06 — Resources
Where to read further.
A small, curated set of official Church-published sources to keep nearby. Every link below goes to the primary material itself, so you can sit with it directly rather than through anyone else’s lens.
Essential starting points
- Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge, “Stand Forever” — BYU Devotional, January 22, 2019. The intellectual spine of this site.
- Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge, “Finish the Course, Keep the Faith” — BYU-Idaho Devotional, February 17, 2022.
- Grant Von Harrison, “Drawing on the Powers of Heaven”. Inspires the Building Faith page. Privately published; not a Church publication. Linked here for purchase only.
Faithful podcasts and a course
- The Come Back Podcast — hosted by Ashly Stone. Real stories from people who left The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, walked through doubt or pain, and found their way back. Particularly valuable if you’re in the middle of the wrestle yourself.
- Standard of Truth Podcast — hosted by Dr. Gerrit Dirkmaat, associate professor of Church History and Doctrine at BYU. Deep, source-based examination of early Church history and the life of Joseph Smith. Useful when a specific historical question is the thing shaking you.
- Finding Strength in the Lord: Emotional Resilience — a free 10-week self-reliance course from the Church on healthy thinking, managing stress and anxiety, building relationships, and drawing strength from God. Available in person, online, or as a self-paced manual. The work this site recommends doing on doubt overlaps directly with the work this course teaches on emotional resilience.
Gospel Topics Essays
Published by the Church on churchofjesuschrist.org.
- First Vision Accounts
- Book of Mormon Translation
- Book of Mormon and DNA Studies
- Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham
- Race and the Priesthood
- Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo
- Plural Marriage in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- The Manifesto and the End of Plural Marriage
- Becoming Like God
- Are Mormons Christian?
- Mother in Heaven
- Joseph Smith’s Teachings about Priesthood, Temple, and Women
- Peace and Violence Among 19th-Century Latter-day Saints
Church history resources
- Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days — all volumes, free in the Gospel Library.
- The Joseph Smith Papers — primary sources from Joseph Smith’s lifetime.
- Church History Topics — short, focused entries on hundreds of historical questions.
Scriptures on faith, doubt, and spiritual witness
- Alma 32:26–43 — the seed of faith
- Ether 12:6 — witness after the trial of faith
- Moroni 10:3–5 — the promise
- D&C 6:22–23 — ‘Did I not speak peace to your mind?’
- D&C 8:2–3 — how the Spirit communicates
- D&C 9:7–9 — burning in the bosom, stupor of thought
- James 1:5–6 — ask in faith, nothing wavering
- Hebrews 11:1 — faith is the substance of things hoped for
- Mormon 9:21 — believing in Christ, doubting nothing
- Doctrine and Covenants 6:36 — ‘Look unto me in every thought’
General Conference
Browse recent General Conference sessions and search by topic. Use the search for “faith,” “doubt,” “Holy Ghost,” “witness,” “testimony,” “questions,” or “trial of faith.”
If you’d like to talk to someone
Reading only takes us so far. Sometimes the right next step is a conversation with a real person.
- Your bishop or branch president, who is there for exactly this.
- A trusted friend or family member who has faith and will listen without rushing you.
- The Church’s mental health resources, available at Life Help.
And if today was hard, thank you for staying. We’re glad you’re here.