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An American Hero: Joseph Smith Essay

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Did you know Joseph Smith is responsible for creating one of the dominant worldwide religions? Joseph Smith is well known as the first prophet for the religion commonly known as Mormonism. He lived a life of only 38 years, and during that time he accomplished many things. From this essay, you’ll learn why he should be considered an American hero - something that I truly believe. Joseph Smith was born on December 23, 1805. He was born into the Smith family, which consisted of his father Joseph Smith Sr., his mother Lucy Mack Smith, and three other children named Alvin, Hyrum, and Sophronia. He was the fifth of what would be eleven children in the Smith family. They lived in Sharon, Vermont, and moved to West Lebanon, New Hampshire. Early …show more content…

Three years passed, and Joseph Smith was disliked by the community by his proclamation that he had seen God. Again, he prayed, this time asking for forgiveness for his mistakes and silliness he had done as a young child. He was greeted by a vision of an angel, which told him that the full gospel was ready to be given to all nations. Joseph Smith was also told he would be responsible for accomplishing this. Between the time he had that vision of an angel, and when he actually received the plates, he fell in love with a woman named Emma Hale. They were soon married. Four years later, Joseph Smith received the plates, and began to translate them. However, a man continuously wanted to take the manuscript. Joseph Smith was told no by the Lord, but after a while the man was allowed to take the manuscript. It was not recovered, and the plates were lost for a few years. Finally, years later (with the help of Oliver Cowdery) the translation begun again. On March 26, 1830, the Book of Mormon was published to the public, available for purchase. Eleven days later, the Church was organized, in which, “The sacrament was administered, believers were baptized, the gift of the Holy Ghost was bestowed, and men were ordained to the priesthood.” (lds.org) Joseph Smith was established as the leader of the Church. The

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