I recently had the opportunity to visit the birthplace of
Mormonism! It reminded me how much my LDS upbringing fostered my love of
history, and it was an absolute thrill to finally visit the place which so
thoroughly captured my imagination as a child. I grew up hearing the stories about
Joseph Smith and his family, their hardships with farming and with illnesses,
and most importantly their adventures surrounding those mysterious golden
plates. So when I moved from the West to attend graduate studies in Central
Canada, I had hoped for an opportunity to pay a visit to the little village in
up-state New York where a lot of these events took place. This year my wife and
I decided to spend our Christmas in Rochester – merely a half-hour drive away from
Palmyra, NY, which became part of our itinerary. This was a chance not to be
missed!
There are a number of Mormon history sites in and around
Palmyra that have been preserved or restored for tourists’ enjoyment. We
visited two sites: the Smith farm (with the Sacred Grove nearby) and the Hill
Cumorah. Visiting on Christmas Eve day, we enjoyed the sites mostly to
ourselves. We were the only ones in our tour group at the Smith farm, which was
led by a pleasant and friendly senior sister missionary. You can learn about the
historic sites here: http://www.hillcumorah.org/smithlog.php.
The light snowy weather provided a beautiful backdrop for
this picturesque early 19th-century historic site. After the guided
tour we were free to wander through the Sacred Grove on our own, the place
where Joseph Smith claimed he was visited by God and told of his role as
prophet of the restoration. Walking among the snow-covered trees, I was moved
to reflect upon my own spiritual journey. This place would have elicited a much
different response from me in my youth – I once played the guitar and sang “Joseph
Smith’s First Prayer” at an LDS church function. That song may have come to
mind, accompanied by deeply-felt admiration for Smith. But in fact a very
different song came to mind. It felt important to me to sing quietly to myself
and to God “Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)” as I walked through that snowy
grove. When once my tongue formed the words “Praise to the Man,” today they
offer “the sacrifice of praise to God continually” (Hebrews 13:15).
Those who know me know that a few years ago I left the LDS
church, for reasons described here. But my outlook toward the church today is
not one of bitterness or antagonism; rather, I desire a continued friendly
relationship and respectful discussion. As a born again Christian, I share the
sentiments expressed by the apostle Paul toward the religion of his upbringing
(the Pharisees): “Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel
is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of
God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's
righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not
submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of
the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” (Romans 10:1-4)
What a blessing it was to visit this little site, not only
to see the place which inspired my imagination as a child but to see how far
God has carried me since then. Once basking in the polished exterior of my own
life and of my church, now broken in surrender at the cross. Hallelujah! God
truly works in mysterious ways.
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| Smith Family Log Home - December 24, 2013 |
