The Book of Mormon makes it clear that the gifts of the Spirit are a sign of salvation. If a church has the gifts of the Spirit, it is a true church that leads to salvation. If a church does not have the gifts of the Spirit, it is a false church that leads to damnation. How does the modern LDS Church fare when this test from the Book of Mormon is applied to it? Not well, I’m afraid. Ultimately, the Book of Mormon has the unfortunate honor of destroying modern Mormonism. Tune in for the details!
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Here’s the trick: Simply change the definition of spiritual gifts. Speaking in tongues, for example, no longer means standing in sacrament meeting and babbling. It just means learning a foreign language the same as any nonmember who learns a foreign language, except with spiritual assistance. The gift of healing now includes faith not to be healed, so simply asking for a blessing is a manifestation of the gift regardless of outcome. It is also common to ask for blessings for minor illnesses with a high probability of recovery with or without divine healing. Other gifts are sufficiently vague, such as the gift to teach, discern, and have “exceedingly great faith,” which can mean the power to believe after reading the CES Letter. Most Mormons truly believe they are surrounded by spiritual gifts.