The Articles of Faith

A lot of people are curious as to the basic doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  Many of them are either misinformed or ignorant of our basic beliefs because they haven't been taught.

So I decide that I would post the Articles of Faith on my blog.  Then I decide to take it a step farther and elaborate on each one a little bit each day.  As there are 13 Articles of Faith I will be posting each one everyday for the next 13 days.

What exactly are the Articles of Faith?  Elder L. Tom Perry explained it succinctly in a past General Conference talk:

"Let us review for a moment how the Articles of Faith came to be. The Prophet was often asked to explain the teachings and practices of Mormonism. “John Wentworth, editor of the Chicago Democrat, asked Joseph Smith to provide him with a sketch of ‘the rise, progress, persecution, and faith of the Latter-Day Saints.’” Mr. Wentworth, originally from New Hampshire, desired this information to help a friend compile a history of his native state. “Joseph complied with this request and sent Wentworth a multi-page document containing an account of many of the early events in the history of the Restoration, including the First Vision and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. The document also contained thirteen statements outlining Latter-day Saint beliefs, which have come to be known as the Articles of Faith.” The information sent to Wentworth was not published in the Chicago Democrat, but in the Church newspaper, Times and Seasons, published in March of 1842. “In 1851 the Articles of Faith were included in the first edition of the Pearl of Great Price published in the British Mission. After the Pearl of Great Price was revised in 1878 and canonized in 1880, the Articles of Faith became official doctrine of the Church” (see Church History in the Fulness of Times [Church Educational System Manual, 1993], 256–57)." -- Elder L. Tom Perry, "The Articles of Faith", April 1998 General Conference

The Articles of Faith have been around almost as long as the Church has.  As Elder Perry stated, they were written by the Prophet Joseph Smith to explain the doctrine of the Church.  As Elder Perry also stated, the Articles of Faith are now official Church doctrine as they are contained in Scripture.  You can find the Articles of Faith at the end of The Pearl of Great Price which is one of four Official sets of Scripture recognized by the Church.  The other three being the King James version of the Bible, The Book of Mormon, and The Doctrine and Covenants.

Most members of the Church memorize the 13 Articles of Faith as children in the Primary program.  Not only does it help the children understand simple doctrine, but it's also very useful in missionary work.  If people want to know what we believe as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the Articles of Faith are a great way to start.

Now that I whetted your appetite by explaining what the 13 Articles of Faith are, you will be excited everyday to see a new post from me with each of the Articles of Faith.

I will start tomorrow with the first one.  If any questions arise, leave me a comment or e-mail me.

I will leave you with another quote from Elder L. Tom Perry from his April 1998 General Conference address:

"The Articles of Faith were not the work of a team of scholars but were authored by a single, inspired man who declared comprehensively and concisely the essential doctrines of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They contain direct and simple statements of the principles of our religion, and they constitute strong evidence of the divine inspiration that rested upon the Prophet Joseph Smith."

"What a great blessing it would be if every member of the Church memorized the Articles of Faith and became knowledgeable about the principles contained in each. We would be better prepared to share the gospel with others."

See you tomorrow with the first Article of Faith.  :-)

That's my two cents.