The Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon, by President
Marion G. Romney (a sermon delivered at General Conference in April, 1980)
My beloved brothers and sisters and friends, today we celebrate the 150th
anniversary of the organization of the Church. The Church of which we speak is
not a man-made organization; it is exactly what its name implies.
“Thus [said the Lord himself] shall my church be called in the
last days, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“Verily I say unto you all [he continued]: Arise and shine
forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations;
“And that the gathering together upon the land of Zion, and
upon her stakes, may be for a defense, and for a refuge from the storm, and
from wrath when it shall be poured out without mixture upon the whole earth” (D&C 115:4–6).
In the headnote to the twentieth section of the Doctrine and
Covenants, the prophet Joseph wrote: “We obtained of him [Jesus Christ] the
following, by the spirit of prophecy and revelation; which not only gave us
much information, but also pointed out to us the precise day upon which,
according to his will and commandment, we should proceed to organize his Church
once more here upon the earth”; and then he added, “The Lord again attests the
genuineness of the Book of Mormon.”
Since the Lord, as he specified the date on which his Church
was to be organized, attested again to “the genuineness of the Book of Mormon”
at the same time, in the same revelation, I have concluded that as we observe
the sesquicentennial anniversary of the organization of his Church, it will be
proper for us to review a few Book of Mormon teachings. There are many reasons
why we should do so. To begin with, the Lord has put us under obligation to
teach the Book of Mormon. He said that he sent Moroni to reveal it (see D&C 27:5),
and that through his mercy he had given the Prophet Joseph “power … to
translate [it]” (D&C
20:8; see also D&C 1:29),
and that it contains “the truth and the word of God” (D&C 19:26)
and “the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles and to the Jews
also” (D&C 20:9).
The Prophet Joseph Smith “told the brethren that the Book of
Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our
religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by
any other book” (History of the Church, 4:461; Teachings of the
Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith, Salt Lake City: Deseret
Book Co., 1938, p. 39).
Nephi tells us that its contents “shall go from generation to
generation as long as the earth shall stand; … and the nations who shall
possess them [the teachings of the Book of Mormon] shall be judged of them
according to the words which are written” (2 Ne. 25:22).
For me there could be no more impelling reason for reading
the Book of Mormon than this statement that we who have the Book of Mormon
shall be judged by what is written in it.
To the early Saints the Lord spoke rather sharply about
remembering the Book of Mormon’s teachings.
“Your minds in times past,” he said to them, “have been
darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things
you have received—
“Which vanity and unbelief have brought the whole church
under condemnation.
“And this condemnation resteth upon the children of
“And they shall remain under this condemnation until they
repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon” (D&C
84:54–57).
Prior to this he had told them that “the Book of Mormon and
the holy scriptures are given of me for your instruction” (D&C 33:16).
On another occasion he had said, “The elders, priests and teachers of this
church shall teach the principles of my gospel, which are in … the Book of
Mormon” (D&C 42:12).
It is, of course, obvious that unless we read, study, and
learn the principles which are in the Book of Mormon, we cannot comply with
this direction to teach them.
There is another reason why we should read the Book of
Mormon: By doing so we will fill and refresh our minds with a constant flow of
that “water” which Jesus said would be in us “a well of water springing up into
everlasting life” (John 4:14).
We must obtain a continuing supply of this water if we are to resist evil and
retain the blessings of being born again.
The great overall struggle in the world today is, as it has
always been, for the souls of men. Every soul is personally engaged in the
struggle, and he makes his fight with what is in his mind. In the final
analysis the battleground is, for each individual, within himself. Inevitably
he gravitates toward the subjects of his thoughts. Ages ago the wise man thus
succinctly stated this great truth: “As he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Prov. 23:7).
If we would escape the lusts of the flesh and build for
ourselves and our children great and noble characters, we must keep in our
minds and in their minds true and righteous principles for our thoughts and
their thoughts to dwell upon.
We must not permit our minds to become surfeited with the
interests, things, and practices of the world about us. To do so is tantamount
to adopting and going along with them, for the experience of the race sustains
the conclusion of him who said that—
Vice is a monster of so frightful mien,
As to be hated needs but to be seen;
Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face,
We first endure, then pity, and then embrace.
(Pope, Essay on Man, epistle ii, lines 217, The Oxford Dictionary
of Quotations, London: Oxford University Press, 1966, p. 383).
If we would avoid adopting the evils of the world, we must
pursue a course which will daily feed our minds with and call them back to the
things of the Spirit. I know of no better way to do this than by daily reading
the Book of Mormon.
In all dispensations, the Lord has counseled his people to
keep in their minds and thoughts the truths he has revealed to them. To the
early Saints of this dispensation he said: “Let the solemnities of eternity
rest upon your minds” (D&C 43:34).
This counsel followed his statement to the elders:
“Ye are not sent forth to be taught, but to teach the
children of men the things which I have put into your hands by the power of my
Spirit;
“And ye are to be taught from on high” (D&C
43:15–16).
Instructing ancient
“… these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in
thine heart:
“And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and
shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by
the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
“And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and
they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
“And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and
on thy gates” (Deut. 6:4, 6–9).
“Search the scriptures” (John 5:39),
said Jesus to his carping critics, who, being surfeited with the things of this
world, rejected him. In the scriptures they could, if they would, learn the
truth about him and the things of eternal life which he taught them.
The Psalmist thus recounts the rewards which follow knowing
and meditating upon the word of God:
“O how love I thy
law! it is my meditation all the day.
“Thou through thy
commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies. …
“I have more
understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation.
“I understand more
than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts.
“I have refrained my
feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word.
“I have not departed
from thy judgments: for thou hast taught me.
“How sweet are thy
words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Through thy precepts
I get understanding: therefore I hate every [evil] way.
“Thy word is a lamp
unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Ps.
119:97–105).
I am persuaded, my brothers and sisters, that it is
irrational to hope to escape the lusts of the world without substituting for
them as the subjects of our thoughts the things of the Spirit, and I know that
the things of the Spirit are taught with mighty power in the Book of Mormon. I
believe with all my heart, for example, that if our young people could come out
of our homes thoroughly acquainted with the life of Nephi, imbued with the
spirit of his courage and love of truth, they would choose the right when the
choice is placed before them.
How marvelous it would be if, when they must make a decision,
there would flash into their minds, from long and intimate association with
them, the words of Nephi:
“I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded,
for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save
he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he
commandeth them” (1 Ne. 3:7).
And when the going gets rough and temptation to abandon the
course of righteousness presses upon them, they might think of his plea to his
wayward brothers:
“Let us be faithful,” he said, “in keeping the commandments
of the Lord; for behold he is mightier than all the earth, then why not
mightier than Laban and his fifty, yea, or even than his tens of thousands?” (1 Ne. 4:1; see
also 1 Ne. 3:15).
If our young folks become familiar with the teachings of the
Book of Mormon, they will not only be inspired by the examples of Nephi, the
2,000 sons of Helaman (see Alma
53), and other great Book of Mormon characters to choose the right, they
will also be so schooled in the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ that
they will be able to know and understand what is right.
From almost every page of the book, there will come to them a
moving testimony that Jesus is indeed the Christ, the Son of the living God,
our Redeemer and Savior. This witness alone will be a sustaining anchor in
every storm. In the Book of Mormon they will find the plainest explanation of
Christ’s divine mission and his atonement to be found anywhere in sacred
scriptures.
They will be familiar with the great, fundamental, basic
virtues; the Book of Mormon is full of instructions concerning them. They will
have learned that “to be carnally-minded is death, and [that] to be spiritually-minded
is life eternal” (2 Ne. 9:39).
They will know that the Lord God delights in chastity and virtue which are
“most dear and precious above all things” (Moro. 9:9; see
also Jacob 2:28).
They will know that a violation of these sacred principles is, in the sight of
the Lord, “an abomination … above all sins save it be the shedding of innocent
blood or denying the Holy Ghost” (Alma 39:5).
They will have learned the folly of putting their trust in
the learning of men or in the riches of this world (see 2 Ne. 9:28–30).
As a matter of fact, there is no fundamental virtue about which they will not
be taught, for in the Book of Mormon, as has already been said, is to be found
“the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ” (D&C 20:9;
see also D&C 19:26).
And so, I counsel you, my beloved brothers and sisters and
friends everywhere, to make reading the Book of Mormon a few minutes each day a
lifelong practice. All of us need the uninterrupted association with the Spirit
of the Lord. We need to take the Holy Spirit for our constant guide that we be
not deceived. I am persuaded by my own experience and that of my loved ones, as
well as by the statements of the Prophet Joseph Smith, that one can get and
keep closer to the Lord by reading the Book of Mormon than by reading any other
book. Don’t be content with what someone else tells you about what is in it.
Drink deeply from the divine fountain itself.
I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from
the Book of Mormon prayerfully and regularly, both by themselves and with their
children, the spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes and all
who dwell therein. The spirit of reverence will increase; mutual respect and
consideration for each other will grow. The spirit of contention will depart.
Parents will counsel their children in greater love and wisdom. Children will
be more responsive and submissive to the counsel of their parents.
Righteousness will increase. Faith, hope, and charity—the pure love of
Christ—will abound in our homes and lives, bringing in their wake peace, joy,
and happiness.
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