Lectures On Faith

This special edition of the Lectures on Faith from Zion’s Camp Books is formatted for convenience on an eReader, with more than 100 internal links to scriptures and citations. We hope it will give you a great reading experience! The Lectures on Faith were originally prepared as materials for the School of the Prophets in Kirtland, Ohio in 1834 and were included in the Doctrine and Covenants from 1835 to 1921. Although the Lectures on Faith have never been accepted as revelation by the body of the church (and so were removed from the Doctrine and Covenants in 1921), they contain important doctrinal insights that can help anyone seeking to learn more about faith and come closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. President Joseph Fielding Smith noted, “I suppose that the rising generation knows little about the Lectures on Faith. . . . In my own judgment, these Lectures are of great value and should be studied. . . . I consider them to be of extreme value in the study of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Seek Ye Earnestly. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1970.) Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has stated the lectures contain “some of the best lesson material ever prepared on the Godhead; on the character, perfections, and attributes of God; on faith, miracles, and sacrifice. They can be studied with great profit by all gospel scholars.” (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1966.)

The Lectures on Faith is a set of seven lectures on the doctrine and theology of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, first published as the doctrine portion of the 1835 edition of the canonical Doctrine and Covenants. The lectures were originally presented by Joseph Smith to a group of elders in a course known as the "School of the Prophets." Lecture 1: Faith gives rise to all human endeavors in both worldly and spiritual matters, and is a source of power, both in man and in God. Lecture 2: The human family's knowledge of God began with God's interaction with Adam before The Fall, which knowledge was retained after The Fall, and which knowledge has been transmitted via human testimony among Adam's descendants. Lecture 3: In addition to a belief in God, a correct knowledge of God's character and attributes as revealed in scripture is necessary for the exercise of faith leading to life and salvation. Lecture 4: From scripture, one can learn that God possesses the following attributes: knowledge, faith (which is His power), justice, judgment, mercy, and truth. Lecture 5: The Godhead, or the collective persons of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Lecture 6: The knowledge that one's life is in accordance with God's will is necessary for obtaining eternal life Lecture 7: By growing in faith, one draws nearer to God, and in the perfection of faith, one becomes like God. By faith, one obtains knowledge of God, through which knowledge one can receive all things pertaining to life and godliness.

One of the world's leading physicists questions some of the most fashionable ideas in physics today, including string theory What can fashionable ideas, blind faith, or pure fantasy possibly have to do with the scientific quest to understand the universe? Surely, theoretical physicists are immune to mere trends, dogmatic beliefs, or flights of fancy? In fact, acclaimed physicist and bestselling author Roger Penrose argues that researchers working at the extreme frontiers of physics are just as susceptible to these forces as anyone else. In this provocative book, he argues that fashion, faith, and fantasy, while sometimes productive and even essential in physics, may be leading today's researchers astray in three of the field's most important areas—string theory, quantum mechanics, and cosmology. Arguing that string theory has veered away from physical reality by positing six extra hidden dimensions, Penrose cautions that the fashionable nature of a theory can cloud our judgment of its plausibility. In the case of quantum mechanics, its stunning success in explaining the atomic universe has led to an uncritical faith that it must also apply to reasonably massive objects, and Penrose responds by suggesting possible changes in quantum theory. Turning to cosmology, he argues that most of the current fantastical ideas about the origins of the universe cannot be true, but that an even wilder reality may lie behind them. Finally, Penrose describes how fashion, faith, and fantasy have ironically also shaped his own work, from twistor theory, a possible alternative to string theory that is beginning to acquire a fashionable status, to "conformal cyclic cosmology," an idea so fantastic that it could be called "conformal crazy cosmology." The result is an important critique of some of the most significant developments in physics today from one of its most eminent figures.

The Lectures on Faith is a religious text by Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. The book contains a series of lectures that provide theological teachings and insights into the beliefs and practices of the early Latter Day Saint movement. These lectures serve as an important historical resource for understanding the development of the movement and its foundational principles.

The Lectures on Faith is a set of seven lectures on the doctrine and theology of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, first published as the doctrine portion of the 1835 edition of the canonical Doctrine and Covenants. The lectures were originally presented by Joseph Smith to a group of elders in a course known as the "School of the Prophets." Lecture 1: Faith gives rise to all human endeavors in both worldly and spiritual matters, and is a source of power, both in man and in God. Lecture 2: The human family's knowledge of God began with God's interaction with Adam before The Fall, which knowledge was retained after The Fall, and which knowledge has been transmitted via human testimony among Adam's descendants. Lecture 3: In addition to a belief in God, a correct knowledge of God's character and attributes as revealed in scripture is necessary for the exercise of faith leading to life and salvation. Lecture 4: From scripture, one can learn that God possesses the following attributes: knowledge, faith (which is His power), justice, judgment, mercy, and truth. Lecture 5: The Godhead, or the collective persons of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Lecture 6: The knowledge that one's life is in accordance with God's will is necessary for obtaining eternal life Lecture 7: By growing in faith, one draws nearer to God, and in the perfection of faith, one becomes like God. By faith, one obtains knowledge of God, through which knowledge one can receive all things pertaining to life and godliness.

Although authorship of the lectures is uncertain, studies suggest that the actual wording was largely by Sidney Rigdon, with substantial involvement and approval by Joseph Smith and possibly others. Smith was involved, both in their authorship in November 1834 and in their later preparation for publication in January 1835. (See History of the Church 2:169-70, 180.) The original title of each lecture was "Of Faith". It was not until 1876, in an edition of the Doctrine and Covenants edited by Church Historian Orson Pratt of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that the title was given as "Lectures on Faith". Possibly the most famous quotation is from Lecture 6:7: "A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things, never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation".The following is a short summary of each lecture within the work:Lecture 1Faith gives rise to all human endeavors in both worldly and spiritual matters, and is a source of power, both in man and God.Lecture 2The human family's knowledge of God began with God's interaction with Adam before The Fall, which knowledge was retained after The Fall, and which knowledge has been transmitted via human testimony among Adam's descendants. Although people since Adam have had to rely on human testimony to learn about God, God can choose to reveal himself directly (as he did to Adam) to those who live a life of devout prayer and service to God.Lecture 3In addition to a belief in God, a correct knowledge of God's character and attributes as revealed in scripture is necessary for the exercise of faith leading to life and salvation. Lecture 4From scripture, one can learn that God possesses the following attributes: knowledge, faith (which is His power), justice, judgment, mercy, and truth. An explanation for why each attribute is necessary in order for mankind to be able to exercise productive faith is provided.Lecture 5The Godhead, or the collective persons of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, is expounded upon. Lecture 6The knowledge that one's life is in accordance with God's will is necessary for obtaining eternal life. Any religion that does not require the sacrifice of all worldly things, does not have the power to produce the faith necessary for life and salvation. Those who have not sacrificed all things will not be able to know that their lives are pleasing to God and will therefore not be able to have the faith to overcome the tribulations that stand in the way of becoming joint heirs with Christ in God's Kingdom.Lecture 7By growing in faith, one draws nearer to God, and in the perfection of faith, one becomes like God. By faith, one obtains knowledge of God, through which knowledge one can receive all things pertaining to life and godliness.

On the one hand, Eagleton demolishes what he calls the "superstitious" view of God held by most atheists and agnostics and offers in its place a revolutionary account of the Christian Gospel. On the other hand, he launches a stinging assault on the betrayal of this revolution by institutional Christianity. There is little joy here, then, either for the anti-God brigade -- Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens in particular -- nor for many conventional believers. --Résumé de l'éditeur.