Making the Book of Mormon Sacred to Us

Bishop Dustin Simmons

August 31, 2025

My friends, I want to share some thoughts with you today that are dear to my heart, and that I’ve been instructed by the Holy Ghost to share. I hope the youth and children will look up from their phones and coloring books, and I hope the adults and parents will open their hearts to the promptings that will come. I pray the Holy Ghost will guide me and speak to you.

Coming to Know the Book of Mormon

After I graduated high school I spent the summer playing soccer in Europe as part of a high school national team who traveled around playing the youth teams of European clubs. When the summer finished, I went off to play division one soccer on an athletic scholarship. My European and college coaches were optimistic and encouraging about my chances to eventually play professionally. I was 19 and a mission was far from my mind. That all changed after an inspired invitation from my dad. “Do you have a testimony of the Book of Mormon,” he asked. My unenthusiastic, non-committal answer was unconvincing. The way my loving father handled this delicate hinge point in my eternal development changed everything for me. He didn’t lecture me or make me feel bad for not having a testimony. Instead, he offered to buy me a set of scriptures if I committed to read them and seek to gain a testimony. I agreed, and quickly picked out the nicest, most expensive scriptures I could find. These are those scriptures. They evolved from a spiteful purchase into my mission scriptures, and now they are among my most prized possessions. Not because of how much they cost, but because of how much I’ve invested in them. They have become sacred to me.

The Nature of Sacredness. 

I’d like to suggest that there are two ways to think about the sacredness of something. First, something can be sacred in an objective sense. This kind of sacredness derives from the divine origins of the object. These divine fingerprints grant a kind of objective, absolute sacredness. This is why specific places like the Sacred Grove or the temple, or things like the Book of Mormon are objectively and absolutely sacred. Whether we think they are sacred or not, or acknowledge them or not, doesn’t change their sacred nature. They come from God. 

The second way something can be sacred is through the subjective experiences of people. For some, because of the experiences they have there, hospital rooms, kitchens, living rooms and bedrooms can become sacred. Classrooms and soccer fields have become sacred spaces for me. As a result of interactions and experiences I’ve had with many of you, even my front porch has become sacred ground. That might sound silly, but because we all experience these places differently, it’s best not to be judgmental about the sacred spaces of others. Countless others had been to Mount Sinai, but it was sacred to Moses. Those who don’t see the burning bush aren’t likely to remove their shoes. 

The Book of Mormon is objectively sacred because of its divine origins, but it only changes our lives and eternities when we have personal and sacred experiences with it, and we continue to treat it as sacred. The divine fingerprints are there, but they only matter if we see them!

Averaging Our 5 People

It’s been said that eventually we will become the average of the five people we spend the most time with. This can include friends, family, co-workers, podcast hosts, or even video game and TV characters. Are you comfortable with who those five people might be? How might that average change if you spent more time with Nephi, Alma, or Mormon? I’m not suggesting you need to have only ancient and modern prophets in your “top 5” friends list, but is it too much to ask for one? Might Helaman be a better companion on your journey to self-improvement than the latest Instagram guru or trendy author? Could Mormon, who watched the collapse of an entire civilization and wrote about it, perhaps be a better commentator than whichever political pundit you’re giving your time to?

Prophetic Promises

Modern prophets have continually recognized and emphasized the importance of the Book of Mormon in our lives. Joseph Smith said that the Book of Mormon “was the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.” In other words, if you would like to feel God’s presence more closely in your life, spend time in the Book of Mormon. 

Ezra Taft Benson loved the Book of Mormon. In a landmark talk in the late 1900s called “The Book of Mormon–Keystone of Our Religion”, he proclaimed: 

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…When you begin to hunger and thirst after those words, you will find life in greater and greater abundance.

A little nearer to our own time, President Gordon B. Hinckley shared, in his typical cheery way, 

Without reservation I promise you that if each of you will observe this simple program, regardless of how many times you previously may have read the Book of Mormon, there will come into your lives and into your homes an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord, a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to His commandments, and a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God.

Finally, our prophet Russell M. Nelson has shared, 

My dear brothers and sisters, 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. 

Missionary Insights

In addition to the words of prophets, let me share with you the testimonies of some people a little closer to home. We currently have six young missionaries serving from our ward, with at least four more entering the mission field over the next 6 months. I asked each of them to share some thoughts about the Book of Mormon and here is what they said:

Elder Baugh, serving in Vancouver, Washington said: “If the book is untrue, all else fails. The Book of Mormon, combined with the Holy Ghost, is the single greatest conversion tool for ourselves.” 

Sister Wright, who’s currently in Nashville, Tennessee shared: “We use the Book of Mormon in every single contact. It brings the Spirit super strong, and it allows us to teach a restored principle quickly and powerfully.” 

Elder Ethan Lancaster texted me this: “[The Book of Mormon] changes our lives with every problem we have. It’s helpful to always have somewhere to go for answers, whether that’s soon or slowly.”

Hunter Clarke will be leaving in a couple of weeks to serve in Austin Texas. He texted me the following: “The Book of Mormon has the principles and guidelines for us to live our best lives. It’s a book to help us return to Heavenly Father and it shows that he loves us enough to provide us with a way to show how we can return back to him.”

Elder Simmons, serving in Chiclayo, Peru said: “The restoration gives us access to the saving covenants and fulness of the gospel, and when you gain a testimony of the restoration and Joseph Smith through reading the Book of Mormon, you can no longer just sit around. You have to act. The Book of Mormon is an amazing way to truly grow closer to your Savior, but you have to study it, not just read over the verses. Look for his characteristics, and seek to learn how you can better follow his example. You have to want to learn about Him, not just finish the book to say you finished it.”

Sister Mock, who is in St. Louis, Missouri shared: “I rely on it every day now and realize how powerful it really is…the friends we have found and who have stayed are the ones who read the Book of Mormon.” 

Soon-to-be Elder Gossard will be preaching in Portland, Oregon. He shared: “The Book of Mormon helps us learn and understand the things we need to do. It also provides protection to you because as you open up to the Savior and his love, it allows him to open up to you and pour his blessings out to you. It’s also a book that can change you, if you allow it to make you more like the Savior.”

Elder Rideout, serving in Mexico City said: “Our mission president tells us to always have a Book of Mormon in our hands at all times. It is so powerful because it is a physical testament that the church of Jesus Christ has been restored on the earth. The Book of Mormon is used every day, and we try to get every person we are teaching to have one and read it every day and pray about it. As they do that, that is where they will get a testimony of these things that we teach. I have noticed personally as I have read it each day, I receive so many answers to my questions and so much guidance in my life.”

Soon-to-be-Sister Taylor, who received her mission call to Romania last week, texted me this: “I’m reading the war chapters right now and I just love that even in the least gospel-y part of our lives you can find the hand of the Lord if you’re looking for it.”

Camden Lancaster, who leaves on his mission in 8 days, shared this: “The Book of Mormon in my life has been a way for me to change my life. I turned to the Book of Mormon and it naturally changed my ways of thinking and how I treat others and my relationship with God. It has helped me come to understand who God is and how he treats his people in mercy. We are in desperate need of mercy and it shows how God is patient with others, and it shows how he can be patient with us also.” 

Our wonderful missionaries and soon-to-be missionaries can “sing the song of redeeming love.” My friends, I would ask, “Can ye feel so now?” If not, why? What will it take for you to remember that beautiful and enriching melody? Maybe all we need to do is take the Book of Mormon seriously and follow the examples of our sons and daughters who are gathering the elect from the four corners of the globe by testifying of its power.

A Proven Remedy

My friends, in our ward we have our fair share, maybe even more than our fair share, of pain and struggle and exhaustion. As the bishop, I feel impressed to ask a hard question: are we leaving much needed spiritual strength and invigorating inspiration untouched and untapped? Are we leaving blessings unclaimed by not treating the Book of Mormon as the sacred text it is? Are we missing a vital connection to the Savior that will help us in times of trouble?

Friends, if you are struggling with spiritual malaise or feeling that your spirituality is in the  doldrums, I would ask: how much time are you spending in the Book of Mormon? If your answer is a vague, “not enough” or “not as much as I should”, I encourage you to be honest and specific in acknowledging your deficit and invite the Lord to help you change. If life is grinding you down, and you already feel strung out, overstimulated, crushed, empty, or broken, and you feel like you can’t take the time to do one more thing, I humbly ask you which blessings you are willing to go without? An apocryphal quote often attributed to Abraham Lincoln illustrates the point: “Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the ax.” Brothers and sisters, are we struggling to cut down the trees in our lives with a dull and blunted ax because we don’t make time to sharpen it? We might think we don’t have enough time to fit another thing in, but we actually can’t afford not to! Spending time in the Book of Mormon is the spiritual equivalent of sharpening our axes. I promise that prioritizing your study of the Book of Mormon will be worth it!

Make the Book of Mormon one of your “top 5” friends, and I promise you that you’ll be pleased with the results. If you’d like to make Jesus one of your “top 5” friends, what better way to come to know him than by reading “Another Testament of Jesus Christ”?

My invitation to you is to join me in reading the Book of Mormon together before the end of the year. As we experience this sacred text, I promise that you will find a deep well of strength and peace to help you navigate your life. We’ll be talking more about this invitation during our second hour meetings today.

The Book of Mormon is an objectively sacred text. Divine fingerprints can be found on every page. The Savior’s name appears on almost every page. My hope is that it becomes subjectively sacred to each of you, and that you develop not just a testimony of its truthfulness, but a deep and abiding love for how this eternity-altering gift improves your life. 

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Bishop Simmons