Articles of Faith
by James E. Talmage
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The lectures herewith presented have been prepared in accordance with the request and appointment of the First Presidency of the Church. The greater number of the addresses were delivered before the Theology Class of the Church University; and, after the close of the class sessions, the lectures were continued before other Church organizations engaged in the study of theology. To meet the desire expressed by the Church authorities,that the lectures be published for use in the various show more educational institutions of the Church,the matter has been revised, and is now presented in this form.In anticipation of probable question or criticism regarding the disparity of length of the several lectures, it may be stated that each of the addresses occupied two or more class sessions, and that the present arrangement of the matter in separate lectures is rather one of compilation than of original presentation.The author's thanks are due and are heartily rendered to the members of the committee appointed by the First Presidency, whose painstaking and efficient examination of the manuscript prior to the delivery of the lectures, has inspired some approach to confidence in the prospective value of the book among members of the Church. The committee here referred to consisted of Elders Francis M. Lyman, Abraham H. Cannon, and Anthon H. Lund, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; Elder George Reynolds,[iv] one of the Presidents of the Presiding Quorum of Seventy; Elder John Nicholson, and Dr. Karl G. Maeser.The lectures are now published by the Church, and with them goes the hope of the author that they may prove of some service to the many students of the scriptures among our people, and to other earnest inquirers into the doctrines and practices of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.James E. Talmage. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Talmage takes each of the LDS Church's Articles of Faith and goes through the doctrine behind each one. The book was based on a series of lectures Talmage gave while teaching. The Church then asked if Talmage would collect these into a book, which was first published in 1910, I think.
My biggest problems with the book were first, that it wasn't clear who the intended audience was. If it was for members of the church like myself, then the basic doctrines don't need so much explanation. I know who Joseph Smith is. If it is intended more for others to learn about what we believe, as I think it was the basic intent, then I think there is too much detail. I just can't see many outsiders picking this up for a little casual reading to learn show more more about the Mormons.
The other problem I have is that it is so old. For instance, when talking about the gathering of Israel, the modern nation didn't exist yet. The Church was still somewhat officially calling everyone to migrate to the West. The only temples were in Utah. So much of that has changed.
All that said, I did learn a lot from this book. One of the most interesting parts was about how and why the Bible is organized the way it is. I had never heard that before. I also really enjoyed the part about the 11th Article of Faith, which is about religious tolerance. I liked this quote, although the wording is old-fashioned:
"Happiness is foreign, liberty but a name, and life a disappointment, to him who is denied the freedom to worship as he may desire. No person possessing a regard for Deity can be conent if restricted in the performance of the highest duty of his existence. Could one be happy, though he were housed in a palace, surrounded with all material comforts and provided with every facility for intellectual enjoyment, if he were cut off from communion with the being whom he loved the most?"
I'm not sure who I would recommend this for. Members of LDS Church would surely learn a lot from it, but it is a little out of date. Those not of our faith and wanting to learn what we believe would be better off just reading the articles themselves. My rating might be a little high, but I did enjoy this book. It was just a little dense at times.
For those who are interested, here is a link to the Articles of Faith under discussion:
http://scriptures.lds.org/en/a_of_f/1/ show less
My biggest problems with the book were first, that it wasn't clear who the intended audience was. If it was for members of the church like myself, then the basic doctrines don't need so much explanation. I know who Joseph Smith is. If it is intended more for others to learn about what we believe, as I think it was the basic intent, then I think there is too much detail. I just can't see many outsiders picking this up for a little casual reading to learn show more more about the Mormons.
The other problem I have is that it is so old. For instance, when talking about the gathering of Israel, the modern nation didn't exist yet. The Church was still somewhat officially calling everyone to migrate to the West. The only temples were in Utah. So much of that has changed.
All that said, I did learn a lot from this book. One of the most interesting parts was about how and why the Bible is organized the way it is. I had never heard that before. I also really enjoyed the part about the 11th Article of Faith, which is about religious tolerance. I liked this quote, although the wording is old-fashioned:
"Happiness is foreign, liberty but a name, and life a disappointment, to him who is denied the freedom to worship as he may desire. No person possessing a regard for Deity can be conent if restricted in the performance of the highest duty of his existence. Could one be happy, though he were housed in a palace, surrounded with all material comforts and provided with every facility for intellectual enjoyment, if he were cut off from communion with the being whom he loved the most?"
I'm not sure who I would recommend this for. Members of LDS Church would surely learn a lot from it, but it is a little out of date. Those not of our faith and wanting to learn what we believe would be better off just reading the articles themselves. My rating might be a little high, but I did enjoy this book. It was just a little dense at times.
For those who are interested, here is a link to the Articles of Faith under discussion:
http://scriptures.lds.org/en/a_of_f/1/ show less
Good basics of LDS Gospel. Language is a little cumbersome though.
Un gran tratado de la doctrina de la Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos delos Ultimos Dias, desgrana paso a paso los 13 artÃculos de fe, en lo que los miembros de esta iglesia creen.
Great doctrine, very boring parts though
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57+ Works 2,627 Members
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Articles of Faith
- Original publication date
- 1899
Classifications
- Genres
- Religion & Spirituality, Nonfiction, General Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 230 — Religion Christianity Christianity
- LCC
- BX8635 .T3 — Philosophy, Psychology and Religion Christian Denominations Christian Denominations Protestantism Other Protestant denominations Mormons. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
- BISAC
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- Members
- 679
- Popularity
- 42,088
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (4.09)
- Languages
- English, German
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 21
- ASINs
- 42
