Religion Commons^™

Front Matter

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.

Learning From Spiritual And Secular Sources Orchestrating Inspired Discussions While Teaching In The Savior’S Way, Damon L. Bahr

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

One of the important topics of Teaching in the Savior’s Way is orchestrating gospel discussions. As teachers, leading a successful discussion is critical to helping class members “Hear Him.” This article begins by talking about two of President Nelson’s talks that describe how to integrate learning from spiritual and secular sources and show that what is learned from secular sources can inform learning from spiritual ones. Spiritual guidance for orchestrating discussions is provided, which is then augmented by some secular guidance from educational research about orchestrating classroom discussions.

Walk With Me Towards A Christ-Inspired Shepherd-Leader Apprenticeship Model Of Leadership Development, J. Gordon Daines Iii, David L. Rockwood

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

This paper reviews the literature on leadership development that focuses on Jesus Christ, then introduces a Shepherd-Leader Apprenticeship (SLA) model of leadership development. The SLA model describes how Jesus Christ develops leaders. It builds on previous scholars’ work on Christ’s leadership development approach and adds the concept of situated cognition and iterative (as opposed to linear) steps. The scriptures show how Christ used this model to develop the leadership skills of his disciples who served in a variety of capacities and roles. Christ used the SLA model with a variety of individuals who felt varying degrees of comfort with their …

Rahab And The Perpetuation Of Deliverance, Amy H. Fisher

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

Deliverance is clearly the major theme of the memorable Exodus story, but the Exodus is not the only Old Testament account that teaches profound lessons about God’s redemption. The story of Rahab—the woman of Jericho—is situated in relation to the Exodus through shared images and narrative elements to highlight additional insights about God’s power to save. Specifically, the Rahab story shows that God continues in the temporal, collective delivery of his covenant people even after Egypt. God is also interested in both the temporal and spiritual deliverance of individuals, as shown in the life of Rahab herself. Finally, the story …

It Helps To Have A Village, Daniel C. Peterson

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

In preparing the next generation, it really is helpful when parents don’t stand alone and they have the help of others outside the family. This is one of the reasons why the seemingly growing gulf between gospel values and the values of the societies around us is such a cause for concern: “The truths and values we embrace are mocked on ev’ry hand.”1 All of us have benefited from innumerable influences—from teachers in and out of the Church, from writers, from youth leaders, from coaches, from role models of all kinds. We may even have forgotten many of those influences, …

Uncanonized Revelations, Kent P. Jackson

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

In an important new volume, we now have easy access to revelations received by the Prophet Joseph Smith that were not included in the Doctrine and Covenants.

“I Shall Gather In”: The Name Joseph, Iterative Divine Action, And The Latter-Day Harvest Ingathering Of Israel As Themes In 3 Nephi, Matthew L. Bowen

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

The identity of “the people of Nephi who were spared, and also those who had been called Lamanites, who had been spared” (3 Nephi 10:18) as “a remnant of the seed of Joseph” (3 Nephi 5:23; 10:17; compare Alma 46:23–27; Ether 13:6–10) or “a remnant of the house of Joseph” (3 Nephi 15:12) is key to understanding Jesus’s Isaiah-based teaching at the temple in Bountiful in 3 Nephi. That teaching emphasizes iterative divine action (implied in the name Joseph [yôsēp], compare yôsîp) to restore and gather Israel and Judah. Like Mormon’s prophecies in 3 Nephi 5:23–26 and 26:8, Jesus’s sermon …

Nameless: Mormon’S Dramatic Use Of Omission In Helaman 2, Nathan J. Arp

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

There are many reasons why a narrator may choose to provide or withhold the names of various characters. This article hypothesizes that Mormon intentionally omitted the name of a key character from the book of Helaman related to the origin of the Gaddianton robbers. While it is not possible to know exactly what information Mormon and other Nephite recordkeepers had or preserved, it is at least plausible that Mormon might have intentionally omitted the name of a clandestine operative in the first two chapters of Helaman as a specific strategy to emphasize this operative’s secrecy and allow the reader to …

Lds Perspectives On The Atonement?, Blake T. Ostler

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

Latter-day Saint Perspectives on Atonement promises to provide new perspectives on the atonement that reflect awareness of scriptural and theological scholarship. The essays on the scriptural background are solid. The essays providing theological perspectives are uneven, at best. Indeed, the theological essays show little awareness of the major works in philosophical theology in the last sixty years—with one notable exception. Moreover, a feminist perspective that argues against seeing Christ’s blood that he shed as an appropriate basis for atonement theory receives the greatest attention. This review elucidates, explores, assesses, and critiques these approaches.

Did Korihor Usurp The Words Of Zeniff?, Elliott Jolley

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

The Book of Mormon contains several instances where a speaker or author in the Book of Mormon quotes a previous one. This article presents one such example: It appears that Korihor usurped the words of Zeniff, quoting some of them for his own purposes. The context of this reference to Zeniff’s words lies in Korihor’s claims that the Nephites were in bondage to the priests, just as the Lamanites wanted to bring Zeniff’s people into bondage. The connections between these two passages cross multiple generations and narrative events internally, and multiple pages of translated, dictated manuscript by Joseph Smith. It …

Insights Into The Story Of Korihor Based On Intertextual Comparisons, Noel Hudson

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

A brief outline of the saga of Korihor, the Anti-Christ, is provided along with a discussion of his affinities with other Book of Mormon anti-Christs, including those in the order of Nehors. Literary allusions suggesting Korihor as a foil to the king of the Lamanites are examined. Evidence of a schism among the order of Nehors leading to violence is discussed. Korihor’s unusual death is examined within the context of the theme of crushing the serpent from the stories of Adam, Eve, and Cain.

A Model For Looking Deeply And Deeply Looking, Godfrey J. Ellis

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

Peter Williams, an independent biblical scholar, has written an analysis of the parable of the prodigal son in a fascinating attempt to demonstrate two truths. The first is that one of the most overlooked attributes of the Savior is his brilliant and analytical mind. In the process, Williams reveals many intricacies hidden in the parable. He also reminds readers of the role of the Old Testament in the understanding and appreciation of the teachings of Jesus. These contributions, by themselves, demonstrate the value of the book. The second truth is that Jesus, himself, and not the gospel writers or the …

More Evidence For Alma As A Semitic Name, Neal Rappleye, Allen Hansen

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

Beginning with Hugh Nibley, several Latter-day Saint scholars have highlighted a deed found among the Bar Kokhba documents as evidence of the name Alma as a Jewish male name in antiquity. Here we highlight a second attestation of the same name used for a Jewish male from a slightly earlier period, as well as other evidence from Hebrew toponymy that helps corroborate not only that Alma is a Hebrew name, but also supports the etymology proposed by Latter-day Saint scholars and is suggestive of wordplays previously identified in the Book of Mormon text. Past critics have mocked the name Alma …

Nurture And Harvest: A Continued Conversation With The Annotated Book Of Mormon, Kevin Christensen

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

Because Grant Hardy’s important book deliberately contextualizes the Book of Mormon in light of “the generally agreed upon findings of modern biblical scholars and historians,” it invites further discussion on points in which the Book of Mormon and other significant biblical scholars and historians challenge those findings. Hardy also declares that his commentary “is consistently focused on the plain meaning of the text,” which is understandably appealing, but which is in tension with Joseph Smith’s foundational observation that “the different teachers of the religion understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the …

Aftermath Of The Martyrdom: Aspirants To The Mantle Of The Prophet Joseph Smith, R. Jean Addams

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

In the weeks, months, and years following the murders of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum, several aspirants stepped forward to claim the mantle of the prophet. Who were these individuals with claims to the leadership of the church? What were their motives? How were these men able to inspire large numbers of saints to follow them? What became of their efforts and how are their works manifest in the present day? The reasons that members or prospective members chose or rejected the claims of these aspirants are examined, as are the churches of the organizations that were …

The Anomaly: Elliott West’S Continental Reckoning And Its Latter-Day Saints, Robert Swanson

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

This review explores how Latter-day Saints are portrayed in a new landmark history of the American West. Noting the author’s generally accurate portrayal of the Saints, this review focuses on some areas that were missing in this Bancroft Prize winning book that has numerous implications for Latter-day Saint studies.

“That They May Know That They Are Not Cast Off Forever”: Jewish Lectionary Elements In The Book Of Mormon, Bradley J. Kramer

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

It is not uncommon for Jews who join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to notice connections between certain events in the Book of Mormon and modern Jewish practices associated with the feasts of Passover, Weeks, Tabernacles, and Rosh Hashanah. Aware that traditional Christianity holds not only that Jews were ousted from God’s covenant but that Jewish traditions in support of that covenant are spiritually worthless, these Jews find great comfort in these connections as well as in Book of Mormon statements that affirm their continued inclusion in that covenant. But aren’t there also connections to the modern …

Restoring Melchizedek Priesthood, John S. Thompson

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

Church historical sources make four differing claims as to when, how, and by whom Melchizedek priesthood was restored. These seemingly conflicting sources have led to many theories about what happened, including the idea that Joseph Smith changed his narrative and rewrote history as his ideas of priesthood evolved. A closer look at the sources, more carefully defining the terminology, and being more aware of ancient patterns provide a better solution for understanding the purpose and relationship of these four narratives and thus the nature of the Melchizedek priesthood Joseph Smith restored.

Full Issue

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

No abstract provided.

A Sociolinguistic View Of Cultural Influences In Conversations About Religion, Rachael Merrill

BYU Asian Studies Student Journal

My research project deals with intercultural communication issues in religious conversations among American English speakers and Japanese speakers. Much research has been done to examine how miscommunications occur across cultures, and that understanding cultural contexts can help us be more successful in linguistic endeavors. This paper specifically examines how the different sociocultural meanings attached to individual lexical items associated with religious topics (e.g., ‘God’ and ‘prayer’) differ between English and Japanese. This is a qualitative study using data from publicly available corpora of Japanese and English, as well as sociolinguistic interviews. I will not present the analysis of the interviews …

From Biology Major To Religion Professor: Personal Reflections On Evolution, Joshua M. Sears

BYU Studies

When I arrived at Brigham Young University as an excited freshman, my plan was to major in biology. I had really enjoyed biology in high school and scored a perfect 5 on the AP exam, so I figured this was something I could be good at. That first year I took courses in general biology, biodiversity, chemistry, and physical science.

Translation And The World Order, Richard Lyman Bushman

BYU Studies

Joseph Smith published three books he called translations: his masterwork, the Book of Mormon, translated from gold plates when he was twenty-four and published in March 1830; the eight chapters of the book of Moses based on Genesis in the Bible, begun in June 1830 and completed by February of the following year; and the book of Abraham, translated from scrolls that the Church purchased from Michael Chandler in 1835 and published in 1842. It is hard to think of any prophetic figure in religious history who relied as extensively on translations to spread his message as did Joseph Smith.

Astrophysicist’S Prayer, Christopher Bissett

BYU Studies

Oh God,

thou knowest I would rather plough the starfields

into little rows, and weed them by the sweat

of my brow, to clear the land for this next

season’s crop for thy celestial garners.

I would gather every dead star skeleton

for thee, decompose them back into black gold

nebulae for thy hungry galaxies,

let them spread their roots beneath the surface

of thy eternal spacetime continuum.

Front Matter

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

She That Showed Him Mercy, Ellis William Leroy Jr.

BYU Studies

I am a physician—a retired one now. I loved my work. It was what I always wanted to do, and I loved the people I cared for. I enjoyed taking care of them in all places and under all circumstances. In the hospital, I took care of them in the intensive care unit, the medical wards, and the office. I especially loved caring for them in their homes when they could no longer come to the office, or when they lived in a nursing home. It was required in my work to provide a bill for my service. I wished …

Full Issue

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Book Of Mormon Grammar And Translation, Stanford Carmack

BYU Studies

This paper discusses some of the Book of Mormon’s nonstandard grammar, showing how in many cases it was not the kind of grammar that Joseph Smith would have been expected to produce, since it was neither his native usage nor a presumed biblically influenced English. In these contexts, if he had been in control of the wording of the text, it is highly likely that he would have expressed things differently. Quite a few examples are provided in support of this claim, along with additional matching examples found in early modern texts.

Tasting God’S Light: Saints And The Spiritual Senses, Philip Abbott

BYU Studies

While many Westerners once assumed that sensory perception is more or less constant and universal, scholarship in the area of sensory studies has shown how volatile and diverse sensory discernment can be. For instance, though Western epistemology categorizes sensory knowledge into five senses, people across world cultures do not agree on the number of human senses that exist (some enumerate two, four, six, or seven senses), nor do they agree on how the senses function. As anthropologists have illuminated, these various notions of sensory perception lead people to translate sensory experience into vastly different worldviews. Thus, researchers have concluded that …

Preserving History: The Progression Of Recordkeeping In The Church, Wayne Crosby, W. Tyson Thorpe

BYU Studies

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have a variety of experiences with living the gospel and coming closer to Jesus Christ. Where people live, what age they are, and what their family situations are can all impact how they see God’s hand in their lives, as can a multitude of other factors. For this reason, it is important for historians examining the lived experiences of Latter-day Saints to have a variety of records to draw on in their analyses and explorations. Thankfully, the keeping of histories in Church units has been an important part of the …

All One People, Susan Elizabeth Howe

BYU Studies

In his BYU Studies article “Building an Innovative ‘Latter-day Saints without Borders’ Organization,” Warner Woodworth recounts both his own and his students’ extensive work to better the lives of the poor, but he gives credit to many other Latter-day Saint groups who are carrying out similar efforts. All One People, an organization located in Manti, Utah, is one of these groups. Woodworth says that these groups “[act] as ‘social entrepreneurial’ Christians who draw on their faith, rely on scriptural values, harness their educations, and call forth their business skills in designing and launching effective humanitarian services.” These are exactly the …