Articles of Faith and Official Declarations 1 and 2

<p>&ldquo;Amidst the turmoil in 1842, Joseph published 13 fundamental tenets of the growing Church, including this one: &lsquo;We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.&rsquo; His statement is inclusive, liberating, and respectful. That is the essence of religious freedom. The Prophet Joseph Smith also stated: &lsquo;I am bold to declare before Heaven that I am just as ready to die in defending the rights of a Presbyterian, a Baptist, or a good man of any other denomination; for the same principle which would trample upon the rights of the &hellip; Saints would trample upon the rights of the Roman Catholics, or of any other denomination who may be unpopular and too weak to defend themselves. It is a love of liberty [that] inspires my soul&mdash;civil and religious liberty to the whole of the human race.&rsquo;&rdquo;</p>

<p>&ldquo;Our belief in divine inspiration gives Latter-day Saints a unique responsibility to uphold and defend the United States Constitution and principles of constitutionalism wherever we live. We should trust in the Lord and be positive about this nation&rsquo;s future. What else are faithful Latter-day Saints to do? We must pray for the Lord to guide and bless all nations and their leaders. This is part of our article of faith. Being subject to presidents or rulers of course poses no obstacle to our opposing individual laws or policies. It does require that we exercise our influence civilly and peacefully within the framework of our constitutions and applicable laws. On contested issues, we should seek to moderate and unify.&rdquo;</p>

<p>The eighth and ninth articles of faith are related to each other and highlight one of the major differences between Latter-day Saints and most Christians, specifically the concept of an open canon of scripture. A Latter-day Saint paraphrasing this teaching today can correctly declare that we believe not only the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly but also the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price, and the words of the living prophets to be the word of God. When Joseph made this statement in 1842, the Doctrine and Covenants was in print, but Joseph probably simplified the eighth article of faith because the idea of an additional book of scripture was already so radical to the people of his time. </p> <p>The message of the Restoration is that scripture, prophets, and revelation can come to all people in any time or place. On its title page, the Book of Mormon declares “that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations” (Book of Mormon title page). The children of God are found everywhere in the world, and the Lord speaks to them through prophets called among them. The Doctrine and Covenants testifies that the Lord also does not discriminate according to the time His children come to the earth. God speaks in all ages and in all places. </p> <p>Elder Jeffrey R. Holland testified of the importance of an open canon for those who believe in a living God. He taught: </p> <blockquote> <p>The fact of the matter is that virtually every prophet of the Old <em>and</em> New Testament has added scripture to that received by his predecessors. If the Old Testament words of Moses were sufficient, as some could have mistakenly thought them to be, then why, for example, the subsequent prophecies of Isaiah or of Jeremiah, who follows him? To say nothing of Ezekiel and Daniel, of Joel, Amos, and all the rest. If one revelation to one prophet in one moment of time is sufficient for <em>all</em> time, what justifies these many others? What justifies them was made clear by Jehovah Himself when He said to Moses, “My works are without end, and . . . my words . . . never cease” (Moses 1:4).<a href="#_ftn1" id="_ftnref1" title="" class="see-footnote">[1]</a></p> </blockquote> <div class="footnotes"> <p class="footnote"><a href="#_ftnref1" id="_ftn1" title="" class="footnote-label">[1]</a> Jeffrey R. Holland, “My Words . . . Never Cease,” April 2008 General Conference, emphasis in original. </p> </div>

<p>While Latter-day Saints hold the scriptures to be sacred and emphasize their study, we also believe in continuing revelation. In our attempt to live according to the tenets of the scriptures, we sometimes tend to overlook the fact that the scriptures were written and translated by flawed, mortal beings. Moroni, one of the finest of the scriptural writers, apologized for his own weakness, saying, “if there are faults[,] they are the mistakes of men; wherefore condemn not the things of God” (Book of Mormon title page). Scripture plays a vital role in our understanding of God and His purposes for us, but to Latter-day Saints, scripture is not the ultimate source of truth. </p> <p>All problems cannot be resolved by an appeal to scripture. In his search for truth, the young Joseph Smith found that “the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible” (Joseph Smith—History 1:12). Instead, Joseph appealed directly to God for an answer to his questions, leading to his vision of the Father and the Son. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland explained, “The scriptures are <em>not</em> the ultimate source of knowledge for Latter-day Saints. They are manifestations of the ultimate source. The ultimate source of knowledge and authority for a Latter-day Saint is the living God. The communication of those gifts comes from God as living, vibrant, divine revelation.”<a href="#_ftn1" id="_ftnref1" title="" class="see-footnote">[1]</a></p> <p>Perhaps the most tantalizing part of the nineth article of faith is the promise that God “will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.” Latter-day Saints look to the ancient texts for inspiration and guidance but also anticipate the word of God to the prophets of our day. </p> <div class="footnotes"> <p class="footnote"><a href="#_ftnref1" id="_ftn1" title="" class="footnote-label">[1]</a> Jeffrey R. Holland, “My Words . . . Never Cease,” April 2008 General Conference, emphasis in original.</p> </div>

<p>The house of Israel is the royal family of humanity. What makes it unique among royal families is that anyone can join by accepting the principles and ordinances of the gospel. Ancient scripture largely consists of a record of God’s dealings with the house of Israel. One stated purpose of the Book of Mormon is “to show unto the remnant of the house of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever” (Book of Mormon title page). The history in the pages of the Old Testament, the Book of Mormon, and other ancient scripture tell the saga of Israel’s rise and its scattering among the nations.</p> <p>The scriptures brought forth in the latter days are intended to facilitate the gathering of Israel. Teaching His disciples in the Americas, Jesus Christ prophesied of a sign signaling the beginning of the gathering of Israel. The Savior then told His disciples that “when these things which I declare unto you . . . shall be known unto the Gentiles,” the sign would be fulfilled (3 Nephi 21:1–3). In other words, the coming forth of the Book of Mormon is the great sign of the beginning of the gathering of Israel.</p> <p>Israel is currently scattered among all nations. Many of those who gather to the house of Israel are direct descendants of the ancient Israelites. If they are not, they are simply adopted into the house of Israel. The Lord makes no distinction between Israelites by blood or adoption, and all must choose of their own accord to be a part of the house of Israel.<a href="#_ftn1" id="_ftnref1" title="" class="see-footnote">[1]</a> Part of the gathering of Israel includes the family returning to their ancestral homelands—but the most important part of the gathering happens when the Israelites realize their true identity and purpose. The Book of Mormon prophet Jacob taught that Israelites “shall be restored to the true church and fold of God; when they shall be gathered home to the lands of their inheritance, and shall be established in all their lands of promise” (2 Nephi 9:2). The spiritual gathering is first in importance and takes priority over the physical gathering. In this same spirit, the prophet Mormon pleaded with the remnants of Israel to “know ye that ye are of the house of Israel. Know ye that ye must come unto repentance, or ye cannot be saved” (Mormon 7:1–3). </p> <p>Ancient prophets testified that the miracles associated with the latter-day gathering of Israel would eclipse the wonder of the miracles when the Israelites made their ancient exodus from Egyptian captivity. Jeremiah prophesied, “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; But, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers” (Jeremiah 16:14–15).</p> <div class="footnotes"> <p class="footnote"><a href="#_ftnref1" id="_ftn1" title="" class="footnote-label">[1]</a> See Russell M. Nelson, “Covenants,” October 2011 General Conference. </p> </div>

<p>While Latter-day Saints believe that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the “only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth” (D&amp;C 1:30), we also embrace and accept the truth and goodness found in many other faiths. Church leaders from Joseph Smith to the present day have taught the importance of religious tolerance and cooperation among people of faith, and goodwill toward all men. In a meeting of the Council of Fifty, Joseph Smith taught, “God cannot save or damn a man only on the principle that every man acts, chooses[,] and worships for himself; hence the importance of thrusting from us every spirit of bigotry and intolerance towards a man’s religious sentiments, that spirit which has drenched the earth with blood—When a man feels the least temptation to such intolerance[,] he ought to spurn it from him.”<a href="#_ftn1" id="_ftnref1" title="" class="see-footnote">[1]</a></p> <p>In the same discourse, Joseph continued, “The principles of intolerance and bigotry never had a place in this kingdom, nor in my breast . . . Nothing can reclaim the human mind from its ignorance, bigotry, superstition [etc] but those grand and sublime principles of equal rights and universal freedom to all men . . . Hence in all governments or political transactions a man’s religious opinions should never be called in question. A man should be judged by the law independent of religious prejudice.”<a href="#_ftn2" id="_ftnref2" title="" class="see-footnote">[2]</a></p> <div class="footnotes"> <p class="footnote"><a href="#_ftnref1" id="_ftn1" title="" class="footnote-label">[1]</a> Minutes, 11 April 1844, pp. 117–18, JSP. </p> <p class="footnote"><a href="#_ftnref2" id="_ftn2" title="" class="footnote-label">[2]</a> Minutes, 11 April 1844, pp. 118–20, JSP. </p> </div>