Tag: practice

I want to go over something I’ve always had a hard time understanding. 

What is a doctrine? What are the core doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? What is the difference between a doctrine and a practice?

Doctrines and practices are much different, though they often get confused.

The simplest way I learned to differentiate a doctrine from a practice is this simple rule: A doctrine is eternal, it never changes. Practices can be changed.

According to the First Presidency, there are three guidelines to follow when determining if something is a doctrine or just a practice:

1. Doctrine is eternal, never changing.
2. The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve is unified on a doctrinal subject.
3. Doctrines are salvific, it is pertinent to our salvation.

It’s important to remember that these criteria don’t necessarily confirm something is doctrine. Just because the 15 members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve are unified on the subject DOES NOT necessarily make it a doctrine.

Let’s look at a couple examples.

The sacrament that we take each week is a practice. It has changed in multiple ways over time, throughout history. For example, it used to be the practice of the church to use wine for the sacrament. We now use water. This is just one example of how the sacrament has changed over time.

The doctrine associated with the sacrament would be the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is eternal and never changing. It is a doctrine. 

Priesthood is a doctrine but who holds it is a practice. The priesthood itself is eternal. It is God’s power on the earth. In 2018 we saw a change in who can hold the priesthood when the required age changed from 12 years to 11 years. Another example is when the sons of Aaron were the only holders of the priesthood before it was opened up to the Gentiles in this dispensation. This makes who holds the priesthood a principle.

I know what you’re thinking. Does that mean women can/should/will one day hold the priesthood independent of any man? I don’t know. I won’t delve into that anymore at this time. I will just say, it will take a revelation from God for that to happen.

In conclusion, I would like to share the 9 basic doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ. These doctrines are:

9 core doctrines:

1. Godhead
2. Plan of Salvation
3. Atonement of Jesus Christ
4. Dispensation, Apostasy, and Restoration
5. Prophets and Revelation
6. Priesthood and Priesthood Keys
7. Ordinances and Covenants
8. Marriage and Family
9. Commandments