Having been interviewed by John Dehlin and having enjoyed many of his interviews including those done with Richard Bushman and Terryl Givens, I was excited to see Johns recent podcast regarding his journey back into the LDS church working towards full activity.

The podcast can be found here  - http://athoughtfulfaith.org/2013/01/27/019-021-reflection-and-reconstruction-the-journey-of-john-dehlin/

It makes me wonder of all who have lost their testimony, how many come back in some way reconstructing their faith?

Steven Harper - Listening to Joseph's Smith's First Vision

Brother Steven Harper wrote a beautiful article on Joseph Smith's first vision.  It can be found at
http://ldsmag.com/article/1/12123

He also has a book coming out dealing with the same material.

For many the multiple first vision accounts catch them by surprise and unaware.  Critics point out the differences but when they are studied and examined there is little cause for alarm.

Some Quotes from the article that are worth mentioning here

In regards to why people are alarmed when notified of multiple accounts, Bro. Harper states

It’s not knowing the accounts that undermines testimony, it’s thinking that you know more about them than you do....

he gave his wry smile and said in his understated way that he didn’t think they would have that trouble if they were more inclined to read...

They blamed Joseph when they discovered that his story did not match their unfounded assumptions, which were nothing more than hypothetical ideas about what he should have said if his experience were real...

Which feeds right into what I see as the main issue of faith crisis, namely bad assumptions and expectations.

Bro. Harper has spent a lot of time with each account, many of them having held the original manuscripts they come from and he stated

I felt like I could discern between the two types of revelation in his several accounts, which helped me see that the accounts are less like photographs of what happened in the grove than they are like movies of what that experience in the grove meant to Joseph not only at the time but over time.

In regards the account where Joseph only mentions seeing the Lord he states

In other words, there is no reason to suppose that when Joseph says, “I saw two personages,” he means that he saw them at exactly the same time for precisely the same length of time, or that he did not also see others besides the two. Moreover, because the 1835 account and two of the secondary statements assert that Joseph saw one being who then revealed the other, we could interpret the 1832 account to be saying that Joseph saw one being who then revealed another while referring to both beings as “the Lord”: “the <Lord> opened the heavens upon me and I saw the Lord...”

Referring to why We shouldn't expect Joseph to be more clear stating his experience. 

 They defied description, after all.

Upcoming Podcast will feature Matt Francom

In the next podcast or so you will get the chance to hear my guest Matt Francom describe his faith journey out of the church having completely lost his testimony and then with the "Tender Mercies" of the Lord he makes his way back in.

He shares a beautiful journey that seems to encompass the "Prodigal Son".

Thank you
Mormon Discussion
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Introduction

Mormon Discussion Blog

My name is Bill Reel.  I am a LDS convert who joined the church 17 years ago.  I see a large segment of Latter-Day Saints who are struggling with their faith who need help.  This Blog is in conjunction with Mormon Discussion Podcast - http://mormondiscussion.podbean.com/    and serves to help Latter-Day Saints strengthen their testimonies and focusing on the issues that one deals with in a Faith Crisis!!

Links about me to get this started
http://mormonstories.org/mormon-bishop-bill-reel/
http://www.fairblog.org/2012/12/12/keeping-the-faith-7a-the-reel-story/
http://www.fairblog.org/2012/12/12/keeping-the-faith-7b-the-reel-story/
http://mormondiscussion.podbean.com/