Authoritative Writings

The authoritative nature of LDS writings is grounded in the belief that the scriptures revealed to the Church’s founder, Joseph Smith, are divinely inspired. The three primary books that make up the foundation of the LDS beliefs are the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. Together, these texts, alongside the Bible, “as far as it is translated correctly,”¹ are regarded as the standard works of the Church. The LDS Church asserts that its books and teachings represent divine revelation from God, making the texts, particularly the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price, the authoritative sources of truth for its members.

The Book of Mormon
First and foremost is the Book of Mormon, published by Joseph Smith in 1830, and described as “the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.”²

The book details the period of time from 600 B.C to A.D 421, detailing the life and descendants of Lehi, a Hebrew who migrated from Jerusalem to the Americas.³ Similar to the Bible, the Book of Mormon is broken up into a series of individual books,⁴ which are said to be written by “many ancient prophets by the spirit of prophecy and revelation,” and then “quoted and abridged” by the prophet-historian Mormon upon golden plates, which were buried on Hill Cumorah by his son Moroni.⁵

According to Smith, Moroni appeared to him as “a glorified, resurrected being,”⁶ and directed Smith to find his father’s writings and to translate them from the golden plates they had been written upon.⁷ Through divine inspiration, Smith was able to translate the plates, saying, “Through the grace of God the Father and our Lord Jesus, [we] have seen the plates which contains the record of Nephi, Lamanites, and Jared. And we also know that they have been translated by the gift and power of God, for his voice hath declared it unto us; wherefore we know of a surety that the work is true.”⁸

Doctrine and Covenants
Another significant authoritative writing in the LDS Church is the Doctrine and Covenants. The work is a compilation of “divine revelations and inspired declarations” received by Joseph Smith and his following successors in the Presidency.⁹

These revelations cover theological teachings, moral guidance, and administrative instructions for the Church. Some notable teachings are God the Father’s possessing “a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s” (D&C 130:22), that humans can attain godhood by following the LDS teachings (D&C 76:58 and 132:20-21), and that there are three levels of heaven (Section 131:1).¹⁰

However, the most unique characteristic of the Doctrine and Covenants is its doctrine of progressive revelation. Section 42:61 describes God the Father as saying, “If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation,” and the doctrine of progressive revelation was put into practice with the Official Declarations found at the end of the Doctrine and Covenants. These declarations¹¹ put an end to polygamous marriage and the restrictions on black men entering the priesthood.¹² With this structure in place, future leaders can add to the Doctrine and Covenants if they receive their own revelations.

The Pearl of Great Price
Lastly, the third authoritative writing in the church is the Pearl of Great Price. This book includes a variety of texts: the Book of Moses, the Book of Abraham, and a collection of Joseph Smith’s personal writings.¹³ The book of Moses retells portions of Genesis from the creation narrative to the flood.¹⁴ The book of Abraham is a retelling of the life of Abraham from Genesis and parts of the creation narrative,¹⁵ translated from Egyptian papyri by Joseph Smith.¹⁶ Lastly, there are writings attributed directly to Joseph Smith, such as the revealed translation of Matthew 24 and a history section with autobiographical excerpts about Smith’s early life.¹⁷

Notable doctrines mentioned in the Pearl of Great Price include the pre-mortal existence of humans as spirit children (Abraham 3:22-23) and the concept of the Fall being necessary and something to be celebrated (Moses 5:10-11).

Conclusion
Together, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price are the cornerstone of the Latter-day Saints’ faith. Using these texts as a guide, Latter-day Saints believe that one can rightly interpret the Bible despite corruptions following the “ministry of Christ’s Apostles,” and through the work that began with the prophet, Joseph Smith, God has restored the gospel.¹⁸

Joseph Smith, “The Articles of Faith,” www.churchofjesuschrist.org, 1842, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/article/articles-of-faith. ↩︎
Joseph Smith, The Book of Mormon, Introduction. ↩︎
Wikipedia Contributors, “Book of Mormon,” Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation, August 1, 2025), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Mormon#Narrative. ↩︎
Such as 1 Nephi, 2 Nephi, Jacob, Enos, and so on. ↩︎
Smith, The Book of Mormon, Introduction. ↩︎
Ibid. ↩︎
Charles A. Crane, The Bible and Mormon Scripture Compared (Joplin, Missouri: College Press, 1976). ↩︎
Smith, The Book of Mormon, The Testimony of Three Witnesses. ↩︎
Joseph Smith, “Doctrine and Covenants: Introduction,” www.churchofjesuschrist.org, 1835, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament?lang=eng. ↩︎
Joseph Smith and Jesus Christ, Doctrine and Covenants (Independence, Missouri: Joseph Smith, Jr.’s Rare Reprints, 1990). ↩︎
Which were added over 50 years after Joseph Smith originally published the Doctrine and Covenants. ↩︎
Both of which were once promoted by the church until the revelations were given to the various Latter-day Saint Presidents. ↩︎
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Pearl of Great Price, www.churchofjesuschrist.org, 2013, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/pgp?lang=eng. ↩︎
Ibid. ↩︎
Ibid. ↩︎
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “Pearl of Great Price,” www.churchofjesuschrist.org, 2015, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/pearl-of-great-price?lang=eng. ↩︎
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Pearl of Great Price. ↩︎
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “Restoration of the Gospel,” www.churchofjesuschrist.org, 2025, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/gs/restoration-of-the-gospel?lang=eng. ↩︎

Works Consulted

Crane, Charles Arthur. 1975. The Bible and Mormon Scriptures Compared or the Educational Process of Winning Mormons. Joplin, Missouri: College Press.

McKeever Bill, and Eric Johnson. 2013. Answering Mormons’ Questions: Ready Responses for Inquiring Latter-day Saints. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications.

Ropp, Harry L. 1982. The Mormon Papers: Are the Mormon Scriptures Reliable? Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press.

The Church of Jesus of Latter-day Saints. “Bible, Inerrancy of” www.churchofjesuschrist.org, n.d. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/bible-inerrancy-of?lang=eng.

—. Doctrine and Covenants. www.churchofjesuschrist.org, 2013. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament?lang=eng.

—. Pearl of Great Price. www.churchofjesuschrist.org, 2013. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/pgp?lang=eng.

—. The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. www.churchofjesuschrist.org, 2013. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm?lang=eng.

Smith, Joseph. “The Articles of Faith.” www.churchofjesuschrist.org, 1842. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/article/articles-of-faith

Wikipedia Contributors. “Book of Mormon.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, August 1, 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Mormon#Narrative.