Such rejection occurs not only when the book is spurned by unbelievers but also when Latter-day Saints—those who have accepted the book as the word of God–fail to take it seriously. Regarding such neglect, consider the warnings of two latter-day prophets.
President Joseph Fielding Smith, tenth prophet of the Lord in these latter days, stated: No member of [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints] can stand approved in the presence of God who has not seriously and carefully read the Book of Mormon (CR, October 1961, 18).
President Ezra Taft Benson, the thirteenth man to wear the prophet’s mantle in this dispensation, declared: “Every Latter-day Saint should make the study of this book a lifetime pursuit. Otherwise he is placing his soul in jeopardy and neglecting that which could give spiritual and intellectual unity to his whole life” (CR, April 1975, 97).
(Hoyt W. Brewster, Jr., Isaiah Plain and Simple [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1995], 160.)