My Conversion Story

Before we begin to get into the doctrine of the Mormon church I would like to begin with how I became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

I grew up in the small town of Camden, South Carolina.  I was raised in the Baptist church. I attended church every Sunday and went to Vacation Bible School in the summers.  When I was 18 years old after high school I began to work for the Camden Chronicle, the local newspaper.  I was in charge of developing the pictures that would come in to be placed in the newspaper.  One day a picture came in of two Mormon missionaries who were about my age and the caption read, "Mormon Missionaries Spend Two Years Preaching the Gospel."  I had been attending other churches at the time just trying to see which one was best for me.  I had been to the Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran,and Pentacostal churches. I had never even heard of the Mormon church.
 
The next day I was driving down the main street of Camden and I saw the Mormon missionaries walking down the street. I pulled over and said "Hey I saw your picture in the paper, could I ask you some questions about your church and what you are teaching?"  They came over and said "Sure, what's your name?"
I said "Joseph Smith."  I will never forget the look of surprise on their faces.  They said "Your name is Joseph Smith?"  I could not understand why they were so shocked about that so I asked. "No one has ever made a big deal about my name before.  Why are you?"  They then said that they had a story to tell me.  I learned that a young man named Joseph Smith had actually founded their Church. 

The missionaries and I became fast friends and they taught me about the Mormon church and I was soon baptised into the Church.

Over the years I have grown in my faith and understanding of the doctrines of the Church and I now would like to share what I have learned with anyone who would like to listen.

The subjects we will discuss are many but will include subjects I believe everyone is interested in such as: The character of God, our pre-mortal life, why are we here on the earth, where do we go when we die,
where are your loved ones who have died and can families really be together forever and not just "'till death do us part"?

I look forward to discussing these great truths with you and hearing from you as we learn together. Thank you.

Let's Learn Together!

Hello.  My name is Joseph Smith.  No, really it is.  I am actually Joseph Smith III but neither my grandfather nor my father were LDS. My purpose in beginning this blog is to explain clearly the doctrines of Mormonism.  This blog is not to offend but to educate.  It is my hope that as more and more read this blog they will have a better understanding of Mormonism and how, whether they are members or not, the doctrines of Mormonism affect their lives.  Please help me in beginning this blog to participate with healthy gospel discussion on what your church believes as I try to explain to you what ours does.  May we get closer to our Savior Jesus Christ together as I share my understanding with you and you share yours with me.  Those things that I write about sometimes will be controversial but are not intended to offend, only to educate.  Let's get started!