The Book of Mormon is not only the keystone of our religion,
but it can also become the keystone of our testimonies
so that when trials or unanswered questions
confront us, it can hold our testimonies securely in place.
This book is the one weight on the scales of truth
that exceeds the combined weight of all the critics' arguments.
Why?
Because if it is true, then Joseph Smith was a prophet
and this is the restored Church of Jesus Christ,
regardless of any historical or other arguments
to the contrary.
For this reason, the critics are intent on disproving
the Book of Mormon, but the obstacles they face
are insurmountable because this book is true.
First, the critics must explain how
Joseph Smith, a 23-year-old farm boy with limited education,
created a book with hundreds of unique names and places,
as well as detailed stories and events.
Accordingly, many critics propose
that he was a creative genius who
relied upon numerous books and other local resources
to create the historical content of the Book of Mormon.
But contrary to their assertion, there
is not a solitary witness who claims
to have seen Joseph with any of these alleged resources
before the translation began.
Even if this argument were true, it is woefully insufficient
to explain the Book of Mormon's existence.
One must also answer the question:
How did Joseph read all of these alleged resources,
winnow out the irrelevant, keep the intricate facts straight
as to who was in what place and when,
and then dictate it by perfect memory?
For when Joseph Smith translated,
he had no notes whatsoever.
In fact, his wife Emma recalled: "He had neither manuscript nor
book to read from. ...
If he had had anything of the kind
he could not have concealed it from me."
So how did Joseph perform this remarkable feat
of dictating a 500-plus-page book without any notes?
To do so, he must not only have been a creative genius
but also have had a photographic memory
of prodigious proportions.
But if this is true, why did his critics not call attention
to this remarkable talent?
But there is more.
These arguments account only for the book's historical content.
The real issues still remain--how did Joseph produce
a book that radiates with the Spirit,
and where did he get such profound doctrine,
much of which clarifies or contradicts the Christian
beliefs of his time?
For example, the Book of Mormon teaches,
contrary to most Christian beliefs, that the Fall of Adam
was a positive step forward.
It reveals the covenants made at baptism, which
are not addressed in the Bible.
In addition, one might ask--where did Joseph get
the powerful insight that because of Christ's Atonement,
He can not only cleanse us but also perfect us?
Where did he get the stunning sermon on faith in Alma 32?
Or King Benjamin's sermon on the Savior's Atonement, perhaps
the most remarkable sermon on this subject in all scripture?
Or the allegory of the olive tree
with all its complexity and doctrinal richness?
When I read this allegory, I have to map it out
to follow its intricacies.
Are we now supposed to believe that Joseph Smith just
dictated these sermons off the top of his head
with no notes whatsoever?
Contrary to such a conclusion, God's fingerprints
are all over the Book of Mormon, as
evidenced by its majestic doctrinal truths, particularly
its masterful sermons on the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
If Joseph were not a prophet, then in order
to account for these and many other remarkable doctrinal
insights, the critics must make the argument
that he was also a theological genius.
But if that were the case, one might ask: why was Joseph
the only one in the 1,800 years following Christ's ministry
to produce such a breadth of unique and clarifying
doctrines?
Because it was revelation, not brilliance,
that was the source of this book.
But even if we suppose Joseph were a creative and theological
genius with a photographic memory--these talents alone do
not make him a skilled writer.
To explain the Book of Mormon's existence,
the critics must also make the claim
that Joseph was a naturally gifted writer at age 23.
Otherwise, how did he interweave scores of names, places,
and events into a harmonious whole without inconsistencies?
How did he pen detailed war strategies,
compose eloquent sermons, and coin phrases--that are
highlighted, memorized, quoted, and placed on refrigerator
doors by millions of people--such as "When ye are
in the service of your fellow beings ye are only
in the service of your God" or "Men are,
that they might have joy"?
These are messages with a heartbeat--messages that live
and breathe and inspire.
To suggest that Joseph Smith at age 23
possessed the skills necessary to write this monumental work
in a single draft in approximately 65 working days
is simply counter to the realities of life.
President Russell M. Nelson, an experienced and skilled writer,
shared that he had over 40 rewrites
of a recent general conference talk.
Are we now to believe that Joseph Smith, on his own,
dictated the entire Book of Mormon
in a single draft with mainly minor grammatical changes made
thereafter?
Joseph's wife Emma confirmed the impossibility of such
an undertaking: "Joseph Smith [as a young man] could neither
write nor dictate a coherent and well-worded letter;
let alone dictat[e] a book like the Book of Mormon."
And finally, even if one accepts all of the foregoing arguments,
dubious as they may be, the critics still
face another looming obstacle.
Joseph claimed that the Book of Mormon
was written on gold plates.
This claim received unrelenting criticism in his day--for
"everyone" knew that ancient histories were written
on papyrus or parchment, until years later,
when metal plates with ancient writings were discovered.
In addition, the critics claimed that the use of cement,
as described in the Book of Mormon,
was beyond the technical expertise of these early
Americans--until cement structures were found
in ancient America.
How do the critics now account for these
and similar unlikely discoveries?
Joseph, you see, must also have been
a very, very lucky guesser.
[LAUGHTER]
Somehow, in spite of all the odds against him,
against all existing scientific and academic knowledge,
he guessed right when all the others were wrong.
When all is said and done, one might
wonder how someone could believe that all these alleged factors
and forces, as proposed by the critics,
fortuitously combined in such a way that enabled Joseph
to write the Book of Mormon and thus foster a satanic hoax.
But how does this make sense?
In direct opposition to such an assertion,
this book has inspired millions to reject Satan
and to live more Christlike lives.
While someone might choose to believe the critics'
line of reasoning, it is, for me, an intellectual
and spiritual dead end.
To believe such, I would have to accept one unproven assumption
after another.
In addition, I would have to disregard
the testimony of every one of the 11 witnesses,
even though each remained true to his testimony
to the very end; I would have to reject the divine doctrine that
fills page after page of this sacred book
with its supernal truths; I would
have to ignore the fact that multitudes, including myself,
have come closer to God by reading
this book than any other; and above all, I
would have to deny the confirming
whisperings of the Holy Spirit.
This would be contrary to everything I know to be true.
One of my good and bright friends
left the Church for a time.
He recently wrote to me of his return:
"Initially, I wanted the Book of Mormon
to be proven to me historically, geographically, linguistically,
and culturally.
But when I changed my focus to what
it teaches about the gospel of Jesus Christ and His saving
mission, I began to gain a testimony of its truthfulness.
One day while reading the Book of Mormon in my room,
I paused, knelt down, and gave a heartfelt prayer
and felt resoundingly that Heavenly Father whispered
to my spirit that the Church and the Book of Mormon
were definitely true.
My three-and-a-half-year period of reinvestigating the Church
led me back wholeheartedly and convincingly to its
truthfulness."
If one will take the time to humbly read and ponder
the Book of Mormon, as did my friend,
and give ear to the sweet fruits of the Spirit,
then he or she will eventually receive the desired witness.
The Book of Mormon is one of God's priceless gifts to us.
It is both sword and shield--it sends the word of God
into battle to fight for the hearts of the just and serves
as an arch defender of the truth.
As Saints, we not only have the privilege to defend the Book
of Mormon but the opportunity to take the offense--to preach
with power its divine doctrine and bear witness of its
crowning witness of Jesus Christ.
I bear my solemn testimony that the Book of Mormon
was translated by the gift and power of God.
It is God's compelling witness of the divinity of Jesus
Christ, the prophetic calling of Joseph Smith,
and the absolute truth of this Church.
May it become the keystone of our testimonies,
so it may be said of us, as it was the converted Lamanites,
they "never did fall away."
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.