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Joseph Smith on Truth

Emphasis added:

Mormonism is truth; and every man who embraced it felt himself at liberty to embrace every truth: consequently the shackles of superstition, bigotry, ignorance, and priestcraft, falls at once from his neck; and his eyes are opened to see the truth, [and truth greatly prevails over priestcraft; hence the priests are alarmed, and they raise a hue-in-cry, down with these men! heresy! heresy! fanaticism! false prophet! false teachers! away with these men! crucify them! crucify them!]

I have stated above that Mormonism is truth, [in other words the doctrine of the Latter-day Saints, is truth; for the name Mormon, and Mormonism, was given to us by our enemies, but Latter-day Saints was the real name by which the church was organized]. Now, sir, you may think that it is a broad assertion that it is truth; but sir, the first and fundamental principle of our holy religion is, that we believe that we have a right to embrace all, and every item of truth, without limitation or without being circumscribed or prohibited by the creeds or superstitious notions of men, or by the dominations of one another, when that truth is clearly demonstrated to our minds, and we have the highest degree of evidence of the same.

— Joseph Smith, Liberty Jail, Clay co. Mo. March 22nd, 1839, letter to Mr. Isaac Galland, PWJS. (pp.50-53). Printed in Times & Seasons, Vol. 1 No. 4, pp.51-56, Feb 1840, 4 years before JS’s death

One of the grand fundamental principles of “Mormonism” is to receive truth, let it come from whence it may.

If I esteem mankind to be in error, shall I bear them down? No. I will lift them up, and in their own way too, if I cannot persuade them my way is better; and I will not seek to compel any man to believe as I do, only by the force of reasoning, for truth will cut its own way.

Christians should cease wrangling and contending with each other, and cultivate the principles of union and friendship in their midst.

We should gather all the good and true principles in the world and treasure them up, or we shall not come out true “Mormons.”

— Joseph Smith (July 9, 1843.) HC 5:498-500.

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