When people talk about Mormonism, they often focus in on small things that are not important, aren’t taught currently, aren’t even practiced today. By doing so they miss an opportunity to understand Mormonism as it lives today and even as it was originally taught.

To understand Mormonism, you must focus on core doctrines, those things which are canonized as official doctrine and taught consistently. While church practices sometimes change, truth does not.

There are a few guidelines that can help you evaluate whether or not a teaching is a core doctrine—or even a true doctrine of Mormonism.

First, it is important to understand that every word spoken by a prophet is not necessarily doctrine, particularly in the earliest days of the church. In the beginnings, the church was run much more informally. People talked among themselves and sometimes others took notes and published those conversations or informal speculations of church leaders.

The Journal of Discourses is the usual source for speculations by people of other religions. Journal of Discourses is not an official church publication and is not used as a source of official doctrine. It was compiled by people who took notes of speeches, prayers, sermons, and other events in shorthand and then transcribed them. However, not all the transcriptions were accurate. None were evaluated by or approved by church leaders as being official pronouncements of doctrine. It was privately published in England to provide income for the owner of the journals, although Brigham Young approved the project as a way for European Mormons to find out what was going on in Utah. It was basically the equivalent of a newspaper. Today, the Mormons own Deseret News, but articles that appear in the newspaper are not considered official doctrine, and neither are articles in the Journal of Discourses. With the availability of modern technology, many errors have been officially documented.

Because the church was small, even in General Conference, today a very formal event, people were free to ask questions. Because Mormonism focuses on continuing revelation and learning “line upon line” much of the doctrine was not yet known. Therefore, leaders sometimes speculated about possible answers. These speculations did not become doctrine unless Brigham Young or other prophets prayed and received confirmation of the truthfulness of the doctrine. Otherwise, it was just personal opinion and even a prophet is allowed to have an opinion.

So how does one know if something is an official doctrine? Both official Mormon websites, Mormon.org (intended for people who are not LDS) and LDS.org (aimed more toward Mormons but open to anyone) contain official statements of doctrine. Look for official announcements there.

It is important to remember that not all doctrine is given equal weight or importance in Mormonism. It is also important to remember that in a church that does not refuse to allow God to continue to speak and to lead, doctrine is given in increasing steps, what Mormons call learning line upon line. This means Mormons have, over the years, been given doctrine suitable just for one time period or doctrine that might be considered beginner doctrine. As the church membership grew and people became more informed about the gospel, God gradually added to their knowledge. An easy way to understand how this works is to read the lesson manuals written for children. Although the same subject might be covered in each age group, older children are given more complex information because they are ready for it. Mormons are taught by God in increasingly sophisticated stages.

Joseph Smith outlined thirteen Articles of Faith that explained the core beliefs of Mormonism at that time. These are still taught and even memorized by children. Reading them can help earnest students of Mormonism, those determined to learn only what is true about Mormons, to recognize core doctrine. The first Article of Faith is the very core of Mormonism:

“We believe in God the eternal Father, in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.”

This creates a foundation on which all other doctrines are based. The first Article of Faith makes possible the fourth, which succinctly summarizes the core of Mormonism:

“We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

Faith in Jesus Christ is critical to the mission and doctrine of Mormon beliefs. Repentance, the second portion of this article of faith, refers to Mormon belief in the atonement of Jesus Christ and the importance of both grace and repentance in the process of living a Christian lifestyle. Baptism, performed after the manner in which Jesus was baptized, allows people to be forgiven of their sins and is a result of grace, which came to us through the atonement. The Holy Ghost was a gift Jesus Himself promised to send to His followers once He was gone.

Another principle of Mormonism is that of continuing revelation. Nowhere does the Bible state that once Jesus died, God would no longer be willing to communicate with His children or to send them prophets. While the apostles lived, they received revelation and guidance from God and functioned as apostles, seers, and revelators. Once they died, God did withdraw for a time, an event known as an apostasy. It is not that God is not willing to have prophets on the earth at any given time, but mortals are not always willing to accept and honor prophets. When this happens, they are the ones who remove the gift of prophecy from the earth. This happened frequently throughout the Bible and happened for the longest period of time after the apostles died.

However, the Bible assures us that God will do nothing except through his prophets. (See Amos 3:7.) This means that in order to prepare us for the return of Jesus Christ, another core doctrine of Mormonism, God must restore prophets to the earth. He did this when He chose Joseph Smith as His first prophet in the last days. Today, the Church is led by Thomas S. Monson, the Mormon prophet.

There is no question as to the need for a prophet in today’s world. A short drive around most towns will show a large number of churches, all with conflicting doctrine. Clearly, original doctrine has been corrupted over time—this process started even during the New Testament times, leaving the apostles to regularly fight to overcome misunderstandings in doctrine. Without a prophet, no man can do any more than just guess at what God wants of us today or of what specific doctrines mean. Modern-day revelation is key to giving people a fair chance to prepare for the Second Coming.

Another core doctrine of Mormonism is family life. Mormon beliefs include strong teachings on the sacredness of the family unit. Families were planned by God to help Him further His work on earth and are one reason we came to earth. Mormons teach that God’s plan for families today are that families consist of one mother and one father and are meant to last forever. Mormons can be married in a Mormon temple and have their marriages “sealed” for time and all eternity. This means they do not get a divorce at death, but continue the marriage forever if they live worthy of God’s greatest blessings. In addition, parents and children are joined together forever, something most people instinctively understand, even if they say they don’t believe it. Listening to comments at a funeral often reveal a deep belief in eternal families. (“Mom and Dad are together again.”)

Central to Mormon doctrine is the Plan of Salvation. It is the story of our eternal life and unifies the most important teachings of the Mormons.

Our stories began when God created our spirits. We lived with Him as spirits for a very long time, learning truth, learning to love God, and deciding what kind of person we wanted to be. Eventually, as is the case with children living at home, we could progress no further without leaving home and going out “into the world, one God and Jesus would prepare for us. He explained that when we went there we would lose our memory of our time with Him because this journey was about faith. However, we would gain bodies and families and the Spirit of Christ would go with us to help us recognize truth if we wanted to find it.

During our time here we would face trials—different trials for each person—and we could choose our responses to them. Agency was, in fact, key to the experience. Our choices would, as Mormon prophet Thomas Monson likes to say, determine our destiny. However, we could not choose the consequences of those actions.

God knew we would all sin, and He wanted to make it possible for us to return to Him even when we did sin. He loves us and wants us all to make it back home. For this reason, He promised to send a Savior who would live on earth for a time, teach the gospel, and take our sins on Himself, saving us through grace. This grace would allow us to rise from the dead, repent, and make it back to God if we kept the commandments. Grace cannot be bought—we do not have, in ourselves, the power to bring about resurrection or forgiveness. However, the Bible is very clear that only those who keep the commandments and who repent of sins will be allowed to return to God.

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). The Bible warns us that faith without works is dead. If you say you believe and accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, you are saying only words unless obedience follows the words.

Some were unwilling to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior, preferring Satan’s unscriptural promise to save people without any risk of any kind. That meant we would also have no agency. We would simply be puppets of Satan and this would render life meaningless. One-third of the spirits chose to follow Satan and were denied the chance to come to earth. All those who were willing to make a commitment to Jesus were allowed to be born.

Life here on earth is not easy, but it is designed to allow us to have opportunities for growth. It allows us to seek out and find truth if at all possible.

But of course, it is not possible for everyone. Some people live their entire lives never having heard of Jesus Christ—some because they lived before He was born and some because the gospel simply never reached them. Over the centuries, theologians have debated what happens to those people. Would God unfairly punish them for something out of their control?

No, of course not. God is loving and fair and He sent us here. This means He will give everyone a fair chance to accept or reject His gospel. Those who die without being given that opportunity will receive it after their death—not a second chance, but a first chance, the only way a loving God would choose to do it. They can, just as we can, accept or reject Jesus Christ’s teachings and accept the blessings and consequences of their choice.

The Plan of Salvation is a kind, loving, and brilliant plan by our Heavenly Father, designed to give us an opportunity to become everything He intended us to become.

As you continue to study official church websites, take note of what Mormons are being currently taught in their classes. The lesson manuals are all openly online. Those teachings are the core. Mormons are impacted only by core doctrines—those taught by current prophets that affect our eternal salvation.

Mormon leaders recently signed an interfaith document reaffirming a commitment to traditional marriage. The document was signed by leaders from the following faiths: Anglican, Baptist, Catholic, Evangelical, Jewish, Lutheran, Mormon, Orthodox, Pentecostal and Sikh.

The statement reminds readers that marriage is not just a religious principle, but a principle that is critical to all of society, since it is the natural foundation for families and is the best way to provide a stable upbringing for children.

“As religious leaders across different faith communities, we join together and affirm our shared commitment to promote and protect marriage as the union of one man and one woman. We honor the unique love between husbands and wives; the indispensible place of fathers and mothers; and the corresponding rights and dignity of all children.”

Archbishop Timothy Dolan said that marriage naturally binds mothers and fathers to each other and to their children. Families are the fundamental unit of society.

Studies have long shown children do best when there is both a mother and a father in the home to provide role modeling and love. For Mormons, the concept of a traditional family takes on an even greater significance in the light of core teachings of the Church. Mormon beliefs consider the family to be the central unit of organization. This family centers around a husband and a wife and any children they might have. It also includes the extended family. Mormon beliefs teach that the family is meant to be eternal. God instructed us not to divorce and so marriage should not end in divorce, whether the traditional kind or the type mandated by a wedding pronounced to be only until death.

While many people outside the Mormon church think marriage is supposed to end at death, when someone dies, their comments usually betray their doubts that a loving God would force you to go to Heaven, where you are promised extraordinary joy, and yet be expected to be happy without those you love most. People will say, “At least Mom and Dad are together again,” or “You’ll see him again when you die.” In our hearts, we know we will not be willing to force ourselves to fall out of love with our spouses or abandon our children at death. A child who dies young stays in our hearts forever, and it brings peace to Mormon parents whose child dies young to know they will someday receive this child back in their lives and that the wonderful love they have built for their families need never end. They do not believe a loving God would take from them those they love most.

For this reason, the traditional family is essential, since it is the type God created when Adam and Eve were married and commanded to have children and it is the only kind of marriage that will exist in the eternities. Mormons believe it would be unkind for couples to form a relationship with no possibility of eternalness, nor would it be right for them to encourage parents to give children parents they cannot possibly keep for eternity. While the causes of homosexuality are a matter of science, Mormons teach that homosexuality was not a part of life prior to birth and will not exist after birth, so a relationship based on a temporary, temporal temptation will not be desired in the eternal life we have been promised.

Because Mormons believe that families are meant to exist forever, they have instigated many programs to help families strengthen their bonds here on earth. This helps the family unit to be loving and strong, able to last a lifetime and then beyond.

One such program is Family Home Evening. Mormon families are encouraged to gather together one night a week, usually on Monday, with no friends or other visitors. They spend the evening just as a family having a meeting that both teaches the family important values and helps them to grow closer together. The meeting is run somewhat like a regular church meeting, in that it has opening and closing songs and prayers, and includes a simple lesson on an important value or doctrinal topic chosen by the family to meet their own needs. However, once the lesson is complete, most families top it off with games and treats to make it a fun experience.

Every member of the family participates in preparing for the meeting. Most families have an assignment board and each family member is given one part of the meeting to plan and carry out. Young children are partnered with someone older. Even a preschooler might be invited to lead the music or teach a lesson with help. This gives them a stake in the success of the meeting and also teaches them important leadership skills. They learn how to work together as a family to create something memorable.

Mormon families generally have morning and evening prayers as individuals, couples, and families (making for a lot of prayers in one day) and a family and personal scripture study. They usually have busy lives filled with work, school, community activities, service, and religious life, but they are taught to simplify as much as possible in order to make more time for their families. They are reminded that family life is eternal, while many other activities are only temporal and it is important to put the eternal first. A family must begin the process of becoming an eternal family here on earth and work hard to make it happen. It requires family members to keep the commandments of God and to build solid relationships.

The emphasis on family life is the key to understanding the reasons behind the Mormon stand on marriage. They have entirely focused their energies on protecting marriage. In Utah, the Church took an official stand of support for a Salt Lake City, Utah law that was proposed to protect housing and employment rights for homosexuals. The law passed, in part due to the support of the Church. The Mormons do not support bullying of homosexuals—or anyone else. They do not support laws that penalize personal choices in ways that have no eternal significance, such as preventing someone from being able to have a home or a job.

Located in Henning, Tennessee near Memphis, The Alex Haley Museum and Interpretive Center is located in a home built by the maternal grandfather of Alex Haley. Haley lived there with his grandparents for eight years, as well as for many summers following. He often sat on the front porch listening to stories of his slave and African ancestors, which he later wrote about in the history making book, Roots: The Saga of An American Family. It won a Pulitzer prize and was made into a mini-series that captivated viewers, sparking a passion for genealogy among many.

The museum was dedicated on August 13, 2010. Visitors can see how Haley lived and view memorabilia, as well as Alex Haley’s grave. In addition, they can visit the FamilySearch Center, sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are commonly called Mormons. Mormons are noted for their genealogy work and volunteers at this center will assist visitors in tracking down their own roots. Haley’s son, William Haley, stated that he considers LDS resources very valuable for African-American researchers and he regularly sends people to LDS family history centers, located in most LDS (Mormon) church buildings. These centers are always open to the general public and are staffed with knowledgeable volunteers.

The Mormons have also released the Freedman’s Bank records on CD, which is a searchable database of African Americans living for several generations after the Civil War.

At the center, you’ll find two kiosks where you can learn to use the FamilySearch website under the guidance of volunteers to search for your family. Then you can return home to continue your search on your own. The volunteers can also guide you to other sources for information on your ancestors.

Mormons believe family life goes far beyond this life. They teach that God planned for families to last for all of eternity, and this gives family history work a special meaning to Mormons. Mormon beliefs teach that when we die, we will live with our families and will be connected to all those in our family who came before us. By doing family history work in this life, they become familiar with the people they will spend eternity with. For Mormons, death is both a return to their Heavenly Father and their Savior Jesus Christ, and a giant family reunion.

Watch this video from LDS Public Affairs on the dedication of the museum and see what Haley’s family and others have to say about African-American family history:

At the World Congress of Families V in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on Aug. 12, 2009, Russell M. Nelson spoke to the delegates about the importance of the traditional family. Elder Nelson is an apostle for The Church of Jesus Christ of

 Latter-day Saints, whose members are sometimes informally referred to as Mormons. He said,

“Dear friends, future happiness and even the future of nations is linked to children. Families with children need to be re-enthroned as the fundamental unit of society. We simply must value children more than we do! Without a new generation to replace the old, there is no wealth; without families, there is no future.”

The traditional family is a fundamental principle of Mormonism. Mormon beliefs center around Jesus Christ as the head of the church, and the family as the fundamental building block of society. Children learn their first values from their parents, and parents should always be the primary teachers of values. Churches and other organizations can only support the family in this process, not replace it.

Mormons have many programs to support families. Some involve practices carried out in the home. A practice that has received much attention and has been emulated by many who are not Mormon is the Family Home Evening program. Every Monday night, Mormon families turn off the telephone and close the doors to outsiders. This evening is devoted entirely to strengthening the family. Generally, the family-only meeting begins with a song and prayer and the conducting of family business. Then a lesson on an essential spiritual or moral lesson is taught. Following the lesson, families play games and enjoy treats before closing with a song and family prayer.

A unique feature of Family Home Evening is that each family member participates in the program. Most families have a chart that rotates assignments, often pairing young children with someone older. In the security of the home, children learn to lead a meeting, conduct a song, offer a public prayer, and teach a lesson. The meeting gives parents an opportunity to share sacred beliefs with their children and for children to learn and share their own beliefs. It also serves to strengthen the family bonds, which increases the ability of the parents to influence their children over the years.

The prayers offered in this meeting are only two of many given in the home. Mormon families gather for family prayer twice a day, in addition to their personal prayers and the prayers of the husband and wife together. Generally, the morning prayer includes a brief devotional, in which family members read the scriptures together and discuss them. Once again, parents have an opportunity to demonstrate how important Jesus and His gospel are to them, and to spend time with their children.

On Sundays, families attend the main worship service together. Even babies and small children are welcome and the increase in noise and movement from the little ones is accepted without complaint by church members because they understand how critical this meeting is for children. Even though the toddlers and babies do not understand much of what is said, they are experiencing church snuggled in a parent’s arms or playing quietly beside them, making their first memories of church pleasant. As they become a little older parents are able to begin training their children to be reverent in the church setting, rather than leaving it to teachers. All learning begins in the home.

The Mormons value their children. They have worked to create programs that support parents in the challenging work of training children to live the gospel. Organizational leaders and teachers understand they do not replace or come first before the parent, but only support them in their efforts by being an additional witness of the truth.

Formal classes begin at eighteen months. After attending the main worship service, known as Sacrament Meeting, as a family, families split up for various classes. The toddlers, ages eighteen months to three years of age, attend the Nursery Class. Here, although there is some playtime, children learn in age-appropriate and fun ways about Jesus Christ and His teachings. Older children have more structured classes, but which also teach through activities and music. Children ages eight to twelve have a weekday program as well. In most areas, boys belong to the Cub Scouting program through the church and girls belong to Activity Days. In areas where Boy Scouting isn’t approved, the boys use the girls’ program.

In these programs, children learn to set and achieve goals, to put gospel principles into action in the real world, master practical life skills, and serve others. For instance, girls might learn to hand sew and then make hand-sewn toys for needy children after learning that Christ taught us to serve others. A group of young boys might learn to cook simple meals for themselves and then make cookies to take to a retirement home. The gospel taught on Sunday is put into practice during their weeknight activities.

Mormon families are regularly counseled to put their families first, making certain employment and civic activities don’t get out of balance and deprive children of active parents. The Church offers parenting classes and many lessons include help for parents. Church men and women can turn to other parents for support and mentoring on an informal basis as well, because congregations are assigned by geographical boundaries and normally include a wide range of ages and experiences.

These support systems are one reason Mormon families are noted for their lower divorce rate. Both marriage and parenting are considered priorities in a Mormon home. Because marriage that takes place in a Mormon temple is forever, and not just until death, Mormons have a strong motivation to create strong loving families that can continue into eternal life. Husbands and wives can continue to be married after death, and children can continue to belong to their parents.

Society has a vested interest in the well-being of its families. At the same conference, Sheri L. Dew, also a Mormon, said, “We all know that every nation is ultimately at the mercy of its families. If families are riddled with problems, society eventually collapses under the weight of problems too vast for any government to meet. If families are strong, society is strong.” (See Sheri L. Dew: The Power of Virtue.)

In order for our society to succeed, we must begin to put families first and value the work of the parents who care for children. We must treat the children as if they matter.

Those who read the Bible remember that there was a day when Jesus had been working long, hard hours. A group of parents showed up late in the day with their children, but the apostles turned them away. However, the Savior summoned the children to Him, instructing His apostles to never turn away children. He demonstrated for His followers that day that He made children a priority, even during times of exhaustion. He understood that what children learn as children they generally take into adulthood. For this reason, we can’t wait until we have time to take care of the children of our world. As Elder Nelson said in the statement at the start of this article, “Families with children need to be re-enthroned as the fundamental unit of society.”

On August 10, 2009, Sheri L. Dew, CEO of Deseret Book and a former General Relief Society President for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, spoke before the World Congress of Families V in Amsterdam, Netherlands. She offered this warning to nations and their families:

“We all know that every nation is ultimately at the mercy of its families. If families are riddled with problems, society eventually collapses under the weight of problems too vast for any government to meet. If families are strong, society is strong.” (See Sheri L. Dew: The Power of Virtue.)

Laws can demonstrate a nation’s priorities and enforce behavior, but deep, lasting change happens on a more personal level. When we read biographies of famous people, they nearly always begin with a study of the person’s family history and demonstrate how that affected the person’s choices in life. Parents and other family members have the most opportunity to influence the thinking and behavior of their children. While each person has agency—the right to choose for themselves how to live—children are most likely to eventually emulate their parents.

A parent has access to a child’s mind at the ages in which a child is most easily influenced. A child who grows up doing service projects from his earliest moments will consider that a natural way of life, just the way people live. A child who lives in a home filled with books will feel uneasy being in one without them. A child who has gone to church with his family every Sunday of his life will feel an odd little urge at the appointed time if he grows up and tries to stop going, especially if it was a pleasant experience.

It’s when a child is small that we have the best chance of helping him become the right sort of person. Those people who spend the most time with the child each day have the most influence.

Once a child has his values in place, he goes into the world to live accordingly. As an adult, it is very likely his life will reflect the way he was raised. The details may be different, but the overall values will be the same. This is why nations are at the mercy of families. Citizenship classes are not the means for creating good citizens, although they might help. It’s the family nations depend on to train up a child in the way he should go.

If we want the hungry fed, we have to take our children to a food bank with a bag of groceries so they will continue the battle when they grow up. If we want an educated population, we need parents who read to their children, take them on educational outings, and arouse their curiosity about the world. If we want a generation that obeys the law, we first need parents who set the example by obeying the law themselves and who talk to their children about this.

Nations are at the mercy of families, and this is very good news. It gives families a good amount of control over the world in which they live. While setting the course for your own family may not seem like much of a change, each of your children can go on to influence hundreds more, and within a few generations, influence multitudes of family members, in addition to people in the outside world. The Mormons have a number of traditions and routines which can help to strengthen families of any faith, and are easily adaptable to the faith of any given family.

One is family home evening. Each Monday night, Mormon families gather together to pray, sing, learn the gospel as taught by their own family members, and play. This treasured tradition ensures parents have an opportunity to impart values to their children. It also helps them strengthen the bonds that will increase the chances the child will emulate his parents.

Another tradition is family prayer and family scripture study. Mormon families gather each morning for a brief devotional which includes a family prayer, scripture study and discussion. In a busy day it can be a challenge for parents to get everyone together for those fifteen to twenty minutes each morning, but they find the benefits far outweigh the challenges.

Mormon families also attend church together. From birth, children sit in the basic worship service, known as Sacrament Meeting, with their families. While this admittedly makes Mormon services a bit noisier and busier as toddlers escape their parents and babies whimper, these children never know a day when church has not been part of their Sabbath. They spend the meetings cuddling with a parent or playing quietly in their seat, and this time becomes a treasured memory and a critical routine. Only after this service do children go into classes meant just for them while their parents attend their own meetings. Mormons don’t drop their children off at church; they attend with them.

Small additions to the week can make a big difference in setting the stage for the future of our nations. As parents give children the values and the skills they will need to be good citizens and to fix the challenges our world faces, those children grow up to influence yet another generation. While it’s not an over-night cure for what ails our world, it is the most certain way to improve it for the long-term.

Gordon B. Hinckley, the previous Mormon prophet, said:

I am more concerned about the moral deficit in our nations than I am about their budget deficits, though that, too, is a most serious matter. Do societies need more policemen? I do not dispute it. Do societies need more prisons? I suppose so. But what they need, above all else, is a strengthening of the homes of the people. Every child is a product of a home. Societies are having terrible youth problems, but I am convinced that they have a greater parent problem. I am grateful that we of the Church have for a long time taught and are teaching and spending a substantial part of our resources to fortify the homes of our people….What can be done? We cannot effect a turnaround in a day or a month or a year. But I am satisfied that with enough effort we can begin a turnaround within a generation and accomplish wonders within two generations. That is not very long in the history of man. There is nothing any of us can do that will have greater longtime benefit than to rekindle wherever possible the spirit of the kind of homes in which goodness can flourish.

(See Gordon B. Hinckley, “Four Simple Things to Help Our Families and Our Nations,” Ensign, Sep 1996, 2.)