1. Love as a Law: Love is described as the substance of God’s law, not a reward to be earned. It is a commandment to love God and others unconditionally.

2. Parable of the Prodigal Son: Both sons in the parable misunderstand love as a reward. The younger son feels unworthy, while the elder son feels entitled. The father represents God’s unconditional love.

3. Perfectionism vs. Perfect Love: Perfectionism is seen as a backward approach to love, focusing on being lovable rather than loving perfectly. God’s perfect love is unconditional and not based on merit.

4. Righteous Judgment: True judgment is about how to love others, not about who deserves love. Love should be given freely, even to enemies.

5. Practical Application: The article encourages readers to stop treating love as a reward and start obeying it as a law, participating in the work of loving others without conditions.

For additional information see:https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/love-is-a-law-not-a-reward

1. Religious Teachings: Explores how religious teachings can influence perfectionistic tendencies, both positively and negatively.

2. Spiritual Perfectionism Differentiates between striving for spiritual growth and unhealthy perfectionism that leads to guilt and anxiety.

3. Role of Grace: Emphasizes the importance of understanding and accepting grace to counteract the negative effects of perfectionism.

4. Community Support: Highlights the role of religious communities in providing support and reducing perfectionistic pressures.

5. Balancing Effort and Faith: Encourages balancing personal effort with faith in divine assistance to achieve a healthier approach to perfectionism.

For additional information see:https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/religion-and-perfectionism

This article by Mark D. Ogletree was published in BYU Studies 63, no. 4 (2024).

Key points from this article:

To read this article online for free, go to

This article by Ryan S. Gardner introduces the Oracles of God collection at the David O. McKay Library at Brigham Young University–Idaho, which compiles documents relating to prior declarations, statements, etc. from the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. It discusses the criteria for documents that are included in this new digital collection and how it can be helpful to church membership.

This poem by Kevin Klein received an honorable mention in the 2021 Clinton F. Larson Poetry Contest, sponsored by BYU Studies.

This article from Noel B. Reynolds discusses the use of covenant as a concept in religious tradition and scripture, and consider how it has been discussed in scholarship up to the current day. Reynolds then discusses how these ideas can tie to the understanding of covenant in the Book of Mormon and how this study can "enrich those teachings for a modern reader."

“Parental Influence on Adolescent Perfectionism” by Jenet Jacob Erickson, Olivia Forsberg, and McKenna Schmidt. Published BYU Studies 63 no. 4 (2024).

Key Points:

You can read the text of this article for free at https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/parental-influence-on-adolescent-perfectionism.

This article by W. Justin Dyer, published BYU Studies 63, no. 4 (2024) explores how perfectionism develops and changes during adolescence.

Key points from this article:

You can read the text of this article for free at https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/perfectionism-across-adolescence.

This book notice, written by Lane Welch about Robert A. Rees 2020 book A New Witness to the World, discusses the structure of the book and its value to those wishing to better understand the Book of Mormon.

This poem by David Thacker won first place in the 2022 Clinton F. Larson Poetry Contest, sponsored by BYU Studies.