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Church Files with Supreme Court on Same-Sex Marriage

Representing the faith communities of more than 100 million Americans, The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, National Association of Evangelicals, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention and Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod filed the brief collectively.

Washington Post: Coming out Mormon

As a gay Mormon, people often assume that I have an interesting and unique story to share. While I feel what I have to say is interesting, it’s not as unique as one might assume. It simply seems to me that the majority of other gay Mormons often don’t “come out.” As a result of their silence, members of our faith have felt little incentive to even think about gays in the church. They were ignorant, and they have caused real hurt. I study at Brigham Young University in Utah, where 98 percent of students are Mormon. In April 2012, an unofficial club on campus called USGA (Understanding Same-gender Attraction) released an “It Gets Better” YouTube video that consisted of several BYU students coming out as gay. While the video was politically neutral, it got people talking and thinking, including me.

Politics obscure Mormon doctrine, church differences

When the pastor of a Dallas megachurch called the Mormon faith a "cult" and a "false religion" at a recent political rally in reference to the faith of two Republican presidential candidates, he sparked a media firestorm. But while the Rev. Robert Jeffress used inflammatory language when he endorsed Texas Gov. Rick Perry for the nomination, his words highlight real differences between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant churches.

For Mitt Romney and other Mormons, missions are like a ‘refiner’s fire’

At age 19, Mitt Romney was a typical college student, schmoozing about politics, pulling pranks and sneaking away to see his girlfriend. Then he went on a 30-month Mormon mission in France. He returned to the U.S. in 1968 ready to start a family, steeped in his faith and eager for more responsibility in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

New Mormon Papers Offer an Unvarnished Look at Joseph Smith

Critics will find no bombshells in the new 640-page book of early historic LDS documents, but scholars and the faithful will discover a much more complex Mormon founder than they ever knew. At least that’s the hope of the scores of church historians who worked on the book, titled "Documents, Volume 1: July 1828-June 1831," released on Wednesday at a news conference in the Church History Library in downtown Salt Lake City.

22: "Anxiously Engaged in a Good Cause" (Doctrine and Covenants 58–59)

Picture this: You have just arrived in Jackson County, Missouri, with the early Saints. You’re so excited and you just can’t wait to begin the work of building up Zion. But you have no idea where to start. Everywhere you look the land where the Savior will come again just seems like untamed American frontier. But then the prophet Joseph Smith arrives with very important instructions from the Lord. That's what this week’s lesson in Doctrine and Covenants 58–59 is all about—instructions the Lord gave, for the Saints then and for us today, about how to prepare spiritually to gather and build up Zion.

Does faith impact men’s engagement with household chores? This new study shows fascinating results

By Danielle Christensen

It’s a stereotype that has been around for decades—conservative religious men don’t help out around the house with tasks like cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry. But how accurate is that assumption? A new study conducted by Claudia Geist and Bethany Gull from the University of Utah sheds some light on the matter.

Damien, left, starts to clean his room with the help of his brother Travis, right, in a video from the Gospel For Kids YouTube channel called “Messy Room Meltdown.”

Help for Life Challenges

New Church video has a helpful message for anxious children

By Mary Richards, Church News

The story teaches kids that Heavenly Father can help them when they are feeling overwhelmed.

20: "That Which Is of God Is Light" (Doctrine and Covenants 49–50)

One word for "evil" in Greek is ponos. But unlike the English definition of evil, the word ponos means pain, anguish, distress, or suffering. In most cases, ponos could describe what we feel when we make a mistake or commit sin. The Savior knows this pain because He suffered for us. He will always be the first to meet us and the last to judge us. That’s what this week’s lesson from Doctrine and Covenants 49–50 is all about: Christ coming to meet us where we are and helping us understand the great blessings He has in store for us.

40: “It Is Thy House, a Place of Thy Holiness” (Doctrine and Covenants 109–110)

Have you ever been to a temple dedication? If so, do you have any specific memories about the event? A temple dedication often brings a flurry of excitement and energy to an area, and that was certainly the case for the Saints who were eagerly awaiting the dedication of the Kirtland temple. This week we will dig into Doctrine and Covenants 109–110 to read the stories of Saints who attended the dedication. We'll see what their experiences teach us about attending temples, including the struggle we might sometimes have over feeling worthy to be there.