Parents Should Teach Their Children

Adapted from Doctrine and Covenants Stories (PBIC037A)

(See D&C 68:25, 26, preface. For further information on resources available to help you and your family study the gospel, see inside front cover of this issue and the Ensign, January 1986, pages 14 to 24.)

1 Several elders of the Church in Hiram, Ohio, requested that Joseph Smith ask the Lord for specific direction in their lives.

2 Among other important information revealed to Joseph, the Lord told him about the responsibility of parents to teach their children the gospel.

3 Children should be taught that Jesus Christ loves all mankind and that He is their Savior.

4 They should particularly be taught how to pray, and they should learn about faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. When they are eight years old, they should be baptized.

5 Parents have the responsibility to teach their children the gospel and to teach them to be obedient to the Lord’s commandments. If they fail in this charge, parents will be held accountable.