Embedded Files
Russell M. Nelson (President)
It is doctrinally incomplete to speak of the Lord’s atoning sacrifice by shortcut phrases, such as “the Atonement” or “the enabling power of the Atonement” or “applying the Atonement” or “being strengthened by the Atonement.” These expressions present a real risk of misdirecting faith by treating the event as if it had living existence and capabilities independent of our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
Under the Father’s great eternal plan, it is the Savior who suffered. It is the Savior who broke the bands of death. It is the Savior who paid the price for our sins and transgressions and blots them out on condition of our repentance. It is the Savior who delivers us from physical and spiritual death.
There is no amorphous entity called “the Atonement” upon which we may call for succor, healing, forgiveness, or power. Jesus Christ is the source. Sacred terms such as Atonement and Resurrection describe what the Savior did, according to the Father’s plan, so that we may live with hope in this life and gain eternal life in the world to come. The Savior’s atoning sacrifice—the central act of all human history—is best understood and appreciated when we expressly and clearly connect it to Him.
(April 2017 General Conference, "Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives")
Henry B. Eyring (President )
Those of us who create messages on behalf of the Lord and His church commit to make those messages reflect His voice rather than our own. (Charter Announcement Meeting: Strengthening Faith Through More Effective Materials and Messages, May 10, 2016)
Name of Jesus Christ
Recommendation:
The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve rarely refer to Jesus Christ as “Jesus”—unless they are speaking of the Savior in a New Testament context. Out of respect and reverence, they more commonly refer to Him as Jesus Christ or by another title such as Lord, Savior, Redeemer, or the Son of God. With this in mind, we recommend replacing “Jesus” with “Jesus Christ.”
Baptismal Covenant
Elder Bednar has explained the baptismal covenant this way:
“The baptismal covenant includes three fundamental commitments: (1) to be willing to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, (2) to always remember Him, and (3) to keep His commandments.”
Note that Elder Bednar taught there is one baptismal covenant with multiple commitments. With this in mind, you could adjust the highlighted portion of the sentence to read, “our baptismal covenant, which includes ‘to stand as….”
Faith Journeys
The expression "faith journey" is a common (and even trendy) expression used in society and is often associated with "faith crises" and a mentality of "doing/finding what works for you," with little regard for the laws of God. To avoid an expression that is associated with ideas that are inconsistent with the gospel of Christ, please replace "faith journey" with something like, "journey of faith" or "life journey"
Sins v. Mistakes
There has been a recent trend to refer to sins simply as mistakes, thereby minimizing the need for true accountability and repentance. Though it is true that some sins are mistakes, the Savior never spoke of forgiveness of mistakes. Rather, His emphasis was on granting forgiveness for our sins (see Matthew 9:6).
Since you already referred to weaknesses in this sentence, you might consider using the same language used by the Lord in Matthew 9:6, adjusting this line to read: “forgiven of my sins.”
Baptismal Covenant
Baptism is the first covenant that everyone makes on the covenant path. The baptismal covenant is a public witness to Heavenly Father of three specific commitments: to serve God, to keep His commandments, and to be willing to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ. [11] The other facets that are frequently mentioned—that we bear one another’s burdens, mourn with those that mourn, and comfort those that are in need of comfort [12]—are fruits of making the covenant rather than part of the actual covenant. These facets are important because they are what a converted soul would naturally do.
(Elder Dale G. Renlund, "Stronger and Closer Connection to God through Multiple Covenants," October 2023 BYU-I Devotional)
Painted Scripture Covers
When it comes to painted covers of the scriptures, we have been given some guidelines that should help us going forward.
It is ok to show painted scripture covers covers (as long as they are respectfully done) when "filming in the wild"—where we are not controlling the setting. Examples of this could be when filming a youth conference and one appears, or filming a member telling their story and that's what they use for their scriptures.
When a video is staged, or when it includes official representatives of the Church (ie: missionaries), we have been asked not to include painted copies of the scriptures. Doing so creates a perceived endorsement (though unintended) that is prone to encouraging trends. It also makes the scriptures difficult to recognize by a friend audience.
Baptism for the remission of sins
While it's true that we are baptized "for the remission of sins" as stated in the 4th article of faith, baptism by water is incomplete without confirmation and receiving the gift of the holy ghost. We are baptized by water in preparation for a remission of sins that will then come by fire and by the Holy Ghost (as taught in 2 Nephi 31:17). To help avoid perpetuating this doctrinal misunderstanding, AND to avoid going into more doctrinal depth than will be easily understood by a friend audience, perhaps it would be best to remove the lines that read, "Baptism performed by someone with the proper authority of God Cleanses from all past sins!".
Wearing of the Cross
In his Oct 2022 talk, "Lifted Up upon the Cross," Elder Holland explained why we don't wear crosses as a symbol of our faith and why Thorvaldsen’s marble statue the Christus is a more accurate representation of our faith. With this in mind, we do not include jewelry with the cross in Church materials.
KJV of the Bible
The General Handbook states that "when possible," members should use a preferred or Church-published edition of the Bible in Church classes and meetings" (38.8.40.1).
Quote God in Personal Experiences
When sharing personal experiences with revelation in Church materials, we generally try to avoid including direct quotes from God. This is primarily because such experiences are extremely sacred and personal, and often not universally applicable to all people. In addition, there are times when God simply communicates through impressions that we put into our own words, so there's a chance God could inadvertently be misquoted.
Thank you for your response, Patrick, and for your desire to create something that will be engaging for people to view. COR is definitely not opposed to trying new things! At the same time, it is also important for Church materials and messages to reflect the Spirit and tone established by prophets and apostles when teaching about sacred and holy topics, such as prayer. You may have noticed members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve do not approach such topics with "provocative questions" or casual attitudes. While there are certain things we can do to meet people where they are at, we can't do so in a way that ventures the slightest bit into treating sacred things lightly.
I am happy to jump on a call to talk through this if you would like. I will also send you a list of Principles for Ensuring Doctrinal Purity that we have been asked to follow in all of our reviews. Let me know if it is helpful!
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