“Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

“And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.” [1]

I have noticed a special power associated with the Book of Mormon. A quiet, yet convincing, witness of its truth is conveyed to those who delve into its pages with faith and a sincere intent.

Parley P. Pratt stated: “The Spirit of the Lord came upon me, while I read, and enlightened my mind, convinced my judgment, and riveted the truth upon my understanding, so that I knew that the book was true, just as well as a man knows the daylight from the dark night.” [2]

Paul teaches that, “the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.” [3] The truthfulness of the Book of Mormon is manifest to every sincere seeker by the power of the Holy Ghost. God will not allow our faith to go unrewarded. His promise to us is that “signs shall follow them that believe.” [4] These signs will serve as evidences of truth which confirm that our faith is not in vain.

Brigham Young experienced this marvelous blessing as he read the Book of Mormon: “I knew it was true, as well as I knew that I could see with my eyes, or feel by the touch of my fingers, or be sensible of the demonstration of any sense.” [5]

Moroni’s promise provides us an explicit procedure for gaining a testimony, not only of the Book of Mormon, but of all spiritual truth. The formula applies to those seeking a witness of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and is also the process for hearing the voice of the Lord every time we read from its inspired pages.

We should ponder and pray with faith and real intent not only the first time we read the Book of Mormon and not only when we are seeking a spiritual witness of its truthfulness. We should ponder and pray every time we read it. Doing so will enable us to receive a greater testimony and a “more sure witness” from the Lord.

To ascertain truth in the spiritual realm we must ask God. “Ask, and it shall be given you,” [6] but “ask in faith, nothing wavering.” [7] If we will be humble and pray sincerely, with real intent, with faith in Christ, doubting nothing, He will manifest to us the truth we are seeking by the power of the Holy Ghost. He will tell us what we want to know. The Lord assures us a firm witness of the truth by the power of the Holy Ghost.

“It is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.” [8]

Bill Wylson
 


[1] Moroni 10:3,4

[2] Journal of Discourses 5:194.

[3] 1 Corinthians 2:11.

[4] Mark 16:17.

[5] Journal of Discourses 3:91.

[6] Matthew 7:7.

[7] James 1:6.

[8] 1 John 5:6.

“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.” [1]
 
When asked his opinion of the Mormons, Charles Dickens scoffed, “Imagine seeing angels in the age of locomotives!”[2] From locomotives to automobiles to airplanes to deep space exploration, we have progressively moved into an age of extensive and illustrious enlightenment. Humanity is making unprecedented progress in countless fields, spheres and disciplines. Inventions that were, at one time, nothing more than the wild imaginings of science-fiction writers have become commonplace today. 

In his book, The Progress of Man, Joseph Fielding Smith writes:

“Great progress has been made in mechanics, chemistry, physics, surgery, and other things. Men have built great telescopes that have brought the hidden galaxies to view. They have, by the aid of the microscope, discovered vast worlds of microorganisms, some of which are as deadly as are men towards their fellow men. They have discovered means to control disease; they have, by the aid of anesthesia, made men insensible to pain, thus permitting major and delicate operations which could not otherwise be performed. They have invented machines more sensitive than the human touch, more far- seeing than the human eye. They have controlled elements and made machinery that can move mountains, and many other things have they done too numerous to mention. Yes, this is a wonderful age. However, all of these discoveries and inventions have not drawn men nearer to God!” [3]

With all our discoveries and advancements in technology, science and education, faith has not increased in the world. Obedience to God has become arbitrary instead of obligatory. Righteousness does not rule our beliefs or our behaviors. Perhaps more now than in any other age of society, humanity needs to draw nearer to God.

In the Memorial Chapel at Stanford University we find these words:

“There is no narrowing so deadly as the narrowing of man's horizon of spiritual things. No worse evil could befall him in his course on earth than to lose sight of heaven; and it is not civilization that can prevent this; it is not civilization that can compensate for it. No widening of science, no possession of abstract truth, can indemnify for an enfeebled hold on the highest and eternal truth of humanity.”

What an enormous blessing and benefit it would be for the world to acquire a deeper abiding faith in our Redeemer and a greater love in our hearts toward each other!  If we would enlighten our spirits with the same intensity that we have enlightened our minds and turn to the Lord, we could have the confidence that He will be near, that He will help us fight our battles and fill our lives with the principles of truth and righteousness.

In speaking about the Book of Mormon, Ezra Taft Benson has challenged all of us to “prayerfully consider steps that we can personally take to bring this new witness for Christ more fully into our own lives and into a world that so desperately needs it…. I have a vision of the whole Church getting nearer to God by abiding by the precepts of the Book of Mormon. Indeed, I have a vision of flooding the earth with the Book of Mormon.” [4]

What the world most needs today is to draw nearer to God. Anyone who has viewed and studied the Book of Mormon with more than just a casual pursuing knows the truthfulness of the Prophet Joseph Smith’s assertion. The Book of Mormon will draw us nearer to God. It is a meaningful and inspired declaration of Him and an additional witness and testament of our Savior Jesus Christ.
 
Bill Wylson

[1] Smith, Joseph, History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, vol. 4, p.461.

[2] Charles Dickens later changed his opinion of the Mormons after meeting with a group of emigrants sailing out of England for the Great Salt Lake Valley. Concerning these people, Dickens wrote: “I went on board their ship to bear testimony against them if they deserved it, as I fully believed they would; to my great astonishment they did not deserve it.” After observing and mingling with the converts, Dickens was impressed with them and described these English converts as being “the pick and flower of England.” (See Charles Dickens, “The Uncommercial Traveler,” All the Year Round, July 4, 1863, 449; see also David M. W. Pickup, The Pick and Flower of England (2001).

[3] Smith, Joseph Fielding, The Progress of Man, Deseret Book Company, 1936.

[4] Benson, Ezra Taft, Flooding the Earth with the Book of Mormon, The Ensign, November 1988, p. 4.

The Prophet Joseph Smith affirmed that "the Book of Mormon [is] …the keystone of our religion."[1]  It is that crucial, all-important stone in the arch that upholds and supports all the other stones in their respective positions. And if removed, the entire arch would then collapse.

President Marion G. Romney has stated: “Whatever else it implies, this statement is amply justified by the fact that acceptance of the Book of Mormon is almost tantamount to acceptance of the restored gospel. The authenticity of the book and the restoration of the gospel rest upon the same two fundamentals—the fact of modern revelation and the fact that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. These two verities are inseparably connected in their relationship to the Book of Mormon and the restored gospel. To accept one is to accept the other.” [2]

So, what it is about the Book of Mormon that makes it the fundamental keystone in our religion? In his book, A Witness and a Warning, Ezra Taft Benson highlights a few of the ways the Book of Mormon serves as the keystone of our religion.  Along with President Benson’s insights, I have included below some of the thoughts and perceptions of other authoritative writers on this subject.

Above all, the Book of Mormon is the keystone of our witness to the world that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Eternal Father.

• The Keystone in Our Witness of Christ.

The principal purpose of the Book of Mormon stated on the title page is “to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God.” [3] It is undeniably Jesus Christ who is the core and cornerstone of everything that we believe in and all that we do. The Book of Mormon plainly and powerfully testifies of the reality of Jesus Christ.

Much of the world rejects Jesus as their Savior and Redeemer. Many deny His divinity while others doubt His doctrine. But the Book of Mormon, in its clear and distinctive dialect, declares the truth of the divine mission and perfect life of our Lord and Savior.

“There is a God,” declares Nephi, “and he is Christ.” [4]

The Book of Mormon elucidates Christ’s sacred teachings and holy doctrines; it testifies of His atoning sacrifice. There can be no doubt that the Book of Mormon is an essential and necessary keystone in affirming to the world that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God.

• The Keystone of Our Personal Faith

Besides being the keystone of our religion, the Book of Mormon should also be an essential keystone of our personal faith. A greater understanding of the Book of Mormon will help to secure our faith in Jesus Christ. President Ezra Taft Benson acknowledged, "I have noted within the Church the difference in discernment, in insight, conviction, and spirit between those who know and love the Book of Mormon and those who do not. That book is a great sifter." [5]

President Ezra Taft Benson [6] further outlined the testimony of the Savior himself declaring that;

• The Book of Mormon is true, [7]
• It contains the word of God, [8]
• It was translated by power from on high, [9]
• It contains the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, [10]
• It was given by inspiration and confirmed by the ministering of angels, [11]
• It gives evidence that the holy scriptures are true, [12] and
• Those who receive it in faith shall receive eternal life. [13]

Another essential element of the Book of Mormon is that it stands as the keystone of our doctrine.

• The Keystone of Our Doctrine

The Prophet Joseph Smith acknowledged; "Take away the Book of Mormon and the revelations and where is our religion? We have none." [14] For this reason alone, the Book of Mormon is a crucial keystone to our doctrine.

In ordinary language and easy to understand terminology, the Book of Mormon clarifies and illuminates all the essential doctrine necessary for our salvation. The Savior Himself has proclaimed that the Book of Mormon contains the "fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ." [15]  The Book of Mormon increases our understanding and knowledge of vital principles and doctrines which are essential to our redemption. 

The Book of Mormon is also a critical keystone in our personal testimonies of the work of the restoration.

• The Keystone of Our Testimony
  

It is an inarguable fact that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stands or falls with the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. If the Book of Mormon is suspect, then so is the Prophet Joseph Smith, the deposition of modern-day revelation and the restoration of priesthood keys and authority.

The Book of Mormon was written to convince us "that Jesus is the Christ." [16] If your soul is searching for a more profound witness of the divinity of our Savior, if you harbor any doubts or question any aspect of your testimony of the restored gospel, read the Book of Mormon. Ponder its message. Pray about its precepts.

 The Book of Mormon is a powerful testifier of truth. It is a profound conversion tool. Above all else, you will "get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book." [17]

As you are brought to a realization of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, you will also come to know that Joseph Smith is the prophet of the Restoration and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is directed today by a living prophet.

In 1941, President Heber J. Grant affirmed that "experimental knowledge is the very best knowledge in the world; and any man who will believe what he is told to believe, in one of the closing paragraphs of the Book of Mormon, and who, after reading it, will ask God for a knowledge of its divinity, and live worthily of that knowledge will receive it.”  [18]

The incredible conversion power of the Book of Mormon makes it a major keystone in our missionary efforts.

• The Keystone of Our Missionary Labor
  

Throughout the world, the Book of Mormon offers honest seekers after truth a definite verification of the restored gospel. It serves as a resounding witness of the sacred calling of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

As Heber J. Grant further explains; “I rejoice in the wonderful spirit of the Book of Mormon. I believe that it is one of the greatest missionaries in the hands of an elder that it is possible for him to have. I believe that no man can open that book and read it with a prayerful heart, and ask God, in the name of Jesus Christ, for a testimony regarding its divinity, but what the Lord will manifest unto him by His Spirit the truth of the book itself. And God has performed it; He has done it in thousands of cases. There is a mark of divinity on this book; and I maintain that no man can read [it]…without receiving an impression of this kind." [19]

Everyone who prayerfully studies the Book of Mormon can ask God if it is true and gain a testimony of its divinity. When, in answer to sincere prayer, the Holy Spirit testifies of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, then hearts are changed. People increase in faith and desire to unite themselves with the Kingdom of God.

• The Keystone of Our Lives

The Book of Mormon was written for us. Ezra Taft Benson explained that the “Nephites never had the book; neither did the Lamanites of ancient times. It was meant for us. Mormon wrote near the end of the Nephite civilization. Under the inspiration of God, who sees all things from the beginning, he abridged centuries of records, choosing the stories, speeches, and events that would be most helpful to us….

‘Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing.’ [20]

“If they saw our day and chose those things which would be of greatest worth to us, is not that how we should study the Book of Mormon? We should constantly ask ourselves, ‘Why did the Lord inspire Mormon (or Moroni or Alma) to include that in his record? What lesson can I learn from that to help me live in this day and age?’” [21]

The Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion because it bears witness of our Savior Jesus Christ.

“Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son. In me shall all mankind have life, and that eternally.” [22]
It is the keystone of our religion because it teaches pure truth. Through modern-day revelation the Lord declares that the Book of Mormon contains “the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ” [23] and that "As your Lord and your God liveth it is true." [24] But there is something more to it that just these vital facts.

The Book of Mormon corroborates the truthfulness of the Bible. [25] It serves as verification "to the world that the holy scriptures are true.” [26]

Its earnest objective is to provide us with the necessary principles and teachings for our eternal journey. One of the ultimate messages of the Book of Mormon, and of the Bible, is that mankind cannot reach perfection on its own.
The Apostle Paul instructs us that, "The law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ." [27]  Abinadi taught that the records maintained by the Book of Mormon prophets (including the Brass Plates of Laban) served "to keep them in remembrance of God and their duty towards him." [28] 

The Book of Mormon is our schoolmaster in this dispensation of time to bring us to Christ. [29] The book itself testifies that it is the holy word of God.

All scriptures are one in that they testify of Jesus. The prophet Jacob, brother of Nephi, declares that "none of the prophets have written, nor prophesied, save they have spoken concerning this Christ." [30]

Likewise, Nephi affirmed; "We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophecy of Christ." [31]

There is a very real and very tangible power associated with a sincere study of the Book of Mormon. As Ezra Taft Benson explains in A Witness and A Warning, its influence will begin to flow into our lives the moment we undertake a serious and sincere study of the truths and doctrines it contains. Our personal power to resist temptation will intensify. Our ability to elude deceptiveness will become more acute. We will become more adept at keeping our footing securely on the strait and narrow path.[32]

President Marion G. Romney knew of the great power present in the Book of Mormon. He attested to the blessings available for those who will read and study the Book of Mormon:

“I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from the Book of Mormon prayerfully and regularly, both by themselves and with their children, the spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes and all who dwell therein. The spirit of reverence will increase; mutual respect and consideration for each other will grow. The spirit of contention will depart. Parents will counsel their children in greater love and wisdom. Children will be more responsive and submissive to the counsel of their parents. Righteousness will increase. Faith, hope, and charity-the pure love of Christ-will abound in our homes and lives, bringing in their wake peace, joy, and happiness" [33]

The promise of increased reverence and respect in our homes, the added blessing of greater love between parents and their children, as well as increased peace, joy and happiness are not imaginary inferences. They are, instead, precisely what Joseph Smith meant when he declared that the Book of Mormon will draw us nearer to God.

As President Benson explains, “The scriptures are called ‘the words of life,’ [34] and nowhere is that more true than it is of the Book of Mormon. When you begin to hunger and thirst after those words, you will find life in greater and greater abundance.” [35]

Bill Wylson
 


[1] Smith, Joseph, History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, vol. 4, p.461.
[2] Romney, Marion G. Look to God and Live, GC Oct 1970.
[3] Title page, The Book of Mormon.
[4] 2 Nephi 11:7.
[5] Benson, Ezra Taft, New Era, May 1975, p. 19.
[6] Benson, Ezra Taft, A Witness and a Warning, Deseret Book, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1988, p. 15.
[7] D&C 17:6.
[8] D&C 19:26.
[9] D&C 20:8.
[10] D&C 20:9, 42:12.
[11] D&C 20:10.
[12] D&C 20:11.
[13] D&C 20:14.
[14] Smith, Joseph, History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, vol. 2, p.52.
[15] D&C 20:9.
[16] Title Page, Book of Mormon.
[17]Smith, Joseph, History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, vol. 4, p.461.
[18] Grant, Heber J., Gospel Standards (1941) p. 29.
[19] Grant, Heber J., Gospel Standards (1941) p. 30.
[20] Mormon 8:34, 35.
[21] Benson, Ezra Taft, A Witness and a Warning, Deseret Book, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1988, pp. 19, 20.
[22] Ether 3:14.
[23] D&C 20:9.
[24] D&C 17:6.
[25] 1 Nephi 13:40.
[26] D&C 20:11.
[27] Galatians 3:24.
[28] Mosiah 13:30.
[29] Mosiah 13:27 – 32.
[30] Jacob 7:11.
[31] 2 Nephi 25:26.
[32] Benson, Ezra Taft, A Witness and A Warning, Deseret Book, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1988, pp. 21, 22.
[33] Romney, Marion G., Ensign, May 1980, p. 67.
[34] D&C 84:85
[35] Benson, Ezra Taft, A Witness and A Warning, Deseret Book, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1988, p. 22.
 

In the bookcase in the hallway outside of my office rests a copy of the Book of Mormon that belonged to my father before he succumbed to cancer in 2008. It was given to him as a Christmas present in 1942, the year before he went on his first full-time mission. The leather cover is torn and frayed at the edges. The spine had broken off, been re-attached, and then broke off again. The pages are flavescent with age, worn and dog-eared. Countless verses have been underlined in red pencil and hundreds of notes inscribed in the narrow margins. During his lifetime, my father had read the Book of Mormon, studied it, prayed and pondered for endless hours over it, and had taught incessantly from it.

            My wife, in a sad and gentle voice, told me, “I tried to get him a new set of scriptures once.”

            “He wouldn’t let you, would he?” I replied.

            “No,” she whispered. “He said when he saw his Savior face-to-face he wanted to be holding a well-worn set of scriptures.

            “He always reminded me of the old saying, ‘A Bible that is coming apart at the seams usually indicates that its owner isn’t.’”

            On the inside cover of this precious book my father had penned in his barely legible handwriting the statement from Joseph Smith, Jr. that reads, “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.” [1]

Funk and Wagnall’s dictionary defines a keystone as "the uppermost and last set stone of an arch which completes it and locks its members together." [2] Another meaning is "the fundamental element, as of science or doctrine." [3]

The Book of Mormon, this most correct book, unites and authenticates everlasting principles and eternal edicts encompassing the fundamental doctrines of salvation, making it the keystone of our religion and the gemstone of all our holy scriptures. Moroni’s promise that God will manifest the truth of the Book of Mormon to every faithful and sincere inquirer guarantees every individual’s right to receive a testimony of the divinity of the Book of Mormon. [4]   

“As the keystone of our religion, it is the thing upon which we stand or fall,” declared Bruce R. McConkie. “If it is true, this whole system of religion is true because God's hand is in it; if it is not true, then our system of religion is false. But thanks be to God, this book is true! And thanks be to him also, he is willing, desirous, by the power of his Spirit, to bear record of that fact to all honest truth seekers….

“…I quote the words that God himself said in bearing record of the divinity of the Book of Mormon, and make them my testimony also. He said of Joseph Smith, ‘he has translated the book, even that part which I have commanded him, and as your Lord and your God liveth it is true.’” [5] [6]

Jeffery R. Holland refers to this critical keystone topic as a “sudden death” proposition. In his book, Christ and the New Covenant: The Messianic Message of the Book of Mormon, Elder Holland writes the following:

“The Prophet Joseph's expression that the Book of Mormon is ‘the keystone of our religion’ is a profound and crucial observation. A keystone is positioned at the uppermost center of an arch in such a way as to hold all the other stones in place. That key piece, if removed, will bring all of the other blocks crashing down with it. The truthfulness of the Book of Mormon—its origins, its doctrines, and the circumstances of its coming forth—is central to the truthfulness of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“To consider that everything of saving significance in the Church stands or falls on the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and, by implication, the Prophet Joseph Smith's account of how it came forth is as sobering as it is true. It is a ‘sudden death’ proposition. Either the Book of Mormon is what the Prophet Joseph said it is, or this church and its founder are false, a deception from the first instance onward.

“Not everything in life is so black and white, but the authenticity of the Book of Mormon and its keystone role in our religion seem to be exactly that.”[7]

I received my first leather-bound copy of the Book of Mormon from my father on my seventeenth birthday. I began carrying the book in my jacket pocket everywhere I went. I studied it intently, marking every verse that impressed me as significant to my life and my personal eternal progress. But my profound testimony of the Book of Mormon did not come to me as an unearned legacy.

I believe that a true understanding and testimony of this critical work comes only with singleness of mind and a strong purpose of heart. When Moroni counseled us to “ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true,” he also made it clear that we must ask:

"with real intent,
having faith in Christ.”
Then will God “manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost." [8]

Two years after I was given my own copy of the Book of Mormon, while serving as a full-time missionary, I still had not received that burning manifestation promised by Moroni. I believed with all my heart in the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon yet I was still concerned that my belief would not be a strong enough witness in the face of possible opposition. I went off alone one evening to pray. I always felt I prayed with a sincere heart but that night I prayed with faith and all the real intent I could muster.

I spent three full hours on my knees in prayer and the attendant effort was well worth the results. Moroni’s promise was verified as the power of the Holy Ghost filled my heart and witnessed to me that the Book of Mormon is the word of God.
With that confirming testimony of the Book of Mormon came a genuine assurance that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, as well as the spiritual verification of the divine calling of Joseph Smith. From these basic truths flowed an awareness and comprehension of the other saving principles of the fullness of the gospel and a confirmation of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ, including the divine mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
As the most correct book on Earth, the Book of Mormon was “written by way of commandment, and also by the spirit of prophecy and of revelation…to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations.“ [9] It is a substantiating verification of the birth, life, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. It is yet another witness of his work as the Messiah and the Redeemer.

Nephi challenges all the ends of the earth to “harken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ." [10]
A testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon is founded on spiritual power. The primary assertion of the Book of Mormon, that Jesus is the Christ, the divine Son of God, is spiritual in nature. Things of the Spirit are known only through the power of the Spirit. You cannot gain a witness of a spiritual truth through physical evidence alone. The test for understanding this most correct and sacred book is preeminently spiritual.  Seeking a testimony with secular skills rather than with spiritual perception will reveal little of its meaning and message.

Heavenly Father may provide us with additional witnesses and proof that the statements of the Book of Mormon are true, but such proof comes only after the exercise of faith.  As Moroni stated; "I…would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith." [11]

The pronounced importance of the Book of Mormon was affirmed by the Savior himself. He declared, "This is my doctrine, and it is the doctrine which the Father hath given unto me." [12]

Jesus is the Christ and the Book of Mormon and Old Testament prophecies concerning His coming have been fulfilled. I testify with the indisputable certainty from the witness of the Holy Spirit that the Book of Mormon is the most correct of any book on Earth and that it is possible for everyone to recognize its truthfulness with absolute confidence and conviction. We can obtain a more complete and certain knowledge than intellectual learning alone can ever provide. God himself has revealed, "As your Lord and your God liveth it is true." [13]

Ralph Waldo Emerson is purported to have said, “I can no more remember the books that I have read than the meals that I have eaten, but they have made me."

Today, alongside the old, tattered leather-bound copy of my father’s first Book of Mormon, sits my own leather-bound copy of the Book of Mormon. And while these days most of my scripture study in done on electronic devices, I can see how my father treasured his worn-out Book of Mormon. The keystone of our religion and the most correct of any book on Earth is firmly in place, shouldering the credence of truth to all the world.

The Book of Mormon is true and it is of the Lord. Its proclamation to the world is that God lives and Jesus is the Christ. Nothing will serve better at building our faith and testimonies and touching the hearts of honest seekers after truth than this valuable and influential book.

“In saying that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth,” writes Robert Millet and Joseph Fielding McConkie, “the Prophet had reference to the doctrines and principles which it taught. The greatest miracle associated with the Book of Mormon is the purity of its doctrines. The true test of its authenticity is found in living those doctrines. The Prophet’s promise was that those doing so will get nearer to God than they could by following the precepts of any other book. So it is that the Book of Mormon invites investigation -- it extends to all who are honest in heart the invitation to ask God if it is true, with the promise that an answer will be forthcoming.” [14]

One of the most powerful reasons for reading, studying and pondering the principles and doctrines of the Book of Mormon is that it will draw us nearer to God. Anyone harboring a deep longing in their hearts to feel closer to God, to become progressively more like Him in their daily lives, to feel His presence continually will find greater help through the Book of Mormon than through any other book.

Everyone who prayerfully studies the Book of Mormon can gain a testimony of its divinity. Read the Book of Mormon. It will bring you closer to the Lord and His loving power. Christ has promised that those who live by the precepts of this book "shall receive a crown of eternal life.” [15]

Bill Wylson

[1] Smith, Joseph, History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, vol. 4, p.461.
[2] Funk and Wagnalls New Practical Standard Dictionary, Britannica World Language Edition, 2 vols., 1956, 1:735.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Moroni 10:4.
[5] D&C 17:6.
[6] McConkie, Bruce R., Conference Report, April 1965.
[7] Holland, Jeffery R., Christ and the New Covenant: The Messianic Message of the Book of Mormon, Deseret Book Company, 1997.
[8] Moroni 10:4.
[9] Title Page, The Book of Mormon.
[10] 2 Nephi 33:10.
[11] Ether 12:6.
[12] 3 Nephi 11:32.
[13] D&C 17:6.
[14] Millet, Robert L. & McConkie, Joseph Fielding, Joseph Smith: The Choice Seer, Deseret Book Company, 1996
[15] D&C 20:14