Mormon Studies Commons^™

Front Matter

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Where Risk And Reward Meet Interfaith Engagement And Learning, Andrew C. Reed

BYU Studies

The Lutheran Bishop of Stockholm, Krister Stendahl, sought to accomplish one grand thing in the world. He hoped to help human beings learn to see others, to use Elder Dale G. Renlund’s words, “through Heavenly Father’s eyes.”1 While that may appear at first glance simple enough, the practice of doing so presents real challenges. Learning to see others as God does requires a curious empathy, one that fosters a desire to both know and appreciate. Stendahl publicly modeled what would become known as his “rules” for interfaith relationships in 1985 when he stood up for Latter-day Saints and their desire …

Words Never To Be Forgotten The Thoughtful Legacy Of Neal A. Maxwell, John W. Welch

BYU Studies

Many people in the world today cherish precious memories of times when Elder Maxwell (1926–2004) indelibly touched their lives. In so many cases, the thoughtful and thought-filled legacy of Neal A. Maxwell has left us all with a trove of words never to be forgotten.1 In subtitling this article “The Thoughtful Legacy of Neal A. Maxwell,” the ambiguity embedded there is intentional. His legacy is not only full of thought but also thoughtful. Everything he said and did was perfectly framed and eloquently stated; and, more than that, it was also perfectly thoughtful, kind, and concerned about other people. I …

“There Is Law” Joseph Smith’S Use Of Arbitration To Protect The Book Of Mormon, Jeffrey N. Walker, Andrew H. Hedges, Gerrit J. Dirkmaat

BYU Studies

This case marks the first time Joseph Smith invoked his legal rights to safeguard work connected with his prophetic calling from abuse or exploitation. The case arose from Abner Cole’s1 January 1830 efforts to publish Book of Mormon excerpts in his newspaper The Reflector, which he printed on the same Palmyra, New York, press that the Book of Mormon was being printed on. The case was evidently settled in Joseph Smith’s favor through arbitration, an out-of- court option for adjudication that New York law considered legally binding.2

This Branch Of The Church The Early Development Of Local Administration In The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints, Part 2, The Church In Flux, 1846–1851, Brandon Plewe

BYU Studies

A primary concern of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the spiritual and physical welfare of its members, and local congregations have always been the primary mechanism for that ministry. However, the structure and leadership of local administrative organizations has changed significantly over the history of the Church, most significantly under its first two presidents, Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. During these years, the terms and structures that are familiar to us—wards, presidents, bishops, stakes, and so on—emerged, but so did many practices that did not survive the 1877 Priesthood Reorganization.

Review: Latter-Day Saint Theology Among Christian Theologies By Grant Underwood William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2025, John G. Turner

BYU Studies

Grant Underwood’s Latter-day Saint Theology Among Christian Theologies is a project born out of hope. Underwood, a former Richard L. Evans Chair of Religious Understanding at Brigham Young University, has spent years in dialogue with other Christians. In particular, he was part of a “Mormon-Evangelical Dialogue” that met at least once a year for more than two decades. (Full disclosure: I attended two sessions.) Underwood didn’t only talk with other Christians. He read their theology—a lot of their theology.

Full Issue

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

The Ever-Present Nature Of Christ In The Title Of Jehovah, Dan Belnap

Faculty Publications

In January 2000 the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints bore testimony to the world of the reality, humanity, and divinity of Jesus Christ in a document titled “The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles.” Among its many truths was the following: “He [Christ] was the Great Jehovah of the Old Testament.”1 Though this was not the first time Church leadership had declared Christ to be Jehovah, the pronouncement does reemphasize this teaching. It also emphasizes the centrality of Christ in the Old Testament. In fact, the …

The Creation Of Our Universe: How Science And Our Religious Beliefs Align, Dan Broadbent

Faculty Publications

This presentation describes the author's opinions about how the creation of our universe may align with theories of the multiverse and the theology of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Mormons And Their Neighbors, Marvin E. Wiggins

ScholarsArchive Data

The included files contain a list of books about members and history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

On The Varieties Of Religious Experience In Latter-Day Saint Temples, 1836–1940, Jared Gage Bennett

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

From 1836 to the present, the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have constructed and undertaken rituals in buildings called temples. In the first temple in Kirtland, Ohio, its 1836 dedication was the scene of visions and speaking in tongues, much like those the apostles had at Pentecost in Acts 2. The second temple in Nauvoo, however, had none of these, and the third set of temples built in Utah, with the first completed in 1877, again saw a number of religious experiences but of a radically different form: mainly the appearance of the spirits of …

A Man Born When He Is Old, Gabriel González Núñez

Writing and Language Studies Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Bedeviled Beauty: My Journey Through White American Theater Institutions, J'Aila C. Price

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Game console: Oculus Quest

World: American Theater Institutions

Player: Minority

Place: United States

Level: “Ain’t no way.”

This thesis explores the contrast between the Westernized philosophies ingrained in my education and my identity as a Black female artist. It sheds light on the difficulties of pursuing higher education in the arts and the gaps that arise from limited exposure to culturally diverse Black resources, revealing the systemic issues in Western performance education. The paper also discusses the insights gained from my journey as a Black female artist, focusing on my thesis performance of Blood at the Root, which is …

“Guard Your Virtue With Your Life”: Purity Expectations And Dynamics Of Purity And Gender-Based Violence For Latter-Day Saint (Lds) Girls And Women, Reilly H. Brady

Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Senior Honors Papers

This study investigates purity expectations directed towards girls and women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), approaching a largely underresearched topic and establishing findings such as the mutual embeddedness of purity and gender-based violence for girls and women in the LDS Church. Through a discourse analysis, this study creates a historical timeline of over 100 years of documents, including church-produced media as well as separate writings by LDS women, focusing on how purity has changed and has been politicized over time within various historical moments. While most survey participants in this study described never having heard …

A Relational-Cultural Approach To Examining Concealment Among Latter-Day Saint Sexual Minorities, Samuel Skidmore, Sydney A. Sorrell, Kyrstin Lake

Psychology Student Research

Sexual minorities often conceal their sexual identity from others to avoid distal stressors. Such concealment efforts occur more frequently among sexual minorities in religious settings where rejection and discrimination are more likely. Using a sample of 392 Latter-day Saint (“Mormon”) sexual minorities, we assess (a) the effect of religious affiliation on concealment efforts, (b) the relationship between social support, authenticity, and religious commitment on concealment, and (c) the moderating effect of authenticity on religious commitment and concealment. Multi-level model analyses revealed that religious affiliation alone accounted for over half (51.7%) of the variation in concealment efforts for Latter-day Saint sexual …

Stirreth Up The People, Lindon J. Robison

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

Relationships between people are influenced by what they share, their commonalities. Empathy is an important commonality enabling people to internalize each other’s well-being and create empathetic networks that can provide important economic and social advantages. Shared antipathy for another person or group is another commonality enabling people to create cheap networks. Cheap networks are inexpensive to create, but they are unlikely to provide the economic and social advantages of empathetic ones. Cheap networks focus mainly on defensive and destructive acts that often produce costly consequences. In addition, they can be taken over by strong leaders who use them to pursue …

Seminary Life Preparation Lessons, Kenneth L. Alford

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

The Church recently announced that seminary classes throughout the world will include “Life Preparation lessons” in their weekly curriculum. In the following interview, Chad H Webb explains how and why these lessons were developed, expectations for them, and their importance in helping meet the needs of the rising generation.

On The Road With Richard Bushman, Grant Wacker

BYU Studies

Richard Bushman invited me to respond to his essay, given my long-standing interest in the Protestant encounter with world religions. With this very short essay of my own, I am pleased to offer a few words of appreciation and thoughts about further inquiries.

Front Matter

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.

Learning From Spiritual And Secular Sources Orchestrating Inspired Discussions While Teaching In The Savior’S Way, Damon L. Bahr

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

One of the important topics of Teaching in the Savior’s Way is orchestrating gospel discussions. As teachers, leading a successful discussion is critical to helping class members “Hear Him.” This article begins by talking about two of President Nelson’s talks that describe how to integrate learning from spiritual and secular sources and show that what is learned from secular sources can inform learning from spiritual ones. Spiritual guidance for orchestrating discussions is provided, which is then augmented by some secular guidance from educational research about orchestrating classroom discussions.