Book of Mormon, D & C, Pearl of Great Price

Moroni is most often known to people outside the church as the figure on the statue topping most of the Mormon temples. Have you ever wondered who he is and why he’s on our temples?

Moroni was a prophet who lived in the time when the events of the Book of Mormon happened. He was the son of Mormon. It is Mormon whose name is on the Book of Mormon. Mormon abridged the plates (records), written by numerous prophets over many generations, to make them a manageable size.

The Book of Mormon chronicles the history of two groups of people, all descendants of the same prophet. The Lamanites, descendants of Laman, a man who chose to turn his back on God, had always wanted to destroy the Nephites. The Nephites were the descendants of Nephi, Laman’s younger brother. God promised the Nephites they couldn’t be destroyed as long as they lived the gospel, but there came a time when the Nephites turned away from God and the Lamanites were able to fulfill their wicked goal. A terrible battle ensued, killing Nephites in huge numbers. In chapter 8 of the Book of Mormon (a section of the larger Book of Mormon, much as Revelations is a book in the Bible), Moroni takes over the records:

And my father also was killed by them, and I even remain alone to write the sad tale of the destruction of my people. But behold, they are gone, and I fulfil the commandment of my father. And whether they will slay me, I know not. Therefore I will write and hide up the records in the earth; and whither I go it mattereth not. Behold, my father hath made this record, and he hath written the intent thereof. And behold, I would write it also if I had room upon the plates, but I have not; and ore I have none, for I am alone. My father hath been slain in battle, and all my kinsfolk, and I have not friends nor whither to go; and how long the Lord will suffer that I may live I know not.

Moroni’s purpose was to deliver the final messages of this sacred record and then to put it where it would be kept safe until a later time. However, his personal life story is one of the most powerful in the Book of Mormon. Some scholars believe Moroni was only a teenager when he took over responsibility for the remains of the church, and the scriptures. As a teenager, then, he soon became the only good person remaining in the world he knew. His life was constantly in danger, because the goal was to ensure no Nephites remained. He stayed hidden and alone, coming out only when it was safe, to find food, ministered to on occasion by angels, but otherwise, alone and hunted. His only purpose for being kept alive was to preserve this book so the people of our time could have it. What did he think about in those long hours as he worked to finish the book, or in the lonely hours before sleep? How many people had he loved were lost in the battle?

Moroni is an extraordinary example of faith in the face of sorrow and hardship. After safely hiding the book in the Hill Cumorah in upstate New York, he slipped away. Many years later, he returned, surprised to still be alive. Again in secret, he retrieved the book and added to it, but he remained in great danger. “And I, Moroni, will not deny the Christ; wherefore, I wander whithersoever I can for the safety of mine own life.” (Moroni 1:3) Despite the terrible sacrifices he had made, he was unwilling to compromise his faith, serving as a model for all who are asked to sacrifice or compromise their own faiths.

In these final writings, he recorded the words that have changed millions of lives. He explained how to know if the book contained the truth:

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.

And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things. (Moroni 10: 3-5)

When it was time for the gospel to be restored, it was Moroni, now an angel, who came to Joseph and who would eventually lead him to the plates Moroni had hidden so long ago. Moroni trained Joseph for the initial work, teaching him what he needed to do to prepare to participate in restoring the gospel to the earth.

He is shown as an angel proclaiming the restoration of the gospel in statues and pictures in honor of the great work he did in his lifetime on earth, and later in his continuing work as an angel.

The Book of Mormon tells of the Savior’s visit to a group of people who lived on the American continent during Jesus’ lifetime. This visit was made just after His crucifixion. While there, He organized His church among them. The Nephites disagreed about what the church should be called, so they asked the Savior to name the church for them.

Jesus answered, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, why is it that the people should murmur and dispute because of this thing? Have they not read the scriptures, which say ye must take upon you the name of Christ, which is my name? For by this name shall ye be called at the last day.” (3 Nephi 27:4-5, Book of Mormon)

In the Book of Numbers, in the Old Testament of the Bible, the Lord told Moses to teach Aaron and his sons how to bless the people. Moses was told to teach them the following blessing: “The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them. (Numbers 6:24-27) Throughout the Bible, the people were counseled to take upon themselves the name of the Savior, and this admonition was repeated to the people He was teaching. They had brought with them to their new home some of the Old Testament scriptures, and so, should already have known this, as the Savior reminded them.

Jesus went on to explain:

And whoso taketh upon him my name, and endureth to the end, the same shall be saved at the last day. Therefore, whatsoever ye shall do, ye shall do it in my name; therefore ye shall call the church in my name; and ye shall call upon the Father in my name that he will bless the church for my sake. And how be it my church save it be called in my name? For if a church be called in Moses’ name then it be Moses’ church; or if it be called in the name of a man then it be the church of a man; but if it be called in my name then it is my church, if it so be that they are built upon my gospel. Verily I say unto you, that ye are built upon my gospel; therefore ye shall call whatsoever things ye do call, in my name; therefore if ye call upon the Father, for the church, if it be in my name the Father will hear you; And if it so be that the church is built upon my gospel then will the Father show forth his own works in it.” (3 Nephi 27:6-10, Book of Mormon)

The Book of Mormon teaches us the importance of naming a church built to worship the Savior. One wise little girl, when asked if Mormons are Christians, said, “Jesus’ name is right in the center of the name of our church. That’s so we’ll remember He’s in the center of the church.”

One test to apply when seeking a true church is to find out whose church it is. You must kneel, and using the admonition of Moroni, ask Heavenly Father with a sincere and humble heart, if The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church. If you really want to know, if you are truly seeking Him, Heavenly Father will answer you.

Recently, a push poll informed people that the church considered the Book of Mormon to be more important than the Bible. Is this true? The belief stems from one of the Thirteen Articles of Faith. These are thirteen statements of belief written by Joseph Smith to explain the religion to a newspaper editor. The eighth Article of Faith says:

“We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.”

Some people take this to mean we consider the Book of Mormon to be more important than the Bible. In fact, the Article of Faith says both are the word of God. It does not suggest that anything God says is unimportant or less important. All of God's words matter to us. The Article of Faith only says we consider the Book of Mormon to be better translated. The Bible has been translated many times by many different groups of people. Religions and readers have a wide range of translations to choose from, and each translation is very different from the others. If you read a scripture from several of these translations, you will quickly find yourself confused as to the true meaning.

The Bible was not originally written in English. It was written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. In 382 A.D., a Latin translation was undertaken. John Wycliff, who made a later translation, based his translation on the Latin, so any errors made in that edition were carried on into this one. A great many other translations were made, until finally, the King James version, used today by the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes called Mormons, and many other religions, was created. This translation was a revision of earlier English translations, rather than a new translation.

For more information on how the modern Bible came to be, read “A Bible! A Bible” by Robert J. Matthews, Ensign, Jan 1987, 22

In modern times, even more translations have occurred. Each translation increases the risk of error, but it also allows the doctrine of men to creep in. Translators know that one can seldom translate text word for word. Instead, the translator must evaluate the meaning of a word, phrase, or sentence, and then find a similar word in the other language. This allows the translator to make choices as to the meaning of the text, and those who read only the translation are not aware of the other possibilities made available by the original text.

In contrast, the Book of Mormon was translated into English only once. Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon directly from the original writings, with direct guidance from the Holy Ghost. Only a prophet can claim a perfect translation. As a result, the Book of Mormon remains true to the original intent of the authors.

This does not make it more important than the Bible. Were the Bible to be perfectly translated, it would stand equal to the Bible in its translation and in its use by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. However, when the meaning of a Bible verse is unclear or debated, we turn to the Book of Mormon to understand the Word of God as God meant us to understand it.

The Bible is a precious book. It contains the teachings of many ancient prophets and tells us of the Savior’s life. The Mormons could not do without their Bibles. In fact, the church's modern-day story began with a Bible, when Joseph Smith read James 1:5: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

The church’s scripture education program rotates through a four year plan--two years for the Bible, one for the Book of Mormon, and one for modern scripture and church history. As you can see, the Bible is as important as the Book of Mormon and we spend twice as much time studying it as we do the book more closely identified with our faith.

To the Latter-day Saint, the Book of Mormon is critical in that it serves as a second witness to the reality of the Savior. It doesn’t replace the testimony of the Bible, but instead stands beside it, providing testimony and greater light as to the Savior’s mission and his concern for all people, not just those who lived in the Holy Lands.

Gordon B. Hinckley, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the current prophet, said, “The Bible had stood for centuries. It is a precious and wonderful book. Now there was a second witness declaring the divinity of Christ. The Book of Mormon is the only book ever published, of which I know, that carries in it a promise that one who reads it prayerfully and asks concerning it in prayer will have revealed to him by the power of the Holy Ghost a knowledge that it is true (see Moroni 10:4).“ (Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Stone Cut Out of the Mountain,” Ensign, Nov 2007, 83–86)