Q&A: Most Mormons are not convinced by intellectual arguments — they are committed emotionally through 'testimony,' an emotionally validated belief experience.

Mike explains that Mormons are primarily committed through a felt experience called a 'testimony' — a burning in the bosom, warmth, peace — which is interpreted as divine confirmation that Joseph Smith is a true prophet and the Book of Mormon is true. This emotional commitment is cultivated from childhood: children who 'receive their testimony' are publicly celebrated, creating social pressure on others. This is how Mormons evangelize too — they appeal to feelings, not evidence.