What are the Articles of Faith?

In mormon doctrine the thirteen Articles of Faith play an important role. In the early days of the Church, when a man asked Joseph Smith about the key beliefs of the Mormons, Joseph responded by writing out what came to be called the Articles of Faith and came to be canonized by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Articles of Faith are simple statements which outline the basic teachings of Mormon doctrine, including the belief in three separate beings making up the Godhead; the belief that we will each be punished for our own sins and not Adam’s; and the belief that faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost are the first principles and ordinances of the gospel, among other things.