Thirteen Basic Statements

I'm teaching a lesson in Primary again next Sunday, and I, thankfully, have a fairly simple lesson to give. The lesson is about the thirteen Articles of Faith, and normally I would want to make sure that I cover the historical aspect of the lesson so the children could learn about the sequence of events in church history, but this time, there is almost no history to cover. A man was writing a history about New Hampshire and wanted to mention the Mormons who lived there. He didn't know a whole lot about the church, so he asked a Mormon friend of his about the church, that friend then asked Joseph Smith a question that amounted to "What should I tell my friend to tell the world about Mormons?" and Joseph Smith responded with the story of the First Vision, an account of church history up to that point, and the thirteen Articles of Faith. The story has virtually no impact on later events in church history, so I barely need to teach it.

What I do need to teach the children is a lesson about the Articles of Faith themselves. I might start off by asking my Primary kids questions that are answered in the Articles of Faith, such as "Who are the members of the Godhead?" and "What are the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel?" Then, I'll explain that the answers to these questions, which may or may not come easily to us, are completely unknown to many people who don't know about our church. I'll then explain that the Articles of Faith were written to explain our basic beliefs to those who don't know about us. I might share a story about a girl who told a man about the church using the Articles of Faith. Toward the end of the lesson, I might have the children play a game that tests their knowledge of the Articles of Faith. The lesson manual gives several options for such a game. I'll pick one and possibly adapt it.

By the end of the lesson, I'll want my students to know and understand the thirteen Articles of Faith, or at least understand why it's important to know and understand them. These statements, though fairly plain and simple to us, form a basic foundation of our faith and highlight several of the key differences between our church and many others. If we or someone we know wants to know the basics about our church, , the Articles of Faith are a good place to start.