I'd like for you to imagine for a moment, that you were trying to draw a straight line. You put you pencil on the paper at a point and begin to stroke. The line, while aiming to be straight and true is riddled with subtle (and not so subtle) curvatures. Now imagine that you were to try again, only this time you create two dots or two points and draw a line between them, then beyond. With two points of reference, a straight line is made possible and it stands in bold contrast to the first in clarity and in power.
A lot of you know I'm up to my neck in art. I'm not here to tell you about line drawing, though; I am here to talk about witnesses. Specifically about the Book of Mormon and how it testifies of Christ. Like the two dots on this page, the Book of Mormon and the Bible are separate distinct works, but relay the same message: That Christ lives. He died for our sins, and through him we may be saved.
The Bible testifies of Christ. The Old Testament tells of the prophecies concerning Christ's coming as well as God's promises to His children. The New Testament tells of his life and mortal ministry and also his Divine Sacrifice. Now, most of the books in the bible span many many generations of time. The New Testament is different--specifically the four gospels Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John. These gospels offer view of one lifetime, which is the life of Christ. Why do four books of scripture talk about the same life? Wouldn't that be easier if we rolled it up into one? Couldn't we order that to go? It is no coincidence in my mind that the four gospels all address the life of Christ and the vents pertaining to His mortal ministry. They testify of Jesus' divine ministry on earth and form a clearer and bolder picture than just one of them alone. They corroborate to give us a greater understanding of His life.
In this same regard, the Book of Mormon stands in compliment to the message of the Bible. Together, shaky doctrines are not changed, but clarified. Together they stand as corroborating witnesses to His ultimate sacrifice. They are here to proclaim boldly and loudly that the Redeemer Lives.
The Book of Mormon proves that the heavens are not sealed and truth and revelations yet remain for us to feast upon. It confirms the validity of Biblical doctrine. John speaks of "other sheep" in chapter 10, verse 16:
"And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd."
Who was Christ talking about? The gentiles? His mission was to preach to the Jews alone, the gentiles would be taught by His disciples. There are passages of scripture where the Savior refused to teach Gentiles because that was not His mission. "Other Sheep" speak of the house of Israel. He was sent to teach "the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
The Bible further prophecies of the coming of the Book of Mormon. You've all heard in Ezekiel the scripture stating that the stick of Judah and Joseph becoming one? We interpret that to mean that the word of the house of Judah (or Jews, or the Bible) will become one with the word of Joseph (or the house of Ephraim, the Book of Mormon). We claim these "sticks" to be volumes of scripture, and we are not alone in that interpretation. In the New Translated Bible, it confirms this. We do not believe the New Translated Bible to be more correct than the King James Version. I bring it up because scholars who have poured over it and studied it interpreted the passage in the same way we do. It states:
This word of the LORD came to me 16.'O man, take one leaf of a wooden tablet and write on it, "Judah and the Israelites associated with him". Then take another leaf and write on it, "Joseph, the leaf of Ephraim and all the Israelite tribes". 17 Now bring the two together to form one tablet; then they will be a folding tablet in your hand. 18 When your fellow-countrymen ask you to tell them what you mean by this, 19 say to them: The Lord GOD has said: I am taking the leaf of Joseph, which belongs to Ephraim and the other tribes of Israel, and joining to it the leaf of Judah. Thus I shall make them one tablet, and they will be one in my hand. 20 When the leaves on which you write are there in your hand for all to see, 21 say to them: The Lord GOD has said: I am going to take the Israelites from their places of exile among the nations; I shall assemble them from every quarter and restore them to their own soil. 22 I shall make them a single nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king will be over them all. No longer will they be two nations, no longer divided into two kingdoms.
Writing on two tablets, one of Judah the other of Ephraim joining together and becoming one.
Another purpose of the Book of Mormon is to testify that Joseph Smith was a prophet and there are prophets in this day.
In Moroni 7:5 it says"
"For I remember the word of God which saith by their works ye shall know them, for if their works be good, then they are good also."
The Book of Mormon answers fundamental questions about life. Who are we? Where did we come from? How can we be happy? It helps us live in a way that is fulfilling. It teaches self improvement and repentance for our mistakes so that we can become better people. It helps us envision a righteous future. Is that not a positive message?
Read the Book of Mormon. Experiment for yourself to see if it is true.
(Alma 32:27)
But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words."
(Ether 4:11)
"But he that believeth these things which I have spoken, him will I visit with the manifestations of my Spirit, and he shall know and bear record. For because of my Spirit he shall know that these things are true; for it persuadeth men to do good."
Now, I'm going to switch gears a little bit and relate to you a story. A lot of you don't know me, so I'll just say that I am an internet geek. I practically grew up online. In any case, when I was twelve, I was very gung ho about religion and decided to see just what the internet had to say about it. I happened upon some forums where there was a topic about Mormonism. At least 10 people in that forum were dedicating their time and energies to systematically and scientifically proving that it was a false work of scripture. They decried our beliefs and history and it always seemed to fall back on the Book of Mormon's validity. If the Book of Mormon weren't true, Joseph Smith was a hoax who died a senseless death and we were all just as foolish for following him.
And they were right in where they aimed their attack. The Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion. Joseph Smith himself said it. "Take away the Book of Mormon and the revelations, and where is our religion? We have none."
They presented data, studies, and other scientific evidence to disprove its validity. They fought fiercely, and I defended as best as I could.
I learned 2 things from that experience. The first is to never argue religion. If both parties don't agree to disagree, then there is no discussion, only 2 sides getting really mad and blowing a whole lot of hot air at each other.
The second thing I learned is the difference between facts and truth. Facts are things you learn in school, book, essays, and other educations sources. It is knowledge recorded, transferable to anyone with the capacity to understand it.
Truth is also knowledge, but knowledge born out of experience. You cannot know truth until you've experienced truth. You cannot know truth, unless you've lived truth. Truth takes constructive personal effort, experience upon experience, line upon line, like drops of water depositing tiny particles of rock to form a stalactite in a cave, or like the formation of ice cycles as water drips in the freezing cold.
The logic of those people with whom I argued was strong and at times convincing. Logic and facts can reduce any argument to shreds, but can it explain the feeling you get when you know something is right? When you know from experience that it is true? Can facts and statistics prove that you love you mother, father, spouse, children, and siblings? It cannot.
(Moroni 10:4)
And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would 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 will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
Could I give that to them? Could I make them understand? You cannot know truth unless you've lived truth. It's not something you can just order on EBay.
(Moroni 10:5)
"And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."
It is by the Spirit that you experience truth. You must take that first step yourself. You must experiment and see for yourself. No one can do it for you and therein lies the challenge. Knock and it shall be opened unto you. Ask and ye shall receive. Knowing truth takes effort. Knowing truth takes faith.
I bear my testimony to you that I have known truth. It has changed me, steered me on the right course, and kept me afloat when I had no strength left. This gospel is real. The Book of Mormon is real. It is a witness to Jesus' mission as our savior and redeemer, and I pray that through the testimonies of these two corroborating works of scripture we may all stand as witnesses to their truth.
And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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