The Book of Mormon by Jessica

The Book of Mormon by Jessica - May 2017 Scholarship Essay

Whenever life is hard, I read my Book of Mormon. It contains the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and it serves as the basis of my life. I follow many of the commandments given inside its many pages. Our prophet, Thomas S. Monson, told us in April that all members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints need to read the Book every day, and study it faithfully, searching for the truth within its pages. Though many doubt this book because of its origins, I know that everything inside that book, the story and the teachings, are true, and came from our Heavenly Father.

The Book of Mormon was found in the 1820s by a man named Joseph Smith Jr. in Palmyra, New York. He translated it by the power of God and published it in America. Many who read the Book at that time joined the new Church, but suffered great persecution because of it. People became scared that the “Mormons,” as they were called, were gaining too much influence in the states where they lived, so they drove them out. The Church ended up abandoning the few temples that they had built and crossing the Mississippi and headed west across the plains. Most ended up in the Salt Lake Valley, and they established their headquarters there, and sent missionaries abroad with copies of the Book of Mormon in hand, sharing the gospel with people around the world, until today the Church has more than 15 million members, and we're still growing.

The Book of Mormon itself is a record of the ancient inhabitants of the American continents. It contains the record of the Jaredites, who came to America at the time of the Tower of Babel and formed a large culture until they destroyed themselves, and of a man named Lehi, who left the city of Jerusalem with his family 600 years before the birth of Jesus Christ. They recorded their journey across the ocean and their entire culture. According to the record, Lehi’s descendants split into two groups, the Nephites and the Lamanites. The Lamanites were cursed with a darker skin because they sought to destroy the Nephites, who followed the word of God. A thousand years of wars and contentions followed, along with the teachings of many prophets during that time. But perhaps the most amazing part is when the Book of Mormon describes the visit of the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ to the Americas. He taught them, healed their sick and ordained apostles to minister to them. Two hundred years of peace followed, but then the Nephites fell into wickedness, and were destroyed by the Lamanites. A man named Mormon compiled all of the records onto gold plates and his son buried them in a hill called Cumorah where they were discovered by Joseph Smith a fifteen hundred years later.

This book is not meant to replace the Bible, it is another testament of Jesus Christ. It contains the parts of the gospel that the Bible was missing and gives us the fullness of the gospel of Christ. Because of the truths which we learned from it, we learned of the importance of baptism, marriage, repentance, and many other saving ordinances. I am eternally grateful to my Heavenly Father for the Book of Mormon and that I was born at a time where all of the gospel is on the Earth and into a family that has taught me about the love that my Father has for me. I am often told that I am an unusually happy person, and I know that it is because I have the gospel and I wouldn't have the gospel without the Book of Mormon, and that is why the Book of Mormon is the most influential book in my life