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
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
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