Hick Proof

Members of the LDS church: If someone was to go to you and ask you to prove whether the church and the Book of Mormon was true, what evidence would you give them?

A lot depends on what you accept as evidence. Many people will accept eyewitness testimonies as evidence. Courts of law accept eyewitness statements as evidence, especially when you have multiple eyewitnesses saying the same thing or the eyewitness or eyewitnesses were known to be reliable and honest. That is the case with the Book of Mormon and the restoration of the priesthood and priesthood keys of authority.

Over a dozen witnesses saw the Book of Mormon plates. Three saw the angel Moroni and the plates. Eight official witnesses saw the plates together and others after that others saw them. The witnesses to the Book of Mormon are similar in number to the eyewitnesses to the resurrected Jesus Christ (the 11 apostles and Mary) in the gospels. See:

Why are there two sets of official Book of Mormon witnesses?

Testimony of Three Witnesses

Testimony of Eight Witnesses

“Idle Tales”? The Witness of Women - FAIR

Literally hard facts at the beginning of Mormonism

The collective witness of Joseph Smith's family

Then there’s the restoration of the priesthood authority and keys by angelic messengers. Joseph Fielding McConkie pointed out that, "Many a pretender to the prophetic office has claimed to entertain angels or to have spoken with God, but who other than Joseph Smith introduced his angels to others? Joseph Smith… was never alone when priesthood or keys were restored.... He and Sydney Rigdon received the revelation on the degrees of glory together. Together they saw legions of angels, along with the Father and the Son (see D&C 76:21-23 - https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/76?lang=eng
). Oliver Cowdery was with Joseph Smith when John the Baptist came to restore the Aaronic Priesthood (https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/13?lang=eng
), and when Peter, James, and John came to restore the Melchizedek Priesthood (https://www.lds.org/scriptures/pgp/js-h/1?lang=eng
). Oliver was also with Joseph Smith when Christ came to accept the dedication of the Kirtland Temple, and Moses, Elias, and Elijah restored their keys, powers, and authorities (D&C 110 - https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/110?lang=eng

)." (Sons and Daughters of God, pp. 194-195)

Look up some of those links and ask yourself, could a 25-year-old Joseph Smith have faked introducing his angels to so many others?

Add to the above, the divine manifestations that accompanied the dedication of the Kirtland Temple and you’ll find there were literally hundreds of eyewitnesses to the restoration events. The Kirtland Temple dedication alone was witnessed by nearly 1000 people in attendance. Some saw the Savior, others angels, and some had visions and spoke in tongues. There was also a rushing of wind as George A. Smith began to prophesy and the whole congregation arose at once. People in the neighborhood came running to see what was happening. They saw a bright light like a pillar of fire resting on the temple. It was reported that many in attendance spoke in tongues and prophesied. Descriptions of this event are found in the History of the Church vol. 2, pages 380-382, 427-428 and James Talmage’s House of the Lord pages 99-102. It seems to me that the accounts of these and other eyewitnesses stand as an irrefutable testimony to the world that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God and that the Church of Jesus Christ was in fact restored through divine messengers. I know of no other church that can make these claims.

There is no physical evidence for angels, any of the miracles in the Bible, the existence of God or Jesus Christ, and much more. For some reason God wants us to develop faith. God will not force us to believe in him, or his prophets, or the truths he has revealed to us. The Book of Mormon plates are the same way. It seems to me if you believe Jesus Christ was resurrected, then you should also believe the Book of Mormon plates were real and that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God when all the evidence is examined.

Then there’s the internal evidence found in the Book of Mormon text itself. There are some great videos and web sites that explain this:

Seven Terrific Book of Mormon Videos

Together, these seven videos present powerful evidence that the Book of Mormon:

· is a masterpiece of beautiful ancient literature

· has incredible depth and complexity

· came from plates whose physicality is attested

historically

· was miraculously translated

by the gift and power of God

· is supported by solid archaeological discoveries

in modern Yemen

· exhibits multiple authorship

styles

· was almost certainly not written by Joseph Smith

or any of his contemporaries

I also recommend:

Mounting Evidence for the Book of Mormon

A Case for the Book of Mormon - FAIR
http://showyourshelf.com/

The Logic Tree of Life, or, Why I Can’t Manage to Disbelieve - FAIR

Several years back as I looked for evidence that the Book of Mormon was authentic, I wrote the following:

Many critics of the Church claim that the Book of Mormon fails many scientific and historic tests which should validate its trustworthiness. A number of anachronisms in the Book of Mormon are often cited in support of the assertion that the book is a fraud. We can not ignore the fact that just as Christianity in general, stands or falls on the reality of the resurrection, Mormonism stands or falls on the authenticity of the Book of Mormon (Nov 1986 Ensign, p. 6). Either Joseph Smith has perpetrated the greatest religious hoax in history or he was a prophet of God and the Book of Mormon is truly the word of God. There are no other alternatives. If it is a hoax it should be easy to tell and if it is "of God" that should be verifiable also (see Orson Pratt, The Restoration of All Things, p. 86). What our Christian friends fail to realize is that scientific and historic scholarship can never provide definitive answers about the "things of God.” As the scriptures tell us, "the things of God knoweth no man, but [by] the Spirit of God" (1 Cor. 2:11). Intellectual proofs may reassure us but it is the Spirit of the Holy Ghost which convinces us beyond any doubt. Just to set the record straight let's consider some of the scientific and historic tests which are cited or patently ignored by our critics.

The Book of Mormon was often ridiculed in Joseph Smith's day by scientists and scholars for what many considered to be obvious blunders. The mention of white skinned races, horses, wheels, steel, glass, cement, silk, barley, and metal plates in pre-Columbian America was identified as the product of an unschooled farm boy's imagination. At that time the existence of these items among the early inhabitants of the Americas was widely held to be scientifically unsupportable. Since that day some of these criticisms have been quieted but many still persist if only among the uninformed. Although archaeology is verifying the early existence of most of the above mentioned anachronisms, further research is still needed. Archaeologists have excavated less than 1% of all known ancient sites of the Book of Mormon period (Vestal and Wallace, The Firm Foundation of Mormonism, p. 103) so there is much yet to be learned by scientific means in this area.

As a detailed discussion of all pertinent scientific and historic discoveries is not possible in this text, only a summary of references and findings will be given in this response. Those who require more information are encouraged to read the references which follow.

ANACHRONISMS

1. Iron and Steel (2 Nephi 5:15, 1 Nephi 4:9) - The working of metals such as iron and steel is often touted as a mistake but recent discoveries indicate that such metals were indeed in use in Book of Mormon times in both the new and old world. Although the "steel" in use in that day may not have been forged in the same manner as today's steel, early historians nonetheless reported the use of a type of "steel" in antiquity in both the new and old world. - See John L. Sorenson, An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon, pp. 278-287; see also Nibley, Since Cumorah, p. 254; Lehi in the Desert and the World of the Jaredites, pp. 210-213; Diane E. Wirth, A Challenge to the Critics, p. 28; John L. Sorenson, FARMS Reprint, An Evaluation of the Smithsonian Institute's statement regarding the Book of Mormon; Hunter and Ferguson, Ancient America and the Book of Mormon, pp. 263-4, 276-277; Michael T. Griffith, Refuting the Critics, p. 45.

2. Silk (Alma 1:29, Ether 9:17) - Although Chinese silk was probably not used in ancient America other silky fabrics made with western materials were woven in the new world - Diane E. Wirth, A Challenge to the Critics, p. 28; see also Nibley, Lehi in the Desert and the World of the Jaredites, p. 216; John W. Welch, Reexploring the Book of Mormon, pp. 162-164.

3. Glass (Ether 3:1) - Glass was known in the ancient world prior to 3000 B.C. (Note that the Book of Mormon mentions glass in about 2200 B.C. but only in the old world) - Nibley, Lehi in the Desert and the World of the Jaredites, pp. 213-216; See also Diane Wirth, A Challenge to the Critics, p. 28.

4. Horses (1 Nephi 18:25, etc.) and Elephants (Ether 9:19) - The existence of pre-Columbian animals such as the horse and elephant, while still being debated by experts, seems more and more probable. The remains of horses and mammoths dating from Book of Mormon times have been found in Florida, Mexico, and the Yucatan Peninsula. - John L. Sorenson, An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon, pp. 288-299; See also Nibley, Since Cumorah, pp. 256-7; Lehi in the Desert and the World of the Jaredites, pp. 216-221; Jack West, Trial of the Stick of Joseph, pp. 94-95; Wirth, A Challenge to the Critics, pp. 50-56; Daniel H. Ludlow, A Companion to Your Study of the Book of Mormon, p. 117 as quoted in Book of Mormon Student Manual, p. 46; Hunter and Ferguson, Ancient America and the Book of Mormon, pp. 312-314; Welch, Reexploring the Book of Mormon, pp. 98-100.

5. Bees (Ether 2:3) - Some critics assert that the Book of Mormon places bees in America at about 2000 B.C. but all references to bees or honey in the Book of Mormon belong to the old world. The Jaredites carried hives of bees from Babel into the wilderness but they were apparently not taken on their ships (Ether 6:4). The existence of the honey bee at this early period in the old world is attested to by the Bible (Ex. 3:8; Deut. 1:44; Jud. 14:8). Since there is no mention in the Book of Mormon of bees in the New World this is really a non-issue, but findings do indicate that bees were in America at a very early date. - Nibley, Lehi in the Desert and the World of the Jaredites, pp. 184-189; See also Gilbert W. Scharffs, The Truth about the God Makers, p. 174; Diane E. Wirth, A Challenge to the Critics, pp. 56-57.

6. Cement (Helaman 3:7-11) - The mention of the use of cement in the Book of Mormon was initially thought to be a gross error on Joseph Smith's part but more recent findings reveal that ancient Americans did use cement, concrete, and gypsum in their roads and buildings. - Nibley, Since Cumorah, p. 254; West, The Trial of the Stick of Joseph, pp. 86-88; Book of Mormon Student Manual, pp. 354-355; Welch, Reexploring the Book of Mormon, pp. 212-214; Hunter and Ferguson, Ancient America and the Book of Mormon, pp. 261-263, 269.

7. Wheels (Jarom 8; 3 Nephi 3:22) - It is clear that the ancient Americans knew the wheel. Sixty examples of wheeled objects have been found. One of these, a child's toy with four little stone wheels was unearthed in a Mexico City excavation and large nine-foot diameter stone wheels have been found in Bolivia - West, The Trial of the Stick of Joseph, pp. 92-94; Small and large stone wheels are pictured in the Book of Mormon Student Manual, p. 56, 187; Wirth, A Challenge to the Critics, pp. 58-64; Hunter and Ferguson, Ancient America and the Book of Mormon, pp. 259-261; Michael T. Griffith, Refuting the Critics, pp. 56-57.

8. Money (Alma 11:1-20) - Some have mistakenly assumed that Alma 11 describes a coinage system when in fact the word coin does not appear in the Book of Mormon text (The word "coinage" in the chapter heading was added by a l9th century editor). The system described is based on fractional measurements of grain (Alma 11:7) and proportionate weights of metal. Both the grain standard and the exact proportions cited in the Book of Mormon (1, 2, 4, 7) correspond very closely with an ancient but extremely practical Egyptian monetary system - Vestal and Wallace, The Firm Foundation of Mormonism, pp. 93-98; Nibley, Since Cumorah, pp. 255-256; Sorenson, An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon, pp. 232-233; Diane E. Wirth, A Challenge to the Critics, pp. 46-48; Michael T. Griffith, Refuting the Critics, p. 60.

9. Barley (Alma 11:7, 15) - Many experts have claimed that barley did not exist in ancient America, however, barley has been found at a Phoenix, Arizona Hohokam site dating from 300 B.C.. Barley was found in abundance at that site and was found to have been grown domestically - Wirth, A Challenge to the Critics, p. 27; December 1984 FARMS Update - Barley in Ancient America; Welch, Reexploring the Book of Mormon, pp. 130-132; Hunter and Ferguson, Ancient America and the Book of Mormon, pp. 303-308; Sorenson, Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon, p. 184.

10. Israelites inhabited pre-Columbian America (1 Nephi 5:14; 6:2) - Though anthropologists are still arguing the presence of Israelites in ancient America, there is abundant proof of the existence of white skinned races among the ancestors of Indian tribes of Central and South America. To this day many paintings in the temples at Bonampak and Chichen Itza, terracotta pottery and sculptures depict white skinned, bearded Caucasian and Semitic-appearing people. Bearded figures were depicted frequently in bas reliefs, sculptures, and terra cotta portraits until 385 A.D. even though Indians today do not grow beards. The sudden disappearance of this characteristic matches exactly the Book of Mormon history's dating of the Nephite decline. Could this be coincidence? - Diane E. Wirth, A Challenge to the Critics, pp. 24-36, 115-132; see also Hugh Nibley, Since Cumorah, p. 246; Jack West, The Trial of the Stick of Joseph, p. 108; John Sorenson, An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon, pp. 81-91; Hunter, Archaeology and the Book of Mormon, pp. 25-33, 46-57, 182-282; Hunter and Ferguson, Ancient America and the Book of Mormon, p. 240-256; Michael T. Griffith, Refuting the Critics, pp. 50-51.

11. Metal plates - Joseph Smith was ridiculed by many because he claimed to have translated the Book of Mormon from gold plates. In addition, Book of Mormon prophets described other old world writings on metal plates (1 Nephi 3; 19:1; Mosiah 8:9). Since that day more than 60 plates of gold, silver, brass, and other metals have been found dating to as early as 3000 B.C. and as late as the 8th century A.D. - See Mark E. Peterson, Those Gold Plates!, pp. 4-5, 10-32; Vestal and Wallace, The Firm Foundation of Mormonism, p. 106; Diane E. Wirth, A Challenge to the Critics; pp. 37-45; Michael T. Griffith, Refuting the Critics, p. 46.

12. Stone boxes - Stone boxes like the one which Joseph Smith described (Jos. Smith-Hist. 1:51-52) though virtually unknown in that day, have since been found in both the new and old world. To date, over 50 stone boxes have been found in Mesoamerica. One box found near a temple in Kulkulcan, Mexico had a lid which was very similar to the one described by Joseph Smith (see Jos. Smith-Hist. 1:51) - Diane E. Wirth, A Challenge to the Critics; pp. 43-45; Mark E. Peterson, Those Gold Plates!, pp. 26-27.

OTHER EVIDENCES

1. Tree of Life - The tree of life symbol found in the Book of Mormon (1 Nephi 7, 11; 2 Nephi 2:15; Alma 5:34, 62; etc.) has been depicted in bas reliefs throughout the new world. One of these (Izapa Stella #5) has been found to agree in over one hundred details with Lehi's vision of the tree of life. Surprisingly, many of the hundreds of tree of life symbols combine the form of the cross with the tree - Vestal and Wallace, The Firm Foundation of Mormonism, pp. 120-122; Diane E. Wirth, A Challenge to the Critics, pp. 69-75; Warren and Ferguson, The Messiah in Ancient America, pp. 71-111; Hunter and Ferguson, Ancient America and the Book of Mormon, pp. 213-214.

2. Language - Evidence of both Hebrew and Egyptian cultures is found throughout the Book of Mormon (1 Nephi 1:2; Mosiah 1:4; Mormon 9:34). Hebrews idioms, grammar, and names are found throughout the text but, at the same time, distinctly Egyptian names and cultural traits may also be found there. This Egyptian influence is further substantiated by Mesoamerican pyramids and inscriptions discovered after Joseph Smith's day - Sorenson and Thorn, Rediscovering the Book of Mormon, pp. 77-91; Vestal and Wallace, The Firm Foundation of Mormonism, pp. 173-179, Diane E. Wirth, A Challenge to the Critics, pp. 76-89, Jack West, The Trial of the Stick of Joseph, pp. 83-86; Hugh Nibley, Lehi in the Desert and the World of the Jaredite, pp. 13-17; Book of Mormon Student Manual, p. 42; Welch, Reexploring the Book of Mormon, pp. 183-185; Hunter and Ferguson, Ancient America and the Book of Mormon, pp. 264-268; Michael T. Griffith, Refuting the Critics, pp. 40-42, 73-74.

3. Ancient writing patterns - Several different characteristics of ancient writings have recently been identified for the first time. These include the colophon which was often used in Egyptian compositions and chiasmus which is a distinctly Hebraic literary form. Both are found in the Book of Mormon despite the fact that these characteristics were unknown in Joseph Smith's day.

a. The colophon is essentially a writer's preface which follows a fixed pattern. It most often includes the writer's name, background, qualifications for writing, and a summary of the text. At times, the text is also concluded with a similar pattern. Colophons are found throughout the Book of Mormon - Sorenson and Thorn, Rediscovering the Book of Mormon, pp. 32-37; Hugh Nibley, Lehi in the Desert and the World of the Jaredites, pp. 17-20; Vestal and Wallace, The Firm Foundation of Mormonism, p. 147; Welch, Reexploring the Book of Mormon, pp. 13-16.

b. Chiasmus is an ancient literary form which resembles poetry. Instead of repeating sounds or following a rhyming pattern, chiasmus repeats ideas or words in a systematic pattern which reverses at its center point. Many examples of chiasmus have been identified in the Hebrew Bible but the Book of Mormon contains some of the most complex examples of chiasmus known today. Alma's chiasm in Alma 36 is made up of 17 elements with all but the center element repeated twice - Sorenson and Thorn, Rediscovering the Book of Mormon, pp. 114-131; Vestal and Wallace, The Firm Foundation of Mormonism, pp. 155-170; Book of Mormon Authorship, pp. 33-52; Diane E. Wirth, A Challenge to the Critics, pp. 94-99; Welch, Reexploring the Book of Mormon, pp. 230-235.

4. Writing styles - A number of scientific tests have been devised to examine the authenticity of the Book of Mormon. Two tests which deal with writing styles have produced some exciting yet largely ignored results which our critics cannot explain. A new computer assisted analysis technique referred to as "stylometry" or more commonly "wordprint" analysis was developed to identify an author's writing style much like a fingerprint or voiceprint is used to identify an individual. Although wordprint analyses identifying the usage rate of non-contextual words have produced the best authorship identification, total new word usage rates have also produced significant results and will be addressed.

Non-contextual words used in wordprint analysis are the filler words such as prepositions and conjunctions which are repeated subconsciously as a result of habit patterns developed in our early life. Although the conscious features of a given author's style might be imitated, the subconscious features cannot. Analysis indicates that an author's wordprint style remains consistent despite the passage of time, change of subject matter, or literary form. Most importantly, the value of a wordprint analysis is apparently retained where a literal translation has been made (Welch, Reexploring the Book of Mormon, pp. 221-226). Wordprint studies to determine authorship have included the examination of letters, biblical books, ancient Greek works, and more recently the technique was applied to the Book of Mormon. In a 1979 report, Wayne Larsen and Alvin Rencher showed that the Book of Mormon text contained more than 20 distinct wordprint styles which were internally consistent with the authors identified in the text.

https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=2026&context=byusq

Even more surprising to our critics was the fact that none of the Book of Mormon wordprint styles matched Joseph Smith's own style or that of any other suggested nineteenth-century author (See Book of Mormon Authorship, pp. 157-188). Despite the fact that Joseph Smith's own wordprint style is not found in the Book of Mormon, a consistently limited working vocabulary, similar to that of Joseph Smith's, is found throughout the book (See John L. Hilton's F.A.R.M.S. paper entitled Book of Mormon "Wordprint" Measurement using "Wraparound" Block Counting).

The rate at which new words are introduced throughout the Book of Mormon is consistently low while individual wordprint styles vary consistently throughout the book according to the textually identified author. The only reasonably acceptable explanation for these two statistically observable results is that "the Book of Mormon is a continuous literal translation of non-English writings by different original authors, expressed by a literal translator using a restricted English vocabulary" (Ibid.). In addition, the conclusion that Joseph Smith or any contemporary could have authored the Book of Mormon is scientifically indefensible in light of the findings mentioned above. When coupled with the internal writing patterns and Egyptian and Hebrew characteristics mentioned earlier, the only rational conclusion that can be reached is that the Book of Mormon was not the product of any nineteenth-century author's imagination. It can only be what Joseph Smith claimed it to be: a translation of an ancient record written by men familiar with both Hebrew and Egyptian language characteristics. Additional information on wordprints may be found in Robert L. Hamson, The Signature of God; Robert and Rosemary Brown, They Lie in Wait to Deceive, vol. 2, chap. 9; Sunstone Magazine, vol. 6, num. 2, pp. 15-26; and BYU Studies, Spring 1980, p. 225ff.

5. Migration Routes - Some people both in and out of the LDS Church have erroneously assumed that the Book of Mormon is the history of all pre-Columbian civilizations in the western hemisphere. In reality it is a religious account of three groups that came to the Americas prior to 589 B.C.. Undoubtedly there were other groups which came to the new world at other times and by other routes but these are not mentioned in the Book of Mormon narrative. The primary group described in the Book of Mormon is that of Lehi the prophet. Dr. Eugene England has made a detailed comparison of this group's Arabian journey with modern geographical features. His study revealed no contradictions and numerous correspondences. In fact, more than twenty significant geographical details described in the Book of Mormon, but unknown in Joseph Smith's day, serve as evidence that it is indeed an ancient document, written from firsthand information (Noel B. Reynolds, ed., Book of Mormon Authorship, p. 143; see also Scharffs, The Truth about the God Makers, pp. 130-132; Michael T. Griffith, Refuting the Critics, pp. 44-45).

The theory that the American Indian is basically Mongoloid and came to the Americas via the Bearing Strait is widely accepted today. Diane Wirth has observed that "blood types of the American Indians do not correspond to those of East Asian peoples.... In fact, a more plausible theory is that their ancestors came by sea, from non-Mongoloid parts of the old world. Blood types are genetically inherited and passed from father to son, from one generation to the next. Among Asians, blood types A and B are common; among American Indians blood type O predominates. Except for the Eskimos, and some Athapascan groups such as the Apache and the Navajo, blood group B is virtually nonexistent among American Indians throughout North, Middle, and South America. In essence what we have is a chain of interrelated populations which cannot be regarded as typical Mongoloids. Artifacts found in the Bearing Strait suggest the influence of a rather small number of Asians - far below any number that would have been needed to produce the large populace which existed." (Diane E. Wirth, A Challenge to the Critics, p. 25; see also Hugh Nibley, Since Cumorah, p. 246; Michael T. Griffith, Refuting the Critics, pp. 48-49)

Jack West cites several legends recorded by great historians which further substantiate the Book of Mormon account. These legends describe migrations soon after the dispersion of the human family in which several different groups came "through the sea" (Jack H. West, The Trial of the Stick of Joseph, pp. 69-75; see also Vestal and Wallace, The Firm Foundation of Mormonism, pp. 110-115)

6. Indian legends - Indian legends not only affirm the Book of Mormon account of various groups coming to the Americas by ship but they affirm beliefs in many biblical teachings. Legends concerning the creation, the great flood, the closed ark, the high tower, the confusion of languages, as well as beliefs concerning fasting and baptism have been documented by researchers (Milton R. Hunter and Thomas S. Ferguson, Ancient America and the Book of Mormon, pp. 18-35, 89-93, 203, 219. One of the virtually universal beliefs found among Indian tribes of both North and South America concerns a white, bearded God who visited their ancestors. They record that at the end of his visit, he left a promise that he would return one day. These legends are well documented in a book entitled He Walked the Americas by L. Taylor Hansen.

One North American legend describes the childhood of this "white God.” It says, "He told them that he was born across the ocean, in a land where all men were bearded. In this land he was born of a virgin on a night when a bright star came out of the heavens and stood over his city. Here, too, the heavens opened and down came winged beings singing chants of exquisite beauty." (He Walked the Americas, p. 48)

Other legends speak of the priesthood he established with his 12 disciples, the changes he made in their temple worship, the prayers he spoke, the miracles he did, and even the marks in his hands received in the land of his birth when he was nailed to a cross (Ibid., p. 150-153; see also Mark E. Peterson, Those Gold Plates!, pp. 78-88; Warren and Ferguson, The Messiah in Ancient America, pp. 1-28; Wirth, A Challenge to the Critics, pp. 133-147; West, The Trial of the Stick of Joseph, pp. 81-83; and Hunter, Archaeology and the Book of Mormon, pp. 29-33, 39-45, 89-92; Hunter and Ferguson, Ancient America and the Book of Mormon, pp. 195-222).

7. Modern Witnesses - In addition to the ancient historical accounts found among Indian tribes of North and South America, we have testimonies of many modern witnesses of the authenticity of the Book of Mormon. Besides Joseph Smith, there were eleven other men who saw and handled the plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated. Three of these men saw the angel who brought the plates and heard a voice from heaven declaring that the translation had been done by the gift and power of God and was true. Eight of the witnesses viewed the plates and the unusual characters engraven upon them and were allowed to "heft" the plates. All eleven men signed sworn legal affidavits attesting to these events as firsthand witnesses and despite persecution, attempts to discredit their testimonies, and even the excommunication of some, these witnesses never denied their testimonies of these events. Anti-Mormon critics have often attempted to prove otherwise but available records lend no support to these assertions. The dying words of the three witnesses leave no doubt that Joseph Smith's account of the origin of the Book of Mormon was true (Richard Lloyd Anderson, Investigating the Book of Mormon Witnesses). To these accounts, we could also add the testimonies of friends and relatives who took part in these events (see Ensign article, Feb 89, p. 36 and Jul 92, pp. 53-55).

The Bible affirms that "In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established" (2 Cor. 13:1). No other revelation from God is attested to by so many modern witnesses and has been reaffirmed personally by the Father and Son (D&C 1:29-30; 17:6; Testimony of the Three Witnesses in the Book of Mormon). We should not ignore this veritable "cloud of witnesses" (Heb. 12:1) but should heed the words of the prophets and look unto Christ and his word as contained in the Bible (Heb. 12:2) and the Book of Mormon (2 Nephi 2:28; 25:24-26).

Although the above historical and scientific details may affirm our belief in the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, they cannot by themselves be seen as proof. I am convinced that the only way to gain a lasting testimony that the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God is through the confirmation of the Spirit described in Moroni 10:4-5.

I received a testimony that Jesus Christ was our Savior and Redeemer at a young age and have had an unwavering conviction that he lived and died for us. My studies in the scriptures have reinforced that testimony to the point today that I can state that I know Jesus Christ is the Son of God and my Savior. He truly died for me and made possible my resurrection and exaltation. I have also gained a testimony of Joseph Smith's calling as God's prophet in these last days.

As a teenager, I remember the Joseph Smith story being recited exactly as it is contained in our scriptures by a returned missionary in Sunday School class. At that time the Holy Ghost witnessed to my spirit that the account that I was hearing was true. I have never received as strong a witness of the Book of Mormon or any other modern revelation but I know they are true as a result of this initial witness I received. If Joseph Smith was a prophet and I knew he was, then these other revelations must also be true. To this day I cannot read the Joseph Smith story without receiving a similar assurance that these events actually occurred as Joseph Smith had recorded. See: Joseph Smith—History 1

This account is the key to the restoration. Either Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and the restored gospel is true or Joseph Smith was a fraud and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is in error. Either he saw God and his Son, Jesus Christ, or he didn't. There is no gray area of truth. It is either all true or all a hoax. It is my testimony that it is true and that no man could have done what Joseph Smith did without the help and inspiration of God. I hope this fact was made clear in the many answers I have given in preceding chapters but in case it was not, I am affirming it here. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that he was called of God to begin the final preparations for the second coming of Jesus Christ. Through him the gospel and the power of the priesthood were reestablished on the earth as part of the restoration of all things. Those who guide this Church today are likewise called of God and receive inspiration in leading his Church.

To believe that an uneducated farm boy could have imagined these things and convinced so many others of their veracity is difficult to justify especially in view of the testimonies of all those who were also intimately involved as eyewitnesses to many of these same events.

The LDS faith is an intelligent and reasonable faith. The evidence is clear to all who are intellectually honest in their investigation of the truth. When our teachings are given a fair hearing and when the witness of the Spirit (Heb. 10:15; Moroni 10:4-5) is sought in sincerity, the truth will be revealed. Sound and accurate logic is not enough though to enable us to understand these truths. The assistance of the Holy Spirit is essential (1 Cor. 2:11).