Church Doctrine

Do You Know What You Believe?

Justin Baer

For much of my life, I’ve been curious about what other people have said about my religion. I’ve read a little bit about other religions, but I’ve read a lot more of what other people have said about my religion. It’s caused me to look inward, to search, and to wonder what I believe, and why I believe.

Recently, I’ve been watching YouTube videos of people from other religions exploring the beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and it’s been interesting to hear them give their opinion of what Latter-day Saints believe. These are people who know members of the Church, who live in Utah, who have studied Latter-day Saint beliefs, and have even talked with missionaries, and yet what they say about my Church is pretty different from what I believe.

This has caused me to wonder why I believe what I believe. I have pondered about what sources I trust, what I study, and how I have gained my convictions. This post addresses two statements that I recently heard that are quite contrary to what I believe, but which are fundamental to my convictions.

So, what do you believe? Where do you get your information? Why do you believe what you believe?

My history with other beliefs

When I was 15 my family went to the Portland temple open house.1 While we were waiting outside, I remember a nice lady handing me a pamphlet with a picture of the temple on it. I put it in my pocket, and promptly forgot about it. When I got home, I took the pamphlet out of my pocket and flipped through it. I was shocked at the horrible things it said about my Church. I grew up in Lehi, Utah. What is now a sprawling metropolis (as that term can be used in a state like Utah), was then a very small community. I graduated from Lehi High School in 1992, and in my graduating class of 192 students, I knew one person who was not a member of the Church. And even he attended seminary. So the horrible comments in this pamphlet really took me by surprise.

I served a mission in the Chile Osorno Mission from 1993 to 1995. This gave me exposure to people who professed to be Catholic. As I spoke with them, I was often surprised at how much they didn’t seem to understand about their own religion. It made me wonder how much I knew about my own beliefs.

I attended a study-abroad program at the BYU Jerusalem Center from January to June in 1996. While there, I had a professor named Roger Keller.2 He served as a chaplain at a Presbyterian College and had a career as both a Presbyterian and a Methodist minister.3 In some of the classes I took from him during that study abroad program, he said some things that seemed contrary to what I thought I believed. It confused me: was he wrong, or did I not understand my own beliefs? To be clear, he never caused me to question my faith, but he pushed me to study, explore, ponder my beliefs, and to determine for myself what I believed, and why. I will always be grateful for Roger Keller and his example. His example encouraged me to make the effort to understand what I believe.

In my late 30s, I started studying Church History, and in conjunction with that effort, I read a lot of things that were quite critical of the Church. That caused me to turn to sources I trusted. So although I was reading things that were contrary to my beliefs, I made a greater effort to search out and explore reliable sources. I largely attribute that to Roger Keller, who has become one of my personal heroes.

So, I ask again, do you know what you believe? In this information age, are you influenced by people who are critical of the Church? Are you learning about your beliefs from people who don’t understand those beliefs? Or do you put in the effort to research and investigate using authorized sources?

Misunderstanding 1: “For Latter-day Saints, other books like the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price are more authoritative than the scriptures. Latter-day Saints value other books more than the Bible, so they don’t know the Gospels very well.”

This statement is contrary to the Articles of Faith: “We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.”4

From my own experience, I have felt an encouragement to study the Bible just as much as the other books that we consider scripture. As I mentioned, I attended study abroad at the BYU Jerusalem Center.5 During my time there, I took classes focused on the Old Testament, the Gospels, the writings of Paul, and one class dedicated solely to the Gospel of John. The Church’s current curriculum alternates every four years, with the Old Testament and the New Testament being the courses of study for two of those four years.6

I believe this misunderstanding stems from a fairly significant difference in how we define “scripture.” We assert that the true Gospel of Jesus Christ was restored through the instrumentality of Joseph Smith. Several of the early revelations given to Joseph taught about the importance of prophets, and what it meant for a prophet to act as the Lord’s representative on the earth. For example, the Lord said that he “called upon my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and spake unto him from heaven, and gave him commandments.”7

In another example, someone other than Joseph was claiming to receive revelations for the Church. When Joseph asked the Lord about this, the Lord said, “[N]o one shall be appointed to receive commandments and revelations in this church excepting my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., for he receiveth them even as Moses.”8

I believe this same pattern of prophetic authority is shown in the Bible when the Lord said to Peter, “[T]hou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”9 It was with that authority that Peter received the command of the Lord to take the gospel to the Gentiles, which was at that time contrary to the long tradition of the Jews.10

As I have studied the Bible, I have become convinced that every word has been delivered to us by a prophet. Even the details of the Savior’s own life and ministry have been told to us by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. I value the words of prophets, whether ancient or modern.

Elder Ezra Taft Benson, then of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, gave a talk at BYU titled, “Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet.”11 His first point was, “The prophet is the only man who speaks for the Lord in everything,” and he cited Doctrine and Covenants 21:4-6, which says, “his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.”12 In that sense, scriptures are defined as “Words, both written and spoken, by holy men of God when moved upon by the Holy Ghost.”13

Elder Benson then told a story that was recounted by Wilford Woodruff:

“I will refer to a certain meeting I attended in the town of Kirtland in my early days. . . [A] leading man in the Church got up and talked upon the subject, and said: ‘You have got the word of God before you here in the Bible, Book of Mormon, and Doctrine and Covenants; you have the written word of God, and you who give revelations should give revelations according to those books, as what is written in those books is the word of God. We should confine ourselves to them.’

“When he concluded, Brother Joseph turned to Brother Brigham Young and said, ‘Brother Brigham, I want you to take the stand and tell us your views with regard to the living oracles and the written word of God.’ Brother Brigham took the stand, and he took the Bible, and laid it down; and he took the Book of Mormon, and laid it down; and he took the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, and laid it down before him, and he said: ‘There is the written word of God to us, concerning the work of God from the beginning of the world, almost, to our day. And now,’ said he, ‘when compared with the living oracles those books are nothing to me; those books do not convey the word of God direct to us now, as do the words of a Prophet or a man bearing the Holy Priesthood in our day and generation. I would rather have the living oracles than all the writing in the books.’ That was the course he pursued. When he was through, Brother Joseph said to the congregation: ‘Brother Brigham has told you the word of the Lord, and he has told you the truth.'”14

I believe that God calls prophets. I sustain Russell M. Nelson, the current President of the Church, as a prophet, seer, and revelator, and as the only person on the earth authorized to exercise all priesthood keys.15 I have studied the recent general conference (from April 2025),16 and have been fascinated at the number of footnotes for each talk. I don’t remember every single talk having footnotes, and I’m not sure when they started doing that, but most talks now give references for every source cited. I asked Copilot to go through the footnotes and give me the total number of references for each book of scripture. Understanding that AI is not perfect, it provided the following information:

  • Total scripture references in footnotes from the April 2025 General Conference: 53017
  • 92 references from the Old Testament (16.2% of the total)
  • 201 references from the New Testament (35.4% of the total)
  • 143 references from the Book of Mormon (25.2% of the total)
  • 78 references from the Doctrine and Covenants (13.7% of the total)
  • 16 references from the Pearl of Great Price (2.8% of the total)

This result shows that the greatest number of scripture references in the April 2025 General Conference were from the New Testament. This is a remarkable example of how highly we regard the New Testament.

So, I believe the scriptures, all of them. I hold the Old Testament and New Testament in high regard just as I do the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants, and just as I do the words of the living prophets. Yes, I believe that the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants are scripture, and I believe that the words of the living prophets are scripture. I believe that “scripture” is different from “canon,” and so I also regard general conference materials and the general handbook of the Church as scripture.

Misunderstanding 2: “For Latter-day Saints, Christ is not God. Mormons aren’t Christians in that regard because for them, Christ is not fully God and fully man. Latter-day Saints say they follow Christ, but they are not Christian because they do not believe that Jesus is God in the fullest sense, the one true transcendent God who was incarnate.”

That is different from what I believe. I believe that Christ is God.

Perhaps this misunderstanding stems from truths learned in the restoration. Through Joseph Smith’s First Vision, we learned that the Father and the Son are two separate personages.18 To be honest, I’m not sure I understand the “Christian” concept of deity, but I understand my beliefs. And I believe that the Book of Mormon is clear that Jesus Christ is God.

There are many references in the Book of Mormon to “God Himself” condescending to atone for His people:

  • “[S]alvation doth not come by the law alone; and were it not for the atonement, which God himself shall make for the sins and iniquities of his people, that they must unavoidably perish.” Mosiah 13:28.
  • “Have [all the prophets] not said that God himself should come down among the children of men, and take upon him the form of man, and go forth in mighty power upon the face of the earth? Yea, and have they not said also that he should bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, and that he, himself, should be oppressed and afflicted?” Mosiah 13:34-35.
  • “God himself shall come down among the children of men, and shall redeem his people.” Mosiah 15:1.
  • “God himself atoneth for the sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also.” Alma 42:15.

Those are not the only references, just the ones that say the words “God himself.” In one of the greatest teachings of the Book of Mormon, the prophet Nephi was asked about the “condescension of God,” and was then shown the Savior’s birth.19 I believe that Latter-day Saint theology is clear, and it is my belief that Jesus Christ is and was the Great Jehovah, the God of the Old Testament. He condescended to take upon himself a mortal body. He atoned for the sins of His people. I believe that it is this truth that was emphasized by the Savior when he revealed the meaning of John the Baptist’s teaching:

“Therefore, in the beginning the Word was, for he was the Word, even the messenger of salvation—The light and the Redeemer of the world; the Spirit of truth, who came into the world, because the world was made by him, and in him was the life of men and the light of men. The worlds were made by him; men were made by him; all things were made by him, and through him, and of him. And I, John, bear record that I beheld his glory, as the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, even the Spirit of truth, which came and dwelt in the flesh, and dwelt among us. And I, John, saw that he received not of the fulness at the first, but received grace for grace; And he received not of the fulness at first, but continued from grace to grace, until he received a fulness; And thus he was called the Son of God, because he received not of the fulness at the first.”20

The Savior said it was important for us to understand those words, so we “may understand and know how to worship, and know what [we] worship.”21

There is a significant teaching in the Book of Mormon that explains how the Father and the Son are one:

“God himself shall come down among the children of men, and shall redeem his people. And because he dwelleth in flesh he shall be called the Son of God, and having subjected the flesh to the will of the Father, being the Father and the Son—The Father, because he was conceived by the power of God; and the Son, because of the flesh; thus becoming the Father and Son—And they are one God, yea, the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth.”22

Now, I believe this very important teaching is different from stating that our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are two separate personages. Instead, I believe in these verses the prophet Abinadi referred to the Great Jehovah as the Father, and he was explaining that the very personage of Jehovah took upon himself a mortal body, and was then known as the Son of God. I believe this teaching explains that “God Himself” atoned for His people.

In 1916, a statement was given by the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explaining what it meant that the Father and the Son are one.23 They defined the term “Father,” using the following meanings:

  • “Father” as Literal Parent. (“God the Eternal Father, whom we designate by the exalted name-title ‘Elohim,’ is the literal Parent of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and of the spirits of the human race.”)
  • “Father” as Creator. (“[S]criptures that refer to God in any way as the Father of the heavens and the earth are to be understood as signifying that God is the Maker, the Organizer, the Creator of the heavens and the earth. . . . With this meaning, as the context shows in every case. Jehovah, who is Jesus Christ the Son of Elohim. is called ‘the Father’, and even ‘the very eternal Father of heaven and of earth.'”)
  • Jesus Christ is the “Father” of those who abide in His gospel. (“A third sense in which Jesus Christ is regarded as the ‘Father’ has reference to the relationship between Him and those who accept His Gospel and thereby become heirs of eternal life. . . . Men may become children of Jesus Christ by being born anew—born of God, as the inspired word states.”)
  • Jesus Christ is the “Father” by divine investiture of authority. (“In all His dealings with the human family Jesus the Son has represented and yet represents Elohim His Father in power and authority.”)

It is vital that we understand the nature of God. This is, as Jesus Himself said, life eternal.24 As I have studied the scriptures and the words of the prophets, and as I have made an effort to come to know Jesus Christ by following His command to “repent,”25 I am convinced that Jesus Christ is God. It is the only way His atonement could be infinite and eternal.26 His atonement was not a “human sacrifice,” but it was “infinite and eternal” because He is “endless,” and “Endless is [His] name.”27

It’s simply not accurate for someone not of my faith to tell me that for me, Christ is not God. My belief might not fit within the traditional Christian definition of deity, but I certainly believe that Christ is God.

Do you know what you believe?

These are only two examples. They were statements from a video I watched recently, and they really caught my attention because the statements are contrary to what I believe, although they were attempting to explain Latter-day Saint theology. They are statements made by people trying to explain my faith, even though they clearly don’t understand it.

Pondering these statements has taught me many lessons. One significant lesson is that as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, if I want to understand my beliefs, I need to study from authoritative sources, primarily the teachings of the prophets and apostles, whether those are found in general conference, the general handbook, training materials, or canonized as scripture.

Another lesson is that I need to be careful about trying to explain the beliefs of others. The Lord Himself said, “And of tenets thou shalt not talk, but thou shalt declare repentance and faith on the Savior, and remission of sins by baptism, and by fire, yea, even the Holy Ghost.”28 In other words, it is not my place to debate, criticize, or even explain other faiths. We teach the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. We testify of our own personal experiences and our own personal knowledge. We don’t presume what other people have experienced, or why they make the decisions they do.

I have a lot to learn. There are a lot of things I don’t understand. I have a lot of questions. But there are things that I know. And in regard to those things, I know them because I have studied the words of the prophets, and I have sought knowledge by relying on the Holy Ghost. If you have questions, if you want to learn more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, research and study from authorized sources. Don’t rely on people not of our faith. As good as their intentions might be, they don’t know our beliefs. And even people within our faith are striving to understand, so their understanding might not be entirely accurate. The only way to gain true knowledge is to learn from authorized sources and the Holy Ghost. If we make assumptions, if we listen to people who don’t know, or even if we think we learn simply by watching others, we just might miss the mark.29

References

  1. The Portland Oregon Temple was dedicated on August 19, 1989, so I would have been 15 at the time of the dedication. See “Portland Oregon Temple,” at https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/temples/details/portland-oregon-temple?lang=eng. I don’t remember when I visited, but it would have been in the months leading up to the dedication, so I would have been 15. ↩︎
  2. See a brief bio and some of his publications at https://rsc.byu.edu/author/keller-roger-r. ↩︎
  3. Ibid. ↩︎
  4. Articles of Faith 1:8. ↩︎
  5. See details for the program at https://jerusalemcenter.ce.byu.edu/home. ↩︎
  6. See generally, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/manual/come-follow-me/2025?lang=eng. ↩︎
  7. Doctrine and Covenants 1:17. ↩︎
  8. Doctrine and Covenants 28:2. ↩︎
  9. Matthew 16:18-19. ↩︎
  10. Acts 10:9-48, “[T]hey of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.” ↩︎
  11. Ezra Taft Benson, “Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet,” February 26, 1980, https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/ezra-taft-benson/fourteen-fundamentals-following-prophet/. ↩︎
  12. Doctrine and Covenants 21:5. ↩︎
  13. Guide to the Scriptures, “Scriptures,” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/gs/scriptures?lang=eng&id=p1#p1. ↩︎
  14. Benson, “Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet.” https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/ezra-taft-benson/fourteen-fundamentals-following-prophet/ ↩︎
  15. General Handbook, 26.3.3.1, “Temple Recommend Interview Questions.” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/general-handbook/26-temple-recommends?lang=eng&id=p94#p94. ↩︎
  16. April 2025 General Conference, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2025/04?lang=eng. ↩︎
  17. My instructions to Copilot were to look at only the footnotes, so any scripture reference contained in the body of the talk, and not showing up in the footnotes, would not be included in this total. ↩︎
  18. Joseph Smith History 1:17, “I saw two Personages.” See also Doctrine and Covenants 130:22, “The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit.” ↩︎
  19. 1 Nephi 11:16-23. ↩︎
  20. Doctrine and Covenants 93:8-14. ↩︎
  21. Doctrine and Covenants 93:19. ↩︎
  22. Mosiah 15:1-4. ↩︎
  23. https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/sites/default/files/archive-files/pdf/first-presidency-and-council-twelve-apostles/2016-05-03/first_presidency_and_the_twelve_the_father_and_the_son_1916.pdf. ↩︎
  24. John 17:3. “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” ↩︎
  25. 3 Nephi 27:20. “Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost.” ↩︎
  26. Alma 34:10. “[I]t shall not be a human sacrifice; but it must be an infinite and eternal sacrifice.” ↩︎
  27. Alma 34:10; Doctrine and Covenants 19:10. ↩︎
  28. Doctrine and Covenants 19:31. ↩︎
  29. Jacob 4:14. “[Their] blindness came by looking beyond the mark.” ↩︎

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