View source for They (God & Jesus) used him (Joseph Smith) as an instrument in restoring His true church. We believe this with all our heart. We feel that it's built upon the spirit & that it's through prayer & study that we've found this. What's your feeling about that?

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[[Category:Questions asked to Srila Prabhupada]]
[[Category:Questions asked to SP... 1976]]
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<div id="Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" class="section" sec_index="5" parent="compilation" text="Conversations and Morning Walks"><h2>Conversations and Morning Walks</h2>
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<div id="1976_Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" class="sub_section" sec_index="9" parent="Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" text="1976 Conversations and Morning Walks"><h3>1976 Conversations and Morning Walks</h3>
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<div id="RoomConversationApril231976Melbourne_0" class="quote" parent="1976_Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" book="Con" index="85" link="Room Conversation -- April 23, 1976, Melbourne" link_text="Room Conversation -- April 23, 1976, Melbourne">
<div class="heading">No, if he has seen God, then God has given him some message.
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<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Room Conversation -- April 23, 1976, Melbourne|Room Conversation -- April 23, 1976, Melbourne]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: Our feeling is direct, carrying the orders of God. The direct orders are there, and we have to carry. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanam ([[Vanisource:CC Madhya 19.167|CC Madhya 19.167]]), favorably to carry out the order of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa means God.</p>
<p>Guest (2): Kṛṣṇa means God.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: So favorably. What God says, "You do it"—we have to do.</p>
<p>Guest (2): Great. Okay, supposing when you die, how will there.... Will there be another man of your sort who people would look to, like these here?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Many. Anyone who will carry out the order, he'll be prominent.</p>
<p>Guest (2): Oh, I see. So you just carry the order out fully.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: And I teach my students to carry out. So anyone who will carry out the orders strictly, he will be perfect.</p>
<p>Guest (2): What do you feel is the greatest order of God?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: To surrender unto Him.</p>
<p>Guest (2): Pardon?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: To surrender to Him.</p>
<p>Devotee (4): Surrender.</p>
<p>Guest (2): Surrender, oh. I think you're.... I believe that. It's interesting. Our prophet, when he passes on, we believe that another prophet will be called in his place by God to carry on.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: "By God" means.... Anyone who will carry out the order of God without any change, he is prophet.</p>
<p>Guest (3): I have a question. Do you know much of Mormonism?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: No.</p>
<p>Guest (3): No. Could I just share one experience, and I'd like your feeling on this. This is one thing that, the reason that we come throughout the world, and that is that we believe that in the year 1820 that there was a young man, Joseph Smith, who was confused about religion. And in this confused state he sought the Bible, and he read James 1:5, and the inspiration was to go seek God and ask Him in prayer. And in his prayer he had an experience where God the father and His son Jesus Christ appeared to him. Now, see this is what we base our religion about, is that a young man saw God and was visited by Him and His son Jesus Christ, and through him They used him as an instrument in restoring His true church. Now that's our testimony, and we believe this with all of our heart. We feel that it's built upon the spirit and that it's through prayer and study that we've found this. Now, what's your feeling about that?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: No, if he has seen God, then God has given him some message.</p>
<p>Guest (3): Right.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: What is that message?</p>
<p>Guest (4): We believe that the message that God gave him was that the true church was not on the earth, and we believe that through Joseph Smith the true gospel of Jesus Christ was once again restored to the earth with all its power, with all its authority, and with the holy priesthood.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: So Jesus Christ is authorized.</p>
<p>Guest (4): Yes, Jesus Christ...</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: So what is the order of Jesus Christ?</p>
<p>Guest (4): We believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes. That's right, but what Jesus Christ says?</p>
<p>Devotee (4): What does Jesus Christ say? What is Jesus Christ saying? What are his instructions?</p>
<p>Guest (3): Well, Jesus Christ, we believe that when he lived as a mortal man, he organized the church, and the people followed him...</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: What is the instruction?</p>
<p>Guest (3): The instructions to Joseph Smith was, well, in a ten-year period of time, from 1820 to 1830 many things happened to Joseph Smith. One thing was that he was visited by an angel called Moronai, who lived fourteen hundred years earlier in the Americas, and he was a prophet, and he wrote a book and sealed it away, and it was written on gold plates. Joseph Smith translated this ancient work of Egyptian hieroglyphics into English, and it was called the Book of Mormon after a great prophet.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: So what is the message?</p>
<p>Guest (3): Well, the message is that the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the kingdom of God.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: So what is the church of Jesus Christ?</p>
<p>Guest (3): Well, Jesus Christ's church, that's simply it.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: What is that? What does he say, that "You do this. You do not do this"?</p>
<p>Guest (3): I don't understand what...</p>
<p>Guest (4): You mean the Commandments and...</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes.</p>
<p>Guest (4): Oh. There's many Commandments in the church. We believe that Jesus Christ commanded Joseph Smith to restore the church.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: No, what is the Commandments?</p>
<p>Guest (4): This is one of them, that the church should be run by a prophet and twelve apostles. We believe in what is called the word of wisdom. This is abstaining.... This is much like your...</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Church. Church means.... Suppose.... There is no specific message that "The church should be conducted on this principle"? Is there any such message?</p>
<p>Guest (3): I think that the real thing is people have to accept Christ as their savior and make his atonement effective. See, when he made his atonement...</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: What about his Commandments?</p>
<p>Guest (3): Well, his Commandments are.... We believe that Christ gave them to Moses as a...</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: So what are the Commandments? You simply say, "It was given to him, it was given to him, it was given..."</p>
<p>Guest (3): The Ten Commandments?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes.</p>
<p>Guest (3): Those Commandments we follow? We believe Commandments of living the Sabbath Day, law of chastity...</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: So whether they are being followed?</p>
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