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Probing The High Prevalence Of Polygyny In St. George, 1861–1880: An Introduction, Davis Bitton, Lowell C. Bennion, Kathryn M. Daynes, Val Lambson

BYU Studies Quarterly

This is the introduction to a trilogy of articles that interpret and map the unusually high incidence of polygamy (or polygyny, the proper term) that characterized St. George, Utah, from its founding in 1861 through the federal census of 1880. Polygamy was practiced by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from the 1840s to 1890.

The first, and most theoretical, of the three papers, by Bitton and Lambson, recognizes for the first time in Mormon studies the limits that demography imposed upon the number of Latter-day Saints who could have practiced plural marriage during the pioneer …

Demographic Limits Of Nineteenth-Century Mormon Polygyny, Val Lambson, Davis Bitton

BYU Studies Quarterly

What percentage of nineteenth-century Mormons practiced polygyny? Estimates of the answer have evolved as have the methods of posing the question. The authors use a simple demographic model to derive mathematical limits on polygyny prevalence. These limits provide benchmarks from which to assess whether polygyny prevalence in a given context is high or low compared to what is sustainable. If prevalence is high, the model may suggest where to look for reasons. Furthermore, where data are of low quality, the benchmarks provide a check on the reliability of the reported prevalence.

Many factors—such as differences in marriageable age, mortality, population …

Plural Marriage In St. George: A Summary And An Invitation, Kathryn M. Daynes, Lowel C. Bennion, Davis Bitton, Val Lambson

BYU Studies Quarterly

This is a short summary of three papers in this issue of BYU Studies Quarterly offering new insights into the importance of polygyny, or polygamy, in nineteenth-century Mormondom. The Bitton-Lambson article derives theoretical limits on the sustainability of polygyny, suggesting that, given the parameters observed in nineteenth-century Utah, a prevalence exceeding 15 to 20 percent of males and 25 to 30 percent of females is implausible. Bennion's paper provides detailed information on how prevalent polygyny was in St. George and in its wide hinterland. It also includes a number of personal stories to shed light on who the settlers were, …

Striving To Live The Principle In Utah's First Temple City: A Snapshot Of Polygamy In St. George, Utah, In June 1880, Kathryn M. Daynes

BYU Studies Quarterly

This article is one of a set on the practice of polygamy in the Mormon settlement of St. George, Utah, from 1861 to 1880. For years researchers have known that St. George had an unusually high percentage of its population living in polygamous households and have been grappling with the reason why and what those high percentages tell us about the practice of plural marriage in Utah generally.

The demographic work to understand the lives of those families in plural marriage is labor intensive, and this article provides only a snapshot of it in June 1880, when Daniel Handley McAllister …

Some Textual Changes For A Scholarly Study Of The Book Of Mormon, Royal Skousen

BYU Studies Quarterly

Royal Skousen has been working on the critical text project of the Book of Mormon since 1988. He has concluded that there are three important findings resulting from the critical text project of the Book of Mormon. The first is that Joseph Smith received an English-language text word for word, which he read off to his scribe. The second is that the original English-language text itself was very precisely constructed; where textual error has occurred in its transmission, the earliest reading is usually the superior reading. The third is the identification of 256 changes in the text that make a …

When Pages Collide: Dissecting The Words Of Mormon, Jack M. Lyon, Kent R. Minson

BYU Studies Quarterly

Careful readers of the Book of Mormon have probably found verses 12-18 of the Words of Mormon to be a bit of a puzzle. For stylistic and other reasons, they do not really fit with verses 1-11, so commentators have tried to explain their presence as a sort of "bridge" or "transition" that Mormon wrote to connect the record of the small plates with his abridgment from the large plates. This paper proposes a different explanation: Rather than being a bridge into the book of Mosiah, these verses were originally part of the book of Mosiah and should be included …

Trailing Clouds Of Zombies, Eric D'Evegnee

BYU Studies Quarterly

This personal essay draws parallels between zombie apocalypse movies and parenting. The author's deliberate decision to have a large family reminds him of George Romero's Night of the Living Dead, in which the terror comes from the characters' deliberate decisions about how to survive the sheer number of pervasive and persistent undead. His children are equally "pervasive and persistent, and they outnumber me significantly." But he finds a "zombie epiphany" in realizing that his panic over the challenges of raising children is calmed by the joy of special moments in which his children teach him to see beauty and joy.

Teinoscope, Marilyn N. Nielson

BYU Studies Quarterly

No abstract provided.

Lehi's Dream And Nephi's Vision: Apocalyptic Revelations In Narrative Context, Matthew S. Stenson

BYU Studies Quarterly

In Lehi's Dream and Nephi's Vision: Apocalyptic Revelation in Narrative Context, Matthew Scott Stenson explores the qualities of apocalyptic literature found in the first two books of Nephi. Stenson shows how new insights can be gained by reading Nephi's record from the perspective of this ancient literary genre.

Isaiah 49:23–26 expresses the following dramatic prophecy portraying the Lord as a divine warrior:

And thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me. Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captives delivered? But thus saith the LORD, Even …

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Hell On The Range: A Story Of Honor, Conscience, And The American West, Daniel J. Herman, Taunalyn F. Rutherford

BYU Studies Quarterly

In the introduction to Hell on the Range, Daniel Justin Herman informs readers that his account of Arizona's Rim Country War of the 1880s is more than revisionist critique; it is self-critique. Herman, an associate professor of history at Central Washington University, is an Arizonan who, like many growing up in the western United States, was "raised on its romance," and in his youth he viewed "Arizonans--especially cowboys--[as] made of sterner, stronger stuff than people who grew up elsewhere" (xxii). His view of Mormons and Mormonism--an important undercurrent animating much of this book--was informed by his experiences as a non-Mormon …

17 Miracles, Directed By T. C. Christensen, Allan Davis

BYU Studies Quarterly

The film 17 Miracles is a recent cinematic depiction of the faith and trials of the Martin and Willie handcart companies. Mormon culture's hallowed treatment of the trek has appeared in oral histories, pageant depictions, and trek reenactments, and writer and director T. C. Christensen's treatment of the subject material is an excellent addition to a robust tradition that remembers a significant moment in our cultural past. That said, the film is not without its flaws. Though the film evidences superb storytelling and adept skill in the narrative language of film, it sometimes meanders away from its own strengths in …

Tony, Elizabeth Thayer

BYU Studies Quarterly

In 2012, artist Elizabeth Thayer entered her painting Tony in the BP Portrait Award contest. The Portrait Award is in its thirty-third year at the National Portrait Gallery in London. In 2012, there were 2,187 entries from artists in 74 different countries. This painting was one of 55 paintings chosen to be exhibited this year. Thayer first learned about the competition when she moved to England in 2010 and was thrilled to be part of the show in 2012.

"…After our fourth child was born in 2010, Tony told us that our son was the first baby he had ever …

On Mormon Laughter, Shawn R. Tucker

BYU Studies Quarterly

Shawn Tucker, an associate professor of fine arts, offers an interpretation on the scriptural injunctions against excessive and loud laughter found in Latter-day Saint scripture. Having grown up in a home with lots of joyous, good-natured laughter, the author recalls his confusion at such commands. His research explores the teachings of leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sociologists, and great thinkers such as C. S. Lewis.

The article shows that laughter that is cold, cynical, and belittling is a perversion of a God-given faculty that should delightfully lift and edify. A good sense of humor can …

This Beginning Of Miracles, Marilyn N. Nielson

BYU Studies Quarterly

No abstract provided.

Full Issue, Byu Studies

BYU Studies Quarterly

No abstract provided.

Mapping The Extent Of Plural Marriage In St. George, 1861–1880, Lowell C. Bennion

BYU Studies Quarterly

This article is one of a set on the practice of polygamy in St. George, Utah, from 1861 to 1880. It asks why polygamy rates in that Mormon settlement exceed the demographic limits produced by Bitton and Lambson in their article "Demographic Limits of Nineteenth-Century Mormon Polygyny." Bitton and Lambson suggest that "those willing to accept an assignment to settle in St. George were very committed Mormons, and those who remained in St. George after having observed conditions firsthand were more committed still. Very committed Mormons were much more likely to practice polygamy than were others."

Using case studies of …

The Persistence Of Polygamy, Scattering Of The Saints, And Modern Polygamy In The United States, Lara Burton, John C. Hamer, Cardell K. Jacobson, Craig L. Foster, Eric A. Eliason, Newell G. Bringhurst

BYU Studies Quarterly

NEWELL G. BRINGHURST, CRAIG L. FOSTER, editors. The Persistence of Polygamy: Joseph Smith and the Origins of Mormon Polygamy. Independence, Missouri: John Whitmer Books, 2010.

NEWELL G. BRINGHURST, JOHN C. HAMER. Scattering of the Saints: Schism within Mormonism. Independence, Missouri: John Whitmer Books, 2007.

CARDELL K. JACOBSON, LARA BURTON. Modern Polygamy in the United States: Historical, Cultural, and Legal Issues.New York: Oxford University Press, 2011.

Each of these three anthologies collects a variety of scholarly articles on the interrelated topics of Mormon schismatic groups, contemporary polygamy, and the history of plural marriage. Each book is geared not only to …

Mormon Media Studies Symposium - 2012, Sherry Baker

Faculty Publications

Website for the Mormon Media Studies Symposium year 2012.

I Will Send You Elijah The Prophet, Kenneth L. Alford Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Chapter 3 from the volume from the 2012 BYU Sperry Symposium, "I Will Send You Elijah the Prophet" investigates contemporary Christian and Jewish beliefs in the 1830s regarding Biblical prophecies regarding the return of the Prophet Elijah.

Full Issue, Byu Studies

BYU Studies Quarterly

No abstract provided.

The Lds Church In Italy: The 1966 Rededication By Elder Ezra Taft Benson, James A. Toronto, Richard N. Holzapfel

BYU Studies Quarterly

Since the early years of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Italy has attracted the attention of Church leaders as a proselyting field. It is the practice of Church leaders to dedicate a land to the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and this article briefly describes the 1850 dedication of Italy by Apostle Lorenzo Snow, followed by a report of a second dedication in 1966 by another Apostle, Ezra Taft Benson. Elder Benson, as president of the European Mission, was warmly welcomed in Italy because of his prior work as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, when he …

"As A Bird Sings": Hannah Tapfield King, Poetess And Pioneer, Leonard Reed

BYU Studies Quarterly

Hannah Tapfield King (1807-1886), converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1850 in Cambridge, England, and emigrated with her family to Utah. She was a prolific and popular writer of poetry, essays, and educational pieces for Utah's newspapers, and she had a reputation as a woman of refinement. From her autobiography one can see her complete devotion to the Church. She and her family sacrificed a comfortable middle class life in England running the family farm, and they suffered considerably in Utah's desert. Her husband, Thomas King, eventually joined the Church but was never active or …

Engel's Law, Rulon Pope

BYU Studies Quarterly

Rulon Pope, recipient of the 2012 Karl G. Maeser Distinguished Faculty Lecturer Award addressed the university community in a forum address and discussed Engel's Law, which describes the relationship between household wealth and food consumption.

Compromising Scholarship: Religious And Political Bias In American Higher Education, George Yancey, Bruce A. Chadwick

BYU Studies Quarterly

George Yancey, a professor of sociology at the University of North Texas, has focused his research on racial and ethnic bias. His recent books include Interracial Families: Current Concepts and Controversies and Interracial Contact and Social Change. Yancey's newest study in Compromising Scholarship documents the bias of university faculty against members of various groups. Professor Yancey, aware that scientists, just like other Americans, are hesitant to reveal any prejudice or bias, focused his study on "collegiality" in an attempt to distract respondents from the research interest in bias. Yancey conducted his study via Internet survey and blog analyses in the …

The Death Of A Disco Dancer; A Sense Of Order And Other Stories; The Scholar Of Moab, Shelah M. Miner, David M. Clark, Jack Harrell, Steven L. Peck

BYU Studies Quarterly

DAVID CLARK. The Death of a Disco Dancer. Provo, Utah: Zarahemla Books, 2011.

JACK HARRELL. A Sense of Order and Other Stories. Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2010.

STEVEN L. PECK. The Scholar of Moab. Torrey, Utah: Torrey House Press, 2011.

As an enthusiastic reader of literary fiction and as someone who is fascinated by Mormon culture, I am always on the lookout for works of literary fiction that contain Mormon themes or Mormon characters. While there are always plenty of new romances on the shelves at Deseret Book, and Mormon authors frequently find commercial and critical success writing science …

Within These Prison Walls: Lorenzo Snow's Record Book, 1886–1897, Jill N. Crandell, Richard N. Holzapfel, Andrew H. Hedges

BYU Studies Quarterly

Andrew H. Hedges, historian and editor for the Joseph Smith Papers Project, and Richard Neitzel Holzapfel, professor of Church history and doctrine at Brigham Young University, present in this volume a window to the thoughts and feelings of Lorenzo Snow during a particularly challenging time in his life. This record book contains some of his writings while he was in prison, having been convicted of three counts of unlawful cohabitation. Although a prison diary written by a polygamist of this time period is not unusual, Snow's record book is particularly interesting because he was an Apostle of The Church of …

When Was Jesus Born? A Response To A Recent Proposal, Lincoln H. Blumell, Thomas A. Wayment

BYU Studies Quarterly

When was Jesus born? In response to an article by Jeffrey R. Chadwick published by BYU Studies in 2010, two professors in the BYU Department of Ancient Scripture push the conversation forward and offer a different interpretation of the data.

Still, The Small Voice: Narrative, Personal Revelation, And The Mormon Folk Tradition, Tom Mould, Jacqueline S. Thursby

BYU Studies Quarterly

Tom Mould is an associate professor of anthropology and folklore at Elon University in Greensboro, North Carolina. He is the author of two books on Choctaw narrative: Choctaw Prophecy: A Legacy of the Future (2003) and Choctaw Tales (2004). He has published articles on varied aspects of generic boundaries and constructed identities and has produced video documentaries for public television on folk art and culture in Indiana, Kentucky, and North Carolina. Mould is particularly focused on the study of oral narrative, and his interest in prophecy and sacred narratives led him to his work with the Latter-day Saints. His book …

Early Mormon Missionary Activities In Japan, 1901–1924, Reid L. Neilson, R. Lanier Britsch

BYU Studies Quarterly

Reid L. Neilson, PhD, the managing director of the Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is well known among LDS Asian and Pacific scholars as a gifted and productive editor and bibliographer. His research and writing on the history of the Church in Japan is informative, enlightening, and enriching. Although the topic of missionary work in Japan has been written about by other authors, Neilson's book adds much to what has already been written.

In Early Mormon Missionary Activities in Japan, 1901-1924, Neilson has created one of the few LDS books dealing with Mormon …

The Heresy Of Orthodoxy: How Contemporary Culture's Fascination With Diversity Has Reshaped Our Understanding Of Early Christianity, Andreas J. Köstenberger, Michael J. Kruger, Noel B. Reynolds

BYU Studies Quarterly

Readers interested in the ongoing debate over the reliability of the New Testament texts will find this new book to be an excellent contribution to the defense of those texts. Authors Kostenberger and Kruger are both allied personally and professionally with the contemporary movement that defends the inerrancy of scripture. Andreas J. Kostenberger is Professor of New Testament and Greek and director of PhD and ThM studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. He is the editor of the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society and is the author of books and articles on biblical texts …