Digital Commons Network^™

Did Joseph Smith Use A Seer Stone In The Translation Of The Book Of Abraham?, Stephen O. Smoot

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

A complete understanding of how Joseph Smith translated the Book of Abraham unfortunately remains elusive. Writing in the introduction to the Joseph Smith Papers Project’s edition of the manuscripts pertaining to the Book of Abraham, volume editors Robin Scott Jensen and Brian M. Hauglid observe how “no known first-person account from Joseph Smith exists to explain the translation of the Book of Abraham, and the scribes who worked on the project and others who claimed knowledge of the process provided only vague or general reminiscences.”[1] Complicating matters is the fact that scholars have not reached consensus on the exact relationship …

The Ascension Of Abraham A Mortal Model For The Climb To Exaltation, Fred E. Woods

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

Talmudic literature proclaims, “We do not see things as they are.” Rather, “we see things as we are.”[1] This profound statement reminds us that our vision is often blurred by our mortal misjudgments and forgetfulness; we forget that we are in fact the sons and daughters of God, the literal offspring of Deity. The talmudic aphorism is an invitation to introspection, an adjustment of our lens, before we give serious thought to another person, particularly one so enlightened as Abraham, who we are told has entered into his exaltation (see Doctrine and Covenants 132:29). We can learn much from viewing …

The First Commandment First, D. Todd Christofferson

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

Each of the three synoptic Gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—recounts a question put to Jesus about the greatest commandment in the law. In Matthew, the questioner is a lawyer of impure motive, tempting the Master. [1] In Mark, it is a scribe asking the question, but one who sincerely seems to want to know. [2] In Luke, we are back to “a certain lawyer [who] stood up, and tempted him.” [3]

The Important Role Of Relationships In Our Heavenly Father's Plan Of Salvation, Brian Mead

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

President Boyd K. Packer was a master teacher who spent both his professional life and his personal time in full-time service to the Church, seeking to build faith and testimony in the lives of youth and young adults. As a teacher, he understood the value of providing students with a “framework upon which the truths they discover at random can be organized into a personal testimony.” [1] Because of this understanding, he invited religious educators to begin each year by providing an overview of the plan of salvation. He believed that this overview would “be of immense value to . …

Full Issue

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.

“Truth Is The Only Ground” How Journalism Contributes To Good Government, Edward L. Carter

BYU Studies

Growing up in the years after Watergate, I became a true believer in the power of the press to make society better by reporting on government’s corruption, lies, ineptitudes, and inefficiencies—as well as genuine public service, improvements, and accomplishments. In junior high school, I wrote a letter to the editor of the local newspaper critiquing the city garbage trucks in my neighborhood that left a trail of trash in their wake. In high school, I reported for the school newspaper about events and people as well as things I thought could be improved. I worked as a journalist during and …

“Things Which Are Abroad” Latter-Day Saints And Foreign Affairs, Patrick Moran

BYU Studies

When the Lord instructed Joseph Smith in May 1833 to “obtain a knowledge of . . . countries, and of kingdoms, of laws of God and man” (D&C 93:53), that counsel may have seemed incongruous to the young prophet. After all, the entirety of the revelation that preceded it dealt with lofty theological concepts of light, truth, progression, and grace, in addition to exhortations to make family and home life more in keeping with God’s will. The sudden commandment to learn about countries, kingdoms, and earthly law might have struck the twenty- seven-year-old Joseph as out of place, even though …

From Stumbling Blocks To Stepping Stones What America Can Learn From Germany About Reconciliation, Melissa Dalton-Bradford

BYU Studies

On December 7, 1970, while in Poland to sign the Warsaw Treaty, German chancellor Willy Brandt visited the memorial to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The towering stone and bronze monument commemorates the bloody confrontation between Polish resistance groups and German military that took place on the eve of Passover in April 1943, when seven hundred Jewish insurgents wielding only pistols and homemade grenades fought against the well-equipped SS, who, in the end, leveled and incinerated the entire ghetto. More than seven thousand Jews died in that uprising, and an additional forty-two thousand were rounded up and deported to concentration camps. …

Bending The Arc Of Politics Toward Zion Voices From Mormon Women For Ethical Government, Jennifer Walker Thomas, Emma Petty Addams

BYU Studies

At the conclusion of the Montgomery bus boycott in 1956, Martin Luther King Jr. paraphrased the words of Theodore Parker to situate small battles for justice within a larger movement toward God’s ideal

world. Parker, a Boston abolitionist, beautifully described the ache of discipleship that results when spirits reach for worlds they cannot quite see: “I do not pretend to understand the moral universe; the arc is a long one, my eye reaches but little ways; I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by the experience of sight; I can divine it by conscience.

And from what I …

Women Of Faith Speak Up And Speak Out The Genesis And Philosophical Underpinnings Of Mormon Women For Ethical Government, Sharlee Mullins Glenn

BYU Studies

Good government is ethical government. That is the premise upon which the nonprofit organization Mormon Women for Ethical Government (MWEG) was founded.

Like millions of people across the United States, I found myself growing increasingly alarmed during the 2016 U.S. election cycle as I watched the great rifts in our political landscape widen and deepen, abetted by the divisive and often vitriolic discourse on all sides. This division, combined with the flagrant flouting of basic human decency by some who were running for public office, awakened many of us to a sense of our duty as citizens.

Putting Down The Priests: A Note On Royal Evaluations, (Wĕ)Hišbît, And Priestly Purges In 2 Kings 23:5 And Mosiah 11:5, Matthew L. Bowen

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

The historian who wrote 2 Kings 23:5 and Mormon, who wrote Mosiah 11:5, used identical expressions to describe King Josiah’s and King Noah’s purges of the priests previously ordained and installed by their fathers. These purges came to define their respective kingships. The biblical writer used this language to positively evaluate Josiah’s kingship (“And he put down [wĕhišbît] the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained”), whereas Mormon levies a negative evaluation against Noah (“For he put down [cf. Hebrew (wĕ)hišbît] all the priests that had been consecrated by his father”). Mormon employs additional “Deuteronomistic” language in evaluating …

Developing Discerning Disciple-Learners And Teachers Byu–Hawaii’S Christ-Centered Framework For Learning And Teaching, Jared Marcum

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

Even though the sole duty of religious educators is to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ,[1] they cannot shoulder the whole responsibility of spiritual education at the Church Educational System’s (CES) institutions of higher learning. President Kevin J Worthen stated, “If the only insights that students receive on gospel truths are in their religion classes, we will not be that different from other good universities to which an institute of religion is attached. What will truly make us unique—and what we must uniquely do well—is to meet the challenge set forth by President Spencer W. Kimball: ‘That every professor and …

Censorship Sensing: The Capabilities And Implications Of China’S Great Firewall Under Xi Jinping, Emily Quan

Sigma: Journal of Political and International Studies

Totaling over 989 million users at the end of 2020, Chinese Internet users interact with unprecedent amounts of data, communication, and media (Xu 2020). It is a far cry from 1987, when the first email was sent from China to the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. The message in the email, later popularized on QQ desktops, was this: “Across the Great Wall, we can reach every corner of the world” (越过长城，走向世 界, Yuèguò Chángchéng, Zouxiàng Shìjiè) (Internet Archive 2013).

Full Issue

Sigma: Journal of Political and International Studies

No abstract provided.

End Matter

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

How The Book Of Mormon Reads Ancient Religious Texts, Kristian S. Heal, Zach Stevenson

BYU Studies

The Book of Mormon turned the Latter-day Saints purposefully toward ancient religious texts. Early converts connected the Book of Mormon with lost texts recorded in the Bible. The space left by these lost books could be filled by the Book of Mormon. But not by the Book of Mormon alone. There was room to spare, and with it, a growing desire not only to find lost scriptures that were known but also to restore lost scriptures that were until then unknown (see D&C 9:2). This fervor was centrifugal, compelling Joseph Smith and others to seek out and reveal ancient texts …

Life In Utah As An Apostate Plural Wife, Markelle Jensen

AWE (A Woman’s Experience)

No abstract provided.

Lack Of Quality Civic Education In Public Schools In The United States, Sydney Ward

Ballard Brief

A lack of quality civic education affects nearly every K-12 student in the United States. The content and methods of civic education curriculum focus on memorization, lecture, and textbook learning, creating an ineffective learning method for students. Teachers are met with polarized classrooms and communities, creating hesitancy to approach political topics while inequity in funding between states and districts leaves schools without consistent resources or emphasis on civics. legislative policies and nonprofit organizations have dictated some of civic education's most recent standards and practices, though this federal approach has not been universally adopted in local classrooms. As a result of …

Book Review: Transformative Language Learning And Teaching, Benjamin Rifkin

Russian Language Journal

Leaver, Davidson, and Campbell’s Transformative Language Learning and Teachingis a groundbreaking volume on the theory and practice of transformative teaching in the language learning context. The volume consists of chapters on the transformative learning and teaching of world languages organized into seven thematic parts: theoretical framework, transformative learning and teaching applications in government programs, transformative language learning and teaching applications in university programs, transformative language learning and teaching programs in immersion programs, the learner, faculty development, and assessment. The volume also includes a comprehensive list of works cited that constitutes a tremendous resource for any scholar or practitioner interested …

Full Issue

Russian Language Journal

No abstract provided.

Empirically Determined Strategic Input And Gamification In Mastering Russian Word Forms, Laura A. Janda, Jan Ove Nikolai Almendingen, Linn Thea Kaldager Josefsen

Russian Language Journal

We propose two designs to gamify second language (L2) learning of Russian inflectional morphology: Treasure Hunt and Story Time. The goal of these designs is to focus learning on high-frequency word forms that are most strategic and effective for L2 acquisition in a way that stimulates engagement and builds lifelong learning skills.

Construxercise! Implementation Of A Construction-Based Approach To Language Pedagogy, Anna Endresen, Valentina Zhukova, Elena Bjørgve, Daria Demidova, Natalia Kalanova, Zoia Butenko, George Lonshakov, David Henrik Lavén

Russian Language Journal

Language is a tool for communication. The ability to speak, to engage in a meaningful conversation, and to comprehend the speech produced by native speakers is the main purpose of second language (L2) learning, and Russian is no exception. A recent survey of the current students and alumni of the Russian program at UiT The Arctic University of Norway (UiT) administered in December 2021 revealed that our students would like more training in practical speaking and writing skills as well as more focus on conversational Russian.

Book Review: Etazhi: Second Year Russian Language And Culture, Cori Anderson

Russian Language Journal

The options for second-year Russian textbooks have been very limited, despite a growing number of textbooks at the first-year level and more advanced levels. Этажи fills the need for a stand-alone textbook that can be used for students who have already reached Novice High- Intermediate Low proficiency. What sets Этажи apart is the focus on real-life communication and conversation, and the use of real-life stories, provided by both native speakers of Russian and advanced learners. These written and recorded stories fill the book with relatable content and relevant cultural information, covering topics from dating to holidays to the Russian cafeteria, …

Book Review: Russian: From Novice High To Intermediate, Iryna Kaplun

Russian Language Journal

Russian: From Novice High to Intermediate is a remarkable textbook for second- and third-year Russian language courses. It is primarily designed for learners who are already familiar with basic Russian morphology and phonetics and have a beginner’s-level vocabulary; it will help learners achieve intermediate proficiency in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. One notable feature of the book is the companion website, accessible without registration, which can be imported into your university’s Canvas system.

Book Review: Modern Russian Grammar In Use: A Systematic Reference And Practice Book, Evgeny Dengub

Russian Language Journal

Elena Minakova-Boblest’s Modern Russian Grammar in Use is a much-needed comprehensive reference grammar and workbook for students of Russian, which can be used in the classroom and by students who study the language on their own (the answer key is a welcome addition for the latter). The book is a good supplement to virtually any contemporary textbook and can also serve as a standalone reference and exercise book for beginning- or intermediate-level language students.

End Matter

AWE (A Woman’s Experience)

No abstract provided.

Review: Elisa Eastwood Pulido. The Spiritual Evolution Of Margarito Bautista: Mexican Mormon Evangelizer, Polygamist Dissident, And Utopian Founder, 1878–1961. New York: Oxford University Press, 2020., Susie S. Porter

Mormon Studies Review

Margarito Bautista was born in 1878 in Atlautla, Mexico, a small farming community tucked into the folds of the Popocatépetl volcano in the state of Mexico. Even today, the community remains small, with fewer than thirty thousand people in 2010. Bautista’s father was a farmer and respected community member, serving at one time as municipal president. Elisa Eastwood Pulido provides no occupation for his mother, whom she describes as “pure Nahua” (50). Margarito Bautista converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1901, moved to the Mormon colonies in Northern Mexico, and became a volunteer evangelizer. His …

Covenant Theology For Latter-Day Saints, Jasmin Gimenez Rappleye

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

Covenants are central in the Latter-day Saint temple liturgy, our scriptural canon is infused with them, and General Authorities have increasingly drawn attention to their importance in the last half-century. Yet many Latter-day Saints are still unfamiliar with the form and function of covenants and the role they play in God’s plan of salvation. Kerry Muhlestein, well-informed by his academic training in ancient history and scripture, provides a lucid introduction to covenants for Latter- day Saints.

Abrahamic Astronomy, Stephen O. Smoot, John Gee, Kerry Muhlestein, John S. Thompson

BYU Studies

The Book of Abraham is noteworthy for its description of what is sometimes called “Abrahamic astronomy.” Chapter 3 of the Book of Abraham, along with Facsimile 2, contains this astronomical portrait, which is not always easy to understand. Scholars looking at the text in chapter 3 have articulated at least three different models for interpreting this feature.

Abrahamic Legends And Lore, Stephen O. Smoot, John Gee, Kerry Muhlestein, John S. Thompson

BYU Studies

As a central figure in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, there are many extrabiblical traditions about the life of the patriarch Abraham. These sources are important to study because they may contain distant memories of real events in Abraham’s life. It is also interesting to compare the Book of Abraham with these sources because the Book of Abraham might help us understand these extrabiblical sources better and vice versa.