Naturalistic Explanations Of The Origin Of The Book Of Mormon,
2019
Brigham Young University
Naturalistic Explanations Of The Origin Of The Book Of Mormon, Brian C. Hales
BYU Studies
In early 1830, an unknown farmer in upstate New York burst upon the world’s book-publishing scene. The Book of Mormon rolled off the Grandin Press in Palmyra, New York, with Joseph Smith listed as “author and proprietor” on the title page. That same year, a few other authors produced new titles, including The Fortunes of Perkin Warbeck by Mary Shelley, Letters and Journals of Lord Byron by Thomas Moore, and Six Sermons on the Study of the Holy Scriptures by Samuel Lee. If grouped with books classified as “fiction” in 1830, the Book of Mormon may have been the longest, …
First Argument,
2019
Brigham Young University
First Argument, Darlene Young
BYU Studies
An ache like a seed caught in teeth, acrid aftertaste of unripe fruit; astonishment. That is not what I meant.
Alexander Campbell And Joseph Smith: Nineteenth-Century Restorationists,
2019
Brigham Young University
Alexander Campbell And Joseph Smith: Nineteenth-Century Restorationists, Alison Palmer
BYU Studies
RoseAnn Benson’s latest book, Alexander Campbell and Joseph Smith, examines and compares two of the most prominent restorationist leaders in nineteenth-century America. On this subject, Latter-day Saints are likely most familiar with the conflict between the two men and their movements. Early Latter-day Saint Sidney Rigdon, for instance, was one of several individuals who defected from Campbell’s Disciples of Christ and joined what became The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And Campbell later published a treatise, “Delusions,” against Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. Though these facts are relatively well known among Latter-day Saints, that story …
“As Far As It Is Translated Correctly”: Bible Translation And The Church,
2019
Brigham Young University
“As Far As It Is Translated Correctly”: Bible Translation And The Church, Daniel O. Mcclellan
Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel
The publication of Thomas A. Wayment’s The New Testament: A Translation for Latter-day Saintsis a significant event that occasions not only a close examination of his work but also a discussion of how it fits into the complex relationship The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has long shared with Bible translation.1 If the Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion, the King James Version of the Bible is certainly its linguistic cornerstone. The scripture and other revelations that flowed from the Prophet Joseph Smith and his successors in the early days of the Church were …
Peter As A Learner And Teacher,
2019
Brigham Young University
Peter As A Learner And Teacher, John Hilton Iii
Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel
Over a century ago, biblical scholar Phillip Shaff wrote, “Generally speaking, the character of Peter is described with essential harmony in all the Gospels. He appears as an admirable type of the Galilean: well-meaning, confiding, freedom-loving, and courageous, yet changeable, capricious, and eager for novelty.” Indeed, as Markus Bockmuehl points out, “Peter is, after Jesus, the most frequently mentioned individual both in the Gospels and in the New Testament as a whole.” Peter’s enthusiasm and forward nature can be seen throughout the four Gospels in the manner in which he speaks for the disciples and at times acts impetuously (for …
Faith In Jesus Christ,
2019
Brigham Young University
Faith In Jesus Christ, Susan W. Tanner
Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel
I am glad to express some of my feelings about “a reason of the hope that is in [me]” (1 Peter 3:15). I will speak a bit about my journey of faith, which really is, I believe, a journey or quest of a lifetime for all of us.
The Nauvoo Music And Concert Hall,
2019
Brigham Young University
The Nauvoo Music And Concert Hall, Darrell Babidge
BYU Studies
On many an evening in 1845, anyone near the corner of Woodruff and Young Streets in Nauvoo, Illinois, would have heard music coming from the newly constructed Music and Concert Hall (fig. 1). The following year, the music making abruptly stopped as thousands of Nauvoo residents fled from mob violence, abandoned the city, and began their journey westward to the Great Salt Lake. Today on the same corner is an empty grassy area where children often play. This article seeks to tell the history of the Nauvoo Music and Concert Hall. This hall points to the lifeblood of music and …
The Office Of Church Recorder,
2019
Brigham Young University
The Office Of Church Recorder, Keith A. Erekson
BYU Studies
Elder Steven E. Snow served as the Church Historian and Recorder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from August 1, 2012, to July 31, 2019. During this time, he oversaw significant developments in the work of Church history, from record keeping to publishing to developing historic sites and exhibits. Two years into his tenure, I joined the Church History Department as director of the Church History Library. One of my assignments in this role eventually involved participating in ongoing discussions about the office of Church Recorder. Over the years, there had been much discussion about the role …
Burning The Couch: Some Stories Of Grace,
2019
Brigham Young University
Burning The Couch: Some Stories Of Grace, Robbie Taggart
BYU Studies
One day when I was a snarling baffled holy teenager, four friends and I found a lonely-looking couch on the side of the road. It had a sign on it that said, “Free.” Our minds immediately began to scroll through the brilliant possibilities presented by such a couch, such a gift. Someone thought we could hike it to our favorite camping spot up the mountain and sit upon it amid the trees and weeds and clouds and birdsong and rejoice in the incongruity of it all. But the thought of mountain snails and mildew sharing our couch led us in …
Salt Lake School Of The Prophets,
2019
Brigham Young University
Salt Lake School Of The Prophets, Hannah Charlesworth
BYU Studies
In 1833, Joseph Smith established the first School of the Prophets in Kirtland, Ohio. The school was a place where men in the Church of Christ, founded by Smith in 1830, met to learn about spiritual and secular matters and to prepare for missionary work. During these meetings, Joseph Smith saw many visions and received revelation. The Kirtland school ended in 1837, but thirty years later, Brigham Young revived the School of the Prophets in Utah. This school was called the Salt Lake School of the Prophets and is the main subject of Devery Anderson’s new book Salt Lake School …
Full Issue,
2019
Brigham Young University
"General Conference Talk": Style Variation And The Styling Of Identity In Latter-Day Saint General Conference Oratory,
2019
Brigham Young University
"General Conference Talk": Style Variation And The Styling Of Identity In Latter-Day Saint General Conference Oratory, Stephen Thomas Betts
Theses and Dissertations
Despite its exceptional importance as a cultural performance event in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, General Conference has received little attention in Mormon studies, to say nothing of sociolinguistics. Situated within the larger question of how the public language of Mormon authorities has changed over time, this thesis seeks to discover style features of what impressionistically appears to be a unitary General Conference style since 1960 (the era of church "Correlation"). Statistical analysis is then used to determine which of five sociolinguistic factors and three pairwise interactions between four of the five sociolinguistic factors most saliently conditions …
Front Matter,
2019
Brigham Young University
Front Matter
Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel
No abstract provided.
I See You, God,
2019
Brigham Young University
I See You, God, John S. Tanner
Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel
Aloha! I am both honored and a bit daunted to be invited to speak to you about the reason for the hope that is in me. The topic seems to call for a talk in a personal vein. So I shall speak autobiographically about the reasons for the hope I felt as a young man preparing to go on a mission and for the hope I feel today. I also will touch upon larger epistemological questions about how I know. I have entitled my talk “I See You, God” for reasons that will become clear later.
What We Learn From Alma’S Messages To His Sons,
2019
Brigham Young University
What We Learn From Alma’S Messages To His Sons, Richard G. Moore
Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel
The transformation of Alma the Younger from a person “seeking to destroy the church of God” (Alma 36:6) to a spiritually powerful prophet was dramatic and extraordinary. To go from being among the “vilest of sinners” to wishing he could be an angel (Mosiah 28:4; Alma 29:1) so he might speak with even more power demonstrates the absolute effective impact repentance through faith in Christ’s Atonement can have for any individual. Alma’s conversion begins with a frightening appearance of an angel, declaring to Alma in a voice of thunder that if he does not cease his efforts to destroy the …
“A Teacher Come From God”,
2019
Brigham Young University
“A Teacher Come From God”, Marlin K. Jensen
Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel
One of the desires of the heart that I’ve had since being called at age eighteen to teach a youth Sunday School class is the desire to become a good teacher. Chapter 3 of John’s Gospel is best known for the exchange between the Savior and Nicodemus about the need to be born again. For me, however, the most moving part of that dialogue has always been the way Nicodemus greeted the Savior. He began with the salutation, “Rabbi,” which, as you scholars know, is the Jewish title for “master” or “teacher.” He continued, “We know that thou art a …
Scripture Note: A Fresh Approach To Moroni’S Promise,
2019
Brigham Young University
Scripture Note: A Fresh Approach To Moroni’S Promise, Alan Taylor Farnes
Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel
Moroni’s promise is a well-known and much-loved passage of scripture to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It has been called “probably the most celebrated and oft-cited verses in the Book of Mormon.”1 Most missionaries know it by memory and often challenge their investigators to take “Moroni’s challenge.” Moroni tells his readers that when they read the Book of Mormon they should ponder on the Lord’s mercy since the Creation and then ask God if the Book of Mormon is not true. Then comes Moroni’s promise: “If ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with …
Can You Hear The Music?,
2019
Brigham Young University
Can You Hear The Music?, Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel
My beloved brothers and sisters, my dear friends, Sister Uchtdorf and I are so grateful to be with you today. We bring you the love and greetings of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. You young people are the strength and future of the Church of Jesus Christ all around the earth. You are the Latter-day Saints who will be a blessing to the world. We love and admire you!
Finding Documents On The Joseph Smith Papers Website,
2019
Brigham Young University
Finding Documents On The Joseph Smith Papers Website, Kenneth L. Alford
Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel
The Joseph Smith Papers website (josephsmithpapers.org) is a wonderful resource. With thousands of documents and hundreds of resource pages, though, it can sometimes feel like you’re searching for a needle in a haystack. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how you might use the website to learn more about quotations and documents associated with the Prophet Joseph Smith.
Using The Joseph Smith Papers Website: An Introduction,
2019
Brigham Young University
Using The Joseph Smith Papers Website: An Introduction, Nathan N. Waite
Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel
There is something special about original historical documents. I have seen it again and again in my own life and in sharing my work on The Joseph Smith Papers with others: people are drawn to the tangible connection to the past provided by these seemingly ordinary, often faded pages. As the Library of Congress puts it, “Primary sources help students relate in a personal way to events of the past and promote a deeper understanding of history as a series of human events.” They inspire people to find out more, to think critically about what they read, and to take …
