Baptism is the first formal covenant Mormons make.

A covenant is a two-way promise between God and man. God sets the terms, but if we keep our part of it, God will always keep his part. They’ve been a part of God’s relationship with mankind from the earliest days. The Old Testament is filled with stories of covenants God made with His people and the results that came about when people chose to obey or disobey the covenant.

You don’t have to be Mormon to make a covenant with God. Throughout the Bible, we find many places where God has asked us to do something and told us what He will do for us if we obey. As you read the Bible, begin marking those verses and recording them in a notebook. Be sure to record both the commandment and the promise. Then, as you pray, make a personal covenant with God to honor His request.

For instance, the Sermon on the Mount offers these possibilities for covenants:

 7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

  8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. (See Matthew 5.)

In verse seven, we have the two parts required for a covenant. Your job is to be merciful. Your reward is to obtain mercy for yourself. In verse eight, you are asked to be pure in heart. If you do this, God covenants that you will see Him.

If you chose verse seven as your personal covenant, you would probably first want to find out what it means to be merciful. You might click on the word merciful if you went to the online verse I linked to. It would give you a link to the topical guide. If you click that, you get a list of scriptures related to the word merciful. The first scriptures are from the Old Testament. These are followed by New Testament verses. The remaining scriptures are from LDS-specific books. The Bible verses are from the King James translation, which is a very standard version of the Bible.

To begin you study on mercy, you would read each of the scriptures from the books of scripture you want to study. As you do so, you’ll record in your notebook what is expected of a merciful person, why it matters to God, and what God will give you if you are merciful. You may want to note people in the Bible who were merciful to use as role models.

As an example, you will encounter this scripture:

21 He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he (Proverbs 14:21). This tells you that mercy includes being kind to the poor. This aspect of mercy even comes with a whole new promise, making it a covenant all its own. If you are compassionate toward the poor, you will be happy.

You can see this covenant study will not be as simple as you expect. Now that you’ve learned that mercy includes your treatment of the poor, you will need to study the scriptures to learn how God wants you to treat the poor.

Of course, you don’t have to know or master everything about mercy in order to get started. You can choose the first thing you encounter and start living that. As you learn more, you can add to your commitment to living God’s commandments, gradually improving your ability to live the law of mercy.

You will find that the commandments tend to interconnect. Over time you’ll discover that your study of mercy will have you living many other commandments as well. This means that you can start perfecting yourself with just one covenant, but that it will spiral out until you are living all of them. God has told us the extreme importance of keeping the commandments. “21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” The process of making a covenant with God will help you to be a doer, not just a sayer.

Making covenants is a sacred experience. It must never be made lightly and it should not be made for the reward. Covenants are a sign that you love God and want to obey Him and that you trust Him, even when it comes to making hard choices. Making a covenant with no thought of reward, knowing the reward might not even come until the next life, is a sincere act of love and faith. After all, when you love someone on earth, you are willing to change your life and to make sacrifices for that person. Your willingness to do this for God should be even greater.

As long as you’re keeping a notebook that contains your research, why not also record your experiences with the covenant? What are your thoughts about what you’ve learned as you’ve researched? What actions did you take to carry out your end of the covenant? How did those choices change you as a person? How did they change the lives of others? What blessings have you seen in your life as a result of living that covenant?

As you monitor the miracles and pleasures that come with obedience from love and faith, your faith will increase and you’ll find it easier to make the next covenant or to move to keeping that covenant at a higher level. Your commitment to the covenant will increase.

God has asked us to make certain formal covenants in prescribed settings and under guidance from those in authority. Those are also important to make and although everyone makes them, they are entirely personal, made between you and God. For instance, in the Old Testament, God made a covenant with Abraham. This was a formal covenant, entered into in a prescribed way. For Mormons, these covenants are made at set times, such as baptisms and in the temple, but they are regularly renewed.

We need strong Christians who can persevere against hardship, who can sustain hope through tragedy, who can lift others by their example and their compassion, and who can consistently overcome temptations. We need strong Christians who can make important things happen by their faith and who can defend the truth of Jesus Christ against moral relativism and militant atheism.

What is the source of such moral and spiritual power, and how do we obtain it? The source is God. Our access to that power is through our covenants with Him. A covenant is an agreement between God and man, an accord whose terms are set by God (see Bible Dictionary, “Covenant,” 651). In these divine agreements, God binds Himself to sustain, sanctify, and exalt us in return for our commitment to serve Him and keep His commandments.

We enter into covenants by priesthood ordinances, sacred rituals that God has ordained for us to manifest our commitment. Our foundational covenant, for example, the one in which we first pledge our willingness to take upon us the name of Christ, is confirmed by the ordinance of baptism. It is done individually, by name. By this ordinance, we become part of the covenant people of the Lord and heirs of the celestial kingdom of God.

Other sacred ordinances are performed in temples built for that very purpose. If we are faithful to the covenants made there, we become inheritors not only of the celestial kingdom but of exaltation, the highest glory within the heavenly kingdom, and we obtain all the divine possibilities God can give (see D&C 132:20). (See D. Todd Christofferson, “The Power of Covenants,” Liahona, May 2009, 19–23.)

Elder Christofferson, in the talk referenced above, suggests three important benefits that come from making formal covenants with God.

The first is that we are strengthened by the gifts and benefits that come from making and keeping sacred covenants. Each time we keep the commandments, we are blessed by God for what we’ve chosen to do. The more commandments we keep, the more continual the flow will be. This doesn’t mean you will have a trial-free life. No one gets that because trials are part of the purpose of life. It does mean you’ll feel God’s presence more continually as you reap the benefits promised to us for each commandment.

The second benefit is to enjoy increased faith. Alma, a book of Mormon prophet, taught that in order to develop faith, we only need to have a desire to gain faith. From this we can begin to act like a person with faith. As we do this and we see how God blesses us, our faith grows. Each time we keep a commandment, our faith increases because we begin to understand the purpose behind the commandment—commandments are not random assignments—and that increases our faith in God’s wisdom and power.

Finally, he suggests we are strengthened with the power of Godliness as we keep our covenants. God promised us the presence of the Holy Ghost when He was gone from the earth. The Holy Ghost is a member of the Godhead who does not have a body. His purpose is to testify to us of truth and to help us make wise choices and to remain safe. The Holy Ghost can’t be where wickedness is, so in order to enjoy His presence and His help, we need to obey the commandments and keep our sacred covenants. This leads to a wonderful circle of blessings because the more the Holy Ghost helps you, the easier it is to keep your covenants, and the more you keep them, the more the Holy Ghost helps you.

As Elder Christofferson says, “Divine covenants make strong Christians.”

Prayer is an important part of developing faith.

In addition, they kept the poor out of the church. Wealth was, in their minds, proof of their specialness, proof that they had been chosen and all others were doomed. Alma, encountering these poor, realized they had been humbled through their trials and longed to be allowed to worship. He decided not to bother with the arrogant wealthy people and instead to preach to the poor.

In this sermon, he gave one of the greatest sermons on faith ever written. The people were upset about being kept out of the temple because they believed this meant they were unable to worship God. Alma assured them you don’t have to be in a church building to worship. Worship was not a once a week event, but a way of life.

Alma explained that signs were not the way to gain faith, because if you know something you don’t need faith and faith is important. “And now as I said concerning faith—faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true (Alma 32:21).”

He then points out something many people did not understand, which is that God doesn’t just give His knowledge and wisdom to men, but He also gives it to women. Even young children can receive a testimony of faith.

Alma challenged his listeners to try an experiment: Do the things Alma asks and see what happens. This is one way to gain faith of something. He assured them that if they could do no more than want to believe it would be enough to get them started on the path to a testimony.

28 Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.

Alma is telling them how to take the first small steps to a testimony of Jesus Christ, in whom the Zoramites did not believe. He told them that their desire for a testimony was like a seed they could plant in their hearts. If they nurtured that seed, they would begin to feel something special, a swelling in their hearts that would enlarge their souls and lead them to understand more about the Savior. This will tell them they have planted a good seed.

However, this is only a first step. If that seed were to grow to the size of a tree, they would need to nurture it. A neglected tree will not grow properly. How do you nurture a brand new faith?

Alma began by reminding them they do not need to be inside a church building to worship. Even if they were barred from the church, they could worship on their own elsewhere. They should also not squeeze all their worship into a single day. Worshipping God should be a part of everyday life.

Next he talked to them of Jesus Christ. He reminded them the scriptures testified of Jesus and if they read and believed those scriptures, they also had to believe in Jesus Christ, their Savior. He assured them if they made true worship a part of their lives and developed their testimonies of Jesus, their newly beginning seed of faith would develop into a tree.

This sermon applies to us today, as well. We can take a mere desire to know what is true and turn it into a testimony the size of a tree. First, as Alma taught, we have to want to know what is true and to be prepared to accept it even if we don’t like the answer. We must be willing to put God’s truth and His will before our own. The greater our faith, the easier this will be.

Once we have a desire for faith, we can begin to develop knowledge. The poor people of the Zoramites stopped their work and listened as Alma and his companions taught the gospel. Those of us today who want to know what is true need to study the Bible and the Book of Mormon to find out what they really say, not just what others have told us they say.

A person wanting to know if the Mormons have the truth will read this book with a sincere desire to know God’s will. He will pray prior to his study each day and will pray again afterwards—and even in the middle as needed. He will tell God what he thinks and ask God to confirm it for him. A swelling in the heart of peace and joy comes from God. Satan cannot bring true peace or joy. He can only give us a worldly sense of pleasure.

This process can take time, moving from study to prayer and back to study. For some, it is the process of an hour. For others it can take months or even a year or two. The speed of our confirmation from God has nothing to do with our worthiness or how much God loves us. It is simply that God has a timetable for each of us and the process of slowly gaining a testimony can actually be very beneficial.

Our responsibility is to learn the gospel and to experiment by trying to live it the best we can. In that way, we can find out if it enlarges our soul, as Alma put it. If it does, and if God confirms to our heart that we are doing good, we will know what we need to do. But when we ask God to tell us what is true, we must be prepared to act on the answer, even if it’s hard. The answer may not be what we hoped for, but doing what God asked us to do is our responsibility.

There is a great joy that comes from knowing we are following in God’s ways, even when it’s hard. The blessings are eternal, while the sacrifices are only temporal and not worth grieving over.

Experiment on the word. You might be surprised to find out what happens.

The people had built a synagogue, used only one day a week for their official service. In this synagogue, they had built a tall platform. They took turns climbing up onto it, putting them above the others, and there they recited a prayer. Each person gave the exact same prayer. This was the prayer they offered:

 15 Holy, holy God; we believe that thou art God, and we believe that thou art holy, and that thou wast a spirit, and that thou art a spirit, and that thou wilt be a spirit forever.

  16 Holy God, we believe that thou hast separated us from our brethren; and we do not believe in the tradition of our brethren, which was handed down to them by the childishness of their fathers; but we believe that thou hast elected us to be thy holy children; and also thou hast made it known unto us that there shall be no Christ.

  17 But thou art the same yesterday, today, and forever; and thou hast elected us that we shall be saved, whilst all around us are elected to be cast by thy wrath down to hell; for the which holiness, O God, we thank thee; and we also thank thee that thou hast elected us, that we may not be led away after the foolish traditions of our brethren, which doth bind them down to a belief of Christ, which doth lead their hearts to wander far from thee, our God.

  18 And again we thank thee, O God, that we are a chosen and a holy people. Amen. (See Alma 31.)

The prayer, in short, was nothing short of a bragging session. These people believed in predestination, that they had been chosen for exaltation from the beginning and that only they could be exalted. No one else had any hope of achieving God’s grace. They felt they were better than everyone else and “holy children.” In addition, they did not believe in Jesus Christ, who had not yet been born.

Once they’d finished this arrogant task, they went home and did not pray or worship again, or even mention God, until the next Sabbath day. They felt no special obligation to God in any way and did not feel anything else was required of them other than to show up once a week to brag about how special they were. Alma noted that they came dressed up in expensive, elegant clothing and fancy jewelry, probably befitting, in their minds, their special status in the world.

Certainly their wealth was a factor in deciding who was predestined to be saved. Those who were not wealthy and didn’t have expensive clothing or lifestyles were not allowed to enter the Zoramite temples.

1 And it came to pass that they did go forth, and began to preach the word of God unto the people, entering into their synagogues, and into their houses; yea, and even they did preach the word in their streets.

  2 And it came to pass that after much labor among them, they began to have success among the poor class of people; for behold, they were cast out of the synagogues because of the coarseness of their apparel—

  3 Therefore they were not permitted to enter into their synagogues to worship God, being esteemed as filthiness; therefore they were poor; yea, they were esteemed by their brethren as dross; therefore they were poor as to things of the world; and also they were poor in heart.

  4 Now, as Alma was teaching and speaking unto the people upon the hill Onidah, there came a great multitude unto him, who were those of whom we have been speaking, of whom were poor in heart, because of their poverty as to the things of the world.

  5 And they came unto Alma; and the one who was the foremost among them said unto him: Behold, what shall these my brethren do, for they are despised of all men because of their poverty, yea, and more especially by our priests; for they have cast us out of our synagogues which we have labored abundantly to build with our own hands; and they have cast us out because of our exceeding poverty; and we have no place to worship our God; and behold, what shall we do? (See Alma 32)

Alma was thrilled when he heard these words. He saw that they, though their lives had been terrible, had been humbled by their trials. They longed to worship God in the synagogues, which they had helped to build but were not allowed to enter. They were excluded because the Zoramites falsely believed that poverty was a sign of unworthiness.

Alma then turned his attention to the poor in this community, deciding not to waste his time on those who lacked the humility and love to accept the message of Jesus Christ, especially since they didn’t believe in him. In the next article, we’ll learn what Alma taught them.

The Zoramites made several mistakes in their choices of worship. They presumed, first of all, that their mere presence and a single ritual was all that was required of them. The rest of the week, God was out of their minds and hearts.

Their service offered nothing personal. Each one recited a single prayer and the prayer was not about God. It was really only about their own glory and superiority.

In other words, there was nothing worshipful about the method of worship they had chosen. Contrast their meetings with this description of a Mormon Sacrament Meeting, which is the basic worship service held each Sunday: “Each member of the Church bears responsibility for the spiritual enrichment that can come from a sacrament meeting. Each should sing with a grateful heart and respond with an audible “amen” at the conclusion of a prayer or a testimony. We personally ponder the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We reflect upon the significance of His suffering at Gethsemane and His Crucifixion on Calvary. At this time, each of us is to “examine himself” (1 Cor. 11:28) and reflect upon personal covenants made with the Lord. At this time, we meditate upon the sacred things of God (Russell M. Nelson, “Worshiping at Sacrament Meeting,” Ensign, Aug 2004, 24–28).

Worship is internal, but it is influenced during services by the things going on around us. Merely reciting pre-rewritten words as the entire service can lead to meaningless repetition. A worship service is meant to help us learn more about God and Jesus Christ and to increase our commitment to living a life of loving service. It is a time to worship God, not ourselves. It can be a humbling experience, not one in which we announce we are better than everyone else, particularly when the measuring stick is a worldly and meaningless one.

The Zoramites felt they had met their duty to God simply by showing up and saying their script. During the week, they neglected God. As we study the Bible and the words of Christ, we come to understand that religion should be something that fills every part of our day. Even when we’re at work or doing mundane chores, we should have the Savior in our minds and hearts and be focused on worshipping Him and measuring our thoughts and actions against the way He taught us to live.

The A to Z index on LDS.org says: To worship God is to give Him our love, reverence, service, and devotion. The Lord commanded Moses, “Worship God, for him only shalt thou serve” (Moses 1:15). He has also commanded, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy might, mind, and strength; and in the name of Jesus Christ thou shalt serve him” (D&C 59:5). Worship not only shows our love for God and commitment to Him, it gives us strength to keep His commandments. Through worship we grow in knowledge and faithfulness. If we place any person or thing above the love of God, we worship that thing or person. This is called idolatry (see Exodus 20:3–6). (See Worship.)

We can see there was nothing of worship in the doings of the Zoramites. Today, although we might not be so blatant about it, many people show up for church eager for others to see their elegant clothing (while God only asks that we wear the best we have, which has nothing to do with the cost of it) or to socialize with others. We get out of our worship service exactly what we put into it.

When you attend church this week, will you just be fulfilling an obligation or will you be worshipping God? And the rest of the week?

Too many of our young men and women are succumbing to the pressures imposed by a world saturated with evil messages and immoral behavior. Lucifer is waging a vicious war for the souls of young and old alike, and the casualty count is climbing. The standards of the world have shifted like the sands of a windblown desert. That which was once unheard of or unacceptable is now commonplace. The world’s perspective has been so dramatically altered that those who choose to adhere to traditional standards of morality are viewed as strange, almost as though they must justify their desire to keep the commandments of God.

But one thing is certain: the commandments have not changed. Let there be no mistake about that. Right is still right. Wrong is still wrong, no matter how cleverly cloaked in respectability or political correctness. We believe in chastity before marriage and fidelity ever after. That standard is an absolute standard of truth. It is neither subject to public opinion polls nor dependent upon situation or circumstance. There is no need to debate it or other gospel standards. (See M. Russell Ballard, “Like a Flame Unquenchable,” Ensign, May 1999, 85.)

People often think they’re modern and sophisticated when they ignore traditional values. However, ignoring God’s commandments always comes with consequences. Children grow up without the benefits of both a mother and a father. Poverty sometimes results, although poverty can, of course, happen to those who live righteously as well. Some diseases are passed only through immorality. Immoral choices tear apart families through pornography or infidelity.

Sheri L. Dew, a former leader of the Mormon Relief Society and now the head of a major religious publishing company said, “Several years ago, I participated in an international policy forum where the discussion moved from prostitution to pornography to abortion and so on. When the moderator invited me to comment, I noted that it seemed impossible not to notice a common theme—that every thorny issue had immoral underpinnings.” (See Sheri L. Dew: The Power of Virtue.)

Relative morality is a dangerous thing. We alter morality to suit the standards chosen by television and movies, rock stars, and political action groups. We let popular culture decide what is right, and yet popular culture has no authority, no long-range vision, and sometimes no responsibility for the consequences of the course they choose. They seldom care about the consequences…they’re just after the attention and influence. Consequences aren’t their problem. Too often people with influence say, “I just tell people what I think. What they do with it and what happens as a result isn’t my problem.” But, of course, it is.

There comes a time of reckoning for everyone. No one lives forever in a mortal state. Eventually we all die and stand before God to account for the choices we made, the influence we had over others, and the consequences of our actions. God made commandments and He didn’t make them for entertainment value. He meant them to be kept.

Jesus spoke firmly to the Pharisees about their habit of altering the gospel to suit current fads or personal “freedom.”

6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

  7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

  8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.

  9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition (Mark 7:6-9, King James Bible)

Jesus understood the danger of constantly changing moral standards, based on nothing but personal opinions of people. Only in a world that consistently follows certain essential principles of morality are people truly safe from dangerous fads and whims. It’s easy to say, “But these are modern times and this is how we do things.” By the time we understand the dangers of that fad, it is usually too late.

As an example, using a non-moral issue, a number of years ago a state decided to mandate a method of teaching reading using the force of law. Teachers, who had far more experience than lawmakers, protested loudly that it would not work, and yet the decision was made by people with no real understanding of the process of teaching reading or the consequences of their decision. They only knew this was an “exciting” new fad, modern and popular. They jumped on the bandwagon of popular opinion. Four or five years later, they admitted the method was a complete failure and that thousands of children could not read as a result. Much of an entire generation suffered because lawmakers were more interested in being modern and popular than in worrying about the well-being of the children they were responsible for. They admitted their mistake, but they could not undo the damage caused by their irresponsible passion for fads. The children who could read were largely taught at home using methods that had long been proven worthy.

In the same way, many people today are making decisions about right and wrong without the eternal knowledge or authority to do so. By the time they see the dangers of their decisions and the damage it has caused those under their influence, it will be too late. They can apologize, but they may not be able to undo the damage caused by their choices.

We need not compromise. We must not compromise. The candle that the Lord has lighted in this dispensation can become as a light unto the whole world, and others seeing our good works can be led to glorify our Father in Heaven and emulate in their own lives the examples they have observed in ours.

Beginning with you and me, there can be an entire people who, by the virtue of our lives in our homes, in our vocations, even in our amusements, can become as a city upon a hill to which men may look and learn, and an ensign to the nations from which the people of the earth may gather strength,” (Gordon B. Hinckley, A City upon a Hill,” Ensign, Jul 1990, 2.)

Moroni prepares the Book of Mormon to be hidden.

When times are hard, the scriptures are a great place to turn for moral support and good attitude role modeling. Not only can you find people who are facing much greater trials than your own, but you can see how they coped with those trials. While they sometimes briefly faltered, they always rallied and learned how to face their trials with faith and gratitude.

Think of Nephi, who went from wealthy to homeless and who spent his life dodging being murdered by his brothers. In his later years, he would write that he had been blessed every day of his life. Think of Noah, being mocked for preaching about a flood. Think of the prophets in the Bible who faced death for doing what God asked of them.

My personal favorite hero in times of trial is Moroni, whose writings are found in the Book of Mormon. There are two men named Moroni, but in this article, we’re discussing the one who was the final author. If you’ve ever visited or seen pictures of a Mormon temple, you’ll see him as an angel with a horn, proclaiming the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the Book of Mormon, however, we see him during his mortal life.

Moroni’s childhood was one of great trial and stress. Although we don’t know much about it, we do know that by the time he was a teenager, his people, the Nephites (descendents of the Nephi mentioned earlier) had largely turned away from God and His teachings. Throughout the centuries, God had promised the prophets that as long as the Nephites remained righteous, they would be protected from destruction by the Lamanites (descendents of Nephi’s murderous brothers.) However, should they turn away, those protections would be taken. That time had come.

The Nephites engaged in a terrible battle against the Lamanites and lost. Tremendous numbers were killed. Only a small number was left and Moroni’s father, the prophet, spent many hours seeking out the survivors and trying to help them. Those who survived had to hide or risk certain death from their enemies. By the time we meet Moroni, all of his family was dead except his father, who would also soon die. Imagine being a teenager and watching all your friends and family die over a short period of time. There was no normal teenage fun for Moroni. He was fighting the wars and caring for the survivors. Experts believe he was only a teenager when his father died.

“ Behold I, Moroni, do finish the record of my father, Mormon. Behold, I have but few things to write, which things I have been commanded by my father.

 And now it came to pass that after the great and tremendous battle at Cumorah, behold, the Nephites who had escaped into the country southward were hunted by the Lamanites, until they were all destroyed. And my father also was killed by them, and I even remain alone to write the sad tale of the destruction of my people. But behold, they are gone, and I fulfil the commandment of my father. And whether they will slay me, I know not. Therefore I will write and hide up the records in the earth; and whither I go it mattereth not.

  Behold, my father hath made this record, and he hath written the intent thereof. And behold, I would write it also if I had room upon the plates, but I have not; and ore I have none, for I am alone. My father hath been slain in battle, and all my kinsfolk, and I have not friends nor whither to go; and how long the Lord will suffer that I may live I know not.”

In ancient times, a person’s world was very small. In Moroni’s own world, he was the last remaining good person. Everyone around him—everyone—was evil. Imagine the teenagers you know hiding away in a cave somewhere, surrounded by pure evil, with everyone in your personal world determined to murder you. He has no parental guidance, no friends, no mentors, just himself and his faith in God to get him through. We learn he was occasionally visited by angels who helped to care for him when he needed it, but between angelic ministering, he was utterly alone.

The words Moroni wrote demonstrate his intense loneliness and grief. ”For I am alone. My father hath been slain in battle, and all my kinsfolk, and I have not friends nor wither to go; and how long the Lord will suffer that I may live I know not.”

He wrote that it did not matter to him where he went when he finished his assignment from his father and His God. It was, most likely, for this purpose—to finish and hide the records—that he was kept alive. The records were those of his people going all the way back to 600 B.C. It was now somewhere between 400 and 421 A.D. Moroni’s father had been engaged in the overwhelming task of taking centuries of records and reducing them to only those that mattered most, so they could be buried and preserved for those for whom they had been written.

The Bible was written by a variety of people and existed in an uncollected form until long after Jesus died, when church leaders began collecting the records and choosing which ones they wanted to include. 

The Book of Mormon, however, was written by the prophets and handed down, making a complete record. Mormon and Moroni only condensed the records into a more concise form.

Once the record was finished, Moroni buried it in the Hill Cumorah and left. However, years later he found, to his great surprise, he was still alive. He came back to Cumorah, but since he was still being hunted down, he had to do so secretly. He dug out the record and added more information to it. Finally, he buried it one last time and left. We don’t know what happened to him after that during his own lifetime.

Later, as an angel, he returned to show Joseph Smith where the plates were hidden and to begin tutoring him in the things he needed to know in order to participate in the restoration of the gospel. It’s fitting that Moroni was given this honor, since his heroic sacrifices made it possible.

What do I learn from Moroni? Often, our trials are caused by the choices of others. We can’t control their choices. We can only control ourselves. Moroni’s people caused the destruction when they turned away from God. Moroni never turned away, but he still suffered the results. He lost everyone he loved. He couldn’t change that, either. However, he was able to control his own choices about how to respond to the trials. In his record, we don’t see anger or blame. We see a teenager struggling to honor God’s plan for him the very best he can, with courage and faith. When I face a trial, Moroni is my favorite Book of Mormon person to turn to.

John Taylor, third

However, when he was a little boy, he had a vision. He saw a man holding a trumpet in his mouth. The man was in the heavens and the trumpet was an announcement of some sort, but he didn’t understand what this meant. As a child, when he was alone, he frequently heard soft music that seemed to be coming from heaven. He kept all these things in his heart.

When he was sixteen, he converted to the Methodist religion and only a year later was made a lay preacher. He had strong spiritual impressions that God intended him to teach the gospel in the United States some day.

However, it wasn’t to the United States that he moved first. First, he immigrated to Toronto, Canada. His family went ahead and he joined them when he finished selling the family property and wrapping up business. On the ship, he received another spiritual prompting as God continued to prepare him for what was to come. A terrible storm arose, frightening everyone. However, John felt the spirit tell him again he must someday go to the United States to preach the gospel. Because of this, he knew he would arrive safely, and was so sure he even went up on deck to enjoy the storm that was terrifying his shipmates.

He lived in New York for a few months on his arrival and then joined his family in Canada, where he soon married another Canadian immigrant, Leonora Cannon. John Taylor was still deeply committed to religion and he and a group of people decided to get together regularly to study religion. Their study turned out to be unsettling. He later wrote, “A number of us met together for the purpose of searching the Scriptures; and we found that certain doctrines were taught by Jesus and the Apostles, which neither the Methodists, Baptists, … nor any of the religious sects taught; and we concluded that if the Bible was true, the doctrines of modern Christendom were not true; or if they were true, the Bible was false. … In addition … , we prayed and fasted before God; and the substance of our prayers was, that if he had a people upon the earth anywhere, and ministers who were authorized to preach the Gospel, that he would send us one” (in Journal of Discourses, 23:30).”

During this time, God was busy setting eternal history into motion and answering John Taylor’s hope that the truth would find him. Back in the United States, Parley P. Pratt was preparing for a mission to Toronto, Canada. The decision to go had not been easy because his wife was very ill and his financial situation was perilous. His house had burnt down a year ago as well. It was certainly not the best time to leave his home and family to serve a mission. (In the early days of the church, married men often served missions without their families. Today, this is done by unmarried young people or older couples.) Despite the hardship, though, Elder Heber C. Kimball had been filled with a strong spiritual impression that it was important he go and that there were people waiting for the gospel there. Without hesitation, he went.

At first, he might have wondered about that prophecy, because his many petitions for a place to preach were denied and no one wanted to hear his message. Then he met John Taylor. John was not really interested in the message, having heard many strange rumors about this “American” church. However, he listened politely, both because he was a courteous man and because he was interested in religion, still being a lay minister and still searching for that true religion. As Elder Pratt prepared to leave, a neighbor came by and invited the missionary to stay in her home and to preach their to the study group John and the neighbor belonged to.

It was Elder Pratt’s discussion of the Holy Ghost that captured his attention. Elder Pratt explained that it was through the Holy Ghost we could know what was true. John Taylor asked if the Holy Ghost would tell him if this Mormon religion was true and Elder Pratt assured him the Holy Ghost would and that it was the sure way to know. John agreed to put the religion to the test, but warned Elder Pratt that if the Holy Ghost said it was false, he would expose it to the world. However, if the Holy Ghost said it was true, John would join the church at any cost. For him, finding God’s truth was essential.

The others in the group found Elder Pratt was teaching many of the things they had found themselves in the Bible that other churches did not teach. However, the Book of Mormon proved a stumbling block for many. Some refused to learn any more and the others were hesitant. John spoke firmly, displaying the courage and integrity he would come to be known for:

“We are here, ostensibly in search of truth. Hitherto we have fully investigated other creeds and doctrines and proven them false. Why should we fear to investigate Mormonism? This gentleman, Mr. Pratt, has brought to us many doctrines that correspond with our own views. … We have prayed to God to send us a messenger, if He has a true Church on earth. Mr. Pratt has come to us … without purse or scrip, as the ancient apostles traveled; and none of us are able to refute his doctrine by scripture or logic. I desire to investigate his doctrines and claims to authority. … If I find his religion true, I shall accept it, no matter what the consequences may be.”

John began to study the Mormon religion and to pray. He began listening to Elder Pratt preach in a variety of places. He recorded the contents of eight different sermons and then went home to compare what was taught to what was in his Bible.

He almost hoped it would not be true, because he knew how dangerous his life would become if it were true. He was an honorable man and knew he had to do whatever God told him was right; he had always been that sort of person.

Soon he had a very sure knowledge that it was indeed true. He kept his promise and joined, prepared to accept any consequence that occurred as a result. The costs were indeed great and the strength of his testimony would be called on to support him many times. He was with Joseph Smith when the Joseph was murdered. John was shot and fell to the ground. While trying to get under a bed (they were in prison being held on false charges) he was shot again in the chest, but the bullet hit the watch in his pocket, saving his life. He was shot several more times, but lived. Joseph Smith was murdered. John’s life would be in danger from the government and others many more times in the future.

“I expected when I came into this church, that I should be persecuted and proscribed. I expected that the people would be persecuted. But I believed that God had spoken, that the eternal principles of truth had been revealed, and that God had a work to accomplish which was in opposition to the ideas, views, and notions of men, and I did not know but it would cost me my life before I got through. … If they killed Jesus in former times, would not the same feeling and influence bring about the same results in these times? I had counted the cost when I first started out, and stood prepared to meet it.

The Lord, through simple means, is able to take care of and deliver his people, but they must put implicit faith and confidence in him; and when they are crowded into a tight place they must not be afraid to make sacrifice for the sake of maintaining the truth, and all will be well with us whether living or dying, in time or in eternity.(Chapter 23: Eternal Truth,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: John Taylor, 209.)

John used his talents to serve God in a variety of ways. He converted many of his neighbors and then moved to the United States to live in the Mormon community. He became an apostle when he was thirty years old. He wrote many articles explaining Mormonism, edited a newspaper, and became known among church members as the Defender of the Faith. He served four full-time missions, and one was to New York, fulfilling the prophecies he had received most of his life about preaching the gospel in the United States.

He would become the third president of the Church during very difficult times in church history. During this time as president, he organized the priesthood, set up the concept of regular stake conferences (stakes are similar to dioceses) and organized an auxiliary for children called Primary. He fought for the principal of religious freedom during a time the government wanted to disenfranchise the church and confiscate their property. This would have allowed the government to effectively end religious freedom for all religions, who would be forced to alter their doctrines to meet the current fads of the government in order to be allowed to practice, and this, of course, would have been a powerful threat to the constitution.

John Taylor is the only prophet who was born outside the United States to date. Having come from an autocratic nation, loved the American form of government and fought long and hard to preserve it. He invited people to celebrate and protect freedom of religion.

 Look carefully at this sentence… There’s a lot of people in this world. Do you notice anything wrong?
Same sentence in a slightly different way… There is a lot of people in this world. Notice anything this time?
Now look at this sentence… There are a lot of people in this world.

Now do you hear it? The last sentence is the grammatically correct one. The first and second are incorrect (There’s vs. There are).

One of the dangerous things about sloppy grammar or spelling is that after a while, when it’s been used countless times (especially without correction), it starts looking or sounding correct. Or, it becomes acceptable when permitted to go on uncorrected.

Texting and spelling checkers, among other things, have, to some extent, bred in all of us a casual disregard for correct spelling. (Now you’re all going to be watching for my grammatical mistakes instead of listening to my real message.)

Considering this example, isn’t this exactly what has happened (and continues to happen) in many areas of our society? For those who remember it (or have heard about it), in the first decades of TV, married couples were not shown in bed together and were often shown as having separate beds. Strict rules of television broadcasting restricted an on-screen kiss to under six seconds, and the participants could not recline during the kiss.  Contrast that with what is often shown on TV today with characters who aren’t even portrayed as married.  Gradually, standards have declined until extra-marital sexual encounters are the norm.  The slow introduction of this practice has brought about a certain familiarity, and familiarity has bred a casual disregard for the sanctity of virtue and chastity.

This can also happen to us in many other aspects of our lives as well. We need to be particularly mindful of those areas which have eternal consequences.  We’ve all heard the saying… “Familiarity breeds contempt.” It originates from one of Aesop’s fables about the Fox and the Lion… which goes like this…

When first the Fox saw the Lion he was terribly frightened, and ran away and hid himself in the wood. Next time, however, he came near the King of Beasts, he stopped at a safe distance and watched him pass by. The third time they came near one another the Fox went straight up to the Lion and passed the time of day with him, asking him how his family were, and when he should have the pleasure of seeing him again; then turning his tail, he parted from the Lion without much ceremony. Thus we see… “Familiarity Breeds Contempt.”

There are two definitions for “contempt” —
              a : the act of despising : the state of mind of one who despises : disdain    … OR…
              b : lack of respect or reverence for something 

It is the second definition we will begin with, and we will call it by another name: “Casual disregard.”  Familiarity breeds a casual disregard.  This is what the Fox experienced in the fable — a casual disregard for the Lion’s power to attack and eat him.

It seems to me a casual disregard creeps in well before full contempt. From there, it grows into to total disregard and finally to hatred and enmity.

Taking the TV example, consider how those who now oppose the immoral acts often portrayed on TV, are viewed by the general public… as closed minded, politically incorrect and unaccepting — basically as the bad guys.

Ludwig Wittgenstein, an Austrian-British philosopher said –
“The aspect of things that are most important for us are hidden because of their simplicity and familiarity.”

There is an important truth in this statement regarding members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Part of my message today is to not let things familiar to us (particularly related to the gospel and one another) breed in us a casual disregard for their importance.

Familiarity breeds casual disregard
What do I mean by a casual disregard?  I’d like to read part of a story told by President Boyd K. Packer about Spiritual Crocodiles. Some of you may be familiar with this story. I believe its theme is an example of the casual disregard of which I speak.

(President Packer related the following story after attending to an assignment in Africa…)

 
We had no automobile, and without telephones there was no way to get a replacement until late in the day. We faced the disappointment of sitting around the compound all day. Our one day in the park was ruined and, for me, the dream of a lifetime was gone.

I talked with a young ranger, and he was surprised that I knew many of the African birds. Then he volunteered to rescue us.

“We are building a new lookout over a water hole about twenty miles from the compound,” he said. “It is not quite finished, but it is safe. I will take you out there with a lunch, and when your car comes late this afternoon we will bring it out to you. You may see as many animals, or even more, than if you were driving around.”

On the way to the lookout he volunteered to show us some lions. He turned off through the brush and before long located a group of seventeen lions all sprawled out asleep and drove right up among them.

We stopped at a water hole to watch the animals come to drink. It was very dry that season and there was not much water, really just muddy spots. When the elephants stepped into the soft mud the water would seep into the depression and the animals would drink from the elephant tracks.

The antelope, particularly, were very nervous. They would approach the mud hole, only to turn and run away in great fright. I could see there were no lions about and asked the guide why they didn’t drink. His answer, and this is the lesson, was “Crocodiles.”

I knew he must be joking and asked him seriously, “What is the problem?” The answer again: “Crocodiles.”

“Nonsense,” I said. “There are no crocodiles out there. Anyone can see that.”

I thought he was having some fun at the expense of his foreign game expert, and finally I asked him to tell us the truth. Now I remind you that I was not uninformed. I had read many books. Besides, anyone would know that you can’t hide a crocodile in an elephant track.

He could tell I did not believe him and determined, I suppose, to teach me a lesson. We drove to another location where the car was on an embankment above the muddy hole where we could look down. “There,” he said. “See for yourself.”

I couldn’t see anything except the mud, a little water, and the nervous animals in the distance. Then all at once I saw it!—a large crocodile, settled in the mud, waiting for some unsuspecting animal to get thirsty enough to come for a drink.

Suddenly I became a believer! When he could see I was willing to listen, he continued with the lesson. “There are crocodiles all over the park,” he said, “not just in the rivers. We don’t have any water without a crocodile somewhere near it, and you’d better count on it.”

The guide was kinder to me than I deserved. My “know-it-all” challenge to his first statement, “crocodiles,” might have brought an invitation, “Well, go out and see for yourself!”

I could see for myself that there were no crocodiles. I was so sure of myself I think I might have walked out just to see what was there. Such an arrogant approach could have been fatal! But he was patient enough to teach me…. (Boyd K. Packer, “Spiritual Crocodiles,” Ensign, May 1976, 30).

Do we have a CASUAL DISREGARD…

• For counsel from the prophet, leaders, parents, etc? (Do we feel that we ultimately know what’s best?  Do we listen to General Conference, or read the talks in the Ensign magazine?)
• For ordinances – how do we approach the Sacrament each week?
• For one another (members of our family or even for one another in the Church)?
• For the need to repent?
• For reading the scriptures, praying, and attending our church meetings?
• For magnifying our callings?
• For the ways we worship?
• For the covenants we have made (baptism, temple)?
• And, for living the commandments with exactness and diligence?

George Sands said, “Admiration and Familiarity are strangers.”  Antoine de Rivarol said, “Familiarity is the root of the closest friendship, as well as the intensest hatreds.”  William Bernbach said, “In communications, familiarity breeds apathy.”  I think this quote perhaps has much broader applicability than just communications.

When we casually disregard the aforementioned things, there may be nothing that happens immediately, the first time we do/don’t do it. There may not even be apparent consequences the second, third, or fourth time we behave with casual disregard for the things on this list. However, the message here is that eventually we will be bitten by the spiritual crocodiles, most likely when we are least expecting it.

The Book of Mormon suggests at least one possible source for the growth of a casual disregard.
“Yea, and we may see at the very a time when he doth prosper his people… yea, and in fine, doing all things for the welfare and happiness of his people; yea, then is the time that they do harden their hearts, and do forget the Lord their God, and do trample under their feet the Holy One.

“Yea, how quick to be lifted up in pride; yea, how quick to boast, and do all manner of that which is iniquity; and how slow are they to remember the Lord their God, and to give ear unto his counsels, yea, how slow to walk in wisdom’s paths!

“Behold, they do not desire that the Lord their God, who hath created them, should rule and reign over them; notwithstanding his great goodness and his mercy towards them, they do set at naught his counsels, and they will not that he should be their guide” (Helaman 12:2, 5-6).

“Slow to give ear unto his counsels,” and “Set at naught his counsels…” These phrases sound to me like the same thing as casually disregarding His counsels.

Obedience with exactness
But what’s so harmful about a casual disregard for things related to the gospel?  Often times we’re not even in the act of blatantly sinning.  However, it is contrary to our Heavenly Father’s plan of happiness.

So, what does the opposite of “casual disregard” look like? In Alma we read about the Stripling Warriors…
“Yea, and they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and even according to their faith it was done unto them; and I did remember the words which they said unto me that their mothers had taught them” (Alma 57:21).

The scripture indicates that they did “perform every word of command with exactness.” As a result, according to their faith, it was done unto them. The full-time missionaries can certainly attest that they are taught of the importance of exact obedience to the mission rules. They can also testify of the blessings and miracles, as they have done so.
“We all are prone, once in a while, to be in a state contrary to the nature of happiness, and not necessarily because we have pursued wickedness or iniquity to a full extent. But so long as we are in this earthly probationary state, the adversary can influence us. We may have become a little careless. We may have neglected our relationships with those closest to us—those who are our first responsibility—our spouse, our children, or our parents. Perhaps we may have permitted small bad habits or attitudes to enter into our lives; or perhaps we have even lost to some degree an understanding of the importance of keeping a covenant with exactness. If so, we are in a dangerous state. We must become aware of it. We cannot afford to ignore the situation. We may observe that for some time we are not really happy, that we must constantly force ourselves to smile, or perhaps that we are in a state close to depression. One may not yet have formally broken a covenant, or may even still manage to hide behind a facade of happiness. Although we might deceive others, we cannot deceive ourselves, and we cannot deceive the Lord.

“When the Spirit of the Lord is withdrawn even in part, we feel it… Shadows of darkness will fall upon the soul, and, in this state, an awareness of what is happening to us is essential (Elder F. Enzio Busche, Of the First Quorum of the Seventy, May 1989).”
The Book of Mormon prophet Alma said, speaking to his son, Corianton:
“And now, my son, all men that are in a state of nature, or I would say, in a carnal state, are in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity; they are without God in the world, and they have gone contrary to the nature of God; therefore, they are in a state contrary to the nature of happiness (Alma 41:11).
The good news is that as we strive to live the commandments with exactness (and as we strive to eliminate casual disregard for those things in our lives (especially those which are most important for us), we will be aligned with our Heavenly Father’s plan of Happiness. And, His desire is for us to have joy in this life.

When Jesus Christ first began to teach in the Holy Land, he was casually disregarded by many of the Jews, particularly by the Jewish leadership. They were “familiar” with him as merely the son of Joseph, a carpenter. Over the course of his ministry, however, that casual disregard grew into vehement opposition.

For Christ‘s Atonement to be effective in our lives, we must exercise our Faith in Him continually, consistently and completely… NOT CASUALLY.   I believe that a casual disregard of the gospel or of spiritual things is essentially a form of sabotaging our faith, making his Atonement less effective or ineffective in our live. The scriptures indicate, as a result, we remain in our carnal and fallen state.
 “But behold, they have received many wounds; nevertheless they stand fast in that liberty wherewith God has made them free; and they are strict to remember the Lord their God from day to day; yea, they do observe to keep his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments continually; and their faith is strong in the prophecies concerning that which is to come” (Alma 58:40).
Brothers and Sisters, it is not my intent to pound the pulpit or to suggest that we are in a wicked state. In large part, I suppose that my message today is a reflection of things that I’ve pondered regarding not only the ward, but my own life and my own need for improvement.  My message is more of a reminder, an invitation and a challenge to all of us is to claim the blessings of happiness of the gospel by…

Not letting the Familiarity of our families, each other, and the gospel breed a Casual Disregard in us… and…that living the gospel with more exact obedience will bring greater protection, power, and happiness (and eventually Eternal Life).

Mary Fielding Smith did not let the trials she had already faced, or those she would face in the future as a widowed mother in a church under constant threat of persecution and death slow her down or destroy her faith. She accepted that other people would be able to cause troubles for her she couldn’t control, and she might be among a hated group, but she could could still take control of much of her life. Like so many pioneer women, she showed extraordinary courage and faith through even the most challenging times.

Mary was left not only to take care of her own children, but also to care for several ill or disabled people her husband had been caring for prior to his death. The Mormons were forced out of their city in Illinois. Mary took her family to Winter Quarters and then the move to the Salt Lake Valley was underway. Some of her household had already gone ahead in 1847, but in the spring of 1848, Mary was determined to set out and join them. She had two young sons, but no other real support.

While preparing for the journey, she and her brother, Joseph Fielding, took a fifty mile journey into St. Joseph, Missouri to get supplies for the winter and for the upcoming journey to the Salt Lake Valley in Utah. They took two wagons and two yokes of oxen for each wagon. Her nine-year-old son, Joseph F. Smith, who would later become the president of the Mormons, went with them. It was a very difficult journey, filled with bad roads and worse weather. On the trip home, they stopped to camp beside a spring, where they could oversee the entire prairie. They noted a herd of beef cattle camped nearby, so they decided not to turn their own cattle loose, for fear they’d be rounded up with the beef cattle when that group departed. They kept the animals yokes on, but let them go out to feed. However, in the morning, several of their best oxen were missing. The two Josephs headed out immediately to search for them in the wet prairie. Hours later they returned, nearly exhausted, to find Mary kneeling in prayer. Her young son approached her quietly and heard her pleading with God to return the oxen to them so they could make it safely home. As she stood up, he noted a peaceful smile come on to her face, filling him with hope.

His uncle was not as hopeful. He informed Mary the oxen were gone, probably rounded up with the beef cattle despite their attempts to make them stand out. Mary smiled and simply told them to go get the breakfast she had made them and she’d just take a little walk and see if she could find them. Her brother was astonished. After all, they’d spent hours searching already. How could she find them on a little walk? However, Mary set out. The person in charge of the beef cattle saw her and road over to tell her he’d seen the cattle. He pointed her in the right direction, but to his surprise, she continued on her original path, the opposite direction from which he sent her.

Young John, worried about his mother’s safety, had been monitoring her progress as he ate. Soon he saw her motion for him to join her. He and his uncle hurried to her, John running and arriving first. She pointed out the oxen, who had gotten trapped in a clump of willows at the bottom of a washed out gulch, completely hidden from sight. Mary’s son always remembered this story as one of his first experiences with the power of prayer.

She didn’t have enough teams to pull the wagons she should have taken with her and she hadn’t enough money to buy them, but she persisted in her plan. Without enough oxen, she fastened together two wagons and then hooked them up to cows and even calves. They really weren’t strong enough to pull the load, it would seem, but this is how they set up. There were trials of all sorts, including getting stuck in the mud and coping with broken equipment. Her cows needed breaking and struggled with the hills. All of this came before she even reached Elk Horn, where the Saints, as the Mormons called themselves, were gathering to organize into companies for the trip. She reported herself as ready to go.

Captain Smith, learning she had seven wagons, but only four yokes of oxen, some cows and some calves, told her it was foolish to even attempt the trip under these conditions. He said she would wind up being a burden on the men, who would have to help her and take care of her. However, she firmly told the captain, “I will beat you to the Valley, and ask no help from you either!”

Her first step was to arrange to buy, on credit, more oxen from families who were not going to be able to make the trip that year. She was now much better prepared, but the captain, not having a sense of humor, had not appreciated Mary’s defiance of his advice or her boast that she would beat him to the valley. He seemed determined to make sure her boast didn’t come true by making the journey as unpleasant for her as possible. She responded by praying and ignoring him, refusing to let him get her down.

One extremely hot day, one of her oxen suddenly fell to the ground in spasms. The men who came to see what was wrong decided the ox had been poisoned. The captain promptly pronounced him dead and said in either resignation or triumph that they were going to have to figure out some way to take Mary and her family along. He reminded her he had said all along she’d end up being a burden.

Mary wasn’t giving up so easily though. Mormons teach that members of the priesthood, which is held by all worthy men, can perform healing through the power of Jesus Christ. They do this by having two or more men stand in a circle around the person in need, placing a drop of oil that has been prayed over on the person’s head, and then praying for his recovery or for God’s will to be done, depending on what the person saying the prayer feels inspired by God to say. Mary remembered this and thought that in such desperate circumstances, when she needed the ox to keep God’s commandment to gather to the Valley, that God would also heal her ox. She quickly found the consecrated (prayed over) oil and asked some of the men to give the ox the priesthood blessing or prayer normally given to sick humans. They agreed. The moment the prayer began, the ox stood up and continued on his way, as healthy as ever.

As they crossed over the Big Mountain, they saw the Salt Lake Valley for the first time. They were anxious to arrive quickly so the company traveled until quite late. The oxen were turned loose to graze. However, when they arose in the morning, some of Mary’s oxen were missing. Mary’s son John set out to search for them, since they were essential for the trip. However, the captain, even knowing Mary’s oxen were missing, ordered the company to leave earlier than usual. Perhaps he saw a chance to make sure she wouldn’t be able to keep her promise to beat him to the valley. He and the others left to continue the journey and Mary was left alone with her family to hunt. Eventually, John found the oxen and they set out with little hope of catching up.

However, the captain was not having an easy time of things. A terrible storm arose where he and the others were and frightened the teams, who refused to continue the trip. They were forced to unhitch the cattle and take shelter. The now freed cattle took off in every direction, so when the storm ended, the company was forced to go on their own cattle search. As they were searching, Mary and her family drove up—and kept right on going, not waiting for them. She arrived in the valley a full twenty hours before the obnoxious captain and the rest of the company.

Eliza R. Snow

While many people pictured Mormon pioneer women as meek and mild, no one ever accused Eliza of such. She repeatedly protested this mischaracterization. One month before the Utah legislature returned to Utah women the suffrage they had lost when they gained statehood, she said:

Our enemies pretend that, in Utah, woman is held in a state of vassalage—that she does not act from choice, but by coercion. What nonsense!

I will now ask of this assemblage of intelligent ladies, Do you know of any place on the face of the earth, where woman has more liberty and where she enjoys such high and glorious privileges as she does here as a Latter-day Saint? No! the very idea of a woman here in a state of slavery is a burlesque on good common sense … as women of God, filling high and responsible positions, performing sacred duties—women who stand not as dictators, but as counselors to their husbands, and who, in the purest, noblest sense of refined womanhood, are truly their helpmates—we not only speak because we have the right, but justice and humanity demands we should!  (quoted in Jaynann Morgan Payne, “Eliza R. Snow: First Lady of the Pioneers,” Ensign, Sep 1973, 62

Stories of her feisty spirit are well-known. When Governor Boggs of Missouri ordered Mormons removed from his state and approved an extermination order, she confronted him boldly, in a way not common for women of her time. He told her this would cure her of her faith. She retorted that it would take a great deal more than this to do that. He was surprised and reportedly humbled by her response and said, “I must confess, you are a better soldier than I am.” Eliza was not honored by such a comment. Instead, she later said that unless he was a great deal better than the others of his type, it wasn’t much of a compliment.

When it came time to travel to new homes, Eliza went boldly on, once even learning to drive an ox-team. She knew how to handle horses, but found oxen a bit more challenging, although she was soon as skilled as any man. Newly arrived in Salt Lake City, she lived first in a small cabin which was covered by a roof made of willows and dirt. When it rained, the roof leaked. Even worse, it had housed mice nests and she found it was raining mice and mud into her home. Instead of crying or shrieking, she simply opened an umbrella and sat under it all night, laughing at what she saw as a funny situation.

Eliza R. Snow was born on January 21, 1804, in Becket, Massachusetts. Her parents became members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are often nicknamed Mormons, in the early days of the church, and four years later, Eliza converted in 1835 after her own personal prayers to find the truth were answered. Upon joining the church, she moved to Kirtland, Ohio, where the Mormons were gathered. She taught a school for young ladies because Joseph Smith was adamant that girls receive a good education. She soon convinced her brother Lorenzo to join her to study Hebrew under Joshua Seixas, but really to help him get to know Joseph Smith, whom Lorenzo had once heard speak. He soon joined the church and later became the president of the Mormons.

 Although she received a number of proposals, she had remained single until this time. She was sealed (married for eternity) to Joseph Smith as a plural wife two years before he was murdered. She was later, after Joseph’s death, married as a plural wife to Brigham Young for time only, meaning it was not an eternal marriage. He respected her intelligence and leadership abilities and often turned to her for counsel and for important leadership responsibilities. It was believed she was married to him simply to ensure her well-being, but although it might not have been a traditional marriage relationship, she always sat on his right at the dinner table and at prayer, and Brigham turned to her regularly for her wisdom. Eliza never had children.

Eliza was a noted author and poet, well-known both in the church and in the outside world. Many of her poems were turned into songs. Some of the most popular LDS hymns were her work and she published many books of poetry in both religious and secular fields. She was particularly noted for her theological writing and for her patriotic writing. Descending from early American colonists and being the descendant of a Revolutionary War soldier, she was particularly interested in and knowledgeable about history and government. She found it quite possible to be fully patriotic while disagreeing with some government actions, such as those taken illegally against the Mormons.

One of her most important roles was in helping to create and then rebuild the Relief Society. When Mormon women decided they wanted to start their own humanitarian organization, modeled after those common in the world at the time for women, they approached Eliza and asked her to write a constitution for them, since she was an author. She worked hard at it and when it was presented to Joseph Smith for approval, he praised it, saying it was the best he’d ever seen. However, he said he had something better for them than a constitution. He proposed to organize the women of the church in the pattern of the priesthood, meaning their organization would be set up like the one for the men. While men needed the power of the priesthood to minister to others, he said, the women would be able to do it with faith alone, surely a great compliment to his view of what women are capable of.

The women organized and Joseph Smith’s wife Emma was named president. Eliza served as the secretary. Later, the organization was disbanded for a time, while the church was unsettled and constantly moving. The women continued to serve, of course, but informally. In 1866, with the Mormons settled in Utah under Brigham Young, the Relief Society was reorganized. Brigham Young asked Eliza to help the women in each ward (congregation) to set up the program properly. She wasn’t officially made the General Relief Society president for the entire church until 1880, but she certainly filled the role. She studied the notes she had kept as secretary of the Relief Society in Nauvoo, when it was first organized, to understand how it was supposed to work and used that to train new leaders. She assisted them in following Brigham Young’s counsel to become self-sufficient, encouraging women to store grain for emergencies, raise their own silk, and get medical training. To this end, women were sent to medical school at a time when this was rare and controversial and others were trained as nurses. By her death, Eliza had helped to organize more than 300 Relief Societies.

Eliza’s Relief Societies were powerful organizations. They did more than serve meals to the hungry and to care for the poor, the original goals of the women who first conceived of the program. Under Eliza’s direction, they provided medical school scholarships, worked for women’s suffrage (which Mormon women had until Utah became a state and the secular government removed it), ran both a hospital and a newspaper, and performed a range of political activism.

She also helped in organizing the Primary for children and the Retrenchment Associations for Young Women. Because of her leadership in all the organizations overseen by women, she was informally known as the “presidentess”  as well as the Saints’ own poet.

Eliza had sometimes said she didn’t want to be famous or well-known, but she didn’t quite want to be forgotten either. Although she often wrote under pen names and did her work quietly, the challenges of the adult life she chose for herself thrust her into the limelight and she accepted it gracefully, always determined to put God before her own feelings and desires.

You’ve probably heard rumors and gossip about the Book of Mormon but the only way to know what is really in it is to read it. Many people who have finally taken the time to do so have been surprised to realize it isn’t what they were told it was. They’re startled by the emphasis on Jesus Christ, the discussions of grace, and the correlations to the Bible. There is no certainty the person telling you what is in it is telling the truth. In fact, there is no certainty he has read it. Only by reading it yourself will you know what is really in it.

There are many ways to read the Book of Mormon and I’ve read it myself in a variety of ways. One way to read is to read it as a story. Like the Bible, the Book of Mormon has a story. The stories in the Book of Mormon serve the same purpose as those in the Bible—to teach moral and spiritual lessons. I’ve known many people who are not Mormon and who enjoyed reading the Book of Mormon as literature and this can be an interesting way to get started.

You’ll find wonderful people in the Book of Mormon. Watch for Nephi, the first person you’ll meet, who said he was blessed every day of his life—and this despite growing up in a dysfunctional home with brothers who wanted to kill him (and who would have succeeded without divine intervention) and despite being essentially homeless for many years. He went from wealth to being a nomad in a tent to moving to a strange new land all in his younger years.

Watch for Moroni, the last person you’ll meet in the Book. There are two men with that name, one a great military leader. The other is the one I’m referring to here. He was the son of a prophet of God. His people had forgotten God and as a result, the promises made to them were not able to be carried out, since they were dependent on worthiness. When the wicked Lamanites (descendents of those brothers who tried to kill Nephi back at the start of the book) killed off all his people, including his family and friends, he was left all alone. He was a teenager and the only good person left in his world. He had to stay in hiding as he finished editing and condensing the records of his people. Can you imagine a teenager coping with those circumstances, all alone in the world, sought by thousands of evil people, and kept alive for the sake of a book? When he finished his work, he hid the record away. In the future he would come as an angel to another teenager, Joseph Smith, and begin preparing him to translate the record and bring it to the modern world. It was for this purpose Moroni had been saved from destruction. His story is a touching and powerful one of faith, suffering, and sacrifice for God at a very young age.

To get the most from the book, however, you need to look beyond the entertainment value of the book. The Book of Mormon is rich with doctrine that will help you strengthen your testimony of Jesus Christ. As you read, mark in one color all scriptures that are about Jesus Christ. Sometimes the writers will use a title instead of a name. The Book of Mormon actually refers to Jesus Christ more often than the Bible does.

As you’re reading, watch for these scriptures:

Why the prophets wrote the words in the Book of Mormon:

And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy 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).

Salvation Comes Through Jesus Christ

16 And even if it were possible that little children could sin they could not be saved; but I say unto you they are blessed; for behold, as in Adam, or by nature, they fall, even so the blood of Christ atoneth for their sins.

  17 And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent (Mosiah 3:16-17).

Jesus Appears to the Nephites

  The Nephites were the descendents of Nephi, the first person I told you about in this article. His descendents were promised Jesus Christ would come to them one day after his death. This scripture is from the moment Jesus appears to them—the other sheep He told His apostles He had to go to teach.

  2 And they were also conversing about this Jesus Christ, of whom the sign had been given concerning his death.

  3 And it came to pass that while they were thus conversing one with another, they heard a voice as if it came out of heaven; and they cast their eyes round about, for they understood not the voice which they heard; and it was not a harsh voice, neither was it a loud voice; nevertheless, and notwithstanding it being a small voice it did pierce them that did hear to the center, insomuch that there was no part of their frame that it did not cause to quake; yea, it did pierce them to the very soul, and did cause their hearts to burn.

  4 And it came to pass that again they heard the voice, and they understood it not.

  5 And again the third time they did hear the voice, and did open their ears to hear it; and their eyes were towards the sound thereof; and they did look steadfastly towards heaven, from whence the sound came.

  6 And behold, the third time they did understand the voice which they heard; and it said unto them:

  7 Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name—hear ye him.

  8 And it came to pass, as they understood they cast their eyes up again towards heaven; and behold, they saw a Man descending out of heaven; and he was clothed in a white robe; and he came down and stood in the midst of them; and the eyes of the whole multitude were turned upon him, and they durst not open their mouths, even one to another, and wist not what it meant, for they thought it was an angel that had appeared unto them.

  9 And it came to pass that he stretched forth his hand and spake unto the people, saying:

  10 Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world.

  11 And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning.

  12 And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words the whole multitude fell to the earth; for they remembered that it had been prophesied among them that Christ should show himself unto them after his ascension into heaven (3 Nephi 11).

If you are reading to find out whether the book is true or not, there is only one way to do this. You can’t take the word of any person on earth, whether Mormon or not. The only way to know for sure is to ask God Himself to tell you. If you pray before you read, as you read, and after you read, and then sit quietly waiting for an answer, you’ll soon know for yourself what God thinks of this book. It can take time, if you’re not used to waiting for non-material answers from God, to learn to recognize how He “speaks” to us, but as you continue to ask Him for wisdom and confirmation of truths, you will begin to notice a pattern. You’ll note that when you have made a correct choice, you’ll feel at peace. Satan cannot create a feeling of spiritual peace, so you know this comes from God. You’ll feel in your heart you’ve made the right choices. The Holy Ghost is always ready to tell us when we’re doing right and also, of course, when we’re doing wrong.

What many people think is their conscience is really the Holy Ghost guiding us gently along the path. The more often we take His advice, the more regularly He will speak to us. A peaceful feeling means we’re on the right track and a confused or negative feeling means we are not. Think about how you feel when you’re in church or helping another person. Those feelings of peace are from God.

Some will tell you that you can’t trust these feelings. However, I know God can do anything. He promised us we could turn to Him when we needed wisdom. (If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him—James 1:5, King James translation of the Bible.) I know God keeps His promises, and so I trust Him to answer me in ways I can recognize as being Him. After all, if He couldn’t do that, how could we ever turn to Him for wisdom?

So, trust God and start reading. It won’t take very long to read, but it may be the most important book you’ve read in a very long time. You can read the Book of Mormon free online without registering.