By Rebecca R., who is a student studying Linguistics at BYU. She is from Logan, Utah and enjoys singing, skiing, and playing the cello.

As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and a student at Brigham Young University, I have the opportunity to study The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, in my religion class. We recently studied the title page and introduction of The Book of Mormon. The title page explains that one of the purposes of the Book of Mormon is to remind the people currently living on the earth that God has blessed the people who came before us.

Book of MormonThe Book of Mormon tells about the lives and experience of a people who lived on the American continent in ancient times. By reading The Book of Mormon, we see the patterns of how God blesses people when they obey Him. When we study the words of the Book of Mormon, it reminds us that God is blessing our lives in the present day. As I read the words of this book, I become better at recognizing when God is blessing and guiding my life. I know that God blessed people in ancient times and I know that He continues to bless people today. He blesses us because we are His children and He loves us.  His greatest desire is for every one of His children to be happy.

Another purpose of The Book of Mormon is to teach about Jesus Christ.  The Book of Mormon teaches that Jesus Christ came to the earth to suffer for our sins and make it possible for every one of us to return to live with Him and God again. It teaches about the miracles that Jesus performed while on the earth. It also teaches us that we can look to Jesus for hope when we are struggling, because He know how to help us and comfort us. As I have faced the stresses of homework, roommates, and living away from home as a first year college student, I have turned to Jesus Christ for the comfort that I need to continue. I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know that He loves me personally and that He loves every other person who has ever lived or will ever live on the earth.

Another purpose of The Book of Mormon is to to give us examples of how to live happy, satisfying lives. The Book of Mormon tells stories of people and even entire civilizations that turned to lying, murder, and pride, and were unhappy because of it. It also tells stories, however, of people who were unselfish, honest, and hardworking and were full of joy because of it. I know that The Book of Mormon is a true book. Reading and studying it has brought me so much joy and comfort. I know that The Book of Mormon exists to help us become better people and to help us be happier.

Additional Resources:

Worship with Mormons

Jesus Christ in Mormonism