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February 25, 2019

“My Testimony of the Book of Mormon” by: Joe H. Ferguson

Filed under: Book of Mormon,Book of Mormon Personal Testimonies — admin @ 3:39 am

How did I acquire a testimony of the Book of Mormon? I have not acquired it. I am in the process of acquiring it. Because the more I read it and the more I see of life, the more convinced I am that it is true. In my still-maturing testimony, I am constantly reinforcing my testimony by two processes: (1) by proving and (2) by disproving. My testimony involves faith, but it is not by faith alone.

In my 50 years of private, U.S. Air Force and commercial airline flying around this country and the world, I have made it a practice to observe, in each nation that I have visited, the culture of the people, the governments and the religions of those nations. (I also happened to take notice of a few good-looking girls) I know of no nation where the doctrine or the organization of any church equals or even approaches that of the doctrine and the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. If there were, I believe I would be aware of it. 

One thing that convinces me that the Book of Mormon is true, and is what it claims to be, is the examination of the criticisms waged against it. All such criticisms that I have seen are very shallow. There are thousands of people and many powerful forces who (that) would like to disprove the Book of Mormon.  Some claim it was written by Joseph Smith. Nonsense!  A 15 year old uneducated farm boy?  Some claim it was written by some professor. Nonsense! There is not now nor was there then a professor with enough brains to write the Book of Mormon!!!By the process of elimination, only one claim stands valid as to the origin of the book of Mormon. And that it was transcribed on gold plates and later delivered to Joseph Smith by Moroni. 

On the positive side, the Holy Ghost must play a part. I do not possess the natural intelligence to be able to make such a determination on intelligence alone. (And I am smarter than at least half of the people in this country.)  One very important factor that convinces me of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon is its explanation of secret combinations of the devil and the great and abominable church of the devil. From independent study, I have come to be aware of the existence, power and tactics of these entities and, to some extent, the identities of some of the people and organizations involved. They are very, very real. And they are definitely inspired by the Devil. Their ideology is the exact opposite of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Any church that would be the church of Jesus Christ would warn its members of these satanic, soul-destroying powers. The Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants do this. I know of no doctrine of any other church that does so. 

The more I read the Book of Mormon, the more I become convinced of its veracity and legitimacy.   It certainly is, as the 8th Article of Faith claims, “…The word of God.”

February 18, 2019

“Book of Mormon Testimony Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow” by: Ryan Best

Filed under: Book of Mormon Personal Testimonies — admin @ 1:39 am

I am always looking for testaments of the Book of Mormon’s validity while reading. I have had many extremely real experiences when I have known that the Book of Mormon was written by prophets of old and translated by a prophet of God in modern days.  I call a Moroni experience anytime while reading the Book of Mormon where the world stops as it seems for a period of time and God speaks to me one-on-one. I have learned so many beautiful things in the Book of Mormon the most important is that God lives and Jesus is the Christ.  Each time it’s by the Holy Ghost that I learn these things.  It’s been almost 25 years since my first experience and it was just recently that I had my last. Moreover I hope and believe it won’t be long before I have another.  Each time I read I know, and experience that the book is real and true. 

My first experience was at college while studying about the Prophet Joseph Smith and simultaneously finishing the BoM.  I was attending an institute course where I was provided a great syllabus with references and information we would study during the semester. As I scanned the document I noticed the prophets many great accompaniments, stories I had learned or heard about all my life. I knew the prophets stories and as I was reviewing them I was struck by the volume and beauty of his life and his value to the world. At this time in my life, I had just finished reading the Book of Mormon for the first time start to finish without significant gaps. It was at that moment when I knew The Prophet Joseph Smith was a true prophet.  The new knowledge came fast and struck my heart and mind. This burst of knowledge didn’t wither away immediately but stayed for many minutes where I was reminded of all the testaments and proofs that I’d been shown as a youth. I was given confidence beyond description that a boy could not have written a book that had touched my heart so deeply and changed me so dramatically. I was reminded of Moroni’s promise and my prayer about the promise a few days earlier when I had asked if the Book of Mormon was true and was told as with a voice “this is your answer.” The feeling that rushed through my body for those minutes was pure knowledge and love.  I was eternally grateful at the time. 

During my most recent reading the BoM I decided I wanted to kneel and ask again. This time I received a different testament of the truthfulness of the BoM. I was impressed to examine closer the last chapters written by Moroni in the BoM.  When reviewing Moroni’s promise, I saw in my mind’s eye Moroni asking me to pray to know if the words he had used to describe the Savior of the world and the testimonies I had read were true, not if the book was real or if Joseph Smith was a prophet but if Jesus was the Christ?  A beautiful answer came as I realized how much better I knew The Savior because of the Book of Mormon.  I knew the testimony of Christ as given to me by Moroni and other prophets was true.  I knew that Moroni’s efforts, as well as other BoM prophets, had enlarged my understanding of Christ.  This new knowledge that Jesus is the Christ and that the words in the Book of Mormon had helped me to know him was the sweetest answer to any previous requests by myself to the Lord regarding the Moroni promise.

February 11, 2019

“50 Years With The Book Of Mormon” by: Bruce Curtis

Filed under: Uncategorized — admin @ 1:58 am

It has been almost exactly 50 years since I first finished reading the Book of Mormon.  The year was 1968 and our Church leaders had encouraged the members to read it in its entirety.  That worked out well because in the printed edition of that day, there were 521 pages.  So, 52 weeks @ 10 pages/week would exactly do it! I was eight years old that year and I decided to take the challenge.  I remember making a reading chart for my family and faithfully reading each week and marking off the progress each Monday night in Family Home Evening.  More than reading to know of its truthfulness, I was probably more reading to mark it on the chart!

I read the Book of Mormon several more times as a youth. One time was as we studied it in 9thgrade seminary.  That year I joined a Seminary Bowl team where we competed with other schools in our area as to our knowledge of the names, facts, and events of the Book of Mormon as well as memorizing 40 of its most meaningful scriptures and then competing to see who could locate those scriptures the quickest given a variety of clues.  I feel a little bad at this point because, even though this study and competition was well meaning, we probably focused a bit too much on irrelevant facts and we did not treat our copies of the Book of Mormon with the respect they deserved as we raced to locate the scriptures.  

There is promise made by one of the Book of Mormon’s prophets, Moroni, on one of the last pages of the Book of Mormon, that if we seriously desired a witness of the truthfulness of this Book, God would grant that to us.  For me, it was not a case of reading the entire Book and then receiving an unmistakable witness.  But as I continued to read the Book as a youth, my witness of its divine origin and its importance in my life came bit by bit.  As I would read the teachings and sermons by ancient prophets on Christ–His life, mission, ministry and Atonement–and on other teachings like faith, repentance, grace, and service, I could just feel these things were true.  Sometimes I would be touched by a warm/comforting feeling that would come over me, occasionally I had a tingling up/down my back as I read/discussed the Book, and yet other times I just enjoyed new and related thoughts and insights that would enter my head as I studied the Book.

So, even though I cannot pinpoint an exact day I knew the Book of Mormon was truly God’s word, that witness certainty did come.  I loved my time as a young missionary in Japan where it was my privilege to carry around copies of Morumon Keiand teach the people in Japan of Jesus Christ as it is taught so clearly in the Book.  It strengthened my testimony of the power of this Book to personally see many dozen people read it and be touched by its spirit, power, and truth.  I saw many of these people then change their lives and join the Church which was founded by the Book’s translator, Joseph Smith.

In the nearly 40 years since I returned from my mission, I have read the Book of Mormon many times – sometimes over a whole year, other times, over just a couple of weeks.  I have marked inspiring and instructive verses in several printed copies and now on my phone and tablet.  I have read the Book with my children and now they are regularly reading it with theirs.  I have attended classes, seminars and conferences on the Book and have had the privilege of speaking about and teaching from the Book numerous times.  I have read many books by both Church leaders and scholars on various aspects of the Book.  I have also spent much time and effort getting to know its inspired translator, Joseph Smith, and the means and events whereby the Book of Mormon came to be.  Through all this, I can unequivocally state, where I could not 50 years ago, that the Book of Mormon is truly a divinely inspired book and it is the word of God.  I love this Book and I love my Savior, Jesus Christ, whom I have come to know through the study of this Book.

February 3, 2019

“Silly Kid, You Already Know” by: Jeremy McLerran

Filed under: Book of Mormon Personal Testimonies,Uncategorized — admin @ 5:23 pm

It always seemed perplexing to me that people needed to gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon, I’ve always known it was true.  I read it cover to cover for the first time when I was 10 years old, and thoroughly enjoyed the stories. It was like the very best action movie mixed with intense drama, with powerful steadfast personalities like Nephi, Abinidi, Alma, and Moroni.  It was easily my favorite book, and I never doubted it’s veracity.  
As I grew older I heard people more and more talking about how “they didn’t know it was true until they prayed and asked Heavenly Father…” and as they talked about the spiritual confirmation they received I wondered if I was missing something. Was there some giant heavenly manifestation I could get if I got down on my knees and asked to know if the Book of Mormon was true? I felt silly doing it, because in my heart I already knew it was true. It was more than faith, it felt like actual knowledge, but to illuminate any possibility of “missing out“ on something bigger, I wandered into the woods near our church building, picking a spot that I knew I wouldn’t be disturbed I knelt down and poured out my 13 year old heart to my Heavenly Father.  The answer was almost immediate.  It was as though He was saying “You feel silly right now, don’t you? You already know these things are true, you’ve always known. Other people might struggle with their faith, but I have given you knowledge and you don’t need to ask ever again.” I walked out of those woods satisfied and calm.  I didn’t need some burning bush or pillar of light. I didn’t even need a warm feeling in my heart. I had something that most other people needed to work for, and it has guided my life ever since.  


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