The Book of Mormon—a Book from God

This entry is part of my general conference application series.

The Book of Mormon—a Book from God, by Tad R. Callister
Of the Presidency of the Seventy


If you read my last post, you may be yelling, "But politics and religion don't mix!"

What about math and religion?

In his talk about the Book of Mormon being another testament of Jesus Christ, Elder Callister used math to illustrate his point:

The Bible is one witness of Jesus Christ; the Book of Mormon is another. Why is this second witness so crucial? The following illustration may help: How many straight lines can you draw through a single point on a piece of paper? The answer is infinite. For a moment, suppose that single point represents the Bible and that hundreds of those straight lines drawn through that point represent different interpretations of the Bible and that each of those interpretations represents a different church.

What happens, however, if on that piece of paper there is a second point representing the Book of Mormon? How many straight lines could you draw between these two reference points: the Bible and the Book of Mormon? Only one. Only one interpretation of Christ’s doctrines survives the testimony of these two witnesses.

Okay, this works mathematically, but is it a valid comparison?

Here's the thing: I don't want you to believe me when I tell you that the Book of Mormon stands as another witness of Jesus Christ. Don't believe me, please.

What I do want you to do is find out for yourself. (You may have seen this one coming.) You can read the Book of Mormon, think about what you read and what its teachings inspire you to do, and then ask God if the book is true. You don't have to listen to me, your neighbor, your preacher, or what thousands say on the Internet (particularly not this handsome fellow, link).

Find out for yourself!

Seriously.

You'll be glad you did!