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Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities
1830, Byu Studies
1834, Byu Studies
1836, Byu Studies
1840, Byu Studies
1841, Byu Studies
1844-1845, Byu Studies
1832, Byu Studies
1833, Byu Studies
1831, Byu Studies
1837, Byu Studies
1835, Byu Studies
1838, Byu Studies
1839, Byu Studies
1805-1829, Byu Studies
1842, Byu Studies
1843, Byu Studies
A Comparative Study Of Muhammad And Joseph Smith In The Prophetic Pattern, Todd J. Harris
A Comparative Study Of Muhammad And Joseph Smith In The Prophetic Pattern, Todd J. Harris
Theses and Dissertations
As early as 1831, critics attacked Joseph Smith by comparing him to Muhammad. Over time, the comparison deepened as critics and scholars observed doctrinal and political similarities between Mormonism and Islam. Later, scholars compared Joseph Smith to Muhammad because both had generated a new religion and there seemed to be several similarities in the lives of Joseph Smith and Muhammad. These and other comparisons between the two men and their religions have been made from 1831 to the present, yet there have been few thorough, non-polemic examinations of Joseph Smith and Muhammad in the typology of prophethood. While notable similarities …
Joseph Smith's View Of His Own Calling, Tucker John Boyle
Joseph Smith's View Of His Own Calling, Tucker John Boyle
Theses and Dissertations
The Prophet Joseph Smith stood in a unique position as the leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He held positions of translator, prophet, seer and revelator. He was taught the responsibilities of his calling as he translated ancient scripture - the Book of Mormon and the Bible. He was further instructed concerning his calling as he received revelations contained in the Doctrine and Covenants. This study examines scriptural passages that surely influenced the Prophet's understanding of his own calling. It then illustrates Joseph Smith's view of his calling as evidenced by statements in his writings and …
Taking Mormons Seriously: Ethics Of Representing Latter-Day Saints In American Fiction, Terrol Roark Williams
Taking Mormons Seriously: Ethics Of Representing Latter-Day Saints In American Fiction, Terrol Roark Williams
Theses and Dissertations
My paper examines the ethics of representing Mormons in serious American fiction, viewed through two primary texts, Bayard Taylor's nineteenth-century dramatic poem The Prophet and Maureen Whipple's epic novel The Giant Joshua. I also briefly examine Walter Kirn's short stories “Planetarium” and “Whole Other Bodies.” Using Werner Sollors' and Matthew Frye Jacobson's writings on ethnicity as foundational, I argue in that Mormonism constitutes an ethnicity, which designation accentuates the ethical demands of those who represent the group. I also use W.J.T. Mitchell's theories of representation as the basis of my arguments of the ethics of representing ethnicity. As ethical theorists, …
A Peculiar Place For The Peculiar Institution: Slavery And Sovereignty In Early Territorial Utah, Nathaniel R. Ricks
A Peculiar Place For The Peculiar Institution: Slavery And Sovereignty In Early Territorial Utah, Nathaniel R. Ricks
Theses and Dissertations
Between 1830 and 1844, the Mormons slightly shifted their position on African-American slavery, but maintained the middle ground on the issue overall. When Mormons began gathering to Utah in 1847, Southern converts brought their black slaves with them to the Great Basin. In 1852 the first Utah Territorial legislature passed “An Act in Relation to Service" that legalized slavery in Utah. This action was prompted primarily by the need to regulate slavery and contextualize its practice within the Mormon belief system. Ironically, had Congress known of Utah's slave population, it may have never granted Utah the power to legislate on …
"O Lord, My God", Sheldon Lawrence
"O Lord, My God", Sheldon Lawrence
BYU Studies Quarterly
Joseph Smith’s dying words have always intrigued me. I like them, in part, for what they don’t say. The expression lacks a verb and thus neither asks nor confesses nor praises nor questions. It is not a plea for extended life or safety. It is not the dying command of a captain to attack or take cover. We find no last instructions to the Saints or final declaration of love and loyalty. But rather as the hot lead balls tore through the prophet’s body, as he staggered at the window’s edge and fell into the tragic fulfillment of his last …
Joseph Smith And The United Firm: The Growth And Decline Of The Church's First Master Plan Of Business And Finance, Ohio And Missouri, 1832-1834, Max H. Parkin
BYU Studies Quarterly
The United Firm was a business management company established by Joseph Smith (founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) that oversaw both the Church's economic pursuits, such as maintaining properties, and some spiritual matters, such as publishing revelations and planning the city of Zion. Its board of managers essentially fulfilled roles later taken on by Church leaders when quorums were created. The term "United Firm" does not appear in the scriptures, and therefore the organization's role has been misunderstood and underestimated. One of Joseph Smith's pseudonyms for the United Firm was the United Order, but the United …
Spiritual Economics: Some Financial Considerations Of Mormon Settlement In Illinois, R Philip Reynolds
Spiritual Economics: Some Financial Considerations Of Mormon Settlement In Illinois, R Philip Reynolds
Librarian and Staff Publications
Thirty thousand Mormons Lived in Western Illinois in the 1840’s, with only about half of them living in Nauvoo. Almost all discussion concerning Mormons between 1839 and 1846 is limited to Nauvoo. Researchers are lucky to find a handful of brief articles about Mormons outside the city. Upon further investigation, these settlements emerge as being far more important to the success of Nauvoo than this neglect indicates.
Ultimately, most settlements resulted from three causes: Mormon interaction and experience with Illinois before their expulsion from Missouri, overwhelming economic need, and proselyting successes. In many of their actions, church leaders assumed a …
"It Seems That All Nature Mourns": Sally Randall's Response To The Murder Of Joseph And Hyrum Smith, Jordan Watkins, Steven C. Harper
"It Seems That All Nature Mourns": Sally Randall's Response To The Murder Of Joseph And Hyrum Smith, Jordan Watkins, Steven C. Harper
BYU Studies Quarterly
Sally Carlisle was born in New Hampshire in 1805. She married James Randall, and they settled in Warsaw, New York, where they had two sons, George and Eli, and converted to Mormonism. They moved to Nauvoo in 1843. A collection of Sally’s letters addressed to friends and family has been preserved. The letter she wrote July 1, 1844, less than a week after the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, has a remarkable provenance (see sidebar).