The Medieval Muslim philosopher al-Farabi wrote an entire treatise on The Attainment of Happiness, and "the pursuit of Happiness" is one of the unalienable rights listed in the United States Declaration of Independence.
|The Prophet Joseph Smith|
"Adam fell that men might be," the Book of Mormon Prophet Lehi taught his son Jacob, "and men are, that they might have joy." (2 Ne. 2:25)
Through ancient and modern prophets, God has revealed His great plan of happiness, or the plan of salvation. God loves and blesses all of His children, and His earnest desire is for each of us to be happy and to experience joy.
It is little wonder therefore that Satan desires exactly the opposite. He seeks to make all men as miserable as he is. (2 Ne. 2:27)
"The reason why it can never succeed is this. God made us: invented us as a man invents an engine. A car is made to run on gasoline, and it would not run properly on anything else. Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other. That is why it is just no good asking God to make us happy in our own way without bothering about religion. God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing."
|Elder Neal A. Maxwell|
One way to understand how persistently Satan has attempted to thwart God's great plan of happiness is to consider how, under his influence, time-transcending truths were removed from the Holy Bible. The Prophet Joseph Smith declared: "I believe the Bible as it read when it came from the pen of the original writers. Ignorant translators, careless transcribers, or designing and corrupt priests have committed many errors" (TPJS, p. 327)
What were these errors? What are some of the vital truths that had been eliminated from the Holy Bible?
In summary, God the Eternal Father created a plan for us, His children. His Son Jesus Christ is the most important part of this plan. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ want us to be happy and to experience joy in this life. Latter-day scriptures, including the Book of Moses, complete, verify, and testify of the truth of the Holy Bible, restoring plain and precious things that lead to lasting happiness and joy in this life, as well as salvation and eternal life in the future.