How Long is Doctrine and Covenants?

[Larry Cotrell]

I'm reading through the Book of Mormon right now, which is very interesting. I've thought about reading Doctrine and Covenants next to better understand the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Would this take a long time to read, or could I finish it in a couple of months?

Edited September 4, 2016 by Larry Cotrell

[Blackmarch]

31 minutes ago, Larry Cotrell said:

I'm reading through the Book of Mormon right now, which is very interesting. I've thought about reading Doctrine and Covenants next to better understand the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Would this take a long time to read, or could I finish it in a couple of months?

well that depends on how you read, and how fast you read. it's shorter than the book of mormon, longer than the pearl of great price. probably about 1/2-2/3 the length of the book of mormon. It's probably a bit easier to understand as it is closer to our culture than the book of mormon. and yes a read through is worth it.

 

Edited September 4, 2016 by Blackmarch

[NeedleinA]

Faster than the Book of Mormon. A lot of this comes down to if you are just "reading" the scriptures OR if you are "studying" the scriptures. 

[MrShorty]

Some of how long the D&C takes to read may depend on how much effort you put into understanding LDS history. The BoM has an overall storyline (or two or three -- especially through Mosiah), but the D&C is a compilation of individual revelations, and the text of these revelations does not include the corresponding historical story line. The Church has included some historical information in the heading to each section, but there can easily be a lot more history than is given. As indicated, just the text of the D&C is shorter than the BoM. If you decide you need to ferret out more of the history to understand how each section fits into LDS history, there could be more reading than the BoM.

[Just_A_Guy]

10 minutes ago, MrShorty said:

Some of how long the D&C takes to read may depend on how much effort you put into understanding LDS history. The BoM has an overall storyline (or two or three -- especially through Mosiah), but the D&C is a compilation of individual revelations, and the text of these revelations does not include the corresponding historical story line. The Church has included some historical information in the heading to each section, but there can easily be a lot more history than is given. As indicated, just the text of the D&C is shorter than the BoM. If you decide you need to ferret out more of the history to understand how each section fits into LDS history, there could be more reading than the BoM.

This.  The D&C isn't a self-contained narrative the way the BoM is; you'll need context.  The LDS Church publishes a study manual that's a good start, though perhaps a bit too lengthy and devotional in tone for your taste.  I have found Steven Harper's Making Sense of the Doctrine and Covenants to be a decent read as well.

Edited September 6, 2016 by Just_A_Guy

[Guest]

On 9/4/2016 at 5:27 PM, Larry Cotrell said:

I'm reading through the Book of Mormon right now, which is very interesting. I've thought about reading Doctrine and Covenants next to better understand the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Would this take a long time to read, or could I finish it in a couple of months?

If you go to the church website and download the audio, it's about 13.4 hours.

[Jackie]

I was wondering about that too. I'm a novice.

The Book of Mormon is amazing, although I'm still in 2 Nephi. (It's my first time reading it)

Can non-members get D&C free at a LDS meeting place/church like the BoM?

[rpframe]

On 9/7/2016 at 11:55 AM, Jackie said:

Can non-members get D&C free at a LDS meeting place/church like the BoM?

D&C is normally bundled up with the BoM and the Pearl of Great Price in what is usually called a "Triple Combination" (FYI a "Quad" is all three of those plus the Bible all in one book).

The bishop or the missionaries might be able to get you a free physical copy, but you can check it out for free online, in an app (android, iphone, windows, kindle), or you can buy your own paperback cheaply on amazon

Edited September 12, 2016 by rpframe

[Jackie]

Thank you for the information.

[Guest]

18 hours ago, Jackie said:

I was wondering about that too. I'm a novice.

The Book of Mormon is amazing, although I'm still in 2 Nephi. (It's my first time reading it)

Can non-members get D&C free at a LDS meeting place/church like the BoM?

Not as commonly as the Book of Mormon.  But you can certainly read it or download it off the church website.  All the standard works come in a variety of formats.