How Did You Find Your Answer to the BOM and Joseph Smith

[Grunt]

9 hours ago, clbent04 said:

I realized that my view of the BOM and Joseph Smith is so skeptical right now, that continuing to focus on these sore spots is not in my best interest under my current perspective.

I want to continue hearing about others’ experiences with things like discovering the BOM to be true, but I need to dial down my skepticism. The faith of others won’t build me up when my own lackluster experience with the BOM is preventing me from having an open mind.

So to put it more accurately, I realized my past perspective of the BOM and Joseph Smith needs to be changed for me to engage in healthy questioning. The answer that came to mind is that having faith is more important than getting every question answered the way I want it to be answered, and that the Holy Spirit will work within me if I allow it to 

This is pretty much what I've been trying to tell you since you first came to this forum.  I'm just not as kind, patient, or eloquent as most of the members here are.  

[clbent04]

@Blossom76

7 hours ago, Blossom76 said:

Maybe look at the logical reasons for the truth of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith, there are HEAPS of them trust me.   

When I was a kid growing up in the Church, I accepted it to be true simply because I had a good feeling when I was there. That was enough for me at the time.

As I got older and more interested in religion, I realized having good feelings within a given church isn’t enough to confirm it is the one and only true church if such a church exists. Good feelings exist in pretty much every church setting.

I studied more about Jospeh Smith, the cycles of restoration and apostasy, the plan of salvation, and everything seemed to fit together like a nice, neat little puzzle. I thought it made sense logically.  Plus, Mormon apologetics have answers for everything that doesn’t make sense at face value (polygamy, blacks and the Priesthood, coffee and tea). So I read the apologetics answers and thought everything made logical sense. All the more reason to accept Mormonism. 

But then another realization came. The Mormon church isn’t the only church to have apologetics. Most churches have scholarly members who can equally defend their church’s history and beliefs.

So even though my testimony in the church started with good feelings and logic, I knew I needed something more to sustain my faith.

I needed true conversion. I needed to receive irrefutable, God-given knowledge— knowledge that impresses itself so deeply upon me, I could never in good conscious refute the truth of it. 

I believe that’s the kind of knowledge we are meant to obtain as faithful members in the Church. I believe it’s possible to obtain that kind of knowledge in every aspect of the LDS gospel. It’s okay if we start with good feelings and logic. That’s where I’m currently at with accepting the BOM and Joseph Smith. We have to start somewhere. God tells us to study it out in our minds. But our advancement towards true conversion requires true witness being borne to us by the Holy Spirit. We can all get there with the basic gospel truths that have been laid out there before us. And I can stop despairing over the fact I haven’t gotten there just quite yet. 

Edited January 27, 2018 by clbent04

[zil]

2 hours ago, clbent04 said:

I needed true conversion. I needed to receive irrefutable, God-given knowledge— knowledge that impresses itself so deeply upon me, I could never in good conscious refute the truth of it.

...I believe it’s possible to obtain that kind of knowledge in every aspect of the LDS gospel.

Please note that this knowledge does not come from study or even prayer (alone).  Conversion only comes through doing.  Want to be converted to [place principle here]?  Act as if you already were - live the principle.  Potentially, live it for a very long time.  Not begrudgingly, not skeptically, but willingly, gratefully.  It's the only way.  All the learning, knowledge, faith, and even testimony in the world will do you no good if you're not willingly living it.  (Personal experience speaking there, not a repeat of what someone else said.)  Knowing the truth and being converted to the truth are two different things.

[Jeremy A]

After reading the original post, I feel I should share my story.

I knew the Book of Mormon is true when I read the final chapter in the book of Mormon, especially when it talked about what language they were using. The language used is reformed Egyptian, so they used two languages in one. I'm not familiar with the exact languages, but what it comes down to is the writing of one language used to write another. It would be like me writing English using Japanese かたかな (katakana). I hope someone will correct me on this if I'm wrong. Either way, I knew it was right at that moment. I was also very impressed. Talk about a good encryption, especially if the person reading it doesn't know what the second language is.

You may not have a full testimony on the book's truthfulness, but I suggest not to totally give up the religion in order to get it. I did that, and I felt the difference. It wasn't pretty. Of course, I'm not perfect, either.

[e-eye]

I don't think there is one way to know the Book of Mormon is true - here are a couple examples:

First my own.  When I was in high school I really was not that engaged in the gospel although I at least tried to make it to sacrament meeting before I went home and watched sports.  In seminary I would often sleep every day during class my senior year but we were studying the Book of Mormon and despite my apathy I read the book throughout the school year each day before I went to bed and upon coming to the very end and the promise I decided to give it a try and ask God if it was true.  I knelt at my bed said a sincere prayer and then had the most amazing experience.  The flood of peace came from the top down throughout all my body, it was a burning, it was love, it was truth and I knew I had an answer.  I remember getting up off the floor and thinking to myself - well, I guess the Book of Mormon is true.

Experience of one of my past bishops. I remember him doing much like I did reading and praying but his answer was different than mine or at least the way the spirit bore truth.  When he asked the answer was... You already know it's true, you have known for a long time.  He said he indeed already did know the Book of Mormon was true and he didn't need to keep praying about it.

Another bishop of mine who was a convert also had a different experience.  He was waiting to for an experience like either of the two mentioned above and he went years without getting baptized until a member stopped him one day in the hall and asked him what he was waiting for.  My bishop said he was waiting for an answer to know it was true.  The member told him he had it all wrong that he needed to study it out and decide if it was true or not and then go to the Lord.  He did this and through study and meditation he came to the conclusion that it indeed was a true book and when he went to the Lord to share his answer he then received his confirmation.

3 examples all different.  I don't know why I had such an amazing experience as a youth to know but my guess is that I needed it. I am guessing there are many ways you can know but it's individual and personal and some work harder for it than others.

As for Joseph Smith - I have grown to love that man the more I have learned of his experiences for the person he was.  I have had some many times where I have felt a burning truth that he was a prophet of God.  A few years back my mother told me she named me after the prophet because she had such a love for him and ever since I found out I have gained a greater appreciation for what he did in all his many weaknesses to fulfill his calling on earth.