Joseph Smith faces opposition as he tells others of his First Vision. Three years later, he has another vision, this time of an angel named Moroni, who begins to prepare him to translate the Book of Mormon.

Joseph went into the forest to pray and later described the glorious vision he had there. In this episode, we examine the vision and his accounts, along with those of his contemporaries. We also discuss the importance of the First Vision in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In the winter of 1816-1817, the Smiths arrived in New York, destitute and with few prospects. After working odd jobs, they saved up enough to contract a farm in Manchester, just south of Palmyra. In this episode, I describe their first three or so years in New York and discuss the themes of folk magic, treasure seeking, and the Second Great Awakening, leading up to Joseph's First Vision in 1820.

Michael and I talk about the context of the Restoration: the American Revolution and the Second Great Awakening.

Check out his podcast, the American Revolution Podcast, at https://pod.amrevpodcast.com/

Thanks to Michael Troy for his time and insight!

As we wrap up the Great Apostasy in the main narrative, this episode shows some perspectives of prominent church leaders and authors concerning the Great Apostasy. We look at Carter E. Grant's Kingdom of God Restored and Tad R. Callister's The Inevitable Apostasy and the Promised Restoration. We also look at the definition of the Great Apostasy put out by the Church on one of its websites, mormon.org.

Disclaimer: Neither Grant's nor Callister's lists are official church statements and may not reflect the position of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In this episode, we trace Joseph Smith's ancestry through his father's and mother's lines. Then, we look at the lives of Joseph's parents, Joseph Sr. and Lucy Mack. We end with a look at Joseph Smith Jr.'s childhood, including his illness, up to 1816.

We finish our look at the Great Apostasy in the Americas by setting the stage for the Restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ, and the life of Joseph Smith. This episode covers the American Revolution, the writing of the Constitution, and early American history into the Jacksonian era. There will be one more episode about historical events throughout the world in the early nineteenth century, but it will be released as a bonus episode so we can get through to the events of the Restoration quicker!

In today's episode, we continue our look at the Americas, this time focusing on the Thirteen British Colonies that would make up the United States of America. We look at New England and its formation, then the Middle Colonies and the Southern Colonies. We examine the First Great Awakening and the colonial wars including the French and Indian War (or Seven Years War). All of this would lead to a revolution in the British colonies and a Second Great Awakening, during which the Church of Jesus Christ would be organized.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from The History of the Church of Jesus Christ and from The Spiritual Thought! Have a wonderful day and know that you are loved!

To watch the First Presidency Christmas Devotional, click:

https://www.lds.org/broadcasts/archive/christmas-devotional/2018/12?lang=eng&_r=1

For information on "Light the World", click:

https://www.mormon.org/christmas/light-the-world

Part 1 of 2, we take a look at the conquest of the Americas by European explorers and settlers, including Columbus' voyages, Cortez' conquest of the Aztecs, Pizarro's conquest of the Incas, the Spanish colonies in South and Central America, the Portuguese colony of Brazil, the French and Dutch colonies, and the English colony of Jamestown, along with five major wars between the native peoples and the British colonists.