Testimony
of Max H. Rammell
I am 85 years old and fascinated with the marvels of our age. None intrigues me more than the computer with all of its applications, together with the magnitude of the internet. My ego tells me that I want my name floating out there somewhere in the ether, together with the myriad other voices. I hasten to add that while I am feeding my ego, it should be obvious that I have neither the desire, nor the ability or authority to speak for the church. Nothing I say is original, even that particular statement, for I find ironically that Hugh Nibley (late Professor of Ancient History at BYU) is reported to have said, "Nothing I say is original; I am only an observer." So the best I can say for myself is I hope I'm not a plagiarizer, but if I inadvertently become such, I hope my apology will be acceptable.
To return to my original thought, and while recognizing the inherent good in all religions, I am unabashedly a devout Mormon. It stems from having been born in the church, but also from deep study, resulting in a personal and real conversion at an early age of my life, of the actuality of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, with its accompanying authoritative claim of Apostolic ordinations. This conviction has been strengthened by a life-long study of its tenets.
Again, without any intention of diminishing the personal though perhaps differing faiths of others, I should like my name to be forever forged with that of Joseph Smith, the Latter-Day Prophet, who is sustained as such by 13 million plus members of the Church. We witness to the proposition that he, at an early age, did indeed see and converse with Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. And with their declarations and subsequent visits by other authoritative messengers, the creeds and unscriptural beliefs of past centuries were revealed as mere suppositions of men, unaided by the spirit of inspiration, and apparently lacking in understanding of the holy scriptures that were available to them.
In my personal declaration that Joseph Smith was not only a gifted, virtuous and true prophet and an apostolic witness of Jesus Christ, I am happy to be on the positive side in helping to fulfill a divine prophecy concerning him personally. I am referring to an event that occurred on the night of Sept 21, 1823, when a Heavenly personage introduced himself to Joseph as a true messenger from God, with a personal message to Joseph. The message concerned an ancient record of sacred scripture which soon would be brought forth. During the ensuing interviews, this messenger also told Joseph that his (Joseph's) name should be known among all men:
He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Moroni; that God had a work for me to do; and that my name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people. Joseph Smith's Testimonyp>I for one among many others, testify that he was not only good but that the fruits of his life's work, for which he gave his life, are inherently good and that his message given to the world stands second only in importance to the good news of the Savior to all the world.
Imagine if you will, an unlearned teenager living in the back-woods of a little hamlet called Palmyra, in Western New York state, in the early 1800s. Imagine this youth having the audacity to make such a statement, unless of course it were true, unless he had actually heard it spoken to him. And then consider that the statement of this unlearned boy is actually being fulfilled before our very eyes.
To illustrate further, allow me to compare my life (since I know it best) with that of Joseph. It could be said that I was also reared in a log cabin during some of my early years. I had access to a certain amount of reading material, books and additional scripture, that were unavailable to Joseph. Later, the radio provided additional information and learning. My formal education was limited but augmented by a tour in the Air Force during WWII, a two year mission and a brief study at a junior college and a course in business school. This along with being an avid reader is the extent of my schooling. I have written two rather lengthy books, one on my life’s story and the other on the lives of my progenitors, plus 30 some odd spiral bound volumes of personal journal, my life’s journey, which undoubtedly will never get read, except perhaps by a few of my family members. I have also had the advantage of television and the news media and the use of computers.
In contrast, Joseph received little or no formal education. And yet his entire life was one of learning. His tutors were heavenly messengers; his efforts have resulted in a library of books.
Later in my life, I have traveled to many countries and observed their customs and visited all of the fifty states. Joseph by contrast spent the majority of his life in the vicinity of Palmyra, Kirtland and Nauvoo, with a brief tour of New York City and some Eastern States in company with Elder Whitney. He also visited Toronto for a few weeks with Elder Rigdon and spent some of his brief life on the frontier of civilization in Western Missouri. The last physical journey of his life, to Washington D.C., occurred just prior to his martyrdom.
Now, my premise in all of this is the question: If I were to die today, who would know of me? Who would read my books? Only a handful of friends, most of whom are gone and unable to sing my laurels or expose my faults. And of course my remaining immediate family.
Yet as foretold by the heavenly messenger, untold millions of people who never knew him personally are speaking either good or evil of Joseph Smith. There seems to be no middle ground. People are either passionately for him or passionately against him. His written words span the continents in many languages and are accepted by millions as direct revelation from God.
This of course is only one evidence of the authenticity of his message, perhaps secondary to other greater witnesses. Yet it is dear to my heart and I am happy to be on the positive side of this literal fulfillment of prophecy.
My studies and convictions teach me that the doctrines and patterns of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints teach a true scriptural and philosophical basis of life. They not only confirm the essential truths as taught in the Holy Scriptures, they also restore and clarify many errors stemming from centuries of apostasy and disbelief. And, wonder of wonders, in Joseph's proclamation of divine and irrevocable doctrines of the Restoration, there is ample provision for those of other persuasions. All are granted agency to accept or reject the Heaven sent gift from our Father in Heaven to His Latter-Day Prophet. Joseph declared,"We claim the privilege of worshipping the Almighty God, according to the dictates of our own conscience and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where or what they may." 11th Article of Faith, Standard Works of the Church
The same person who recorded those lines, said of himself that all was well between him and the heavens, that he had no enmity against anyone. And as the prayer of Jesus, so prayed Joseph:
Father, forgive me my trespasses as I forgive those who trespass against me, for I freely forgive all men. If we would secure and cultivate the love of others, we must love others, even our enemies as well as friends. . . . I possess the principle of love. All I can offer the world is a good heart and a good hand.
Sectarian priests cry out concerning me and ask, "Why is it this babbler gains so many followers, and retains them?" I answer, it is because I possess the principle of love. All I can offer the world is a good heart and a good hand.
The Saints can testify whether I am willing to lay down my life for my brethren. If it has been demonstrated that I have been willing to die for a "Mormon," I am bold to declare before Heaven that I am just as ready to die in defending the rights of a Presbyterian, a Baptist, or a good man of any other denomination; for the same principle which would trample upon the rights of the Latter-day Saints would trample upon the rights of the Roman Catholics or of any other denomination who may be unpopular and too weak to defend themselves.
It is a love of liberty which inspires my soul--civil and religious liberty to the whole of the human race. Love of liberty was diffused into my soul by my grandfathers while they dangled me on their knees; and shall I want for friends? No.
The inquiry is frequently made of me, "Wherein do you differ from others in your religious views?." In reality and essence, we do not differ so far in our religious views, but that we could all drink into one principle of love. One of the grand fundamental principles of "Mormonism" is to receive truth, let it come from whence it may.
We believe in the Great Elohim, who sits enthroned in yonder heavens. So do the Presbyterians. If a skillful mechanic, in taking a welding heat, uses borax, alum, etc., and succeeds in welding together iron or steel more perfectly than any other mechanic, is he not deserving of praise? And if by the principles of truth, I succeed in uniting men of all denominations to the bonds of love, shall I not have attained a good object?
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 that 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. Do you believe in Jesus Christ and the Gospel of salvation which He revealed? So do I. Christians should cease wrangling and contending with each other, and cultivate the principles of union and friendship in their midst; and they will do it before the millennium can be ushered in and Christ takes possession of His Kingdom. Joseph Smith, Jr., History of the Church, 5:498
Additional food for thought: How many new original names are coined each year? Read the Book of Mormon and count the number as recorded by this marvelous young man. His definition of the word "Mormon" is worthy of deep pondering also. Its meaning is described in Times and Seasons Vol 4 pg. 299 -300, recorded on May 15, 1843, as follows:
Meaning of the word "Mormon"
To the Editor of Times and Seasons: Sirs, Through the medium of your paper, I wish to correct an error among men that profess to be learned, liberal and wise; and I do it the more cheerfully, because I hope sober thinking and sound-reasoning people will sooner listen to the voice of truth, than be led astray by the vain pretensions of the self-wise. The error I speak of, is the definition of the word "Mormon." It has been stated that this word was derived from the Greek word "mormo." This is not the case. There was no Greek or Latin upon the plates from which I, through the grace of God, translated the Book of Mormon. Let the language of that book speak for itself. On the 523rd page, of the fourth edition, it reads: "And now behold we have written this record according to our knowledge, in the characters which are called among us 'Reformed Egyptian,' being handed down and altered by us according to our manner of speech; and if our plates had been sufficiently large, we should have written in Hebrew: but the Hebrew hath been altered by us also; and if we could have written in Hebrew, behold ye would have had no imperfection in our record, but the Lord knoweth the things which we have written, and also that none other people knoweth our language; therefore, he hath prepared means for the interpretation thereof."
Here then the subject is put to silence, for "none other people knoweth our language." Therefore the Lord, and not man, had to interpret, after the people were all dead. And as Paul said, "the world by wisdom know not God. So, the wisdom has always given his Saints, wherever he had any on the earth, the same spirit, and that spirit, as John says, "is the true spirit of prophecy, which is the testimony of Jesus."
I may safely say that the word Mormon stands independent of the learning and wisdom of this generation. Before I give a definition, however, to the word, let me say that the Bible, in its widest sense, means good: for the Savior says according to the Gospel of John, "I am the good shepherd" and it will not be beyond the common use of terms to say that good is among the most important in use, and though known by various names in different languages, still it’s meaning is the same, and is ever in opposition to "bad."
We say from the Saxon, "good;" the Dane, "god;" the Goth, "goda;" the German "gut;" the Dutch "goed;" the Latin "bonus;" the Greek "kalos;" the Hebrew "tob" and the Egyptian "mon." Hence, with the addition of "more" or the contraction "mor," we have the word "mormon;" which means, literally, "more good."
Yours, Joseph Smith
Adieu…
MORE GOOD, later...