Why the Book of Mormon?

The Christian world stands united in its reverence for and belief in the sacred collection of prophetic writings known as the Bible. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we love the Bible and consider it scripture. We depart somewhat from our Christian friends in holding other books to be scripture as well. The most prominent of these is The Book of Mormon.

Our belief in the Book of Mormon has brought us a long history of persecution. Even today many members of the Christian community refuse to accept LDS church members as Christians because we accept the Book of Mormon as scripture. Like other Christians, we look to Christ as our Savior and the only means to return to God's presence. So why do we continue to hold to the Book of Mormon when it brings exclusion and persecution? What makes the Book of Mormon so valuable and compelling to us?

The answer requires a preliminary orientation to the Book of Mormon. The book's origins are similar to that of the Bible. Like the Bible, it is a compilation of the writings of ancient prophets. The Book of Mormon prophets are descendants of a family of Israelites that were warned by God and escaped Jerusalem before it was invaded by Babylonians in about 586 B.C. This family was promised a land of their own by the Lord. Led by His hand, they traveled across the Arabian Peninsula, built a ship, and sailed to the Americas. Here they founded a civilization that grew to millions of people.

Prophets among these American Israelites were called by God to teach the people. They taught the people about the coming of Christ and the great Atonement he would carry out to save humanity. Like the Old Testament prophets, they recorded their writings and a history of the people. In the twilight years of Christian portion of the population (around 400 A.D.), a prophet named Mormon compiled and abridged the words of the past prophets on plates of gold. His son, Moroni, hid the plates and buried them with the hope that they would be found by future inhabitants of the Americas. He had faith that the plates would be instrumental in convincing future generations that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of Mankind.

Joseph Smith was a young man in a farming family in upper New York in the 1820's. He had prayed to God to know which Christian church to join. In vision he saw God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, and was instructed the he should join none of the churches, but that he would be instrumental in restoring the true gospel of Jesus Christ. The prophet Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith as an angel and showed him the location of the buried gold plates. Joseph translated the record and published it as the Book of Mormon in 1830. Since its publication, the book has been very compelling, affecting the faith and lives of tens of millions of persons.

Perhaps the most compelling aspects of the book are the promise it makes. Throughout the book, the prophets who wrote it emphasize that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is accessible to man now, just as he was in the days of the Bible. He communicates with man, as long as there is faith in the world. Man can ascertain His will for us. The end of the book carries the especially compelling invitation: "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, and with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost."

I have accepted the invitation and inquired for myself. I now know the Book of Mormon is true.

Many Christians who object to the Book of Mormon may not realize that it contains nothing that contradicts the Bible. They might not agree with every doctrine that is taught in it, but everything that it does say is backed up by the Bible. Herein is part of its value.

Bible-based Christianity has given rise to a wide variety of beliefs and practices. The Bible, standing on its own, allows for a variety of interpretations. However, coupled with the Book of Mormon, the doctrines become clear and concrete. Essential gospel truths that are wrangled over by the Christian churches become clear and simple with The Book of Mormon. Faith and works, the nature of the Godhead, and baptism- issues in which Christianity struggles to reach
a consensus- are simply stated and simply understood in The Book of Mormon.

The most important message of the Book of Mormon is that Jesus is the Christ. He is our Savior. Only through His atoning sacrifice may we return to the Father. The chief product of the Book of Mormon is faith in Christ. As I read it, my faith and love for Him grow.

This is why a Christ-loving people does not renounce the Book of Mormon. It brings them closer to Him. This is why we invite our fellow Christians to discover what we have discovered- not a book that destroys our faith in the Bible, but a book that confirms the message of the Bible. It confirms the gospel taught in the Bible and powerfully proclaims Jesus as the Christ. This is a book and a message that we believe our Christian friends can appreciate and embrace.

Your Mormon Friend