What is the Book of Mormon and Where Did It Come From
Worksheet – Instruct the children to fill in the blanks in Section A on the worksheet, using paragraphs one and two of the “Introduction” for reference. After they are done, go over the answers together.
SECTION A: Worksheet Answers – The Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripture. It is a record of God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the America’s and contains, as does the Bible, the fullness of the everlasting gospel. The book was written by many ancient prophets by the spirit of prophecy and revelation, and was abridged by a prophet-historian named Mormon.
• What does abridged mean? It means that Mormon studied records other prophets had written, and then he took important parts from each of their records and wrote them on the gold plates. The Book of Mormon is named after Mormon because he compiled the record. (Show the picture of “Mormon Abridging the Plates” to the children.)
Now have the children fill in the blanks in section B on the worksheet using paragraph six of the “Introduction” for reference. Go over the answers together after they are done.
SECTION B: Worksheet Answers- Joseph Smith told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on the 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.
• What did Joseph Smith mean when he said the Book of Mormon is the most correct book on the earth? The Book of Mormon is of God. Books produced by men may contain errors in understanding, perception, and translation.
• What did Joseph Smith mean when he said, “A man could get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book”? Abide means to accept or act in accordance with, and precepts are commandments or principles. So, if we accept or act in accordance with God’s will and obey the commandments and principles found in the Book of Mormon, we will grow nearer to God.
The Book of Mormon was given to us by the power of God.
See more ideas for teaching Introduction to the Book of Mormon here.
Purpose of the Book of Mormon
The Title Page tells us that the purpose of the Book of Mormon is to testify of Christ.
Write the following questions on the board and have the children listen for the answers as they watch the below video. The first part is from Moroni 10 and the last part, from 0.58 to the end, are words from the Title Page of the Book of Mormon. Stop the video at the parts that answer the questions and discuss them.
The purpose of the Book of Mormon is stated on the title page–to convince all that Jesus is the Christ.
For Younger Children:
Friend January 2020 “Come Follow Me for Little Ones” (Let your children look at and hold a copy of the Book of Mormon. Help them point to the subtitle, Another Testament of Jesus Christ) Read the full title of the Book of Mormon, including the subtitle, “Another Testament of Jesus Christ.” Put a picture of the Savior somewhere in the pages of a Book of Mormon. Help your children flip through the book and find the picture. You could do this repeatedly, and every time you find it, help your little ones say, “The Book of Mormon is about Jesus!”
Invite the children to share stories they know from the Book of Mormon, using pictures 67–86 in the Gospel Art Book or other pictures you have. And/or have everyone draw their favorite Book of Mormon story. Then have each child tell about their picture. Briefly tell them how the Book of Mormon has strengthened your faith in Jesus Christ.
Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 “Introductory Pages of the Book of Mormon “Let your children look at and hold a copy of the Book of Mormon. Help them point to the subtitle, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. You might also help them find, on the title page, the phrase “Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations.” Help them understand that this means the Book of Mormon teaches us about Jesus Christ.
All of the prophets in the Book of Mormon taught about Jesus.
Friend January 2016 “The Book of Mormon Teaches about Jesus Christ” Take turns reading these scriptures. Each talks about a Book of Mormon prophet who taught about Jesus. Match the scripture with the prophet who said it.
Invite the children to share stories they know from the Book of Mormon, using pictures 67–86 in the Gospel Art Book or other pictures you have. And/or have everyone draw their favorite Book of Mormon story. Then have each child tell about their picture. Briefly tell them how the Book of Mormon has strengthened your faith in Jesus Christ.
3. The Savior visited their land After He had risen in His glory. He blessed the children just like me; I love to read their story. The Book of Mormon tells of Christ And helps me feel the Holy Spirit. Heavenly Father’s voice is calling me, And the scriptures help me hear it.
Friend January 2024 ” Power in the Book of Mormon” President Nelson said, “The Book of Mormon is . . .Another testament of Jesus Christ. Many prophets who wrote it saw Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon includes their testimonies of Him. I invite you to read the Book of Mormon. As you read, I encourage you to mark each verse that speaks of the Savior. You will become closer to Him through this process. And changes, even miracles, will begin to happen. The truths of the Book of Mormon have the power to heal, comfort, strengthen, and cheer our souls.”
President Nelson invited us to look for Jesus Christ’s name as we read the Book of Mormon. Jesus has many names in the scriptures. Here are some you can look for!
To Help Us Get Nearer to God
Now have the children fill in the blanks in section B on the worksheet using paragraph six of the “Introduction” for reference. Go over the answers together after they are done.
SECTION B: Worksheet Answers- Joseph Smith told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on the 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.
• What did Joseph Smith mean when he said the Book of Mormon is the most correct book on the earth? The Book of Mormon is of God. Books produced by men may contain errors in understanding, perception, and translation.
• What did Joseph Smith mean when he said, “A man could get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book”? Abide means to accept or act in accordance with, and precepts are commandments or principles. So, if we accept or act in accordance with God’s will and obey the commandments and principles found in the Book of Mormon, we will grow nearer to God.
The Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion.
• What did Joseph Smith mean when he said the Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion? Show the picture of the arch. Explain that the keystone is the central supporting stone at the top of the arch. The stones would fall without the keystone holding them in place. The Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion because it supports and explains doctrines and principles that are necessary for salvation. Another reason it is the keystone is that when we receive a testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon we will know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, that the church of Jesus Christ is restored on the earth again, and that Jesus is the Christ.
Mormon taught that the Book of Mormon was written to help us believe the Bible and that those who believe the Bible will believe the Book of Mormon.
Show the children the title page of the Book of Mormon, and point to the words of the title as you read it, emphasizing the word another. Help the children think of other books of scripture that teach us about Jesus. Show them that the Bible has the Old Testament and the New Testament. Help the children say “Old Testament, New Testament” when you point to the Bible and “Another Testament” when you point to the Book of Mormon.
Display a world map or the activity page for this outline, along with a Bible and Book of Mormon. Use these items to teach the children that the Bible is a record of Jesus’s teachings in and around Jerusalem and the Book of Mormon is a record of His teachings in the Americas.
Choose several events and truths that both the Bible and the Book of Mormon testify of, such as Jesus’s birth, death, and Resurrection. Show pictures from the Gospel Art Bookthat depict these events and truths. Ask the children to describe what they see in the pictures, and tell them that both the Bible and the Book of Mormon teach about these things.
Write Mormon 7:9 on the board, but leave blanks in place of the words this and that. Also write on the board this= the Book of Mormon and that= the Bible. Invite the children to read Mormon 7:9 out loud and use the phrases on the board to fill in the blanks. What do we learn about the Bible and the Book of Mormon from this verse?
Display a Book of Mormon and a Bible. Share a few stories from each book, showing pictures if available (see the Gospel Art Book). Invite the children to point to the book the story comes from. Why do we need both books?
Write each word of the eighth article of faith on separate pieces of paper. Give one or two words to each child, and invite the children to work together to put the words in the correct order. Then ask them to repeat the article of faith several times. What does it teach us?
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 “2 Nephi 26-30” Because we have the Bible, some people believe that the Book of Mormon is unnecessary. These verses can help the children understand, and explain to others, why we are thankful for both books of scripture.
Give one child a copy of the Book of Mormon and another a copy of the Bible. Ask them how these books are similar and how they are different. Show the children a map of the world, and help them match each book with the part of the world it came from. Read and discuss 2 Nephi 29:8. Why did God give us two “testimonies” or books of scripture that teach us about Him?
Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 “2 Nephi 26-30” Consider asking your children to imagine that a friend says, “I don’t need to read the Book of Mormon. I’ve already read the Bible.” What could we say to our friend? Read together 2 Nephi 29:7–11 to learn why God wants us to have both books. (Then ask them to share ideas about what they might say to their friend.)
Bible stories teach us How to live like Jesus. Book of Mormon stories, too, Tell what He would have us do.
Hand in hand together, the Bible and the Book of Mormon stand forever to tell of Jesus Christ.
Bible prophets tell us things to bless and help us. Book of Mormon prophets, too, Testify of all that’s true.
Hand in hand together, the Bible and the Book of Mormon stand forever to tell of Jesus Christ. Hand in hand together, the Bible and the Book of Mormon stand forever to tell of Jesus Christ.
Hand in Hand piano
Nephi saw that many Plain and Precious Things would be Removed from Bible
Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Book of Mormon 2024 “1 Nephi 11-15” To help your children value the “plain and precious” truths in the Book of Mormon, you could draw a picture and invite your children to change or remove parts of the picture to make it look different. You could use this to teach that things in the Bible were changed and taken out over time. Read together 1 Nephi 13:40 and talk about how the Book of Mormon (“these last records”) helps us understand the “plain and precious things” that were lost from the Bible (the “first” records). What “plain and precious” truths have you learned from the Book of Mormon?
Draw a picture on the board, and invite the children to change or remove parts of the picture to make it look different. Help them understand that, like this picture, some things in the Bible were changed and taken out over time. Read parts of 1 Nephi 13:40 that teach how the Book of Mormon (which Nephi calls “these last records”) helps us understand the “plain and precious things” that were lost from the Bible.
Book of Mormon Seminary Student Manual (2024) A bicycle is a simple and effective form of transportation. Cycling can also be an enjoyable and rewarding experience. What are some of the essential parts that allow a person to operate a bicycle safely and effectively? Imagine you owned a bicycle and someone intentionally removed certain essential parts from it.
What might those actions indicate about his or her feelings toward you?
What could happen if you attempted to operate the bicycle with missing parts?
Who might you contact to repair and restore your bicycle to function properly?
In a similar way, Satan has sought to harm and confuse God’s children by removing and changing important parts of Jesus Christ’s gospel. As you study 1 Nephi 13, look for what the Savior has done to help us overcome Satan’s obstacles.
The video “The Book of Mormon—a Book from God” (Gospel Library) could help your children see why it’s important to have both the Bible and the Book of Mormon. Children might enjoy re-creating the illustration from the video. (watch to 5:41)
Why is it helpful to have more than one witness? Draw a dot on the board, label it Bible, and invite each child to draw a different straight line passing through the dot to illustrate that teachings in the Bible can be interpreted many ways when the Bible stands alone. Erase the lines, and draw a second dot labeled Book of Mormon. Invite a child to draw a straight line that passes through both dots to show that there is only one way to interpret the gospel when the Bible and Book of Mormon are used together.
Friend February 2024 “Come, Follow Me Activities: Scripture Teamwork” The Book of Mormon and the Bible work together to teach us about Jesus Christ (see 2 Nephi 3:12). Play a game about working together! Have one person crumple up pieces of paper into balls and throw them in a bowl. Have another person try to stop the papers from going in. Now try it with two people throwing papers. Which time was it easier to get papers in the bowl?
Read 1 Nephi 13:26–29 together, and invite the children to look for what happens when people do not have the “plain and precious” truths of the gospel. How did the Lord restore truths that had been lost? (see verses 35–36, 40). Invite the children to share their testimonies of truths they have learned from the Book of Mormon, or share your own.
Primary 5: Doctrine and Covenants and Church History “Lesson 20: Joseph Smith Translates the Bible and Other Scriptures,” (See more at link) Have the children stand in a line. Whisper the two- or three-sentence message into the ear of the first child in line. Have each child in turn whisper the message to the next child. Instruct each child to say the message only once. Continue until the message reaches the last child in line. Ask the last child to repeat the message aloud. Compare the message the last child received with the original message to see how the message changed.
How had the message changed by the time it reached the end of the line? What was left out? What was added?
Why do you think the message changed as it passed from person to person?
Explain to the children that just as their message changed as it was passed from person to person, over many years some of the scriptures in the Bible had been changed as people translated the Bible and made copies of it by hand. Mistakes were made: some incorrect teachings had been added to the Bible, and some important teachings had been left out. (see Articles of Faith 1:8).
Watch the following video until 3.12
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 “1 Nephi 11-15 Hide around the room pictures representing gospel truths that are clarified in the Book of Mormon, such as baptism, the sacrament, and resurrection. Invite the children to find these pictures. Explain that the Book of Mormon brought back gospel truths that had been lost (during the apostasy).
Help the children memorize the eighth article of faith. We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.
The words of Lehi’s seed (his descendants) speaking from “low out of the dust” with a “familiar spirit” and being “sealed up in a book” (2 Nephi 26:14–17; see also Isaiah 29:4).
What does voices from the dust mean? The prophets who wrote the Book of Mormon are long gone and their bodies have turned to dust, but we hear their words by reading the Book of Mormon.
Read 2 Nephi 27:25–26, looking for what the Lord promised He would do. Nephi prophesied that the Book of Mormon would come forth to help with the problems of the last days (see 2 Nephi 27:6).
President Russell M. Nelson stated that this “marvelous work would include the coming forth of the Book of Mormon and the Restoration of the gospel” (“Scriptural Witnesses,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2007, 46).
Nephi also wrote that God would allow a few witnesses to behold the plates the Book of Mormon was translated from and to testify of the truthfulness of the book to the world (see 2 Nephi 27:12–14). Nephi then shared a prophecy about some of the details related to the translation of the Book of Mormon.
Church History Topics “Martin Harris’s Consultations with Scholars” This article tells the story and has pictures of Martin Harris and Professor Anthon.
What did Professor Anthon say when Martin Harris first showed him a copy of some of the Book of Mormon writings? (JS—H 1:64.) Why do you think Professor Anthon tore up the certificate when he learned that an angel had shown Joseph Smith where to find the gold plates? (JS—H 1:65.
Why do you think the Lord used Joseph Smith, who was an unlearned man, to bring forth the Book of Mormon?
Emma Smith (1804–1879), the wife of the Prophet, testified of the divine assistance Joseph received in his translation of the Book of Mormon:
Joseph Smith could neither write nor dictate a coherent and well-worded letter, let alone dictat[e] a book like the Book of Mormon. And, though I was an active participant in the scenes that transpired, … it is marvelous to me, “a marvel and a wonder.” …
My belief is that the Book of Mormon is of divine authenticity—I have not the slightest doubt of it. … It would have been improbable that a learned man could do this; and, for one so ignorant and unlearned as he was, it was simply impossible. (Emma Smith, in “Last Testimony of Sister Emma,” The Saints’ Herald, Oct. 1, 1879, 290)
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 “2 Nephi 26-30” Explain that because of Heavenly Father’s great love for us, he has given us a gift to help us achieve eternal life (the kind of life Heavenly Father has).Show the children a Book of Mormon wrapped as a gift, and tell them that something valuable is inside. Let them hold the gift, and give clues to help them guess what it is; for example, it’s something the Lord has given us, it helps us believe in Jesus Christ, and so on. Read from 2 Nephi 30:6: “It is a blessing unto them from the hand of God.” Let the children open the gift, and then explain that we must open the Book of Mormon and read it to receive the blessings it contains.
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 “2 Nephi 26-30” Read 2 Nephi 28:2 to the children. Explain that Nephi saw that the Book of Mormon would “be of great worth” to us, which means that it will help and bless us. Tell the children why the Book of Mormon is of great worth to you. Share your favorite verse or story from the Book of Mormon, and invite the children to share theirs. Show pictures from the Gospel Art Book to give them ideas.
Friend February 2012 “The Book of Mormon: Our True Guide” President Henry B. Eyring teaches how the Book of Mormon is our guide to return home. The article includes a simple maze activity.
For they were the very vilest of sinners.(Mosiah 28:4) But Alma 48:17-18 talks about these men and the changes they had made.
17 Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.
18 Behold, he was a man like unto Ammon, the son of Mosiah, yea, and even the other sons of Mosiah, yea, and also Alma and his sons, for they were all men of God.
Friend January 2020 “Book of Mormon Videos: Behind the Scenes” In 2019 the church made Book of Mormon videos to go with Come Follow Me: Book of Mormon 2020. This image shows how they made some of the videos.
Elder Rasband told about how the prophet gave a copy of the Book of Mormon to a king in Ghana. Together, President Nelson and the king read about Jesus Christ in 3 Nephi 11. The king said the book was more valuable than diamonds or rubies because it taught him more about Jesus.
