In 1830, the first copy of the Book of Mormon was published. Recently the 150 millionth copy was printed. Today, it is translated into 82 languages and is selections have been translated into 25 more languages.

The Book of Mormon does not replace the Bible for Mormons. It is used with the Bible and its purpose is outlined in the subtitle: “Another Testament of Jesus Christ.” In the Book of Mormon, we learn that a few small group of Jews were sent to the American continent by God. In just a brief time, the primary group, known as the Nephites, were forced to move away from another group, the Lamanites. The leaders of these two groups were brothers, but one was evil and one was a prophet of God. The Lamanites had as their goal to destroy the Nephites and all memory of them.

Throughout the generations, the Nephites had prophets, as did the people of the Old Testament. They learned that God loves all His children, not just those who lived in the Holy Lands at that time. They were even promised Jesus would visit them sometime after his crucifixion and resurrection, which He did. The wicked were killed and the righteous remained to greet their Savior. During this visit, the people learned of the Savior’s great love for them. Unfortunately, after a few generations, the children who had not been alive at this time stopped believing Jesus had ever really come or stopped caring what He had taught. They became progressively more wicked and again divided into two groups.

Eventually too many of the Nephites had forgotten the promises they had made to God. God had promised they could not be destroyed as long as they were righteous but the time came when there were few who were righteous. A great war ensued between the two groups and large numbers of people were killed, with the greatest number on the side of the Nephites. The Lamanites continued to hunt down and kill the surviving Nephites until there was only one man left, a teenage boy named Moroni. He was the son of the prophet Mormon, who had been commanded by God to begin abridging the records each prophet had left behind and handed down from prophet to prophet. When he died, Moroni, now the only righteous person in his personal world, went into hiding and finished the project. He was in constant danger of being murdered as the Lamanites continued to search for him. So bloodthirsty they could not stop fighting when their enemies were dead, they were now killing each other, but they were anxious to finish off the remaining Nephite.

Once Moroni finished the editing, he hid the book and left the area. He returned after a time, briefly, and added more to it. We don’t know what happened to him after that. He did report that the Lamanites were still fighting, so it is likely they became a fairly small population by the time their internal wars ended.

The purpose of the Book of Mormon is to testify of Jesus Christ. It refers to Him and to His ministry more often than does the Bible. It contains many of the great Biblical themes: grace, atonement, charity, service, faith, and repentance, for example.

Following are a few verses from the Book of Mormon that relate critical doctrine:

8 And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary (Mosiah 3:8).

For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do (2 Nephi 25:23).

26 And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins. (2 Nephi 25:26)

26 And after that he came men also were saved by faith in his name; and by faith, they become the sons of God. And as surely as Christ liveth he spake these words unto our fathers, saying: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is good, in faith believing that ye shall receive, behold, it shall be done unto you (Moroni 7:26)

The Book of Mormon came into our modern lives through Joseph Smith, the first prophet of modern times. God often said in the Bible He would do nothing but through the mouth of His prophets. There had been brief (from an eternal standpoint) periods of time in which prophets were withdrawn from the earth due to the refusal of God’s children to listen to them and to obey them. But always God returned the prophets to the earth. In these final days, as we prepare for the Second Coming, we can look around and see there has never been a greater need for a prophet. It is clear people are confused about what is true and what is not. Without a prophet like Noah or Moses to guide them, it can be very difficult to stay the course. God loves us too much to let us flounder when the stakes are high.

With this in mind, God called Joseph Smith to be the first prophet in modern times. He was shown the location of the Book of Mormon by Moroni himself, now an angel. The Bible often refers to angels and they are an essential part of God’s work. Moroni tutored Joseph until he was ready to receive the plates on which the book was recorded. Although at the time no one had ever heard of records being kept on metal plates in ancient times, today archaeologists have indeed found such records.

When the Book of Mormon was published, the church was officially restored. Mormons would read both the Bible and the Book of Mormon to gain a greater understanding of God’s work and the Savior’s mission. Over the years, the Book of Mormon has been loved and read by many, named among the nation’s most influential books even by organizations not associated with the Church.

How did this book, whose power to change lives, come to be accepted as scripture by so many people? The Bible has had the gift of time. We are more inclined to accept the old, even when there is insufficient proof. For instance, many “experts” believe Abraham never existed because the story doesn’t fit the facts as they have determined them. And yet, Christians accept the reality of Abraham even without physical proof. We don’t need proof. God said Abraham existed and we trust God.

The Book of Mormon, although newer, also requires a measure of faith. The Bible tells us how to find out if it is true. In James 1:5, James told us if we lack wisdom, we can ask God with faith and pure intent and He will answer our question. With this promise, we can know the Bible is true. The Book of Mormon offers a similar promise. In Moroni 10:4, near the end of the book, Moroni promises that if we study the book with pure intent and a sincere desire to know if it’s true, we can pray and receive an answer to our request to know.

Mormons are taught to put this to the test. Most Christian churches don’t require their members to pray about the Bible prior to joining their church. Mormons teach even their young children that they are to pray to know if the scriptures are true and if the church is true. Before baptism, they are asked about the results of this inquiry by their leaders. Each member of the Mormon church is expected to gain a personal testimony of the Book of Mormon and the Bible, rather than trusting the words of others.

The Book of Mormon has reached such a high level of readership because so many people have put the book to the test and received confirmation that it is true. It has withstood all its critics, all those who mock it, and all those who discount it and has continued on to give people what is often their first testimony of Jesus Christ.

The Book of Revelation is the last book in our modern copy of the Bible. The following scripture from this book is often quoted to “prove” there can’t be a Book of Mormon:

18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: (Revelation 22:18)

If you read this carefully, you’ll notice it doesn’t say “add unto the Bible.” This is because the Bible didn’t exist when the Book of Revelation was written. It wasn’t until long afterwards that various documents were gathered together and a group of people decided which ones were going to be included in the Bible. Catholics disagree with some of the choices that were made by the committee, and so there is more than one version of the Bible.

However, since the Bible didn’t exist and no one had, as of yet, decided which books were going to become the Bible (in fact, it’s likely no one had even decided to compile a Bible yet), the scripture clearly doesn’t mean you can’t add to the Bible.

In addition, there is another verse in the Old Testament that says the same thing:

1 Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers giveth you.

2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you. (Deuteronomy 4 in the King James version of the Bible)

No Christian wishes to do away with everything after Deuteronomy, especially since that would require us to abandon the New Testament entirely. These scriptures have been misused in an attempt to discredit the Book of Mormon.

These scriptures only mean we can’t add to God’s word or take away from it. Of course, God can add to it at any time. The first recorded information we have from God is found in the book of Genesis, but that was not God’s final word. Additional scripture continued to be written throughout the Old and New Testament. This alone demonstrates that there is no restriction on additional scripture. Otherwise, Genesis would be all we have to work with.

Mormons believe it is not man’s privilege to tell God He is no longer allowed to speak to His children. God can do anything, and that includes speaking whenever He chooses to do so. Those who love Him long to hear more of His teachings, to find out more about His will, and to learn from Him and the mouth of His prophets what He wants us to do in the last days.

This is why the Mormons are thrilled to have the Book of Mormon, which gives additional insights into God, Jesus Christ, and our responsibilities in the last days. Although it was written in ancient days-times paralleling the Bible-it was written for our time. The prophets of that civilization kept the records and added to them regularly, but their people did not have them. They weren’t written for that time. They were written for us and those reading it will find many parallels to our time.

The Book of Mormon contains the story of a prophet named Lehi, who lived in the time and place of King Zedekiah. He, like many other prophets called at that time, warned Jerusalem of impending danger unless they repented. Jerusalem was to be destroyed and its people taken captive. Lehi fared no better than the other prophets however, because the people had no desire to repent. When his life was threatened, God instructed him to leave behind his wealth and home and to flee into the wilderness with only his family and the essentials for survival. In time, Lehi was led to the American continent. He and his family and a few others who came with them joined with others who were already on the continent, but formed their own civilization, most likely intermarrying or converting some others along the way.

This family divided into two groups after Lehi’s death. The two oldest brothers, Laman and Lemuel, were wicked and they threatened the lives of their younger brother Nephi, chosen by God to become the next leader when their father died. Nephi and those of his family and friends who supported him moved away from the older brothers. This formed the foundation for the remainder of the book, with the two groups in conflict.

The people of the Book of Mormon knew of Jesus‘ impending birth, knowing more, perhaps, than the Jewish people who remained in Jerusalem, because they had visions which showed the virgin birth and that Jesus‘ ministry would be a spiritual one, not a political one. When He was born, they received signs of His birth. They also received signs of His death, and when the frightening signs ended, Jesus came to them for a few days, to teach them, help them to establish His church, and to heal and give them blessings. This is the focus of the Book of Mormon, and its purpose. The title page says:

“Which is to show unto the remnant of the House of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever-And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations” (Book of Mormon Title Page)

The Book of Mormon is yet another proof that Jesus was not just a rabbi or an ordinary man. It testifies, as does the Bible, that He was the Savior. Second Corinthians tells us: “In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.” The Book of Mormon is the second witness of the Savior’s divinity and a second witness of the Bible itself.

The Mormon Bible is the King James Bible, but the Book of Mormon stands beside it as a witness that God lives and Jesus is the Christ. In the words of a great Book of Mormon prophet:

26 And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.  (2 Nephi 25)

Personal Response by Lance

I have known for a long time that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, but only in the last couple of years, while serving as a Mormon missionary, was I finally able to put into words the way that my answer came. There is a promise given by Moroni at the end of the Book of Mormon that if a person reads, ponders, and prays to know the Book of Mormon is true, the truth will be manifest to them by the power of the Holy Ghost. (See Moroni 10:3-5)

I read the Book of Mormon a few times growing up and I always felt that it was true, but I could never clearly express how I had come to that knowledge. I could honestly say that I knew by the power of the Holy Ghost that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, but I couldn’t describe what that meant. It was more than just a simple feeling. It was a strong conviction.

As a missionary I came across people who had highly varying beliefs about the Holy Ghost and the way that the Holy Ghost affects us. This caused me to search even more to find a way to clearly explain how I had received a testimony that the Book of Mormon is true. I was reading in the Book of Mormon one day and I found my answer.

In the beginning of the book of Mosiah there is an account of a prophet and king named Benjamin. Just before he died he preached a powerful sermon to all the people of his kingdom. At the end of this sermon he asked the people if they believed his words. Their response, exactly what I had been searching for, is given in Mosiah 5:2: “And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.”

The people of King Benjamin testified that they knew his words were true because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, or in other words, by the power of the Holy Ghost. The part of this verse that stuck out to me was that they described the effect that the Holy Ghost had on them. They said that the Spirit “wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.”

As I read this verse I realized how I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I know that the Book of Mormon is true because when I read it my heart is changed by the Holy Ghost. I don’t simply feel that it is true. It motivates me to change and to be more Christlike. I want to be a better person. My very desires are changed. My desire to sin is removed and I am given a greater desire to serve my Father in Heaven and my fellowmen.

I invite anyone who may read this to read the Book of Mormon along with the Bible. I can promise, just as the prophet Moroni promises, that anyone who sincerely reads and ponders the Book of Mormon and asks God in faith to know that it is true will know by the power of the Holy Ghost that it is true. This can’t be just a simple prayer of interest either. We must ask “with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ” (Moroni 10:4). Real intent means that we are willing to act on the answer that we receive. God will only let us know of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon if we intend to follow His teachings. The Holy Ghost will change your heart and guide you to live a more Christlike life. Living the teachings of the Lord in the Book of Mormon as well as in the Bible has brought so much joy to my life and will do the same for everyone who follows the same course.

Respuesta Personal de Steven

Mientras servía como misionero mormónque era a menudo tan cuestionada sobre si o no nosotros, como los mormones, eran cristianos. Al principio no entendía por qué la gente se pregunta el cristianismo de una religión que lleva el nombre de Jesús Cristo en su título. Me di cuenta de que nosotros, como miembros de la iglesia mormona, son bastante diferentes de los miembros de la mayoría de iglesias cristianas en dos formas principales. Creemos en un libro aparte de las Escrituras para ir junto con la Biblia (el Libro de Mormón), y creemos que Dios sigue trabajando a través de los profetas de nuestro tiempo, empezando por José Smith. Llegué a la conclusión de que la gente debe pensar que no son cristianos, principalmente para los dos razones. Me gustaría compartir una experiencia personal para mostrar cómo estas dos creencias me llevó a una fuerte creencia en Jesucristo.

Cuando tenía 14 años de edad, que era un promedio de niño bonito que participan en algunas de las locuras del mundo. Me gustaría ir a la iglesia todas las semanas con mi familia, pero no necesariamente viven las cosas que aprendí el resto de los días de la semana. Una semana yo estaba en vacaciones de la familia, y me acaba de pasar a abrir el Libro de Mormón y empezar a leer (esto no era una práctica común para mí como un joven de 14 años). Sin embargo, en medio de mi lectura me encontré con una escritura que se hundió profundamente en mi corazón. Era una advertencia para vivir una vida recta, y advirtió de las consecuencias del pecado. Esta escritura permite que el Espíritu Santo para entrar en mi corazón y me dan ganas de cambiar. Recuerdo haber tenido un sentimiento de culpa terrible por haber desobedecido a ciertos mandamientos. Estos sentimientos de que el Espíritu me hizo arrodillar y decir un escrito la oración al Padre en el Cielo. Recuerdo que me pidió perdón, y no llegó de inmediato.

Seguí a orar y leer las Escrituras en las próximas semanas. Aprendí acerca de Jesucristo y su sacrificio expiatorio. Recuerdo que un día de aprendizaje que Cristo había vencido al mundo y todos los pecados del mundo. Me enteré de que Cristo había dado a luz y se sintió la culpa que yo sentía, y que había sufrido más allá de lo que yo era entonces experimentar, ya que su sacrificio fue para todos nosotros. Me enteré de que Jesucristo había superado esos sentimientos, y que ahora Él se levantó y junto a su Padre. Me pregunté entonces: “Si el Salvador había superado sus pruebas, él podría ayudarme a superar la mía?” La respuesta fue un absoluto y rotundo “¡Sí!” Él me ayudó, me ayudó a sentir una remisión de mis pecados y me ayudó a sentir la paz de nuevo en mi vida. Me sentí perdonados por el sacrificio de Jesucristo.

Este fue un punto de inflexión en mi vida. I se convirtió al Evangelio de Jesucristo, y yo no quería mirar hacia atrás. ¿Cómo fue este gran cambio ocurrido? Porque yo estaba leyendo el Libro de Mormón y el Espíritu cambiado mi corazón. ¿Cómo puedo recibir el Libro de Mormón? Debido a que Joseph Smith, un verdadero profeta de Dios, traducido ese libro para que lea hoy. El Espíritu no puede dar testimonio de mí de la veracidad de lo que estaba leyendo, si el libro eran falsas. Lo que yo sentía no era simplemente mi propia emoción artificial. Llegó con una convicción absoluta de que la verdad puede llegar a cada uno de nosotros, como hijos de Dios. José no podía haber traducido el libro si fuera un falso profeta. Doy testimonio de que Jesucristo es el Salvador del Mundo, y mi Salvador personal. Que es donde reside mi fe. Creo con todo mi corazón que Jesucristo llamó a José Smith como un profeta, y que el Libro de Mormón es otro testamento de Jesucristo. La Biblia y el Libro de Mormón van de la mano, tanto en la enseñanza de la misericordia y la gracia de Jesucristo. Creo con todo mi corazón que soy cristiano, y los de mis amigos que son mormones que viven la forma en que los mormones se les enseña a vivir también los verdaderos cristianos. Sé que esto es cierto.

Personal Response by Lance

On the first weekend of April and the first weekend of October, the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes casually referred to by friends of other faiths as the “Mormon” Church or the LDS Church), including the modern prophet and Twelve Apostles, speak to the world in what is known as general conference. From the Conference Center in Salt Lake City the words of the prophet, the apostles, and other leaders are carried via TV, radio, satellite, and the Internet to more than eighty countries and translated into more than eighty languages. We invite everyone, regardless of religious belief, to join with us in watching or listening to general conference.

The reason I love general conference is best described by the opening words of one of the Church hymns, “Come, listen to a prophet’s voice, And hear the word of God” (“Come Listen to a Prophet’s Voice,” Hymns [Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1985], no. 21).

I know that the messages that are prepared are truly inspired by God and are His word. The speakers prayerfully prepare and are guided by the Holy Ghost in what they say. As I listen to them, the Holy Ghost testifies of the truths that I need in my life. Every time I listen to general conference I am given inspiration as to how I can be a better Christian. I always leave with a greater determination to follow the commandments and serve others. I am inspired to know what I need to repent of or simply change in my life to come closer to my Father in Heaven.

One way I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true is that I am able to hear this modern revelation at general conference. Just as the ancient apostles taught the people according to the challenges of their day, the modern prophet and apostles clearly explain the doctrines of Jesus Christ and speak out on issues that are currently facing the Mormon Church.

For example, many people wonder about how Mormons view the Bible, given that we also have the Book of Mormon and other scripture. One of the Twelve Apostles, Elder M. Russell Ballard, gave an incredible talk in April 2007 entitled “The Miracle of the Holy Bible” in which our view of the Bible as the word of God is very clearly outlined.

Speaking to members of the Mormon Church Elder Ballard said, “Brothers and sisters, I am sure many of you have had the experience of hearing people say that ‘Mormons are not Christians because they have their own Bible, the Book of Mormon.’ To anyone harboring this misconception, we say that we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior and the author of our salvation and that we believe, revere, and love the Holy Bible. We do have additional sacred scripture, including the Book of Mormon, but it supports the Bible, never substituting for it.” (M. Russell Ballard, in Conference Report, Apr. 2007, 78) Read Elder M. Russell Ballard’s Talk. Watch Elder M. Russell Ballard’s Talk on YouTube.

The question has come up a lot recently as to whether or not Mormons are Christians. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, another of the Twelve Apostles devoted his two most current general conference talks to this topic. He said that there are two main reasons people may falsely assume we aren’t Christians. First is our view of the Godhead as three separate and distinct beings. In October 2007 he gave a talk entitled “The Only True God and Jesus Christ Whom He Hath Sent.” In this talk, Elder Holland explained how the modern view of the trinity came out of the councils of the fourth and fifth centuries and the creeds that were established. After explaining where the notion of the trinity came from, he taught very clearly the true nature of God and Jesus Christ from the scriptures. Read the entire talk by Elder Holland . Watch Elder Holland’s talk on YouTube.

The other reason that Elder Holland gave why people may believe Mormons are not Christians is that we believe in continuing revelation that allows for an open scriptural canon. In his talk, “My Words . . . Never Cease,” he explained that our belief in continuing revelation is in accordance with the way God has worked throughout time. Our belief in the Book of Mormon and modern revelation simply shows that God has spoken to all nations anciently and that He is still speaking today. Read Elder Holland’s talk. WatchElder Holland’s talk on YouTube.

During the first weekend of April and October, the four general sessions of conference are held on Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM and then 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM Mountain Standard Time. On Saturday evening from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM there is also a priesthood session for all of the men of the Mormon Church. Each session is composed of different speakers covering different topics. I look forward to these weekends every six months because general conference is a spiritual feast that fills me with the word of God.

Personal Response by James Faulconer

Developing faith requires that one have faith, but how does it come in the first place? Answering that question requires us to remember that the word “faith” means primarily “trust.” The question of how to have faith is the question of how to learn to trust God.

First faith comes by hearing the testimonies of those who are trustworthy: We trust in the trust of those whom we trust. The book of Revelation in the Bible says, “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10). Those who have a testimony of Jesus are able to speak out (the literal meaning of “prophecy”) as did the ancient prophets, bearing witness of what they know, and their witness can be the foundation for ours. Listening to what parents, teachers, friends, leaders, missionaries, and others whom we trust say will give us the beginning of faith.

Second, we begin to have faith when we let go of whatever stands in the way of having faith. Perhaps our fear makes it difficult to trust. We worry, “What will happen if I am wrong?” Perhaps our pride gets in our way, or our sloth: “Changing my life would be too difficult.” Whatever it is that stands between us and faith, we must let go of it if we wish to have faith.

But what then? What do we do once we have the germ of faith that comes from hearing the testimony of trustworthy people and from letting go of the sins that keep us from trusting?

A writer in one of the Mormon scriptures, Alma, in the Book of Mormon, says this about developing faith:

As I said concerning faith [. . .] if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words. (Alma 32:26-27)

First, Alma says, we must awaken our powers of understanding enough to test what he, a preacher of the gospel, says. Second, we must at least desire to believe-we do not need full-blown faith to begin our development, only a “particle of faith.” Then, to perform the test that Alma proposes, we must let that particle of faith work in us. We must not get in its way, and if we allow our particle of faith to work in us, he promises, it will make it possible for us to believe at least partly in what he says.

Alma offers an analogy:

We will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves-It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me. (Alma 32:28)

If we will allow the seed to be planted, our Father in Heaven will plant it. Then, after it has been planted, if we don’t cast the seed of faith out by our refusal to believe, it will begin to grow. As it grows, we will feel that growth in our souls and in our lives. That, in turn, will allow us to judge the seed, whether it is a good seed or a bad one, and Alma’s promise is that we will discover that it is good. The seed of the Word of God, once planted in our hearts, will enlarge our souls-it will move us outward from ourselves to beings and things beyond us; we will begin to see the world more clearly, more justly, and more lovingly. This expansion of our souls is a pleasure. It tastes good to our souls, and we will want to continue growing the tree that grows from this seed, the Tree of Life.

The Book of Mormon is a record of the Savior’s teachings to His “other sheep”–the ancient inhabitants of the Americas. it is a volume of scripture that God prepared for over a thousand years to come forth in our day, and it is a second witness, or testament, of Jesus Christ. It includes the spiritual history of the descendants of a prophet, Lehi, who lived at the time of Zedekiah’s rule in Jerusalem. Lehi was warned of God that Jerusalem would be destroyed, and was told to flee the land. The Book of Mormon includes a moving account of the Savior’s literal appearance on this continent after His resurrection. The record was translated by Joseph Smith through the gift and power of God. It stands as a second witness, with the Bible, of Christ’s love, divinity, sacrifice, and teachings.

Personal Response by Kent Brown

The Book of Mormon preserves records of three ancient peoples who came to the Americas and flourished. The high point of the book rests in the account of a three-day visit by the Risen Jesus Christ, a narrative that is unequaled in ancient literature. In the end, except for one group, all were destroyed by war.

Notably, Jesus Christ presses himself upon readers of the Book of Mormon from beginning to end. Most who spend time in the pages of the Book of Mormon come away with schooled impressions about Him and His wondrous work. For He forms the major focus of the book from its earliest pages. Nephi, the first author, pushes the Redeemer onto the stage both by narrating his own vision about the Messiah and by quoting his father’s words about the coming Redeemer. Moreover, Mormon, the chief compiler and editor of the work, shaped the final version of the record to bring the Redeemer into a clear light for readers. For instance, at the end of his own account, he writes poignantly about those who squandered their chance to come to Jesus:

O ye fair ones, how could ye have departed from the ways of the Lord!

O ye fair ones, how could ye have rejected that Jesus, who stood with open arms to receive you! (Mormon 6:17.)

The first pages of the Book of Mormon open onto a scene in Jerusalem about 597 BC, soon after King Zedekiah ascended the throne of the kingdom of Judah. A man named Lehi, called by God in a vision, joins other prophets in warning the city’s inhabitants of a pending disaster if they do not repent. But after hearing this message for thirty years from Jeremiah, people were not in a mood to respond warmly. Instead, many turned against Lehi, forcing him to flee with his family into Arabia. From there, his party makes its way to the New World. Thus begins the grand saga of the book, tracing many of the triumphs and hardships that descendants of this family experienced over a thousand-year history.

The Book of Mormon offers its own promise to those who read its pages “with real intent.” If a person will ask God “with a sincere heart” whether the book is true, God “will manifest the truth of it” to the earnest inquirer (Moroni 10:4).

Additional Resources:

S. Kent Brown, Voices from the Dust: Book of Mormon Insights (American Fork, Utah: Covenant Communications, 2004).