World Faiths & Religions

Education at all levels and of all types (formal and informal) is encouraged by church leaders. Several canonical statements encourage acquiring knowledge: to quote three verses from the Doctrine and Covenants, for example: "seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith" (D&C 88:118); "study and learn, and become acquainted with all good books, and with languages, tongues, and people" (D&C 90:15); "obtain a knowledge of history, and of countries, and of kingdoms, of laws of God and man" (D&C 93:53). The LDS Church owns and operates several private universities in the United States (BYU-Provo [Utah], BYU-Idaho, BYU-Hawaii), and several small primary schools outside the U.S. The Church has implemented a forward-looking program called the Perpetual Education Fund, in which LDS members in underdeveloped countries may receive loans toward college or trade school. A further oft-cited canonical statement is "the glory of God is intelligence" (D&C 93:36).