I recently sat with a number of members of the Community of Christ, previously known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, as part of an interfaith dialogue. I have great love and respect for these people, those I consider brothers and sisters in the faith. We talked openly and in a friendly manner about similarities and differences between our two churches and landed squarely on the topic of women and the priesthood. One of the women in the room who had been ordained to the priesthood described her responsibilities and shared her feelings regarding the blessing it was for her to be able to perform priesthood ordinances.

In December 1839 the Prophet Joseph Smith and Elias Higbee traveled to Washington D.C., to seek redress from the government for the losses suffered by the persecuted and beleaguered Latter-day Saints. In their meeting with President Martin Van Buren, Joseph recorded that the president “interrogated us wherein we differed in our religion from the other religions of the day.” If you had been in the room and had been asked to respond to President Van Buren’s question, how would you have answered?

Did you know that many cultures and myths tell about the Tree of Life? And many of these stories originate from the Mediterranean, near where Lehi and his family dwelt.

As we launch into this lesson about the Book of Mormon it is important that we review the nature of a Spirit-born testimony first. One of the keys to understanding how our testimonies work is to remember that we are mortal. As such, our memories fade with time. Even spiritual witnesses dim if not nourished and renewed by the Spirit.

A 5.7-magnitude earthquake hit Utah on Wednesday, March 18, causing power outages, damage to buildings, and closure of the Salt Lake International Airport.

President D. Todd Christofferson dedicated the temple on Sunday, August 23, 2026.

Since the launch of the official Facebook page for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in May 2008, the Church has increased its Facebook presence over the last two years, adding nearly two dozen official Facebook pages for everything from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir to LDS Technology.

Did you know that the Tabernacle Choir recordings and performances have been included in some major Hollywood films?

Brigham Young was lying in the bed of a wagon, having been severely ill for the last twelve days, when he saw the valley for the first time.1 He was forty-six years old, short and quite stocky, a carpenter by trade and physically robust; but “mountain fever” could put even the strongest men flat on their backs. Several diseases fell under that generic name because they all produced high fever, severe head and body aches, deep pain behind the eyes, chills, nausea, and vomiting. Colorado tick fever was one of the least severe of these illnesses, usually passing in a few days after the onset of the symptoms, but Brigham had been down for almost two weeks, suggesting that he may have contracted the more serious Rocky Mountain spotted fever. If so, it was remarkable that he was still alive. That strain persisted for weeks, and the fatality rate was high owing to the inflammation of the heart, lungs, and brain or the kidney failure it produced. The only known treatments were home-brewed remedies and rest, but sleep was hard to come by in a wagon on the plains. Summer days were bright and hot, and Brigham would have felt every bump in the road as the wooden wheels rolled over the uneven land. And he wasn’t alone in his suffering. Thirty-seven other Latter-day Saints traveling with him had also contracted the fever—a full quarter of the company. But they did not have the luxury of time to grant the sick much rest.2

While the First Vision holds great significance, little would have happened had Joseph’s interactions with heavenly messengers ended there.