"As he studied and prayed, he came to four conclusions. First, that as all protestant churches had sprung up from the Church of Rome, they had no more authority to administer in the ordinances of the Church of Christ than the Church of Rome had. Second, that a supernatural power did attend the Mormon church. It had risen independently of all denominations. Therefore, its origin must be of heaven or the devil. Third, it seemed unreasonable to Joel that God would suffer the devil to bring forth a work with the gifts and blessings of the ancient Church of Christ, corresponding to that which He promised to bring forth in the last days for the gathering of the House of Israel. Fourth, the principles taught in the Book of Mormon corresponded with the Bible, and the doctrines of the Church were the same as those taught by Christ and his apostles, with signs following the believers. As Joel voiced these conclusions and recorded them on paper and in his heart, great peace filled him. He embraced the work of God with his whole soul." (pgs. 128-129)
Although, Joel would not attend meetings for a period of time, he allowed Annie (his wife) to go. He writes that he "never would abridge any ones liberty in religious matters" (J. H. Johnson, Diary, 6). He did use his personal Bible to compare the teachings of this new sect to the ancient Church of Christ. The actual words, the four different points of comparing doctrine, are taken from his journal. He was baptized on June 1, 1831.
I wanted to record these 4 points so I could remember them. I'm not able to go to church today so have been doing some family research, and doing some studying on my own this morning. I was so excited when I read this part in the book, but realize not everyone who reads my post will agree. My blog is my journal and I hoped to remember this as a point of reference for myself.
