We need to teach our people to find their answers in the scriptures….But the unfortunate thing is that so many of us are not reading the scriptures. We do not know what is in them, and therefore we speculate about the things that we ought to have found in the scriptures themselves. I think that therein is one of our biggest dangers of today.
Harold B. Lee, “
Find the Answers in the Scriptures,” Ensign, December 1972. p.3
There is no question---personal or social or political or occupational—that need go unanswered. Therein is contained the fullness of the everlasting gospel. Therein we find principles of truth that will resolve every confusion and every problem and every dilemma that will face the human family or any individual in it.
Boyd K. Packer, “
Teach the Scriptures,” Address to Religious Educators, 14 Oct. 1977, p. 5
May I admonish you to participate in a program of daily reading and pondering of the scriptures….The Book of Mormon will change your life. It will fortify you against the evils of our day. It will bring a spirituality into your life that no other book will. It will be the most important book you will read in preparation for a mission and for life. A young man [or young woman] who knows and loves the Book of Mormon, who has read it several times, who has an abiding testimony of its truthfulness, and who applies its teaching will be able to stand against the wiles of the devil and will be a mighty tool in the hands of the Lord.
Ezra Taft Benson, “
The Youth of the Noble Birthright,” Ensign, May 1986, pp. 43-44
I note your remarks in relation to reading the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants, and I heartily approve of your views. No man can be an efficient missionary of this church unless he is familiar with these books. And the more familiar he is with them, the more capable will he be to discharge the duties of his ministry. Indeed, I think sometimes that we neglect too much the advocacy of the Book of Mormon. In the early days of the church, it was the preaching of the Book of Mormon and the proof of its existence or coming forth, as found in the Bible, that made converts to the church. It was as necessary then to prove our authority by the Bible as it is now, but it seems to me that to show the world from the Bible that the Book of Mormon, or such a book as it is, was to come forth in the latter days, is a strong argument for our cause. It is a great mistake to set aside or ignore the word of God as revealed in the latter days in preaching this gospel to the world. Of course it is not always wise to feed the people with strong meat at first, but one of the foundation stones of the church in the latter day is the revelation of the Book of Mormon and the restoration of the Gospel it contains, as also the visions and revelations given to the Prophet Joseph Smith. To be ashamed of these is to be ashamed of our ministry, to dodge these facts is to fail in the spirit of our ministry. In my opinion these things should be preached and then substantiated by the accepted version of the old Bible.
Joseph F. Smith, From Prophet to Son: Advice of Joseph F. Smith to His Missionary Sons, compiled by Hyrum M. Smith III and Scott G. Kenney, p.70
Members of the Church everywhere should know the Book of Mormon better than any other book. Not only should we know what history and faith-promoting stories it contains, but we should understand its teachings. If we really did our homework and approached the Book of Mormon doctrinally, we could expose the errors and find the truths to combat many of the current false theories and philosophies of men, including socialism, humanism, organic evolution, and others.
I have noted within the Church the difference in discernment, in insight, conviction, and spirit between those who know and love the Book of Mormon and those who do not. That book is a great sifter.
Ezra Taft Benson, “
Jesus Christ—Gifts and Expectations,” New Era, May 1975, p. 19