The Articles of Faith are a set of 13 core belief statements that were written by Joseph Smith in 1842 as a response to a newspaper editor’s request for information about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Articles of Faith were officially canonized as scripture in 1880. Watch the video “Articles of Faith.”

The Articles of Faith describe fundamental beliefs about the nature of God, the mission and Atonement of Jesus Christ, and the holy scriptures. They also address the importance of religious freedom, tolerance for the beliefs of others, missionary work, baptism, and obedience to secular laws and governments.

The Articles of Faith provide a good summary of the beliefs of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but they do not include all the Church’s beliefs. Members of the Church believe in continuing revelation—in other words, God’s continuing communication with people on earth, which allows for new doctrine to be given. The Articles of Faith contain messages that help people become better followers of Jesus Christ so that they can return to live with God.

Learn more in the Gospel Topic “Articles of Faith.”

Watch other videos in the “Now You Know” video series.