"I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book"
--- Joseph Smith Jr. (Past Prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints; 1805 - 1844)
Strangers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints likely know little about the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ apart from the fact that someone turned it into an irreverent Broadway musical. Some people may be under the impression that Joseph Smith wrote the book and they'd be mistaken. All in all, I hope that this blog post serves as a thorough introduction for any who fall under these categories or have never read the book. Let it be known that the Book of Mormon is scripture that goes hand-in-hand with the Holy Bible. And let it be known that the truthfulness of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints hinges on whether or not the book is true. It is for this reason that we insist that people read it for themselves and pray and ask God if it isn't true.
**NOTE: If you wish to get in contact with missionaries of the Church to learn more, you can do so at https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/requests/missionary-visit
There was this incredible family whom I'd met on my first day in the streets of Mexico that I will call the "C family". The mother had recently been baptized and her daughter was working towards it. In my first visit with them, we encouraged them to develop a habit of reading the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.
**You can read the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ online for free here. Or you can request a free physical copy here.
* NOTE: There is so much that could be said of the Book of Mormon, and even though that this might be the longest blog post of mine and still doesn't include everything, I thought it would be better to have everything together in one place rather than splitting it up. If I can make one recommendation, it would be to read the Book of Mormon for yourself. But to help you navigate this blog post, as a supplemental aid to reading the book, I thought I'd provide a sort of table of contents that will hyperlink you to the appropriate section below. Again, this blog post is not comprehensive:
Click to Navigate (Table of Contents):
Grasping for straws in my limited Spanish, I shared my experience reading the entire Book of Mormon for the first time with the C. family:
THE FIRST TIME I READ THE BOOK OF MORMON
I was sixteen years old at the kickoff of the new year, 2012. It meant new classes for the semester as well as a new Sunday School teacher. Sunday School is one of those hours every other Sunday where we learn about the scriptures (See "Sabbath Day Observance"). We’d learned about the New Testament the year before. That year we were learning about the Book of Mormon.
My awesome new Sunday School teacher, Jay Brasher, challenged our class to share the Book of Mormon with somebody. Excited at the opportunity, I accepted. I started keeping a copy in my backpack. It was a new semester with a new class schedule so I missed my bus. With time to kill before my next class and nothing to do, I took out my Book of Mormon and started reading from the beginning. I thought I’d best read the book I was invited to share if I was to have any real substance. I’d read parts of it before with family and of course at church but I’d never studied the scriptures much on my own. I found that I rather enjoyed reading it. It felt familiar and comfortable. I made a habit of reading during bus rides, which eventually grew to include between class in the hall up against our green lockers, during homework, and before bed. Every day felt "brighter." I felt increased confidence. My testimony of Jesus Christ grew deeper and more personal because I was working for it. I even kept a black zip-up binder that I kept my Book of Mormon in with any notes I made while reading.
As a consequence of my efforts, I got to share two copies with two non-member friends at school. By the end of about four to five months, I had read the whole Book of Mormon for the first time. I prayed to know if it was true. My answer was recognizing the positive effect it had on my life and I knew it had to be from God.
ANOTHER TESTAMENT OF JESUS CHRIST
The Book of Mormon is first and foremost another testament of Jesus Christ, as the title of the book clearly purports. It supports and clarifies doctrinal truths taught in the Holy Bible, especially those concerning the foretold birth, mission, and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is mentioned over 3900 times in the Book of Mormon (once for every 1.7 verses). The purpose of the Book of Mormon is to testify of Him. Rather than replacing the Bible, the Book of Mormon goes hand in hand as equals, again, like the vision from two eyes. The purpose of the Book of Mormon is found in the Title Page, in part, it reads:
"...Is to show unto the remnant of the house of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever—And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations..."
In truth, it is evidence that God loves all of His children across the world and throughout all ages. And the crowning event of the book, as to the witness of Jesus Christ's divinity as the Son of God and redeemer of mankind is an account of a personal visitation of Jesus Christ to the ancient people of the American continent. Anyone who reads from its pages will know of a surety that it does testify of Christ. And as bold of a statement as it is I affirm that, "The Book of Mormon [is] the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book”. If you believe this claim to be too bold to be true, I invite you to put it to the test and find out for yourself.
WHAT IS THE BOOK ABOUT?
Just as the Bible traces ancient stories and histories in Middle Eastern regions of the world (such as Israel, Egypt, Syria, and Greece), the Book of Mormon traces the stories and historical accounts of people living in the Western Hemisphere (also known as the American continent) between 600 B.C. to about 420 A.D. which we’d call Mesoamerica. These records were engraved on sheets of metal which we usually refer to as "metal plates", which ensured their survival over such a long period of time.
The Book of Mormon begins with a family living in Jerusalem during the reign of King Zedekiah who are commanded to leave before the city is destroyed for its wickedness (which it was in 589 B.C. by the same Nebuchadnezzar II, King of Babylon, who is prominent in the Book of Daniel). Nephi, who is one of the sons in the family, is the first to start writing the Book of Mormon on "plates of ore" that he made himself (1 Nephi 19:1-4). After several years in the wilderness, they construct a sailing vessel and are led across the ocean to the Americas (1 Nephi 17-18). The descendants of the family were divided into two primary groups, one called the Nephites (after Nephi; see 2 Nephi 5:5-17) and the others the Lamanites (after Nephi’s oldest brother, Laman; see 2 Nephi 5:14). These are the main groups in the Book of Mormon, but that's not to say that they were the only ones. The Nephites were generally more righteous and kept their own scriptural records which abridgment we have as the Book of Mormon. Their records outline their ancestry and journey from Jerusalem, the civilizations built, the wars that were had, their system of government, prophecies, covenants, warnings still relevant to our days, and the wonders that God had among them.
One of the gems found in its pages is an account of Jesus Christ showing Himself to the Nephite people after His resurrection (John 10:16). The Bible doesn’t mention this visit; it mentions Him showing Himself to His disciples (Acts 1:3), and “speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God …and [being] taken up…toward heaven” (Acts 1:9). It’s more than probable that the Apostles and other inhabitants of the Eastern Hemisphere didn’t even know the American continent existed. The global acceptance of a western hemisphere wouldn’t come about for at least another thousand years after the Apostles. The Book of Mormon adds its witness that Jesus also came down to teach the faithful in the Americas:
“…They cast their eyes up again towards heaven; and behold, they saw a Man descending out of heaven; and he was clothed in a white robe; and he came down and stood in the midst of them; and the eyes of the whole multitude were turned upon him, and they durst not open their mouths, even one to another, and wist not what it meant, for they thought it was an angel that had appeared unto them” (3 Nephi 11:8).
“And it came to pass that he stretched forth his hand and spake unto the people, saying: Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world. And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning” (vs. 9-11).
“And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto them saying: Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world” (vs. 13-14).
And they went forth, one by one, and knew Him for themselves (This would have taken hours). Jesus teaches them the doctrine of Christ (3 Nephi 11:31-41), He commissions twelve disciples to minister among the people (vs. 12:1-2), He instructs them about baptism (vs. 18-28), empowers twelve to confer the Holy Ghost (18:26-39) and institutes the sacrament (3 Nephi 18:1-14), and teaches many more important things pertaining to the kingdom of God. He heals the sick and afflicted and blesses the children (3 Nephi 17:5-12,21-25). He instructs twelve about the name of the Church (27:1-12) and teaches about His mission and Atonement (27:13-22). And He again ascends into heaven.
Knowing the Book of Mormon, we can testify that God is one God over all and that He has an infinite love for all of His children. Jesus Christ gave His life and rose again for the whole world, not just the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
FROM 400 A.C. -- PRESENT DAY
Prophets of the ancient Americas recorded all of this and sealed the metal records in the ground to preserve them. In the end, the Lamanites killed the Nephites because they forgot their God and became unrepentant and sinful (Jarom 1:10; Mosiah 12:8-9; Alma 45:14; Hel. 7:24,28), leaving these hidden records buried for nearly 1400 years. When the conditions were right, God set forth the restoration of His gospel. Early on, as part of the restoration, the location of the records was revealed to Joseph Smith who was commanded to translate them by the gift and power of God. The translation was published as the Book of Mormon in 1830, after the name of the second to last Nephite prophet, Mormon, who compiled all the records and whose son Moroni buried them. It is for this reason that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is often nicknamed "the Mormon church" even though it was originally intended to be derogatory. Instead of being called "Mormons", we prefer “members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints”. The name of the church bears the name of Jesus Christ because it is His church, not Mormon's church.
NOTE: In continuing with the translation process and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, I strongly urge you to refer to my post, "Apostasy and Restoration". You may also want to check out "Prophets and Callings", and "Joseph Smith: A Name Had For Good and Evil".
Furthermore, for your information, in recent years, there have been several books published by expert historians and other contributors regarding vast topics of the history of the church. Perhaps the most popular of these books goes by the title "Saints" and as of when I'm writing this (Sep 2021), there are two volumes. Volume 1 focuses on events between 1815–1846 which includes many things that I don't have room to include in this blog, especially regarding Joseph Smith. I recommend you start in chapter 4 entitled "Plates of Gold" which you can read for free here.
You can find additional church history resources here.
TRANSLATION & HISTORICITY
If there is a question regarding the validity of the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, more often than not, I would guess that it would have to do in some way with its translation by Joseph Smith.
If you’re bilingual, like me, you will have some experience with the challenges of translation. Sometimes, there are words unique to a language that does not have a direct translation; for example, “Koi No Yokan”, which is a Japanese phrase meaning, “the feeling upon first meeting someone that you will inevitably fall in love with them”. Some expressions wouldn’t make sense if translated literally; for example, a common phrase in Mexico was, “Poner las pilas” (Po-nair-Lahs-Pea-Lahs) which literally means “to put the batteries” but we would say, “To work hard”. Sometimes words can have multiple meanings. For example, the Spanish verb esperar (es-pair-ar) has three English equivalents: to wait, to hope for, and to expect. Suddenly one verb had three options meaning different things. I can hope that my roommate will keep the house clean, but I don’t expect it will be; there’s a difference!
Language styles also evolve, just as we speak differently today than they did in Medieval times or the Elizabethan Era. When Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon, he took an ancient text and translated it into understandable “language” for the 1800s, in a style similar to the King James Translation of the Bible. For the reasons previously mentioned, it couldn’t be a direct word-for-word translation. For this reason, to see an occasional word that seems out of place for ancient American people to use shouldn’t worry us! Because it's just that, a translation, we shouldn't be too quick to take everything to be literal. In some cases, a modern-day word may have been easier to understand than if another word were used in the translation. And in other cases, especially as time goes on, we find many things that we once had limited knowledge of pertaining to ancient peoples coming to light thanks to ongoing archaeological discovery and scientific means.
I believe that time will only further bring to light further evidence supporting the validity of the Book of Mormon. But just the same, Jesus rebukes sign seeking and teaches us to walk by faith not evidence, "Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed" (John 20:29). The most important part of scripture is not necessarily the wordage or language style, or the proceedings of the society where they were written, but rather the message of Christ and what God expects of us today that makes it of worth to us.
Translated By the Gift And Power of God
Now, having spoken of some of the challenges of the normal translation process, it would be of worth now for the reader to understand that the translation process of the Book of Mormon from its original language on the metal plates into English was different. The Title Page of the Book of Mormon says that it "[came] forth by the gift and power of God unto the interpretation thereof". Therefore, and the accounts bear record of this, the interpretation was not performed by one with any familiarity with the ancient language, as a matter of fact, when the translation process was not carried out as God instructed or repentance was required of them, they were unable to translate the records and the "gift to translate" was temporarily taken from them. (D&C 3:12-14; 10:1-2)
We have some knowledge of the translation process of the Book of Mormon, but it can't be considered comprehensive. Even so, the greatest evidence of the coming forth and validity of the Book of Mormon comes through faith and the still, small voice of the Holy Ghost which comes to the heart and mind of the reader, even though we might not know every little detail about how it came to be.
"Gold Plates" & Interpreters
For some people, the original metallic composition of the ancient text was of more interest than spiritual value. Word got around that Joseph was in possession of gold plates which led to many failed attempts to steal them.
Nevertheless, in light of these rumors, Joseph sought to set the record straight by publishing official statements in the first edition of the Book of Mormon. Joseph’s preface and a testimonial written by a group of eight witnesses described the plates as having an “appearance of gold.” The Book of Mormon authors simply said they engraved their writings on “plates.”
Witnesses later left statements that detailed the plates’ material composition, weight, dimensions, thickness, and binding. The plates weighed about “forty to sixty” pounds and together were between four and six inches thick. The leaves measured about “six” or “seven inches wide by eight inches in length” and individually had the thickness “of plates of tin”. Three D-shaped rings bound the leaves “through the back edges” into a volume. According to one witness, there was a sealant securing “about the half of the book” from tampering. This sealed portion made it impossible to separate the leaves and “appeared as solid as wood.” Joseph Smith derived his translation from the loose leaves of the plates.
Based on these parameters, modern researchers have estimated plates of pure gold would weigh at least 45 kilograms (100 pounds) and might be too soft for engraved characters. Book of Mormon record keepers may have employed an alloy to forge the metal plates, making them golden in appearance but not fully gold in substance. William Smith, Joseph’s younger brother, believed “a mixture of gold and copper” made up the plates.
When Joseph Smith retrieved the metal plates according to God's timing, he retrieved other objects that were buried with them. These included an instrument that assisted in obtaining revelation from the Lord and in translating languages which are referred to as "the interpreters", "seer stones", or the "Urim and Thumim". It's a Hebrew term meaning "Lights and Perfections" which can also be found described in the Old Testament (Ex. 28:30; Lev. 8:8; Num. 27:21; Deut. 33:8; 1 Sam. 28:6; Ezra 2:63; Neh. 7:65). There is more than one Urim and Thummim, but we are informed that Joseph Smith had the one used by the brother of Jared in the Book of Mormon (Ether 3:22–28; D&C 10:1; 17:1). I again reiterate that the translation process is not comprehensive, and I certainly wouldn't consider myself an expert on the topic, but I invite you to learn more about seer stones here. It would seem that the Urim and Thummin that God provided enabled Joseph to actually see the words as they were to be translated into English. With time and spiritual maturity that came with practice, Joseph eventually didn't require the instruments.
If by means of these divine instrumentalities the Prophet was seeing ancient words rendered in English and then dictating, he was not necessarily and constantly scrutinizing the characters on the plates—the usual translation process of going back and forth between pondering an ancient text and providing a modern rendering.
The revelatory process apparently did not require the Prophet to become an expert in the ancient language. The constancy of revelation was more crucial than the constant presence of opened plates, which, by instruction, were to be kept from the view of unauthorized eyes anyway.
While the use of divine instrumentalities might also account for the rapid rate of translation, the Prophet sometimes may have used a less mechanical procedure. We simply do not know the details.
While it was Joseph Smith whom God commanded to translate the plates, there were several individuals who were instructed to assist in the translation process, namely as scribes.
We take passing notice of the words of David Whitmer, Joseph Knight, and Martin Harris, who were observers, not translators. David Whitmer indicated that as the Prophet used the divine instrumentalities provided to help him, “the hieroglyphics would appear, and also the translation in the English language … in bright luminous letters.” Then Joseph would read the words to Oliver. Martin Harris related of the seer stone: “Sentences would appear and were read by the Prophet and written by Martin”. According to these accounts, Joseph placed either the interpreters or the seer stone in a hat, pressed his face into the hat to block out extraneous light, and read aloud the English words that appeared on the instrument.
Oliver Cowdery is reported to have testified in court that the Urim and Thummim enabled Joseph “to read in English, the reformed Egyptian characters, which were engraved on the plates”. If these reports are accurate, they suggest a process indicative of God’s having given Joseph “sight and power to translate.” (D&C 3:12)
In addition to assisting in the transcribing and eventual publication of the translation, God allowed for several individuals to see and handle the plates to bear testimony of their reality to the world.
THE WITNESSES
Our published version of the Book of Mormon, directly after the Title Page and Introduction, contains the official testimonies of 11 individuals whom the Lord permitted and commanded to bear testimony to the world as to the truthfulness of the plates and translation.
One statement is " The Testimony of the Three Witnesses". This includes the unified testimony of Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris. You can read the full testimony here. In part it says,
"...And we also know that they have been translated by the gift and power of God, for his voice hath declared it unto us; wherefore we know of a surety that the work is true. And we also testify that we have seen the engravings which are upon the plates; and they have been shown unto us by the power of God, and not of man. And we declare with words of soberness, that an angel of God came down from heaven, and he brought and laid before our eyes..."
The other statement is "The Testimony of Eight Witnesses". This includes Christian Whitmer, Jacob Whitmer, Peter Whitmer Jr., John Whitmer, Hiram Page, Joseph Smith Sr., Hyrum Smith, and Samuel H. Smith. You can read their full testimony here. In part it read:
"...Joseph Smith, Jun., the translator of this work, has shown unto us the plates of which hath been spoken, which have the appearance of gold; and as many of the leaves as the said Smith has translated we did handle with our hands; and we also saw the engravings thereon, all of which has the appearance of ancient work, and of curious workmanship. And this we bear record with words of soberness, that the said Smith has shown unto us, for we have seen and hefted, and know of a surety that the said Smith has got the plates of which we have spoken..."
In addition to these witnesses, the prophet's wife, Emma, served as a scribe for Joseph for a time (D&C 25:6). She also bore testimony of the plates and Joseph's calling as a prophet of God until the day she died. Said she:
“The plates often lay on the table without any attempt at concealment, wrapped in a small linen tablecloth which I had given him [Joseph] to fold them in. I once felt the plates as they lay on the table, tracing their outline and shape. They seemed to be pliable like thick paper, and would rustle with a metallic sound when the edges were moved by the thumb, as one does sometimes thumb the edges of a book.”
In addition to these witnesses, there are millions more who, even without seeing or handling the physical ancient record, can attest to the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. I am one of those.
THE SPEEDY PUBLICATION
One marvel is the very rapidity with which Joseph was translating—at an estimated average rate of eight of our printed pages per day! The total translation time was about 65 working days! The Prophet Joseph Smith would sometimes produce 10 pages per day! That's exponentially faster than any traditional translation would take, especially in the early 1800s.
A second marvel of the Book of Mormon translation process is that from what we know, rarely would Joseph go back, review, or revise what had already been done. There was a steady flow in the translation. Emma Smith said of the inspired process:
“After meals, or after interruptions, [Joseph] would at once begin where he had left off, without either seeing the manuscript or having any portion of it read to him”
If one were manufacturing a text, he would constantly need to cross-check himself, to edit, and to revise for consistency. Had the Prophet dictated and revised extensively, there would be more evidence of it. But there was no need to revise divinely supplied text. Whatever the details of the translation process, we are discussing a process that was truly astonishing!
A third marvel of the translation process is that although he was intensely involved in translating an ancient record, the Prophet Joseph himself was clearly unschooled in things ancient. For example, early in the work he came across words concerning a wall around Jerusalem and asked Emma if the city indeed had walls. She affirmed what Joseph simply hadn’t known.
The Book of Mormon was published in March of 1830, just before the Lord commanded that the church be officially organized. The Book of Mormon was a key instrument as evidence of the restoration of the church on the earth once more. That's why it came forth before most of the revelation and priesthood that followed. That should mean something to us today.
AN ANCIENT RECORD OF AN ANCIENT CIVILIZATION
Again bringing your attention back to the origins of the Book of Mormon, if we believe it to be true, then we must believe that it was ancient text. The original language of the metal plates was reformed Egyptian (The image above contains a sample of text that was copied from the Book of Mormon).
I invite the reader to consider not only the text but also the culture of the people (the exegesis) to put into context why some things were being taught or emphasized, what they believed regarding God, or what pagan practices they may have been up against, their traditions, a new unfamiliar revelation that they were getting from prophets or even limited understanding of some things, some attitudes and prejudices that were passed down from their ancestors, what was happening in their government and day-to-day activities. All in all, I invite you to look through their eyes. If we do this, we might appreciate the scriptures more deeply than if we were to read only with our twenty-first-century eyes. The day-to-day lives of the people between 600 B.C. and 400 A.D. were not as they are today which is when the Book of Mormon takes place.
Most of us aren’t experts on ancient Mesoamerican culture but you don’t have to be to find value in the Book of Mormon. The purpose of scripture is to point the soul to Christ and to prepare us for Eternal Life. (See "Eternal Life: As God Is")
But speaking of mesoamerican culture, I took a few courses at BYU from a professor of ancient scripture who is an expert with a Ph.D. in Linguistic Anthropology and conducts research with the Maya in Guatemala and other archaeological fieldwork and speaks five languages, named Dr. Kerry Hull, and there are many more like him who can attest to the bridge between faith and fact (See "What Is Truth? Science and Faith"). Our faith shouldn’t be placed or based on evidence, but I can reassure you that the Book of Mormon is true, both in doctrine and historicity. As I say, I don't mean to persuade you to believe based on evidence, but just one piece of evidence as to the historicity of the Book of Mormon is what is called a "chiasmus". And the Book of Mormon is full of them.
Nevertheless, I want to emphasize an important teaching from Dallin H. Oaks that was given back in 2001, who while I'm writing this serves alongside the prophet in the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (2021; see "Church Organization"). It is simple but true to form:
“It is our position that secular evidence can neither prove nor disprove the authenticity of the Book of Mormon.”
BYU also granted me the opportunity to personally handle and flip through the pages of a first edition Book of Mormon from 1830 that’s part of the campus’ special collections,
evident just by the rough faded paper, much like what you see to the right. It really makes me appreciate the painstaking process of producing such a book in the old days and to touch one that had so much history was special. A lot went into the publication of that book, not just financial sacrifices and time, but the blood and sweat of those who were persecuted and killed for it. For me, the Book of Mormon is more than paper and ink.
WHAT IF?
Individuals learning about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints may rightly wonder why, as a religion, we put so much stock into the Book of Mormon. Why are we so insistent that people read it? I confess that I add to this category by constantly referencing this blog post throughout all my other blog posts. Indeed, such insistence may be a reason why some people mistakenly believe that we only believe in the Book of Mormon, instead of the Bible. Well, that's because when it comes down to it, the Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion. President Ezra Taft Benson in 1986 explained the role of a keystone as follows:
“A keystone is the central stone in an arch. It holds all the other stones in place, and if removed, the arch crumbles.
“There are three ways in which the Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion. It is the keystone in our witness of Christ. It is the keystone of our doctrine. It is the keystone of testimony”
James E. Faust (1920–2007) expanded the idea of the Book of Mormon as our doctrinal keystone:
“The Book of Mormon is a keystone because it establishes and ties together eternal principles and precepts, rounding out basic doctrines of salvation. It is the crowning gem in the diadem of our holy scriptures.
“It is a keystone for other reasons also. In the promise of Moroni (Moroni 10:3-5) —namely, that God will manifest the truth of the Book of Mormon to every sincere inquirer having faith in Christ—we have a key link in a self-locking chain.
“A confirming testimony of the Book of Mormon convinces ‘that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God’ and also spiritually verifies the divine calling of Joseph Smith and that he did see the Father and the Son...
“All of this confirms the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the divine mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, led by a living prophet enjoying continuous revelation. From these basic verities, an understanding can flow of other saving principles of the fulness of the gospel”
In summary, if the Book of Mormon is true, it goes to say that Joseph Smith did translate it and that he was a true prophet of God who spoke with Him and instructed him in restoring the church. It could only be by the gift and power of God that such a quick (three-month) and eloquently true translation could be produced by an uneducated farmhand such as Joseph Smith. By process of elimination, the Book of Mormon is evidence that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the restored church on Earth, His kingdom, and the only one not made by men. That's why we as members of the church place such stock into it. At the same time, critics of the church know that everything hinges on the veracity of the Book of Mormon which is why it and Joseph Smith bear the brunt of attacks against our religion. But notwithstanding, I know the Book of Mormon to be true and no amount of arguing can change the truth.
MORONI'S PROMISE
As of 2021, the Book of Mormon is available in 115 languages! You can come to know if the book is true simply by reading it, pondering it in your heart, and asking God in prayer if it is true. The Holy Ghost will fill your mind and heart reassuring you peacefully that it is true. This is often called, as mentioned above, "Moroni's Promise" (Mor. 10:3-5). That is the way I came to know it is true. (See "A Still, Small Voice")
I know that God did everything for a purpose. I am glad now that I missed that bus. Because of it, I gained a witness of the Book of Mormon. Since that day, I have read the Book of Mormon at least a dozen times to my count and every time I learn something new. I feel re-energized. You don’t have to read it a million times or even finish it before knowing it is of God, but the more we read, the stronger our conviction grows and our faith in Jesus Christ is refreshed.
I know the Book of Mormon is true because the Holy Ghost made me feel it. I didn't have a grand epiphany, the ground did not shake beneath my feet, and there were no visions nor fireworks but it was by the still small voice of the Holy Ghost that reassured me that it was true. I did my part and the Lord did His part.
I met many people who learned for themselves through a similar process that the Book of Mormon is true as is the church we represent. If they didn’t so much as open the front page or didn’t put an honest heart into it, the book didn’t serve for anything. But in my experience, that book is the bridge to lasting conversion. Without it, a person cannot get very far in the gospel.
Reading the Book of Mormon is vital but for various reasons, not everybody reads it. I have found that many people simply do not enjoy reading books or feel that they would rather do something else with their time. I myself don’t read books regularly but the Book of Mormon is different. It isn’t homework. It isn’t something I have to guzzle in one sitting; I can sip from its pages in brief intervals, let it settle and click, and then keep going. Most important to me is that it is applicable to me because it focuses on internal and eternal truths and values of the soul, not merely facts and stories, even though I can find inspiration and solutions from the things that the people went through and how they overcame them. More than a mere matter of the mind, that book deepens in my heart.
If you feel that you fit in the category of not being an avid reader or feel you lack time, I encourage you to read a little here and a little there. Don’t focus on getting all the names and bits and pieces memorized. Start at that rock which is faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement. That book has power! It was revealed in the time we need it the most. Just like the Bible, it was prepared and preserved by the hand of God. It is a marvelous work and a wonder (Isa. 29).
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