Have you ever had a question about a topic in Church history? Because we were not there, some Church history events and topics can be hard for us to understand. So how do we approach questions about controversial topics? Here are three things we can do:

1. Strengthen our testimony in foundational gospel principles. 

2. Seek answers from reliable sources. 

3. Take our questions and the answers we have found to God. 

First, we should strengthen our testimony in foundational gospel principles. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland advised us to “hold fast to what you already know and stand strong until additional knowledge comes” when searching for answers. 

Second, we can seek answers from multiple reliable sources. In a world with so much information at our fingertips, we can easily get lost in it all. Luckily, many great primary sources like scriptures, general conference talks, and the Church website can help us find answers. 

Third, we can take our answers to God for confirmation. After Wilford Woodruff issued the Manifesto to end plural marriage, he counseled the Saints not to just take his word for it. He said, “Go unto God yourselves, if you are tried over this and cannot see its purpose; go to your secret chambers and ask God and plead with Him, in the name of Jesus, to give you a testimony as He has given it to us, and I promise you that you will not come away empty, nor dissatisfied.”  

Even though it can be hard to understand some topics in Church history, there are many ways we can find answers. We can strengthen our testimony in the gospel principles we do know, seek answers from reliable sources, and ask Heavenly Father about the answers we have found.