Mormon Studies Commons^™

Bedeviled Beauty: My Journey Through White American Theater Institutions, J'Aila C. Price

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Game console: Oculus Quest

World: American Theater Institutions

Player: Minority

Place: United States

Level: “Ain’t no way.”

This thesis explores the contrast between the Westernized philosophies ingrained in my education and my identity as a Black female artist. It sheds light on the difficulties of pursuing higher education in the arts and the gaps that arise from limited exposure to culturally diverse Black resources, revealing the systemic issues in Western performance education. The paper also discusses the insights gained from my journey as a Black female artist, focusing on my thesis performance of Blood at the Root, which is …

The Use Of Gethsemane By Church Leaders, 1859–2018, John Hilton Iii, Joshua P. Barringer

Faculty Publications

Many commentators have noted that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (herein referred to as “the Church”) has a distinctive focus on Gethsemane.1 For example, Douglas J. Davies has written that the “LDS interpretation of Christ’s garden experience involves a most interesting relocation of the act of atonement within Christian theological accounts that have, traditionally, seen the cross as the prime site of assuming human sin”2 and that “Mormonism relocates the centre of gravity of Christ’s passion in Gethsemane rather than upon the cross and Calvary.”3

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.

Old Testament Costume Resource Guide, Rory R. Scanlon

Faculty Publications

This report offers visual costume research support for artists working on Old Testament Bible projects, with an historical overview of Mesopotamia 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 4000 BC to 0 AD period, and sample sketches from historical artifacts to suggest how to interpret the original research images the artist will encounter.

Getting Into The Meat Of The Word Of Wisdom, A. Jane Birch

Faculty Publications

Doctrine & Covenants Section 89 is known as the "health code" for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In verse 13 of this scripture, the Lord states, “it is pleasing unto me that they [flesh of beasts and fowls of the air] should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine” (D&C 89:13). Judging from the variety of interpretations this single verse has inspired, it would appear to be deeply enigmatic. Interestingly, most interpretations have been put forward with little supporting evidence. This article is the first comprehensive analysis of the …

Jacob's Textual Legacy, John Hilton Iii

Faculty Publications

Today, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints know what texts are considered authoritative—namely, the standard works. As members, we recognize a formal process for canonization; for example, at the Saturday afternoon session of general conference in April 1976, President N. Eldon Tanner announced that the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve had approved two revelations for inclusion in the Pearl of Great Price and called for a sustaining vote. This concept of canonization in the restored church has echoes from earlier Christian practices and councils.

Jon Jonsson: Icelandic Mormon Poet And Translator, Fred E. Woods, Kári Bjarnason

Faculty Publications

Jon Jonsson (Jón Jónsson), a catalytic Icelandic convert to Mormonism, was a gifted poet and translator whose literary work focused on the theme of salvation. Perhaps his most valuable contribution to Mormon history is that he is the first known person to translate a portion of the Book of Moron into Icelandic. He completed a translation of the First Book of Nephi in 1881.

Making Friends Down Under: The Beginnings Of Lds Missionary Work On Thursday Island, Queensland, Australia, 1961, Fred E. Woods

Faculty Publications

The year 2011 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the beginnings of LDS missionary work on Thursday Island. On this jubilee occasion, it is fitting to ask how the message of Mormonism came to this tiny Australian isle and how American Mormon missionaries adapted to a region far removed from their culture and homeland. Using journal entries, letters, and interviews from the first three full-time elders to preach on the island, it is possible to sketch a portrait of what these young men experienced.

Making Friends In Missouri: Telling The Steamboat Saluda Story And Its Aftermath, Fred E. Woods

Faculty Publications

The infamous "Extermination Order" issued October 27, 1838, by Missouri Governor Lilburn W. Boggs caused thousands of Latter-day Saints to flee the state and seek refuge in Illinois. Throughout the harsh winter of 1838-39, many Latter-day Saint families traveled to Missouri's eastern border (some 150 miles) in carts and wagons and on foot. While most crossed the Mississippi River by ferry at Quincy, some voyaged by riverboats from Richmond, Missouri, to the Quincy region in Illinois.

Wilford Woodruff And The Rise Of Temple Consciousness Among The Latter-Day Saints, 1877-84, Richard E. Bennett

Faculty Publications

Historical evidence demonstrates that during the time Wilford Woodruff served as president of the St. George Temple, 1877-84, a profound change of attitude and a new understanding toward temple work developed among the Latter-day Saints. These years--highlighted as they were with completion of the St. George Temple; the introduction of endowments for the dead; the canonization of section 110 in the Doctrine & Covenants; and the construction of the Salt Lake, Manti, and Logan Temples--were critical to the formation of a new and rising temple consciousness and a growing sense of uniqueness among a people then undergoing a good deal …

Joseph Smith And The First Principles Of The Gospel, 1820-29, Richard Bennett

Faculty Publications

So much of a biographical nature has been written lately on the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith that one may well wonder if there is anything new or important left to say about him. Dan Vogel and Richard Bushman, in their dramatically counterpoint interpretations of the Prophet--the former contending he was a "pious fraud" and the latter asserting he was a legitimate American prophet--have forced us to reconsider the earlier arguments and interpretations of Donna and Marvin Hill, Fawn Brodie, John Henry Evans, and George Q. Cannon. Yet the contrasting contributions of these latest two scholars, and the fervent, …

We Know No North, No South, No East, No West: Mormon Interpretations Of The Civil War, 1861-1865, Richard Bennett

Faculty Publications

While peace reigns in Utah, civil war, with all its horrors, prevails among those who earnestly desired to see the soil of these valleys crimsoned with the blood of the Saints, and, if we are mistaken in the signs of the times, before the conflict between the North and South shall have ended, all they unitedly desired to see meted out to the Mormons, will be poured out without measure upon those who have initiated the war of extermination, and are now carrying it on with all the energy they severally possess. So read the lead editorial in the Salt …

California Saints: A Readers Theater, J. Michael Hunter

Faculty Publications

California Saints: A Readers Theater was performed at the Mormon History Association Devotional, Emanuel Church, Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park, Coloma, California, Sunday May 25, 2008, 8:30-9:30 AM. Through excerpts from diaries and letters, the story of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) in California from 1846 to 1857 is recounted. Readers were all descendants of Mormons associated with California’s early history. Readers included Richard Bushman, John Huntington, Leo Lyman, and Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. Musical vocalists included John Huntington and Rachel Thatcher Loveridge.

Charles Good's Act Of Kindness And The Handcart Children, Fred E. Woods, William G. Hartley

Faculty Publications

On a hot July afternoon in 1856, businessman Charles Good paid an unannounced visit to a crowded campground west of Fort Des Moines. There he found nearly 500 tired travelers--Mormon emigrants who had pulled their handcarts earlier that day through the small business district of Fort Dex Moines where Good lived. This was the fourth handcart company to pull through the city in two months. Good's visit would be noted in the company's official journal, but subsequent histories have overlooked his charitable gesture--a simple act of kindness--while at the camp.

Iowa City Bound: Mormon Migration By Sail And Rail, 1856-1857, Fred E. Woods

Faculty Publications

In the spring of 1855, an article in the Mormons' British periodical, The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, instructed church members to leave "Babylon" just as ancient Israel had left Egypt under Moses' leadership. For European converts, the Atlantic was their Red Sea and Brigham Young their American Moses. During his nearly 30 years (1847-1877) as president and prophet of the Latter-day Saints (LDS), Young directed the organized migration of more than 70,000 people to Utah, most of them from Europe. He approved yearly migration plans, appointed officers to manage the various companies, and arranged for church agents to assist at …

Of Printers, Prophets, And Politicians: William Lyon Mackenzie, Mormonism, And Early Printing In Upper Canada, Richard Bennett, Daniel H. Olsen

Faculty Publications

Well-known in both Canadian and Latter-day Saint history is the arrival of Charles Ora Card and his faithful band of followers in southern Alberta in 1887. Less explored is the much earlier venture into Upper Canada (Ontario) of such prominent Mormon leaders as Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, Parley P. Pratt, Orson Pratt, Orson Hyde, and scores of others during the 1830s in their concerted attempts to promulgate their new faith on Canadian soil. Their success in converting hundreds of people, many of whom were British- and American-born Methodists or members of other nonconformist faiths, prompted Mormon leaders to send missionaries …

A Mormon And Still A Jew: The Life Of Alexander Neibaur, Fred E. Woods

Faculty Publications

Alexander Neibaur was a man of many talents. An educated man and gifted poet, he was fluent in seven languages. One account describes Neibaur as "a small, thin man, with a round ruddy face, with sharp eyes." He was also unusual inasmuch as he was Utah's first dentist and matchmaker, and the first known male Jewish convert to Mormonism; and he left the only known contemporary diary account of Joseph Smith's first vision experience. Neibaur was also a good family man, honest and loyal, and a kind friend and trusted neighbor, not only to fellow Church members but also to …

Starting A Pioneer Newspaper : The Deseret News, J. Michael Hunter

Faculty Publications

Before the Latter-day Saints arrived in Salt Lake City, arrangements were made for a printing establishment in the Salt Lake Valley. At Winter Quarters, Brigham Young sent W. W. Phelps to obtain a press that might be brought west. This article briefly describes the Ramage press that Phelps acquired. The Deseret News, the first newspaper in the Rocky Mountains, began publication on June 15, 1850. This weekly eight-page paper contained news taken from national newspapers, events in Britain, and local information such as activities of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and crop conditions. One …

Pronounced Clean, Comfortable, And Good Looking: The Passage Of Mormon Immigrants Through The Port Of Philadelphia, Fred E. Woods

Faculty Publications

We were pronounced clean, comfortable, and good looking. So wrote LDS voyage leader Matthias Cowley after arriving in Philadelphia with a company of foreign Saints in the mid-nineteenth century. At this time, Latter-day Saint European immigrants, obeying the call to come to Zion, were gathering to America by the thousands on the way to their Mormon Mecca in Salt Lake City. They were obeying the call to come to Zion. In 1852, the First Presidency issued the following counsel: "When a people, or individuals, hear the Gospel, obey its first principles, are baptized for the remission of sins, and receive …

The Case For Sidney Rigdon As Author Of The Lectures On Faith, Noel B. Reynolds

Faculty Publications

Twentieth century attempts to include the "Lectures on Faith" in the writings of Joseph Smith, Jr., provoked this comprehensive survey of historical evidence and carefully designed authorship testing of the text. Every credible approach reaches the same conclusion. Sidney Rigdon wrote the Lectures on Faith, likely without help from Joseph Smith or any others. These Lectures are characterized by both teachings and language that Rigdon may have retained from his recent discipleship with Alexander Campbell. The published Lectures follow both the form and content of lectures given and then published by frontier phenomenon Charles Finney. The decision to insert these …

A World In Darkness -- Early Latter-Day Saint Understanding Of The Apostasy, 1830-1834, Richard Bennett, Amber J. Seidel

Faculty Publications

Our first purpose will be to show that Joseph Smith's sense of an apostasy from the true Christian faith was ratified in the first vision; furthermore, that this understanding changed and developed during the early years of his prophetic training. Our second objective will be to examine how the doctrine of the apostasy was understood and taught by both leaders and missionaries within the first four years of the organization of the Church of Christ in 1830. Although this is a subjective rather than a quantitative study, we have concluded, after an extensive review of many of the contemporary sources, …

The Decline Of Covenant In Early Christian Thought, Noel B. Reynolds

Faculty Publications

While many LDS attempts to describe or explain the transformation of the Christian movement and its teachings in the early centuries in terms of an accommodation to Greek philosophy, this paper focuses on the first two Christian centuries and the early elimination of covenant thinking and practice that may have opened the door to Greek thought.

The Palawai Pioneers On The Island Of Lanai: The First Hawaiian Latter-Day Saint Gathering Place (1854-1864), Fred E. Woods

Faculty Publications

A decade after the death of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum, the message of the Restoration continued to breathe new spiritual life into thousands who were part of scattered Israel, and the Hawaiians were no exception. The call to gather had go forth: "Gather ye out from among the nations, from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Send forth my elders of my church unto the nations, which are afar off; unto the islands of the sea" (D&C 133:7-8). After the Saints had been exiled from Nauvoo in 1846 and had migrated …

Traditional Christian Sacraments And Covenants, Noel B. Reynolds, Bryson L. Bachman

Faculty Publications

Whereas Mormon theology and scripture understands baptism as the witnessing of a covenant to follow Christ, a survey of Christian tradition shows that the early Christian writers did not link their understanding of covenant with baptism. Historical reasons for the de-emphasis of covenant language in the Roman period are identified, before it picked up again in baptismal settings after the fourth century. Extensive discussion of covenant theology emerged later between the reformers. Calvin, Luther, and Zwingli are considered, but Bullinger has the most to say on the link between ordinances and covenants in a way that would make sense for …

Jesse Knight And His Humbug Mine, J. Michael Hunter

Faculty Publications

Born in Nauvoo, Illinois to faithful Mormon parents, Jesse Knight later withdrew from activity in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). In this biographical sketch, the events associated with his “religious awakening” are recounted, as are the circumstances that led to his amassing a fortune in the mining industry. Considering his wealth to be a stewardship from the Lord, he used it to create jobs for the unemployed, promote education, encourage wholesome recreation, and save the credit of the LDS Church. “Uncle Jesse” was an example of kindness and generosity to all.

That Every Man Might Speak In The Name Of God The Lord: A Study Of Official Declaration 2, Richard Bennett

Faculty Publications

Official Declaration 2, tucked away quietly at the very tail end of the Doctrine and Covenants, is in many ways a fitting conclusion to the preface of the Doctrine and Covenants recorded 147 years before. In section 1 the Lord reveals much about the Restoration and about the divine pulley of the First Vision in particular. The term pulley emphasizes the two-way nature of the First Vision, for although Joseph prayed to know heaven's will, God "called upon" his servant to initiate the Restoration. Although much has been said about the boy prophet's request, surely God's intent counts for just …

The Desert Shall Blossom As The Rose : Pioneering Irrigation / John A. Widtsoe, J. Michael Hunter

Faculty Publications

Beginning in 1847 Mormon pioneers used irrigation or the artificial application of water to land and soil in order to establish an agrarian system in Utah’s sub-humid Salt Lake Valley. Early leaders and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) viewed irrigation as a means of fulfilling the biblical prophecy of Isaiah, “The desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose” (Isaiah 35:1), although early pioneers and leaders realized that the Salt Lake Valley was not exactly a desert. In fact, some Mormon leaders described it as a “rich fertile valley.” Although a few Mormon …

Scripture Note: Doctrine And Covenants 125, Fred E. Woods

Faculty Publications

On 19 January 1841, the Lord gave a revelation to Joseph Smith regarding the building of the Nauvoo Temple and issued a call for the faithful Saints to gather to assist in the building of this sacred edifice (see D&C 124: 25-55). With the emphasis on the gathering to Nauvoo and the building of the temple, the Iowa Saints on the eastern banks of the Mississippi were wondering if they should move across the river to Nauvoo. Therefore, in March 1841, the Prophet Joseph Smith posed the question, "What is the will of the Lord concerning the saints in the …

The Youngs At West Point, J. Michael Hunter

Faculty Publications

In 1871, Willard Young, eleventh son of Brigham Young, was the first Mormon to receive an appointment to West Point Academy. His attendance at the military academy drew national attention and criticism from opponents of polygamy. Despite the opposition, he soon gained the respect of his classmates and graduated fourth in his class. He returned to teach engineering in 1879, served in the Spanish-American War, earning a commendation from President McKinley, and during World War I was supervisor of army engineering work on the Missouri River. In 1877, one of Brigham's grandsons, Richard W. Young, was the second Mormon to …

Has The Lord Turned Bankrupt? The Attempted Sale Of The Nauvoo Temple, 1846-1850, Richard Bennett

Faculty Publications

If Joseph Smith had lived we should not have been here at this time. We should have been in some other country. We can't stay in this house but a little while. We have got to build another house. It will be a larger house than this, and a more glorious one. And we shall build a great many houses, we shall come back here and we shall go to Kirtland, and build houses all over the continent of North America. On 4 April 1999 Gordon B. Hinckley, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, electrified millions …