Mormon Studies Commons^™

"And Now My Son, I Have Somewhat More To Say": Corianton's Concerns, Alma's Theology, And Nephite Tradition, Dan Belnap, Dan Belnap, Daniel L. Belnap

Faculty Publications

Comprising sixteen chapters of the book of Alma, the eighteenth year of the reign of the judges—at least from the perspective of Mormon—seems to have been one of the more significant years of Nephite history. Marked by such events as the emergence of Korihor, the Zoramite rebellion, and the ascension of Amalickiah, these chapters depict a Nephite community undergoing social unrest and uncertainty.1 Among this block of scripture are Alma’s sermons to his sons. Though their personal and intimate structure is in marked contrast to the larger, historically minded chapters, the theological concerns that Alma addressed with his sons, particularly …

Beyond Justice: Reading Alma 42 In The Context Of Atonement Theories, Mark D. Ellison

Faculty Publications

In Alma 42, Alma teaches his son Corianton about the atonement in a statement laden with legal vocabulary. Terms such as law, judged, just, justice, injustice, punishment, probationary, and penitent dominate the message, in company with such concepts as the execution of the law, the infliction of punishment, and punishment being affixed to violation of law. By all appearances, Alma sets forth what theologians call a juridical view of atonement (one concerned with the administration of justice). The problem as Alma states it is that “all mankind were fallen” and because of disobedience were “in the grasp of justice” and …

Early Missionary Training At Brigham Young Academy And Byu, Rebecca A. Wiederhold

Faculty Publications

Early missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were expected to prepare themselves for missionary work by gaining their own scriptural understanding and knowledge of gospel doctrine. As the Church grew, schools were founded in the latter half of the 19^th century. Some of the pre-cursors to the Missionary Training Center (MTC) as we know it today were administered by Brigham Young Academy and later Brigham Young University. This exhibit details missionary training efforts here from the 1880s through the 1920s, when the Salt Lake Mission Home was established.

Atonement In The Book Of Mormon And In The New Testament, Noel B. Reynolds

Faculty Publications

New Testament writers consistently and vigorously testify that Jesus Christ has atoned for the sins of all mankind and has provided for their resurrection from the dead. In so doing they point to historical facts, the things he did to accomplish this—to his sufferings in Gethsemane and to his crucifixion and resurrection. Some of these writers also offer explanations or characterizations of that atonement intended to illuminate how it was possible or how it works. The various explanations offered are not identical or even always consistent with each other as they vary somewhat between writers, or sometimes even within the …

Cohabs And Toughs In The Pen: Mormon Polygamists In The Utah Territorial Penitentiary, Rebecca A. Wiederhold

Faculty Publications

Approximately 1,300 Mormon men were convicted and sent to prison for polygamy in the 19^th century, most of them serving time in the Utah Territorial Penitentiary during the late 1880s and early 1890s. Although it was generally understood that by renouncing the practice of polygamy one could avoid a prison term, this was considered by some to be a dishonorable shirking of one’s faith. Mormon polygamist prisoners began to be called “cohabs,” the word being a shortened version of “unlawful cohabitation,” the crime of which the majority of them were convicted. Referred to as “toughs,” non-Mormon prisoners were generally …

The Abinadi Narrative, Redemption, And The Struggle For Nephite Identity, Daniel L. Belnap, Dan Belnap

Faculty Publications

Though there is no question that the Book of Mormon’s primary purpose is to impart an understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ, this message is generally embedded by its editors and authors in very distinct historical and political settings. This is particularly true of Mormon, who often crafted his narratives so that a given prophetic ministry intersected and interacted with the sociopolitical concerns of the contemporary Nephite population. One such concern emerging again and again in Nephite history was their identity or relationship as Israel.

"The Lord God Which Gathereth The Outcasts" (Isaiah 56:7-8), Dan Belnap, Daniel Belnap

Faculty Publications

During the last week of his ministry, Christ was asked what the great commandment was, and in his answer he suggested two, the last being “love thy neighbor as thyself ” (Mark 12:31). Though not stated by Christ, this commandment, found in Leviticus 19:18, is then followed by a similar commandment to love the stranger “as thyself ” (19:34). These two principles reflected one of the great principles of the law—the care for the marginalized outsider.1 Yet the plight of the marginalized was not only realized in the law, it was also found in the writings of the prophets. One …

Questions In The Book Of Mormon, Holt Zaugg

Faculty Publications

This article examines how questions are used in the Book of Mormon to teach concepts and principles.

Abinadi's Legacy: Tracing His Influence Through The Book Of Mormon, John L. Hilton Iii

Faculty Publications

Eminent author Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, "All minds quote. Old and new make the warp and woof of every moment. There is no thread that is not a twist of these two strands. By necessity, by proclivity, and by delight, we all quote." Identifying these instances of textual weavings is one aspect of a literary field known as intertextuality, an area that holds great promos for Book of Mormon research. Grant Hardy has suggested that it would be fruitful for our understanding of the Book of Mormon "to track various phrases throughout the Book of Mormon to determine which Nephite …

The Abinadi Narrative, Redemption, And The Struggle For Nephite Identity, Dan Belnap, Daniel L. Belnap

Faculty Publications

Though there is no question that the Book of Mormon’s primary purpose is to impart an understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ, this message is generally embedded by its editors and authors in very distinct historical and political settings. This is particularly true of Mormon, who often crafted his narratives so that a given prophetic ministry intersected and interacted with the sociopolitical concerns of the contemporary Nephite population. One such concern emerging again and again in Nephite history was their identity or relationship as Israel. This question lay at the heart of a number of social and religious movements …

"I Was Not Ready To Die Yet": William Stowell's Utah War Ordeal, Kenneth L. Alford Ph.D., R. Devan Jensen

Faculty Publications

In the fall of 1857, young wives Cynthia Jane Stowell and Sophronia Stowell bade fare­well to their husband, William R. R. Stowell, a lieutenant in the Utah militia working to hinder the US Army from entering Utah Territory. That winter they received word that William had been captured and was being held prisoner at Camp Scott, in present-day Wyoming. The Utah War arose from a complex web of causes and motivations: federal and Utah territorial authorities often clashed regarding Mormon authority and influence in the territorial court sys­tem, the mail service, policies regarding American-Indian relations, polygamy, and the moral character …

John E. Davis (William H. Norman) -- A Galvanized Yankee In Utah, Kenneth L. Alford Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

An interesting and intriguing story about William H. Norman, who served in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War as an infantry rifleman from Georgia, was captured by Union troops in December 1864 outside of Nashville, Tennessee, and was then incarcerated as a prisoner-of-war in Camp Douglas, Illinois. As a Confederate prisoner, the federal government gave him the option of remaining in the camp or renouncing his Confederate loyalty and enlisting in the Union Army. Like thousands of his fellow prisoners, he chose the second option and became a "galvanized Yankee." A few months later (after the end of …

All Kindreds Shall Be Blessed: Nephite, Jewish, And Christian Interpretations Of The Abrahamic Covenant, Noel B. Reynolds

Faculty Publications

A review of current and traditional scholarship regarding the covenant God made with Abraham combined with a thorough review of Book of Mormon references shows that the Nephite understanding varies in important ways from traditional Christian and Jewish interpretations. However, some of the insights of contemporary scholarship are more compatible with the Book of Mormon perspective.

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 …

The Ancient Doctrine Of The Two Ways And The Book Of Mormon, Noel B. Reynolds

Faculty Publications

Scholars have long recognized that a number of ancient cultures shared a traditional doctrine of the Two Ways that could be used to instruct youth and others in the right way to live their lives. While the language of the Two Ways surfaces on occasion in both the Old and New Testaments, the doctrine is not developed or explained in any detail in the Bible. However, noncanonical texts of the Greco-Roman period display a highly developed and stylized form of the doctrine in both Jewish and Christian traditions. The earliest known version of these stylized forms of the doctrine occurs …

Understanding The Abrahamic Covenant Through The Book Of Mormon, Noel B. Reynolds

Faculty Publications

Interpretation of God's covenant to Abrahamic and its promised fulfillment varies across scholarly and religious writings. The Book of Mormon emphasizes this covenant and the promise that through Abraham all the kindreds of the earth will be blessed. It also features a unique interpretation--that the covenant will be fulfilled as the Book of Mormon itself, a record of the seed of Joseph, is given first to the Gentiles, and then to house of Israel.

On Doubting Nephi's Break Between 1 And 2 Nephi: A Critique Of Joseph Spencer's "An Other Testament: On Typology", Noel B. Reynolds

Faculty Publications

This essay rejects the proposal by Joseph Spencer to recognize the true break in Nephi's two books as occurring after the fifth chapter of the second book. The essay invokes standard interpretive practices arguing that while Spencer does present reasoning to make sense of this novel proposal, he does not acknowledge the much greater weight of standard interpretation or provide explanations for ignoring it.

How "Come Unto Me" Fits In The Nephite Gospel", Noel B. Reynolds

Faculty Publications

Book of Mormon readers can easily be left wondering in numerous passages where the repeated term "come unto me/him/Christ" refers to unspecified elements of the gospel understood as "the way" by which men and women can come to him. This paper identifies six passages that are presented as quotations from Jesus himself and that have identical rhetorical structures---in which this phrase appears to refer each time to that stage of the gospel described as "enduring to the end." This discovery may offer useful interpretive guidance for the numerous other passages that invoke the same phrase. This paper was updated June …

How Religion Influences Coping With Stress And Challenges In Families, Michael A. Goodman, Antonious Skipper, David C. Dollahite, Loren D. Marks, Emily Layton

Faculty Publications

One key finding of our American Families of Faith research project is that (instead of being defeated by challenges) strong families find ways to effectively cope with and grow closer through stressful situations. Interestingly, six decades ago, Jeff Hill’s uncle, family sociologist Reuben Hill, began to conceptually and empirically examine why some families succumb to crisis as a result of a stressful situation, while other families remain resilient. While stress can lead to crisis, crisis can also lead to familial resilience and the ability of the family to better cope with future stressors. Different families obviously have different strengths and …

The Influence Of Religious Beliefs In Marriage, Loren D. Marks, David C. Dollahite, Michael A. Goodman

Faculty Publications

In this chapter, we examine the connection between religious beliefs and marriage more deeply. Namely, we will explore, uncover, and convey “insider’s insights” that will be valuable to many readers, particularly to college- aged emerging adults, most of whom will marry one day. Our hope is that these previews into marriage will better inform and prepare emerging adults for success.

The American Families of Faith project includes 200 wives and 200 husbands from marriages or remarriages with an average duration of a little over 20 years. To frame these facts differently, our sample draws on more than eight millennia of …

History Of The Taipei Temple, John Hilton Iii

Faculty Publications

MANY PRISONERS SUFFERED at the Taihoku Prison in Taipei, Taiwan, during World War II. Yet, less than two decades later, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased a portion of this land and transformed it from a desolate site into a warm and inviting chapel where Latter-day Saints sought to bring their friends. Elder Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated it on October 16, 1966. Fewer than five thousand members resided in Taiwan at the time. In 1984, Hinckley returned to the same plot of land to dedicate a temple adjacent to the chapel. During one of his addresses, he …

Research Support Services For Religious Studies, Trevan Hatch, Ryan Lee, Gerrit Van Dyk

Faculty Publications

This project was part of a larger suite of similar studies being concurrently conducted at fifteen religious studies libraries in US higher education institutions in conjunction with Ithaka S+R, a not-for-profit research and consulting service that helps academic, cultural, and publishing communities. The information gathered in this study will not only be used to improve the research support services at Brigham Young University but also towards writing a larger report from the aggregated results written and publically disseminated by Ithaka S+R.

Biblical Merismus In Book Of Mormon Gospel References, Noel B. Reynolds

Faculty Publications

This study is an extension of previously published work that identifies three inclusios in the Book of Mormon, each of which presents the same six-element definition of the doctrine or gospel of Jesus Christ. However, the six elements are not presented as a straightforward list, but rather in a series of smaller combinations intended to gradually deepen and extend the reader’s understanding of each one and of its role in the larger gospel process. This mode of presentation makes something else clear: Whenever some pair or selection from these six elements is mentioned, the entire set is implicitly invoked. Each …

Chiastic Structuring Of Large Texts: Second Nephi As A Case Study, Noel B. Reynolds

Faculty Publications

The experiment conducted in this paper has been the application of the principles of Hebrew rhetoric—as that has come to be understood by biblical scholars over the last half century—to the Book of Second Nephi, self-described as personally written by Nephi, who was educated in Jerusalem at the end of the 7th century BCE, a time and place where these principles are now thought by scholars to have been de rigeur. The experiment did not refute the hypothesis, but instead did produce a plausible division of the book into 13 sub-units that readily organize themselves chiastically as a whole. The …

“Line Upon Line”: Joseph Smith’S Growing Understanding Of The Eternal Family, R. Devan Jensen, Michael A. Goodman, Barbara Morgan Gardener

Faculty Publications

“The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there.” So begins L . P. Hartley’s novel The Go-Between. This statement reminds religious educators to study history as it unfolded and to avoid presentism, or “an attitude toward the past dominated by present-day attitudes and experiences.”1 Latter-day Saint doctrines did not spring up fully formed as we have them today. The historical record shows that Joseph Smith did not begin with a full understanding of the doctrines of eternal families and sealing ordinances as we teach them today. In fact, the Prophet Joseph Smith dictated a revelation on 6 …

Joseph Smith And His Apostasy And Restoration Culture, Trevan Hatch

Faculty Publications

Jesus Christ told Joseph Smith Jr. in the spring of 1820 that he must not join any church because they were all wrong: "all their creeds are an abomination in my sight .... Their hearts are far from me [and] they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of Godliness but they deny the power thereo£" This commandment prohibiting Joseph from joining a church due to corruption will be discussed at length in this chapter.

Organizing The Church In Afghanistan, Kenneth L. Alford Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Development, history, and organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also sometimes referred to by the following nicknames: the Mormon Church or the LDS Church) among coalition forces serving in Afghanistan, 2001-2014. Discusses creation of the Kabul Afghanistan Military District, Relief Society in a war zone, the use of "Mormon Battle Buddies," proselyting and meeting restrictions, living the Word of Wisdom in a combat zone, etc.

Joseph Smith's First Vision And A Culture Of Spiritual Manifestations, Trevan Hatch

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this chapter is not to recount and analyze Joseph Smith's First Vision, as others have already attempted that several times. Rather, it is to juxtapose the First Vision with accounts of other visionaries in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and to discuss the religious atmosphere in which these visionaries lived.

The Lds Church In Taiwan: The First Three Years, John Hilton Iii

Faculty Publications

Located approximately one hundred miles east of continental Asia, the island of Taiwan has a rich and complicated history. The history of Taiwan intersected with the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) when LDS military personnel were stationed there in 1955. This led to the celebrated date of June 4, 1956, when the ship SS Szechuen carried among its passengers four LDS missionaries. While this would be the first time LDS missionaries would begin proselyting efforts in Taiwan, Christian missionaries had sailed into Taiwan’s harbor centuries previously. The purpose of the present study is to …

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.