Ask any believer in Christ how he or she came to have a testimony, and you will generally get a story about a series of important life events that helped them to come to a firm realization that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world.
And these important life events are almost always woven together with scripture study and prayer.
This is because, as every Christian knows, the only way of coming to a firm knowledge of eternal truths is by receiving the testimony of them through the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, all religious considerations are mere conjecture.
I think that this concept is one thing on which pretty much all Christians agree.
This is why Moroni's challenge in the end of The Book of Mormon is so meaningful. In the last chapter of The Book of Mormon, Moroni writes:
Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things. (Moroni 10:3-5)
Just like the Holy Bible, you cannot know whether or not The Book of Mormon is the Word of God unless you study it in humility and ask God. That's it. No amount of scholarship can prove it either way.
When I was in high school, though, I was surfing the Internet one day, and I was astounded to find that many "Christian ministries" counsel people to NOT pray about about The Book of Mormon, as Moroni and our missionaries ask them to do. I have come to realize that this is very common among websites that try to "expose" the "truth" about the "Mormons." It did not take long for me to find a number of examples of this:
Spotlight Ministries: Should Christians Pray about the Book of Mormon?
Catholic Answers: Problems with the Book of Mormon
Mormonism Research Ministry: Praying About the Book of Mormon: Is it Biblical?
Evangelical Outreach: Should You Pray About The Book of Mormon?
Should we Pray about the Book of Mormon? (YouTube video)
Utah Lighthouse Ministry: General Information FAQ
GotQuestions.org: How should Christians view the Book of Mormon?
Bottom line of all of these: "Do not ask God if the Book of Mormon is true, because many people get misled that way. Instead, take our word for it."
This, of course, is a statement made with the preconception that the Book of Mormon is not the Word of God. But by giving this warning, they are admitting to one very meaningful fact:
When people read The Book of Mormon and ask God if it is true, they tend to come away believing that it is.
That has been my personal experience. When I read it and prayed about it as a child, I came to a knowledge of its truthfulness - and that was not because of any reason other than the Spirit of the Lord. As a missionary in Taiwan and elsewhere, I have invited a lot of people to read The Book of Mormon and pray about it. Most of them have not. Those who have, though, have generally found a firm belief in its truthfulness - whether by seeing a light from Heaven, hearing a voice, experiencing angelic presences, or just feeling right about it.
God is our source for truth. No one else. God listens to prayers for guidance and answers them, and if you go to Him humbly with your questions, He will not allow you to be misled. If anyone tells you not to go to God for your answers to the great questions of life, you can rest assured that he or she is afraid of what God will tell you.
Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart. (D&C 8:2)
For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray. (2 Nephi 32:8)
