Development Guidelines for CES Letter Answers

Project Context

This project provides faith-promoting responses to the CES Letter from a Latter-day Saint perspective. All content should:

• Be respectful and thoughtful

• Provide accurate historical and doctrinal context

• Strengthen faith while addressing concerns

• Use reliable sources and proper citations

Writing Guidelines

Tone and Approach

• Maintain a respectful, compassionate tone

• Address concerns directly without dismissing them

• Focus on building faith while providing honest answers

• Avoid contentious or argumentative language

Content Structure

• Each article should be a markdown file

• Use clear headings and subheadings

• Include relevant scripture references

• Cite historical sources appropriately

• Link to official Church resources when applicable

File Naming Convention

• Use descriptive, lowercase filenames with hyphens

• Example: book-of-mormon-translation.md, first-vision-accounts.md

Research Guidelines

Sources

• Prioritize official Church sources and publications

• Use peer-reviewed academic sources when appropriate

• Include perspectives from faithful LDS scholars

• Verify all historical claims and dates

Citations

• Use inline citations where appropriate

• Include a references section at the end of each article

• Link to online sources when available

Technical Guidelines

Markdown Format

• Use standard markdown syntax

• Keep line lengths reasonable for readability

• Use bullet points and numbered lists for clarity

• Include relevant images with proper attribution

File Organization

/
├── README.md
├── CLAUDE.md
├── introduction.md
└── [topic-specific articles]

Commands

When developing, please run the following commands to ensure quality:

• Check markdown syntax: markdownlint *.md (if available)

• Verify all links are working

Future Development

The articles will eventually be published at cesletteranswers.org. Keep in mind:

• Content should be web-friendly

• Articles may be converted to HTML

• Consider SEO-friendly titles and descriptions

• Maintain consistent formatting across all articles