Category: Come Follow Me

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Latter-day Saint History Scriptures Theology

Are There 3 Degrees in the Celestial Kingdom?

A symbolic depiction of layered heavenly light representing the possible degrees within the Celestial Kingdom, with radiant tiers ascending into celestial blue.

Did Joseph Smith teach that there are three degrees within the Celestial Kingdom? Modern Latter-day Saints often interpret Doctrine and Covenants 131 as supporting that view, referencing “three heavens or degrees.” However, historical evidence—including the original William Clayton journal entry—suggests this interpretation may be based on a misunderstanding of early terminology like “celestial glory.” In this interview, Bryan Buchanan builds on Shannon Flynn’s research to explore what Joseph Smith may have actually meant and how the idea of levels within the Celestial Kingdom evolved over time.

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Intellectualism Latter-day Saint History Theology

What Should Latter-day Saints Know About BYU’s Evolution Book?

Composite image showing a DNA strand, open scriptures, and the BYU campus—representing the themes of faith, science, and education in the BYU evolution book.

The Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ and Evolution is designed to help students reconcile faith in the Savior with scientific understanding of evolution. Published by BYU Life Sciences, the book affirms the Church’s neutral stance on evolution, corrects common misconceptions, and offers practical tools for bridging religion and science. In this interview, co-editor Jamie Jensen shares the book’s origins, purpose, and why this kind of reconciliation matters.

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Bible

“The Bible Says So”: An Interview with Dan McClellan

A headshot of Data Over Dogma podcast host, Dan McClellan, who also authored the religion book, "The Bible Says So."

Biblical scholar Dan McClellan invites readers to reconsider the idea that the Bible speaks for itself in his new book, The Bible Says So. Driven by a love for the ancient text, McClellan works to make scholarship more accessible, both through his writing and his “data over dogma” approach on social media. In this interview, he explains why the Bible’s meaning depends on interpretation, how authority is understood, and how readers sometimes bring their own assumptions to the text.

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Quotes

Latter-day Saint Quotes About Faith

Latter-day Saint quotes on faith include stories like Jesus walking on water.

Joseph Smith echoed the words of Paul to the Romans in an 1839 discourse: “Faith comes by hearing the word of God.” Similarly, it was New Testament teachings about faith that led him to the Sacred Grove, and President Russell M. Nelson teaches that faith in God will move mountains. These Latter-day Saint quotes on faith in Jesus Christ include selections from BYU Devotionals, general conferences, and the standard works.

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Devotional Theology

The Resurrection We Didn’t Expect

Symbolic painting of Christ’s empty garden tomb at dawn, with golden light pouring from the entrance—evoking the miracle of resurrection and new life.

Paul’s thought did not run from plight to solution, but rather from solution to plight. -E. P. Saunders

Jewish people did not see themselves as in a dire predicament from which they needed rescue. By virtue of their place in the covenant, God’s loving care was the precondition in which they found themselves; their task was to honor the law as a pledge of their desire to maintain their blessedness. Neither did the apostle Paul “perceive himself to have a ‘plight’ from which he needed salvation.”

That is a version of Christianity we have rather imposed upon the past, largely a heritage of the fourth century, when it became common to think of the human condition as one in need of rescue.

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Book excerpts Devotional

Easter Weekend: An Essay by Eugene England

An abandoned theater with an empty stage illuminated by a single spotlight, evoking themes of self-reckoning and existential struggle in Eugene England’s Easter Weekend essay.

It might have been 1986, because Easter came in March and I was on my way to Montreal. But I went to see Dustin Hoffman in The Death of a Sales­man (bought a ticket at the last minute from a scalper), so it must have been two years earlier on my way to Boston.

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Doctrine and Covenants

Agency: Themes in the Doctrine and Covenants

The Last Judgment (Washington D.C. Temple Mural) painting of the Savior with the righteous on his right hand and wicked on his left, reflecting the importance of agency as a theme in the Doctrine and Covenants.
The Last Judgment by John Scott. Image courtesy churchofjesuschrist.org

The Doctrine and Covenants includes discussion about agency and free will. A volume from the Maxwell Institute’s Themes in the Doctrine and Covenants series looks at what agency means, the extent to which it exists, and what that means for disciples of Jesus Christ. In this interview, author Terryl Givens discusses his new book, Agency.

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Devotional

Prayer As Worship and Surrender

An AI-generated painting of an old man praying as a form of worship and surrender, rather than a selfish act, creating a feeling similar to that sparked by Terryl Givens' essay on prayer.

The vision does not terrify but soothe…here is rest indeed. The God of peace makes all things peaceful;…We see him as a king who after hearing causes in his court all day long, has dismissed his crowds of attendants, ended the labour of the day, and retired to his palace at nightfall. He entered his chamber with the few friends who share the intimacy of that retreat. …his serenity mounts as he looks calmly round upon the faces of his dearest companions. … So (in this inner chamber of contemplation) God deigns to show himself lovable, serene and peaceful, sweet and gentle, full of mercy towards all who look on him.” —Bernard of Clairvaux (352-53)

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Doctrine and Covenants Latter-day Saint History

Emma Smith’s Role in Shaping the ‘Elect Lady’ Revelation (D&C 25)

A portrait of Emma Hale Smith, the recipient of D&C 25 (also known as the 'Elect Lady' revelation).

Section 25 of the Doctrine and Covenants is significant as one of the few revelations Joseph Smith received that directly addresses a woman, his wife, Emma Hale Smith. Given in 1830, the revelation designates Emma as an “elect lady” and outlines her roles in the early Church, including the compilation of a hymnbook and providing comfort to her husband. In this interview, Latter-day Saint scholar Robin Jensen explains the historical context of D&C 25 and how Emma’s personal experiences influenced the revelation’s text.

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Book excerpts Doctrine and Covenants Joseph Smith

A Brief History of the Doctrine & Covenants

A photograph of an original first edition of the Doctrine and Covenants.

There has not always been a Doctrine and Covenants. It has a history and can best be understood by those who know that history. Robert Woodford, a great scholar of the Doctrine and Covenants, described how we tend to think of it as a “tidily defined book, quietly resting with the other scriptures.” But the story of how those revelations were written, prepared for publication, and moved through various states until they reached our present edition is the story of trying to keep up with a flood of revealed knowledge.

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