God’s
Compelling Witness: The Book of Mormon
The Book
of Mormon is God’s compelling witness of the divinity of Jesus Christ, the
prophetic calling of Joseph Smith, and the absolute truth of this Church.
The Book of Mormon is not only the
keystone of our religion, but it can also become the keystone of our
testimonies so that when trials or unanswered questions confront us, it can
hold our testimonies securely in place. This book is the one weight on the
scales of truth that exceeds the combined weight of all the critics’ arguments.
Why? Because if it is true, then Joseph Smith was a prophet and this is the
restored Church of Jesus Christ, regardless of any historical or other
arguments to the contrary. For this reason, the critics are intent on
disproving the Book of Mormon, but the obstacles they face are insurmountable
because this book is true.
First, the critics must explain how
Joseph Smith, a 23-year-old farm boy with limited education, created a book
with hundreds of unique names and places, as well as detailed stories and
events. Accordingly, many critics propose that he was a creative genius who
relied upon numerous books and other local resources to create the historical
content of the Book of Mormon. But contrary to their assertion, there is not a
solitary witness who claims to have seen Joseph with any of these alleged
resources before the translation began.
Even if this argument were true, it is
woefully insufficient to explain the Book of Mormon’s existence. One must also
answer the question: how did Joseph read all of these alleged resources, winnow
out the irrelevant, keep the intricate facts straight as to who was in what
place and when, and then dictate it by perfect memory? For when Joseph Smith
translated, he had no notes whatsoever. In fact, his wife Emma recalled: “He
had neither manuscript nor book to read from. … If he had had anything of
the kind he could not have concealed it from me.”1
So how did Joseph perform this
remarkable feat of dictating a 500-plus–page book without any notes? To do so,
he must not only have been a creative genius but also have had a photographic
memory of prodigious proportions. But if that is true, why did his critics not
call attention to this remarkable talent?
But there is more. These arguments
account only for the book’s historical content. The real issues still remain:
how did Joseph produce a book that radiates with the Spirit, and where did he
get such profound doctrine, much of which clarifies or contradicts the
Christian beliefs of his time?
For example, the Book of Mormon teaches,
contrary to most Christian beliefs, that the Fall of Adam was a positive step
forward. It reveals the covenants made at baptism, which are not addressed in
the Bible.
In addition, one might ask: where did
Joseph get the powerful insight that because of Christ’s Atonement, He can not
only cleanse us but also perfect us? Where did he get the stunning sermon on
faith in Alma 32? Or King Benjamin’s sermon on the
Savior’s Atonement, perhaps the most remarkable sermon on this subject in all
scripture? Or the allegory of the olive tree with all its complexity and
doctrinal richness? When I read this allegory, I have to map it out to follow
its intricacies. Are we now supposed to believe that Joseph Smith just dictated
these sermons off the top of his head with no notes whatsoever?
Contrary to such a conclusion,
God’s fingerprints are all over the Book of Mormon, as evidenced by its
majestic doctrinal truths, particularly its masterful sermons on the Atonement
of Jesus Christ.
If Joseph were not a prophet,
then in order to account for these and many other remarkable doctrinal
insights, the critics must make the argument that he was also a theological
genius. But if that were the case, one might ask: why was Joseph the only
one in the 1,800 years following Christ’s ministry to produce such a breadth of
unique and clarifying doctrines? Because it was revelation, not brilliance,
that was the source of this book.
But even if we suppose that
Joseph were a creative and theological genius with a photographic memory—these
talents alone do not make him a skilled writer. To explain the Book of Mormon’s
existence, the critics must also make the claim that Joseph was a naturally
gifted writer at age 23. Otherwise, how did he interweave scores of names,
places, and events into a harmonious whole without inconsistencies? How did he
pen detailed war strategies, compose eloquent sermons, and coin phrases that
are highlighted, memorized, quoted, and placed on refrigerator doors by
millions of people, phrases such as, “When ye are in the service of your fellow
beings ye are only in the service of your God” (Mosiah 2:17) or “Men are, that they might have joy” (2 Nephi 2:25). These are messages with a
heartbeat—messages that live and breathe and inspire. To suggest that Joseph
Smith at age 23 possessed the skills necessary to write this monumental work in
a single draft in approximately 65 working days is simply counter to the
realities of life.
President Russell M. Nelson,
an experienced and skilled writer, shared that he had over 40 rewrites of a
recent general conference talk. Are we now to believe that Joseph Smith, on his
own, dictated the entire Book of Mormon in a single draft with mainly minor
grammatical changes made thereafter?
Joseph’s wife Emma confirmed the
impossibility of such an undertaking: “Joseph Smith [as a young man] could
neither write nor dictate a coherent and well-worded letter; let alone
dictat[e] a book like the Book of Mormon.”2
And finally, even if one accepts
all of the foregoing arguments, dubious as they may be, the critics still face
another looming obstacle. Joseph claimed that the Book of Mormon was written on
golden plates. This claim received unrelenting criticism in his day—for “everyone”
knew that ancient histories were written on papyrus or parchment, until years
later, when metal plates with ancient writings were discovered. In addition,
the critics claimed that the use of cement, as described in the Book of Mormon,
was beyond the technical expertise of these early Americans—until cement
structures were found in ancient America. How do the critics now account for
these and similar unlikely discoveries? Joseph, you see, must also have been a
very, very lucky guesser. Somehow, in spite of all the odds against him,
against all existing scientific and academic knowledge, he guessed right when
all the others were wrong.
When all is said and done, one
might wonder how someone could believe that all these alleged factors and
forces, as proposed by the critics, fortuitously combined in such a way that
enabled Joseph to write the Book of Mormon and thus foster a satanic hoax. But
how does this make sense? In direct opposition to such an assertion, this book
has inspired millions to reject Satan and to live more Christlike lives.
While someone might choose to
believe the critics’ line of reasoning, it is, for me, an intellectual and
spiritual dead end. To believe such, I would have to accept one unproven
assumption after another. In addition, I would have to disregard the testimony
of every one of the 11 witnesses,3 even though each remained
true to his testimony to the very end; I would have to reject the divine
doctrine that fills page after page of this sacred book with its supernal
truths; I would have to ignore the fact that multitudes, including myself, have
come closer to God by reading this book than any other; and above all, I would
have to deny the confirming whisperings of the Holy Spirit. This would be
contrary to everything I know to be true.
One of my good and bright friends
left the Church for a time. He recently wrote to me of his return: “Initially,
I wanted the Book of Mormon to be proven to me historically, geographically,
linguistically, and culturally. But when I changed my focus to what it teaches
about the gospel of Jesus Christ and His saving mission, I began to gain a
testimony of its truthfulness. One day while reading the Book of Mormon in my
room, I paused, knelt down, and gave a heartfelt prayer and felt resoundingly
that Heavenly Father whispered to my spirit that the Church and the Book of
Mormon were definitely true. My three-and-a-half-year period of reinvestigating
the Church led me back wholeheartedly and convincingly to its truthfulness.”
If one will take the time to
humbly read and ponder the Book of Mormon, as did my friend, and give ear to
the sweet fruits of the Spirit, then he or she will eventually receive the
desired witness.
The Book of Mormon is one of
God’s priceless gifts to us. It is both sword and shield—it sends the word of
God into battle to fight for the hearts of the just and serves as an arch
defender of the truth. As Saints, we have not only the privilege to defend the
Book of Mormon but also the opportunity to take the offense—to preach with
power its divine doctrine and bear testimony of its crowning witness of Jesus
Christ.
I bear my solemn testimony that
the Book of Mormon was translated by the gift and power of God. It is God’s
compelling witness of the divinity of Jesus Christ, the prophetic calling of Joseph
Smith, and the absolute truth of this Church. May it become the keystone of our
testimonies, so it may be said of us, as it was of the converted Lamanites,
they “never did fall away” (Alma 23:6). In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
1. 1. Emma Smith, in “Last Testimony
of Sister Emma,” Saints’ Herald, Oct. 1,
1879, 289, 290.
2. 2. Emma Smith, in “Last Testimony
of Sister Emma,” 290.
3. 3. See “The Testimony of Three
Witnesses” and “The Testimony of Eight Witnesses,” Book of Mormon.
“Undoubtable”
cji
11/01/17
Reading
non-fiction for truth
finding witnesses
quoted
learning
facts once unknown
seeking
via prayer all things
the veil
is lifted from eyes
minds
openly seeing all
therefore
undoubtable truth
there in
our hands/minds
Jesus is
the Christ always
the only
begotten of Father
(in the
flesh like us)
multiple
testimonies given
shared
with the world then
and most
assuredly today!
Copyright © 2017 – cji
