We live in an age which has made itself devoid of heroes. It is common in this time to seek the belittling of the heroes of the past in an attempt at self-justification of our own mediocrity and low moral standards. In his 1997 Freedom Festival address President Gordon B. Hinckley quoted Charles Malek, as stating:
“I respect all men and it is from disrespect for none that I say there are no great leaders in the world today. In fact, greatness itself is laughed to scorn. You should not be great today; you should sink yourself into the herd. You should not be distinguished from the crowd; you should simply be one of the many. The commanding voice is lacking, the voice which speaks little but which when it speaks, it speaks with compelling moral authority. This kind of voice is not congenial to this age. The age flattens and levels down every distinction into drab uniformity. Respect for the high, the noble, the great, the rare, the specimen that appears once every hundred or every thousand years is gone. Respect at all is gone. If you ask people whom and what people do respect, the answer is literally nobody and nothing. This is simply an unrespecting age; it is the age of utter mediocrity. To become a leader today, even a mediocre leader, is a most uphill struggle. You are constantly in every way and from every side pulled down. One wonders who of those living today will be remembered a thousand years from now . . . . If you believe in prayer my friends, and I know that you do, then pray that God send great leaders, especially great leaders of the spirit.”
Gordon B. Hinckley, “Stand Up for Truth,” BYU devotional, September 17, 1996.
In every child there exists a desire to look to someone for nobleness, purpose and example. The Master taught, “Come follow Me”, and all true heroes have sought to follow His example with all their might, mind and strength. Joseph Smith was such a man.
Some have sought to depict Joseph Smith as an ordinary man with typical weaknesses, but with uncommon gifts of leadership and perhaps at times inspiration. This view forgets that a prophet of God is no greater than the degree that his life mirrors the life of the Master. Righteousness and character are the measuring rods of greatness in all individuals. The more one studies the life and works of Joseph Smith the more one comes to know and love the Master Jesus Christ. No greater, nor more righteous man has lived on the earth since the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. The life of the Prophet Joseph Smith is one of devotion, honor, love and faith. If you desire to follow Christ or desire to instill a love of truth and righteousness in your family, seriously study the life and teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith.
The Joseph Smith Foundation was established to make resources available to encourage and facilitate faith promoting scholarship as pertaining to a true understanding of the life and mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Below are the following areas:
