My testimony of The Book of Mormon came initially from the witness of the Spirit, as is promised in the book itself. It is a promise no man can fulfill. We may testify of the truth, but it is impossible for any man to swear to something and have the Living God back up his word unless the Almighty is willing to do so.
But in the half-century I have spent testifying to the truth of this sacred volume, my testimony has been strengthened and edified by the miracles I have witnessed when its teachings are applied, and by the consequences to society of ignoring them. The primary message of the Book of Mormon is that Jesus is the Christ, and it is another testament to His divinity. That is the spiritual essence. But to my thinking, all the vast historical narratives of the book can be summed up perfectly in four words from Alma 41:10: “Wickedness Never Was Happiness.” If the world could comprehend that message, we could approach paradise on earth.