a good friend, a child, or a loving spouse.

Mormon marriages are done not only for time, but also for all eternity. The reason Mormons do this goes back to the Resurrection. A man will resurrect as a man, a woman will resurrect as a woman because “gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.” (The Family: A Proclamation to the World, paragraph 2). Retaining our gender identities allows us to love our spouses in heaven as we have loved them on earth.

An ancient prophet once said:

“For that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world.” (Alma 34:34)

We will resurrect with the same emotions, feelings, and passions that we had while alive. So if you die loving your spouse, then you will resurrect loving your spouse. If you die loving your children, then you will resurrect loving your children. That is why Mormons spend so much time emphasizing the family. It is preparation for eternity.

Thomas S. Monson, the sixteenth president of the Mormon Church suggested three ways in which we can strengthen homes:

1. Form a pattern of prayer.

2. Have a library of learning.

3. Leave a legacy of love.

If we habituate ourselves by doing these three things, we not only will strengthen our homes in the here and now, but also bring these things with us in heaven.

There is so much to say about the Mormon view of romantic love. But we need to remember that it all began with Joseph Smith. In his letters to his wife Emma, we see that Joseph Smith was head-over-heels in love with her. It went beyond love to a burning passion.

Here are some samples:

To Emma Smith on October 13, 1832, from New York City, New York: “This day I have been walking through the most splendid part of the city of New York. The buildings are truly great and wonderful, to the astonishing of every beholder. … After beholding all that I had any desire to behold, I returned to my room to meditate and calm my mind; and behold, the thoughts of home, of Emma and Julia, rush upon my mind like a flood and I could wish for a moment to be with them. My breast is filled with all the feelings and tenderness of a parent and a husband, and could I be with you I would tell you many things. …”

“I feel as if I wanted to say something to you to comfort you in your peculiar trial and present affliction [Emma was pregnant at the time]. I hope God will give you strength that you may not faint. I pray God to soften the hearts of those around you to be kind to you and take the burden off your shoulders as much as possible and not afflict you. I feel for you, for I know your state and that others do not, but you must comfort yourself knowing that God is your friend in heaven and that you have one true and living friend on earth, your husband.”

To Emma Smith on April 4, 1839, from the jail in Liberty, Missouri: “My dear Emma, I think of you and the children continually. … I want to see little Frederick, Joseph, Julia, and Alexander, Johanna [an orphan who was living with the Smiths], and old Major [the family dog]. And as to yourself, if you want to know how much I want to see you, examine your feelings, how much you want to see me, and judge for yourself. I would gladly walk from here to you barefoot and bareheaded and half-naked to see you and think it great pleasure, and never count it toil. … I bear with fortitude all my oppression; so do those that are with me. Not one of us has flinched yet.”

To Emma Smith on November 12, 1838, from Richmond, Missouri, where he was being held prisoner: “Tell little Joseph he must be a good boy; Father loves him with a perfect love. He is the eldest and must not hurt those that are smaller than him, but comfort them. Tell little Frederick Father loves him with all his heart; he is a lovely boy. Julia is a lovely little girl. I love her also. She is a promising child. Tell her Father wants her to remember him and be a good girl. Tell all the rest that I think of them and pray for them all. … Little Alexander is on my mind continually. O my affectionate Emma, I want you to remember that I am a true and faithful friend to you and the children forever. My heart is entwined around yours forever and ever. Oh, may God bless you all, amen. I am your husband and am in bands and tribulation.” (“Chapter 20: A Heart Full of Love and Faith: The Prophet’s Letters to His Family,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, [2007], 238–247.)

You see the love for his wife, his individualized love for his children, and even the love for his pet dog! That is what Mormonism does to people and also does for people.

The best expression that sums up the Mormon view of eternal love comes from Parley P. Pratt, an apostle and contemporary of Joseph Smith:

“[Joseph Smith] taught me many great and glorious principles concerning God and the heavenly order of eternity. It was at this time that I received from him the first idea of eternal family organization, and the eternal union of the sexes in those expressibly endearing relationships which none but the highly intellectual, the refined and pure in heart, know how to prize, and which are at the very foundation of everything worthy to be called happiness.”

“Till then I had learned to esteem kindred affections and sympathies as pertaining solely to this transitory state, as something from which the heart must be entirely weaned, in order to be fitted for its heavenly state.”

“It was Joseph Smith who taught me how to prize the endearing relationships of father and mother, husband and wife; of brother and sister, son and daughter.”

“It was from him that I learned that the wife of my bosom might be secured to me for time and all eternity; and that the refined sympathies and affections which endeared us to each other emanated from the fountain of divine eternal love. It was from him that I learned that we might cultivate these affections, and grow and increase in the same to all eternity; while the result of our endless union would be an offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven, or the sands of the sea shore.”

“It was from him that I learned the true dignity and destiny of a son of God, clothed with an eternal priesthood, as the patriarch and sovereign of his countless offspring. It was from him that I learned that the highest dignity of womanhood was, to stand as a queen and priestess to her husband, and to reign for ever and ever as the queen mother of her numerous and still increasing offspring.”

“I had loved before, but I knew not why. But now I loved—with a pureness—an intensity of elevated, exalted feeling, which would lift my soul from the transitory things of this groveling sphere and expand it as the ocean. I felt that God was my Heavenly Father indeed; that Jesus was my brother, and that the wife of my bosom was an immortal, eternal companion; a kind ministering angel, given to me as a comfort, and a crown of glory for ever and ever. In short, I could now love with the spirit and with the understanding also.”

“Yet, at that time, my dearly beloved brother, Joseph Smith, had barely touched a single key; had merely lifted a corner of the veil and given me a single glance into eternity.” (Parley Pratt Autobiography [1985], 259-260)

That is what Mormonism is all about—helping families understand who they are, fostering eternal love, and preparing for the future day when we can stand before God as families and rejoice.

In my church this past Sunday we had a lesson from the new manual Teachings of Presidents of The Church: Joseph Smith. The class I attended was a quorum meeting, a quorum being a group of men who hold the same priesthood office. As the title of the manual indicates, we were studying the teachings and sermons of Joseph Smith, who was the first prophet of the Mormon Church. The subject was God the Eternal Father. This lesson was important because the starting point of all religion is God, His nature, perfections, and His attributes.

Going into the class I was of two minds. The better angel of my nature was looking forward to the class. I could expect a vigorous and lively review of the things that I as a Mormon believe about God.

But the darker side of me was afraid that the class would be a rote recitation of things that I already knew and believed, and nothing more.

As I saw it, there were two laws of learning in play. One law is that we learn by repetition. Practice makes perfect. The other law is an observation from Roman Catholic philosopher Thomas Aquinas. He said that frequent repetition can bring “weariness and confusion” to the minds of students. That is, rote repetition makes studying the gospel boring. When the lesson is done we get a mixture of two feelings: “We’ve heard this all before” and “Is this all there is?”

But I was surprised by what happened. As the lesson progressed, there was a subtle change in the quorum. Some of the other elders shared experiences from their missions. One thing they learned as missionaries was that if people had bad experiences with their earthly fathers, then that adversely affected their ability to believe in a Heavenly Father.

This real-life experience is confirmed by science. New York University psychologist Paul Vitz did a study of atheists and religious skeptics, and found a common thread. Many of them did not have a significant father figure in their lives. Voltaire, Hume, Freud, Camus, Sartre, and Nietzsche had missing or fractured fathers. On the other hand, Bonhoeffer, Chesterton, and Pascal all had strong and loving fathers. (cited in Paul Copan, That’s Just Your Interpretation, 114-155.)

That is an interesting connection. Coincidentally, the Saturday before members of the Mormon Church attended a worldwide leadership conference that focused on the family. We all agree that the family is in danger, and that men need to assume their roles as presiders, providers, and protectors. But sometimes we think of men as just managing a family, as if they were the CEOs of Family, Inc. However, it seems that there is more to fatherhood than that. As our experience and science both show, how fathers fulfill their covenants, obligations, and duties within the family affects the spirituality of the children. Fathers must be spiritual leaders.

For example, Joseph Smith’s brother said that his father, Joseph Smith Sr., took charge and set the spiritual climate for the family:

“My father’s religious habits were strictly pious and moral. … I was called upon to listen to prayers both night and morning. … My parents, father and mother, poured out their souls to God, the donor of all blessings, to keep and guard their children and keep them from sin and from all evil works. Such was the strict piety of my parents.”

“We always had family prayers since I can remember. I well remember father used to carry his spectacles in his vest pocket, … and when us boys saw him feel for his specs, we knew that was a signal to get ready for prayer, and if we did not notice it mother would say, ‘William,’ or whoever was the negligent one, ‘get ready for prayer.’ After the prayer we had a song we would sing; I remember part of it yet: ‘Another day has passed and gone, We lay our garments by.’” (“Chapter 2: God the Eternal Father,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, [2007], 36–44.)

Joseph Smith Sr.’s example is impressive. Keep in mind that at the time he was unchurched. When his son Alvin died, the preacher who spoke at the funeral suggested that Alvin had gone to hell because he was unbaptized. Smith was offended. He did not join any denomination until his son Joseph Smith organized the Mormon Church. (“Chapter 35: Redemption for the Dead,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, [2007], 401–11.)

Furthermore Joseph Smith Sr.’s example affects Mormons today. He influenced the prophet Joseph Smith, who in turn influenced Mormons in general. We stand on Joseph Smith’s shoulders as he stood on his father’s shoulders. Never underestimate the power of example, or the duration of example for that matter. Joseph Smith Sr.’s example of prayer and spiritual leadership is still echoing two centuries later.

It is crucial for men to be good role models. In the media, men are usually depicted as being either inadequate (i.e. Homer Simpson) or as evil (i.e. Hannibal Lector). However in the Mormon Church men are encouraged to be better, to be something more than oafs and sociopaths.

Howard W. Hunter, the fourteenth president of the Mormon Church advised men this way:

“A man who holds the priesthood leads his family in Church participation so they will know the gospel and be under the protection of the covenants and ordinances. If you are to enjoy the blessings of the Lord, you must set your own homes in order. Together with your wife, you determine the spiritual climate of your home. Your first obligation is to get your own spiritual life in order through regular scriptural study and daily prayer. Secure and honor your priesthood and temple covenants; encourage your family to do the same.”

“Take seriously your responsibility to teach the gospel to your family through regular family home evening, family prayer, devotional and scripture-reading time, and other teaching moments. Give special emphasis to preparation for missionary service and temple marriage. As patriarch in the home, exercise your priesthood through performing the appropriate ordinances for your family and by giving blessings to your wife and children. Next to your own salvation, brethren, there is nothing so important to you as the salvation of your wife and children.” (Howard W. Hunter, “Being a Righteous Husband and Father,” Ensign, Nov 1994, 49.)

That is why I love Mormonism: it has a place for men to be the type of men they should be. True manhood is cultivated and husbanded, and the world is a better place for it.