This month, as we have commemorated the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, it is fitting that the thoughts of Latter-day Saints everywhere would also be focused on the 200th anniversary of the birth on Dec. 23, 1805, of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

Some outside our faith, whether through innocent misunderstanding or deliberate misrepresentation, spread the notion that Mormonism professes the worship of Joseph Smith instead of Jesus. Such a falsehood is viewed as outlandish by typical members of the Church, who know better than any other people that belief in the divinity of Jesus Christ as the Only Begotten Son of the Father and the Savior of mankind is central to our faith.

We affirm, with President Gordon B. Hinckley, that "we do not worship the Prophet. We worship God our Eternal Father and the risen Lord Jesus Christ. But we acknowledge the Prophet; we proclaim him; we respect him; we reverence him as an instrument in the hands of the Almighty in restoring to the earth the ancient truths of the divine gospel, together with the priesthood through which the authority of God is exercised in the affairs of His Church and for the blessing of His people" ("First Presidency Message," Ensign and Liahona, December 2005, 2-6).

Joseph Smith is often referred to as the "founder" of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Strictly speaking, the real founder of the Church is Jesus Christ Himself, for it is a restoration of the very Church He established among His followers during His mortal ministry. As in former days, it is built upon the foundation of apostles and prophets with Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone (see Ephesians 2:20). In keeping with the imagery in Christ's conversation with Peter, recorded in Matthew 16:18-19, the Church is established upon the "rock" of Christ, revelation and priesthood keys and authority.

It has become common in some quarters to deny the Christianity of the Church and its members. In reality, Mormonism, as it is commonly called, is the purest form of Christianity, for it is the exclusive repository of the priesthood authority bestowed to mankind by Christ. By that authority, it administers the ordinances of salvation given by Christ. And it embodies the doctrines, principles and teachings of Christ in their uncorrupted state. The presence of all of this on the earth today is due to the Prophet Joseph Smith as an instrument in the hands of Christ.

As Latter-day Saints, we no more worship Joseph Smith than we do Peter or any of the other ancient apostles. Peter, in fact, is an apt comparison. Both Joseph and Peter fearlessly obeyed the Master in conveying His gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue and people. Both men dedicated their lives to the work of the Kingdom, ultimately suffering a martyr's death in the cause of Christ. To both men we give our honor, respect, reverence and love — but not our worship.

Joseph, in fact, would have eschewed such worship. He exhibited the humility fitting for a servant of God. "I never told you I was perfect," he said on one occasion, "but there is no error in the revelations which I have taught" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 368).

Upon meeting him, people were sometimes taken aback because he did not fit their preconceived image of a prophet. "It might have shocked the faith of some men," recalled President Wilford Woodruff regarding his first meeting with the Prophet. "I found him and his brother Hyrum out shooting at a mark with a brace of pistols." Later, Joseph asked Wilford to help him tan a wolf skin that he wanted to use on the seat of his wagon. "I had to smile at my first experience with the Prophet," President Wood-ruff wrote.

As we conclude a year of observance of the bicentennial of his birth, we accept Joseph Smith with all his faults, humanity and greatness and are moved to exclaim with John Taylor: "Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it" (Doctrine and Covenants 135:2).