Stefanie Ford was a convert to the RLDS Church and attended the Zarahemla Restoration Branch. She and her husband were active in their congregation and Stefanie said it was the love of “the church” that formed the strong bond between them. At the suggestion of her father, Stefanie began an in-depth study of Joseph Smith’s teachings and discovered they were not in agreement with the Bible. Her husband, who grew up in the church, agreed with Stefanie’s findings and together they made the painful decision to leave the church. This is her testimony.

Leaving the Faith Taught by Joseph Smith

My name is Stefanie and I have a wonderful husband Marcus and two beautiful children. We have not believed Joseph Smith’s teachings since 2004. My testimony is long, but I have to start from the beginning. I met Marcus six years ago and we quickly fell in love and became engaged. I was a Christian and had been struggling as a new adult to attend church. At that age your parents can’t make you do anything and mine didn’t want to push me away by trying to make me go.

You might already know the history of Joseph Smith, but for those who are not familiar, here is a quick run down. The RLDS Church is one of two major churches that are derived from Joseph Smith’s original one. Following Joseph Smith’s death in 1844, there was a struggle for control among church leaders and Brigham Young eventually assumed leadership and led the majority of church members to Utah. The remaining members, including Joseph’s wife Emma and family, stayed in Nauvoo. In June of 1852 the fragmented groups gathered in Beloit, Wisconsin and organized a church they called the “New Organization.’ In 1860, this organization held a conference in Amboy Illinois, and Joseph Smith’s son, Joseph Smith III, attended the conference and was voted in as prophet. This newly formed organization named their church “The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints” or RLDS. In 1984, the Reorganized Church split. Those members wanting to remain true to Joseph Smith’s original teachings formed what are called Restoration Branches. In 2001 the main body of RLDS changed the name of the church to “Community of Christ.”

Marcus and his family were active members of the Zarahemla Restoration Branch. I wanted to know more about Marcus’s church and was open to new ideas and I missed the “old fashioned” feel of a traditional church. I began attending with him and I fell in love with the idea of being a “fellow saint” and wanted to feel a part of something big. I began a study with a priest to become baptized into the church. After a week of study I made the decision to become a member and at the time I thought for sure I was making the right decision. Of course, it pleased everyone in Marc’s family. Although my parents were concerned with my decision they were actually curious and supportive and they believed that it was my choice so didn’t try to talk me out of it. We were married later that year. I loved participating in all the church activities and even planned the Christmas program one year. I carried an inward arrogance believing that I was part of the “one true church.”

I was very excited when a missionary from the church, a Seventy, came to visit our little branch to report on his mission work in Mexico. I took notes but had trouble making it all fit together with what I had learned in history class. It inspired me to study to defend what I believed and hopefully make me knowledgeable enough to witness to others. However, the excitement died down quickly after the visit and I tucked my notes away in my Book of Mormon.

During the time I was in “the church” my father had been listening to a radio program on the Christian Radio Station. This program was doing a series on the Book of Mormon and it was pretty exposing. My father wrote down the website for the radio program and asked me to do some research. He didn’t pressure me but just said it might be helpful to understand the teachings of Joseph Smith. I took this information and decided it was time to get out the notes I had taken several months earlier. I thought for sure that this would help me answer and defend my faith. After thirty six hours of study, without sleep and hardly anything to eat, I was utterly confused. I was trying to locate answers in several versions of the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, my own notes and the internet. I came to the conclusion that I had been wrong and I put together a list of my questions and contradictions.

I took this information and sat down with my husband to talk about it. He was very distressed, as one of the major ties that bound us together was our love for the church. I asked him to study my questions, notes, books, etc., etc., and pray about the situation. After a few days of not speaking much, he came to me and said he felt we should take our information to the priest who baptized me. Ironically, the priest and his wife were actually questioning a lot of the same materials we had brought to him. We began to openly talk about the falsehoods that we kept stumbling upon. It was good to know that we weren’t the only ones questioning. Later, Marcus and I decided it was the right decision to leave the church. The priest and his family left as well!

Leaving is easier said than done. When we decided to tell Marcus’ parents that we were leaving it didn’t go well. We had prepared by praying fervently and we brought our notes, books and questions with us. There was anger and disappointment but after the initial anger there was sadness and a void left between us and his parents. We parted that night with everyone in tears. Even though we saw how upset they were, we still knew we were doing the right thing. We spoke to the pastor of the branch we had been attending and he wanted to set up a meeting and we agreed.

At the meeting we brought all our concerns with us. Our questions were met with vague answers or completely arrogant statements. He tried to intimidate us by using big words making himself seem well educated. The number one question we kept hearing was, “what about your testimonies and the burning in your bosom?” At the end of the meeting we weren’t any closer to agreement than when we started. But, all the convincing they tried didn’t shake either of us and we still left the church. We were told we couldn’t just remove our names from the books and Marcus was told his priesthood was forever and that we would be considered sons of perdition for leaving the church.

Thank God for the TRUTH! We both have a peace that we are not going to Hell. The Bible says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Threats could not convince either of us to stay or go back. This is the hardest chapter in my life. Where do I go from here? We know that our faith in Christ must be based on His written word, the Bible. 2 Timothy 3:16 says “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (NIV emphasis added).

I believe that any “scripture” that cannot coincide completely with the Bible is not scripture from God (i.e. The Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price, other Gnostic Gospels, Dead Sea Scrolls, etc.).

It is difficult to start over, to find what church home you should worship in, to TRUST again. Four years have passed and we both still struggle with these issues, but it is not a reason to quit. God will lead us where we belong. I want to encourage those who have bravely left the deceptions of Joseph Smith. You ARE stronger than you might believe. I also want to encourage those who are still believers in Joseph Smith’s teachings. Don’t be afraid to study for YOURSELF. You should not follow blindly but have a defense for your beliefs. Facts and contradictions between the Bible and other doctrine should be considered. I am praying for those who are still deceived and pray that my testimony will help you in your quest for Truth. May the Lord richly bless you and yours.