Moroni’s Promise – A Lesson in Confirmation Bias and Elevated Emotions

In the Book of Mormon, Moroni offers a promise often cited by members of the LDS Church to confirm its truthfulness. This promise is foundational for many Mormons, providing a personal spiritual confirmation of the church’s teachings. Moroni encourages readers to ask God with a sincere heart and real intent if the Book of Mormon (and by extension the whole church) is not true, promising that the Holy Ghost will manifest the truth to them through positive feelings.

However, relying on this promise has logical flaws. First off, feelings are not a reliable source of truth in any context where we rely on evidence or logic, why does religion get a free pass to use emotion as infallible evidence? Moreover, the sought experience described is closely related to “Elevation Emotion,” a psychological phenomenon associated with feelings of gratitude and admiration. This emotion, often described as a warm sensation in the body or chest leads to confirmation bias, where individuals interpret positive feelings as divine confirmation of their pre-existing beliefs. Thus, the subjective nature of this experience raises questions about its reliability as objective evidence of the church’s truth claims. Second, this promise comes with several qualifiers, such as needing a sincere heart and real intent, pondering God’s mercy, and having faith in Christ, which can complicate its validation.

The Promise

Moroni made a special promise. He wrote that if we read the Book of Mormon and ask God, the Holy Ghost will tell us it is true.
Moroni’s Special Promise, Friend, December 2016
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/friend/2016/12/moronis-special-promise

"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's Promise – Moroni 10:3-5, The Book of Mormon | wasmormon.org — “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’s Promise – Moroni 10:3-5, The Book of Mormon

The famous promise from ~~Nephi~~ Moroni claims the key to learning the truth is asking with a sincere heart, real intent, and faith. The church pushes this promise in many messages, including missionary lessons, conference talks, and lesson curricula for Sunday School classes. Any member knows the phrases and most can quickly turn to the scripture verses in the Book of Mormon.

3 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.
4 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.
5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.
Moroni 10:3–5, Book of Mormon
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/moro/10?lang=eng&id=p3-p5#p3

Church leaders lean on this promise as the path to gaining a testimony and even the way to learn any spiritual truth – and sometimes even all truth, which seems crazy to attempt to learn the truth of anything, let along everything, through our feelings rather than evidence or logic.

Follow Moroni’s counsel. Sincerely ask God the Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, with real intent, if the teachings of the Book of Mormon are true. Ask with a desire to receive a confirmation personally, nothing doubting. There has to be an explanation of that book you can hold in your hand. I know that you can receive a spiritual confirmation that it is true. You will then know that Jesus Christ lives, that Joseph Smith was and is a prophet, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord’s Church. You will confirm that the Savior guides His Church through a living prophet. These truths will become a foundation for your productive life.
Elder Richard G. Scott talks about testing Moroni’s promise
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/2012-08-3280-test-moronis-promise

"Follow Moroni's counsel. Sincerely ask God the Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, with real intent, if the teachings of the Book of Mormon are true. Ask with a desire to receive a confirmation personally, nothing doubting. There has to be an explanation of that book you can hold in your hand. I know that you can receive a spiritual confirmation that it is true. You will then know that Jesus Christ lives, that Joseph Smith was and is a prophet, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord's Church. You will confirm that the Savior guides His Church through a living prophet. These truths will become a foundation for your productive life." - LDS Apostle, Richard G. Scott, 2012 | wasmormon.org — “Follow Moroni’s counsel. Sincerely ask God the Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, with real intent, if the teachings of the Book of Mormon are true. Ask with a desire to receive a confirmation personally, nothing doubting. There has to be an explanation of that book you can hold in your hand. I know that you can receive a spiritual confirmation that it is true. You will then know that Jesus Christ lives, that Joseph Smith was and is a prophet, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord’s Church. You will confirm that the Savior guides His Church through a living prophet. These truths will become a foundation for your productive life.” – LDS Apostle, Richard G. Scott, 2012

Leaders not only teach us what feelings to expect when we say this prayer, but they will interpret the feelings for us. They set us up to expect certain feelings, making the feeling the motivation of the prayer. Then once we have convinced ourselves to find these feelings because of our earnestness and real intent and sincere heart, they tell us that the feeling is a spiritual confirmation, not only of the book’s truth, like the book teaches, but also the chain of supposed logic leading from that premise that Joseph Smith was a true prophet, the Mormon church is the Lord’s only true church, and the church is therefore led by true prophets today.

The Book of Mormon offers a remarkable promise to those seeking knowledge of the truth. Over the years, I have heard members and missionaries offer a variety of explanations about its meaning. A close examination of the three key verses—Moroni 10:3–5—will show us that their meaning is far more profound than many of us might have thought.
In addition to the great promise in these verses which helps those who are investigating the gospel to gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon, the process Moroni teaches here can be used in confirming all truth. This is a process we can go through every time we wish to have eternal truth confirmed.
Elder Gene R. Cook (Then of the Seventy), “Moroni’s Promise”, General Conference, April 1994
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1994/04/moronis-promise?lang=eng

Senior church leaders, lowly missionaries, and Sunday school teachers all routinely encourage others to listen to Moroni’s promise, and that the process can be used to confirm all truth. Sometimes they clarify this “all truth” refers to just eternal truth. We don’t want the world get the wrong idea and pray to God asking just any questions about truth, or any dumb questions.

Look to the Book

I am grateful for the invitation and promise that the Lord has offered through the prophet Moroni to each of you—and to everyone who reads the Book of Mormon. I close by reading this invitation and promise and adding my testimony: “And when ye shall receive these things [the Book of Mormon], I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of [Jesus] 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.”
I bear testimony of the Restoration of the gospel in these latter days and of the Book of Mormon as tangible evidence of that Restoration… the truths you will find there will uplift and inspire you in a similar way. They will strengthen your faith, fill your soul with light, and prepare you for a future you scarcely have the ability to comprehend.
Within the book’s pages, you will discover the infinite love and incomprehensible grace of God. As you strive to follow the teachings you find there, your joy will expand, your understanding will increase, and the answers you seek to the many challenges mortality presents will be opened to you. As you look to the book, you look to the Lord. The Book of Mormon is the revealed word of God. Of this I testify, with all my heart and soul, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Elder Gary E. Stevenson, Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles “Look to the Book, Look to the Lord”, General Conference, October 2016
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2016/10/look-to-the-book-look-to-the-lord?lang=eng

This highlights the promise that if one asks with a sincere heart and real intent, God will reveal the truth through the Holy Ghost. Stevenson testifies of the Restoration of the gospel and the Book of Mormon, asserting that its teachings will uplift, inspire, and strengthen faith, offering divine guidance and answers to life’s challenges.

Stevenson invites us to seek confirmation of the Book of Mormon’s truth through prayer, promising that only the sincere seekers will receive a divine manifestation of its truthfulness. This approach can be examined through the lens of confirmation bias:

Preconditioned Beliefs: The invitation assumes that those who ask with a sincere heart and real intent will receive a positive confirmation. This sets a precondition that the only acceptable outcome is the confirmation of the Book of Mormon’s truth, aligning with the existing belief system.
Selective Interpretation: The promise relies on subjective experiences and feelings, which can easily be influenced by pre-existing beliefs and expectations. When readers approach the text expecting divine confirmation, they may interpret any positive emotional experience as validation, reinforcing their initial beliefs.
Emotional Influence: The mention of experiencing the “infinite love and incomprehensible grace of God” and the promise of increased joy and understanding taps into “Elevation Emotion.” This emotional response can be powerful and persuasive, leading individuals to attribute these feelings to divine confirmation rather than considering alternative explanations.
Exclusion of Dissonant Evidence: The quotation does not account for those who might read the Book of Mormon and not receive the promised confirmation. By framing the promise with qualifiers like “sincere heart” and “real intent,” it implies that any lack of confirmation is due to a deficiency in the seeker’s approach, rather than questioning the validity of the promise itself.

The promise is reinforcing confirmation bias by setting up expectations, relying on subjective emotional experiences, and dismissing contrary outcomes. This approach encourages believers to interpret their experiences in a way that confirms their pre-existing faith.

The Qualifiers in the Promise

Moroni’s promise echoes a similar promise from James in the Bible. These promises both contain qualifying clauses requiring us to “ask in faith, nothing wavering.” We must ask, and we must have “a sincere heart” and have “real intent.” These are clauses that blame the individual if they don’t have the desired feelings. It’s the same with James:

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
James 1:5-6

If we want to know something, we simply ask God. But we must “ask in faith” with “nothing wavering.” But if we aren’t confident enough in our plea to God, he’s free to ignore us. The question must be asked with a sincere heart and real intent, and with faith and a desire to believe. If someone fulfills all these prerequisite conditions, they already believe the answer to their question and are simply looking for something (basically anything) to confirm their belief.

This is a fallacy of circular logic, and also in that we are actively looking for confirmation bias. We want to believe and we try to believe, so we ask for confirmation that something is true. At this point, we will interpret almost anything to be an answer to this prayer and a sign confirming what we want to be true.

Confirmation Bias

Consider these words from Gene R. Cook about Moroni’s Promise, if we consider confirmation bias, his remarks are a textbook example of how to set up for it.

If we want an answer from God, we will move ourselves out of a neutral position and let our desire to believe that God can help us begin to work in us… The Lord offers us the opportunity to let him confirm truth already in our hearts. But in order to confirm religious truth, one must at least have the idea, or the thought, or the belief (however small) that he has found something true, and then pray to receive the Lord’s confirmation… Thus, our prayer, in essence, is a request for a confirmation of our own conclusions from our pondering. The Lord may not respond exactly how and when we expect, but still our obedience to these conditions qualifies us to receive an answer; this is the scope of the process described in these verses.
Elder Gene R. Cook (of the Seventy), “Moroni’s Promise”, General Conference, April 1994
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1994/04/moronis-promise?lang=eng

"If we want an answer from God, we will move ourselves out of a neutral position and let our desire to believe that God can help us begin to work in us... The Lord offers us the opportunity to let him confirm truth already in our hearts. But in order to confirm religious truth, one must at least have the idea, or the thought, or the belief (however small) that he has found something true, and then pray to receive the Lord’s confirmation... Thus, our prayer, in essence, is a request for a confirmation of our own conclusions from our pondering." - LDS Seventy, Gene R. Cook, 1994 | wasmormon.org — “If we want an answer from God, we will move ourselves out of a neutral position and let our desire to believe that God can help us begin to work in us… The Lord offers us the opportunity to let him confirm truth already in our hearts. But in order to confirm religious truth, one must at least have the idea, or the thought, or the belief (however small) that he has found something true, and then pray to receive the Lord’s confirmation… Thus, our prayer, in essence, is a request for a confirmation of our own conclusions from our pondering.” – LDS Seventy, Gene R. Cook, 1994

Confirmation bias is particularly powerful in religious contexts because beliefs about the divine or supernatural often involve deeply held emotional attachments and existential concerns. This exploits confirmation bias creating a closed system of belief that reinforces loyalty and obedience to the group. We are taught that we must want to believe the Book of Mormon is true, and that the church is true. We must actually choose to believe it, and only then can God confirm to us that what we want to be true, and what we choose to believe is in fact true. We are taught that by choosing to believe, and pondering God’s love and mercy, that in asking God we’ll receive an emotional response proving that it is all true.

Confirmation Bias: We naturally overvalue facts that support what we already believe, while we undervalue information that seemingly conflicts with our beliefs. | wasmormon.org — Confirmation Bias: We naturally overvalue facts that supports what we already believe, while we undervalue information that seemingly conflicts with our beliefs

Trusting Feelings

While there is some validity to the mindset of “trusting our gut,” there is also a danger in pursuing truth solely based on our feelings. Even the Bible states that the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked and he that trusteth in his own heart is a fool (see Proverbs 28:26 and Jeremiah 17:9). We cannot rely on feelings to understand or learn truth, we must rely on facts. Facts lead to knowledge, feelings lead to superstitions, magic, and being wrong more often than not.

"Any human endeavor rooted in the pursuit of truth must rely on fact and not feelings." - Gad Saad, Professor of Marketing, Concordia University, Canada. The Parasitic Mind: How Infectious Ideas Are Killing Common Sense | wasmormon.org — “Any human endeavor rooted in the pursuit of truth must rely on fact and not feelings.” – The Parasitic Mind: How Infectious Ideas Are Killing Common Sense, Gad Saad, Professor of Marketing, Concordia University, Canada.

Elevated Emotion

Though, the burning in our bosom is a common way for Mormons to determine truth, or feel the spirit, many people who leave the church report still feeling the “spirit” just as they did when they were active members. Besides these being comppletely normal feelings for any human to experience, these feelings are linked to a phenomenon called “Elevation Emotion”. These feelings or a burning in our bosom are well-researched and associated with positive emotions like gratitude, admiration, and love. Researchers can reliably induce this feeling, often described as a warm sensation in the body or chest, exacly resembling the experiences people commonly refer to as spiritual. The church knows these feelings can be manufactured or in other words, we can be manipulated to feel these feelings which they teach only come from the Holy Ghost. The church marketing departments even trademarked and marketed this by the name of HeartSell.

Elevation is an emotion elicited by witnessing actual or imagined virtuous acts of remarkable moral goodness. It is experienced as a distinct feeling of warmth and expansion that is accompanied by appreciation and affection for the individual whose exceptional conduct is being observed. Elevation motivates those who experience it to open up to, affiliate with, and assist others. Elevation makes an individual feel lifted up and optimistic about humanity.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elevation_(emotion)

“The power of the positive moral emotions to uplift & transform people has long been known... an emotion that I have begun to call "elevation." Elevation is elicited by acts of virtue or moral beauty; it causes warm, open feelings in the chest; and it motivates people to behave more virtuously themselves.” - Jonathan Haidt, Elevation and the Positive Psychology of Morality (2003) Author, Social Psychologist, Professor of Ethical Leadership | wasmormon.org — “The power of the positive moral emotions to uplift & transform people has long been known… an emotion that I have begun to call “elevation.” Elevation is elicited by acts of virtue or moral beauty; it causes warm, open feelings in the chest; and it motivates people to behave more virtuously themselves.” – Jonathan Haidt, Elevation and the Positive Psychology of Morality (2003) Author, Social Psychologist, Professor of Ethical Leadership

Again, considering Elevated Emotion (and confirmation bias), look again at how church leaders teach about Moroni’s Promise. This promise is a pshycologically mastermind way to manipulate others emotionally into believing something.

What usually happens when we begin to ponder how merciful the Lord has been to mankind? To us personally? What happens when we count our blessings, or perhaps our sins for which we must ask his forgiveness, and recognize his hand in our individual lives? Is it not true that our hearts turn to the Lord in love and gratitude? Do our faith and humility increase? Yes, and that, in my judgment, is the impact of verse 3—following the counsel therein helps us to become more humble, more willing and ready to receive new information and knowledge with an open mind. Any person who has sincerely followed the admonition of verse 3 is then prepared to apply the counsel on confirming truth that follows in the next two verses…
Let me restate this process: it is plain that receive, as used by Moroni, means more than simply having the Book of Mormon come into our hands, or passively allowing its words to come into our consciousness. When we receive the teachings of the Book of Mormon in the way that Moroni intended, we ponder the “things” that we are receiving; thus, as outlined in verse 4, we prepare ourselves to accept answers from our Heavenly Father.
Elder Gene R. Cook (Then of the Seventy), “Moroni’s Promise”, General Conference, April 1994
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1994/04/moronis-promise?lang=eng

"What usually happens when we begin to ponder how merciful the Lord has been to mankind? To us personally? What happens when we count our blessings, or perhaps our sins for which we must ask his forgiveness, and recognize his hand in our individual lives? Is it not true that our hearts turn to the Lord in love and gratitude? Do our faith and humility increase? Yes, and that, in my judgment, is the impact of verse 3—following the counsel therein helps us to become more humble, more willing and ready to receive new information and knowledge with an open mind. Any person who has sincerely followed the admonition of verse 3 is then prepared to apply the counsel on confirming truth that follows in the next two verses..." - LDS Seventy, Gene R. Cook, 1994 | wasmormon.org — “What usually happens when we begin to ponder how merciful the Lord has been to mankind? To us personally? What happens when we count our blessings, or perhaps our sins for which we must ask his forgiveness, and recognize his hand in our individual lives? Is it not true that our hearts turn to the Lord in love and gratitude? Do our faith and humility increase? Yes, and that, in my judgment, is the impact of verse 3—following the counsel therein helps us to become more humble, more willing and ready to receive new information and knowledge with an open mind. Any person who has sincerely followed the admonition of verse 3 is then prepared to apply the counsel on confirming truth that follows in the next two verses…” – LDS Seventy, Gene R. Cook, 1994

He may as well be saying that “any person who has sincerely followed the admonition of verse 3 is then prepared to apply the” concepts of confirmation bias as they experience elevated emotion. Combining the confirmation bias inherent in Moroni’s Promise with Elevated Emotion, which even Elder Cook admits is a typical psychological response to pondering mercy and love, we have the formula the church has perfected. Individuals follow this promise, and miraculously it generates the feelings they are taught to expect, and then they feel that they must conclude what they are taught are the only reasonable conclusions.

This could work in more scenarios however!

"Oh great Flying Spaghetti Monster, whose noodly appendages touch us all, I come before you seeking your divine sauciness. If it is your will, bestow upon me a sign of your saucy presence. Guide me with your meatball wisdom and your infinite pasta strands. As I humbly ask for your noodly guidance, I promise to keep my heart as open as a freshly cooked plate of spaghetti. Fill me with the warmth of your marinara love and the assurance of your al dente truth. R'Amen." - Similarities to Moroni's Promise found in the Flying Spaghetti Monster Religion | wasmormon.org — “Oh great Flying Spaghetti Monster, whose noodly appendages touch us all, I come before you seeking your divine sauciness. If it is your will, bestow upon me a sign of your saucy presence. Guide me with your meatball wisdom and your infinite pasta strands. As I humbly ask for your noodly guidance, I promise to keep my heart as open as a freshly cooked plate of spaghetti. Fill me with the warmth of your marinara love and the assurance of your al dente truth. R’Amen.” – Similarities to Moroni’s Promise found in the Flying Spaghetti Monster Religion

Consider another book we are told is scripture that teaches us about our creator, the flying spaghetti monster. This gospel could easily include another promise of spiritual confirmaiton. If we read the book, think of the person we love most in the world, and ponder both in our heart (and also really really want to believe that the flying spaghetti monster is real and the book is scripture), we can ask if it is not true in sincere prayer. When we do this and we feel good feelings, these good feelings are spiritual confirmation of truth. We can then conclude that FSM is true!

Were you taught to follow the promise of Moroni and trick yourself into a testimony of the truthfulness of the church? Let us know in the comments or in your very own wasmormon.org profile where you can share your faith deconstruction story. In other words, share your own Mormon Story with the world.

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