The LDS sacrament is known to other Christians as the Eucharist, Communion, or generally, the Lord’s Supper.  Two priesthood holders, usually young men, bless first the broken bread and then the water, which have been placed in trays. After the respective prayers, these trays are passed to the seated congregation.

When it comes to you, you can either take one and pass it, or just pass it.  Either way, no one will fuss.

In my personal opinion, there is no harm in taking the Sacrament without being a member. No one is going to look at you like you’ve blasphemed their faith by partaking. I, along with many other members, allow my children to take the Sacrament and they haven’t been baptized as members yet.

However, it is important to understand why we take the Sacrament: 1) It reminds us of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and His great sacrifice on our behalf.  2) It serves as a renewal of the covenants we made at our baptism.

Regarding the first, I feel that most visitors would have no problem viewing the  bread and water as symbolic of the body and blood of our Redeemer.  The second reason just doesn’t apply though. Without having been baptized, you can’t renew those covenants.

Essentially, it’s up to you. You’re certainly under no obligation to take the Sacrament. If you feel more comfortable passing the tray along, that’s perfectly acceptable. If you’d like to take it, you’re welcome to do so, though it will mean far more to you after baptism.  This weekly ordinance allows baptized and confirmed saints to maintain the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, the greatest gift we can have in life.

The Book of Mormon is about a people who left Jerusalem and lost their connection to the prophets of the Bible that lived there.  In order to teach this separate people, God called prophets among them.  Through their history, each wrote down their own experiences, prophecies and sermons.  All the writings were condensed and compiled  into a single volume a thousand years later by a prophet named Mormon.  That volume, written on gold plates, was buried anciently and retrieved by Joseph Smith by commandment of God.  He translated the work though the power of God into English and worked to distribute the book to as many of God’s children as would receive it.

It is through the Book of Mormon that we can more clearly see that Jesus Christ has been known to all of His followers, no matter where or when.  The power of the Book of Mormon comes from its witness that Jesus is the savior and redeemer of the world.  That witness is given by every one of the prophets in the Book of Mormon.  One of those prophets, named Nephi, expressed his reason for writing of Christ.

And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophecy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins (2 Nephi 25:26).

Nephi’s brother, Jacob, expressed similar feelings.  ”For this intent have we written these things, that they may know that we knew of Christ, and we had a hope of his glory many hundred years before his coming; and not only we ourselves had a hope of his glory, but also all the holy prophets which were before us” (Jacob 4:4).

With such a purpose of this book, it is important to understand clear what it is.  I’ve seen that some people refer to our scriptures as the Mormon Bible.  This term is confusing because it implies that the Book of Mormon replaces the Holy Bible, which it doesn’t.  We believe in and study the Holy Bible (in English, we usually read the King James version) along with the Book of Mormon.  The two are inseparably combined and go hand in hand.  With both of these resources available, a greater clarity of the scriptures can be understood by those willing to study it out.

For example, in the gospel of Matthew we read that Christ went to John the baptist to be baptized.  John realized that if there was anyone ever who never needed baptism for remission of sins, it was Jesus.  Yet Jesus was supposed to be baptized, saying, “Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15).  What exactly does it mean “to fulfill all righteousness”?  A prophet from the Book of Mormon explains it for us: “And now, I would ask of you, my beloved brethren, wherein the Lamb of God did fulfil all righteousness in being baptized by water?  Know ye not that he was holy? But notwithstanding he being holy, he showeth unto the children of men that, according to the flesh he humbleth himself before the Father, and witnesseth unto the Father that he would be obedient unto him in keeping his commandments” (2 Nephi 31:6-7).  This is just a single example of many such topics.  We learn about Christ’s sacrifice and suffering, the priesthood, faith, the purpose of the law and many others in this book.

The Book of Mormon also teaches us that a testimony of Jesus Christ will protect us.  It demonstrates very vividly the promise that the Lord has made to His people as He said, “If ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper in the land, but inasmuch as ye do not these things, ye shall be swept off the face of the land.” (See 2 Nephi 1:9-11)  This seems to be the overarching theme that is shown by periods of prosperity followed by periods of war and famine, ending ultimately in the complete destruction of a people that had fully rejected Christ in their lives.

In short, every single prophet taught the people about Christ, His mission on earth, His atonement and our eternal indebtedness to Him.  They were taught to humble themselves before Him, to learn of Him, to pray to Him, to do His will, and above all, to be as He is.  We too can learn the lessons the people of the Book of Mormon were taught, with the added benefit of perspective.  Consequences of embracing or leaving behind the gospel of Christ are put in plain view in scripture.

Any way you look at it, the Book of Mormon is phenomenal.  In just over 500 pages, a history of a people, spanning about a thousand years, is presented.  It is complete with personal stories of its authors, societal issues of an ancient people and above all, prophecy after prophecy and principle after principle relating to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  If you have not yet read it, please do so at your first possible chance.

“Hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, . . . and they teach all men that they should do good.  And if they are not the words of Christ, judge ye—for Christ will show unto you, with power and great glory, that they are his words, at the last day.” 2 Nephi 33:10-11

See also: Safety for the Soul by Jeffrey R. Holland

From what I have seen and experienced, Mormons celebrate Christmas in just about the same way that the rest of the Christmas-celebrating-world does.  We (in the U.S.) have a Christmas tree, stockings, egg nog (not alcoholic), family gatherings, presents, a visit from Santa, caroling, parties, and other unique family traditions.

One thing that Mormons try to do, which might set us apart from the worldly Christmas around us, is to focus on Christ as the center of the celebration.  Many families reenact the Nativity at some point on Christmas Eve or Christmas; and we try to emphasize gratitude for our blessings rather than getting more loot.

The First Presidency of the Church (our modern prophet and his counselors) produces a Christmas fireside each year, which is very typical of our attitude toward Christmas.  Watch the whole thing by clicking on this link.

While I was growing up, each year we’d gather the family and we would read the nativity story from the Bible together.  Sometimes my father would read and the children would act it out.  In this picture, we are the wise men bringing gifts. (I’m the littlest wise man in the back)  By taking time to read and think about the birth of Christ it helps us think about the greatest gift that was given.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  – John 3:16

I am truly grateful for the birth and life of Jesus Christ.  Through his suffering in Gethsemane, death on the cross and his resurrection, he has made it possible that we can repent and receive forgiveness of our sins and that we can live again after death.  What a wonderful Christmas gift.

While preparing for a class, I came across this talk given by Hugh B. Brown, a member of the First Presidency of our church, who passed away some years ago.  It details a conversation that he had with a member of the British House of Commons and a former justice of the supreme court of Britain regarding our belief in the reality of modern-day prophets.

I will never understand why people reject the doctrine of God still being able to call prophets.  He has always done so and will continue to do so.  I firmly declare that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and that there is a prophet today who speaks for God.  Prophets are essential to us knowing who God and Jesus Christ are—their characters and their teachings that will bring salvation.  You too can know of this truth if you will sincerely ask God in prayer with faith to act.

“[This man] called me on the phone one day and asked if I would meet him at his office and explain some phases of my faith. He said, “There is going to be a war [World War II], and you will have to return to America, and we may not meet again.”

When I went to his office, he said he had been intrigued by some things I had told about my church. He asked me if I would prepare a brief on Mormonism and discuss it with him as I would discuss a legal problem. He said, “You have told me that you believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that you believe that God the Father and Jesus of Nazareth appeared to him in vision.

“I cannot understand,” he said, “how a barrister and solicitor from Canada, a man trained in logic and evidence and unemotional cold fact, could accept such absurd statements. What you tell me about Joseph Smith seems fantastic, but I wish you would take three days at least to prepare a brief and permit me to examine it and question you on it.”

I suggested that, as I had been working on such a brief for more than 50 years, we proceed at once to have an examination for discovery, which is briefly a meeting of the opposing sides in a lawsuit where the plaintiff and defendant, with their attorneys, meet to examine each other’s claims and see whether they can find some area of agreement and thus save the time of the court later on.

I began by asking, “May I proceed, sir, on the assumption that you are a Christian?”

“I am.”

“I assume that you believe in the Bible—the Old and New Testaments?”

“I do!”

“Do you believe in prayer?”

“I do!”

“You say that my belief that God spoke to a man in this age is fantastic and absurd?”

“To me it is.”

“Do you believe that God ever did speak to anyone?”

“Certainly, all through the Bible we have evidence of that.”

“Did he speak to Adam?”

“Yes.”

“To Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jacob, and to others of the prophets?”

“I believe he spoke to each of them.”

“Do you believe that contact between God and man ceased when Jesus appeared on the earth?”

“Certainly not. Such communication reached its climax, its apex at that time.”

“Do you believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God?”

“He was.”

“Do you believe, sir, that after the resurrection of Christ, God ever spoke to any man?”

He thought for a moment and then said, “I remember one Saul of Tarsus who was going down to Damascus to persecute the saints and who had a vision, was stricken blind, in fact, and heard a voice.”

“Whose voice did he hear?”

“Well,” he said, “the voice said `I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.’”

“Do you believe that actually took place?”

“I do.”

“Then, my Lord”—that is the way we address judges in the British commonwealth—”my Lord, I am submitting to you in all seriousness that it was standard procedure in Bible times for God to talk to men.”

“I think I will admit that, but it stopped shortly after the first century of the Christian era.”

“Why do you think it stopped?”

“I can’t say.”

“You think that God hasn’t spoken since then?”

“Not to my knowledge.”

“May I suggest some possible reasons why he has not spoken. Perhaps it is because he cannot. He has lost the power.”

He said, “Of course that would be blasphemous.”

“Well, then, if you don’t accept that, perhaps he doesn’t speak to men because he doesn’t love us anymore. He is no longer interested in the affairs of men.”

“No,” he said, “God loves all men, and he is no respecter of persons.”

“Well, then, if you don’t accept that he loves us, then the only other possible answer as I see it is that we don’t need him. We have made such rapid strides in education and science that we don’t need God any more.”

And then he said, and his voice trembled as he thought of impending war, “Mr. Brown, there never was a time in the history of the world when the voice of God was needed as it is needed now. Perhaps you can tell me why he doesn’t speak.”

My answer was, “He does speak, he has spoken; but men need faith to hear him.”

(President Hugh B. Brown, Conference Report, October 1967, Third Day—Morning Meeting 118.)

One of the questions that often came up during their visit was whether Mormons believed our works saved us or the grace of Jesus Christ did.  They made an interesting observation: when challenged with this question, each latter-day Saint (even General Authorities) responded with one of two answers.  1) We are saved by the grace of Jesus Christ.  2) Works are necessary for salvation.

On the face of it, we seem confused.  To many Christians, statements 1 and 2 are mutually exclusive; for us they fold nicely into each other.

Consider a toaster.  It has two slots, a mechanical tab, some knobs to control heat levels, heating coils, and a plug connected to the outlet.  The toaster was a wedding gift you gladly accepted from your brother; your dad’s present was to pay your first month of rent, including utilities.  You use your toaster every morning.  Drop in two limp, damp pieces of bread, push the lever down, and wait 35 seconds; then, crispy, deliciously crunchy toast pops out as if by magic!  Spread the butter on thick and enjoy.

As you feast, you make two statements to your new spouse, who does not notice any contradiction:

1) This toast was made through the generous gift of loving relatives.

2) It took some effort on my part (albeit not much) to make the toast.

We certainly can’t take the credit for the toast.  The same effort applied to an empty counter top, or to an unplugged toaster would result in disappointment.  (Maybe the bread would become “crunchy” in the sense of getting stale, but I don’t think that’s what we want).  In the same vein, we fully recognize that living by the law of Moses, or adhering to empty ritualistic tradition without a Messiah will never work.  This is why we respond with number 1.

We also know that we can’t expect the toaster to do everything for us, either.  Much of the joy of eating breakfast comes from taking the time to handcraft it.  Your brother knows that while designing and building a fully-automated toast-producing machine is possible, it isn’t what you need or want.  Besides, there’s still the matter of lifting it to your mouth and chewing.  Surely, you wouldn’t eat pre-chewed toast!  Our purpose on earth is growth, and that requires us to step up to the plate and show our willingness.  Our faith in Christ is manifest to Him by our (imperfect and small) effort.  This is why we give response number 2.

The toaster and its connection to the wall outlet represent the infinite atonement of Jesus Christ.  He offers it to all of us.  Please receive His help gratefully and often.  He loves you, so He will not force your hand.  Insert the bread of faith, and press down the mechanical tab of repentance to unlock the power of forgiveness and blessing that awaits you.  Repentance and righteous living may seem tough at first, but He has made it much easier.  In fact, he has made it possible.

“If ye believe on his name ye will repent of all your sins, that thereby ye may have a remission of them through his merits” (Book of Mormon, Helaman 14:13).

The price to pay for these rewards is ourselves.  Our Heavenly Father asks us to be humble and penitent toward Him and to believe in His Son, Jesus Christ.  When we give ourselves, our will and our lives, to Christ, He gives them right back to us in a purer condition and also with His blessings.  These might be spiritual blessings such as peace in one’s heart or also blessings of prosperity and success.  It is important to realize that He allows us to retain our freedom even when we give ourselves to Him.

This is diametrically opposed to the manner the world sees it and how the world operates.  Many things petition us for our time, energy and will that will enslave us and will never set us free willingly.  I have seen families destroyed by abuse of alcohol and individuals reduced to nothing because of all kinds of destructive habits.  There is no real freedom there.

The power to free us remains in Christ.  We must choose Him to become free spiritually.  “But God did call on men, in the name of his Son, (this being the plan of redemption which was laid) saying: If ye will repent, and harden not your hearts, then will I have mercy upon you, through mine Only Begotten Son.” (Alma 12:33)  That mercy will allow us to break the chains that hold us down and to destroy habits that enslave.

All can be free through Christ.  It truly is a glorious prospect, and not one that comes easy.  It takes a sincere desire to change one’s being, from thought to action, and, more importantly, the humility to understand the powerlessness one has in a current situation.  But where there is a lack of power and ability, Christ makes up the difference.  “But behold, the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love.” (2 Nephi 1:15)  From binding chains to arms that embrace is a reality that does happen.  I know it does.  I have seen it, I have felt it and I can’t imagine a better way to show my appreciation for it than by sharing it.

Prior to the second coming, the world must be prepared thoroughly according to the Lord’s standards.  He has dictated that His gospel and all revelation must be restored to the earth through angels (Rev. 14:6, Acts 3:21) and preached to the entire world (Matthew 24:14).  The dispensation of the fullness of times (Eph. 1:10) opened with a heavenly visitation of the Father and the Son to a boy in 1820 (Read here for details).  That boy, Joseph Smith, was called to be a prophet to God’s children on earth so that we could catch a glimpse of the mind of God and be prepared for what is to happen (Amos 3:7).  Through Joseph Smith, the Lord restored His priesthood keys by sending His angels, including the prophet Elijah (Mal. 4:5-6; D&C 110:13-16)and built up His church again on the earth, which will never be destroyed (Dan. 2:44-45).

With an increase of goodness, knowledge, and light on the earth, Satan has increased his efforts in equal measure.  Christ warned His apostles,

“Take heed that no man deceive you.  For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.  And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: … and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.  …  Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you …  And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.  And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” (Matthew 24:4-13)

This grim prophecy refers to our time.  Evil in the world is bound to increase up until Christ comes.  But as He said, “He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”  We needn’t fear what the world may do or whatever may happen, if we are faithful to the Lord, we will be spiritually safe.

There are many, many other signs given, particularly those written in the book of Revelation.  The moon shall be red as blood, the sun will be blackened, the stars will fall from heaven, the earth will reel like a drunkard, the waters will be poisoned, and gigantic hail will fall from the sky.  There will be death, fire, war, destruction and likely much more (lengthier lists of canonical, apocryphal, and anecdotal signs exist.  Lists and articles can be found here and here).  It will all lead up to what is described as the great and terrible day of the Lord; great for those who anticipated and prepared for it and terrible for the unprepared and unworthy.

The greatest events for the righteous will occur during that time.  The saints of God and the 12 tribes of Israel will be gathered together spiritually (Isaiah 52:8) and physically.  The Lord will then bring again Zion, the New Jerusalem, down from heaven (Rev. 21:2; Moses 7:62-63).  This New Jerusalem is distinct from the old one and both will exist as places where Christ’s people will live.

The forces of evil will also gather to fight against Jerusalem and Zion.   When the Jews in Jerusalem are overpowered, they will flee and find refuge at the Mount of Olives, upon which Christ will set foot and it will divide in two (Zech. 14:4).  When they see Him, they will ask Him, “What are these wounds in thine hands?” to which He will answer, “Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.” (Zech. 13:6)  They will come to know that Jesus is their long awaited Messiah and will be forgiven.  Christ will fight their battles and will soon publicly show Himself to the entire world in all His glory dressed in red robes (Isaiah 63:1).  Once the forces of evil have been defeated and Satan bound (Rev. 20:2), Christ will reign personally on the earth in some kind of divine government based in Jerusalem and Zion (Micah 4:2) for a thousand years.

As interesting as all this may be, it seems to have little application to the daily life of a Christian.  How it all connects to the individual, however, is in Christ’s statement, “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” (Matt. 24:44)  We do not know when the end will be nor do we know when our individual lives will end.  It is our responsibility to be ready for either eventuality so that He doesn’t find us unprepared to meet Him.  But don’t take my understanding of the sign of the times just as it is.  Study it our for yourself and pray to God for understanding.  Read scriptures in the Old and New Testaments and compare them for a broader view.  As you begin to see fulfillment of prophecy, let it add to your faith in Christ to better endure to up and coming trials.

Short answer: Yes and No.

Long answer: You might think this question would have a straightforward answer, but turns out it doesn’t.  Entire ecumenical councils have been convened to address the relationship between Jesus and the Father.  It’s a sticky question, and this is why:

The Bible uses the term “Only Begotten” four times in reference to Jesus (the Book of Mormon and other LDS scriptures tack on a whopping forty more).  So it seems pretty straightforward; he must be the only one. At the same time, however, there are many other scriptures that seem to indicate there are more children of God—namely us.  Those scriptures refer to the human race as either being the children of God already (Acts 17:29: “Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God…”) or having the potential to become the children of God (John 1:12: “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God”).  Furthermore, sometimes Jesus refers to the Father only as “my Father” (Luke 2:49), and sometimes as “your Father” (Matt 5:48), and sometimes both (John 20:17).

So which is it?  Is Jesus the only son of God, or are we all sons and daughters of God?  And if we’re not now, is it possible for us to become so?

I don’t pretend to understand how the majority of Christianity answers those questions, especially since the early creeds seem confusing on what exactly the relationship between the Father and the Son is.  Luckily you just want to know what Mormons believe and that is, by comparison, pretty straightforward.

1. All of us (including Jesus) are spirit children of God.

To suggest that Jesus is always and ever was the only son of God is to ignore a whole lot of scripture in the Bible.  In one sense, we are all children of God. God is the Father of our spirits.  This is why Paul calls us all “the offspring of God.”  We have that piece of divinity inside us.  Jesus is special because he was, as the author of Hebrews calls him, “the Firstbegotten.”  The same author calls His church the “church of the Firstborn.”  Just the use of the words Firstbegotten and Firstborn imply that there are others. Not only that, we were all with God and Jesus before the world was.  (See the posts on the pre-mortal life of man for a better explanation).  In short: all of us are children of God, but Jesus is the first.

2.  Jesus is the only begotten of the Father in the flesh.

If we all are children of God, why are the scriptures so adamant that he is the “Only Begotten Son”?  To beget someone is to father them.  Everyone born on earth has been begotten by an earthly, mortal father.  That is, everyone but Jesus.  Jesus was born to a virgin.  His father is God.  We don’t pretend to know the details of all that, but Jesus is the only one for whom that is true, and that’s why He is called the Only Begotten.

3.  We become the sons and daughters of God in a different sense by accepting the gospel.

If we are all already the children of God, what is all this scriptural talk of becoming the children of God?  Turns out sometimes salvation is spoken of as becoming the sons/daughters of God, or of Christ. When Jesus came to earth and atoned for our sins, he opened the way to be saved.  He gave us power to become the sons of God, as John said.  Maybe it’s confusing to describe it that way, but hey, it wasn’t my idea.  Besides, it’s a good way to describe the spiritual change that happens when we accept Jesus Christ.  I think the Book of Mormon king Benjamin described it best to his people, who had just accepted Jesus Christ with a covenant to follow Him:

“And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters.”  (Mosiah 5:7)

So we see that if there were only one sense in which a person could be a child of God, the Bible would remain ambiguous on the question.  But if they are referring to different relationships, we get a coherent picture of our relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ. In one sense everyone is a child of God, in another sense only Jesus is, and in a third sense, we start out not children and then have the option to become children of God.

An important footnote: Do Mormons believe Jesus and Satan are brothers?

One of the more shocking things you’ll hear about Mormonism is that we believe that Jesus and Satan are brothers. Now that we’ve outlined our relationships to God, we can address that claim in the proper context.  It’s true that they are brothers in the first sense that I described above, but saying it out of that context is intentionally misleading, because almost everyone is thinking in the second sense.  When you’re coming from the position that Jesus is the only son of God, putting Satan up there with him not only seems like a blatant contradiction of the “Only Begotten” scriptures, but also makes it seem like we consider them to be equals.  That couldn’t be further from the truth.  Jesus Christ, the Greatest of all, who personifies goodness and grace, and Satan, the father of lies, who rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven, are not equals. They are brothers in the sense that we are all brothers and sisters, spiritual offspring of the same Father.  Aside from that, they couldn’t be more different.

By 1AD, most of the people described in the Book of Mormon did not believe in Jesus Christ nor His prophets.  One of those prophets named Samuel prophesied  boldly on the city walls of the signs of Christ’s birth and death (Helaman 14).  On the night that Christ was born into the world, an irrefutable sign was given.  A day, a night, and a day became one continuous day without darkness.  This was to the relief of the believers and utter astonishment to the rest.

It didn’t take long for people to forget about the sign and continue life normally.  More wars happened, particularly against the now very large society of robbers, and around 30AD, just as Christ was beginning His earthly ministry among the Jews, the entire Nephite government was overthrown and the people divided into tribal states.  Then, three years later, one the greatest events of the Book of Mormon began to occur.  At the time of Jesus Christ’s death on the cross of Calvary, Samuel’s prophecy of storms, earthquakes and destruction did indeed happen.  Cities were leveled, burned, buried, and sunk into the ocean.  Darkness covered the land for three whole days (3 Nephi 8).

After the three days, Christ’s voice was heard by the survivors.  He was calling them to Him and lamenting their destruction.  Of all events told in this book, what happened next far outshines the rest.  Christ, Himself, descended from Heaven and proclaimed His divinity.  He had drunk the bitter cup and glorified the Father.  He taught the people, blessed them and healed them.  For several days, He did so.  I would encourage all to read even just a few of these passages from 3 Nephi 11 to 28.  Before He left, He chose twelve men to teach and guide the people in His absence.

Then, for two hundred years, there was peace.  After three hundred years, however, the people had digressed so far from Jesus Christ and his Gospel, that civilization had degenerated to a state of total war.  The final prophets of God among the people, Mormon and his son Moroni, were left to witness the decay of their once great civilization into war and disorder.  It was during this time that Mormon took all the historical records of his people and compiled them into a single history so that it could be available to us.

A final battle between Nephites and Lamanites took place.  During this battle nearly all of the Nephites were killed.  The only Nephite we know of surviving, other than those that joined the Lamanites, was Moroni.  For many years, Moroni carried the record his father had made and wandered.  During this time, Moroni completed his father’s work by summarizing the record of the Jaredite people whose records had been found early in Nephite history.  The Jaredites were brought to the same land as the Nephites by the Lord somewhere around 2500BC, when the language of the people was corrupted at the tower of Babel.  They crossed the ocean and lived for many centuries of alternating periods of righteousness and wickedness until finally they refused to repent and were destroyed as a society.

After finishing the story of the Jaredites, Moroni then buried the record, written on plates made of gold, on a small hill in upstate New York, now called the Hill Cumorah.  1500 years later, he appeared as an angel to the boy Joseph Smith and directed him to where the plates were buried.  They were found, translated, published and have been printed for the past 179 years as the Book of Mormon–Another Testament of Jesus Christ.

The Book of Mormon continues to be a guide to everyone who reads it.  Just before Moroni buried the plates in the ground, he wrote a promise to anyone who would read the book.  He promised us that when we read and ponder on the things of the book, and ask God in the name of Christ, then we will know the truth of it by the power of the Holy Ghost.  This is an extraordinary promise and one that has been tested and tried by millions of people.  It is my invitation that you do the same.  Read a portion of the Book of Mormon and ask God to know for yourself.  I know of myself the truth of this book and know that you can know as well.