This is an archived copy of a post written by Conflict Of Justice (conflictofjustice.com). Used with permission: Conflict Of Justice may not agree with any alterations made.
We say the Book of Mormon is a keystone because it is the “most important” part of the church. But this never made sense to me, because how is the keystone the most important stone in an arch? Isn’t each stone equally important? I guess it is a matter of what you consider “important.” As far is holding up weight, the keystone is the least important part of an arch. It actually does the least amount of work. What makes it important is that it is the final piece that gets installed in the construction process and it unifies both sides. I believe there is rich symbolism in the “keystone” comparison if we more deeply consider what makes it “important.”
A Miracle Of Engineering
Joseph Smith said “the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion.” Unfortunately, he did not explain more about what he meant by this. How is it most “correct?” Church leaders tell us: “The Book of Mormon represents the gospel teachings in the most correct form available to man. Furthermore, the book acts as a catalyst in obtaining even greater understanding of the gospel.” (Monte Nyman)
We can see this is many classic arches. The keystone is most prominent, most instructive to a person walking underneath of how the arch is holding itself together. If you are worried about an arch collapsing as you walk under it, it doesn’t make sense to inspect around the sides, does it? You inspect the top, the part that appears to be hovering in mid-air above your head. You try to figure out what keeps this hovering part from falling. Masons try to make it the best aesthetically fashioned stone of them all, to show us how the load is being distributed to the ground, and to let everyone know that the arch has full integrity and will not collapse. If we start by studying this part, we can move on to other parts of the structure and gain an easier understanding of what is happening with them, how they help hold everything up.
So, in terms of instructiveness, the Book of Mormon absolutely is the most important part of the arch. The Book of Mormon stands as a feat of wonder. It stands hovering in mid-air, a miracle that defies the laws of our understanding. How did a teenage boy produce this magnificent book of scripture, and how does it continue to stand as an inspiring and enlightening source of wisdom? Antimormons are always trying to poke holes in it, telling us Joseph Smith took content from other books, telling us it contradicts the bible, etc. But their narratives all fall apart. Try as they might, they can’t give a true halfway-reasonable explanation other than that it was divinely inspired.
As the finest fashioned stone in place and the most miraculous, the Book of Mormon immediately grabs people’s attention. If they start by studying this part of our religion, it becomes incredibly easier to understand the rest of it. If people study eternal marriage or baptism for the dead without a proper understanding of the Book of Mormon, they are unlikely to get a real grasp of the intellectual idea, nor are they likely to gain a spiritual testimony of it. They might. I’ve seen it happen. But it becomes a harder process.
Final Piece Of The Gospel
President Ezra Taft Benson explained,“A keystone is the central stone in an arch. It holds all the other stones in place, and if removed, the arch crumbles.” This is the part I didn’t understand. Isn’t this true of all the stones in an arch? Wouldn’t it collapse if you removed any of the stones? If you consider elements of the gospel, the entire church is likely to fall apart if you remove any of them. Priesthood? The early Christian church collapsed largely because church leadership got killed off. Humility? Take a look at how apostasy took over in 4 Nephi. Each element serves a vital function.
But President Benson said its significance is that it is the “central stone.” When building an arch, you have to start at the bottom and work your way up. You get to the top, and you place the final central stone at the very top, and then–only then–can the arch stand on its own. This is powerful symbolism that we see written on our temples: the golden angel (which many attribute to Moroni) holding a book in hand, standing on the center spire, the top-most part of the building. It is the final piece that makes our religion what it is, to the confounding of all apostate sects. Our religion could not stand on its own until that central piece was put in place.
One important fallacy to be careful not to fall into is to think that because it is the final piece to be assembled that means it is the first piece to fall if the arch starts to collapse. It may be hovering over our heads, defying gravity, but if an arch starts to crack and lose some integrity, the cracks appear at the sides not at the top. This is because for a perfect semi-circular arch the greatest stress is at the sides. I believe we can see this in the world as well. People may still hold to the Book of Mormon yet apostatize with other parts of the gospel–priesthood, marriage, chastity, Word of Wisdom, etc. Those cracks are important warning signs that the entire arch is liable to collapse, and then finally it gets to the point where the Book of Mormon itself collapses and the individual starts repeating phony arguments they read about it on Antimormon websites.
Structurally, the Book of Mormon does the least amount of work distributing the weight of the arch vertically to the ground. The most important structural members are the stones at the base of the arch. They hold the weight of everything and distribute it to the ground. What is the base of the arch? The cornerstone, which we are told is the “the first stone placed upon a building’s foundation,” and that is Jesus Christ. Jesus himself is the most important stone of this gospel, the one that bears all the weight. Jesus Christ is the beginning of it all, and the Book of Mormon is the final part.
The foundation is the justice of God, which again, I always considered “important” and never really thought about it. But think about what it means to be on a foundation of divine justice. The rest of the world does not lie upon this foundation, which we often don’t really consider. They lie upon a foundation of social justice, and we find it hard to see the difference and full significance of our justice being different than social justice. But we must absolutely see this difference, because this is what everything rests upon. If we do not consider the foundation upon which our lives stand, apostasy is inevitable and the cracks will quickly begin to show. If we think justice is all about distributing rights to disenfranchised classes and achieving equality, I don’t know how long the gospel in our testimony can stand. “Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.” (Isaiah 28:16-17)
Illusions Of Equality
These are the different stones of the gospel and these are their proper places. It has helped me to get a sense of which parts of our religion are more important and what specific functions they serve by deeply considering the symbolism. Everything isn’t equal. The stones in an arch do not equally support loads and they do not serve equal functions, even if visually it appears as if they are the same. If we place everything upon the keystone because we think that is structurally the most secure, our arch is destined to collapse. The cornerstone is designed to take that weight: Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon is the central and final piece that holds everything together and serves as the most correct introduction to the gospel and inspiration of the Holy Ghost, but ultimately it is Jesus Christ who atones for our weaknesses and provides the miracle of forgiveness so that we can improve ourselves each day.
This is something I learned early on my mission. My first investigator read much of the Book of Mormon and liked it, but did not understand the importance of Jesus Christ as the son of God. To be honest–and neither did I to be honest. I had read the scriptures several times through and I understood all of the concepts of the church. I knew the significance of the Book of Mormon. But I could not explain why the role of Jesus was important to me. Then, finally, I applied the atonement in my life and developed a personal relationship with the Savior. My investigator learned the importance of this cornerstone together, and to me it felt as if the structure of my testimony was finally being set in its rightful place. It all came together.
Let us also not forget what the entire purpose of this structure is–to provide a path through an impenetrable wall. It is a strait and narrow path that leads to our improvement and exaltation in the eternities. Without it, we cannot pass through the great stone wall. It is a marvelous piece of design that could never be achieved naturally or by the hands of man, but through the workings of the Creator of this world. This keystone of our religions is an absolute miracle and feat of construction, and it is a tiny but very important part of a grand structure that opens up greatness in our personal lives.