Mormon Studies Commons^™

"Pleasing To The Eyes Of An Exile": The Latter-Day Saint Sojourn At Winter Quarters, 1846-1848, Jennifer L. Lund

BYU Studies

Early on the cold, clear morning of November 21, 1846, John D. Lee "arose from sleep," dressed, and "walked out" into the streets of Winter Quarters. Struck by his first view of daylight, he wrote:

I was astonished when I looked around and saw what serious enterprise and industry had brought to pass within 6 weeks past. A city of at least 400 houses had been erected in that short space of time, through the ingenuity and industry of the Saints. No other people but the Saints of God has ever been known to accomplish as much in so short …

The Dance Of First Beginnings: Contemporary Maya Creation Rituals In A World Context, Allen J. Christenson

BYU Studies

A nearly universal characteristic of ancient societies is to periodically carry out ceremonies and festivals intended to renew life, particularly in connection with the creation of the world. Many of these ceremonies are tied to New Year's celebrations, linking the start of the calendar year with the beginning of time itself. Such ceremonies reinforce the notion that when the world left the hands of deity at the time of its birth, it had greater power to sustain life and nurture its inhabitants. But as with all things, the passage of time and the wear and tear of day-to-day existence inevitably …

New Photographs Of Wilford Woodruff's Trip To Alaska, 1895, Richard Neitzel Holzapfel

BYU Studies

Continuing the photoarchival function of BYU Studies which commenced in the previous issue, this study presents rare photographs that have recently been uncovered.

Storytellers: Scandinavian's Art Told Of Restoration, J. Michael Hunter

Faculty Publications

Missionary work in Scandinavia began 150 years ago with the arrival of the first LDS missionaries in Denmark on June 14, 1850. In keeping with the observance of the sesquicentennial of the Scandinavian Mission, the Church News presents this article by J. Michael Hunter about two prominent Latter-day Saint artists from earlier days in that part of the world. The art and work of Carl Christian Anton Christensen (1831-1921) from Denmark and Danquart Anton Weggeland (1827-1918) from Norway are discussed, focusing on their use of art to tell stories. Images of their art accompany the article.

East To West Through North And South: Mormon Immigration During The Civil War, Fred E. Woods

BYU Studies

When LDS immigrants on their way to Utah crossed the Atlantic Ocean or the Eastern United States between 1861 and 1864, they encountered the difficulties of traveling in a nation at war. Their first-person accounts paint a vivid picture of the obstacles faced by these Saints as they journeyed to Utah during the U.S. Civil War. The narratives also depict an effective immigration system directed by Brigham Young and operated by dedicated immigration agents and other faithful Mormons who assisted immigrants along their journey.

Self-Discovery, Marilyn M. Nelson

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Brief Notices, David R. Seely, Robert L. Maxwell, Constance K. Lundberg

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Front Matter, Byu Studies

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Oliver Cowdery's Vermont Years And The Origins Of Mormonism, Larry E. Morris

BYU Studies

Most of what is known about Oliver Cowdery's youth comes from a well-known summary offered by his sister Lucy Cowdery Young:

Now in regard to Oliver he was born in the Town of Wells in the state of Vermont[.] when he was three years of age Father married my Mother she resided in the Town of Poultney so Oliver was brought up in Poultney Rutland County Vermont and when he arrived at the age of twenty he went to the State of New York where his older brothers were married and Settled and in about two years my father moved …

Wilford Woodruff And Zion's Camp: Baptism By Fire And The Spiritual Confirmation Of A Future Prophet, Thomas G. Alexander

BYU Studies

During his youth in Connecticut, Wilford Woodruff, who in 1889 became the fourth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, turned his feet to the path that led to religious conversion. His journey eventually led to his baptism into the Mormon Church in 1833. The following year he accepted a call to march with Zion's Camp. Wilford Woodruff was rebaptized by the fires of that experience, confirming his faith in Jesus Christ and causing him to devote the remainder of his life to the restored gospel.

Joseph Smith And The Problem Of Evil, David L. Paulsen

BYU Studies

Nothing challenges the rationality of our belief in God or tests our trust in him more severely than human suffering and wickedness. Both are pervasive in our common experience. If this is not immediately evident, a glance at the morning paper or the evening news will make it so. At the moment, names like "Oklahoma City," "Columbine," "Kosovo," and "Turkey" evoke image upon image of unspeakable human cruelty or grief. But still "Auschwitz" and "Belsen" haunt our memories. And who can fathom the anguish of family members in West Valley, Utah, when they discovered their precious little girls suffocated together …

Arm The Children: Faith's Response To A Violent World Arthur Henry King, Terrance D. Olson

BYU Studies

Arthur Henry King. Arm the Children: Faith's Response to a Violent World. Provo, Utah: BYU Studies, 1998. xxiii; 347 pp. Appendix, index. $21.95.

Vignettes Of Temple-Bound Russians, Thomas F. Rogers

BYU Studies

Excerpts from a recently published personal journal give glimpses of the souls who found their way to the "Russian Weeks" in the Stockholm Sweden Temple.

Andrew Jenson Chides The Saints, Paul H. Peterson

BYU Studies

Historian Andrew Jenson frequently reminded the Saints of their obligation to be familiar with their history and to be diligent in keeping personal as well as institutional records.

Wayward Saints: The Godbeites And Brigham Young Ronald W. Walker, Dean L. May

BYU Studies

Ronald W. Walker, foreword by Jan Shipps. Wayward Saints: The Godbeites and Brigham Young. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1998. 399 pp. Illustrations, bibliography, notes, index. Hardback, $49.95; paperback, $25.00.

Christus In Amerika? Mormonentum Als Christliche Religion In Vergleichender Kirchengeschichte Christian Gellinek, Richard Hacken

BYU Studies

Christian Gellinek. Christus in Americka? Mormonentum als christliche Religion in vergleichender Kirchengeschichte. Münster, Germany: agenda Verlag, 1999. 150 pp. Foreword, introduction, bibliography. Paperback, 24.80 DM ($10.00 from BYU Studies).

A Gathering Place: Russian Week At The Stockholm Sweden Temple, John C. Thomas

BYU Studies

Temples are the great gathering places of Mormonism. As such, they cater in varying degrees to the diversity of an increasingly global Church membership. From its inception, the Stockholm Sweden Temple was designed to transcend the linguistic, cultural, and socio-economic differences that might otherwise undermine the temple's higher purposes. Dedicated in 1985, that temple was therefore well suited to play a vital role in the early development of the Church in Russia and the Baltic states. During the 1990s, many Saints from the post-Soviet states traveled together for a week's stay at the Stockholm temple to be "endowed with power …

Wyoming, Nebraska Territory: Joseph W. Young And The Mormon Emigration Of 1864, Craig S. Smith

BYU Studies

On a mild and pleasant Monday, February 22, 1864, Joseph A. Young in company with Elders William C. Staines, John W. Young, and H. B. Clawson departed Salt Lake City by overland mail stage for the East to organize and direct the year's gathering of Saints to Zion. Joseph W. Young, also appointed to this task, had already left the city on the preceding stage. After extensive labors ensuring a successful emigration, these untiring servants did not return to their homes and families until late September when the last emigrants were outfitted and on the final leg of their journey.

We Also Marched: The Women And Children Of Zion's Camp, 1834, Andrea G. Radke

BYU Studies

"All victory and glory is brought to pass unto you through your diligence, faithfulness, and prayers of faith" (D&C 103:36). On February 24, 1834, Joseph Smith received this promise for the members of the Zion's Camp expedition. Further, the assurance came that "my [the Lord's] presence shall be with you.... Let no man be afraid to lay down his life for my sake; for whoso layeth down his life for my sake shall find it again" (D&C 103:26-27). Certainly the expedition to Missouri in 1834 held terrible possibilities for danger, sickness, and violence. Nevertheless, spiritual blessings were promised to those …

Earth Writing, Casualene Meyer

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Full Issue, Byu Studies

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

I Saw Another Angel Fly, J. Michael Hunter

Faculty Publications

This photo essay provides an overview of the history of the Angel Moroni statues, beginning with the angel atop the Nauvoo Temple and continuing through to designs used on the Salt Lake Temple, the Washington D.C. Chapel, the Los Angeles California Temple, the Washington D.C. Temple, and other temples built through 2000. Angel Moroni statues have come to symbolize for Latter-day Saints the restoration of the gospel in the latter days. For Mormons, the Moroni statues herald the gospel being preached “to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people” (Rev. 14:6). “I Saw Another Angel Fly” discusses …

Learner Concerns At The Missionary Training Center In The Technology Assisted Language Learning Program, Elaine T. Lindsay

Theses and Dissertations

Chapelle (1997) states the following as a vital question to be asked with respect to computer assisted language learning, “How good is the language experience in CALL for L2 learning?” (n.p.) In order to truly answer this question, investigators need to look to the learner and his concerns. In planning curriculum or designing a program, teachers and administrators normally look toward learner needs. However, these educators are also known to fully implement a new program, at times, without consideration of learner concerns. This appears to be especially true with the use of technology in the second language classroom. Research is …

Dance And Doctrine: Shaker And Mormon Dancing As A Manifestation Of Doctrinal Views Of The Physical Body, Lindsy Stewart Cieslewicz

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis compares the dancing of the Shakers (The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearance) and the Mormons (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or LDS Church) during the nineteenth century, as it was influenced by their doctrinal beliefs about the human body. Specifically, it examines how the role of the physical body in achieving mortal happiness and immortal salvation was viewed by each group and how these beliefs were reflected in their dancing. It describes the different forms of dancing performed by each religious group and how dance functioned as worship and recreation for the …

Lds Life Tables: A Comparison Of Long-Lived Populations, Christopher R. Layton

Theses and Dissertations

This research estimates the life expectancy of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) in Utah. We create gender-specific life tables for four groups: total Utah, active LDS, less-active LDS, and non-LDS. Male life tables are based on data from 1991-1995; female life tables are based on data from 1994-1998. Life expectancy at birth is 75 years for all utah males, 79.8 years for active LDS Utah males, 71.6 years for less active LDS Utah males, and 71.5 years for non-LDS Utah males. Female life expectancy at birth is 80.4 years for all Utah females, 83.9 …

Dating Behavior Of Latter-Day Saint Male Returned Missionaries: A Process Of Managing Desires, Nancy C. Mclaughlin

Theses and Dissertations

Each year thousands of Latter-day Saint males return to their homes after serving a two year religious mission. According to Latter-day Saint doctrine and cultural beliefs, these young men are expected to resume a normal life including dating and involvement in romantic relationships. Research and Latter-day Saint doctrine related to the dating behavior of returned missionaries (RMs) is reviewed. Most previous research has emphasized the quantitative analysis of single aspects of RMs dating behavior such as dating frequency and social status. In an attempt to add to this field of research, this qualitative analysis explored the attitudes and experiences of …

Geographic Literacy Among Lds Returned Missionaries, Paul Cook Stahmann

Theses and Dissertations

The majority of male Ricks College students, while serving as missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, spend two years living in geographically unfamiliar environments. This thesis compares the geographic literacy of those Ricks College males who have served LDS Church missions with those who have not. A test of geographic literacy was administered to 306 male Ricks College students. Returned missionaries demonstrated significantly higher knowledge of general cultural and physical geography than pre-missionanes. In contrast, returned missionaries demonstrated no greater ability to identify global places such as countries and cities. As expected, the returned missionaries possessed …

Cultural Adjustment Factors Of Senior Missionaries On Assignment In The South Pacific For The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints, Jonathan W. Shute

Theses and Dissertations

The number of senior missionaries serving missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has increased in recent years. Many of these volunteers travel overseas and are therefore immersed in a different culture. Some of them adjust successfully and others do not. The purpose of this research was to assess senior missionaries' perceptions of the type of preparation they made and training they received before departure, the expectations they had of their assignment, the people and way of life in the islands, and the accuracy of those expectations, the challenges they faced, the factors that they felt helped …

Reclaiming A Sacred Domain: An Ethnographic Study Of Mormon Women Overcoming The Media-Supported Message Of Acceptable Birth Practice Through Giving Birth At Home, Celeste Elain Witt

Theses and Dissertations

This study ethnographically explores the experiences of 30 American Mormon women who chose to give birth at home, a practice which differs from the culturally expected birth practice supported by most media birth scenes. The dominant birth practice among American Mormon women aligns with the biomedical birth system nearly universally practiced in the United States.
Recent research indicates that the biomedical model is supported by most media portrayals of birth (Elson 1997b). Mormon women who had given birth at home with a midwife were located and invited to participate. A semi-structured interview guide was used to frame the research process. …

The Effects Of Use Of A Metacognitive Strategy On The Language Anxiety Of Missionaries At The Missionary Training Center, Laura Millet Bichon

Theses and Dissertations

Language anxiety is a form of anxiety that can negatively affect language learners by disrupting their cognitive processing, by rendering their learning experience unpleasant, and by reducing the quantity and quality of their language production. The language anxiety research contains many suggestions for anxiety reduction, one of these being the use of metacognitive language learning strategies. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a self-monitoring, metacognitive strategy called ASWE on the language anxiety levels of young male and female missionaries in the intensive language learning program at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah. The ASWE …