"For the Strength of Youth" is a pamphlet distributed by

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

(LDS Church) that "summarizes standards from scripture and from the writings and teachings of Church leaders." The pamphlet's target audience is young men and young women of the LDS Church, although its principles are applicable to all age groups in the church. It is available on the Internet and in print form. The pamphlet was first published in 1965, with its 10th and most recent edition released in 2022. The pamphlet was to be put "in the hands of every young person in each ward".

History

The LDS Church first published "For the Strength of Youth" in 1965. Subsequent editions were published in 1966, two in 1968, 1969, 1972, 1990, 2001, 2011, and most recently in 2022 (10th edition). The first edition of the pamphlet had 16 pages, while the ninth edition has 44 pages. Regarding the 2011 version, Young Women general president Elaine S. Dalton said, "The standards have not changed, but times have changed....''For the Strength of Youth'' has been revised to address the issues youth face today—to teach them the doctrine behind the standards and the promised blessings of obedience." The covers evolved from a depiction of a family in the first five editions to depictions of youth in the 1972 and 1990 versions which were replaced with images of the

Salt Lake Temple The Salt Lake Temple is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. At , it is the largest Latter-day Saint temple by floor area. Dedicated in 1893, it is the sixth temple ...

in some editions, a reflection of what was called an "additional emphasis ... on living worthy to attend the

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

" in the youth guidelines, while then returning to images of youth in the most recent version, released in 2022. The 10th edition also added a subtitle, with it now called "For the Strength of Youth: A Guide for Making Choices."

The current (10th) edition (2022) contains the follow sections: * Message from the First Presidency * Make inspired choices * Jesus Christ will help you * Love God, love your neighbor * Walk in God’s light * Your body is sacred * Truth will make you free * Find joy in Christ * Appendix * What about . . . ?

Homosexuality

The first explicit mention of homosexuality was contained in the 1990 seventh version of the pamphlet where it says, "the Lord specifically forbids ... sex perversion such as homosexuality". It continues "homosexual and lesbian activities are sinful and an abomination to the Lord" and "unnatural affections ... toward persons of the same gender are counter to God's eternal plan". The 2001 eighth version removes any mention of "unnatural affections" and "abomination" and only states, "homosexual activity is a serious sin. If you find your-self struggling with same-gender attraction, seek counsel from your parents and bishop. They will help you." In 2011, the ninth version was released adding to the 2001 paragraph that "lesbian behavior" is also a "serious sin" and that the youth should speak to their parents and

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

if they "are being persuaded to participate in inappropriate behavior".

For the Strength of Youth conferences

In 2019, the LDS Church announced the intent to begin regional week-long youth activities called For the Strength of Youth (FSY) conference worldwide in 2020.Pierce,Scott D
"LDS Church announces expanded youth conferences in wake of split with Scouting"
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'', 19 July 2019. Retrieved on 13 March 2020. Such conferences have been previously held outside of the United States and Canada. The FSY conferences in the United States and Canada replaced

Especially for Youth Especially For Youth (often abbreviated as EFY) is a week-long youth-oriented seminar focused on fellowship and teaching the principles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It is run by Brigham Young University's (BYU) ...

conferences that had been operated by church-owned

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

for more than 40 years. A press release explains, "FSY conferences include activities, devotionals, and classes designed to help strengthen faith in Jesus Christ and provide opportunities for youth to grow spiritually, socially, physically, and intellectually."Walker, Sydney
"Church Releases More Details about FSY Conferences Starting in 2020"
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Church News The ''Church News'' (or ''LDS Church News'') is a weekly tabloid-sized supplement to the ''Deseret News'' and the ''MormonTimes'', a Salt Lake City, Utah newspaper owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It is ...

'', 13 September 2019. Retrieved on 13 March 2020. The starting of FSY conferences in the United States and Canada was delayed until 2021, due to the

coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

History

Contents

Homosexuality

For the Strength of Youth conferences

See also

References

External links