Meridian Magazine :: George Q. Cannon and the Book of Mormon

George Q. Cannon and the Book of Mormon
by Davis Bitton

George Q. Cannon was one of the most intelligent and cultivated men of his generation. And he loved the Book of Mormon. Let us consider three points in his life.

As a young missionary in Hawaii, starting at age twenty-three, he was faced with many challenges. Adjusting to the different climate and environment of the island of Maui, learning to accept native customs and food, being denounced by the Protestant ministers who saw him as a threat, the young man took things one day at a time. Prayerful, hard-working, he took the Lord at his word, knowing that if he did all that was within his power his labors would be blessed. And blessed they were, as Cannon and his companions converted hundreds, even thousands, of natives to the restored gospel along with a few haoles. It is going too far to say that Cannon did all of this single-handedly, but he became a legend in the islands while he was still there.

He was interested in any confirmation of the Book of Mormon that archaeology might provide, but George Q. knew that such information, however interesting, was not the foundation of belief in the Book of Mormon. In a lively conversation with a circuit judge, after the judge had ridiculed the Book of Mormon, young Elder Cannon posed an interesting challenge: “You give me your reasons for believing the Bible, and I will give you my reasons for believing the Book of Mormon.”

The judge said something to the effect that the Bible contained the account of Jesus, was written by disciples of Jesus, and was handed down by wise men from generation to generation. George Q., who also accepted the Bible, might agree but could have given a stronger answer.

Why, then, did he believe the Book of Mormon? His answer was emphatic and direct. Witnesses, he said. He based his belief on witnesses. He proceeded to explain the converging testimony of Joseph Smith, whom he considered trustworthy, the three witnesses, the eight witnesses, and the thousands of believers who knew by the Spirit that it was true. He added his own strong personal testimony.

When the judge denounced all these witnesses as liars, the lines were clearly drawn. Cannon was firm in his conviction.

The Book of Mormon was a dear friend to him as a young missionary. “I learned there to appreciate it as I had never done before,” he later explained. “If I felt inclined to be lonely, to be low spirited or homesick, I had only to turn to its sacred pages to receive consolation, new strength and a rich outpouring of the Spirit. Scarcely a page that did not contain encouragement for such as I was. The salvation of man was the great theme upon which its writers dwelt, and for this they were willing to undergo every privation and make every sacrifice. What were my petty difficulties compared with those afflictions which they had to endure?”

Knowing how nourishing the Book of Mormon was to his soul, how potent it was in strengthening his testimony of the gospel, he resolved to translate the sacred book into the Hawaiian language. A formidable task that can be fully appreciated only by someone who has undertaken the translation of a book of this length, the project was organized and completed. Wisely enlisting the help of native Hawaiians to review his translation with him line by line and page by page, George Q. did the lion’s share of the work and deserves most of the credit. Getting the Hawaiian translation published took many more months, but eventually all of this was accomplished by the devoted George Q. Cannon.

His mission to Hawaii lasted from 1850 to 1854. Fast forward to the end of 1881. He was older now, an apostle and since 1880 a counselor in the Church’s First Presidency. He was also quite experienced in some of the ways of the world. Missionary service had taken him to England and the European continent. He had visited the great museums and attended plays. When he became Utah’s delegate to the U.S. Congress, along with the frequent traveling back and forth across the country, he was able to visit the art galleries, attend concerts, and again enjoy theatrical productions on many occasions. Most of us would agree that such experiences added up to a man of considerable sophistication.

Life of Nephi

But he didn’t stop loving the Book of Mormon. In early 1881, alone in Washington as Utah’s territorial delegate, he had some time on his hands in the evenings. Taking up a project he had long contemplated, he wrote a small book entitled Life of Nephi. His preface tells us much about his age–and ours.

The age in which we live is one of doubt and unbelief. Skepticism is spreading. All faith in divine things, as taught by the ancient servants of God, is being unsettled. Man’s reason is being extolled as a higher standard than God’s revelations. The personality of God, the origin of man and his fall, the atonement of the Savior, the places of reward and punishment known as heaven and hell, and the existence of a personal devil, are all questioned, and, by many members of religious sects denied. The Bible is no longer accepted as a reliable standard, only so far as its teachings may agree with the new and fashionable views entertained respecting religion and science.

Fortunately for us, we are in a position to stem and turn this tide of infidelity, so that it shall not overwhelm our young people. We are not dependent upon the Bible alone for our knowledge concerning these grand cardinal truths over which the world is stumbling and debating. We have other records–among the most important of which is the Book of Mormon–which corroborate and furnish ample proofs of their heavenly origin. We have the teachings and knowledge of men living in lands far apart and of races widely separated; and they agree in their testimonies, and sustain the divinity of the truths which are taught by the Son of God Himself, and by His inspired servants.

The Prophet Nephi, whose life we here present, was one of the greatest and most advanced of these teachers of heavenly truths. There have been but few men, so far as we know, who comprehended, and spoke, and wrote about them as plainly as did he. He had a personal knowledge of the doctrines, principles and facts respecting which men now dispute. He has written fully upon them. His testimony, therefore, is worth more to the world than any number of men’s opinions and theories. And, best of all, it carries within itself the highest evidence of its truth.

This is characteristic of his writings, and of all the writings in the Book of Mormon. To every humble, prayerful soul the perusal of that book is a solace. It produces peace and joy, and brings the clear conviction that it is God’s word. No arguments are required to prove this. Men have assailed and denounced it; but the indisputable truth still remains that, when read with a meek spirit and a prayerful heart, the testimony of its divine origin descends like refreshing dew from heaven, upon the reader, and he knows, by the Spirit and power of God, that it is His word.

Now let us flash back to 1840 in Liverpool, England, where thirteen-year-old George lived with his parents and siblings. When John Taylor showed up at their door, the family was not totally surprised. The father’s sister, Leonora Cannon, had married Taylor in Canada, and letters had told about their conversion to Mormonism.

After the warm greetings appropriate to the occasion, Taylor remained in the Cannon household all evening, telling about Joseph Smith and the restoration of the gospel. He left a copy of the Book of Mormon and asked Father Cannon to read it.

Since he was a working man and required some sleep, it took the father several days before he completed the reading. Closing the Book of Mormon, he said, “A bad man could not have written it, and a good man would not write it to deceive. It is from God.”

Young George, still a boy, never forgot those words. When he read the Book of Mormon, his conclusion was the same. He never became too proud, too sophisticated, to be touched by it. It continued to provide spiritual nourishment throughout his long life, continuing all through his years as an apostle and member of the First Presidency.

With no doubt in his mind that the Book of Mormon was of God, George Q. Cannon indeed stood forth as one of its powerful witnesses.