“The moment you begin a serious
study of [the Book of Mormon, you] will find greater power to resist
temptation. You will find the power to avoid deception. You will find the power
to stay on the strait and narrow path. … When you begin to hunger and thirst
after those words, you will find life in greater and greater abundance” (Ezra Taff Benson)
When my husband attended SIU we found a Book of Mormon in the house we were renting. I had no idea what it was or the treasures it held. A pamphlet inside the book told the story about a young farm boy who had been directed in a vision to dig up some gold plates and how he had translated them into the Book of Mormon. The plates were nothing more than inspired writings about the history of a people from the house of Israel who had fled their home land to come to this Continent .
If we think about it, that is exactly what the Bible is. It is inspired and it is about the history of the earth, the people who inhabit it and their dealings with God, who created the earth and his Son Jesus Christ.
As I began reading the Book of Mormon I found that it did not take away from anything I had been taught by my Baptist Grandmother. I am so grateful to her for the strong gospel foundation she gave me. The second thing the Book of Mormon did was answer a lot of questions I had that the Bible did not answer. Suddenly it all made sense. I cannot tell you today exactly what those things were anymore. They were like missing puzzle pieces. Once they were in place and completed the picture I could not remember which pieces were missing before. I only remember that some of those missing pieces had to do with the creation story and about the trinity. When I read the Bible now I know the whole story and the disconnect is not there.
I could not read the Book of Mormon fast enough. It was like a concordance or a Bible dictionary that enhanced and expanded on the wonderful truths that were in the Bible. I love them equally. They complete and complement each other.
