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Moroni's promise of the Book of Mormon
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Criticism
Critics have made a variety of attacks Moroni's promise (Moroni 10:3–5):
- They claim that praying about the Book of Mormon is not an objective standard for determining if the book is true or not, and should therefore not be trusted.
- They claim that many people have read and prayed about the Book of Mormon and have either received no answer, or an answer from God that it is false.
Source(s) of the criticism
These sources insist one should not pray for answers about the Book of Mormon:
- John Ankerberg and John Weldon, Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Mormonism (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 1992),273–4, 299–300.
- Bill McKeever and Eric Johnson, Questions to Ask Your Mormon Friend (Minneapolis, Minn.: Bethany House, 1994), 65–70.
- Mark J. Cares, Speaking the Truth In Love to Mormons (Milwaukee, Wis. : Northwestern Pub. House, 1993), 116–20, 211–2.
- James White, Letters to a Mormon Elder (Southbridge, MA: Crowne, 1990), 131–134.
Response
Prayer as a means for determining truth
Non-Mormons often claim that the Bible is the only true "yardstick" for determining truth. Ironically, the Bible refutes this, and clearly shows that the Holy Spirit, or the Spirit of Truth will lead us to all truth (John 14:26, John 15:26, John 5:6). By claiming the Bible as the only source of truth, non-LDS are in fact minimizing the power of prayer and the role of the Holy Ghost.
The LDS believe that the most significant verse of scripture, the scripture which has had the greatest impact on the history of the world is found in James 1:5–6"
- "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed."
This verse led a young man, Joseph Smith to follow that counsel–to offer a humble prayer of faith, being willing to accept the answer, no matter how difficult to accept that answer might be. That prayer led to the beginning of the restoration of the gospel.
Through Joseph Smith, the Lord has revealed other keys to prayer. One is that we are to "study it out" in our minds, then go before the Lord and ask for confirmation that our decision is correct. We are then instructed that if we our decision is correct, we will feel the fruits of the Spirit, and if incorrect, we will have a "stupor of thought". Thus, serious seekers of truth cannot fully claim they have studied the Book of Mormon until they have read it in its entirety. The LDS encourage critical analysis of the Book of Mormon, specifically by prayerfully asking if anyone could have fabricated the book. Everyone who asks himself that question with every page will find, somewhere between the first page and the last, that the answer is 'no'–that the Book of Mormon is true. The Book of Mormon is convincing evidence of the restoration of the gospel through Joseph Smith.