“Introduction to the Book of Mormon: The Keystone of Our Religion,” Book of Mormon Teacher Manual (2024)

“Introduction to the Book of Mormon,” Book of Mormon Teacher Manual

Introductory Pages of the Book of Mormon

Introduction to the Book of Mormon

The Keystone of Our Religion

Joseph Smith called the Book of Mormon the keystone of our religion. Within the book is an invitation to ask God if it is true. Millions of people have followed this invitation and received a witness from the Holy Ghost of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. This lesson is intended to help you increase your desire to study the Book of Mormon daily to strengthen your testimony of its truthfulness.

Encouraging daily scripture study. A habit of daily scripture study can bless students for the rest of their lives. Look for ways to teach students about the blessings of studying the scriptures each day.

Student preparation: Invite students to read or listen to Elder Gary E. Stevenson’s talk “Look to the Book, Look to the Lord” from the October 2016 general conference.

Possible Learning Activities

Blessings from the Book of Mormon

Consider displaying the following list of blessings that come from reading the Book of Mormon. Discuss which blessings students most desire and how the blessings would influence their daily life. Students could also share what they would be willing to do to receive them. These blessings are outlined in prophetic statements.

Some of these prophetic statements are found in the lesson, and others are in the “Commentary and Background Information” section.

Read and consider marking the statement by Joseph Smith in paragraph 6 of the introduction to the Book of Mormon.

What stands out to you from Joseph Smith’s statement?

The keystone of our religion

Help students understand the role of a keystone (the stone in the top center of an arch.) One option is to display an image of a keystone in an arch and have students discuss which stone is most important in the arch.

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Arch

President Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994) taught:

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President Ezra Taft Benson

The Book of Mormon is the keystone in our witness of Jesus Christ, who is Himself the cornerstone of everything we do. It bears witness of His reality with power and clarity. …

… The Book of Mormon is the keystone of testimony. Just as the arch crumbles if the keystone is removed, so does all the Church stand or fall with the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. (Ezra Taft Benson, “The Book of Mormon—Keystone of Our Religion,” Ensign, Nov. 1986, 5, 6)

The keystone of our witness of Jesus Christ

What do you think it means that the Book of Mormon is the keystone of our witness of Jesus Christ?

Writers in the Book of Mormon regularly testified of Jesus Christ. To see how various individuals found references to Jesus Christ in the book’s pages, watch the video “Book of Mormon Experiment Honolulu” (2:35). This video can be found on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

There are many ways for students to participate in the following exercise. Be creative, and look for ways to involve each student. One idea is to give each student a page copied from the Book of Mormon and ask them to mark each reference to the Savior on their page. The pages could then be displayed for other students to see.

Select any page from the Book of Mormon, and look for every reference to the Savior on that page.

What did you find about the Savior?
What do the passages you found help you understand or feel about the Savior?

Think about how you would be blessed by having a stronger testimony of Jesus Christ. As you study the Book of Mormon, look for references to Jesus Christ and for what you learn about Him. As you do, your knowledge and testimony of the Savior will grow.

The keystone of our testimony

Invite students to individually reflect on the following statements.

Which of the following statements best describes your feelings about the Book of Mormon?
- I trust others who have received their own personal testimony and have assured me that the Book of Mormon is true.
- I am not sure if I know the Book of Mormon is true.
- I have received a witness from the Holy Ghost that the Book of Mormon is true.
Why do you think Heavenly Father might want you to know that the Book of Mormon is true?

Read the second-to-last paragraph in the introduction, as well as Moroni 10:3–5, looking for what you can do to know if the Book of Mormon is true.

According to what you read, what does someone need to do to know if the Book of Mormon is true?

Help students identify a principle similar to the following: If I read the Book of Mormon, ponder its message, and ask God if it is true, then I can receive a witness from the Holy Ghost.

Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared how his testimony of the Book of Mormon grew while he attended seminary. You may want to watch “The Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon,” available on ChurchofJesusChrist.org, from time code 12:03 to 14:12.

Read the last paragraph in the introduction to the Book of Mormon, looking for what other knowledge comes with a testimony of the Book of Mormon.

How can having a testimony of the Book of Mormon impact your life?

Consider sharing your testimony of the Book of Mormon and inviting willing students to testify as well.

Study the Book of Mormon daily

President Russell M. Nelson extended promises to all of us if we study the Book of Mormon every day. Read the following statement, or watch the video “The Book of Mormon: What Would Your Life Be Like without It?” on ChurchofJesusChrist.org from time code 11:52 to 13:05.

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President Russell M. Nelson

I promise that as you prayerfully study the Book of Mormon every day, you will make better decisions—every day. I promise that as you ponder what you study, the windows of heaven will open, and you will receive answers to your own questions and direction for your own life. I promise that as you daily immerse yourself in the Book of Mormon, you can be immunized against the evils of the day, even the gripping plague of pornography and other mind-numbing addictions.

Whenever I hear anyone, including myself, say, “I know the Book of Mormon is true,” I want to exclaim, “That’s nice, but it is not enough!” We need to feel, deep in “the inmost part” of our hearts [Alma 13:27], that the Book of Mormon is unequivocally the word of God. We must feel it so deeply that we would never want to live even one day without it. (Russell M. Nelson, “The Book of Mormon: What Would Your Life Be Like without It?,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2017, 62–63)

What impresses you from this statement?
How do you feel about the invitation to read the Book of Mormon every day?

Discuss obstacles to daily scripture study and ways to overcome them.

If students have not yet set a personal scripture study goal as it pertains to seminary credit for graduation, this may be an opportunity for them to do so. If students desire, they could share their goal with a family member, Church leader, or seminary teacher. Consider sharing personal blessings from reading the Book of Mormon and inviting willing students to do the same.

Commentary and Background Information

What is a keystone?

To learn more about the function of a keystone, watch the video “Look to the Book, Look to the Lord” from time code 5:16 to 6:41.

How often does the Book of Mormon mention Jesus Christ?

Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

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Elder Gary E. Stevenson

You will pore through the passages of this precious book and encounter your beloved Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, on nearly every page. It is estimated that some form of His name is used an average of once every 1.7 verses. (Gary E. Stevenson, “Look to the Book, Look to the Lord,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2016, 47)

How can I be blessed by studying the Book of Mormon?

President Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994) testified:

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President Ezra Taft Benson

It is not just that the Book of Mormon teaches us truth, though it indeed does that. It is not just that the Book of Mormon bears testimony of Christ, though it indeed does that, too. But there is something more. There is a power in the book which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book. You will find greater power to resist temptation. You will find the power to avoid deception. You will find the power to stay on the strait and narrow path. The scriptures are called “the words of life” [Doctrine and Covenants 84:85], and nowhere is that more true than it is of the Book of Mormon. When you begin to hunger and thirst after those words, you will find life in greater and greater abundance. (Ezra Taft Benson, “The Book of Mormon—Keystone of Our Religion,” Ensign, Nov. 1986, 7)

President Thomas S. Monson (1927–2018) testified:

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President Thomas S. Monson

I implore each of us to prayerfully study and ponder the Book of Mormon each day. As we do so, we will be in a position to hear the voice of the Spirit, to resist temptation, to overcome doubt and fear, and to receive heaven’s help in our lives. I so testify with all my heart. (Thomas S. Monson, “The Power of the Book of Mormon,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 87)

How can I make time to study the Book of Mormon?

Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

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Elder Gary E. Stevenson

In order to help the Book of Mormon become the keystone of your testimony, I offer you a challenge. I recently learned that many young people spend an average of seven hours a day looking at TV, computer, and smartphone screens. With this in mind, would you make a small change? Will you replace some of that daily screen time—particularly that devoted to social media, the internet, gaming, or television—with reading the Book of Mormon? If the studies I referred to are accurate, you could easily find time for daily study of the Book of Mormon even if for only 10 minutes a day. And you can study in a way that allows you to enjoy it and understand it—either on your device or in book form. (Gary E. Stevenson, “Look to the Book, Look to the Lord,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2016, 46)