A friend of mine shared some thoughts that have gotten me thinking.

She talked about how much she loves nature. She and her husband love to take walks outside (when they were younger, they hiked a lot). As for so many of us, she finds being in nature soothing to her soul.

For those of us who believe in Jesus Christ, He is found in nature. He is the Creator of the earth. He is the Creator and source of light in sun, moon, and stars. The peace we can find among His creations is His peace.

My friend built on this idea and made a spiritual connection to the notion of the tree of life. She explored the idea of staying at the tree — like the one mentioned in the Book of Mormon in Lehi’s vision of the tree of life.

The tree there represents Jesus Christ. To stay at the tree — to be a tree-hugger spiritually — is to stay by Jesus. That vision given to Lehi has many elements to it, and staying at the tree is one of the key protections against things like mocking voices and the shame that can come from listening to them. (I think about how easy it is to listen to shame from hamster-wheel thoughts in my own mind; I don’t need external mocking voices to feel toxic shame. Keeping Jesus close in my thoughts can help, especially when I remember that His voice is one of love and care and gentleness.)

Reflecting on my friend’s thoughts made me think of John 15 (see also Isaiah 27) about Jesus being the true vine. To truly stay by the tree is to be connected to Him as the Source of life (both now and forever). He is the Source of breath for our bodies. He is the One who makes resurrection possible for us all. His life as the True Vine showed us the Way, and His death (on a tree, as it is sometimes said) and resurrection made the Way for us to be forgiven and someday to return back to our Heavenly Parents.

My friend also talked about her love of family history. More trees to hug! I, too, love doing family history and discovering more about my family tree, and helping use the wonders of technology to build family trees in tools like FamilySearch and Ancestry. When I do family history, I feel like I sometimes can get a glimpse of how personally each of us is known to God. Even in a few records, I can learn more about a person — what they looked like, what their profession might have been, perhaps where they lived and how they died. When I find someone in the records who hasn’t yet been represented on a family tree, sometimes I stop and just say their name out loud. “I see you.” I sometimes wish I could give them a hug! But helping their stories be told feels like a way to show love for them. These people are not dead to God, and building family trees in records helps me remember that. Like in the Disney movie Coco (about el Día de los Muertos — a movie about family history!), they need not be dead to us. We benefit when we remember them and tell their stories (and let records help us do that).

For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, building family trees in records also connects us to the temple. My friend talked about this, too — about the peace she finds in the rootedness of the temple. In the temple, sacred ordinances are performed to bind families together. The crowning ordinance performed therein is called the sealing ordinance — where husband and wife can be married for time and eternity — not just “until death do us part.” The authority to bind families together in this way was committed to Joseph Smith shortly after the dedication of the Kirtland temple when Elijah the prophet — the one who spoke anciently of hearts of fathers turning to children and children to fathers — came (just as other ancient leaders had done earlier to restore the power to baptize (John the Baptist) and to confirm the Holy Ghost (Peter, James, and John).

Once people receive temple ordinances for themselves (some of them symbolic of ordinances received in ancient times), then we can act as “proxies” for those who have passed on. In a favorite film of mine, called “The Mountain of the Lord,” President Wilford Woodruff is portrayed speaking to a newspaper reporter, who scoffed a bit at this idea of doing proxy work for the dead. I like how President Woodruff’s response to the reporter was represented.

“Many people believe in some form of vicarious work for the dead. The Atonement of Jesus Christ was a vicarious work. Whoever accepts Jesus as the Savior also accepts the principle of vicarious proxy.”

Since these ordinances require a physical body, we who have physical bodies act as proxy for those who do not have bodies anymore, as death separates body and spirit until the time of resurrection. And then those who have had ordinances performed on their behalf have the opportunity to choose to accept or reject them.

You can learn more about Jesus’ visit to the spirit world after His death (as referred to in 1 Peter 3:18-19), in Doctrine and Covenants 138.)

I love patterns and symbols, and appreciated my friend’s invitation to think about trees today, and all the many ways I can be a tree hugger.

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P I C T U R E T H I S

You have a question, and it’s been weighing on your mind for a while now.

Everywhere you turn for answers, leaves you with more confusion. Darkness. Until one day you read these words in the scriptures, and you feel a spark of light:

“If any of ye lack wisdom, let him ask of God.”

You could definitely use some wisdom. So you decide to ask God….

“Ask of God.” and He will answer. Think of a question you can ask your Heavenly Father in prayer, and then ask it – today!!

In an ever darkening world, there is… right in front of us…L I G H T.

From Followers of Christ in South Miami

Learn more about how this scripture in James changed the life of one young man…and changed the world: Jesus’ Church Restored

The post Seeking light appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

I really loved this simple story and wanted to share.

Jim Cook, a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was quoted in the BYU President’s Report. He joined the Church as a young adult. The experience that spurred his years-long process of investigating the Church began in a class at San Jose State University.

Jim says:

“The professor brought up the Church. When he got to Joseph Smith’s claim to have seen God and Jesus Christ, the class began to laugh. Through the laughter, the professor said, ‘If you think that’s funny, let me tell you another story. There was a man 2,000 years ago who said He was the Son of God–now you must think that’s hysterical?’ The class fell silent.”

A foundation of our faith as members of the “Mormon” Church is the belief that Joseph Smith experienced what he said he experienced. He saw God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. That experience as a 14-year-old boy began the process we call the Restoration, which included the translation of the Book of Mormon, the restoration of priesthood authority via heavenly messengers (John the Baptist and Peter, James, and John), the formal organization of the Church in 1830, and more.

I have read the Book of Mormon countless times. The Holy Spirit has affirmed to me that it is, indeed, true. Its core purpose is to be another witness that Jesus Christ truly is the living Son of God. The book also is key to discovering the truth of Joseph Smith’s claims. He really did see God and Jesus Christ, and was called to restore Christ’s church and authority to play a pivotal role in preparing the earth for the Savior’s Second Coming.

Hilarious or true? We invite all to explore and discover the answer for themselves, especially through the process of reading the Book of Mormon and personally engaging God through prayer.

You can request a free copy of the Book of Mormon if you are interested in engaging your own quest to learn more about the Savior and His restored Church.

, you can req

The post Joseph Smith’s claim — hilarious or true? appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

We as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints honor Joseph Smith as a prophet of God. Today marks 167 years since he was martyred — killed by a mob in Carthage, Illinois. (Watch a motion picture about the life and mission of Joseph Smith.)

John Taylor, who was present the day Joseph Smith was killed, wrote this:

Joseph Smith, the ^aProphet and ^bSeer of the Lord, has done more, ^csave Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it. In the short space of twenty years, he has brought forth the Book of Mormon, which he translated by the gift and power of God, and has been the means of publishing it on two continents; has sent the ^dfulness of the everlasting gospel, which it contained, to the four quarters of the earth; has brought forth the revelations and commandments which compose this book of Doctrine and Covenants, and many other wise documents and instructions for the benefit of the children of men; gathered many thousands of the Latter-day Saints, founded a great city, and left a fame and name that cannot be slain. He lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people; and like most of the Lord’s anointed in ancient times, has sealed his mission and his works with his own ^eblood; and so has his brother Hyrum. In life they were not divided, and in death they were not ^fseparated!

Many members of the Church today are using social media to recognize what Joseph Smith did for the work of God. Here at Mormon Women, we’re sharing several videos, created by Seth Adam Smith, that celebrate Joseph Smith’s life and acknowledge his sacrifice for the work of God. He, like ancient prophets and apostles, was a special witness of the Savior, Jesus Christ.

The Prophet Joseph Smith said: “The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 121).

The Testimony of Joseph Smith – Hear Joseph Smith’s story in his own words, as recorded in Joseph Smith’s History

Mormon Prophet Joseph Smith – Praise to the Man

“Praise to the Man” – The Mormon Prophet Joseph Smith:

The divinity of Joseph Smith’s calling and of The Book of Mormon: John Taylor’s testimony (and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s testimony)

More from Elder Holland on Joseph Smith and The Book of Mormon

Joseph Smith and The Book of Mormon (some say he wrote the book; we declare that he translated it by the gift and power of God)

Two videos that reflect an artist’s rendition of the day of the martyrdom of Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum Smith
Joseph and Hyrum Smith Facing Death at Carthage Jail

Joseph Smith Triumphed Over All His Foes

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Maddie writes:

Do Mormons believe that God never changes? If so, I have a question: For a long time Mormons encouraged if not required polygamy. Why have you changed and now say that practice is not permissible? If God doesn’t change His mind, would you say that your early leaders were wrong? If so, couldn’t they have been wrong about many other things?

Maddie, this is a question that I think a lot of people have, so thanks for asking it.

I think the short answer to your question is that we believe in living prophets. But following is a longer response that I hope can explain a little about what that means to us as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and how that relates to your question.

I think what is on Mormon.org addresses your specific question about polygamy pretty well, so I’ll start there. This is from the page “Do Mormons practice polygamy?”

At various times, the Lord has commanded His people to practice plural marriage. For example, He gave this command to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and Solomon (Doctrine and Covenants 132:1). At other times the Lord has given other instructions. In the Book of Mormon, the Lord told the prophet Jacob “for there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife: and concubines he shall have none… for if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people; otherwise they shall hearken unto these things (Jacob 2:27-30).

In this dispensation, the Lord commanded some of the early Saints to practice plural marriage. The Prophet Joseph Smith and those closest to him, including Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball, were challenged by this command, but they obeyed it. Church leaders regulated the practice. Those entering into it had to be authorized to do so, and the marriages had to be performed through the sealing power of the priesthood. In 1890, President Wilford Woodruff received a revelation that the leaders of the Church should cease teaching the practice of plural marriage (Official Declaration 1).

Through a living prophet, polygamy (in limited practice) was commanded for a time. Through the same means (through a living prophet), polygamy was later revoked.

We believe changes in policy or commandments given to or through prophets do not negate or contradict the belief in an unchanging God. In fact, to me, the fact that God has consistently used this pattern of having living leaders to guide His people and do His work throughout the dispensations of time underscores the unchangeableness of God! Let me explain, or give a few examples.

Consider, for example, that God gave the law of Moses to the children of Israel. Before His death, Jesus and the family He grew up in lived and obeyed that law. But after Christ’s death and resurrection, the law was no longer practiced. It had been fulfilled; it had served its purpose in God’s big picture. After that time, it became, in fact, wrong for followers of Christ to practice the law of Moses.

But this change didn’t negate the divine role Moses had in God’s work or the role the law of Moses had during that time to bring people to God and point their souls to Christ. God had not changed, and His desire and love for His children had not changed, and His eternal plan to save His children through Christ had not changed (that was the plan from the beginning of time, even before the earth was formed, and still is the plan!). But the law had.

Another example is how, at first, Jesus Himself told the apostles to only teach the Jews, but after Christ’s death, to and through Peter (the authorized head/leader of the Church), the revelation was received to then take the gospel to the Gentiles. This didn’t negate Jesus’ commission to His leaders when He was alive. Again, God’s character and love for His children had not changed, but God had continued to reveal His will through His authorized servants, and His work continued to go forward.

Over time, the authority that had been given to Jesus’ apostles was taken from the earth, as those apostles died. Because of His big picture view and because of where people were at the time (speaking generally), there were centuries of time when that authority did not exist on the earth. God had not changed, but in His big picture view, that period of time had a purpose (and many people had important work to do to help prepare for the restoration of the gospel).

It was all still about God’s plan and His love and His purposes to bring people to Christ and this time, to prepare the earth for Jesus’ *second* coming.

Through the prophet of the restoration and the authority that was restored to and through him, Joseph Smith, the pattern of having living prophets was also restored. Continuing and unfolding authorized revelation for Christ’s Church became part of the pattern again. The unfolding work of the restoration of the Church took years and years, and continued after his death…and continues to this day.

Polygamy was commanded for some to live for a time in the early history of the Church. But through a living prophet (the fourth president of the Church), Wilford Woodruff, God revealed in 1890 that it was time for that to end. Leaders from that time forward upheld monogamy as the rule. As noted in the Mormon.org quote above, monogamy has, in fact, always been the rule. God has commanded polygamy at times, but it was never meant to be His unending, unchanging law.

Today, living prophets continue to receive inspiration about policy changes and specific things the Church and its members are to do and focus on.

But through all of the dispensations of time, through all of these types of changes and that process of God giving different instructions to different prophets depending on what His will and purposes were, the character of God has not changed. His love for His children has never changed. His plan, as mentioned before, never changed.

For me, although I don’t fully understand the purpose polygamy filled in its time, I am not bothered by it. This pattern of God working through living prophets to reveal His will and commands for specific times and seasons, in fact, only strengthens my faith in God and His character. It is the pattern found in scripture. I find great comfort in knowing that He will give the instructions that I need to know in my life through prophets, and that He is fully aware of what is needed now in our time given where we are in the earth’s history and in His big picture view. But my God is the same God who guided Moses and who sent Jesus and who inspired Peter and who called Joseph Smith and who speaks through living prophets today.

Answers to and thoughts about questions addressed at Mormon Women should not be considered official responses of the Church. For official material and/or to ask Mormon missionaries questions, see Mormon.org.

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When we talk of power in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we talk of something very different from how business or other organizations function. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints proclaims to the world that priesthood keys and authority that were given anciently to the Lord’s leaders by the Lord (such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Elijah in Old Testament times, and Peter, James and John in New Testament times) have been restored to earth to and through Joseph Smith (see Joseph Smith—History 1:72; D&C 27:12; D&C 110:11–12). Why were these keys restored? This scripture in Moses 1 sums up God’s purpose of His work: “For behold, this is my ^awork and my ^bglory—to bring to pass the ^cimmortality and ^deternal ^elife of man.”

When we talk of priesthood keys, authority, and power in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we are not talking about the power of people to do God’s work, but rather, we believe that “All priesthood keys ultimately come from Heavenly Father through His Son, Jesus Christ.” (See New Era article, “Priesthood Keys.”)

The end purpose of the Church is to provide all of Heavenly Father’s children the opportunity to receive the saving ordinances of the gospel — both those who are living and those who have died without this opportunity. These ordinances bind individuals to God and can bind marriage and family relationships beyond the grave. These ordinances are about reaching our full and eternal potential as children of divine parents. Where earthly organizations may provide opportunity for earthly development, the mission of the Church looks far beyond this earth life to helping us reach our eternal potential.

As the Savior said to Peter right before giving him keys on the Mount of Transfiguration, “I will ^agive unto thee the ^bkeys of the ^ckingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt ^dbind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

In a recent post, we shared insights from a recent Relief Society [Mormon women] training about how divine power and the blessings of the priesthood that can flow into an individual’s life. Those blessings are available because God has restored priesthood keys and authority to earth.

[You can read more about the restoration of priesthood keys and authority and church organization on this page, “The Church of Jesus Christ, an Established Pattern.”

Learn more about how the Church of Jesus Christ is organized.]

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I have the opportunity to teach young women in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints every few weeks. This month, the focus in the youth curriculum is the Apostasy and Restoration. (If you are not familiar with Mormon teachings on these topics, I encourage you to click on the previous link.)

I have felt to focus the lesson today for our class on the First Vision. I wanted to share some thoughts that came this week as I was preparing for our class discussion.

I decided to read with my family the account of Joseph Smith’s first vision as recorded in his history (found in our LDS canon of scripture in the Pearl of Great Price).

It struck me with more power perhaps than it ever has because I felt more than ever before how personal his story is, how much it reflects what mortal life can often be like. How much it reflects what some of my own personal journey has been like during the past year or so. I have not been struggling with my faith or testimony of the Church or looking for a religion, but I have wrestled with some of the deepest, lifetime struggles that have been with me since my childhood and have had some other difficult challenges and questions in my life. These things have sometimes left me feeling like I could not take another step. Or feeling like I couldn’t take another step until I had some clarity.

I was moved to tears as I read out loud what Joseph experienced. I could relate to words and phrases he used: “confusion,” “strife,” feeling it was “impossible to come to any certain conclusions” on his own. He was surrounded by a “war of words and tumult of opinions” and “labor[ed] under…extreme difficulties” of all of this confusion.  He writes:

I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be right, which is it, and how shall I know it?

Joseph turned to the scriptures for insight.

I was one day reading the ^aEpistle of James, first chapter and fifth verse, which reads: If any of you lack ^bwisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

The scripture sank deeply into his soul.

I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed ^bwisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know, and unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, I would never know;

At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in ^adarkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of God. I at length came to the determination to “ask of God,” concluding that if he gave wisdom to them that lacked wisdom, and would ^bgive liberally, and not upbraid, I might venture.

I’m struck by how as he sought to open his heart (and, for the first time, his mouth) to ask God his question, he was overcome by the power of the adversary. Clearly his experience teaches us that there is a power that desires that we not pray. This is consistent with a scripture in the Book of Mormon, which states, “For if ye would hearken unto the  ^aSpirit which teacheth a man to ^bpray, ye would know that ye must ^cpray; for the ^devil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray” (2 Nephi 32:8).

Perhaps the application from this is that we should not be surprised if we run into serious, soul-stretching opposition when we are seeking God’s help. I should not be surprised when opposition comes!

My children pointed out how Joseph’s faith was evidenced by the fact that he did not give up when that opposition came. He was pushed to the very limits before the light finally emerged and his prayer was answered, but he  “exert[ed] all [his] powers to ^acall upon God to deliver [him] out of the power of this enemy which had seized upon [him].”

His faith urged him forward. He had questions, he sought answers. He believed they would come.

And they did. God answered him.

As we read these verses as a family, I felt God personally urging me forward, to continue to earnestly and faithfully seek God’s guidance for my personal questions and struggles. I testify that He is there and He does listen. I have never seen God or the Savior, but I know They are real.

If you are struggling with hard issues in your life, with questions that leave you at a loss of what to do, I invite you to read the story of Joseph Smith and consider the patterns and teachings about prayer that are presented in this powerful account. Even if you do not share our faith, I believe you might find something in that story that can validate the reality of your own struggles and give you hope that God is aware of you. He knows you by name and He knows your need. But He does wait for us to wrestle and seek and knock and wait, in faith.

More thoughts tomorrow…. I am looking forward to hearing the thoughts of the young women in our class today, too. I loved learning with and from my children. I love seeing how the Spirit teaches us each in personal ways and that when we share with each other, all can be edified and rejoice together. 

What are your thoughts on Joseph Smith’s story? On prayer? On what helps you push through the darkness when things are difficult and confusing?

The post Asking questions: If any of you lack wisdom…. appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

We recently received this comment/question from a reader, Katie.

So, I have a question about what mormons believe. Ephesians 2:8-9 says “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and that not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast.” In 2 Nephi it says: For we know it is by grace we are saved after all you can do. When I asked my mormon friend what is it that you can do, she replied to try & live a good life the best we can. so my question is, how do you know when you have done “all you can do”? How do you know you’ve done your best, or could you possibly have done any better? I mean, even when we try so hard to do good, we still have broken God’s law and since God is a righteous God as well as forgiving, he demands that justice be paid.”for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in christ jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) If a criminal asked a judge in court to forgive him & say he tried to live right & the judge let him go unpunished, wouldn’t he not be a good judge? Jesus is the only way we can have eternal life as it says in John 14:6 “Jesus answered, I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the father except through me.” Many places in the bible say that it’s only by grace we are saved, not by anything we do. It says that salvation is a free gift to anyone you believes in his name, not by works. so then why do you believe that water baptism, repentance, and trying to live a good life to the best ability will contribute to salvation as well as God sending his son to dies for our sins? I hope I am not sounding offensive, I do not mean it at all that way! I love you guys, I am just trying to better understand why you believe what you do. I’m a senior in high school & have been studying a lot about this! Also, you teach that there will be marriage in heaven but in Matthew 22:30 it says there will not be marriage. I’m confused. Do you have an answer to my questions? Thank you so much for your time!(and being patient because this message is so long!

Thanks, Katie, for your questions. Your questions are not uncommon ones, and they hit at the core of our beliefs. I’m just one person, and my responses will not be able to capture all the facets of our faith. There is always much more that could be said about these topics. But so much of it is to be experienced and learned through your own seeking and study and prayer, so I hope you will continue such seeking! God will help you as you ask for His guidance.

First of all, before I get to your specific questions, I think it’s important to understand a little about what members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints call the Restoration. We believe in the Bible and in the teachings therein. We believe in the teachings of the Savior and of His apostles, such as Paul, whom you quote above. We also believe that after Christ’s death, after Jesus’ apostles whom He called during New Testament times died, the authority He gave them to administer His church and teach in His place died with them.

You’ve probably heard about Joseph Smith and how he struggled as a young man with how the different Christian denominations around him would interpret and practice Biblical teachings. I imagine that some of the very questions you ask were ones that probably plagued his mind. He didn’t know whom or what to believe. He prayed about it, and got a response he wasn’t expecting — God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him and told him that Christ’s church would be restored through him. He had a specific and world-changing work to do!

Through the course of the next several years, he was taught by heavenly messengers; given (and given power to translate) the original plates of the ancient record known as the Book of Mormon; visited by some of the ancient Church leaders who restored sacred priesthood authority to him (John the Baptist (who restored the authority to baptize) and Peter, James, and John (who restored higher authority to confer the gift of the Holy Ghost and administer the Church and its ordinances); and guided to restore Jesus’ Church to the earth.

From that time forward, there has been a living prophet and living apostles continually guiding the Church, using ancient texts as foundations to their teachings, but also receiving current and continuous divine guidance. So, for example, the doctrines surrounding eternal marriage were received through Joseph Smith over time after the Church was organized.

I’ll address your questions about grace and works (baptism, etc.) in a separate post. 🙂

God bless you in your faith journey.

Warmly,

Michelle

Editor, Mormon Women: Who We Are

The post What Mormons believe: About grace, about baptism, about marriage (part 1) appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

As I sat in our Sunday School class last week, I was struck again by what a treasure the Doctrine and Covenants is to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But I was also struck as we read the Introduction by how the Doctrine and Covenants could help those not of our faith understand more about Mormon beliefs and doctrine. I thought of our readers here at Mormon Women who are curious about Mormonism, and so I would like to introduce you to the Doctrine and Covenants as a resource to understand more about Mormon beliefs, Church organization, Church history, and, most importantly, our belief in Jesus Christ.

The Doctrine and Covenants is a compilation of revelations, most of which were received through Joseph Smith. The voice speaking in all but a couple of the sections is Jesus Christ — a latter-day record of His dealings and His words and His teachings. That fact alone teaches much about what Mormons believe — we believe that just as God spoke through prophets and apostles in ancient times, He has spoken in more recent times as well. We believe He continues to speak to us through living prophets, which is why our General Conferences are so important to us.

The Doctrine and Covenants is part of the scriptural canon for Mormons, along with the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and the Pearl of Great Price. In the revelations of the Doctrine and Covenants,

the doctrines of the gospel are set forth with explanations about such fundamental matters as the nature of the Godhead, the origin of man, the reality of Satan, the purpose of mortality, the necessity for obedience, the need for repentance, the workings of the Holy Spirit, the ordinances and performances that pertain to salvation, the destiny of the earth, the future conditions of man after the Resurrection and the Judgment, the eternity of the marriage relationship, and the eternal nature of the family. Likewise, the gradual unfolding of the administrative structure of the Church is shown with the calling of bishops, the First Presidency, the Council of the Twelve, and the Seventy and the establishment of other presiding offices and quorums. Finally, the testimony that is given of Jesus Christ—his divinity, his majesty, his perfection, his love, and his redeeming power—makes this book of great value to the human family and of more worth than the riches of the whole earth.

We know as Mormons that we are often known for talking a lot about The Book of Mormon (and how that book compliments the Bible as another testament of Jesus Christ and His dealings with ancient people living on the American continent). But I’m not sure many people know as much about the Doctrine and Covenants, and it’s another book that can help people understand our faith.

Many of the revelations serve a sort of double purpose — they were addressed to individuals who played a role in early Church history, but they also often contain teachings and messages for us. As always when engaging scripture, we are encouraged to understand both the historical context but also the personal application of principles that may be taught. And, as always, we are encouraged to seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance in knowing what God would have us learn and ponder.

We invite those who may be interested in our faith to peruse the Doctrine and Covenants as part of your search for more information about our doctrine and beliefs. And if you are interested in understanding more of some basic church history, read along with us in Our Heritage: A Brief History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which is also being used as part of the Sunday School curriculum this year.

The study guide for our Sunday School course this year can be found here: Doctrine and Covenants and Church History

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~by Michelle

As part of our family scripture study one night this week, we sang, “Angels We Have Heard on High” and we talked a little about our belief about the reality of angels. When I consider the Christmas story, I am struck by the important role angels played in this sacred event.

Last year, in the First Presidency Christmas devotional, President Henry B. Eyring reminded us:

No recounting of the Christmas story is complete without hearing words of an angel sent to prepare the way for His arrival. At the heart of the account of the birth of Jesus Christ is the testimony of angels, as recorded by the Apostles Jesus called and ordained.

God sent the angel Gabriel to Zacharias. The angel told him of the birth to the righteous and barren Elisabeth of John the Baptist, who would prepare the way for Jesus. Mary received the same heavenly messenger to prepare her to become the mother of the Son of God, the long-awaited Messiah.

When we declare our belief in the Christmas story, we are declaring our belief that angels are real, and that they play an important role in God’s work. An angel visited the shepherds, and Joseph as well. Wise men received messages from heaven; visions and dreams were also part of how God communicated to those who played a key role in the Nativity story.

Yes, we believe in angels. We believe in communication from God through various means.

Our belief in angels and heavenly communication, as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, doesn’t stop with the Bible, however.

Today is December 23. For Mormons, this day is significant. It’s the birthday of Joseph Smith, whom we believe to be a prophet called to restore Jesus Christ’s church and priesthood power to the earth. We do not worship him, but we believe he had an important role to play in helping the world prepare for Jesus’ second coming. The patterns seen in the Nativity of heavenly messages from heavenly messengers have played out again in more modern times.

Again, from President Eyring:

[Joseph Smith’s] unwavering testimony that the angel Moroni, an ancient prophet, came to him is in perfect accord with the experiences of the Wise Men; of Zacharias; Elisabeth; Mary, the mother of our Lord; Joseph, and innumerable others…. By personal appearance of the Father Himself and of the Son, and through angels, He has restored the Church of Jesus Christ in the latter days. He has called prophets and apostles to guide us to safety in this life and eternal life in the world to come.

To read more of the story of the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ in the latter days, and of the authority held by ancient prophets and apostles, and of the role of angels in the process of this restoration, see the Joseph Smith page at mormon.org, as well as FAQs about Joseph Smith.

Or you can watch the following full-length film called “Joseph Smith, the Prophet of the Restoration.”

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