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Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

“Are there studies of ancient American ruins that will contribute to my understanding of the Book of Mormon?” “What is known about the Joseph Smith Papyri?” “How does the Sermon at the Temple in the Book of Mormon relate to the Sermon on the Mount in the New Testament?”

Inverted Quotations In The Book Of Mormon, David Bokovoy

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

When the Book of Mormon appeared in 1830, the Western world had only a limited knowledge of the impressive literary and editorial techniques utilized by ancient Semitic authors. Even today, many students of the Bible remain unaware of exciting discoveries by Israeli scholars whose work has appeared only in Hebrew.

Farms Welcomes New Board Members

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

The Foundation is pleased to announce the appointments of Brigham Young University professors John F. Hall and Andrew C. Skinner to the FARMS Board of Trustees. Their formal training and experience in subject areas suited to the research interests of FARMS will be of great value to the board.

New Guide On The Joseph Smith Papyri

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

Since their rediscovery in 1967, the Joseph Smith Papyri have been the target of conflicting and often confusing claims. New from FARMS, A Guide to the Joseph Smith Papyri, by Egyptologist and FARMS associate John Gee, is a full-color, reader-friendly guide that sets forth the basic facts and major theories about the papyri.

Full Issue

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Brown Bag Wrap-Up

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

With the beginning of fall semester at Brigham Young University, FARMS resumed its sponsorship of a noontime lecture series aimed at keeping attendees from the campus community and elsewhere abreast of research in ancient studies.

Rock Marks ‘House Of Wisdom’

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

A large granite rock quarried from the Wasatch Moun tains now welcomes visitors to the East Stadium House, offices of the Islamic Translation Division of BYU’s Center for the Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts (CPART). The Arabic inscription on the rock transcribes as bayt alhikma, “House of Wisdom.” According to CPART research associate Glen Cooper, this was the name of the association of translators believed to have been patronized by the great Caliph of Islam, al-Ma-mum (died A.D. 833), who translated important Greek scientific and philosophical texts into Arabic. Because CPART publishes editions of important Arabic works with accompanying English …

King Mosiah And The Judgeship, John A. Tvedtnes

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

The immediate situation that prompted Mosiah2 to institute a system of judges to govern the Nephites was the departure of his four sons. The people asked that Aaron be appointed king, but he and his brothers had gone to the land of Nephi to preach to the Lamanites and had renounced their claims to the monarchy (Mosiah 29:1–6).

Nibley Fellowships Awarded

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

FARMS has awarded Nibley Fellowships to 16 rising scholars who are pursuing advanced degrees in fields of special interest to FARMS. Named in honor of eminent Latter-day Saint scholar Hugh Nibley, the Nibley Fellowship is made possible by generous donations from individuals committed to helping further the mission of the Foundation.

Farms Launches Occasional Papers Series

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

The Foundation launches a new series, the Occasional Papers, with the publication of “Deification: The Content of Athanasian Soteriology,” by Keith Edward Norman. The purpose of the series is to publish important articles and books on ancient studies that may lack marketability but are nonetheless important scholarly works that present Latter-day Saint perspectives on antiquity.

Full Issue

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

No abstract provided.

John The Baptist And The Key Of Baptism, John A. Tvedtnes

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

The Latter-day Saint concept of priesthood keys is not well documented in the Bible. A single passage has Jesus Christ promising to give Peter “the keys of the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 16:19), while the book of Revelation indicates that Christ held “the keys of hell and of death” and “the key of David” (Revelation 1:18; 3:7; see Isaiah 22:22). There is no mention of keys in connection with John the Baptist.

New Review Focuses On Mormon Studies

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

In his introduction to the latest FARMS Review of Books (vol. 12, no. 2), Daniel C. Peterson argues that Latter-day Saints and other Christians differ in the way they think about their faith. Rooted in Semitic traditions rather than Greek philosophy, LDS religious science is history, not theology. Accordingly, this edition of the Review features commentary on several books about the Book of Mormon and Mormon studies, most of which shed additional light on the historicity and geography of the Nephite record.

Abinadi’S Disguise And The Fate Of King Noah

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

After hiding from King Noah for two years, the prophet Abinadi came before the people in disguise, identified himself by name, and then delivered a message of condemnation to the king and his people. Some might wonder why Abinadi would go to the trouble of disguising himself only to identify himself shortly afterward. Recent scholarly studies of the biblical narrative may help shed light on this curious episode.

Farms Begins Online Memberships

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

The FARMS Board of Trustees has approved a new way to join the Foundation through an online membership. Effective on 1 January 2001, the online membership will allow those interested in supporting FARMS research on the Book of Mormon, the Book of Abraham, and other ancient religious texts to enjoy the full benefits of membership on the Internet. Online members will be able to view or download and print the INSIGHTS newsletter, the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, and other selected materials from the FARMS Web site.

Scholars Examine Ancient Figurines In New Volume

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

Research Press at Brigham Young University, an imprint of FARMS, will soon publish its seventh book, the New World Figurine Project, volume two, edited by Terry Stocker and Cynthia L. Otis Charlton. Volume one, printed in 1991 and edited by Stocker, contributed significantly to figurine studies with material on figurines from the United States, Mexico, El Salvador, Bolivia, and Peru. Volume two—containing approximately 455 illustrations, 20 tables, and 8 maps—follows suit with information on figurines from North, Central, and South America.

Thermal Performance Of Thin-Shell Concrete Dome Structures, Daira Sofia Velasco Vega

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The objective of this research is to evaluate an insulated concrete thin-shell dome structure for thermal flux with various depths of soil coverings. Computational thermal analysis is performed to model temperature fluctuations inside a representative section of an experimental concrete dome structure during all four seasons of northern Utah. The results are compared against the baseline of a traditional insulated wood-framed building envelope and indicate that thermal flux is significantly reduced in the earth-sheltered concrete dome structure with foam on the outside of the concrete. The addition of soil dampens the amplitude of the flux and increases the time lag …

Pectus Carinatum Patient Brace Data, Brandon Scott Sargent, Katie Varela, Dennis Eggett, Emily Mckenna, Christina Bates, Rebeccah Brown, Victor Garcia, Larry Howell

ScholarsArchive Data

Data for the journal article "Modeling of the chest wall response to prolonged bracing in pectus carinatum" submitted to PLOS One in 2023 by Sargent et al. The data is a recording of prescribed brace pressures, patient reported hours of wear, and clinician recorded pressure to correct through the treatment process. The data file was compiled via Microsoft Excel as part of the Microsoft 365 Office Suite. The top row of each sheet within the file is the header line with the data in all subsequent rows. The journal article contains an in-depth definition of the variables used in the …

Pattern-Based Target Selection For Treatment Of Irregular Past Tense: A Single-Case Experimental Design For Children With Dld, Kirsten M. Hannig Russell, Amy Wilder, Julie L. Wambaugh

Faculty Publications

Purpose: Many children with developmental language disorder (DLD) demonstrate difficulty inflecting irregular past tense verbs. We evaluated using phonological-based patterns (i.e., schemas) to select targets for treatment of irregular verb inflection for children with DLD. We hypothesized this approach would result in acquisition of treated verbs, generalization to untreated verbs within the same phonological schema, and increased use of correct irregular verbs in naturalistic contexts.

Method: Treatment was provided to three 7-year-old participants with DLD in the context of multiple baseline design across behaviors and participants. Phonological schemas included vowel change, final alveolar, and dual change irregular verbs. Treatment was …

The Future Of International Law Freedom Of Journalism: A Transitional Justice Framework, Edward L. Carter

Faculty Publications

The overwhelming majority of digital and physical attacks on journalists are done with impunity. This results in lower-quality journalism, less scrutiny of government, and less healthy societies and democracies. The international human rights law concept of transitional justice could bolster collective will and inform legal mechanisms to combat such impunity. Judges and investigators in several recent cases of attacks on journalists have invoked transitional justice concepts, including truth-telling, criminal investigations and prosecutions, reparations, and institutional reforms to guarantee non-recurrence. These mechanisms should be fully implemented to protect journalism at local, national, and international levels.

Caveat Emptor: Scan Quality Of Elsevier's Digital Backfile Pdf Collection, Gregory M. Nelson, Paul K.J. Robbins, Dennis L. Eggett

Faculty Publications

Scans of journal articles originally published in print, otherwise known as digital journal backfiles, benefit library patrons by providing near instantaneous access to important older information and full-text searchability. Digital backfiles can serve as a reliable surrogate for their corresponding print journals which could be removed from the library, freeing up space for other patron services. Both benefits are realized when the scanned articles are of sufficient clarity to replace the print versions. Several studies have analyzed small and subject-narrow sections of Elsevier’s digital backfile. This article contains a scan-quality analysis from 1578 journals that contain nearly four million articles …

Returning Home: The Thesis Of A Master, Yang Thai Vang

Theses and Dissertations

Over centuries, Hmong people have moved from mountain to mountain, home to home, country to country, crossing rivers and valleys in search of an escape from oppression. The Txiv Xaiv (Plig) ritual and chant has survived serial exodus and diaspora that Hmong people have experienced. This ritual encodes Hmong historical and cosmological understandings as an oral text, passed down from master to student, and performed at funerals to apply that understanding in the management of souls--ultimately to send them home. The Txiv Xaiv (Plig) serves as a glue, connecting the past generations to the generation of today and the generations …

Ally Mediation Of Social Media Use For Adults With Autism, Spring S. Cullen

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has highlighted the unique challenges young Autistic adults face when using social media. We extend this work by analyzing how guardians and allies, such as service providers, mediate the social media usage of young Autistic adults in order to address and mitigate online risks. Based on analysis of interview transcripts (8 young adults on the Autism spectrum, 4 parents, 10 staff members), we uncover the mediation tactics used, how they differ based on the ally's relationship with the individual, and the tactics' varying degrees of effectiveness. The findings of this research contribute to the literature by informing the …

Meaning Making And Athletic Gender Discrimination: Associations Between Sports Participation And Gender Discrimination Among Adolescent Females, Chenae Christensen Duerden

Theses and Dissertations

Research suggests that participation in athletics provides adolescent females with a variety of positive mental and physical benefits. While Title IX paved the way for increased female participation in organized sports, female athletes, including adolescents, continue to face various forms of gender discrimination. Research also suggests that females with a strong feminist identity are more likely to identify and speak out against gender discrimination. Accordingly, this study seeks to examine the association between gender discrimination and sports participation and the potential moderating role of feminist identity and cognitive appraisals of discrimination on this relationship. Participants were 580 adolescent females (age …

What Do Refugees Need Most, Micah Stepan, Hayley Gorham

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Refugees often struggle in their new country upon arrival. After fleeing their war-torn homeland and daring to survive an equally perilous journey to freedom through unknown landscapes, refugees often find that adjusting to the new country providing them shelter and safety is just as difficult as the journey it took them to get there. When refugees arrive in their new country, everything is new. Often, they arrive with just what is on their backs, and they begin a new fight for survival at the bottom of the economic food chain. In short, everything is a challenge.

Refugees And Migrants - A World On The Move, Beverli J. Dewalt

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

With the increasing numbers of refugees and migrants worldwide, particularly over the past decade, being informed about current issues and trends is important for nonprofits working in this arena. This article gives an overview of statistics, trends, data, and policies related to refugees and migrants. This article also briefly reviews key areas nonprofits help in this sector and encourages collaboration and community involvement. Additional resources for further reading are also provided.

Helping Refugees Heal Through Yoga - The Healing Method, Yoga Will Heal

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Refugees have often gone through traumatic experiences, which opens the opportunity for healing tools to be presented in refugee camps and community groups. The Mental Health Foundation states that “trauma can make you more vulnerable to developing mental health problems. It can also directly cause post-traumatic stress disorder” (Mental Health Foundation, 2023). The Healing Method: A Mental Health Approach to Yoga can be a healing tool for many refugees in coping with areas of mental health and trauma.

Migrants And Refugees

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

No abstract provided.

Migrants, Refugees And Human Trafficking, Angie Holzer

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

As the migrant and refugee numbers show a continual growth around the world, there is a pressing need to find solutions to end the suffering of migrant women, men, and children as they become victims of human trafficking. Understanding the current situation and the challenges that exist with migrants and refugees can lead to finding ways of developing preventive measures, including (1) prosecuting traffickers, (2) protecting victims and (3) cooperating in counter-trafficking efforts, according to the World Migration Report in 2022 and the Survivor Inclusion Initiative in 2021. New research needs to be pursued, policies and programs need to be …

Reach Out Today, Micah Stepan, Hayley Gorham

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

HQ: Utah, USA

Mission: Identify and alleviate gaps in the lives of Utah’s vulnerable children and at-risk youth to provide relief and hope.