Do Latter-day Saints worship Joseph Smith, put him on the same level as Jesus, or think they cannot be saved without him?
They quote this
See thou do it not. Worship God. We quote this at Joseph’s funeral too.
King James Version
And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
NRSVUE
Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, ‘You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers and sisters who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.’
How we read it
See thou do it not: worship God. We quote this. D&C 135 praises a prophet the way Acts praises Stephen. It is not a prayer to Joseph. 2 Nephi 25:26: we talk of Christ. If praise for a witness is worship, they have a problem with every saint they name a church after.
The Bible answers
Paul and Barnabas rend their clothes when men try to sacrifice to them. That is the move.
King James Version
Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out, And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God.
NRSVUE
When the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting, ‘People, why are you doing this? We are mortals just like you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God.’
The Book of Mormon answers
2 Nephi 25:23, 26
We talk of Christ. We rejoice in Christ. Joseph is a witness, not the Lamb.
For we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do… And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.
Also restored
Doctrine and Covenants 135:3
Praise for a prophet is not a prayer to a prophet.
Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it.
Dead Sea Scrolls and related extra-biblical texts that illuminate the same pattern the Restoration restores.
4QFlorilegium; the Teacher of Righteousness hymns
Qumran could revere an inspired Teacher without offering him the worship due to God. Honor and cult are different acts.
Christians already do this with Mary, Paul, and ‘Saint’ anyone. The double standard is the whole argument: their heroes are honoured; our prophet is ‘worshiped.’
Gospel Topics
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Joseph is the prophet of the Restoration. He is not the Redeemer. Sacrament prayers name Jesus Christ, not Joseph. Baptism is in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. We do not pray to Joseph, build altars to Joseph, or ask Joseph to forgive sins. D&C 135:3 says ‘save Jesus only’ — the sentence that supposedly proves idolatry is the sentence that forbids it. ‘Praise to the Man’ is a folk hymn of gratitude, the way Christians have sung about apostles for two thousand years.
Joseph Smith saw God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. He is a witness, not a rival.
Faithful voices only. Most of these are independent — not official Church productions unless marked as such.
Be the first to tell us if this case is strong.
