Talk Given 1-15-2012 to the Buenaventura Branch (Spanish Speaking) of the Ogden Stake

Brothers and Sisters, good afternoon. My name is Jeremy Peterson and as a member of the Stake High council, it is my privilege to speak to you today. First, let me express to you the great love and concern that the Stake Presidency has for you as a congregation and individually. You are in their thoughts and prayers. Before I begin my comments, I wanted to share a couple details about myself so I am a little more familiar to you. My wife and I live just down the street from this chapel on Jefferson Ave. We have lived in downtown Ogden for 7 years after moving here from Roy. We have four daughters under the age of 9 with our youngest being 4 years old. My wife is a homemaker and for our living I work as a real estate broker and also serve in the Utah Legislature. When I asked President Paulson what his congregation needed to hear today, he asked that I speak on the Book of Mormon. However, that posed a problem. Bishop Starley had claimed the right to talk on the Book of Mormon next week and he took all my good ideas. I will forgive him, but just this once. In my comments today, I will be discussing the origins of the scriptures. So, I pray that the Lords spirit will be with us today as we discuss some important things about the subject. It is my prayer that your mind may be enlightened and that we can all have a greater understanding of where the scriptures come from and why they are so important to us. To understand the Book of Mormon, we must first have an understanding of the Bible. Today, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints uses the King James Version of the Bible when conducting meetings in English. However, just two years ago, the church released the first Spanish version of the Bible to members. This LDS Spanish edition of the Bible is based on the Reina-Valera translation which originated in the 1500s A.D. It was revised several times with the most accurate and authoritative revision being over 100 years ago in 1909. The Bible available today to Spanish speaking LDS members is equal to the King James Version of the Bible used by English speaking members of the church. So how did the Bible come to be in the first place? Where did it come from originally? To answer that question we have to go back in time. The Bible itself is really just a library of different books that were written by different authors. They are not necessarily in chronological order nor placed in order of most importance. For instance, the New Testament has the Gospel of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John with each man writing each book, but Romans, Thesselonians, Corinthians, Hebrews, Colossians, and more were written by Paul the Apostle. The books of the New Testament are not in chronological order. The Old Testament is

a little different. It does have history written in sequence. It was written by Jewish authors. All of these records were originally written on paper scrolls which had been copied and re copied through the centuries. We have the Bible today because copies of the scrolls were preserved. Around 500 years ago scholars obtained and translated those scrolls so we could have them in the Bible we bring to church today. As we are all aware, the church during Christs time fell into apostasy not long after the death of the Twelve Apostles. Without the authority of the priesthood to support the church, divisions and changes in doctrine began to occur throughout the church. As early as 150 AD, the many different opinions and beliefs that had entered the church caused great divisions among the people. The people began to debate the nature of the Godhead, the proper way to baptize, and many other gospel truths that were originally taught by the Apostles. The Christian religion was eventually made the State religion of Rome by the Emperor Constantine around 300 A.D. When this happened, the office of Bishop became a position of great power and wealth. The office became subject to political influence and was coveted by ambitious men for the power it bestowed upon them. As the church continued to be divided in its belief of gospel principles, political leaders ordered church leaders to compromise on various doctrines. The simple truths of the gospel became clouded and confused by this political compromise. So, today the Bible, which originally contained the simple and plain truth of the gospel, now has in it many of the biases, translation errors, and weaknesses that time and human nature create. Is it any wonder why there are so many religions today with so many different beliefs and they all base their faith on the Bible? Certainly, God cannot be a God of contradictions. Fortunately, there is hope. When translated correctly and when read with the Spirit, we can know that the Bible is the Word of God. To provide that Spirit and a second witness of Jesus Christ, the Lord has given us scriptures that do contain the plain and precious truths of his gospel. These scriptures illuminate and testify to the truths that can still be found in the Bible. This second witness is of course the Book of Mormon. Together the Book of Mormon and the Bible stand as a testament to the world that Christ is our savior, and that our Heavenly Father has a plan for our happiness and redemption if we will choose it. So where does this second witness of Christ come from? And why does it still contain the plain and simple truths of the gospel? To answer these questions we must know the story of Joseph Smith. When Joseph Smith was a young man, he was confused by the various different religions who were preaching in his town. He was confused by the different doctrines and how each claimed to be the absolute truth. In

his confusion, young Joseph searched the Bible and came upon the book of James Chapter 1 Verse 5: aIf any of you lack bwisdom, let him ask of God, that cgiveth to all men liberally, and d upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. This scripture so inspired Joseph that he took his dilemma to the Lord. One morning, Joseph knelt in prayer in a grove of trees not far from his home and sought the Lords will on which church he should join. It was in that moment that Joseph had a remarkable vision. Joseph recounts: When the light rested upon me I bsaw two cPersonages, whose brightness and dglory defy all description, estanding above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the otherThis is My fBeloved gSon. Hear Him! In that first vision Joseph, was commanded not to join any religion. Several years later Joseph had another vision: While I was thus in the act of calling upon God, I discovered a alight appearing in my room, which continued to increase until the room was lighter than at noonday, when immediately a b personage appeared at my bedside, standing in the air, for his feet did not touch the floor. Not only was his robe exceedingly white, but his whole person was aglorious beyond description, and his countenance truly like blightning. The room was exceedingly light, but not so very bright as immediately around his person. When I first looked upon him, I was cafraid; but the dfear soon left me. He called me by aname, and said unto me that he was a bmessenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Moroni; that God had a work for me to do; and that my name should be had for cgood and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people. He said there was a abook deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence they sprang. He also said that the b fulness of the everlasting Gospel was contained in it, as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants; Josephs visit by the angel Moroni opened the way for us to have the Book of Mormon today. The book of Mormon comes to us through the direct records of ancient American peoples as

written by their prophets and translated by the Lords inspired servant and Prophet Josesph Smith. The translation of the Book of Mormon was a difficult process for Joseph. He enlisted the help of Oliver Cowdrey to act as a scribe. When people in the area heard rumors that Joseph Smith had obtained gold plates, he became the target of thieves, and efforts were made by evil men to obtain the plates from him. After the first 100 pages of translation were complete, Josephs friend Martin Harris petitioned the Prophet to be able to take them to show to his acquaintances. Joseph finally agreed if Martin Harris would agree to certain terms. Martin Harris broke his promise to Joseph and lost those pages. We are missing today what would be the Book of Lehi. Fortunately, in the Lords infinite wisdom and foresight, many of the lessons taught in the first Book of Nephi reiterate the lessons that were in the lost manuscripts. So what are some of the important plain and precious truths that are found in the Book of Mormon? First, we find details about Heavenly Fathers Plan of Happiness and the Saviors central role in that plan. Second, we receive details and clarification on the proper method of baptism. Third, we can gain a knowledge about Gods personal interest in our own lives and how we can recognize his Spirit and influence. As Joseph Smith declared: I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book. Brothers and Sisters, I want to bear my testimony to you that I know that the Book of Mormon is true. It and the Bible stand as witnesses of Christ. I am an avid reader of history. The more books I read about history, the greater my testimony has grown of the need for the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon sheds light on Cortezs conquest of Mexico, Pizzaros domination of the Inca, and the creation of this place we call the United States of America. It tells us how these things are all part of the Lords plan and if we read the book, it tells us what else is to come. Brothers and sisters, may we make time in our lives to read the Bible and Book of Mormon. May we pray daily that the Lords spirit will be us. The temptations that face us today are more sinister and more powerful than at any time in history. We must have the Lords spirit with us if we are to prevail. Reading the Book of Mormon will give us the essential spiritual nourishment we need to protect us. May God bless you brothers and sisters as we fight the good fight, keep the commandments, and make the scriptures a part of our lives. This is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.