Joseph Smith wrote The Articles of Faith in response to a request from John Wentworth of the Chicago Democrat. The articles were published in the Church’s Times and Seasons newspaper in Nauvoo, Illinois on March 1, 1842. The 13 statements were canonized as scripture and ultimately included in the Pearl of Great Price as Articles of Faith 1:1–13.

The Articles of Faith are more particularly emphasized to Mormon children, I suppose as a way to help them learn the basics of the Church doctrine-pretty standard Christian stuff with a few exceptions here and there. Children are encouraged to memorize the articles as part of their Gospel in Action obligations. I think I only memorized about five of them. A song for each article can be found in the Children’s Songbook to aid with memorization. Most of the tunes aren’t that catchy or creative, in my opinion, but judge for yourself in the video below.

The articles of faith are less referenced in adulthood than most other canonized texts, which I find interesting.