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Pondering The Word, Dennis Packard, Sandra Packard

Journal of Book of Mormon Studies

Despite the emphasis that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints places on scriptures, particularly the Book of Mormon, some members find it difficult to truly love the scriptures. This article claims that by pondering the scriptures often, members can better understand and appreciate the prophetic words. In order to find a deeper love for the scriptures, readers should consider the following details while reading: the setting of a passage; the meaning of various words and phrases; the author’s attitude when he wrote the passage; the possible comparisons between passages; the possible implied messages of the authors; the possible …

Contributors, Journal Of Book Of Mormon Studies

Journal of Book of Mormon Studies

No abstract provided.

Lehi And Jeremiah: Prophets, Priests, And Patriarchs, David R. Seely, Joann H. Seely

Journal of Book of Mormon Studies

Old Testament prophet Jeremiah and Book of Mormon prophet Lehi were contemporaries, and both preached repentance to the people of Jerusalem. Despite their common love for the truth, these men led very different lives because the first was commanded to remain in Jerusalem and the latter was commanded to leave. This article examines the lives and teachings of Jeremiah and Lehi and compares them to each other, suggesting that Jeremiah’s life symbolizes God’s justice and that Lehi’s life symbolizes God’s mercy.

All My Endeavors To Preserve Them: Protecting The Plates In Palmyra, 22 September-December 1827, Andrew H. Hedges

Journal of Book of Mormon Studies

After Joseph Smith received the gold plates from the angel Moroni, he had to take great measures to protect them from people who wanted to steal them for their monetary value. Although Joseph did not leave much documentation of such experiences, the people who were closely associated with him at the time did. Using what records still exist, Hedges pieces together some of the stories of Joseph’s challenges in obtaining and protecting the gold plates.

A Mesoamerican System Of Weights And Measures? Did The Ancient Peoples Of Mesoamerica Use A System Of Weights And Scales In Measuring Goods And Their Values?, Journal Of Book Of Mormon Studies

Journal of Book of Mormon Studies

Ancient Mesoamericans used some systems of weights and measures; items in the market, though, were usually sold by volume. The Mesoamerican weights and measures may coincide with the weights and measures described in Alma 11 of the Book of Mormon, but more research is necessary in order to make conclusive claims.

"No Man's Land": The Place Of Latter-Day Saints In The Culture War, Frederick Mark Gedicks

BYU Studies

Recent political developments in the United States find Latter-day Saints in an isolated but distinctive position, aligned with neither the religious right nor the progressive left.

Sizing Up The Divide: Reviews And Replies, Matthew R. Connelly, Byu Studies

BYU Studies

Craig L. Blomberg and Stephen E. Robinson. How Wide the Divide? A Mormon and an Evangelical in Conversation. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1997. 228 pp. Paperback, $11.99.

In Defense Of Capitalism: Church Leaders On Property, Wealth, And The Economic Order, Phillip J. Bryson

BYU Studies

Church leaders have consistently presented a positive view of capitalism and a free market system, while recognizing that the system is vulnerable to greed and oppression by the wicked.

"A Plea For The Horse": George Q. Cannon's Concern For Animal Welfare In Nineteenth-Century America, Aaron R. Kelson

BYU Studies

Taking a position somewhat unusual for his time, President George Q. Cannon actively taught respect for animals as a matter of religious principle.

Moral Agency: A Doctrinal Application To Therapy, Daniel K. Judd

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

No abstract provided.

Letters Of A Missionary Apostle To His Wife: Brigham Young To Mary Ann Angell Young, 1839-1841, Ronald O. Barney

BYU Studies

The Quorum of the Twelve's mission to the British Isles impacted not only the Church, but also the personal lives of the missionaries. Brigham Young creates a tender personal portrait in nine never-before-published letters to his wife.

A Reader's Library: Efficacious Scholarship, James P. Bell

Journal of Book of Mormon Studies

Bell reviews the following books about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon: Susan Easton Black and Charles D. Tate Jr.’s edited volume Joseph Smith: The Prophet, the Man; Scot Facer Proctor and Maurine Jensen Proctor’s edition of The Revised and Enhanced History of Joseph Smith by His Mother; John W. Welch and Stephen D. Ricks’s edited volume King Benjamin’s Speech: “That Ye May Learn Wisdom”; and Donald W. Parry and John W. Welch’s edited volume Isaiah in the Book of Mormon.

The History Of An Idea: The Scene On Stela 5 From Izapa, Mexico, As A Representation Of Lehi's Vision Of The Tree Of Life, Stewart W. Brewer

Journal of Book of Mormon Studies

Stela 5, a large stone monument discovered in 1941 in Izapa, Mexico, was identified a decade later by M. Wells Jakeman as a bas-relief of Lehi’s vision of the tree of life. Scholars and laymen alike have both accepted and scoffed at this theory. This article provides a historical sketch of reactions to this claim and discusses some of the implications of accepting or rejecting Jakeman’s theory. Jakeman was the first to publish an LDS interpretation of Stela 5; later V. Garth Norman proposed a different interpretation based on a series of high-quality photographs of the monument. Suzanne Miles, a …

About The Reviewers, Farms Review

Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1989–2011

No abstract provided.

Bridging The Gulf, Blake T. Ostler

Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1989–2011

Review of How Wide the Divide: A mormon and an Evangelical in Conversation (1997), by Craig L. Blomberg and Stephen E. Robinson

The Evangelical Is Our Brother, William J. Hamblin, Daniel C. Peterson

Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1989–2011

Review of How Wide the Divide: A mormon and an Evangelical in Conversation (1997), by Craig L. Blomberg and Stephen E. Robinson

1998 Book Of Mormon Bibliography, Farms Review

Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1989–2011

No abstract provided.

How Deep The Chasm? A Reply To Owen And Mosser's Review, David L. Paulsen, R. Dennis Potter

Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1989–2011

In exploring the divide between Latter-day Saints and Evangelicals, Paulsen and Potter reply to Owen and Mosser on issues of open canon, continuing revelation, biblical enerrancy, divine finitude, divine embodiment, deification, the Trinity or Godhead, soteriology and anthropology, and postmortem salvation.

Charting The Book Of Mormon: Visual Aids For Personal Study And Teaching, John W. Welch, J. Gregory Welch

Maxwell Institute Publications

This book is a collection of more than 175 visual aids that promote deeper understanding and appreciation of the Book of Mormon. Designed for multiple use as study guides, handouts, and masters for creating projectable images, the charts convey a wealth of information that will enrich personal study and teaching.

Arranged in 15 sections, these charts consist of tables, diagrams, chronologies, flowcharts, bar graphs, pie charts, maps, and other effective schematics that represent Book of Mormon data in new and thought-provoking ways. General topics range from the history, doctrine, structure, and chronology of the Book of Mormon to its literary, …

Craig L. Blomberg And Stephen E. Robinson, How Wide The Divide? A Mormon And An Evangelical In Conversation, Paul L. Owen, Carl A. Mosser

Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1989–2011

Review of How Wide the Divide: A mormon and an Evangelical in Conversation (1997), by Craig L. Blomberg and Stephen E. Robinson

Joseph Young's Affidavit Of The Massacre At Haun's Mill, Alexander L. Baugh

BYU Studies

Joseph Young, an eyewitness to the 1838 attack on Haun's Mill, gave his testimony of that event as a sworn affidavit on June 4, 1839. The original manuscript of that affidavit is presented here in unedited, annotated form.

Pressing Forward With The Book Of Mormon: The Farms Updates Of The 1990s, John W. Welch, Melvin J. Thorne

Maxwell Institute Publications

This book presents the FARMS Research Updates of the 1990s, plus some similar short notes from the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, in a new collection edited by John W. Welch and Melvin J. Thorne. Aimed at a general audience, these updates are brief, easy-to-read reports of new research on the Book of Mormon. Each contributor offers intriguing ideas and developments that have emerged from exploring the Book of Mormon from many perspectives. Pressing Forward will interest all people who want to know what’s new in Book of Mormon research.

Romans 1: Notes And Reflections, James E. Faulconer

Maxwell Institute Publications

The book of Romans can be difficult to understand, and it is used more than any other biblical book to challenge LDS doctrine. “When we understand Romans, it is obvious that not only need we not fear having others discuss Paul’s teachings, but we can use those very teachings to teach the truthfulness of the gospel understood through latter-day revelation.”

In commenting on Romans 1 verse by verse, author James E. Faulconer touches on such topics as faith, holiness, obedience, service to Christ, personal conversion and repentance, and becoming true saints. Romans 1: Notes and Reflections can be a valuable …

Illuminating The Sermon At The Temple And Sermon On The Mount, John W. Welch

Maxwell Institute Publications

Understanding the Sermon on the Mount (meaning both texts in their shared, collective meaning) as a temple text reveals that it has far more power and unity than a mere collection of miscellaneous sayings of Jesus. John W. Welch examines the teachings and commandments of the Sermon on the Mount in its Book of Mormon setting—at the Nephite temple, in connection with sacred ordinances of covenant making. This context opens new insights into the meaning and significance of the Sermon whereby readers never again see the Sermon the same.

Illuminating the Sermon at the Temple & Sermon on the Mount …

Finding Biblical Hebrew And Other Ancient Literary Forms In The Book Of Mormon, Hugh W. Pinnock

Maxwell Institute Publications

One important and fruitful area of Book of Mormon studies has focused on ancient Hebrew literary forms present in the text. After years of studying these fascinating forms, Hugh W. Pinnock offers his perspective on their beauty, function, and background. By design this book offers a basic working knowledge of only some of the ancient literary forms identified in the Book of Mormon. Together they represent a significant percentage of the types of ancient forms drawn upon by the Nephite prophets.

The author explains that knowledge of ancient Hebrew writing forms and Jewish poetry is incomplete even today, and much …

Review Essay: Jean Renart: The Romance Of The Rose Or Of Guillaume De Dole (Roman De La Rose Ou De Guillaume De Dole), Kathy M. Krause

Quidditas

Jean Renart: The Romance of the Rose or of Guillaume de Dole (Roman de la Rose ou de Guillaume de Dole). Ed. and trans. Regina Psaki. Garland Library of Medieval Literature 92A. New York: Garland Publishing, 1995. xli + 280 pp.

The Meaning Of Religious Belief, Practice, And Community For Latter-Day Saint Fathers Of Children With Special Needs, Loren Dean Marks

Theses and Dissertations

While the tragedy of American fatherlessness has evoked a growing body of research, religious beliefs, practices, and communities have not been a significant part of the scholarly discussion. This article discusses possible reasons for this and reviews the religion and family literature with a focus on fathers. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 19 Latter-day Saint (LDS) fathers of children with special needs and analyzed to examine the meaning of religious experience for these fathers and their families. Analysis indicated three dimensions of religious experience: spiritual belief, religious practice, and faith community. The spiritual belief in an eternal perspective, including the …

Review Essay: Confident Readings: Medieval And Early Modern (Christian) Spirituality And Its Recent Interpreters, Steven F. Kruger

Quidditas

Catherine M. Mooney, ed. Gendered Voices: Medieval Saints and Their Interpreters. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1999. xiii + 277 pp.

Richard Rambuss. Closet Devotions. Durham and London: Duke Univer- sity Press, 1998. xiii + 193 pp.

Toward The Folkloristic Study Of Latter-Day Saint Conversion Narratives, Eric A. Eliason

BYU Studies

Frequently told among Latter-day Saints, conversion stories—both one's own or those of one's ancestors—constitute an important and overlooked genre at the core of Mormon narrative folklore.

The Impact Of Religiosity On Coping Among Lds Adolescents, Matthew P. Roper

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the impact of religiosity on coping in a group of Mormon (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) youth. Longitudinal data were gathered from detailed questionnaires administered to 2852 male and female adolescents in 1990 and 1993. Coping was conceptualized as four general dimensions (self-concept, public activities and service, deviance and future plans). Religiosity was also conceptualized multi-dimensionally (religious belief, public religiosity, private religious behavior, and religious experiences). Multiple regression analysis was used to investigate the unique effects of each of the dimensions of religiosity on each dimension of coping. It was hypothesized that religiosity was positively …