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

The story of the restored Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) began with a scripture about prayer. A fourteen-year-old boy named Joseph Smith had been struggling with the decision of which church to join. He visited many churches, but could not decide how to make a decision when each church claimed to be true, but contradicted each other. While reading the Bible, he came across a scripture that changed history. James 1:5-6 says: 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.”

This has become a guiding principle in our church. We ask people not to take us at our words, but to ask God, as the only person who knows which church is really true. When you have an answer from God, you know you’re being told the truth, and this can keep you safe from slick arguments or moments of weakness.

The Book of Mormon contains a promise that has converted church members for generations.

4 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.

5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things. –Moroni 10:4

The key, then, to receive an answer to your plea, is to make it a true plea. Read not with the intent to disprove it, but to find out if it’s true. Then settle in your mind that you trust God to tell you the truth and that you love Him enough to act on whatever truth He gives you. Decide for yourself if it’s true or not, and then ask for a confirmation on your decision. If your heart feels warm and at peace, you will know you’ve chosen well.

I’ve heard people warn investigators not to pray about the Book of Mormon because they won’t know if the answer came from God or Satan. The God I worship—and likely the God you worship as well—can do anything, and that includes making sure you can recognize His voice. The better you know God, the easier it is to recognize His voice. Satan never brings a feeling of true peace—he is, after all, the author of confusion.

2 Nephi 32:8-9 warns:

8 And now, my beloved brethren, I perceive that ye ponder still in your hearts; and it grieveth me that I must speak concerning this thing. For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray.

9 But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul.

Nowhere in the Bible have I found warnings not to pray. So don’t be afraid to talk to God about anything at all, and most importantly about which church to join. Is any decision more critical to your salvation and eternal happiness than this? If it’s the most important decision, it’s certainly the one God most wants you to consult Him on.

My father was not a member of the church. I converted as a teenager without my family. One day I found a copy of the Book of Mormon under the driver’s seat of the car while retrieving something he sent me for. It had a bookmark in it, and was clearly well-read. I asked him about it. He explained that he read it once to see what I’d gotten myself into and then found he enjoyed the stories, so he kept it in the car to read while he waited for people.

There are many ways to read the Book of Mormon. The first time, you might read out of curiosity. You might read it again for pleasure. Whatever your reason, you should also consider reading it to find out if it’s true. You already know that millions believe it is; why not find out for yourself?

Most of the writing is not challenging. I find it far easier to read than the Old Testament. It’s more like the New Testament, so if you have experience reading the Bible, you’ll find no trouble reading most of the Book of Mormon.

Try to read it all the way through, even if there are spots that seem complicated or confusing to you. In future readings, those difficult spots will seem easier. Only when you’ve read it all will you completely understand why it has converted so many people. Pray before reading. God knows if it’s true—ask Him to tell you as you read. You may want to start with a section near the end, so you’ll know how to tell if it’s true:

“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.” (Moro. 10:4–5.)

Then go back and read from the start, keeping in mind that God has promised to tell you personally whether or not it is true. You won’t have to take anyone else’s word for it.

Consider keeping a journal as you read. This can help you keep track of the people and events, the doctrine, and the teachings. If you record your feelings about what you are reading, it will help you as you seek to find out if it’s true.

Many people mark scriptures as they go along. They mark those that inspire them or that they consider important. Many use one color of marking pencil just for references to the Savior, so they can then go back and review all the teachings about Jesus when they are finished. You will find you must mark a great deal of the book when you do this. Boyd K. Packer explained:

After the people of Lehi had arrived in the Western Hemisphere, Lehi had a vision of the tree of life. His son Nephi prayed to know its meaning. In answer, he was given a remarkable vision of Christ.
In that vision he saw:
• A virgin bearing a child in her arms,
• One who should prepare the way—John the Baptist,
• The ministry of the Son of God,
• Twelve others following the Messiah,
• The heavens open and angels ministering to them,
• The multitudes blessed and healed,
• The crucifixion of the Christ,
• The wisdom and pride of the world opposing his work. (See 1 Ne. 11:14–36.)

That vision is the central message of the Book of Mormon.

The Book of Mormon is in truth another testament of Jesus Christ.”Boyd K. Packer, “‘The Things of My Soul’,” Ensign, May 1986, 59

Since the time of Joseph Smith, there have been many who pose the problem of “prove it” to those who would share the gospel with them. That’s a daunting challenge. As it turns out, there are many who are up to the task. They gain greater knowledge almost every day which points to the truthfulness of the gospel. From the beginning, there have been those inside and outside of the faith who actively pursue proofs and validations for what we believe.

Copies of the symbols from the golden plates were given to a scholar of that time and asked if they were real symbols and characters from history and if he would or could translate them. The scholar first agreed with their authenticity, then removed his endorsement when he found out the symbols were from the Book of Mormon.

The wife of one scribe for Joseph Smith constantly doubted and wanted answers to what her husband was investing his time in. He begged Joseph Smith to let him take a few translated pages to show his wife. Though the Lord told him no, the man persisted until the Lord withdrew His restraining hand, allowing the man to share the document with his wife and family. The result? The pages became lost and could never be retranslated for many reasons.

While these examples may seem weak and inconclusive, they are meant only to show that the desire to know for sure if the Book of Mormon is actually the record of ancient inhabitants of America has been among us since the plates were first given to Joseph by the hand of Moroni.

Today, the questions dig deeper- finding DNA evidence to prove ancestry, archeological digs to find sites of importance within the Book of Mormon, examinations of travel, current and tide patterns to try and find where each group of people would have landed when coming to what we call the “Promised Land”. Are they finding answers? Yes, to some extent.

Does this affect the testimony of the members? As a whole, no. There will be those few who find these scholarly questions more defining than the spirit’s whisperings. These will find themselves tossed about according to various theories, sources, and answers. Some may let this proof, or lack of proof, as the case may be lead them away from what really matters, turning their back on the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Why isn’t this the case with more members of the church? Simply put, the gospel isn’t about proof on paper; it’s about proof in our individual lives. It’s about the changes that come over us and we put the gospel principles to the test, not identifying where Lehi and his family first landed. These can be helpful by letting us understand these ancient men and women better but it does not define who we are as a religion. A testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ, of the Book of Mormon, and of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints comes from our feelings and from our heart. Christ openly invites us to prove whether or not His gospel is true. He challenges us to follow His principles and see where it leads us. He does not, however tell us we should only believe if we can prove exactly where the Jaredites lived or what the DNA make-up of a Mayan says about where they originally came from. He asks for our heart and our love. That comes from putting the gospel to the test, not the technicalities.

Take God’s challenge. Put the Book of Mormon to the test as the word of God, not as a history book. Live Christ-like principles in your life and see what kind of person you become.

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 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)