I Believe Joseph Smith’s Accounts of the First Vision

The First Vision – an event so vital to the claims of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that in 2002, Gordon B. Hinckly, the President of the Church at the time, said, “Our whole strength rests on the validity of that vision. It either occurred or it did not occur. If it did not, then this work is a fraud. If it did, then it is the most important and wonderful work under the heavens.”¹

Is it true? Did Joseph Smith really see and speak with God? As President Hinckly said, it either happened or it didn’t. We have to decide for ourselves whether we will believe. Personally, I believe Joseph Smith’s accounts of the First Vision.

The Problem of Proof

When considering the First Vision, we have to start with the premise that Joseph Smith was the only mortal present. He went into the woods alone. There were no other witnesses. So as we read historical records looking for proof, what will we find?

We will find the opinions of people who believe; we will find the opinions of people who do not believe; and we will find the testimony of the one man who was there.

Proof is a challenging concept. As I have mentioned in other posts, much of my exploration of church history has been as an attorney involved in litigation. When I think of “proof,” I think of evidence presented in court for or against a certain proposition. In the United States we follow the adversarial system: one side advocates their position, and the other side advocates their opposing position. The evidence submitted to the court is presented by those two opposing sides, each side presenting evidence (or “proof”) that supports their position, with a judge or jury making a determination of what they believe is most likely to have occurred. The rules of evidence have been created in an attempt to ensure that only the most credible evidence is presented, but ultimately, it comes down to what one person (a judge) or several people (a jury) believe, based on the evidence that has been presented.

So in a way, as we investigate the First Vision, we aren’t really looking for proof of whether it’s true or false, we’re searching to determine whether we will believe what Joseph Smith said.

As I discuss the First Vision in later posts, I will be presenting my favorite sources, which are primarily first-hand accounts of people who knew Joseph Smith at the time. Ultimately, as I have studied this information, I have come to the conclusion that the only way to know, the only way to develop a conviction that the First Vision happened as Joseph said it did, is to pray for a witness from the Holy Ghost.

The Role of the Holy Ghost

In his last evening with his disciples, Jesus Christ taught them about various roles of the Holy Ghost, including the role as a teacher of truth: “[T]he Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”²

In the final chapter in the Book of Mormon, whose first few verses are often referred to as “Moroni’s Promise,” Moroni teaches us that the Holy Ghost testifies of truth: “[B]y the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.”³

For most of my life, I struggled with the concept of trusting a feeling about whether something was true. I’ve heard all my life that I can get answers “by the power of the Holy Ghost,” and I lived my life trying to get those answers, but I was always a little uncertain. As members of the Church, we are taught that promptings of the Holy Ghost come by a “still small voice.”⁴ The experience of receiving relevation through the Holy Ghost is often described by reference to “feelings.”⁵

I struggled to understand this concept, and in saying that I mean that I struggled to understand or recognize what I was feeling, and although I tried to follow revelation, I always had the question, “was that the Holy Ghost, or was it just me?”

The Role of Belief

In my study of the scriptures I discovered that there was a pattern suggesting that God required us to believe before we received a witness of the truth. The prophet Moroni taught that “ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.”⁶ The prophet Alma said, “[God] desireth, in the first place, that ye should believe, yea, even on his word.”⁷ When the brother of Jared asked a blessing of the Lord, the Lord said, “Believest thou the words which I shall speak?”⁸

In other words, the Lord asked the brother of Jared to believe things that he had not yet heard. How can we believe something we haven’t even heard? As I read these scriptures, I struggled with the trust that was apparently required. How could I believe something when I wasn’t certain whether it was true? Shouldn’t I have some type of confirmation first, so that I could believe? As I was wrestling with this concept, I ran across a quote by my favorite fiction writer who expressed exactly what I was feeling.

In a book series called “Mistborn,” one of the characters, Sazed, is a student of the various religions of the world in which the story takes place. A tragedy occurs causing Sazed to question his faith. In one discussion with people who had a strong conviction of their religion, Sazed expresses what I was thinking and pondering at the time I read this book: “But you don’t know. . . . You are offered proof only once you believe, but if you believe, you can find proof in anything. It is a logical conundrum.”⁹

As I read that fictional work, I finally recognized the concern I had felt for years. My church, my religion, taught me that I needed to believe before I received a confirmation through the Holy Ghost. Even the scriptures that I had used so often as a missionary intimated this truth: “And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.”¹⁰

A sincere heart. Real intent. Or in other words, go into it believing and with a willingness to live it. Only then can you receive an answer. But how do you know if it’s the Holy Ghost, or just your belief that makes you see something you think is proof?

I continued to struggle with that question until I was a little over 40 years old. By then, I had been actively studying church history for over a year, reading official accounts as well as opposing viewpoints. I had a concern brewing, which could be stated something like this: “I’ve lived my whole life a member of this church, and I’ve been active in my faith. How could I still not be certain?” But I had a moment one day where I made the decision that I needed to either believe, or not. I did something of a risk analysis: if it was true, and I decided not to live it, what would the consequence be? Eternity is a very long time. The consequences for refusing to walk the covenant path would have eternal consequences. So I followed the Lord’s counsel as taught in two scriptures: (a) “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.”¹¹ (b) “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.”¹² As Elijah said, “How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him.”¹³ The counsel? Live it, give yourself to it, and you will know.

So, I chose to believe. I felt like I had lived most of my life going through the motions, living only the culture of the Church, and it was time for me to make a decision. I chose to jump into it. I chose to live it with everything I had. So, at the age of just over 40, I committed to not just living the culture, but doing everything I could to walk the covenant path.

And like the scriptures promised, I shortly received my witness. I have gained a conviction that the Holy Ghost is real, and through that conviction, I have gained my own witness of the reality of the First Vision. I believe Joseph Smith. Not because of anything I’ve read (although I do believe there is substantial evidence favoring the truthfulness of Joseph’s testimony of the event), but because of the confirmation I have received through the Holy Ghost.

I have wrestled with the question of how I can know whether it’s the Holy Ghost, or whether my belief that is simply making me see the things I expect. The conclusion I have formed is that the Holy Ghost is not something that can be explained by logic or reason. The influence of the Holy Ghost is powerful, but subtle. It is not something that is easly explained, and so it must be experienced personally. I believe that I have had those experiences that have confirmed to me the truthfulness of not only the First Vision, but the gospel message as taught by Joseph Smith.

The Invitation

I invite you to follow Moroni’s Promise. Read the accounts of the First Vision, particularly the account recorded in the Pearl of Great Price, known as Joseph Smith History, ponder that event and its implications, and pray with real intent to know whether it is true. “Real intent” can mean a lot of things, but ultimately I believe it means that we pray with a willingness to believe and live the gospel of Jesus Christ. Or as King Benjamin said, “if you believe all these things see that ye do them.”¹⁴

References

1. Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Marvelous Foundation of Our Faith,” Oct. 2002, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2002/10/the-marvelous-foundation-of-our-faith?lang=eng.
2. John 14:26.
3. Moroni 10:5.
4. 1 Kings 19:11-12.
5. 1 Nephi 17:45 (Nephi told his brothers they couldn’t hear the voice of the Lord because “he hath spoken unto you in a still small voice, but ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words.”)
6. Ether 12:6.
7. Alma 32:22.
8. Ether 3:11.
9. Brandon Sanderson, The Hero of Ages: Book Three of Mistborn, A Tor Book Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC, Kindle Edition, chapter 71. Brandon Sanderson is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and he has talked about how his religious beliefs in general influence his writing, while at the same time making an effort to not advocate any particular concept. See Brandon Sanderson, “Does Your Religion Shape Your Writing?,” brandonsanderson.com, https://faq.brandonsanderson.com/knowledge-base/does-your-religion-shape-your-writing/.
10. Moroni 10:4.
11. John 7:17.
12. Revelation 3:15-16.
13. 1 Kings 18:21.
14. Mosiah 4:9-10.