Articles of Faith Published 175 Years Ago
A young girl reads the Articles of Faith from the Pearl of Great Price in the printed scriptures.
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On March 1, 1842—175 years ago—the Articles of Faith were published for the first time in the Church’s Times and Seasons newspaper in Nauvoo, Illinois.
Joseph Smith wrote the articles in response to a request from John Wentworth of the Chicago Democrat. In this letter, Joseph wrote a list of statements about what members of the Church believed.
These 13 statements outline basic points of belief of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They are now regarded as scripture and are included in the Pearl of Great Price as Articles of Faith 1:1–13.
Elder L. Tom Perry said the Articles of Faith teach “the essential doctrines of the gospel of Jesus Christ” (“The Articles of Faith,” Apr. 1998 general conference) and are “among the most important and certainly the most concise statements of doctrine in the Church” (“The Doctrines and Principles Contained in the Articles of Faith,” Oct. 2013 general conference).
