Without the Book of Mormon – Who am I?

The following is the text that I used in a talk that I gave in our church services. If you are unfamiliar with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, one of the things that make us unique is that we don’t have a paid preacher to give the sermon each week. Our sermons are given by members of the congregation who are assigned by our local leaders – who are also unpaid members of the congregation. While it can be stressful when you’re the one who is giving the talk (what we call these assigned sermons), it is also a really great way to get fresh perspectives on gospel principles each week.

In this post I talk a lot about some of the unique teachings and practices of our church compared to other Christian denominations. If you want to learn more I always welcome questions, or I can help connect you with local missionaries, or great resources that can help you understand more about our beliefs.

I also want to make sure that I say up front that I hold faithful followers of other religions in the highest regard. While this post focuses on some of the unique things that I love about the gospel that I cherish, it is not meant in any way to put down anyone else’s beliefs. I believe that all faithful people, regardless of religious tradition, are given inspiration and light from God and that all are beloved children of Heavenly Parents. I don’t think I’ve said anything in here that those who believe differently would find antagonistic, but if I’m wrong and any of this feels attacking to your own beliefs, please know that was not my intention and I apologize if that is the case. This message was written in the context of being shared with those who share my beliefs, but it might feel different to those who don’t.

A few years back I considered converting to Catholicism when I discovered that my Catholic friends can decide to go to mass at 7pm on Saturday nights and then they can sleep in on Sunday mornings.  I am not a morning person and that option was really appealing! My Catholic friends are some of the most Christlike people I know and I’ve drawn closer to my Savior through my association with them, so I would still have a good faith community and I could sleep in on Sundays – it was sounding like a pretty good plan!

Unfortunately, I really like having the Book of Mormon, and the Doctrine & Covenants, and living prophets, and temples, and continuing revelation, and eternal families, and the Plan of Salvation, and degrees of glory, and eternal progression, and a Heavenly Mother, and ordinances for the dead, and Relief Society, and the priesthood in my home, and ministering, and callings, and missionaries, and self-reliance, and General Conference, and Come Follow Me, and the word of Wisdom, and patriarchal blessings, and personal revelation, and physical resurrection, and our understanding of the Godhead. 

So… I decided against Catholic conversion.  But, if you want to know whether or not I have a testimony of the church just remember this – it’s the first day of daylight saving time, my 1 year old is a lousy sleeper, we have 9am church… and I’m here.  That should tell you pretty much all you need to know about my testimony of the gospel.

When I was asked to speak I was given a couple of scriptures to speak on. However the bishopric also offered me an out that I could speak on whatever was in my heart right now.  I tried at first to stick with the scriptures that had been given me, but there was a challenge that had been something that I wanted to write out, and the further I got into writing my talk… the less my talk had to do with the scriptures given. So I finally let the bishopric know that my actual topic was going to be President Nelson’s talk from October 2017 General Conference.

I had thought his talk was given recently recently, so I was surprised to find that it was almost 8 years ago, back when President Nelson was still Elder Nelson.  He issued a challenge that had struck me and I had pondered on it over the years, but never taken the time to write out my ponderings. 

As I wrote my talk I looked up the quote that I remembered, pasted it in, but I didn’t actually re-listen to the talk 🤦‍♀️ This morning, after I’d finished printing out my talk I finally listened to it while curling my hair and found so much in it that I wished I had incorporated into what I was going to share! I had spent all week trying to cut bulk out of my talk because I was worried that I would go over, and it was really too late to change things so I was just mad at my own lack of preparation.

However, when I got to church the returning missionary who was speaking with me mentioned that she didn’t have a lot to share. Aw man! I’d just spent all this time cutting parts of my talk out and now I was going to be short instead of long!

Luckily I was able to pull President Nelson’s talk up and add in some of the things that had impressed me while listening to his previous address. I think it was a little tender mercy because if I hadn’t cut down what I’d originally written I wouldn’t have had time to share President Nelson’s words directly – it’s interesting how the Lord works with us.

President Nelson shared this in his talk –

My brothers and sisters, how precious is the Book of Mormon to you? If you were offered diamonds or rubies or the Book of Mormon, which would you choose? Honestly, which is of greater worth to you? 

Remember in the Sunday morning session of the April 2017 general conference, President Thomas S. Monson pleaded with “each of us to prayerfully study and ponder the Book of Mormon each day.” Many have responded to our prophet’s plea. […]

Something powerful happens when a child of God seeks to know more about Him and His Beloved Son. Nowhere are those truths taught more clearly and powerfully than in the Book of Mormon. Since President Monson’s challenge six months ago, I have tried to follow his counsel. Among other things, I’ve made lists of what the Book of Mormon is, what it affirms, what it refutes, what it fulfills, what it clarifies, and what it reveals. Looking at the Book of Mormon through these lenses has been an insightful and inspiring exercise! I recommend it to each of you.

I was impressed when I heard this talk to hear that Elder Nelson took the time to take the prophets challenge at the time.  Somehow I had always thought of those challenges as being for regular members of the church.  The apostles were in their own league and beyond having to do what the rest of us do, right?  That really strengthened my testimony of how important it is for us to follow the direction of the prophet – even the apostles take it seriously.

President Nelson posed these questions –

“First, what would your life be like without the Book of Mormon? Second, what would you not know? And third, what would you not have?”

I tried to take his challenge. But I found it difficult to imagine my life without the Book of Mormon in it. I was raised in the church. Every single ancestor on my dad’s side of the family was baptized into the church during their own life time as far back as the church was restored, and my mom was raised in the gospel too. I was even raised near Palmyra, New York until I was 10, so church history was part of my childhood. Growing up, our family was always at church activities, my parents served in leadership roles, and the gospel shaped my life.

I attended BYU, where I met Eric, and as most of you already know we got engaged within 9 days of our first date.  We married in the temple and now almost 18 years later we have 5 beautiful kids that we’re busy trying to also raise in the gospel. So far, I think I’ve had a pretty good life, and every single good thing in my life – I can tie back to the gospel.

I don’t say that with the intention to brag. Actually, somewhat the opposite. Because my life has been so entrenched in the gospel I can’t even fathom who I would be without it. When President Nelson asked about what my life would be like without the Book of Mormon I couldn’t even come up with a reasonable answer.  Without the Book of Mormon does my Australian mom come to Utah – where my dad’s family only lived because of the restoration of the church – so that they find each other, get married and decide to have me?  Who am I without the Book of Mormon?

This has caused me to stop at times and question – do I believe the gospel because it’s the only thing I know, or is it actually something that I know to be true for myself?  Had I been raised in a different family would I have been just as firmly convinced of Catholicism, or Judaism, or Islam, or even Atheism?  How much of what I believe is just because of my surroundings rather than my own personal search for objective truth? 

I have a bit of what I’ve heard termed ‘holy envy’ for converts to the church. Not that I would trade my upbringing or the privilege that it has been to have that light in my life all along. I just wish I could better appreciate and value the truth and light that I have been given.

However, even without that experience, I can identify the good things in my life that have come as a result of the Book of Mormon.  While I was being a little bit flippant in my list of reasons to not swap 9am church for 7pm mass – I’m also 100% serious. 

There were over 20 things on that list that I identified as being unique teachings, programs or practices of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – and I wouldn’t trade anything to have to give up a single one of them.  They might not all be directly from the Book of Mormon, but the restoration of the church was spurred by the Book of Mormon so I’m counting them all as byproducts. 

As I tried to define what the restored gospel has given me, I grouped  those truths into five categories that have shaped my life and testimony.  I want to talk to you a little bit about the things that I would not know or have without the Book of Mormon. (as a side note, if you go to President Nelson’s original talk he includes his own list that he shared outside of his talk that I think would be a great study topic)

The first is Continuing Revelation – The Book of Mormon, the Doctrine & Covenants, living prophets, General Conference.  I can’t understand a context of a loving God who would give direction to some children at one place and time, but not care about others. The restored gospel teaches us that the heavens are open and have been open to people regardless of where they live or when they live.  God spoke to the peoples in the Americas, He speaks today, and He has spoken to many people throughout time. 

God loves all people everywhere, everywhen.  That to me is exactly what a loving God should look like.

Second – Organization and Authority entrusted to regular people. Relief Society, the priesthood, church callings , missionaries, ministering, self-reliance, patriarchal blessings, and personal revelation.  The restored gospel uniquely empowers ordinary people to serve in extraordinary ways. Even my own 2 young sons have been given the priesthood to serve in our community.  Where else do 14 & 16 year olds get that kind of authority?

From Relief Society presidencies to young missionaries, each of us has a role to play in God’s work.  You don’t need a fancy degree or special training – God needs YOU and me. We are all called upon to serve God in our regular lives – you don’t have to live in a convent and give up everything to qualify.  We’re taught in D&C 4:3 that “if ye have desires to serve God, then ye are called to the work.”

As Elder Holland pointed out, “imperfect people are all God has ever had to work with.” and I’m so grateful that He is willing to work with us.

Third – A knowledge of who we are, why we’re here, where we’re going. The Plan of Salvation, degrees of glory, and eternal progression.  I can’t even understand how people get through life without this knowledge.  These truths give life so much purpose and hope. Knowing that our loving Heavenly Parents desire the greatest possible happiness for us—even to progress eternally—fills me with hope and purpose.

Fourth – The rites of the gospel being offered to all.  Temples, eternal families, ordinances for the dead, a physical resurrection.  In many Christian traditions, the importance of baptism and sacraments is widely accepted, but what about those who never had the chance?

Would a just and loving God deny salvation simply because of when or where someone was born? The restored gospel is finally able to bridge the gap between the necessity of baptism and the impossibility of all to receive it in this life.

The reality of temple ordinances reassures me that God is truly no respecter of persons—every soul has an equal opportunity for exaltation.

Fifth – A better understanding of the Godhead. Their physical reality, their origin and the fact that we have a Heavenly Mother. 

We don’t talk a lot about our Heavenly Mother, in large part because as a church we don’t really know a lot about Her beyond the fact that She exists and that we as women were created in Her image and can grow up to be like Her. I will be honest, this frequently causes me a lot of frustration to not know more about Her.  BUT…. I have a Heavenly Mother.  And because of the restored gospel, I know that. Of course I want to know more, but I know I have a Heavenly Mother.  There’s a version of deity that looks like me, and I have someone who I can look up to and become like.  I don’t know that I can properly express what that truth means to me in my life.

Testimony

I am so grateful for the Book of Mormon in my life.  I may not know what my life would be like without it, but I do know that my life is immeasurably better with it. 

I want to bear my testimony that I know that the Book of Mormon and the gospel truths that we have gained as a result of it are true.  I’m so grateful for the organization of our church and that I can be a part of it.  If you don’t have a testimony of the Book of Mormon I would encourage you to take President Nelson’s challenge as well.  Consider the light and truth that is in your life because of its teachings. 

I don’t just believe this because it’s the way I was raised—I believe the gospel because I’ve seen the power of the Book of Mormon in my life. I’ve tested it, and it has strengthened me.  As the Savior taught in Matthew 7:16, “Ye shall know them by their fruits”  The fruits of the Book of Mormon WILL bless your life.  I testify that the Book of Mormon is true. 

I know that we have Heavenly Parents who know and love each of you.  If you don’t know that for yourself, ask Them, I know they are waiting and desperate to show you how much they care about you.  I’m so grateful for our Savior and that through Him we can live and grow through eternity.  I share these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.