Why do I Believe the Book of Mormon is the Word of God?
A: When I was first introduced to the Book of Mormon, I knew nothing about it. The missionaries who were teaching me about the Church and its beliefs claimed it was the word of God, just like the Bible is the word of God. They said that if I studied the book, I could know for myself that it was true through the power of the Holy Ghost. I knew about the Holy Ghost, since I'd been taught of his existence in my upbringing as a Catholic.
Trusting in God, I began reading the Book of Mormon, not just to test its authenticity, but also to see what it had to say. The Latter-day Saint family that had introduced me to the Church lent me some picture-book versions of the book, designed to help young readers understand what it was talking about. As I read the picture books, I could see that a prophet-father had left Jerusalem with his wife and children and was traveling through the desert toward America, a promised land. The Lord was openly leading, guiding, and helping them on their journey.
Then, I started reading the book itself instead of the big book with visual aides. As I read, I asked the Lord in prayer that He would tell me or show me if the book was true. This went on for a number of weeks as I studied the book. One night, after praying on my knees that the Lord would answer my prayer, I crawled into bed. Very shortly, I received a witness through the Holy Ghost that not only demonstrated to me that the Book of Mormon is true, but also that God indeed exists and loves me more than I can express. It was a gift of testimony directly from the Lord Himself.
Why is this important? Because you can receive the same witness I did through the power of the Holy Ghost. Just follow the same steps I did, and sincerely ask God to show you if the book is true. I bear testimony that He will.
