Mormon Studies Commons^™

Ancient Hawaiian Temples In LāʻIe, Cy Bridges, Tēvita KaʻIli, Brooks Haderlie, 'Ulise Funaki, Nakia Nae'ole

Mormon Pacific Historical Society

No abstract provided.

Ni Ya Ta Hano Para I Temple I Guma Yu’Us, Devan Jensen

Mormon Pacific Historical Society

Micronesian Journeys to the Temple

Draft Notes by Devan Jensen based on original research and Revised Guam Travel Packet, Revised Micronesia Travel Packet

The Mariana Islands are home to one of the oldest of Pacific Island cultures, the Chamorro culture. More than 4000 years ago seafaring people from Southeast Asia settled the Mariana Islands, and they have been continuously occupied since. Over the last 400 years, Guam has been under the administration of Spain, the United States, and Japan. Spain was the first to claim sovereignty over Guam. It was the site of the first Roman Catholic mission and a …

A Comparative Look At The Dedication And Rededication Prays Of The Laie Hawaii Temple, J. Perry Christensen

Mormon Pacific Historical Society

This paper looks at the original dedicatory prayer and the two subsequent rededicatory prayers of the Laie Hawaii Temple in terms of historical settings, linguistic features, and content similarities and comparisons. The 1919 dedication and the 1978 rededication prayers are essentially the same in organization and very similar in content—almost word for word with parts of the 1919 pray either updated or deleted in the 1978 prayer. The 2010 rededication prayer is vastly different in organization and content, though an effort has been made to rearrange this prayer so that the content which is similar is presented next to the …

Hyrum Conrad Pope: Architect Of God’S Temple On This Pu’Uhonua, Hannah Fullerton

Mormon Pacific Historical Society

At night if one looks over from the Ko’olau mountain range, the sea, or the land a great light can be seen shining from the Laie Hawaii temple. For over three hundred years mankind has congratulated himself on the invention of lighthouses that bring ships in to harbor from a stormy sea. But for eternities has God created lighthouses of His own and the one that stands here has guided millions to safe harbor in a world awash in tumultuous darkness. This temple is unique for many reasons. La’ie Hawai’i temple is the first outside the continental US. This land …

James Lowe

Mormon Pacific Historical Society

Sam Lowe excused. As early as 1970, the church had decided to remodel the temple, and notified newly-called President Lloyd Walsh of their intentions. You local folks are going to laugh, but the project was delayed about 5 years because of the difficulty of obtaining the necessary building permits! Typical Hawaii.

2019 Conference Schedule

Mormon Pacific Historical Society

No abstract provided.

The Building Of The Toyko Temple, Conan P. Story

Mormon Pacific Historical Society

This is a story of the building of the Tokyo Temple, the first temple built in Asia by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is not a history, although I hope it will shed some historical light on a few aspects of this magnificent temple. It is simply my story—what I saw and did, and what I learned about this House of the Lord as it rose from the ground and was dedicated in 1980. I like to tell this story starting in 1948 because that is when the Lord began to reveal His plan for where …

The Impact Of Sharing Temple Stories And Images In The Pacific Through Social Media, Dr. Jared Hansen, Paul Wilson

Mormon Pacific Historical Society

No abstract provided.

One Hundred Years Of The Art And Architecture Of The Laie Temple

Mormon Pacific Historical Society

PowerPoint slide notes from a presentation by Sharon R. Gray, November 16, 2019, for the Mormon Pacific Historical Society (MPHS) Conference celebrating the Centennial of the Dedication of the Laie Hawai’i Temple.

Slide 1. Title Page 100 Years of the Art and Architecture of the Laie Hawai’i Temple. Image of the Laie Temple watercolor drawing by Paul L. Anderson.

Limitation, Liberation, And The Latter-Day Saints: The Establishment Of Mormon Womanhood In The Woman’S Exponent, 1872-1890, Meaghan Harrington

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Navigating the establishment of Mormon womanhood from 1872-1890 in the Exponent shows how Mormon women related to their outer world, their inner world, and themselves. This thesis analyzes the thoughts, feelings, and desires of a complex sociocultural grouping, and asks the reader to question their own attitudes towards gender and culture. The rhetoric of Mormon womanhood in the Exponent and the culture from which it stemmed have implications for understanding both “the rights of the women of Zion, and the rights of the women of all nations.”

Representations Of Nineteenth Century Mormonism In A Mormon Maid: A Cinematic Analysis, Elisabeth Weagel

Journal of Religion & Film

During the first quarter of the 20th century there was a trend in Hollywood to make films about Mormons. Practices such as polygamy created just the kind of sensationalism that attracted filmmakers (even Thomas Edison contributed with his 1902 film A Trip to Salt Lake). Many of these were B-pictures, but the 1917 film A Mormon Maid stands out because it was produced by a major production company (Paramount) and was backed by top director Cecil B. DeMille. It is often given passing reference, but very little genuine scholarship has been done on the film. A hundred years …

“O Stop And Tell Me, Red Man”: Indian Removal And The Lamanite Mission Of 1830-31, Kaleb C. Miner

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

In 1830-1831, Mormon missionaries were sent out to proselytize Native Americans—an effort called the “Lamanite Mission.” While this event has been scrutinized multiple times over and in a variety of ways, the Native Americans themselves are most often either considered passive characters in the narrative or ignored completely. However, understanding the circumstances of those Native Americans leading up to the Lamanite Mission, during the era of Indian Removal, can give a deeper understanding of the early Mormon mission which has heretofore been ignored. Understanding Indian Removal not only explains why the Seneca, Wyandot, Shawnee, and Delaware people were located as …

From Housewives To Protesters: The Story Of Mormons For The Equal Rights Amendment, Kelli N. Morrill

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

On November 17, 1980, twenty Mormon women and one man were arrested on criminal trespassing charges after chaining themselves to the Bellevue, Washington LDS Temple gate. The news media extensively covered the event due to the shocking photos of middle-aged housewives, covered in large chains, holding protest signs and being escorted to police cars. These women were part of the group Mormons for the Equal Rights Amendment (MERA) and were protesting the LDS Church’s opposition to the ERA. The LDS Church actively opposed the ERA and played an important role in influencing the vote in key states leading to its …

Nineteenth-Century American Religion And Politics In The West: Doctrinal Shifts In Mormonism And The Creation Of Utah, Katherine Manning

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

American religion and politics have always been closely intertwined. Though America was founded on ideals of religious pluralism and tolerance, the actual landscape of American religion often resembled the opposite of these ideas. As a religious majority, Protestants in the nineteenth-century believed in a specific American identity—one which championed the “virtuous” family and a capitalist market system. Yet, some religious organizations challenged these norms, making them the object of intense persecution. One of the most famous of these examples is the Mormons. From their “peculiar” beliefs to their separatist goals, Mormons presented the American people with a religious group which …

Clark Memorandum: Fall 2017, J. Reuben Clark Law School, Byu Law School Alumni Association, J. Reuben Clark Law Society

The Clark Memorandum

• Ascending the Mountain: A Story of the People of the Great Hill (Michalyn Steele)
• Unlocking Potential: How a Law Degree Amplifies Your Ability to Bless the World (Jane Mitchell)
• The EU Apple Case: Who Has a Dog in the Fight? (J. Clifton Fleming, Jr.)

Beyond The Exodus: Nauvoo After 1849, Rebecca A. Wiederhold, Dainan Skeem

Faculty Publications

Nauvoo, the City Beautiful, was named by Joseph Smith in 1839 when the Mormons began settling the area. After seven short years, the Saints had built a city to rival Chicago at the time. In 1844, Joseph was martyred and in 1847 the Mormons fled the city, changing the makeup of the town’s population and the direction of its growth. Emma Smith eventually returned with the remainder of her family and was beloved of the neighborhood children. Many other families not associated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints continued to farm the land and raise families. As …

Forging The Mormon Myth, Maryanne Hafen

Oglethorpe Journal of Undergraduate Research

The work of the forger Mark Hofmann frames many key problems and changes in Mormon historiography. More specifically, it reveals a tension between versions of Mormon history that are propagated in the religion. On one hand, there is a documented and literal history. On the other, a sacred and engaging myth. However, these two cannot coexist harmoniously.

The Term Of President And Sister Melvin B. & Carol R. Butler Tonga Nuku'alofa Mission--July 1983 To June 1986

Mormon Pacific Historical Society

How does one begin to describe in a few paragraphs the joys, blessings, challenges, miracles, hardships and successes of the Tonga Nuku'alofa Mission during the period of July, 1983 to the end of June 1986, at which time the mission was presided over by myself, Melvin B. Butler from Salt Lake City, UT. Together with my precious wife Carol and seven beautiful children, Holly, Melony, Paul, Jill, David, Mark, and Russell, we willingly left our home, families and cherished friends to start a new life for three years in the islands of Tonga.

Mphs 2016 Call For Proposals

Mormon Pacific Historical Society

No abstract provided.

Mphs 2016 Registration

Mormon Pacific Historical Society

No abstract provided.

The Vital Apostolic Visits Of Elder David O. Mckay And Elder George Albert Smith For Tonga, Mary Jane Woodger

Mormon Pacific Historical Society

Early on in the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Savior was adamant that the Quorum of the Twelve would travel and traveling became a distinctive feature of those who became modern day Apostles. As early as 1832, the Savior made traveling a commandment. He revealed, “It is expedient that I give unto you this commandment that ye become even as my friends in days when I was with them, traveling to preach the gospel in my power.” (D&C 84:77). In this revelation the Lord acquainted traveling with power. Later in 1834, the Savior identified that the Traveling …

Lds Church History Sites In The Kingdom Of Tonga, Riley Moffat

Mormon Pacific Historical Society

The Kingdom of Tonga in the South Pacific is known as the country with the highest percentage of Latter-day Saints in the world. Out of a population of about 100,000 people in the Kingdom about 60,000 are baptized members of the Church according to Leitoni Tupou, recently released president of the Tongan mission. Of that number he says about 30,000 are active, 30,000 are less active and the other 40,000 haven’t been baptized yet. Tongan government statistics give lower figures but the fact that there are 166 congregations meeting in 106 chapels organized into 19 stakes (soon to be 21) …

President Emile Craner Dunn And The Tongan Mission: 1936-1950, Mark D. Ogletree, Ph.D.

Mormon Pacific Historical Society

Several years ago, Elder James E. Faust related the following experience. He and Elder Spencer J. Condie were in the Salt Lake City Airport and as they were walking down the terminal, they met a devoted and faithful couple that they both had known for many years. “This couple had spent a lifetime of service, meekly, faithfully, and effectively trying to build up the Church in many places in the world. Elder Condie noted, ‘Isn’t it remarkable what people with five loaves and two fishes do to build up the kingdom of God.’”1 Elder Faust then stated, “This kind of …

Nuku’Alofa Tonga Mission 1989-92

Mormon Pacific Historical Society

No abstract provided.

Mormon Intruders In Tonga: The Passport Act Of 1922, R. Lanier Britsch

Mormon Pacific Historical Society

On 29 June 1922 the Legislative Assembly in the island kingdom of Tonga enacted a law that prohibited all members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from entering that country. 1 This event occurred after considerable discussion and debate among governmental officials in Tonga, Fiji, Great Britain, and the United States. This study reviews the Latter-day Saint exclusion issue as it relates to the historical development of Christianity in Tonga, including sectarian relationships and government involvement in ecclesiastical affairs, the official attitude of the U.S. government regarding the Latter-day Saints and polygamy, and the United Kingdom's official …

A Gift Of Tongues Ermel J. Morton And The Translation Of The Book Of Mormon, Brent R. Anderson

Mormon Pacific Historical Society

Wherever the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been established, there are stories to be told and experiences to be shared. These often, if not always, include difficulties and challenges, but also blessings and miracles.

2016 Mphs Program

Mormon Pacific Historical Society

No abstract provided.

Mphs 2016 Presenter Biographies

Mormon Pacific Historical Society

No abstract provided.

“We Rang The Bell”: Olonzod. Merrill’S Mission To Tonga (1892-1895)

Mormon Pacific Historical Society

No abstract provided.

Book Of Mormon Costume Resource Guide, Rory R. Scanlon

Faculty Publications

This report offers visual costume research support for artists working on Book of Mormon projects, with an historical overview of Mesoamerica and how to understand its historical clothing pieces, an annotated listing of the best research sources, a list of garment and fabric terms for the 2000 BC to 600 AD period, and sample sketches from historical artifacts to suggest how to interpret the original research images the artist will encounter.