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Doctrine & Covenants

As we've strayed a bit within the Book of Mormon topic, I'm starting this thread to cover the D&C -- starting with BigMac's great post on the subject:

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One thing that helps with the Doctrine and Covenants, is a book on the early history of the church to read along with your study of the D&C. One of the best books I can recommend for this is called Joseph Smith and the Restoration: A History of the LDS Church to 1846. Unfortunately, this book is no longer in print. However, if there is a Deseret Industries around, or a ward member who has been around for awhile, then you can probably find or borrow a copy. Regardless, there are many books on the early history of the church that can help you with your experience reading and studying the D&C. Just make sure the book is fairly comprehensive so that you can understand the context in which Joseph received some of those revelations. The D&C is a book of enormous power without such study aids, but with them, my testimony grew so much.

Sometimes I think we see Joseph as an almost mythic figure, and when we see how he struggled everyday with the welfare of the saints, with the battle for his own soul as he was bombarded by the adversary. How he humbled himself before the Lord and put the needs of his people before himself and his family on countless occasions under threat of death or worse. I know that knowing the early history of the church (a subject that truthfully, when I started my study of it, I was worried of how it would affect my testimony) has made my testimony grow tremendously. So many apostates speak of how many people left the church, even apostles of the early church, but they don't speak of how many came back and were re-baptized, or who never gave up there testimony of what they saw. And I wonder how many of us would have had the courage to stand up when we were faced with some of the horrifying adversity that these early saints were.

I'm sorry for getting on a bit of a rant here...

But I just want to re-iterate that if you find a book on the early history of the church that can supplement your reading of the D&C, it would help you gain so much more knowledge than you even normally would.

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Roz

Edited: FarSeer on 22nd May, 2004 - 5:23pm

Covenants and Doctrine

I used to have that book but don't know where it is today. it's been a very long time since i read the D & C from beginning to end. I thing I may read it again.

Doctrine & Covenants Studies Doctrine Mormon

When you consider the information stored within the D&C you begin to realize that without it we as a Church would largely still be lost Doctrinally. Think about the Book of Mormon for instance, save for baptism, the blessing on the bread and water, as well as some show of how things are organized it really does not provide anything more concerning the actual setup of the Church and important Temple Ordinances, requirements, etc.

Covenants and Doctrine

I find the Doctrine & Covenants my least favorite book of the scriptures. I agree with JB, however, that it contains many important truths. I just don't find it an interesting read.

Covenants and Doctrine

I know what you mean based on lack of flow. It is not a Book that goes chronologically from beginning, middle and then the end like the Book of Mormon. It seems almost like a Book of Judicial Law and Policies, but one thing I find that helps this are the Institute Manuals, especially the one called, 'Doctrine & Covenants' and 'History of the Church'. The latter you will find very interesting and gives meaning to each section and so you get a feeling for why the Lord is saying certain things to a specific person or to the Saints.

Doctrine & Covenants

A member of our bishopric was in Utah, decided to learn more about the Church, and thought the book of Doctrine and Covenants sounded interesting. He had been a member of a protestant church all his life, and he didn't know what their doctrine was. By the time he was halfway through, he wanted to be baptized, because he knew it was true.

It's more of a manual than a storybook, but it really is amazing that a church would publish such a book and boldly proclaim that these are the doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ. If it wasn't true, it would be a very gutsy and foolish move. We are blessed to have the Doctrine and Covenants.

Doctrine & Covenants

After finally having read the D&C from "cover to cover" for the first time recently, I was quite moved several times by such powerful information. To know that Jesus Christ Himself spoke to our Prophet of the Restoration and gave such detailed information, specifically for us in our time, is *huge* ! The words leap off the page, many times. I have found answers to my questions and worries there, and I am so grateful to have them as part of our modern scripture.

Doctrine & Covenants Mormon Doctrine Studies

I use the Doctrine and Covenents to research the JST, I've found a few scriptures in it that add clarification to a bible passage, I don't know if God changed the scripture for modern day, or what I just know that when I add it to the JST's that we are aware of it helps to clarify the bible.