The Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is one of four volumes of scripture used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormon Church). It is subtitled, “Another Testament of Jesus Christ.” This means that it is another witness that Christ really lived, and that He is God’s Son.The Book of Mormon contains the writings of ancient prophets. The first prophet spoken of in the Book of Mormon is Lehi, who lived in Jerusalem in approximately 600 B.C. Lehi led his family and a few others to the Americas and they became a large civilization. The people of the Book of Mormon continued to have prophets called from among them, and they learned many important principles and truths of Jesus Christ’s gospel. Two other groups of people were also led to the Americas, and their religious and secular history is also recorded in the Book of Mormon. Included in the Book of Mormon is a record of Christ’s visit to the Americas after His resurrection. Jesus Christ taught the inhabitants His gospel, and formed His Church among them, choosing 12 apostles as He had during His Holy Land ministry. The book contains the teachings of Jesus Christ, testifying of His Atonement and His love. It supports and verifies the Bible.
The Book of Mormon is named after Mormon, one of the last prophets of these people in America. Mormon abridged the records of his people. His son, Moroni, was the last prophet; he finished the history of his people (who had been completely destroyed) and hid them in about 421 A.D. In 1823, Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith as a resurrected being and gave him the records, so that they could be translated and brought forth as another witness of Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon concludes with a great promise that those who read it and sincerely pray about it can know by the Holy Ghost it is true (Moroni 10:4).
In the introduction of the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith recorded, “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.”