How to Prove the Truth of the Book of Mormon

Our Sacrament meeting focused on the Book of Mormon, which is also the topic of the next General Conference talk I'm supposed to blog about, God’s Compelling Witness: The Book of Mormon by President Tad R. Callister. Now, I could talk about the evidence President Callister put forth for proving the Book of Mormon, or rather, the evidence he said would be necessary to disprove it, but I'm not sure how helpful that would really be for anyone. Those who already believe in it already believe in it, and those who don't already believe in it have a much faster and more direct route to discovering its truth: Read it and pray about it. Read it and ask God if it's true. I'm willing to bet that most members of the church have done so and have felt a witness confirming that the Book of Mormon is true. Once you have a spiritual witness from God, what further evidence do you need?

Of course, there are a few caveats I should add here. The voice of the Spirit of God is often quiet, so you'll have to listen carefully. It helps to remove as many distractions as possible. Also, God's Spirit is repulsed by sin, so if you want to receive a witness or test to see if you will receive a witness, make sure you're making an honest effort of repenting from whatever sins you're committing. Otherwise, praying for a witness would be kind of like asking to see physical evidence and then locking out the person who's supposed to bring it to you. Make sure God is welcome in your life, then ask Him what He says about the Book of Mormon. Odds are, you'll feel Him tell you that the Book of Mormon is true, and once you have that witness, any further evidence is unnecessary. God's word is the best evidence anyone could ever hope for. If God, an honest and omniscient being, says that something is true, then it's true, regardless of the presence or absence of any other evidence.

So, if you'd like to know whether the Book of Mormon is true, you could consider the numerous arguments of the countless people (including myself) who have argued for or against its truthfulness, or you could go directly to the one being who is the source of all truth. God knows, and is likely willing to tell you, that the Book of Mormon is true, and, thanks to His witness, millions of others know it too.