What is the Doctrine & Covenants?
Personal Response by Richard Neitzel Holzapfel
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons or Latter-day Saints), like other Christians, accept both the Old and New Testaments as Holy Scripture. Additionally, they accept the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price as part of their standard works (canonized scripture). The Doctrine and Covenants, first published in 1835, contains one hundred thirty-eight sections or individual documents generally arranged in chronological order beginning in 1823 through 1918 and two “Official Declarations” announcing new policies in 1890 and 1978. These documents are a selection from the revelations and other inspired writings given through Joseph Smith (1805-44) and his successors as president of the Mormon Church.
Like chapters in the Bible, sections in the Doctrine and Covenants are divided into verses. Much of the Doctrine and Covenants, like the Pauline letters in the New Testament, deals with time- and culture-specific directions. However, members of the Mormon Church believe that the Doctrine and Covenants contains general principles that can inspire those living today to strengthen their faith in God and encourage them to fulfill the Lord’s will in their lives.
The Doctrine and Covenants also contains doctrinal teachings that provide modern-day disciples insights to the purpose of life and God himself, such as “The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth” (Doctrine and Covenants 93: 36 ) and “There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—and when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated” (Doctrine and Covenants 130: 20-21).
Tags: Doctrine and Covenants, Modern Scripture, Mormon Beliefs, Mormon revelation
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