MormonBasics.com provides simple explanations of LDS doctrine, lifestyle, and vocabulary. It answers questions about the hows and whys of what we do in the Church.

The website was created by a member of the Church who wanted to help make the gospel of Christ simple and accessible to the average member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Kelly Merrill, the author of the website, has taught in the Church his whole adult life. The more he taught those who were new to the Church, the more he began to see that their questions were very similar to those who were life-long members.

Mormonbasics.com has four goals to help the members of the Church:

1. Teach the basic beliefs of the Church and explain them in words and concepts that are easy to understand.
2. Help members understand the more complicated doctrines of the gospel in simple terms by breaking down the doctrines into their basic parts so they are easier to grasp.
3. Define what we mean when we use certain words in the Church.
4. Strengthen the faith of those who are already members of the Church and answer the questions of those who are just being introduced to the gospel.

The site includes a dictionary of LDS words and phrases. These definitions cover doctrine, titles in the Church, lifestyle words, and common usage words. The dictionary is a work in progress and anyone is welcome to suggest new words they would like to have defined.

The site also has doctrinal articles, such as “The Three Degrees of Behavior,” which explains how we can choose which of the three degrees of glory we inherit by the behaviors we choose each day.

An article about a modern topic explains how the priesthood relates to men and women alike. “To Have or to Hold – Women and the Priesthood” contains a summary of a general conference talk by Joseph Fielding Smith from 1970.

Under the goal of strengthening faith is an article that can help us when we begin to wonder if the Lord is with us. Why are our prayers not being answered? Why have we been left alone? The article “What to do When the Heavens Withdraw” talks about lessons we can learn from this trial of our faith.

There are also articles with commentary on the Relief Society and priesthood lesson manuals and on the hymns of the Church. There is a growing list of places for members to explore online.

Look through the list of Categories in the right margin of the site. Articles under “Expectations” explain what is expected of members of the Church. “Mormonism for Other Faiths” provides articles for those not of our faith. Articles in the “How Do I Do This?” category give simple explanations of how to perform ordinances.