Elder Dallin H. Oaks, member of the Quorum of the Twelve apostles, spoke at Harvard Law School on 26 February 2010. This speech was part of the annual Mormonism 101 series. In the talk, Elder Oaks addressed a number of basic
principles of Mormonism, explaining that a survey showed few people really knew anything at all about Mormons, and what they did know was wrong or misunderstood. (more…)
The Mormons—a nickname for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—have released a new edition of Gospel Principles. This lesson manual is designed for both classroom and personal study. Adults who are visiting a Mormon
Church in order to learn more about Mormons and those who are new members use this as a Sunday School textbook to learn the basics of Mormon beliefs before moving into the regular, more advanced Sunday School class. It can be read online at no cost and without registration, making it an inexpensive and organized way to learn the essential teachings of the Mormons as taught to their own members.
Read Gospel Principles.
The book takes you systematically through the teachings of the Mormons and through life as seen by God. Readers begin by learning about God in the first lesson. They learn who He is and what our relationship to Him is. In the second lesson, they learn where they were before they were born and what amazing experiences happened there. In the third lesson, students are introduced to Jesus Christ and learn how He became our Savior. Students learn that only through the atonement of Christ can one be saved.
There are forty-seven lessons in the book, ending with our return to God after our death. Each lesson includes scripture references from the Bible and from uniquely Mormon scriptures. The online version links to each of these scriptures, so students can read them for themselves. The Bible used is the King James Translation, which is a popular Bible translation used by many religions.
The book answers many of the questions seekers of truth have asked for centuries: Who am I? Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going when I die and how do I get there? The book offers great spiritual truths, and also practical advice for making the most of the gift of life we’ve been given.
Lesson 11 is on the life of the Savior. In it, students are taught the following:
His Sacrifice Showed His Love for His Father and for Us
Jesus taught: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you” (John 15:13–14). He willingly and humbly went through the sorrow in Gethsemane and the suffering on the cross so we could receive all the blessings of the plan of salvation. To receive these blessings, we must come unto Him, repent of our sins, and love Him with all our hearts. He said:
“And this is the gospel which I have given unto you—that I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me.
“And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me … that they may be judged according to their works. …
“For the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do. …
“Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am” (3 Nephi 27:13–15, 21, 27; italics added).
• What are your feelings as you ponder the Savior’s sacrifice for you?
In chapter 34, students learn God gave them talents and expects him to use them to build up God’s kingdom and to enrich our lives. Blended with the spiritual teachings are practical information on how to accomplish this. Students learn how to turn weaknesses into talents and are given advice for developing new talents or improving the ones we already have.
A person who prayerfully and thoughtfully studies the book, whether in a class or in the privacy of his own home, will have a solid, basic understanding of the teachings of the Mormons. This is a reliable way to learn about a religion—to study what they teach their own members. After all, there is no point in teaching members false ideas, since people believe what they are taught. Once a reader has completed this book, he is ready to move on to more advanced materials found on the same website, or to simply improve his understanding of a religion found in his culture.
Mormons are sometimes known as belonging to a church with a lot of rules. While it might seem like there are a great many of them, they are generally very basic rules of decent life. They were taught by the Savior during His ministry on earth, and those that were revealed in the latter-days are those that keep us safe, happy, and mora
The Book of Mormon teaches that men are that they might have joy. (See 2 Nephi 2:25.) The Savior, Jesus Christ, gave us commandments that, when practiced for the right reasons in the right spirit, would allow us to live a joyful life even in times of trials.
Personal Response by Bethany
Yes! You can have faith and still believe in science. The scriptures clearly and repeatedly verify that God is the Creator of the earth, the heavens, and all things that are in them. They also attest that the elements of which the earth consists of are eternal. As a current biology major I am constantly tying science and religion together as I continually study the science of life and its spiritual connection with religion. As I increase my studies, my faith also increases as I see the hand of God in every aspect of life.
Elder Henry B. Eyring of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stated that, “the essence of the gospel is the doctrine of trying…and that, of course, is the essence of science, also: the doctrine of trying, testing, and proving. That’s the kind of procedure that makes science what it is.” The point is that the gospel teaches us to experiment with the words of the Savior and to do as a scientist would do to find the truth.
What are the Articles of Faith?
Personal Response by Bethany
Background:
In 1842, John Wentworth, editor of the Chicago Democrat, wrote to Joseph Smith requesting information for a friend who was writing a history of New Hampshire. Joseph Smith’s response to this inquiry has become known as the “Wentworth Letter.” The letter includes a brief history of the Church and significant events in its restoration. It ends with thirteen statements that have become known as the Articles of Faith and are published in the Pearl of Great Price.
Personal Response by Natalie
Yes! He really does. I have felt the powerful assurance that God does hear my prayers many times in my life. I know that the Savior’s message, recorded in the New Testament, still rings true: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7).
Last summer I was preparing to begin my first year at Brigham Young University. As it got closer to the time that I had to move out, I began to get really nervous. I worried about who my roommates would be, how hard my classes would be, and how difficult living away from home for the first time would be. I remember one night being particularly worried and stressed about everything. In tears, I knelt next to my bed and prayed to my Father in Heaven that He would fill me with comfort. Almost immediately I felt a calm assurance wash over me and I knew my prayer had been answered. I knew that the Lord knew me and loved me and that I had nothing to fear. As I continued to look forward to starting the new semester, the words of this scripture went through my mind “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not” (Doctrine and Covenants 6:36). This too, was a simple, peaceful reminder from a loving Heavenly Father that everything would be okay.
Personal Response by Lance
I have known for a long time that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, but only in the last couple of years, while serving as a Mormon missionary, was I finally able to put into words the way that my answer came. There is a promise given by Moroni at the end of the Book of Mormon that if a person reads, ponders, and prays to know the Book of Mormon is true, the truth will be manifest to them by the power of the Holy Ghost. (See Moroni 10:3-5)
I read the Book of Mormon a few times growing up and I always felt that it was true, but I could never clearly express how I had come to that knowledge. I could honestly say that I knew by the power of the Holy Ghost that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, but I couldn’t describe what that meant. It was more than just a simple feeling. It was a strong conviction.
As a missionary I came across people who had highly varying beliefs about the Holy Ghost and the way that the Holy Ghost affects us. This caused me to search even more to find a way to clearly explain how I had received a testimony that the Book of Mormon is true. I was reading in the Book of Mormon one day and I found my answer.
Personal Response by Nathan
Answers to prayers come in many different ways. A good way to answer this question may be to explain some of the generic ways prayers are answered.
There is a method of seeking revelation (communication from God to man) that allows prayers to be answered. Seeking revelation correctly begins through effort on our part. A simple prayer is often not enough. Important steps to consider are fasting, pondering, and building faith to accept an answer. As we fulfill these steps, God will see our efforts and bless us accordingly. Often the best method of seeking revelation or answers to prayers is to make a tentative decision after our fasting, pondering, and faith building. Once we feel we have a good preliminary decision, we take the decision to the Lord and ask for His confirmation.
Personal Response by Steven
While serving as a Mormon missionary, I was often questioned as to whether or not we, as Mormons, were Christians. At first I did not understand why people would question the Christianity of a religion that bears the name of Jesus Christ in its title. I realized that we as members of the Mormon church, are quite different than members of most Christian churches in two main ways. We believe in a separate book of scripture to go along with the Bible (the Book of Mormon), and we believe that God continues to work through prophets in our time, beginning with Joseph Smith. I came to the conclusion that people must think that we are not Christians mainly for those two reasons. I wish to share a personal experience to show how these two beliefs led me to a strong belief in Jesus Christ.
When I was 14 years old, I was a pretty average boy involved in a few of the follies of the world. I would go to church every week with my family, but wouldn’t necessarily live the things I learned the rest of the days of the week. One week I was on a family vacation, and I just happened to open the Book of Mormon and start reading (this was not a common practice to me as a 14 year old). However, in the midst of my reading I came across a scripture that sunk deep into my heart.
Personal Response by Lance
On the first weekend of April and the first weekend of October, the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes casually referred to by friends of other faiths as the “Mormon” Church or the LDS Church), including the modern prophet and Twelve Apostles, speak to the world in what is known as general conference. From the Conference Center in Salt Lake City the words of the prophet, the apostles, and other leaders are carried via TV, radio, satellite, and the Internet to more than eighty countries and translated into more than eighty languages. We invite everyone, regardless of religious belief, to join with us in watching or listening to general conference.
The reason I love general conference is best described by the opening words of one of the Church hymns, “Come, listen to a prophet’s voice, And hear the word of God” (“Come Listen to a Prophet’s Voice,” Hymns [Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1985], no. 21).