Browse our library of religious overviews or take the exam and get certified in the religion of your choice absolutely FREE!
You can browse our library below for free and with no sign in required. If you choose to take any of our exams, you can do so free of charge; however, you will need to register for a free account and verify your email address.
Our mission is to educate people about the various religions in our world. Understanding religious tenets fosters dialogue and open & honest conversations. That starts with an understanding of at least the fundamentals for each religion.
Mormonism, especially as practiced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is a highly scriptural religious tradition. Latter-day Saints use the Bible along with additional sacred texts, including the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. Together, these texts are sometimes called the standard works, meaning the official scriptural collection used by the church.
Sacred texts in Mormonism are closely connected to distinctive Latter-day Saint teachings about restoration, revelation, priesthood authority, prophecy, temple worship, family, covenant, and human spiritual progression. These texts are used in worship, teaching, missionary work, personal study, church leadership, and family religious life.
This lesson introduces the major sacred texts of Mormonism from a neutral academic perspective.
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
Mormonism is deeply shaped by sacred texts. A sacred text is a writing that a religious community treats as authoritative for belief, practice, worship, or identity. In Latter-day Saint life, scripture is used for teaching, preaching, personal study, moral instruction, family devotion, and church decision-making.
Mormonism developed in the 19th-century United States, a setting where many Christian communities debated scripture, authority, prophecy, salvation, and the proper structure of the church. Latter-day Saint tradition introduced additional scripture and the idea that revelation continued in modern times.
This makes sacred texts central to Mormonism’s self-understanding. Scripture is not only a record of the past; it is also connected to ongoing authority and religious guidance.
The standard works are the official scriptural books used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They include:
These texts form the basic scriptural canon of the church. A canon is an officially recognized collection of sacred texts.
The standard works are used in Sunday worship, religious education, missionary teaching, personal study, and church curriculum. They provide the foundation for many Latter-day Saint doctrines and practices.
The Bible is one of the standard works in Mormonism. Latter-day Saints use both the Old Testament and the New Testament. In English-speaking Latter-day Saint contexts, the King James Version has historically held special importance.
The Old Testament contains texts connected to ancient Israel, including law, narrative, poetry, prophecy, and wisdom literature. The New Testament contains texts about Jesus, early Christian communities, letters, and apocalyptic literature.
Latter-day Saints interpret the Bible through the broader framework of restoration and modern revelation. This means that biblical interpretation is often connected to other Latter-day Saint scriptures and teachings.
The Book of Mormon is one of the central sacred texts of Mormonism. It was published in 1830 and is presented within Latter-day Saint tradition as a record of ancient peoples in the Americas and their relationship with God.
The title comes from Mormon, a figure within the text described as a compiler and record keeper. The Book of Mormon includes narrative, sermons, prophecies, moral teachings, and accounts centered on Jesus Christ as understood in Latter-day Saint tradition.
The Book of Mormon is important because it supports Latter-day Saint claims about restoration, modern revelation, and Joseph Smith’s prophetic role. It is used in missionary work, personal study, worship, teaching, and family religious life.
Joseph Smith, the founder of the Latter-day Saint movement, described the Book of Mormon as a translated ancient record. Translation usually means rendering a text from one language into another. In Latter-day Saint tradition, the translation of the Book of Mormon is understood as a religious process connected to revelation.
Academic scholars have studied the Book of Mormon in several ways: as scripture, as 19th-century American religious literature, as a text central to Latter-day Saint identity, and as a source of theological and historical debate.
A neutral academic approach distinguishes between how believers understand the text’s origin and how scholars analyze its literary, historical, cultural, and religious significance.
The Doctrine and Covenants is a collection of revelations, teachings, and statements connected to the organization, doctrine, governance, and practice of the Latter-day Saint movement.
Many sections are associated with Joseph Smith, though later additions are also included. The text addresses topics such as priesthood authority, church offices, missionary work, temple practice, community organization, moral conduct, and theological instruction.
The Doctrine and Covenants is especially important because it shows the role of modern revelation in Latter-day Saint religious life. Rather than being presented as an ancient record, much of it is connected to the modern development of the church.
The Pearl of Great Price is a collection of shorter texts included among the standard works. It contains several writings important to Latter-day Saint belief and identity.
The Pearl of Great Price includes texts such as the Book of Moses, the Book of Abraham, Joseph Smith’s account of his early religious experiences, and the Articles of Faith. The Articles of Faith are a short summary of Latter-day Saint beliefs originally written by Joseph Smith.
This collection contributes to Latter-day Saint teachings about creation, pre-earth life, prophetic authority, scripture, priesthood, and church identity.
Revelation refers to communication or guidance understood by a religious community as coming from God. In Mormonism, revelation is a central concept. Latter-day Saint tradition teaches that God continues to guide the church through prophets, scripture, and spiritual guidance.
This belief is often described as continuing revelation, meaning that revelation did not end in the biblical period. Continuing revelation helps explain why Mormonism includes scripture beyond the Bible and why modern church leadership is considered religiously significant.
Continuing revelation does not mean that every statement by a church leader becomes scripture. Formal scriptural status involves institutional processes and community recognition.
Restoration refers to the belief that original Christian authority, teachings, ordinances, and church organization were restored through modern revelation. Sacred texts are central to this idea because they provide the narrative and doctrinal foundation for Latter-day Saint identity.
The Book of Mormon supports the idea that God’s dealings with humanity extend beyond the biblical world. The Doctrine and Covenants supports the idea that revelation continued in the modern period. The Pearl of Great Price expands Latter-day Saint teachings about creation, prophecy, and spiritual history.
Together, these texts support the Latter-day Saint understanding of the church as restored rather than merely reformed.
Sacred texts in Mormonism often discuss covenants and ordinances. A covenant is a solemn religious promise or agreement. An ordinance is a sacred religious act or ceremony.
Latter-day Saint ordinances include baptism, confirmation, priesthood ordination, temple ceremonies, and marriage sealing. These practices are connected to scriptural teachings about authority, commitment, community membership, and eternal life.
Sacred texts provide both theological explanations and practical instruction for these ordinances. They also connect ritual practice to broader Latter-day Saint teachings about family, salvation, and spiritual progression.
Latter-day Saint worship and education make regular use of scripture. Weekly church meetings often include sermons, lessons, and discussions based on the standard works. Families and individuals are also encouraged to study scripture outside formal worship.
Scripture is used in missionary teaching, youth instruction, seminary and institute programs, leadership training, and personal decision-making. Seminary is a religious education program for youth, while institute is a religious education program often associated with young adults.
These educational structures show how sacred texts shape Latter-day Saint identity across generations.
Sacred texts are also important in Latter-day Saint family life. Families may read scripture together, discuss religious teachings, pray, and connect scriptural stories to daily decisions.
Family scripture study reflects the importance of family in Latter-day Saint teaching. It also helps transmit religious identity, moral expectations, and community belonging from one generation to another.
The degree of daily practice varies among members, but scripture remains a major resource for teaching children, shaping family routines, and maintaining religious identity.
Sacred texts in Mormonism have generated discussion and debate. These debates may involve translation, historical evidence, authorship, archaeology, theology, race, gender, authority, and changes in church practice.
Interpretation refers to the process of explaining the meaning of a text. In Latter-day Saint communities, interpretation may involve scripture, church leadership, personal study, prayer, educational materials, and historical scholarship.
Academic study examines how Latter-day Saint texts are read by believers, analyzed by scholars, used in institutions, and debated in public discussions.
Mormonism is now a global religious movement. As Latter-day Saint communities have expanded around the world, sacred texts have been translated into many languages and used in many cultural settings.
Translation makes scripture accessible to wider communities, but it can also raise questions about meaning, language, culture, and interpretation. Terms such as priesthood, covenant, restoration, and revelation may carry different associations in different languages and cultures.
The global use of Latter-day Saint scripture shows how sacred texts can help unify a religious community while also being interpreted in diverse cultural contexts.
Mormonism uses the Bible along with additional scriptures that support its teachings about restoration, revelation, authority, and modern religious identity.
How might a religious community’s understanding of scripture change when it believes revelation can continue beyond the ancient past?
Standard Works
The official scriptural books used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: the Bible, the
Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price.
Canon
An officially recognized collection of sacred texts.
Revelation
Communication or guidance understood by a religious community as coming from God.
Restoration
The belief that original Christian authority, teachings, ordinances, and church organization were
restored through modern revelation.
Covenant
A solemn religious promise or agreement.
