A plethora of testimonies on the Book of Mormon.

I posted a blog hop the other day below my own post on the Book of Mormon and how I came to know for myself.

As this week continues, the blog hop has expanded expotentially. Seriously. That is a lot of testimonials.  And it totally deserves its own post.


How did YOU come to now that the Book of Mormon is true?

If you have any experience of reading the Book of Mormon or praying to know for yourself, post it below with the plethora of others who have done the same.  Go ahead, read their experiences and thoughts on the book.  Be curious.  Be prayerful.  And be uplifted.

The Book of Mormon: I came to know for myself.

There are various kinds of evidences that go toward proving the Book of Mormon is really what we say it is:  scripture written by ancient prophets on the American continent.  But physical evidence isn't the way to go to convince yourself of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.  "It is a matter of faith and personal revelation." [1]

I recently posted how you can know if the Book of Mormon is true, here.  It's a simple matter of reading the book we call scripture for yourself, and praying to know if it is true or not.

The reason I ask you to test the book in this way, is because it is the only sure way to know for yourself.  The Holy Ghost is a testifier of truth.  If you take the challange, as the prophet Moroni invites you to do, you could find out for yourself, for sure.

I did it.

And we encourage all to do it.

From the Book of Mormon come other precious promises, including promises of peace, freedom, and blessings if we “will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ” (Ether 2:12).

From its pages comes the promise of “never-ending happiness” to “those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual” (Mosiah 2:41).

From its pages comes the promise of “incomprehensible joy” to those who become “instrument[s] in the hands of God” in rescuing His precious sons and daughters (Alma 28:8; 29:9).

From its pages comes the promise that scattered Israel will be gathered—a work in which we are engaged through our great worldwide missionary efforts (see 3 Nephi 16; 21–22).

From its pages comes the promise that as we pray unto the Father in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, our families will be blessed (see 3 Nephi 18:21).

From a study of its pages comes the fulfillment of the prophetic promise that “there will come into your lives and into your homes an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord, a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to His commandments, and a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God.”

And from the pages of the Book of Mormon comes Moroni’s promise that through prayer, real intent, and faith in Christ, we may know the truth of these promises “by the power of the Holy Ghost” (see Moroni 10:4–5).

With other latter-day prophets, I testify of the truthfulness of this “most correct of any book on earth,” even the Book of Mormon, another testament of Jesus Christ. Its message spans the earth and brings its readers to a knowledge of the truth. It is my testimony that the Book of Mormon changes lives. May each of us read it and reread it. And may we joyfully share our testimonies of its precious promises with all of God’s children.” [2]

Read and ponder the Book of Mormon, then ask God if it is true with a sincere heart, real intent, and faith in Christ.

Then do me a favour:  Have the confidence that the Holy Ghost will testify to you.

How did YOU come to know that the Book of Mormon is true?

If you have any experience of reading the Book of Mormon or praying to know for yourself, post it below with the plethora of others who have done the same.  Go ahead, read their experiences and thoughts on the book.  Be curious.  Be prayerful.  And be uplifted.





If you wish to order a free copy, let me know or click here.
Feel free to read or listen to it here.

[1] http://lds.org/ensign/2011/10/common-questions-about-the-book-of-mormon?lang=eng
[2] Read this.  Thomas S. Monson, ‘Precious Promises of the Book of Mormon, Ensign, Oct. 2011

 

The Book of Mormon will answer your questions - part 1.

Most of us have some hard questions in the back of our minds – the kind no one else can really answer for us. Some are far-reaching questions about the nature of our existence …


Does the Book of Mormon replace the Bible? Doesn’t the Bible contain all of God’s word?

The Book of Mormon does not replace the Bible in any way.  As a believer and follower of Christ, I want to read as much scripture as I can.  I want the assurance that both really are scripture, and the assurance of any further clarification on the word of God.

The Book of Mormon is a book of scripture, similar to the Bible.  The Bible contains the writings of ancient prophets in the old world, roughly spanning from the creation to AD 100.  The Book of Mormon contains the writings of ancient prophets on the American continent, roughly spanning 600 BC to AD 400.

We know God is God to all, and there is no way that this loving Heavenly Father would reveal his word to some children and not others.  Both scriptures testify of Jesus Christ, and teach us both history and the word of God as given to man and lived by man throughout that history.

And so, we believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God just as we believe the Bible to be the word of God (as far as it is translated correctly). Which is handy. The Book of Mormon proves that the Bible is the word of God. It completely supports and compliments it – as it should, if it really were the word of God. It also clarifies and further explains some parts of the Bible, and vice versa.

But behold, there shall be many… of the Gentiles shall say: A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible.


But thus saith the Lord God: O fools … Know ye not that there are more nations than one? Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath; and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth?


… Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two enations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also.


And I do this that I may prove unto many that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and that I speak forth my words according to mine own pleasure. And because that I have spoken one word ye need not suppose that I cannot speak another; for my work is not yet finished; neither shall it be until the end of man, neither from that time henceforth and forever.


Wherefore, because that ye have a Bible ye need not suppose that it contains all my words; neither need ye suppose that I have not caused more to be written.


For I command all men, both in the east and in the west, and in the north, and in the south, and in the islands of the sea, that they shall write the words which I speak unto them; for out of the books which shall be written I will judge the world, every man according to their works, according to that which is written.
(2 Nephi 29:1-11)

“But why is the Book of Mormon so essential if we already have the Bible to teach us about Jesus Christ? Have you ever wondered why there are so many Christian churches in the world today when they obtain their doctrines from essentially the same Bible? It is because they interpret the Bible differently. If they interpreted it the same, they would be the same church...” [1]

“The Bible is one witness of Jesus Christ; the Book of Mormon is another. Why is this second witness so crucial? The following illustration may help: How many straight lines can you draw through a single point on a piece of paper? The answer is infinite. For a moment, suppose that single point represents the Bible and that hundreds of those straight lines drawn through that point represent different interpretations of the Bible and that each of those interpretations represents a different church.

What happens, however, if on that piece of paper there is a second point representing the Book of Mormon? How many straight lines could you draw between these two reference points: the Bible and the Book of Mormon? Only one. Only one interpretation of Christ’s doctrines survives the testimony of these two witnesses.” [2]


That is the cool thing about this is: this book is a brilliant example of God’s “system of plural witnesses” [3].  For every major event or anytime doctrine is being revealed to man, there has always been more than one witness to testify of it.

In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.
(2 Corinthians 13:1)

There were both wise men and shepherds called to witness the birth of the Saviour.
When the Saviour was resurrected, He appeared to Mary, the two men on the road to Damascus, and the apostles – all to be witnesses and testify of His resurrection.
There are three members of the Godhead – God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost – and as separate beings, they witness and testify of each other all the time.
The Book of Mormon testifies of the Bible, and the Bible testifies of the Book of Mormon.  Together, they are witnesses of Jesus Christ.

[1] and [2] Read this or watch the clip below.
[3] Jeffrey R. Holland, ‘”For a Wise Purpose”’, Ensign, Jan. 1996

How can I know if the Book of Mormon is true?
Simple.  Put it to the test.

I’ll post more on this particular question later this month, but know this: you are entitled to know the truth of all things.  Such knowledge is obtained through the Holy Ghost.  Whether you consider yourself worthy or not, baptised or not, a Christian or not, you are a child of God and you are able to know the truth of these things.

Toward the end of the Book of Mormon, there is a scripture that explains:

And when ye shall receive these things … 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)

It is simple.  Put it to the test.  Read the Book of Mormon for yourself, and ask God to know if it is true or if it is not. 

I'm a Mormon, and I too have put the Book of Mormon to the test.  We are all encouraged to do so.  I have read the words on the pages, and felt so uplifted and happy.  I don't always feel that way from reading the Bible, and sometimes my understanding of Jesus Christ and his teachings is greater when I read both scriptures side by side.





If you wish to order a free copy, let me know or click here.
Feel free to read or listen to it here.

Book of Mormon painting one.

A long time ago, in a land far far away ... okay, not the greatest entrance, but the Jaredites are an almost-forgotten people.  Are you familiar with the story in Genesis of people attempting to build a tower as tall as possible to get to heaven – the tower of Babel?  In the aftermath of this dumb idea around 2200 BC, the people of Babylon were confounded, scattered, and stricken with confusion.  A group of people then decided to up and leave – we know them as the Jaredites; the people of Jared.

As other ancient peoples have done before and since, the Jaredites maintained a record of their journeys.  Their prophet, Ether, wrote the record, and Moroni later compiled the record into his own record in AD 421, now known as the Book of Mormon.

Let me give you a clue with how to read the book of Ether: there are six parts to the record.  It’s a lot clearer if you are reading an 1830 edition of the Book of Mormon, which divided Ether into six chapters rather than the 15-versed chapters we read today:

1: chapters 1–4
2: chapter 5
3: chapters 6–8
4: chapters 9–11
5: chapter 12
6: chapters 13–15

You’ll notice that each of these sections begin with “And now I, Moroni,” with part 5 the exception, with those words beginning the fourth sentence.  These words show us that Moroni edited the Jaredite record to illustrate what he felt was crucial.  In fact, both Moroni and Mormon frequently used a phrase like “thus we see” to signal that he was drawing a point for their readers.

The book of Ether begins with (and to a large extent, focuses on) the story of the brother of Jared:

With the Babylonian people running crazy around the place [1], a faithful man named Jared turned to his even more faithful brother, asking him to go to Lord for help.

And so the brother of Jared goes to the Lord in prayer; he did cry unto the Lord [2] for the Lord’s guidance, and was able to lead the group to another land as a result of the prayers of the people over a long period of time.  “Enduring obedience coupled with frequent persistent prayers is powerful.” [3]

“Do you get answers to your prayers?  If not, perhaps you did not pay the price.  Do you offer a few trite words and worn-out phrases, or do you talk intimately to the Lord?  Do you pray occasionally when you should be praying regularly, often, constantly?  Do you offer pennies to pay heavy debts when you should give dollars to erase that obligation?

When you pray, do you just speak, or do you also listen? … Should we ever fail to get an answer to our prayers, we must look into our lives for a reason.” [4]

So the Lord promised to lead them to a land of promise, which was choice above all other lands [5] and chapter 2 records their journey to this promised land.  They all arrive at the coastline, they pitch their tents, and stay there for about four years. [6]  After four years had passed, the Lord spoke with the brother of Jared and chastened him.  The brother of Jared had been neglecting the Lord and his prayers.  It must have been a great character-building experience for the brother of Jared – he was chastised for three hours by the Lord, and he endured it.  He immediately repented and prayed, and sought guidance for the journey they had been given.

We should never neglect to call on the Lord.  Elder Russell M. Nelson said he had often heard President Gordon B. Hinckley say the following: “I don’t know how to get anything done except getting on my knees and pleading for help and then getting on my feet and going to work”. [7]

And so the brother of Jared repents, and begins building barges for the people to cross the ocean.  He encounters three problems: the barges would not have any light in them; they would run out of air; and they wouldn’t know which direction to steer the barges.

Go ahead and read how the brother of Jared and Lord work together to solve these problems here.

We learn from this story that the Lord requires us to do all we can to solve our problems.  He wants us to grow and learn by making our own decisions or conclusions, then taking them to His in prayer.  The brother of Jared was asked to present some solution to these problems, not just ask for help and except to get it.  The brother of Jared studied the problem, found a solution, prepared the solution, and then returned to the Lord for confirmation of his solution as well as the Lord’s help and further instructions.


In relation to the problem of having no light, this is what happened:

The brother of Jared was concerned, and rather than waiting to be told what to do about it, he took the concern to the Lord.  Instead of instructing the brother of Jared immediately, the Lord asked: What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels? [8]  What do you suggest we should do in order to have light?

The brother of Jared diligently did something himself – he climbed Mount Shelem, melted out 16 small stones from rock, then using great faith, asked the Lord to touch the stones that they may provide light.

The Lord answered, not only providing light, but giving this faithful man a great vision.

The Brother of Jared Sees the Finger of the Lord.

Arnold Friberg

And it came to pass that when the brother of Jared had said these words, behold, the Lord stretched forth his hand and touched the stones one by one with his finger.  And the veil was taken from off the eyes of the brother of Jared, and he saw the finger of the Lord; and it was as the finger of a man, like unto flesh and blood; and the brother of Jared fell down before the Lord, for he was struck with fear.
(Ether 3:6).


What an event for Friberg to paint!  This very scene “may well be the single most remarkable encounter with Christ ever experienced by mortal man, and we are indebted to Moroni for preserving it.” [9]  It is an unparalleled experience.

You can imagine Friberg's problem, similar to that of Michelangelo when he chose to paint the finger of God in the Sistene Chapel - how to you show the finger of the Lord touching the stones?  The account in the book of Ether is very clear that the Lord has a finger and a hand, yet how do you paint it?

Friberg eliminated the artistic setback by painting the scene from behind the prayful brother of Jared, with emanating light blinding us all from a depiction of a finger.  Thus, the painting "succeeds in conveying great visual power without creating theological controversy". [10]  It clearly shows us that "[t]he brother of Jared fully expected the stones to be lighted.  It was the seeing the finger that astonished and terrified him" [11], and we can really feel that terror and amazement in the painting.

Consider what the brother of Jared did that enabled him to see the Saviour.  It was the brother of Jared’s great faith that brought him into the presence of the Lord.  A similar privilege is promised to us in Ether 4:7:

And in that day that they shall exercise faith in me, saith the Lord, even as the brother of Jared did, that they may become sanctified in me, then will I manifest unto them the things which the brother of Jared saw, even to the unfolding unto them all my revelations, saith Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of the heavens and of the earth, and all things that in them are.


There are so many other great messages in the book of Ether: it “serves as a second witness with the Nephite record of God’s promises and warnings to our day.”  Compare Ether 2:7; 13:20 and 2 Nephi 4:4.  Both declare the same message of obedience and the same parable of destruction of two ancient people that could always be repeated.

Most importantly, it “demonstrates the kind of faith that brought the Jaredites to the promised land and serves as a backdrop against which we read the rest of the book of Ether.” [10]





If you wish to order a free copy, let me know or click here.
Feel free to read or listen to it here.


[Image found at http://store.lds.org/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Category3_715839595_10557_21096_-1___0]

[1] Ether 1:33-43; Genesis 11:1-9
[2] Ether 1:34-39
[3] Book of Mormon Student Manuel, p363 (bold added)
[4] Spencer W. Kimball, “Prayer”, Ensign, Mar. 1978, 17
[5] Ether 2:7
[6] Ether 2:13
[7] Ensign, Nov. 1997, 16
[8] Ether 2:23
[9] Jeffrey R. Holland, ‘For a Wise Purpose’, Ensign, Jan. 1996
[10] Ted Schwarz, Arnold Friberg: The Passion of a Modern Master (Flagstaff, Ariz,: Northland, 1985), 54
[11] Arnold Friberg, Arnold Friberg notes (February 2001), SMA Library - as cited in Swanson, "The Book of Mormon Art of Arnold Friberg: "Painter of Scripture", Jornal of Book of Mormon Studies: Vol 10, 1, 26-35, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, 2011
[12] Richard Dilworth Rust, ‘“I Know Your Doing”: The Book of Mormon Speaks to Our Times’, Ensign, Dec. 1988