What Church Leaders Are Saying about the Book of Mormon

As we begin our study of the Book of Mormon this year, the testimonies of Church leaders can remind us of the great blessings that come from this miraculous book of scripture.

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father and his son looking at a tablet

“When I think of the Book of Mormon, I think of the word power,” said President Russell M. Nelson. “The truths of the Book of Mormon have the power to heal, comfort, restore, succor, strengthen, console, and cheer our souls.”¹

As another testament of Jesus Christ, the Book of Mormon is a witness to the divinity and majesty of the Savior. The Prophet Joseph Smith declared, “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.”²

As we prayerfully study the Book of Mormon this year, blessings will pour into our lives and into our homes. The testimonies of General Authorities and General Officers of the Church below stand as witness.

A Fifty-Year Habit of Daily Study

“Since I was a young boy, I have felt the witness that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, that the Father and the Son appeared and spoke with Joseph Smith, and that ancient Apostles came to the Prophet Joseph to restore priesthood keys to the Lord’s Church.

“With that testimony, I have read the Book of Mormon every day for more than 50 years.”³

—President Henry B. Eyring, Second Counselor in the First Presidency

Serious Study Invites Revelation

“Scripture is a source of truth, and it fosters personal revelation. You have probably had the same experience that I have had when pondering a verse. Sometimes new light comes with greater understanding of what I am reading, and at other times a little burst of truth springs forth that is quite unrelated to the words on the page. Either way, being in the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon, puts us in a condition to receive gifts of greater light and knowledge.”⁴

—Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

A Testimony Comes by Study and Prayer

“The beginning of my testimony occurred when I lived in Göteborg, Sweden. I was 11 years old. The mission president issued an invitation to all the young people to read the Book of Mormon. I accepted that challenge and started to read it. Somewhere in my reading, one of the mission president’s counselors told us that we should pray about what we read. I remember very well the evening that I acted on that invitation. I knelt at the bedside, and I began a very simple prayer to know whether the Book of Mormon is true.

“I did not hear a voice, but it was as if God told me, ‘I have been telling you all along that it is true.’ That experience changed me; it changed my life. It began a process of belief, a process of being on the covenant path and trying to do more and trying to do better.”⁵

—Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Joseph Smith Couldn’t Have Written It

“I was a business professor for almost 20 years. As a part of my work, I wrote books. … [One of the books I wrote with a colleague] is 650 pages long, it contains 17 chapters, and it took us two years to write. The colleague with whom I wrote this book also has a Ph.D., which means that we each went to college for eight years or more—a total of more than 16 years of formal higher education between the two of us. It is a remarkable experience to receive a box of these brand-new books from the publisher. … I opened up the box and thumbed through one of the books. As I did so, I looked out the window of my office and asked myself the question, ‘Why did you write this book?’ When you really think about it, investing so much time and effort in a project that so quickly becomes obsolete is rather foolish. As I posed that question to myself and as I was pondering, the thought came to me, ‘Because now you know by experience that Joseph Smith could not have written the Book of Mormon.’”⁶

—Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Scripture Study: A Positive Habit

“If you have not begun a lifelong commitment to study daily from the scriptures, I invite you to begin today. … I plead with you to make the Book of Mormon a large part of that daily commitment.

“When you slip, start again. Don’t let one missed day turn into two and then three and four. This will be a blessing to you, and it will also bless your children.”⁷

—Elder Michael T. Ringwood of the Seventy

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Savior visiting in ancient America

Christ in the Land Bountiful, by Simon Dewey

The Voice of Christ

“Our Savior told His New Testament disciples, ‘Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold’ [John 10:16]. In the Americas, the resurrected Lord testified to Lehi’s covenant children, ‘Ye are my sheep’ [3 Nephi 15:24]. And Jesus said yet other sheep would hear His voice [see 3 Nephi 16:1, 3]. What a blessing the Book of Mormon is as another testament witnessing the voice of Jesus Christ!”⁸

—Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

A Personal Relationship with Christ

“I have read the powerful messages within the Book of Mormon many times throughout my life. However, recently I listened to the audio version of the Book of Mormon for the first time. I had a remarkable experience listening to the words of the recorded voices of the various prophets’ messages. I had a specific experience as I listened to the final writings of the prophet Nephi in 2 Nephi 33. After listening to the powerful witness Nephi shares throughout his writings, I was struck at his declaration, ‘I glory in plainness; I glory in truth; I glory in my Jesus, for he hath redeemed my soul from hell’ [2 Nephi 33:6]. I was so deeply touched by his declaration that I stopped to rewind to be certain I heard the words correctly. … Like Nephi, I testify of the opportunity we have to receive a personal witness and have a very personal relationship with Jesus Christ.”⁹

—Lisa L. Harkness, First Counselor in the Primary General Presidency

Another Testament of Jesus Christ

“I finished reading the Book of Mormon in December [2018] along with so many of you [in response to President Russell M. Nelson’s challenge]. …

“My testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon as another testament of Jesus Christ has been strengthened. As I marked every reference to the Savior, I was honestly quite surprised at how many times I had to sharpen my red pencil! As I have started to read the Book of Mormon again, I find myself drawn once more to every mention of Jesus Christ within the pages of this book. … I know that Jesus Christ is my advocate with the Father, my Prince of Peace, and my light in the wilderness. He is for you as well.”¹⁰

—Michelle Craig, First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency

A Book That Brings Happiness and Hope

“I ask that my testimony of the Book of Mormon and all that it implies, given today under my own oath and office, be recorded by men on earth and angels in heaven. … I want it absolutely clear when I stand before the judgment bar of God that I declared to the world, in the most straightforward language I could summon, that the Book of Mormon is true, that it came forth the way Joseph said it came forth and was given to bring happiness and hope to the faithful in the travail of the latter days.”¹¹

—Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles