Digital Commons Network^™

No Man Knows My Psychology: Fawn Brodie, Joseph Smith, And Psychoanalysis, Charles L. Cohen

BYU Studies

Anyone (like me) approaching the study of Mormon history wet behind the ears soon confronts Fawn McKay Brodie's famous (or, in certain LDS circles, infamous) biography of Joseph Smith. Quickly fulfilling Herbert Brayer's prophecy that it "will probably of be one of the most highly praised as well as highly condemned historical works of 1945," No Man Knows My History elicited both wholesale acclaim ("the best book about the Mormons so far published," Bernard De Voto enthused; a "definitive treatment," seconded her friend Dale Morgan) and whole-hearted condemnation ("the statement made by Joseph Smith that "no man knows my history," …

The Curse Of Ham: Race And Slavery In Early Judaism, Christianity, And Islam By David M. Goldenberg And Noah's Curse: The Biblical Justification Of American Slavery By Stephen R. Haynes, Stirling Adams

BYU Studies

David M. Goldenbert. The Curse of Ham: Race and Slavery in Early Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2003.

Stephen R. Haynes. Noah's Curse: The Biblical Justification of American Slavery. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002.

The Kinderhook Plates, The Tucson Artifacts, And Mormon Archeological Zeal, J. Michael Hunter

Faculty Publications

“The Kinderhook Plates, the Tucson Artifacts, and Mormon Archeological Zeal” discusses Mormon archeological zeal, or the short-sighted enthusiasm shown by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) regarding relics or artifacts that might "prove" the veracity of the Book of Mormon or even of the LDS Church. This article summarizes the history of both the Kinderhook Plates and the Tucson Artifacts within this context, stating that the Kinderhook Plates have been proven fraudulent but that the Tucson Artifacts still provide mystery to researchers. The Kinderhook Plates were created by three conspirators who lived in Kinderhook, …

The Book Of Breathings In Its Place, Kerry M. Muhlestein

Faculty Publications

Michael D. Rhodes's publication on the Hor Book of Breathings is an unusual book in many ways. It is a scholarly Egyptological work, dealing with an understudied type of text from an understudied era of Egyptian history, appearing in the midst of a series that has been dedicated to the exploration of a book considered to be scripture by the Latter-day Saints. Additionally, it deals with what many have incorrectly considered to be a text that can be used to test the revelatory ability of the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints.

The Case For Sidney Rigdon As Author Of The Lectures On Faith, Noel B. Reynolds

Faculty Publications

Twentieth century attempts to include the "Lectures on Faith" in the writings of Joseph Smith, Jr., provoked this comprehensive survey of historical evidence and carefully designed authorship testing of the text. Every credible approach reaches the same conclusion. Sidney Rigdon wrote the Lectures on Faith, likely without help from Joseph Smith or any others. These Lectures are characterized by both teachings and language that Rigdon may have retained from his recent discipleship with Alexander Campbell. The published Lectures follow both the form and content of lectures given and then published by frontier phenomenon Charles Finney. The decision to insert these …

An Examination Of The 1829 “Articles Of The Church Of Christ” In Relation To Section 20 Of The Doctrine And Covenants, Scott H. Faulring

BYU Studies

The 1829 "Articles of the Church of Christ" is a little-known antecedent to section 20 of the Doctrine and Covenants. This article explores Joseph Smith's and Oliver Cowdery's involvement in bringing forth these two documents that were important in laying the foundation for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

By The Hand Of Mormon: The American Scripture That Launched A World Religion By Terry L. Givens, Daniel C. Peterson

BYU Studies

Terryl L. Givens. By the Hand of Mormon: The American Scripture That Launched a World Religion. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002.

Under The Banner Of Heaven: A Story Of Violent Faith By Jon Krakauer, Laurie F. Maffly-Kipp

BYU Studies

Jon Krakauer. Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith. New York: Doubleday, 2003.

An Insider's View Of Mormon Origins By Grant H. Palmer, James B. Allen

BYU Studies

Grant H. Palmer, An Insider's View of Mormon Origins. Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2002.

The "Tabernacle Post Office" Petition For The Saints Of Kanesville, Iowa, Fred E. Woods, Maurine Carr Ward

Faculty Publications

As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country. Thus spoke wise King Solomon a millennium before the birth of Christ. As America labored to give birth to a new nation, the United States Post Office Department was born when the Second Continental Congress met in 1775 at Philadelphia and agreed to appoint Benjamin Franklin as the country's first postmaster general. During the nineteenth century, America continued to grow in population as children were born and as immigrants crossed the Atlantic to the land of promise. This growth not only caused America to lengthen …

Lehi As Moses, Noel B. Reynolds

Faculty Publications

Our understanding of Lehi’s leadership comes through the writings of his son Nephi. While it has been previously noted that Nephi chose to tell the story of his reign and ministry (1 Nephi 10:1) in such a way that his readers would see Nephi himself as a second Moses, it has not been much observed that it may have been his father, Lehi, who first employed this device to persuade his descendants of his own divine calling. In this paper I will show that Lehi had used this device in an attempt to persuade his descendants to accept his difficult …

The Longterm Effects Of Television Mediation On Lds Young Single Adults: An Exploratory Study, Jennia Parkin

Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory study examines what Latter-day Saint young single adults remember about their parents mediating the television and its use, and how those recollections contribute to their current attitudes and values toward the media, as well as their media choices. A stratified random sample of 267 LDS young single adults across the United States and outside the state of Utah responded to a cross sectional mail or online survey. The three mediation styles established by Valkenburg, Krcmar, Peeters, and Marseille (1999)—Restrictive, Instructive, and Coviewing—were used as the independent variables while scales assessing television offensiveness levels, attitudes, orientation, and usage were …

Prelude To The Pearl: Sweeping Events Leading To The Discovery Of The Joseph Smith Papyri, Kerry M. Muhlestein

Faculty Publications

In a general presentation, Elder John A. Widtsoe of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught that "throughout all the ages of history the hand of God has overruled the actions of mankind, that nothing is done except as the Lord may use it for the accomplishment of his mighty purposes. The things accomplished by humanity become in the end God's accomplishments, as he makes use of them in working out his infinite purposes. Even the great movements of nations and armies often serve to accomplish the workings of the Lord, such as when the empire of Assyria rose to …

Salt Lake Tabernacle Interior Photograph: Sabbath School Union Jubilee, July 1875, Ronald W. Walker, Richard Neitzel Holzapfel, James S. Lambert

BYU Studies

Most early photographs of the Salt Lake Tabernacle depict a huge, architecturally curious building with relatively few adornments on its exterior or interior. Its oddity sparked the delight of many and the chagrin of many more, causing some travelers and observers to remark that it resembled a large turtle that had lost its way in the desert. However, any disagreement about the exterior of the tabernacle would be mediated by the view of the interior—Mormons and non-Mormons, residents and tourists alike agreed that in its first years the inside seemed gloomy and bare. One visitor described entering the Tabernacle as …

Pentecost Continued: A Contemporaneous Account Of The Kirtland Temple Dedication, Steven C. Harper

BYU Studies

The significance of what transpired at the dedication of the Kirtland Temple on March 27, 1836, is well established among Latter-day Saints. The historical record affirming an outpouring of divine manifestations is rich. Even so, precious few contemporaneous reports by observers are available. Recently, however, the richness of the historical record increased with the discovery of an eyewitness account of the miraculous Kirtland Pentecost penned by Benjamin Brown.

The "Unidentified Pioneers": An Analysis Of Staffordshire Mormons, 1837 To 1870, Stephen G. Arrowsmith

Theses and Dissertations

The evidence presented in this thesis advocates an increased level of scholarly interest in English working-class Mormon converts. To illustrate who these people were, and what their roles were as part of Mormon story, this regional study introduces and makes available over twelve hundred Staffordshire Mormons, and asks questions of the collected statistical information. The conservative Staffordshire Mormons clearly assisted the establishment, and continuation, off a Zion in the American West. Much of the data confirms previous scholarship; however, those with “differing visions” of Mormonism (for example, the RLDS Church) attracted Staffordshire converts in larger numbers than previously suggested. The …

Book Notice, Karen Todd

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Christianity: A Global History David Chidester; A World History Of Christianity Adrian Hastings, Ed.; The Next Christendom: The Coming Of Global Christianity Philip Jenkins, Richard D. Ouellette

BYU Studies

David Chidester. Christianity: A Global History. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2000.

Adrian Hastings, ed. A World History of Christianity. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1999.

Philip Jenkins. The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.

Photographs Of The First Mexico And Central America Area Conference, 1972, Richard Neitzel Holzapfel, James S. Lambert

BYU Studies

As Church membership grew to nearly three million in the early 1970s, the Church faced the challenges of extending contact between General Authorities in Utah and many members who lived far from Church headquarters. While some members in the western United States could tune in to radio or television broadcasts of general conference, hundreds of thousands of Church members worldwide did not have access to the broadcasts.

Jews And Mormons: Two Houses Of Israel Frank J. Johnson And Rabbi William J. Leffler, David E. Bokovoy

BYU Studies

Frank J. Johnson and Rabbi William J. Leffler. Jews and Mormons: Two Houses of Israel. Hoboken, New York: Ktav Publishing, 2000.

A Mysterious Image: Brigham Young With An Unknown Wife, Richard Neitzel Holzapfel, Robert F. Schwartz

BYU Studies

Of the hundreds of images of Brigham Young, until recently only two were known that show Brigham posing with one of his wives. While rumors of a third such images have existed for some time, no one could find a copy of it until this year. What we found was a photograph of the original daguerreotype (fig. 1); the original itself, printed on a small coper plate, is still missing. This rumored image was mysterious not only because it had disappeared but also because the wife's face on the daguerreotype had been completely obliterated. Unanswered questions regarding its damage make …

Which Are The Most Important Mormon Books?, Arnold K. Garr

BYU Studies

The very abundance of books in our days—a stupefying and terrifying abundance—has made it more important to know how to choose," observed historian James Bryce. "The first piece of advice I will venture to give you is this," he added. "Read only the best books.... Let not an hour... be wasted on third-rate or second-rate stuff if first-rate stuff can be had." This wise counsel is in harmony with the scriptural injunction "seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom" (D&C 88:118). This marvelous passage of scripture is exhilarating but leaves one to wonder, which are the best …

Latter-Day Saint Writings On Christ And The New Testament—2002 Supplement, Byu Studies

BYU Studies

In the longstanding tradition of bibliographic publications generated by BYU Studies, the following bibliography lists the books and articles on the New Testament and early Christianity published by Latter-day Saint authors or in Latter-day Saint publications, mainly from 1994 to 2002. This compilation was assembled by Nicolas W. Thompson and Victoria F. Johnson under the mentoring of John W. Welch, assisted by Anastasia M. Sutherland, Aaron C. Cummings, Maurianne Dunn, and Kelli Skinner. This 2002 supplement follows guidelines similar to those set forth in the preface of the previous New Testament bibliography published by Welch and Daniel B. McKinlay …

Rescue For The Dead: The Posthumous Salvation Of Non-Christians In Early Christianity Jeffrey A. Trumbower, Hans A. Pohlsander

BYU Studies

Trumbower, Jeffrey A. Rescue for the Dead: The Posthumous Salvation of Non-Christians in Early Christianity. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.

The Cemetery Record Of William D. Huntington, Nauvoo Sexton, Fred E. Woods

Faculty Publications

When John Butler first visited Commerce (later known as Nauvoo) he recalled, "I asked Brother Joseph what kind of a place it was. He said it was a low, marshy, wet, damp and nasty place, but that if we went to work and improved it, it would become more healthy and the Lord would bless it for our sakes." The Prophet Joseph Smith also stated, "the name of our city (Nauvoo) is of Hebrew origin, and signifies a beautiful situation, or place, carrying with it, also, the idea of rest; and is truly descriptive of the most delightful situation... This …

“Strange Ramblings”: The Ideal And Practice Of Sermons In Early Mormonism, Davis Bitton

BYU Studies

People who attended meetings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during its first seventy years heard many sermons preached (fig. 1). But the sermons often seemed different from those heard in Protestant and Catholic congregations. For the Saints, this was further evidence that Mormonism was not tied to a professional clergy but, like primitive Christianity, allowed wide participation by parishioners. Outsiders, however, were often less than favorably impressed with Mormon sermons. According to one observer, most Mormon speakers he heard were guilty of "strange ramblings." Before examining in detail the peculiarities of preaching among the Latter-day Saints, …

A History Of The Concepts Of Zion And New Jerusalem In America From Early Colonialism To 1835 With A Comparison To The Teachings Of The Prophet Joseph Smith, Ryan S. Gardner

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis discusses the role that the idea of Zion has played in the first three centuries of American religion. Millenarian themes, such as building New Jerusalem, were common religious themes in seventeenth- to nineteenth-century America. Understanding the doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints regarding this vital subject will be helpful for historians, scholars, and teachers.

When the Puritan colonists came to the New World in the early seventeenth century, they sought not only a land of religious liberty, but also a land of ultimate religious achievement: the establishment of Zion and/or New Jerusalem. Many of …

Islam: An Introduction And Bibliography, James A. Toronto, Cynthia Finlayson

BYU Studies

Long before the events of September 11, 2001, BYU Studies began working on this special issue focusing on Islam. The authors and editors who worked on this issue have tried to capture the spirit of a religion that provides guidance to the lives of millions of people worldwide. The ever expanding influence of Islam extends to the prominent and often controversial role that Islam plays in contemporary politics. In addition, Muslim theology, scripture, art, science, and communal values have made significant contributions to world civilization. And in quiet yet significant ways, dialogue and contact between Latter-day Saints and Muslims have …

Mormonism And Islam: From Polemics To Mutual Respect And Cooperation, Arnold H. Green

BYU Studies

The world's fastest growing religion is either Islam (if considering annual growth in total numbers) or Mormonism (if considering annual growth in percentage terms). These two rapidly expanding global faiths are certain to increase interactions with each other. Already, in the minds of some clergymen, the two faiths have become associated in several ways, including Mormonism's being called "the Islam of America." While Muslim leaders have so far paid little attention to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Church's General Authorities have expressed opinions about Islam. At first, they reacted negatively to being equated with it. Later, …

Many Voices, One Umma: Sociopolitical Debate In The Muslim Community, James A. Toronto

BYU Studies

As a religion expands beyond its original setting, it encounters new historical, economic, social, and geopolitical forces. The resulting clash between sacred truth and secular reality created ideological tensions within a religious community that lead its followers to engage in a process of dialogue, reform, and reconciliation. This process of dialectical exchange occurs both between members of the community and between the community and outside forces. Often it gives rise to traumatic, even violent, conflict and frequently leads to schisms and the establishment of break-away religious movements. The history of religion provides abundant evidence that the ability of a nascent …