Mormon Studies Commons^™

From The Editor, John W. Welch

BYU Studies

True to the long-standing character of BYU Studies, this issue contains something exciting and enriching for just about everyone. Looking over this latest issue, I am grateful for the academic quality and faithful integrity of its contents and for the authors who have worked hard to bring this information to you.

Silent Wednesday, Mark Bennion

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

First Principles And Ordinances: The Fourth Article Of Faith In Light Of The Temple, Eric Samuelsen

BYU Studies

Samuel M. Brown, First Principles and Ordinances: The Fourth Article of Faith in Light of the Temple (Provo, Utah: Neal A. Maxwell Institute, Brigham Young University, 2014).

The Civil War Years In Utah: The Kingdom Of God And The Territory That Did Not Fight, Kenneth L. Alford

BYU Studies

John Gary Maxwell. The Civil War Years in Utah: The Kingdom of God and the Territory That Did Not Fight.

Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 2016.

Joseph Smith And Egyptian Artifacts: A Model For Evaluating The Prophetic Nature Of The Prophet's Ideas About The Ancient World, Kerry Muhlestein

BYU Studies

Joseph Smith’s collection of Egyptian antiquities has been the point of much interest, both in his day and ours. Among those things that piqued great attention during the Prophet’s lifetime, and continue to do so today, are his explanations of the drawings (known as vignettes when referring to ancient Egyptian literature) on the papyri he possessed and the connections he made between the papyri, mummies, and biblical characters. While we have few statements directly from Joseph Smith himself, there are a number of accounts from people who heard either first- or secondhand the Prophet’s ideas about his collection of antiquities …

Schooling The Prophet: How The Book Of Mormon Influenced Joseph Smith And The Early Restoration, Mark L. Staker

BYU Studies

Gerald E. Smith. Schooling the Prophet: How the Book of Mormon Influenced Joseph Smith and the Early Restoration.

Provo, Utah: Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, BYU, 2016.

A Thoughtful Faith: Essays On Belief By Mormon Scholars, Philip L. Barlow

Books

No abstract provided.

The Lds Church In Taiwan: The First Three Years, John Hilton Iii

Faculty Publications

Located approximately one hundred miles east of continental Asia, the island of Taiwan has a rich and complicated history. The history of Taiwan intersected with the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) when LDS military personnel were stationed there in 1955. This led to the celebrated date of June 4, 1956, when the ship SS Szechuen carried among its passengers four LDS missionaries. While this would be the first time LDS missionaries would begin proselyting efforts in Taiwan, Christian missionaries had sailed into Taiwan’s harbor centuries previously. The purpose of the present study is to …

“Line Upon Line”: Joseph Smith’S Growing Understanding Of The Eternal Family, R. Devan Jensen, Michael A. Goodman, Barbara Morgan Gardener

Faculty Publications

“The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there.” So begins L . P. Hartley’s novel The Go-Between. This statement reminds religious educators to study history as it unfolded and to avoid presentism, or “an attitude toward the past dominated by present-day attitudes and experiences.”1 Latter-day Saint doctrines did not spring up fully formed as we have them today. The historical record shows that Joseph Smith did not begin with a full understanding of the doctrines of eternal families and sealing ordinances as we teach them today. In fact, the Prophet Joseph Smith dictated a revelation on 6 …

"Wherein Shall We Return?": A Historical And Analytical Examination Of Lorenzo Snow's 1899 Reemphasis Of Tithing, Zachary Ryan Horton

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the events and discourses targeted to reemphasize the law tithing and to encourage increased tithe-paying from members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1899 and 1907. This examination begins at Church president Lorenzo Snow's journey to St. George and extends through Joseph F. Smith's announcement of the Church's freedom from its long-standing debts. Each chapter analyzes this period from a different perspective provided by contemporary sources. These perspectives include primarily newspaper reports and transcripts from Lorenzo Snow's journey to St. George, reports from general Church conferences, and articles in Church-sponsored publications.This examination yields …

Book Of Mormon Costume Resource Guide, Rory R. Scanlon

Faculty Publications

This report offers visual costume research support for artists working on Book of Mormon projects, with an historical overview of Mesoamerica and how to understand its historical clothing pieces, an annotated listing of the best research sources, a list of garment and fabric terms for the 2000 BC to 600 AD period, and sample sketches from historical artifacts to suggest how to interpret the original research images the artist will encounter.

Old Testament Costume Resource Guide, Rory R. Scanlon

Faculty Publications

This report offers visual costume research support for artists working on Old Testament Bible projects, with an historical overview of Mesopotamia and how to understand its historical clothing pieces, an annotated listing of the best research sources, a list of garment and fabric terms for the 4000 BC to 0 AD period, and sample sketches from historical artifacts to suggest how to interpret the original research images the artist will encounter.

Perceptions Of Child Wellbeing And Attitudes Towards Polygamy Between Members And Non-Members Of The Lds Church, Mccall Bowcut Lyon

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

Perceptions of the wellbeing of children in polygamous families and attitudes toward polygamy in general were examined in this study, with comparisons between individuals who have a history of membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) and individuals who have never been members of the LDS church. No significant differences were found between members and non-members. Comparisons were also made between current and past members of the LDS church, resulting in only one significant difference: support/opposition for the legalization of polygamy. These results suggest that having a recent religious history of practicing polygamy does not necessarily …

The Gospel According To Mormon, Noel B. Reynolds

Faculty Publications

Although scholarly investigation of the Book of Mormon has increased significantly over the last three decades, only a tiny portion of that effort has been focused on the theological or doctrinal content of this central volume of Latter-day Saints (LDS) scripture. This article identifies three inclusios which promise definitions of the doctrine or gospel of Jesus Christ and proposes a cumulative methodology to explain how these definitions work. This approach reveals a consistently presented, six-part formula defining ‘the way’ by which mankind can qualify for eternal life. In this way the article provides a starting point for scholarly examinations of …

Mormonism, Originalism, And Utah’S Open Courts Clause, Jarom R. Jones

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.

Gospel Merisms In The Book Of Mormon, Noel B. Reynolds

Faculty Publications

This study extends previous work that identifies three inclusios in the Book of Mormon, each of which presents the same definition of the doctrine or gospel of Jesus Christ. But none of the three definitions is presented in the way modern readers might expect. Rather, each offers a series of statements focusing on different actions or events that are related to each other as parts of the way that leads to eternal life. On first reading, they could easily seem disconnected or even contradictory. But as these earlier studies demonstrate, when all these statements and their repeated elements are examined …

The Gospel According To Nephi, Noel B. Reynolds

Faculty Publications

2 Nephi 31 was written by Nephi as a grand finale to his small plates and was placed at the end to signal its premier importance. It is the centerpiece of his concluding sermon as signaled by a series of inclusios. It is presented as a flashback to the great vision received by both Lehi and Nephi in the first camp in the wilderness—over forty years earlier. But only here are we told for the first time that when Nephi witnessed the baptism of Jesus Christ in that early vision, he was simultaneously team-taught the gospel of Jesus Christ by …

Clark Memorandum: Spring 2015, J. Reuben Clark Law School, Byu Law School Alumni Association, J. Reuben Clark Law Society

The Clark Memorandum

• Watchmen on the Tower (Elder D. Todd Christofferson)
• Studying Law in the Light (Brett G. Scharffs)
• On Becoming a Spiritual Athlete (Steve Young)
• The Copyright Predicament (Clark D. Asay)
• The Case Against the Supreme Court (Erwin Chemerinsky)

"Saints Observed": Outside Observations Of Mormon Life, Matthew J. Grow

New Mexico Historical Review

No abstract provided.

The Lord’S Micro-Managing Ways In East Africa: The Remarkable Beginnings Of The Church In Mozambique, Frederick G. Williams

Faculty Publications

This presentation talks about growth of the LDS Church in Mozambique, East Africa.