Faith and/or Works?

Fewer topics have sparked more religious debate among Christians than the age-old "Faith verses Works" question.  As I understand it, one side believes that faith in Jesus Christ and accepting Him as our Savior is the only thing that is required for Salvation, while the other side believes that certain works, rights, or ordinances must be followed in order to be saved.  This seemingly simple question can get very involved, and there have been many wonderful discussions and talks given on the subject.  Instead of answering the question, "Are we saved by our works, or by faith alone?" I will focus specifically on what members of the Church believe.

The question:
"Do Mormons believe we are saved by works or by faith alone?"

Foolish and Vain Imaginings

I just finished reading Helaman 16 in the Book of Mormon.  In it, Samuel the Lamanite has just finished prophesying about the signs that will mark the birth and the death of Jesus Christ on the other side of the world.  Those who didn't believe tried to shoot arrows at him, but could not hit him.  Instead of  being convinced by the power of God however, they claimed that Samuel was being protected by the devil.  Furthermore, in verses 13-14 it says that many signs and wonders began to manifest themselves to the people, yet still the unbelievers were unconvinced.
The chapter then proceeds to list some of the unbelievers' arguments against the prophesies of Christ, all of which are illogical and/or unfounded, yet which closely resemble arguments that face true believers in our day.

Faith is a Gift

My ward recently had a Stake Conference, and a member of the Stake Presidency said something that really impressed me.  He said that "faith is a gift from God bestowed as a reward for obedience.  The greater the degree of righteousness, the greater the bestowal of faith."  I don't think we often think about it that way.  We sometimes act as though having faith were a deliberate act; that we can consciously choose to have faith.  But that's not the case.  We can't force ourselves to have faith any more than we can force a seed to grow.  But what we can do is plant that seed (Alma 32:28).  We plant the seed and then Heavenly Father promises us that if we nurture the seed, it will grow.  Taking the parable even further, the more we nurture and take care of a plant, the more healthy it will be and the more fruit it will produce.  So if we ever feel weak in our faith, perhaps we should try increasing our obedience to God's commandments.  We may be doing a pretty good job already, but we can always improve in some aspect of our lives.  And if we humbly ask God to help us to improve in the areas in which we are weak, we will not only see improvements, but also an increase in our faith.