For 192 years, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have shared their testimony of the divinity of Jesus Christ by handing out hundreds of millions of physical copies of the Book of Mormon.
Now, thanks to the upgraded Book of Mormon app, this sacred volume is easier to share and understand.
The initial versions of the app (launched in 2012) simply replicated the book’s text and contained basic search and scripture-marking tools. Over time the app was made available in over 100 languages but still did not offer significant advantages over the printed edition. Now the Book of Mormon app has a “Discover” tab with additional content and tools, a “Watch” tab with the full library of available “Book of Mormon Videos” and a “Share” tab with a quick response code that makes the app easily available to smartphone users in any of the 100-plus supported languages. (Download the app.)
“From the time of its first printing over 192 years ago, the commission from the Lord has been to flood the earth with the Book of Mormon,” said Elder Jeremy R. Jaggi of the Seventy. “In the digital age, the Book of Mormon app helps us fulfill this divine mandate. This app is miraculous. It allows us to be better instruments in sharing God’s word with His people, wherever they are, in whatever language they speak.”
Discover
The improved Book of Mormon app was designed with both friends of the faith and Latter-day Saints in mind. In the “Discover” tab are quick links to significant sections of the Book of Mormon, such as Jesus Christ’s visit to the Americas and the prophet Moroni’s prayerful promise of the book’s divinity. This section also answers questions such as “Who wrote the Book of Mormon?” and “How do the Bible and the Book of Mormon work together?”
The Discover tab also allows users to chat and study with missionaries, find a nearby church, watch others’ testimonies of the Book of Mormon and connect to Book of Mormon social media pages.
Watch
The “Watch” tab contains the full library of available “Book of Mormon Videos” in 15 languages.* Later this year the app will include a series of videos portraying the Savior’s visit to the Americas (see 3 Nephi).
The videos are a popular way to enhance understanding of the Book of Mormon. Missionaries’ use of the videos is expected to increase significantly as the 3 Nephi videos are released.
“Jesus Christ’s visit to the Americas after His Resurrection is a favorite part of the Book of Mormon for many,” said Sister Michelle D. Craig of the Young Women General Presidency and a member of the Church's Scripture Committee. “The beautiful visual representation of these events will give us another way to share our witness that Jesus Christ lives and that the Book of Mormon is another testament of His divinity.”
Share
The “Share” tab includes a quick response code that goes to the Book of Mormon app in the language of the user’s phone. With an additional tap of the code, users can share the link to download the Book of Mormon app via text, email, or social media.
“The Book of Mormon provides the fullest and most authoritative understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ to be found anywhere,” Church President and Prophet Russell M. Nelson has said. “[Jesus Christ] was the promised Messiah, the mortal Messiah and will be the millennial Messiah. I testify with my whole soul that in a most miraculous and singular way, the Book of Mormon teaches us of Jesus Christ and His gospel.”
