“Lesson 36: Joseph Smith Writes the Articles of Faith,” Primary 5: Doctrine and Covenants and Church History Lesson and activity ideas

In 1842 a man named George Barstow was writing a history of the state of New Hampshire, and he wanted to include a chapter about the members of the Church living in New Hampshire. Mr. Barstow did not know much about the Church and wanted to find out what the Latter-day Saints believed. Since the headquarters of the Church were in Nauvoo, Illinois, Mr. Barstow contacted his friend John Wentworth, who was the editor of a newspaper in Chicago, Illinois.

Mr. Wentworth asked Joseph Smith about the beliefs and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Prophet answered with a letter that has become known as the Wentworth Letter. In it he told Mr. Wentworth about the First Vision and how he received and translated the gold plates, and he also described the organization of the Church and the persecution and history of the Saints. In the last part of this important letter, the Prophet listed some of the basic beliefs of the Church. This list has become known as the Articles of Faith.

Joseph Smith wrote the Articles of Faith to help people who are not members of the Church understand how The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is different from other churches. The Articles of Faith do not contain all of the teachings and beliefs of the Church, but they do explain some of our most important beliefs. They can help build faith, understanding, and a testimony of the gospel, and they also give us a good foundation for sharing the gospel with others.

The Articles of Faith were never published in Barstow’s history of New Hampshire or in Wentworth’s newspaper, but they were published by a Church newspaper in 1842. In 1880 members of the Church at the October general conference raised their hands in common consent to accept the Articles of Faith as scripture. They are now included as scripture in the Pearl of Great Price.

The Articles of Faith Teach Simple Truths of the Gospel.

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Doctrine and Covenants 2021 “The Articles of Faith and Official Declarations 1 and 2”

Sometimes the gospel can seem big and complicated, especially to children. The Articles of Faith can help the children understand, in a simple way, some of the basic truths we believe as Latter-day Saints.

• Choose a few articles of faith that you feel are especially important for the children you teach. For each article of faith, share a picture (see this week’s activity page) or a story (from the scriptures or your life) that illustrates or clarifies a truth taught in that article. Tell the children why that truth is important to you, and let them share why it is important to them.
• Find hymns or children’s songs that can help the children understand one or more of the articles of faith. Perhaps the children can help you choose. Sing the songs together, and help the children see how the songs relate to the articles of faith.

• Invite each child to choose a key word or phrase from one of the articles of faith and share it with the class. Then let the other children guess (or find) which article of faith that word or phrase comes from. Ask the children to share why the word or phrase they picked is important.
• A few days in advance, ask a few of the children to prepare to share in class a short message about their favorite article of faith. Their message could include a picture, a song, a story or experience, or other scriptures. Invite these children to share why they like the article of faith they chose.
• Write on the board some questions people might have about our beliefs that could be answered with one of the articles of faith. Ask the children to pick a question and find an article of faith that answers it. Let them practice answering the question using the article of faith.

Friend December 2021 “Articles of Faith Quiz”

Friend December 2021 “Why I Love the Articles of Faith” Elder Thierry K. Mutombo Of the Seventy tells why he loves the Articles of Faith and tells about his favorite, the 13th Article of Faith. It reminds him of how his father taught him about honesty.

Friend December 2021 “Scripture Time Fun” “We Believe” Tree

• Sing “He Sent His Son” (Children’s Songbook, 34–35).
• The Articles of Faith teach what we believe. Joseph Smith wrote the Articles of Faith to explain the gospel to others.
• (Above) Read “Why I Love the Articles of Faith” on page 26. Cut out 13 circles to make paper ornaments. Number the circles from 1 to 13. Then draw something on the other side that reminds you of that article of faith. You can hang them on your Christmas tree or in another place in your house. As you hang each ornament, say the article of faith that goes with it.

Friend December 2021 “Scripture Time Fun for Little Ones” Choose an article of faith. Ask your little ones to repeat the words as you read it out loud. Help your little ones say, “The scriptures teach me good things.”

Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: Doctrine and Covenants 2021 “The Articles of Faith and Official Declarations 1 and 2”

Consider how your family could create “mini-lessons” for the Articles of Faith. For example, throughout the week, each family member could pick one article and find a related scripture, picture, hymn, or children’s song or share a personal experience.

Or family members could take turns asking each other questions about the Church and our beliefs and then answering those questions with an article of faith.

Liahona December 2021 “For Parents: Christmas, Gathering Israel, and Family History” Come, Follow Me Family Fun: Articles of Faith Family Challenge

1. Memorize one or more of the Articles of Faith with your family.
2. If you have younger children in your home who haven’t memorized the Articles of Faith yet, give them a buddy to help them.
3. Try the following activity:
   1. Sit in a circle.
   2. Recite an article of faith, with each person saying only one word at a time (the first person starts with the first word, the next person says the second, and so on).
   3. If a mistake is made, gently correct the mistake and then have the next person say the following word.
   4. See if you can complete the article of faith with as few mistakes as possible. Then try another one.

Discussion: How can memorizing these important articles help us in our own lives? Reciting these powerful words can help us when our minds are stressed or when we are striving to keep clean or positive thoughts. Knowing these truths can also help us when friends ask us questions about the gospel. (Idea submitted by Brenda Slade and Mitzi Schoneman)

For the Strength Youth December 2021 “Fun Stop: Articles of Faith Activity” This game is a great way to help remember the Articles of Faith. It’s also just the right mix of friendly competition, fun, and laughter.

Here’s how to play.

1. Divide your group into two or more teams.
2. Place some sort of a basket on the ground for each team. A bowl, garbage can, or even a hole dug into the ground will do just fine.
3. Draw a line on the ground far enough away from the baskets to provide a challenge.
4. Give each team 13 small and numbered objects to toss at the baskets. The simplest might be pieces of paper that they can write a number on and crumple into a ball. Or it could be rocks or sticks. Just write, draw, or paint the numbers 1 through 13 on the objects.
5. Have somebody read clues from one of the Articles of Faith. As soon as a team thinks they know which Article of Faith it refers to, they try tossing that numbered item toward the basket. If they miss, they have to run and grab the object and return to the line before trying to toss again.
6. As soon as a team makes a basket, freeze the game.
7. If that team correctly identified the Article of Faith, they recite it together and earn a point. If they were wrong, they lose a point and the round continues.
8. Take turns rotating team members who try tossing the objects into the baskets. You can also try moving the baskets closer or farther from the line (keeping the distance the same for each team) to change up the difficulty level.
9. First team to reach 13 points is the winner!

Additional resources for teaching about the Articles of Faith”

• Primary 5: Doctrine and Covenants and Church History “Lesson 36: Joseph Smith Writes the Articles of Faith,” Lesson ideas, activities, and stories.
• Resources for Teaching Children “Articles of Faith”
• Teaching Children the Gospel “Articles of Faith”
• Living Scriptures “We Believe in Revelation” Lesson ideas, video, game, refreshment idea.

Latter Day Kids “The Articles of Faith” Lesson ideas

“Chapter 38: The Wentworth Letter,” in Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith,435–47.

“Lesson 36: Joseph Smith Writes the Articles of Faith,” Primary 5: Doctrine and Covenants and Church History

Learning the Articles of Faith

Friend January 2021 “Matt and Mandy” When a friend at school said she had heard that the church Mandy attends doesn’t believe in Jesus Christ, Mandy tells her the First Article of Faith. 

Friend July 2024 “A Chat with Alan about the Articles of Faith” Alan is from Málaga, Spain. We asked him some questions about how he learned the Articles of Faith and how knowing the Articles of Faith helped him. (He was able to share what his beliefs were with a friend using the Articles of Faith.)

Friend August 2018 “Show and Tell”

When me and my grandma take out the trash, we practice memorizing the Articles of Faith! (Sophie A., age 7, Indiana, USA)

7th Article of Faith

Friend June 2015

Friend August 2021 Matt and Mandy have a new way to memorize the Articles of Faith—with checkers! Before making a move, the first player recites the first few words. The next player repeats it and then adds a few more words before making their move.