In this essay, I attempt to outline the essential doctrines that we get from the Book of Mormon and other revealed scriptures from Joseph Smtih. If you don’t know what the Book of Mormon is, I give a basic introduction of it in Secular Evidence for the Book of Mormon.

The goal of this essay is to prove why the Book of Mormon is absolutely essential, and to encourage all to read the Book of Mormon and then pray asking whether it is true or not (Moroni 10:3-5).

I understand that many have been taught that there cannot be any additional scriptures beyond the Bible. Preachers advocating for this tend to use scriptures out of context, such as the last verse of Revelations, which actually only refers to the book of Revelations – the Bible hadn’t been compiled as we know it until hundreds of years after Christ’s death. To such people I ask, do you also deny the Apocrypha, of which some versions of the Bible contain parts? Don’t you want additional information about Christ because Christ is awesome?

Of course that only addresses one attack on the Book of Mormon – for a longer discussion disproving various attacks against the Book of Mormon see Why I believe the Book of Mormon is true.

Since this essay is long, here is an outline:

1 – Our Purpose in Life

• The Fall of Adam and Eve
• Agency
• Trials help us to progress
• Testing
• Eternal Progression

2 – Plan of Salvation

• Foreordination
• Three Degrees of Glory
• Council in Heaven

3 – More logical understanding of Grace

• Baptism for the Dead
• God does not save bad people

4 – Culture of strictly following the Commandments

• Word of Wisdom
• Covenants
• Worthiness
• Endure to the End
• Exaltation

5 – Miracles and following the Spirit

• Miracles have not ceased
• The Holy Ghost

6 – Lore

• Preachers should not make money
• Secret Combinations
• Monarchies bad, US constitution good
• City of Enoch

7 – Priesthood Authority

1 – Our Purpose in Life

The Fall of Adam and Eve

According to the Book of Mormon, the fall of Adam was necessary and part of God’s plan since it allowed Eve to have children, and thus was not a tragic mistake (2 Nephi 2:22-25, Moses 5:10-11).

Agency

The book of Mormon teaches that a central purpose of our life is to learn to choose good over evil.

2 Nephi 2:11-16 – There must be an opposition in all things because joy cannot exist without misery and righteousness cannot exist without wickedness. The point of life is to entice us with both good and bad, so that we can have real and meaningful choices, thus providing the opportunity for us to choose that which is good.

We must learn to make good decisions because the spirit we obey in this life is the spirit we will obey in the life to come, and thus will determine our place in the afterlife (Alma 3:26–27). And just to emphasize, we cannot change our spirit’s nature after death, so it is essential that we choose to obey this good spirit while we are still alive (Alma 34:34).

2 Nephi 2:27
27 Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.

Trials help us to progress

The Book of Mormon provides a more eternal perspective our trials – which is that they help bring experience and refine us:

2 Nephi 2:2
Nevertheless, Jacob, my firstborn in the wilderness, thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain.

2 Nephi 2:11-27 – As previously said, there needs to be an opposition in our lives, a force pulling us to the good and another to the bad, to allow us to make our own decisions and refine us. Trials are part of this oppositional force.

Mosiah 23:21–22 – God chastens us to try our faith.

Ether 12:27 – we receive weakness so that we can learn to be humble.

Helaman 12:3 – God visits us with afflictions because (unfortunately) that is often the only way to help us to remember him.

D&C 122:7–8
7 And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.
8 The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?

I discuss this topic more in Hope During Times of Darkness.

Testing

The Pearl of Great price, another revealed set of scriptures from Joseph Smith, provides greater understanding of our purpose in life: we are here to be tested.

Abraham 3:25-26
25 And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them;
26 And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever.

Eternal progression

Conventional Christianity teaches that our purpose in life is to glorify God, which is what we will proceed to do for the eternities. I don’t know about you, but that view of the afterlife doesn’t feel right. After all, living on earth is Hard, and we have to go through Adversity. Surely, all of the difficulties given to us here have a purpose in training us for something greater than eternal participation in choirs.

Revealed scriptures from Joseph Smith flip this paradigm – that actually God’s purpose is to help us progress and attain glory. Although we don’t entirely know what “eternal progression” means, this opens up the door to a much wider and majestic view of the afterlife. Here are some scriptures:

Moses 1:39
39 For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

Doctrine and Covenants 93:28
28 He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things.

D&C 88:107
107 And then shall the angels be crowned with the glory of his might, and the saints shall be filled with his glory, and receive their inheritance and be made equal with him (Christ).

Doctrine and Covenants 76:58–60
58 Wherefore, as it is written, they are gods, even the sons of God—
59 Wherefore, all things are theirs, whether life or death, or things present, or things to come, all are theirs and they are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.
60 And they shall overcome all things.

However, apparently this process of attaining glory will not be instant but instead is a never ending process. Moreover, people who don’t pass this mortal test appear to not have the opportunity to never endingly gain eternal glory.
Abraham 3:26
26 And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever.

Supporting scriptures in the Bible

Though this doctrine of eternal progression may seem radical, there actually are several scriptures in the Bible supporting this notion:Matthew 5:48
48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Psalm 82:6
6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.

Jesus quotes this psalms scripture in John 10:34–35:
34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?
35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;

Romans 8:16–17
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

1 John 3:2 – we shall be like Christ.

2 – Plan of Salvation

Foreordination

According to our scriptures, our lives started long before our birth into this mortal life, in what we call the premortal life. In the premortal life, we had our own personalities and strengths, and we were prepared for what our callings would be in this life. Here are some relevant scriptures:

Abraham 3:22–23
22 Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones;
23 And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born.

D&C 138:53–56
…55 I observed that they were also among the noble and great ones who were chosen in the beginning to be rulers in the Church of God.
56 Even before they were born, they, with many others, received their first lessons in the world of spirits and were prepared to come forth in the due time of the Lord to labor in his vineyard for the salvation of the souls of men.

Further scriptures: Doctrine and Covenants 93:29; Alma 13:2–3, 7–8

Some biblical precedent – Jeremiah 1:5

Three Degrees of Glory

Mormonism teaches that there will be various degrees of glory in heaven. Specifically, there will be three kingdoms: the celestial kingdom – which has the glory of the sun, the terrestrial kingdom – which has the glory of the moon, and the telestial kingdom – which has the glory of the stars. Which kingdom we go to in the world to come depends on our actions on this earth. To be technical, we also learn from the scriptures that there are furthermore three degrees of glory within the celestial kingdom – which is all to say that there are many different kingdoms in heaven. Thus, we should strive to act as righteously as possible in this life so that we can achieve the highest degree of glory in the world to come.

While most of the scriptures supporting the above ideas are found in the Doctrine and Covenants, the reader may be surprised to learn that the Bible also discusses these topics:

1 Corinthians 15:40-41
40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.

John 14:2-3 –there are many mansions prepared for us in God’s house – implying many different regions of heaven.

2 Timothy 2:20-21
20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.
21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.

In Cosmology, I provide further scripture references and discuss this topic more – tracking our mortal journey from premortal life, to this life, to our waiting period in the spirit world before the resurrection and judgement, and finally to our positioning in these kingdoms.

Council in Heaven

The revealed scriptures from Joseph Smith also provide additional information regarding how the great conflict between God and Satan initiated:
Moses 4:1–4
1 And I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying—Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor.
2 But, behold, my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me—Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever.
3 Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down;
4 And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as many as would not hearken unto my voice.

3 – More logical understanding of Grace

Baptismal Covenant

Logically, many may wonder why baptism is so important – after all, surely salvation should depend more on whether you are a good person rather than if you were immersed in water. Well, the Book of Mormon explains this: It isn’t the physical act of being immersed in water that purifies you, but the covenant that you make during baptism; when we are baptized we promise to follow the commandments and take upon ourselves the name of Christ, and in return we are offered greater access to Christ’s spirit and grace. Here are some scriptures:

Mosiah 18:8–10
8 And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;
9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—
10 Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?

Further scriptures on the baptismal covenant: 2 Nephi 31:13–14, Mosiah 21:35, D&C 20:37

So, to be technical, the physical act of being baptized is what we would call an “ordinance” – which is an outward sign or act performed to seal a covenant. Thus, it isn’t the ordinance that saves us, but rather the ordinance is necessary to perform a covenant (a covenant is essentially a promise) – and it is the promise that we make with God to try to follow him which helps to save us (though I could be wrong with this explanation).

Consequentially, it is not necessary to baptize children under the age of 8, because they aren’t capable of making covenants, and also because they aren’t capable of committing sin (D&C 68:25–27, Moroni 8:4–24).

And just to note – the physical act of being baptized we consider to be a very powerful symbolic act. That is why we teach that baptism is essential for salvation (2 Nephi 9:23-24, Moroni 7:33–34, 2 Nephi 31, 3 Nephi 27:19–21), and that baptisms should be performed the *right way* – through immersion (3 Nephi 11:23–26, Mosiah 18:14–16, D&C 20:72–74).

In my opinion, the fuss about baptism is all because the goal of baptism is to make our promise on earth to follow Christ be also sealed in heaven – which requires special effort. Here are further scriptures on baptism: D&C 20:72–74, 3 Nephi 11:23–26.

Baptism for the Dead

Logically, to me it seems unfair that, under conventional Christian doctrine, those who die without the opportunity to accept Christ go to hell.

Mormonism presents an answer to this: Baptism for the dead – in which a person on earth is baptized vicariously for an ancestor, using the name of said dead ancestor in the baptismal ceremony. This affords the ancestor the opportunity to accept or deny this baptism from the spirit world. And just to note, this won’t be able to save people who worked evil works while in this life, but for those who were good people while living and would have accepted Christ if given the chance this does save them (D&C 137:7–9).

Interestingly, Paul mentions baptism for the dead in 1 Corinthians 15:29:
29 Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?

* Further scriptures on baptism for the dead: D&C 128:1–18 and D&C 124:29–33

God does not save bad people

From what I have seen, many Christians have been teaching that salvation comes freely to anyone who has a “good feeling” about Jesus. For simplicity, I will call this belief: “hyper grace”, which teaches that we need not particularly fear sin, because no matter how sinful we are, or how much we break the commandments and go against Christ’s teachings, Christ will always still save us. In my view, this is a very pernicious doctrine, because it justifies sin (thus worsening the eternal state of many of God’s children in the world to come) and also directly goes against many scriptures – not just in the Book of Mormon, but also in the Bible.

I know Christians might be thinking that salvation entirely is free because of “grace”, but if you read the scriptures, they clearly say that in order for us to be washed with the atoning blood of Christ, we first must be born again. And being born again means renewing of our character and mind to always sincerely strive to follow the commandments and make Christ the center of our life, thus motivating us to change our actions. For a deeper discussion on this, see The Atonement as a Blood Transfusion, which goes through the amazing number of Bible verses which describe how our relationship with Christ – and thus our access to his grace – is conditional upon our efforts to change our life to adhere to the gospel. And just to note: I’m not saying we are saved by our works, but I am saying that to access Christ’s saving grace we must attempt to align our hearts with Christ, which usually is accompanied with a change in action.

In this essay I will mainly focus on this topic through the lens of the Book of Mormon, which takes a particularly harsh stance against hyper-grace. To start off, the Book of Mormon directly prophecies how in our day the gentiles would preach hyper-grace, and condemns this teaching, saying that it represents corruption and leads to sin and whoredoms.

2 Nephi 28:7-25
7 Yea, and there shall be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us.
8 And there shall also be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God—he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God.
…11 Yea, they have all gone out of the way; they have become corrupted.
12 Because of pride, and because of false teachers, and false doctrine, their churches have become corrupted, and their churches are lifted up; because of pride they are puffed up.
…14 They wear stiff necks and high heads; yea, and because of pride, and wickedness, and abominations, and whoredoms, they have all gone astray save it be a few, who are the humble followers of Christ; nevertheless, they are led, that in many instances they do err because they are taught by the precepts of men.
…21 And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.
…24 Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion!
25 Wo be unto him that crieth: All is well!

Moreover, the Book of Mormon vilifies hyper-grace through its portrayal of Nehor, who is known as a type of antichrist. For background, the Book of Mormon has a series of individuals that are known as “Antichrists”, of whom here is a brief summary:

• In Jacob 7, Sherem teaches the law of Moses but denies the coming of the Messiah.
• In Alma 1:2-15, Nehor teaches that all men will be saved and engages in priestcraft, teaching that the people should financially support preachers.
• In Alma 30:6-21, Korihor teaches that there is no god or afterlife, and that religion comes from a deranged mind

Nehor’s followers then become villains throughout the account:

• Alma 2:1–4 – Amlici (a follower of Nehor) seeks to become king and stirs up rebellion, resulting in a civil war.
• Alma 14:16–20 – Followers of Nehor are among the mob in Ammonihah who burn the believers and their scriptures.
• Alma 21:4 – A splinter group called the Amalekites who follow Nehor imprison the missionaries.
• Alma 24:28–29 – The Amalekites and Amulonites (both linked to Nehor’s order) genocide the converted Lamanites (Anti-Nephi-Lehies).

Thus, through the lens of the Book of Mormon, the ideas of Nehor – which is nearly identical to hyper-grace – are so evil that they eventually led to a civil war and multiple genocides. No wonder preachers hate the Book of Mormon so much.

To go into depth, Nehor taught that all men would be saved because God created all (Alma 1:4). Alma responds to this in the now infamous Alma 11:37:

37 And I say unto you again that he cannot save them in their sins; for I cannot deny his word, and he hath said that no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of heaven;

Dishonest and creepy teachers have eagerly tried to use this verse to discredit Mormonism – saying it goes against the grace of Christ to say that sinners cannot be saved. But of course this chapter actually reaffirms grace if you keep on reading:

40 And he shall come into the world to redeem his people; and he shall take upon him the transgressions of those who believe on his name; and these are they that shall have eternal life, and salvation cometh to none else. (Alma 11:40)

Thus, we see that unclean things cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven because we need Christ to clean us from our sins. Nevertheless, attaining grace is dependent on our efforts to approach God. Mosiah 3:19 explains this:

19 For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.

So, the atonement doesn’t automatically cleanse us of our sins – rather to become a saint through the atonement we must first put off our natural man via starting to act Christlike and listen to the holy ghost. This doesn’t mean we must be perfect, but it does mean that we must be make an honest effort to change and overcome our flesh (again, I explain this more in The Atonement as a Blood Transfusion).

4 – Culture of strictly following the Commandments

Word of Wisdom

The Word of Wisdom is a health code revealed by the Lord to the prophet Joseph Smith in Doctrine and Covenants 89, given to help us attain temporal salvation (D&C 89:2). It counsels against the use of “wine or strong drink” (D&C 89:5), “tobacco” (D&C 89:8), and “hot drinks” (interpreted to mean coffee and tea) (D&C 89:9). It also states that grain is the “staff of life” (D&C 89:14, 16). The Lord promises that those who keep this law “shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones” and will “run and not be weary, and… walk and not faint” (D&C 89:18–20). The revelation concludes with the assurance that the obedient will be blessed with hidden treasures of knowledge and be protected in the last days (D&C 89:21). Thus, the Word of Wisdom is both a physical law of health and a spiritual covenant, linking obedience to promised temporal and eternal blessings.

And just to note, the Bible also warns against alcohol, but most Christians apparently don’t care about this (Proverbs 20:1, Proverbs 23:20-21, Proverbs 23:29-35, Ephesians 5:18, Romans 13:13, Galatians 5:19-21, 1 Corinthians 6:10).

Regarding the warning against coffee and tea:

• Caffeine lowers impulse control thus increasing aggression according to this study.
• Tea leaves tend to accumulate heavy metals.

And finally, there are real statistically measurable benefits to following the word of wisdom: Mormons on average live 5-10 years longer than the average population, likely in part because Mormons have the lowest rates of any religion of smoking and drinking. They likewise score much better in terms of education, happiness, youth avoiding delinquency, and other metrics. I discuss these studies further in Statistics for Atheists.

Covenants

Following the commandments and staying worthy is very important to Mormons because we believe that our status with God depends on the Covenants we make with him.

I’ve already described the Baptismal covenant, but just to reemphasize – we believe the primary way we as humans interact with God is by covenanting with God where we promise to follow him and in response he grants us spiritual power and what not.

While baptism is the most important covenant we perform, it is not the only one:

• Holy Ghost – when we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost from the laying on of hands (Acts 8:14–17, Acts 19:5–6), we covenant to behave worthily and in return gain greater access to the spirit.
• Sacrament – during the sacrament we promise to follow God and in return gain access to the spirit (Moroni 4, Moroni 5).
• Priesthood Covenant – when we receive the priesthood through the laying on of hands (Acts 6:5–6, Acts 8:14–17, Acts 13:2–3, Acts 19:5–6, 1 Timothy 4:14, 2 Timothy 1:6), we covenant to behave worthily to have access to God’s power.

Mosiah 5:15 provides greater detail on what we promise to do and what God promises in return:
15 Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, that Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his, that you may be brought to heaven, that ye may have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom, and power, and justice, and mercy of him who created all things, in heaven and in earth, who is God above all. Amen.

However, the price of making a covenant is that if we then return back to sin, it will be much worse for us than if we had never entered into the covenant in the first place (Hebrews 6:4–6, Hebrews 10:26–27, 2 Peter 2:20–22, Mosiah 2:36–39, Alma 24:30, D&C 54:4-6).

Luke 12:47-48
47 And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

Covenant with the Americas

According to the Book of Mormon, since the Americas (and in my opinion specifically North America) are an especially favored land, God will particularly ensure that the righteous who live in the Americas are blessed and the wicked are punished (2 Nephi 1:5–9, 2 Nephi 10:10-14, Ether 2:7–12). These promises apply not just to individuals but to the people as a whole – if the people on average remain righteous, then this land will be a land of liberty, prosperity, and safety, while if the people go astray then they will be destroyed. Moreover, apparently the Lord specifically brings certain peoples to the Americas, either because they are to be his covenant people, or to punish his former covenant people who went astray. And yes, the Book of Mormon specifically says all these promises apply to the gentiles (i.e. us Americans).

Conditional Blessings

This is a famous scripture relating our obedience to how we are treated by God:

D&C 130:20–21
20 There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—
21 And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.

This scripture further delineates how God will fulfill his covenant with us if we fulfill our part:

D&C 82:10
7 And now, verily I say unto you, I, the Lord, will not lay any sin to your charge; go your ways and sin no more; but unto that soul who sinneth shall the former sins return, saith the Lord your God.
…9 Or, in other words, I give unto you directions how you may act before me, that it may turn to you for your salvation.
10 I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.

Closing

To conclude, the second to the last verse of the Book of Mormon describes our covenantal relationship with God well:

Moroni 10:33
33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.

Worthiness

Mormons believe that maintaining worthiness via following the commandments is important because such worthiness grants us access to God’s power and spirit. This is important, because we believe that we can actively be guided by the Spirit throughout our life and believe God performs miracles in the modern day on our behalf (which I will further discuss later in this essay). Here are some scripture references:

• Access to the Holy Spirit is predicated upon following the commandments (Acts 5:32, John 14:15-18, Mosiah 2:36, Helaman 4:24).
• Access to priesthood power is predicated upon following the commandments and acting Christlike (D&C 121:36–37).

Endure to the End

Another reason Mormonism stresses following the commandments is because the Book of Mormon emphasizes the importance of enduring to the end (1 Nephi 13:37, 2 Nephi 9:23-24, 2 Nephi 31, 3 Nephi 15:9, 3 Nephi 27:16–21). This means that accepting Christ isn’t a one time event, but that to inherit the kingdom of God we must persist in living a gospel-oriented life all the way until we die.

Exaltation

Finally, Mormons seek to follow the commandments because (as discussed earlier) we believe that there are multiple levels of salvation to be attained in heaven. The highest level – commonly known as exaltation – is only obtained by those who sincerely strive to follow the commandments throughout their lives. Here are some scriptures:

D&C 93:20
20 For if you keep my commandments you shall receive of his fulness, and be glorified in me as I am in the Father; therefore, I say unto you, you shall receive grace for grace.

D&C 81:6
6 And if thou art faithful unto the end thou shalt have a crown of immortality, and eternal life in the mansions which I have prepared in the house of my Father.

D&C 75:5
5 And thus, if ye are faithful ye shall be laden with many sheaves, and crowned with honor, and glory, and immortality, and eternal life.

 (D&C 76:51-58, D&C 14:7, D&C 78:11-15, D&C 25:15, D&C 93:1)

5 – Miracles and following the Spirit

Miracles have not ceased

The Book of Mormon has a lot to say regarding how miracles continue in the modern day. I will mostly here let the words of the Book of Mormon speak for themselves, but let me just add two points: 1) I have seen miracles in my life, and don’t really see the point in following a religion that doesn’t teach miracles; 2) the bible says that miracles should follow the saints – Mark 16:17–18, John 14:12–13, 1 Corinthians 12:7–10. Alright, here are the scriptures:

2 Nephi 26:20
20 And the Gentiles are lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and have stumbled, because of the greatness of their stumbling block, that they have built up many churches; nevertheless, they put down the power and miracles of God, and preach up unto themselves their own wisdom and their own learning, that they may get gain and grind upon the face of the poor.

2 Nephi 28:5-6
5 And they deny the power of God, the Holy One of Israel; and they say unto the people: Hearken unto us, and hear ye our precept; for behold there is no God today, for the Lord and the Redeemer hath done his work, and he hath given his power unto men;
6 Behold, hearken ye unto my precept; if they shall say there is a miracle wrought by the hand of the Lord, believe it not; for this day he is not a God of miracles; he hath done his work.

Mormon 9:7–20
7 And again I speak unto you who deny the revelations of God, and say that they are done away, that there are no revelations, nor prophecies, nor gifts, nor healing, nor speaking with tongues, and the interpretation of tongues;
8 Behold I say unto you, he that denieth these things knoweth not the gospel of Christ; yea, he has not read the scriptures; if so, he does not understand them.
9 For do we not read that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and in him there is no variableness neither shadow of changing?
10 And now, if ye have imagined up unto yourselves a god who doth vary, and in whom there is shadow of changing, then have ye imagined up unto yourselves a god who is not a God of miracles.
11 But behold, I will show unto you a God of miracles, even the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and it is that same God who created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are.
…15 And now, O all ye that have imagined up unto yourselves a god who can do no miracles, I would ask of you, have all these things passed, of which I have spoken? Has the end come yet? Behold I say unto you, Nay; and God has not ceased to be a God of miracles.
…20 And the reason why he ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not the God in whom they should trust.

Further scriptures: 2 Nephi 27:23, Ether 12:12, Moroni 10:8-13

The Holy Ghost

The Book of Mormon particularly emphasizes the importance of following the spirit because it’s very first major story involves Nephi being “led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do” during his adventure to acquire the brass plates upon which was written the words of the prophets (1 Nephi 4:1-18). On the flip side, the very last chapter of the Book of Mormon discusses how the spirit will reveal the truth of all things to us:
Moroni 10:3-5
3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.
4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

Similar to the previous discourse on how miracles persist, the Book of Mormon greatly warns against denying the Holy Ghost (Moroni 10:7, 2 Nephi 28:3-4). Particularly, the Book of Mormon cautions that those who deny additional revelation from God via denying the Holy Ghost will then lose the gospel truths that they had already received:

2 Nephi 28:26-31
26 Yea, wo be unto him that hearkeneth unto the precepts of men, and denieth the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost!
…29 Wo be unto him that shall say: We have received the word of God, and we need no more of the word of God, for we have enough!
30 For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.
31 Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost.

Overall, we believe that the Holy Ghost can assist us in everything we do and every decision we make. I am grateful to be born into a religion that believes in the power of the Holy Ghost because I have been guided by the Holy Ghost many times throughout my life. Life just seems like it would be a lot harder without the guidance of the Spirt.

6 – Lore

Preachers should not make money

According to the Book of Mormon, priests and teachers should not depend on the people for money and sustenance (Mosiah 18:24–26).

So yeah, this is one reason why protestant preachers attack Mormonism so much – our scriptures war against their entire trade and career.

This is to prevent priests from setting their hearts upon popularity and money, rather than truth – 2 Nephi 26:29
29 He commandeth that there shall be no priestcrafts; for, behold, priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they seek not the welfare of Zion.

Remember the antichrist, Nehor, who I previously discussed here? The Book of Mormon even has a discourse about how part of his problem was that he preached that teachers should gain money and be supported by the people (Alma 1:2-16). Verse 16 is particularly relevant:
16 Nevertheless, this did not put an end to the spreading of priestcraft through the land; for there were many who loved the vain things of the world, and they went forth preaching false doctrines; and this they did for the sake of riches and honor.

Overall, Alma 1:2-16 makes a connection between preachers being motivated by money and them teaching hyper-grace. This makes sense to me – if your goal is to gain money, then you likely won’t go around calling people to repentance because that usually is unpopular.

Secret Combinations

From the Book of Mormon, we learn that in the last days there will be much deceit and secret combinations (meaning conspiracies):

Ether 8:18–26
22 And whatsoever nation shall uphold such secret combinations, to get power and gain, until they shall spread over the nation, behold, they shall be destroyed; for the Lord will not suffer that the blood of his saints, which shall be shed by them, shall always cry unto him from the ground for vengeance upon them and yet he avenge them not.
23 Wherefore, O ye Gentiles, it is wisdom in God that these things should be shown unto you, that thereby ye may repent of your sins, and suffer not that these murderous combinations shall get above you, which are built up to get power and gain—and the work, yea, even the work of destruction come upon you, yea, even the sword of the justice of the Eternal God shall fall upon you, to your overthrow and destruction if ye shall suffer these things to be.
24 Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret combination which shall be among you; or wo be unto it, because of the blood of them who have been slain; for they cry from the dust for vengeance upon it, and also upon those who built it up.
25 For it cometh to pass that whoso buildeth it up seeketh to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries; and it bringeth to pass the destruction of all people, for it is built up by the devil, who is the father of all lies; even that same liar who beguiled our first parents, yea, even that same liar who hath caused man to commit murder from the beginning; who hath hardened the hearts of men that they have murdered the prophets, and stoned them, and cast them out from the beginning.

Mormon 8:27
And it (the Book of Mormon) shall come in a day when the blood of saints shall cry unto the Lord, because of secret combinations and the works of darkness.

Additional scriptures: Helaman 2:13–14, Helaman 6:27–30, 2 Nephi 9:9, 2 Nephi 26:22

Interestingly, the apocrypha also warns against secret combinations, as touched on in Secular Evidence for the Book of Mormon.

Monarchies bad, US constitution good

The Book of Mormon takes a stance against monarchies:

Mosiah 23:7–8
7 But he said unto them: Behold, it is not expedient that we should have a king; for thus saith the Lord: Ye shall not esteem one flesh above another, or one man shall not think himself above another; therefore I say unto you it is not expedient that ye should have a king.
8 Nevertheless, if it were possible that ye could always have just men to be your kings it would be well for you to have a king.

Nevertheless, the Book of Mormon doesn’t say that democracies will always choose the right. However, it states that injustices wrought in democracies are more fair – if the people vote for that which is evil, then at least they get what they deserve, unlike in monarchies, where it is possible for an unjust king to oppress a righteous people (see Mosiah 29:16–18&21-27).

Furthermore, it is our doctrine that the American constitution was inspired by God (D&C 101:77-81, D&C 98:5-7).

City of Enoch

The revealed scriptures from Joseph Smith provide additional insight into the prophet Enoch, teaching that he established a city of saints. Said city was taken up into heaven but will eventually return to earth and be part of the New Jerusalem. Here are some references:

• Moses 6:26–68 – Enoch is called of God and preaches the gospel.
• Moses 7 – Enoch continues preaching, establishes a city, and the city is taken up into heaven.
• Ether 13:2–10 – The New Jerusalem shall descend out of heaven to the Americas – it is understood that this is partially referring to the city of Enoch. Also, part of the New Jeruslaem appears to also be built on the land (see also 3 Nephi 21:22–25).
• D&C 38:4 – The Lord says He has “taken the Zion of Enoch into mine own bosom;”
• D&C 45:11–15 – Discusses how we will see the city of Enoch when the day of righteousness comes.
• D&C 76:66–69 – Links the Church of Enoch to the Celestial Kingdom.
• D&C 84:98–100 – Zion will return, and the Lord will reign. Interestingly it says, “The Lord hath brought down Zion from above. The Lord hath brought up Zion from beneath.” Presumably, the Zion that comes down from above is the city of Enoch, but what is the Zion from beneath? Does that reference the establishment of God’s church on this our fallen earth, or is it some other place?

Interestingly, our stories of Enoch are very similar to apocryphal accounts of Enoch unearthed in the last century, as described in Secular Evidence for the Book of Mormon.

7 – Priesthood Authority

Finally, we need the Book of Mormon and teachings of Joseph Smith because they have restored God’s priesthood upon the earth. This priesthood represents access to God’s power and authority, thus the priesthood grants access to the power to perform miracles. The priesthood also allows the holder to bind in heaven that which is bound on earth (D&C 128:9–10, Matthew 16:19), thus covenants such as baptism can only properly be performed by priesthood holders. Moreover, the priesthood grants the holder greater access to the spirit, allowing him to truly teach from the spirit (D&C 42:12-14, D&C 50:13-20), which is why it is so important for people to possess the priesthood if they teach the gospel (D&C 20:38-60, D&C 42:11).

Without priesthood, much confusion has come upon the earth with many people with contradicting doctrines all claiming to possess God’s authority. Consequently, the gospel became corrupted by false teachers who only sought fame, therefore teaching doctrines easy to hear, rather than true doctrines (2 Timothy 4:3–4). Moreover, without the priesthood, most preachers have found themselves unable to perform miracles and therefore teach that miracles have ceased – which as described earlier is a huge mistake.

To go into depth on the nature of the priesthood, the Aaronic priesthood is used to provide ordinances such as baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and sacrament. There is also a higher priesthood known as the Melchizedek priesthood, which grants the power to perform blessings and receive via revelation the mysteries of God. I discuss blessings in Spiritual Warfare. To understand better the difference between these two priesthoods see these references (D&C 107:1–20, D&C 84:18–27, Hebrews 7:11–12).

The priesthood can only be conferred to someone through the laying on of hands by someone who themselves also has priesthood authority (3 Nephi 11:21–22, Mosiah 21:33, Mosiah 18:17–18, D&C 20:72–74). The New Testament clearly outlines that this authority was necessary and passed down through anointing and laying on of hands (transfer of God’s authority during early Church: Matthew 10:1, John 15:16, Luke 9:1–2, Mark 3:14–15, Acts 6:5–6, Acts 13:2–3, 1 Timothy 4:14, 2 Timothy 1:6, Hebrews 5:4–6; laying on of Hands to transfer authority in early Church: Acts 6:5–6, Acts 8:14–17, Acts 13:2–3, Acts 19:5–6, 1 Timothy 4:14, 2 Timothy 1:6). However, in fulfillment of biblical prophecy, this authority was eventually lost (2 Thessalonians 2:3, Amos 8:11–12, 2 Timothy 4:3–4, Acts 20:29–30, Isaiah 24:5, 1 Nephi 13:24–29, 2 Nephi 26:20–22, 2 Nephi 28:3–6, D&C 1:15–16, D&C 112:23–26, Joseph Smith—History 1:19). God’s authority was restored in 1829 when John the Baptist conferred the Aaronic Priesthood to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery (D&C 13:1), and Peter, James, and John conferred the Melchizedek Priesthood to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery (D&C 27:12–13). The granting of priesthood authority in the modern church is the same as in the old – via ordination and laying on of hands (D&C 42:11, D&C 20:38–39, D&C 20:60, D&C 84:6–42).

And to go on a tangent, we similarly receive greater access to God’s spirt through the conferral of the Holy Ghost – in which someone who possesses priesthood power lays his hands upon another and gifts them the Holy Ghost (D&C 20:41, D&C 33:15, Moroni 2). This process of granting the Holy Ghost through the laying on of hands is outlined in the New Testament (Acts 8:14–17, Acts 19:5–6).