Some years ago my wife and I had the privilege of offering a Book of Mormon course for young single adults in our stake institute program. These were bright, eager, well-read young people with a keen desire to learn and follow true principles. It occurred to us early on that these young minds were trained in a peculiarly modern way to align themselves with the extraordinary imagery that characterizes the account of the visions of Lehi and Nephi in the opening chapters of the Book of Mormon. Of all the ages of mortality, our current generation—immersed as it is in an endless chain of multimedia experiences arising from the technological marvels of the day—should most readily understand and relate to the panorama of scenes that are so frequently projected onto our spiritual minds by the visionary prophets of God. What all of these holy men saw through the lens of spiritual truth—from Isaiah to John the Revelator, and from Lehi to Joseph Smith—was captured in powerful language and imagery.
With this understanding, one of the humble institute students in our class, following in the footsteps of a Lehi or a Nephi, was able to report: “The Book of Mormon is a compass for the future. It teaches us how to have a broken heart and a contrite spirit. We are strengthened as we intertwine our testimonies with the strong testimonies of others (just as Nephi blended his with Lehi’s)… . Above all things, we learn from the Book of Mormon to come unto Christ. I am so grateful when institute reminds me of this. We must not walk in our own light, but in the Savior’s.” (Richard J. Allen)