Three days after my father graduated from high school in 1944, he reported for the Navy. He became a chief petty officer and received his assignment to AO-96, the U.S.S. Tamalpais. The ship sailed across the Pacific, delivering water to famous places like Eniwetok, Leyte, and Ulithi. The Tamalpais received a call into Tokyo Bay in the summer of 1945, so Dad witnessed the end of the war—an iconic moment of the 20th century.[1]
In my office, I display a silk Japanese flag Dad brought from Japan. It’s a joy because I later served my mission there among a wonderful people my dad had never said anything bad about. But I prize this brown and black volume the most of Dad’s things—his military copy of the Book of Mormon. I raise it sometimes when I attend devotional.
Dad eventually started a small business and reared five children. To relieve stress, we’d go to the mountains, including Yellowstone. There, Dad sometimes opened the scriptures. Under the gentle lights, we’d read the Book of Mormon. I don’t remember much of what we read, but I remember what I felt: a quiet assurance of the truth of this book. So, when Dad died the day after Christmas when I was 10, those memories’ importance grew. I thank God that Dad found a way to somehow teach me to love the Book of Mormon.
I feel today, this day after Memorial Day, in my dad’s memory, to raise my voice for a miracle—the Book of Mormon. I invite the spirit of the Holy Ghost to witness to you the truth of the Book of Mormon. And I invite you to read it, to study it, to ponder it, and to live it.
I received basically as much time to write this talk—a couple of months—as Joseph, with Oliver’s help, used to translate the Book of Mormon.[2] I used a word processor, with lots of pretzels—if I needed them—as I wrote. They had scratch paper, a dipped ink pen, and salted mackerel. I earned a Ph.D. in a writing discipline. Joseph barely possessed a third-grade education. I edited, stewed, started, stopped, and fussed to write something I hope may help someone. Yet, this talk runs about one-ninetieth the length of the Book of Mormon. Furthermore, I edited this very sentence—yes, this one—more than once. Joseph did basically no edits as the words of the Book of Mormon fell from his lips. Wow! I marvel to the short stuff. Try writing something as densely logical and theologically groundbreaking as Alma 42 or Moroni 7. We’d honor Joseph rightly if that’s all he translated.
Now, one tender story of early Church history is of John Gilbert, not a member of the Church, who typeset and punctuated the first edition of the Book of Mormon. Decades later, an interviewer came to see if Mr. Gilbert thought Joseph Smith could have written the Book of Mormon as some inspired—or cynical—fiction, not as a miraculous translation of an ancient record. Gilbert said no. “The parties here then never could have been the authors of it, certainly. I have been for the last 45 or 50 years trying to get the key to that thing.” [3] Sadly, the interview records Mr. Gilbert casting around for some alternative explanation of the book’s origin, not an earnest seeking of the truth of Joseph’s saving story. The key to the thing is the book is what Joseph said it was—a book literally brought by an angel. You know what to do: remember how merciful God has been, ponder and find real intent, and ask God if this book is not true. Then, in a way only He can, He will manifest the truth to you.[4]
Knowing the Book of Mormon is true is an important first step, but only a start. So, I urge you to make the Book of Mormon more central to your life and to your identity. Why? These are the last days and the corporate forces and the contentious internet voices grow worse. We truly “wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against . . . the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”[5] So, unplug, turn to the Book of Mormon more earnestly and frequently, read it, study it, ponder it, live it.
Read The Book of Mormon.
In recent months, I’ve served in a campus bishopric. I challenge our ward to read the Book of Mormon 15 minutes a day. I ask, “Are you reading your Book of Mormon?” I’ve noticed something: I generally know the answer before their responses reach my ears. A lightness, confidence, and joy distills among those who read the Book of Mormon daily. They avoid temptation. They seem the best versions of themselves, confident—and, yes, attractive. It’s amazing.
Make it part of each day—15 minutes at least. Once every four years cannot do. If you study the Old Testament for Come Follow Me or the Doctrine and Covenants for class, do that AND read the Book of Mormon. Here’s what Alicia Richardson said on the devotional discussion board about reading the Book of Mormon:
It has changed my life. The time that I spend with Heavenly Father and His Son in the Book of Mormon every day fortifies and strengthens me to live in a world that is confused. . . . It is a survival guide and gives meaning to life itself.
Perhaps you struggle to read. Maybe you find the language too old. Listen to it on an app. Perhaps you say, “I’m not a scriptorian.” Don’t compare. The Lord calls us to read. Don’t hide as Adam once did from the call of God, ashamed of your weakness.[6] If I do well, I read in the morning. It’s worth getting up before the sun to commune with God. You might not be perfect; I’m not. But daily reading the Book of Mormon provides power.
Study the Book of Mormon.
President Ezra Taft Benson said:
It is not just that the Book of Mormon teaches us truth, though it indeed does that. It is not just that the Book of Mormon bears testimony of Christ, though it indeed does that, too. But there is something more. There is a power in the book which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book. You will find greater power to resist temptation. You will find the power to avoid deception.[7]
I suggest two ways to study. First, pick a theme. Go through the Book of Mormon looking for verses about the theme, marking them, taking notes. For example, I once went through the Book of Mormon trying to understand better how to pray. Many ideas strengthened me.
First, I learned that details emerge about prayer two and a half times on average in every Book of Mormon chapter, so we can remember that prayer is deeply important. Next, I noticed that frequent descriptions of prayer in the Book of Mormon come not as “to pray” but rather “to cry” to the Lord, so we can buttress each prayer with real intent and deep emotion. Next, I saw that daily, literal prayer to resist temptation remains a common theme, so we can resist evil with prayer more earnestly. Finally, I marveled that prayer framed Jesus’ ministry in the New World as He frequently prayed for those He served in their presence. I marveled because Jesus is the Son of God. He can do basically anything to help these people, but He chose to pray for them. That’s how important and effectual prayer can be. 3 Nephi records:
No one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father.[8]
So, we can follow the Savior’s example in the Book of Mormon and pray for and with those we serve, and love in a humble, emotional way that might bring them deep joy. You might find strength through study of other topics and marvel at what you learn.
A second way to study the Book of Mormon comes from scholars. Our friends at the Interpreter Foundation, at the Maxwell Institute, at Book of Mormon Central, and elsewhere produce powerful resources. This academic work should never replace reading the Book of Mormon itself, but many scholarly papers confirm faith and rebut concerns.
You might have heard of the work of scholars like Brian Stubbs who see hundreds of relationships between ancient Hebrew, ancient Egyptian, and the Uto-Aztecan family of languages in the New World—an evidence that these Old World languages somehow influenced the New World.[9] You might have heard of the work of other scholars who found archeological evidence of a place named in 1 Nephi, Nahom, right where the Book of Mormon implies where Nahom should be.[10]
I find joy in a third area: onomastic studies. Onomastic studies, as I have come to understand them, describe an ancient wordplay. Personal names often convey a second, literal meaning which then echoes written teachings or stories. It’s much like when President Russell M. Nelson teaches us that Israel means letting God prevail, so merely, when we hear the word Israel, we think of letting God prevail.[11]
Scholars demonstrate this wordplay in the Book of Mormon. Nephi might mean fair or good, so when Nephi writes he’s born of goodly parents, it’s an ancient pun.[12] Zeezrom, the wealthy lawyer who confronts Alma, could be seen as “he of the Ezrom” or the “money man.”[13] Abinadi could mean “my father is present.” You remember how Abinadi speaks of a Father coming down and being with us. Abinadi’s name strengthens his story and adds power to his testimony.[14]
This ancient styling in the Book of Mormon provides evidence of its historicity. It is an ancient record compiled by gifted scribes translated in our time by the gift and power of God, not a modern work composed from someone’s backwoods musings.
Ponder The Book of Mormon.
One way to ponder is to seek after questions the Book of Mormon itself asks. The Book of Mormon contains more than 500 questions! Isolate them, think on them for days, weeks, or even over a lifetime.
“What manner of men ought ye to be?”[15] “Believest thou that there is a God?”[16] “Are ye stripped of pride?”[17] “O then, is not this real?”[18] “Why do ye set your heart upon riches?”[19] “If ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?”[20] “Will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?”[21]
Mormon himself asked a brave question in Moroni 7:20.“How is it possible to lay hold on every good thing?”[22] I wish I had time to go over Moroni 7 for an hour with you, but maybe showing you a couple things to ponder here might suffice.
At the chapter’s beginning, Mormon briefly notes he’s addressing some “peaceable followers of Christ.”[23] It’s easy to pass over that point. But who were they? What did they face? With a minute or two of pondering, you realize this nameless congregation soon dropped into the worst days of any civilization. They faced a time when all things really did fail and when the drift of life fell toward a slow-rolling desolation and then to Cumorah.[24]
With that sad framing—what today we’d call a genocide—Mormon’s question can seem profoundly ironic. Lay hold on every good thing? Amid that heap? Really? But Mormon is in earnest. Faith, hope, charity, the gifts of ministering angels and of the spirit can come to us all, providing comfort and then leading to Christ—and in Christ, he says, there can come every good thing.[25]
A tender invitation concludes this chapter—the call to love.
But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ. [26]
It’s a profound teaching—that the love of God can see us through even a horror like that. Onomastically, please ponder; the word Mormon might well mean steadfast or eternal love.[27] Do you see the potential of poetic reference and allusion here? Mormon’s name itself can be seen as a call to receive and provide charity—a call to steadfast love. The Book of Mormon could then be reframed, in a way, as the Book of Steadfast Love.
Perhaps you are a victim of abuse. Perhaps you deal with betrayal, or sorrow, or disease, or worse. Perhaps you struggle some days just to go on. Mormon’s brave question and answers in Moroni 7 provide poetic pondering, power, and proof that God loves us faithfully, forever. You can believe God will never forsake you and He will send down power in your darkest hour. You can believe that God plans a better world, an undiscovered country, for all who come unto Christ.
To more deeply know this powerful hope and this steadfast love, to know you are not alone in this big universe; that is why you read, study, and ponder the Book of Mormon. Here is President Nelson:
When I think of the Book of Mormon, I think of the word power. The truths of the Book of Mormon have the power to heal, comfort, restore, succor, strengthen, console, and cheer our souls.
My dear brothers and sisters, I promise that as you prayerfully study the Book of Mormon every day, you will make better decisions—every day. I promise that as you ponder what you study, the windows of heaven will open, and you will receive answers to your own questions and direction for your own life. I promise that as you daily immerse yourself in the Book of Mormon, you can be immunized against the evils of the day, even the gripping plague of pornography and other mind-numbing addictions.[28]
You might have noticed that my friend, Brother Dan Peterson, used this passage last week during devotional. We prepared independently. I take that to mean we should remember this quote. So, finally—
Live the Book of Mormon
Do you want to learn to repent? There are more than 600 verses on repentance and numerous types of how to repent in the Book of Mormon. Do you want to change your heart and perfect your motivations? The Book of Mormon contains some 500 verses on that. Do you want to overcome your bad habits? The Book of Mormon has some 400 verses talking of the doctrine of captivity and deliverance, and demonstrates ways out of severe, captive, even addictive trouble. The Book of Mormon shows how prayer is vital in this effort. Do you want to draw close to Christ? My tally has more than 2,300 references to the Lord, His infinite sacrifice, and His great plan of mercy—an average of some 10 times per chapter. Study them and Him. Joseph Smith said:
I 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.[29]
I know this to be true. A few years ago, I canoed to one of the great places in Yellowstone Park: Shoshone Lake. We pulled our canoes a mile up the Lewis River and paddled some 39 miles overall. Our second day led to a lazy afternoon. I lounged in my tent thinking of my weaknesses. I read some powerful chapters and remembered prayer patterns from the Book of Mormon.
After the boys went to bed, I wandered down to the shore. Steam from the Shoshone Geyser Basin spewed a couple of miles away. I clambered onto a table-sized rock and began to pray. For several minutes, I laid out my heart to God. But I wanted more. So, I slid down from the rock, knelt on the obsidian gravel, and splashed my face. I remember a single, golden cloud and the silver calm of that glorious lake. A grebe bird flitted not too far away.
Remembering the brother of Jared’s phrase “thou canst do this,”[30] I said, “Father, I know that you can. Would you please tell my dad up there that I love him and that I miss him.” Immediately, in a moment too sacred to explain, in that place so special to my dad, I learned again that Christ lives and loves faithfully. By following a Book of Mormon pattern, and after an afternoon of supping in its pages, I also learned for myself that my own daddy lives and is happy. The joy and gratitude were unspeakable. Elder Ulisses Soares said:
I reaffirm once more the promise that echoes through its pages: that if you “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, with real intent, having faith in Christ,” He mercifully “will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.” I can assure you that He will give you the answer in a very personal way, as He has done for me and many others around the world. Your experience will be as glorious and sacred for you as Joseph Smith’s experiences were for him.[31]
I cannot speak a ninetieth of what I feel. The Book of Mormon is true. Read it, study it, ponder it, and live it. The Book of Mormon is true.
Because the Book of Mormon is true, there is meaning in suffering. There is hope for me and you. There is answer to prayer and escape from addiction, and sin, and sorrow. Because it is true, Jesus is the very Christ, His prophets now speak, and God and His Son’s steadfast love will never fail us. And there’s more—things deeply personal. Because the Book of Mormon is true, my promises to my wife, Laurie, and to my family will endure beyond the grave. And someday, because the Book of Mormon is true, I will see my father and my mother again.
God be thanked for the Book of Mormon, this astonishing testament of Jesus Christ, this book of steadfast love. It is a miracle for a world in desperate need of one. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] Tamalpais, Naval History and Heritage Command. See Tamalpais - Navy History.
[2] John W. Welch, “How Long Did it Take Joseph Smith to Translate the Book of Mormon,” Ensign, January 1988.
[3] Larry E. Morris, “1.29 William H. Kelley’s Interviews,” A Documentary History of the Book of Mormon, 141.
[4] See Moroni 10:3–5.
[5] Ephesians 6:12.
[6] See Moses 4:14–16.
[7] Ezra Taft Benson, “The Book of Mormon: Keystone of Our Religion,” Ensign, Nov. 1986.
[8] 3 Nephi 17:17.
[9] Brian Stubbs, “A Few Hundred Hints of Egyptian and Northwestern Semitic in Uto-Aztecan,” FAIR conference, 2006. See Brian Stubbs.
[10] Warren P. Aston, "Newly Found Altars from Nahom," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies: Vol. 10: No. 2, Article 9. See Newly Found Altars from Nahom - Church Journal.
[11] See Russell M. Nelson, “Let God Prevail,” Ensign, Nov. 2020.
[12] “Nephi,” Book of Mormon Onomasticon. See Etymology - Nephi.
[13] “Zeezrom,” Book of Mormon Onomasticon. See https://onoma.lib.byu.edu/index.php/ZEEZROM.
[14] “Abinadi,” Book of Mormon Onomasticon. See Etymology - Abinadi.
[15] 3 Nephi 27:27.
[16] Alma 22:7.
[17] Alma 5:28.
[18] Alma 32:35.
[19] Mosiah 12:29.
[20] Alma 5:26.
[21] 3 Nephi 9:13.
[22] Moroni 7:20.
[23] Moroni 7:3.
[24] Note that Cumorah means desolation, a cousin to Gomorrah. See Cumorah in the Book of Mormon Onomasticon.
[25] See Moroni 7:22.
[26] Moroni 7:47–48.
[27] “Mormon,” Book of Mormon Onomasticon. See https://onoma.lib.byu.edu/index.php/MORMON.
[28] Russell M. Nelson, “The Book of Mormon: What Would Your Life Be Like without It?” Ensign, Nov. 2017.
[29] History of the Church 4:461.
[30] Ether 3:5.
[31] Ulisses Soares, “The Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon,” Ensign, May 2020.