What Are the Articles of Faith and Why Should We Study Them?

            The Articles of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began as a simple list of beliefs written by the Prophet Joseph Smith. John Wentworth, editor and proprietor of the Chicago Democrat, apparently asked the Prophet about the beliefs of the Church. The Prophet wrote a letter dated March 1, 1842, to the editor and included thirteen basic beliefs. 

Members of the Church unofficially adopted the thirteen statements, and officially accepted them in a general conference held on October 6, 1890. They are currently included in the book of scripture known as the Pearl of Great Price.

Elder James E. Talmage of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained in his book The Articles of Faith that Latter-day Saints do not have a formal statement of practices and beliefs because “they accept the principle of continuous revelation as an essential feature of their belief.” He continued his explanation.

Joseph Smith, the first divinely commissioned prophet and the first president of the Church of Jesus Christ in the latter-day, or current, dispensation, set forth as an epitome of the tenets of the Church the thirteen avowals known as the “Articles of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”

            Elder Talmage emphasized that even though the thirteen statements include fundamental doctrines of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, the list is not to be considered as a complete list of beliefs. He quoted Article of Faith 1:9: “We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does not reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.” 

Elder Talmage suggested that the Articles of Faith present their own order of priority for studying. “As these Articles of Faith present important doctrines of the Church in systematic order, they suggest themselves as a convenient outline for a study of the theology of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”

Elder L. Tom Perry had a strong testimony of the Articles of Faith and their importance in our lives. He memorized the thirteen statements for Primary and realized some years later that he could not recite them. He made a copy of the statements and taped them to his bathroom mirror and was able to rememorize them within a few days.

This experience has brought a deep conviction to me that they were given by revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith. I reached the conclusion that if I studied the content of each of the Articles of Faith, I could explain and defend every gospel principle I might have the opportunity to expound to someone searching for the restored truth.

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….

I encourage each of you to study the Articles of Faith and the doctrines they teach…. If you will use them as a guide to direct your studies of the Savior’s doctrine, you will find yourselves prepared to declare your witness of the restored, true church of the Lord. You will be able to declare with conviction: “We believe these things” (“The Articles of Faith,” April 1998 General Conference). 

                Fifteen years later Elder Perry spoke about the importance of the Articles of Faith again. He described how his Primary teacher encouraged her class to memorize the thirteen statements and even promised a special outing when the task was completed. When the class reached the desired spot for the activity, the teacher gave her final lesson on the Articles of Faith.

Then she said memorizing the Articles of Faith would mean nothing more than a lot of words unless we understood the doctrines and principles contained in them. She encouraged us to study the gospel doctrine taught in each of the Articles of Faith….

… The truths taught in the Articles of Faith build upon one another…. the Articles of Faith supply us with key doctrines of the Restoration. Each article of faith adds unique value to our understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ….

… I encourage you to use your bright minds to study and learn the Articles of Faith and the doctrines they teach. They are among the most important and certainly the most concise statements of doctrine in the Church. If you will use them as a guide to direct your studies of the gospel of Jesus Christ, you will find yourself prepared to declare your witness of the restored truth to the world. You will be able to declare in simple, straightforward, and profound ways the core beliefs you hold dear as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (“The Doctrines and Principles Contained in the Articles of Faith,” October 2013 General Conference). 

            Elder Talmage and Elder Perry are not the only Apostles who encouraged us to study the Articles of Faith. Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote: “We believe those things which all must believe to gain an eternal inheritance in the kingdom of God. Obviously, the Articles of Faith are a basic statement of the beginnings of our beliefs. When we have mastered what is in them, we will be in a position to go forward in the University of the Universe, studying and believing until we believe and know all things.”


            I memorized the thirteen Articles of Faith as a Primary child, and I memorize them again from time to time. In recent years I developed the habit of reciting the Articles of Faith when I cannot get to sleep at night. Sometimes I go through the list several times, and sometimes I am asleep by the third or fourth statement. At any rate, I refresh my memory of them often.

I am excited to embark on a three-month study of the doctrines and principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ based on the Articles of Faith. I had not previously considered the Articles of Faith as a method to study the gospel, but I expect to learn much about their order as well as their content.