Mormon Studies Commons^™

Mosiah 18:21 And Prophetic Help With The Messiness Of Unity, Nicholas W. Gentile

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

This article explores Latter-day Saint Apostles’ teachings in general conferences from April 2020 through October 2023 about how to achieve unity within the increasing diversity of the global Church. It asserts that diverse disciples can experience the joy of unity by focusing on (1) Jesus Christ, (2) their shared identity as children of God, (3) the two great commandments, and (4)becoming one in spiritual purpose.

Chapter 3: Metals And Metallurgy, Matthew Roper

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Jeremiah “The Prophet”, Loren Spendlove

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

This article, which focuses on the role of Jeremiah as a prophet, is based on a study of the Hebrew Bible and the Greek Septuagint. It also analyzes references to Jeremiah in the Book of Mormon and connects those references to current scholarly research on the book of Jeremiah. Consistent with the general consensus among biblical scholars today, as well as Nephi1’s own references to Jeremiah in the Book of Mormon, the author proposes that even though Jeremiah embodied the office of a prophet, he was not recognized as being “among the prophets” during his lifetime. This is a subtle …

Seeing With A Hat: How Joseph Smith Used A Hat In Translating The Book Of Mormon, Stan Spencer

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Joseph Smith’s use of a seer stone and hat in producing the Book of Mormon has been a point of confusion, dismay, and even embarrassment among some believers. These feelings may reflect a lack of understanding of the functions of these objects in enabling Joseph to receive divine revelation. As the term was used in the Bible and commonly used in Joseph Smith’s day, a seer was a “seer” of visions. Accordingly, a seer stone was a stone used for seeing visions. Joseph was reported to have used seer stones to receive the translation of the Book of Mormon in …

David W. Pattern Faithful Friend Or Heel Lifter?, Mark T. Lewis

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

In 1843 Joseph Smith reflected on his experiences with the original members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in this dispensation, remarking that only Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball had not “lifted their heel” against him. Of the remaining ten members of the Quorum, nine faced documented disciplinary action or openly opposed Joseph, but David W. Patten did not. Patten’s loyalty, martyrdom, and frequent commendations from Joseph, the Lord, and his contemporaries make Patten’s exclusion from Joseph’s 1843praise of Brigham and Heber puzzling. Those who knew Patten spoke at length of his faithfulness and often listed his name …

"Being Therefore Perfect" Matthew 5:48 In Modern Restoration And Ancient Jewish Contexts, Trevan G. Hatch, Gerrit Van Dyk

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

Matthew 5:48 (“Be ye therefore perfect . . . ”) is a salient passage of scripture for Latter-day Saints because of its seeming focus on becoming like God, a key doctrine of the Latter-day Saints faith. But what insights do we gain from analyzing its ancient Jewish context by comparing it to a parallel verse in Luke 6, by examining the verses immediately preceding it, and by considering the Greek grammar of the passage and the ancient meaning of the word translated as perfect in its various contexts? This essay explores these interpretive angles as well as survey show this …

Far West, Isaac James Richards

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

What Can Artificial Intelligence Tell Us About The Literary Skills Needed To Dictate A Text Like The Book Of Mormon?, Brian C. Hales

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

The first oral draft of the Book of Mormon dictated by Joseph Smith reflected remarkable literary refinement and complexity. Such observations demonstrate that he exhibited highly developed composition and oratory skills. To date, no scholar has attempted to describe the specific skills Joseph manifested while dictating. This essay addresses whether Artificial Intelligence (AI) could generate an accurate list of the skills necessary. It begins by identifying and informally testing eleven chatbots to see if they can accurately predict the skills needed to perform a task. Seeing success, they are next asked a long question about the skills needed to dictate …

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 …

Royal Skousen’S Book Of Mormon Critical Text Project, Roger Terry

BYU Studies

Between 1984 and 1986, the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS) published a critical text of the Book of Mormon. While this early publication was useful in certain ways, it was also woefully inadequate. It was, for instance, based on a computerized text of the 1830 printed edition of the Book of Mormon rather than on the remnants of the two handwritten manuscripts.1 Recognizing its inadequacies, Brigham Young University linguistics professor Royal Skousen began in 1988 what would become a thirty-seven- year endeavor and his life’s work: a fully professional critical text of the Book of Mormon.2

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.

Individual, Family, Peer, And Religious Community Predictors Of Adolescent Religious Deidentification, Sam A. Hardy, Russ Amelang, Michael Goodman

Faculty Publications

This study examined individual, family, and peer religiosity, and religious community supportiveness as predictors of adolescent religious deidentification. The longitudinal study involved two waves of data, two years apart, from U.S. families (1,021 families; religious adolescents from 11–17 years of age), with measures of dimensions of religiosity at Time 1 and changes in religious identification from Time 1 to Time 2. Within each domain, at least one dimension of religiosity at Time 1 predicted religious deidentification at Time 2. Specifically, youth higher in individual, family, and peer religiosity, and religious community supportiveness, were less likely to leave religion. These relations …

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 …