| Question |
I understand that Joseph Smith had many wives and many more children and subsequent grandchildren, whether official or unrecognized by the LDS church. Do you know if there anyone alive today that can trace their ancestry all the way back to Joseph Smith by blood (not by marriage), but a direct link (i.e. great…..grandson). If so, who?
Roger Williams (the founder of RI) is a great….uncle on my mother's side and has always been believed in the family that Sarah Bishop (who was hanged as an alleged witch) is a direct link on her father's side but it has never been traced that far back. I know several people who are related to George Washington somewhere along the line.
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| Response |
Brigham Young is the second prophet of our church, the chief apostle, who like Peter, who took the lead after the ascension of the Lord, rose up after Joseph was murdered and led the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the West. He is the one on whom the responsibility fell to fulfill the commandment to adopt this law that was given to Abraham and other ancient prophets to "raise a righteous nation". The prophet, Joseph Smith, was the one who actually received the commandment and once commented something like it would be much easier to face death than to implement this difficult law. The need to give the restored church a "jump start' and to fulfill the prophesy of "...times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began." ( Acts 3:21) was accomplished in time and the commandment was rescinded by the Lord. Joseph Smith was married to several women, and yes, there are many of his descendants living in our day.
Just remember that Abraham was one of the great prophets who saw the Lord and who received great promises for himself and his posterity, and he was asked to live this same law. Also remember, that true prophets from the beginning have been maligned and even killed by the ministers of Satan who would surely thwart the Lord's sacred work. It has seemed difficult for some human beings to accept the Lord's way of doing things. I, for one, am glad that this ancient law of plural wives was completed and rescinded by revelation in 1890.
Roger Williams was criticized for a belief he held that "There is no regularly constituted church on earth, nor shall there be until new apostles are sent by the great head of the Church, for whose coming I am seeking." Joseph Smith was the instrument through which new apostles were appointed and the regularly constituted church of Jesus Christ was systematically restored to the earth under the direction of the Lord himself. To learn the truth of this, one must prayerfully study it out and especially prayerfully read the Book of Mormon. It is a tangible result of the "...restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began." Those who write it off or judge it without this prayerful test cannot know of the truth of the restoration. Let me know if you would like a copy of the Book of Mormon.
By the way, we do not have to back too far to find that many of us are related to each other. Genealogy is actually one of my favorite hobbies.
Thanks for writing,
Sincerely,
Donny Osmond
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