In Mormonism, a testimony is a deeply personal conviction that the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are true. It is considered essential to faith and endurance. Members are taught that a testimony is received through spiritual feelings rather than evidence or reasoned study—usually through what they describe as a “burning in the bosom.”
Every faithful Latter-day Saint is encouraged to “gain their own testimony” and to “bear their testimony” regularly, often in fast and testimony meetings. A typical testimony includes four core affirmations:
- Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior.
- Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God.
- The Book of Mormon is the word of God.
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true church on earth.
Bearing one’s testimony is believed to strengthen it, and being “valiant in the testimony of Jesus” is seen as vital for eternal happiness (True to the Faith, p. 179).
Biblical Christianity teaches that faith is not grounded in personal feelings or inner impressions but in the external truth of God’s Word and the historical reality of Jesus’ death and resurrection. True faith rests on what God has done, not on how one feels.
