Mormon Studies Commons^™

“A Man Of God And A Good Kind Father”: Brigham Young At Home, Dean C. Jessee

BYU Studies

On January 31, 1857, Brigham Young (fig. 1) walked into the Church Historian's Office in Salt Lake City and gave instructions that he wanted very little about his family included in the history of the Church. His reticence no doubt stemmed form people's curiosity about the Mormon leader's polygamous lifestyle, which subjected his family to an inordinate amount of scrutiny and ridicule in the public press. Consequently, during his lifetime, the story of Brigham Young's family remained largely untold. Even now, the literature about Brigham Young focuses disproportionately on his public life, his accomplishments as Church President, colonizer, governor of …

Santa Anas, R. A. Christmas

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

In The Loge, Marilyn Bushman-Carlton

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

The Environmental Ethics Of Mormon Belief, George B. Handley

BYU Studies

The time has come to find common ground between environmentalism and Mormon belief. The perceived divide between the two has all but shut down the possibility of dialogue. Some Mormons dismiss the political causes of environmentalists as being the fears of faithless hedonists, just as otherwise responsible environmental scholars and activists sometimes perpetuate myths and inaccuracies about what they perceive to be the anti-ecological stance of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But Mormon belief has more than enough in common with environmentalism to promote genuine and productive change in our environmental behavior. Not only is Mormon doctrine …

Of Men And Mantles: Kierkegaard On The Difference Between A Genius And An Apostle, John S. Tanner

BYU Studies

I was once asked to introduce Elder Neal A. Maxwell to a group of BYU English majors. This assignment caused me some concern. I feared that my audience might be inclined to revere Elder Maxwell for the wrong reasons, or at least for secondary reasons—namely, for his considerable gifts as a writer rather than for his apostolic authority. So rather than rehearse Elder Maxwell's résumé, I decided to frame my introduction with insights borrowed from a remarkable essay by Søren Kierkeaard entitled "The Difference between a Genius and an Apostle." In it, Kierkegaard emphasizes that human genius does not confer …

Brief Notice, Eric A. Eliason

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Destination, Mark Bennion

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

And I Saw The Hosts Of The Dead, Both Small And Great : Joseph F. Smith, World War I, And His Visions Of The Dead, Richard E. Bennett

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.

Joseph Smith's Cooperstown Bible: The Historical Context Of The Bible Used In The Joseph Smith Translation, Kent P. Jackson

BYU Studies

In 1828, the H. and E. Phinney Company in Cooperstown, New York, published a quarto-size edition of the King James Bible. This is the version that Joseph Smith, founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, used in his work when he created a new translation of the Bible. Here the author examines Joseph Smith's marked-up copy of the Phinney Bible as an artifact important to Mormonism. Some of Smith's corrections and additions appear in footnotes of the Bible that Mormons use today. The author notes that the Phinney Bible's updated language is more modern than the version …

Bear Lake, Edward L. Hart

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

End Matter, Byu Studies

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Joseph Smith, Mark Bennion

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Russia's Other "Mormons": Their Origins And Relationship To The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints, Eric A. Eliason, Gary Browning

BYU Studies

When Mormon missionaries entered Russia in 1990, they were astonished to hear about "Mormon" settlements already existing in the Samara region. Other evidence of Mormonism appeared: for example, locals used the term "Mormon crosses" to describe a unique style of crucifixes in cemeteries. In this article, the authors delve into the questions of whether or not sects with ties to mainstream Mormonism existed in pre-perestroika Russia or if unrelated groups earned the nickname "Mormon" for living in unusual family arrangements, similar to polygamy. Using data gathered from Latter-day Saint missionaries who served in Russia in the late 1990s as a …

Young “Tony” Ivins: Dixie Frontiersman, Ronald W. Walker

BYU Studies

My experience on the frontier... may be of some historical value, as well as romantic interest.

—Anthony W. Ivins

Printing In Deseret: Mormons, Economy, Politics, And Utah's Incunabula, 1849-1851: A History And Descriptive Bibliography Richard L. Saunders, Craig L. Foster

BYU Studies

Richard L. Saunders. Printing in Deseret: Mormons, Economy, Politics, and Utah's Incunabula, 1849-1851: A History and Descriptive Bibliography. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 2000. xv; 213 pp. Illustrations. $35.00.

Edward L. Hart: A Conversation About Poetry, Casualene Meyer

BYU Studies

Poet Edward L. Hart wrote the lyrics to one of Mormonism's favorite hymns, "Our Savior's Love." As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Hart gives his thoughts on the relationship between praise and poetry and how even secular poems can capture a sense of worship. He also discusses the inspiration behind subjects he's addressed in poetry, including nature and war; the background of some of his compositions; and his influences. He describes the power of poetic language this way: "The feel for human truths goes hand in hand with the language and all that the …

Voice Lessons, Melissa Helquist

BYU Studies

In this contest-winning personal essay, the author describes the challenge of undergoing treatment for thyroid cancer and coping with lasting scars, including an extra "smile" on her throat where an incision was made and a voice that functions only some of the time. She writes, "I smell the rainwater as it moves around the tires, the earthiness of smashed worms, and everything cold and soulful. The day says something to me, and I wish I could say something back." Using compelling imagery, she conveys what it's like to express herself through the calculated means of writing and playing the viola …

Our Savior's Love, Edward L. Hart

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Riding Backwards, R. A. Christmas

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

"Give It All Up And Follow Your Lord": Mormon Female Religiosity, 1831-1843, Janiece L. Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

Since the 1750s American women have flocked to churches. Women have consistently been the majority in church populations. Religion was the central motivation of the female life experience. Likewise, women comprised a significant portion of the membership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in its first decade. There exists little historical analysis of the contribution and experience of these women as a whole. As a result of this lack of research some historians have made erroneous assumptions of patriarchal oppression and a lack of commitment on the part of early Mormon women. This project closely examines the …

Religiosity And Delinquency: A Test Of The Religious Ecology Hypothesis, S. Cory Harmon

Theses and Dissertations

Research testing the relationship between adolescent religiosity and delinquent behavior is inconclusive. Some studies show a significant negative relationship while others indicate no relationship. Stark (1996) asserts that the relationship between religiosity and delinquency is a function of community religiosity as opposed to personal religiosity. Thus, in areas of high religiosity, there will be a strong relationship, while areas of low religiosity will show no relationship. This study looks at the relationship between religiosity and delinquency of LDS youth in four different religious ecologies: Utah County (high religious ecology), the East coast (moderate religious ecology), the Pacific Northwest (low religious …

Service Learning In Business Schools: What The H.E.L.P. Honduras Story Teaches About Building, Sustaining, And Replicating International Initiatives In Graduate Programs, Lisa Mali Jones

Theses and Dissertations

This document outlines the foundation and first year results of the H.E.L.P. Honduras organization, which was formed as a student-based, student-governed international outreach initiative at the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University. Specifically, in its first year the organization focused on providing microcredit and service relief to victims of Hurricane Mitch in Honduras.

After studying the case of H.E.L.P. Honduras, readers should conclude that educators interested in sponsoring sustainable student-run service learning organizations at private universities must address three primary issues: the problem of student selection and turnover, the need for administrative and faculty endorsement, and the need …

The Japanese Missionary Journals Of Elder Alma O. Taylor, 1901-10, Reid Larkin Neilson

Theses and Dissertations

On 14 February 1901, the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced the opening of the Japan Mission and the selection of Elder Heber J. Grant as its first president. The idea of sending Mormon missionaries to Japan had earlier been entertained by President Brigham Young and several other church leaders and lay members.

Until 1854, Japan was closed to western nations and their religious influences. Finally, Commodore Perry forced the Japanese to open their borders and minds to the economic and political entreaties of the United States. In time, other western nations and their …

The Lynching Of An American Prophet, Warren A. Jennings

BYU Studies

In 1839, Mormon refugees made their way from Missouri to Montrose, Iowa, across the Mississippi River from Nauvoo, Illinois, where they would eventually settle. The man who laid out the city of Montrose, David Wells Kilbourne, disliked Mormons because of a land dispute, and he shared his anti-Mormon opinions in the paper. One of his sympathizers, Thomas Dent, was an Anglican parson in England who'd seen members of his community join the strange new sect. Seeking information about the Mormons, Dent corresponded with Kilbourne. Here the author shares three of Kilbourne's letters to Dent. While the letters include both fact …

“Sweeping Everything Before It”: Early Mormonism In The Pine Barrens Of New Jersey, Stephen J. Fleming

BYU Studies

In the summer of 1838, Elder Benjamin Winchester (fig. 1) ventured into Monmouth County, New Jersey, to preach to gospel. Winchester was the first Mormon missionary to make it into the Pine Barrens, an area so named because of its sandy, unproductive land. Soon "the news went abroad, that a Mormon preacher had made his appearance in the land." Winchester wrote, "As to [Mormon] principles, and rules of faith, the people knew nothing, except by reports... [and] the people flocked out, in crowds to hear, yet at this time, more out of curiosity than any thing else." Once Winchester began …

Alma O. Taylor's Fact-Finding Mission To China, Reid L. Neilson

BYU Studies

In 1909, after serving as a mission president in Japan for eight years, native Utah Mormon Alma O. Taylor visited China as directed by leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to determine if Mormon missionaries should be sent there. Taylor did not speak Chinese, so he drew his conclusions by speaking to native English speakers living in China, often Protestant missionaries. Excerpts of Taylor's original report are published here, revealing some of the prejudices and perspectives Westerners had regarding China in the early 1900s. The author also supplies historical information about Mormon missionary work in Japan …

Mormons In The Press: Reactions To The 1901 Opening Of The Japan Mission, Shinji Takagi

BYU Studies

During the first month when a Mormon Apostle and three missionaries arrived to begin proselytizing work in Japan, the local and national press published at least 160 articles on Mormonism, many of the articles appearing on the front page. The media attention was unprecedented for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in that country. Here the author explores the reaction from the Japanese press toward Mormons, the social and historical context that led to such interest, and some of the media controversies that arose. The author concludes that one of the biggest reasons Mormons received such attention when …

Full Issue, Byu Studies

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Front Matter, Byu Studies

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

A Riddle For Didymus, Ellen Gregory

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.