Book Of Mormon Student Manual

The Book of Mormon testifies of Jesus Christ and teaches us how to become His disciples. The Prophet Joseph Smith (1805–44) affirmed that “a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book” (History of the Church, 4:461; Book of Mormon introduction). As you study the Book of Mormon and are prayerful, the Holy Ghost continually bears witness to your heart and mind of the Savior’s divine role as the Redeemer of mankind. The Book of Mormon exerts a powerful influence on the hearts of those who receive it and ponder its message. Elder Parley P. Pratt (1807–57), an early convert of the Restoration and an eventual member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, related the following regarding the first time heread the Book of Mormon: “I opened it with eagerness, and read its title page. I then read the testimony of several witnesses in relation to the manner of its being found and translated. After this I commenced its contents by course. I read all day; eating was a burden, I had no desire for food; sleep was a burden when the night came, for I preferred reading to sleep. “As I read, the spirit of the Lord was upon me, and I knew and comprehended that the book was true” (Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, ed. Parley P. Pratt Jr. [1938], 37). Modern prophets have continually emphasized the need for every Latter-day Saint to read and reread the Book of Mormon. President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008) declared, “I promise you that if each of you will [read the Book of Mormon], regardless of how many times you previously may have read the Book of Mormon, there will come into your lives and into your homes an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord, a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to His commandments, and a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God” (“A Testimony Vibrant and True,” Ensign, Aug. 2005, 6). President Boyd K. Packer, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, shared how he learned that studying the Book of Mormon leads to personal revelation: “I found [the Book of Mormon] to be plain and precious. … “I learned that anyone, anywhere, could read in the Book of Mormon and receive inspiration. “Some insights came after reading a second, even a third time and seemed to be ‘likened’ to what I faced in everyday life” (in Conference Report, Apr. 2005, 6; or Ensign, May 2005, 7). Inspiration, as President Packer testified, will come as you consistently read from the Book of Mormon.

A textbook used in the institute program of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. provides theological commentary on the text of the Book of Mormon.

The principal doctrines defining Mormonism today often bear little resemblance to those it started out with in the early 1830s. This book shows that these doctrines did not originate in a vacuum but were rather prompted and informed by the religious culture from which Mormonism arose. Early Mormons, like their early Christian and even earlier Israelite predecessors, brought with them their own varied culturally conditioned theological presuppositions (a process of convergence) and only later acquired a more distinctive theological outlook (a process of differentiation). In this first-of-its-kind comprehensive treatment of the development of Mormon theology, Charles Harrell traces the history of Latter-day Saint doctrines from the times of the Old Testament to the present. He describes how Mormonism has carried on the tradition of the biblical authors, early Christians, and later Protestants in reinterpreting scripture to accommodate new theological ideas while attempting to uphold the integrity and authority of the scriptures. In the process, he probes three questions: How did Mormon doctrines develop? What are the scriptural underpinnings of these doctrines? And what do critical scholars make of these same scriptures? In this enlightening study, Harrell systematically peels back the doctrinal accretions of time to provide a fresh new look at Mormon theology. “This Is My Doctrine” will provide those already versed in Mormonism’s theological tradition with a new and richer perspective of Mormon theology. Those unacquainted with Mormonism will gain an appreciation for how Mormon theology fits into the larger Jewish and Christian theological traditions.