Before I share these awesome videos. I think it would be helpful if you had a background in what the Book of Mormon is. Check out this post I created about what the book is.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recently undertook the monumental task of creating a series of videos depicting the stories contained in the Book of Mormon. I don’t know how in-depth they are going to be in every story of the Book of Mormon, but based on the first season, they are quite thorough.
I was tempted to embed each video on a page for you to easily find, but anticipating that they will be releasing quite a few over the next several years, I’ve decided to simply direct you where to go to find them.
All of the videos are available to see on YouTube. Be sure to subscribe so you can be kept up-to-date on the newest episode.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also hosts the videos natively on their site. This might be a little easier to watch chronologically since YouTube is a bit confusing sometimes on navigation.
Each tile represents a section of scriptures. The longest video is the master story while the shorter videos are little vignettes of things that occurred during that time as well.
I don’t know why they didn’t include the short videos in the longer video, but I think they made them as specific lessons for the church’s study curriculum during the 2020 year. Maybe one day an extended version will be available.
Image Credit: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
I asked my daughter what the Book of Mormon is and she said, “Some people talking about Jesus and their lives and some stuff like that.” That is the answer of a 10-year-old who has grown up in a home where she has grown up learning different stories and memorizing passages from the Book of Mormon.
She’s not wrong.
The Book of Mormon is scripture that originated here on the American continent. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has published a brief video about what the Book of Mormon is.
Unfortunately, a one-minute video isn’t long enough to understand what the Book of Mormon is. I probably won’t do it justice, but I’ll give it a try.
The History
The Book of Mormon is a compilation of the writing of prophets much like the prophets of the Bible.
The first prophet in the Book of Mormon is Lehi. Lehi and his family lived in Jerusalem at around 600 B.C. which was in the time of Jeremiah in the Bible.
The Lord warns Lehi of the coming destruction of Jerusalem and tells him to take his family and flee. The family traveled to the seashore where Lehi’s son Nephi (the narrator of the first part of the Book of Mormon), was instructed by the Lord how to build a ship in which the family would sail to what we now call the American continent.
Establishing a Nation
Not all was well in Lehi’s family. The two eldest sons were real complainers and fought the trip at pretty much every point.
Once the family arrived on the new continent, those two brothers and their families separated from the rest and they would eventually become two civilizations called the Nephites for those who followed Nephi and the rest of the family, and Lamanites for those who followed the brothers Laman and Lemuel.
Over time God continued to call prophets. One such prophet was Enos. You can watch a video my family made about Enos Here.
Also over time, the peoples’ righteousness fluctuated and there were conflicts between the Nephites and the Lamanites.
A large portion of the book named after the principal author Alma, describes numerous wars between groups of Nephites and Lamanites.
Why the Book of Mormon is Another Testament of Jesus Christ
The crowning part of the Book of Mormon is Christ’s visit to the inhabitants of the continent.
During Christ’s ministry, He said, “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd” — John 10:16.
Following Christ’s resurrection, He came here to the American continent and ministered to the people for a short while. This account can be found in 3 Nephi 11-27 in the Book of Mormon.
For many years following Christ’s visit, there was peace in the land, but that was not to last. Eventually, contention crept back into their lives and the Book of Mormon was finalized with bloodshed and complete destruction of the Nephite civilization.
One of the last Nephites was Mormon, a prophet and historian. Mormon was the one who compiled all of the available historical records and that is why the book is named after him.
Mormon had a son named Moroni to whom he passed the plates of the Book of Mormon. Moroni was the last to record in the book. He took the plates and buried them in what would one day become New York.
How We Got the Book of Mormon
In 1823 Moroni visited Joseph Smith and instructed Joseph in the translation of the plates into what we know as the Book of Mormon.
I encourage you to read the several posts I’ve written about Joseph Smith regarding his life, the personal visit of God the Father and Jesus Christ, the translation of the Book of Mormon, and the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The story begins with Getting to Know Joseph Part 1
In Conclusion
I’m going to simply let you read the second half of the Introduction Page in the Book of Mormon. It puts it best.
Concerning this record the Prophet Joseph Smith said: “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on 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.”
In addition to Joseph Smith, the Lord provided for eleven others to see the gold plates for themselves and to be special witnesses of the truth and divinity of the Book of Mormon. Their written testimonies are included herewith as “The Testimony of Three Witnesses” and “The Testimony of Eight Witnesses.”
We invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then to ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ if the book is true. Those who pursue this course and ask in faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost. (See Moroni 10:3–5.)
Those who gain this divine witness from the Holy Spirit will also come to know by the same power that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, that Joseph Smith is His revelator and prophet in these last days, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord’s kingdom once again established on the earth, preparatory to the Second Coming of the Messiah.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released a beautiful video for Christmas. Enjoy and Merry Christmas! There is such power in being able to view what the nativity might have looked like.
I love how this video makes me feel. Pay attention to how you feel while watching this video. That feeling you are feeling is the Spirit of God.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recently released this video based on a talk by Elder Ulisses Soares of the Council of the Twelve Apostles. The video addresses how we should be unified regardless of religion, race, lifestyle, or creed. Follow Jesus Christ’s example and love one another.
I think it is extremely applicable today as people seem to be becoming less tolerant of each other’s differences and viewpoints. You may not believe as I do, but that’s okay, we can respect each other’s beliefs and work together to become strong like the rivers in the video in drawing ourselves and others into a more unified community and world.
When it came to understanding the atonement of Jesus Christ, I don’t think I really thought about it or even understood it. I can’t even claim to fully comprehend it now. But there are two talks I refer to again and again that have helped me understand that the atonement isn’t just for reconciling sin, but for drawing strength from the Lord.
The first of the talks was given as a Brigham Young University devotional address by David A. Bednar.
