Keystone

Continuing on the subject of scripture, I wish to use the Book of Mormon as the explanatory tool for today's post.

In recent years, I have gained appreciation for good literature. I am certainly not “well read,” but I have read dozens of great books and hope to read hundreds more throughout my life. Out of all these books, however, only one has drastically affected the course of my life. That book is the Book of Mormon.

The Book of Mormon was written by prophets living on the American continent from about 600 B.C. until around 400 A.D. 180 years ago, a young farmer named Joseph Smith received their writings and translated them into modern English. The translation period lasted just under three months, and the Book of Mormon was first published in late 1829. Since that day, over 130 million copies of the book have been distributed throughout the world (the 9th most distributed book in history), and it has been translated into over 100 languages.

I have been aware of the Book of Mormon for as long as I can remember. However, despite growing up in Utah among Mormons, I never read the book until I was nearly 17 years old.

One day, a friend suggested that I read the Book of Mormon. This was not unusual, with most of my friends and neighbors being Mormons. I usually changed the subject when challenged to read what seemed an inevitably boring book. But for some reason, on this occasion I reacted differently. I decided to ask him questions about the book. He provided some basic answers, and for the first time, I felt the desire to read the Book of Mormon.

Over the next several weeks, I began to read it bit by bit. I found the initial stories interesting, and from time to time a passage would strike me as profound. About 100 pages into the book, one thing stood out to me abruptly. It was the name “Jesus Christ,” used by one of the prophets in reference to the future Messiah who would come some 500-600 years in the future.

Now, I didn't consider myself to be a Christian at the time, let alone a member of any religion. Nevertheless, I had read parts of the New Testament, and was aware of the basic history of Jesus Christ as told therein. I knew that Jesus lived in Jerusalem, continents and an ocean away from this Book of Mormon prophet. It struck me as odd how he could name someone who wouldn't be born for hundreds of years, moreover in a completely different part of the world. For whatever reason, this notion peaked my curiosity, filling me with an intense desire to read on and to understand.

It was after this that I felt I had unlocked some secret compartment of the book. As I read, I felt like there was a light slowly growing brighter and brighter, filling me with a holistic sense of understanding that I had never before experienced. Reading only a few passages seemed to open into a huge volume of wisdom, which taught me profound life lessons. These ideas that I had never before considered were not only laid out in the clearest possible way, they stayed with me too. These lingering thoughts carried with them a certain confidence of truth.

At the end of the book, a passage (which I would later learn is one of the primary scriptures used by missionaries when teaching) stood out to me: “...when ye shall read these things...ask God...if these things are not true...he will manifest the truth of it unto you by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.” (Moroni 10:3-5)

At that moment, I felt assured that I had discovered an essential key of truth that would unlock the door to the rest of my existence. I have never since felt so certain about anything else, and I have not been able to forget that feeling.

I understand why Mormons call the Book of Mormon the “keystone” to our religion. By gaining this personal conviction of truth, logic follows that other Gospel teachings merit a closer view. For millions, the Book of Mormon has been that key which has unlocked the door to their perception of God-revealed truth. This experience becomes the solid foundation, the stone, of their understanding of the meaning of life.

I continue to read and enjoy many wonderful books, but none of them has influenced my life as the Book of Mormon. It is a bottomless spring of wisdom. In the years since that first reading, each subsequent read has yielded similar results.

For those who have read the Book of Mormon, I am curious to hear your experiences. Mine has led me to all things in my life, both religious and secular. In your own lives, have you found a similar “keystone” which has led you to where you are now?