Mormon Studies Commons^™

Review Of Joseph Smith’S Seer Stones, Joseph M. Spencer

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

In 1961, Hugh Nibley published The Myth Makers, a creative analysis of Joseph Smith’s critics that exhibits what then-Elder Gordon B. Hinckley called a “Puckish delight” in satirizing those among the Prophet’s contemporaries who had unkind things to say about him. In the book, Nibley imagines a deposition, held preparatory to “the case of the World versus Joseph Smith.” The chairman of the deposition questions the critical witnesses in a sardonic critique of the reliability of the sources. In one scene, the chairman asks to “hear about the peepstone,” and he gets an earful. The witnesses clamor for attention, vying …

“I Am The Bread Of Life”, Gerrit W. Gong

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

Dear brothers and sisters, it is a special privilege to gather this evening. Thank you to so many of you for your kind messages of love and encouragement. This evening, as we talk of Christ, rejoice in Christ,1 learn of Christ, I pray we may reverently draw closer to Him.

How “Come Unto Me” Fits Into The Nephite Gospel, Noel B. Reynolds

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

Over the last several decades, Latter-day Saints have learned to rely primarily on the Book of Mormon for basic and extended explanations of the gospel of Jesus Christ. While several of its authoritative passages provide comprehensive definitions of the gospel, these are not matched with comparable passages in the New Testament or in the revelations received by Joseph Smith. In this article I will extend previous work with an analysis of six brief passages in which Mormon and Moroni record short statements of the gospel by Jesus Christ—all of which employ exactly the same distinctive rhetorical pattern and terminology. But …

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 …

Speaking Of Gender, Generally: Analysis Of Gendered References And Speaking Opportunities In Lds General Conferences, Devon Tenney

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

This study seeks to examine the changing role of women in LDS General Conferences. Through text analysis and an exploration of speaking opportunities at General Conference, we find that women have been discussed more frequently and provided more opportunities to speak over time.

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 …

Scripture Note—“For This Cause Did King Benjamin Keep Them”: King Benjamin Or King Mosiah?, Daniel Sharp

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

In the 2013 edition of the scriptures published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Ether 4:1 reads, “And the Lord commanded the brother of Jared to go down out of the mount from the presence of the Lord, and write the things which he had seen; and they were forbidden to come unto the children of men until after that he should be lifted up upon the cross; and for this cause did king Mosiah keep them, that they should not come unto the world until after Christ should show himself unto his people.” But the 1830 …

Full Issue

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.

“After All We Can Do” (2 Nephi 25:23), Jared W. Ludlow

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

A Book of Mormon verse that has led to immense discussion and scrutiny is 2 Nephi 25:23: “For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” It is particularly the last part of the verse, “after all we can do,” that has garnered the most attention since it seems to qualify the statement on grace and leads interpreters to define what grace means in LDS belief and consequently …

Review Of Documents, Volume 4: April 1834– September 1835, J. Stuart

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

The Joseph Smith Papers Project has revolutionized the way that historians and educators can study and teach the life of the LDS Church’s first prophet. The fourth volume of the Documents series provides introductions and transcripts of its documents to help readers better understand each source. Documents, Volume 4 contains several important documents produced between April 1834–September 1835, including a sales receipt for the purchase of Egyptian artifacts that included the Book of Abraham, early documents related to the publication of the Book of Commandments (Doctrine and Covenants), and the promise of an endowment of power in the Kirtland Temple. …

“The Intent For Which It Was Given”: How The Book Of Mormon Teaches The Value Of Scripture And Revelation, Nicholas J. Frederick

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

The book of Jarom is a short chapter, consisting of only fifteen verses, that nonetheless manages to summarize the affairs of the Nephites over an approximately forty-year period. In the midst of his outline of the current Nephite status quo, Jarom makes mention of the religious climate of the time: “Wherefore, the prophets, and the priests, and the teachers, did labor diligently, exhorting with all long-suffering the people to diligence; teaching the law of Moses, and the intent for which it was given; persuading them to look forward unto the Messiah, and believe in him to come as though he …

Front Matter

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.

The Return Of The King, Larry Y. Wilson

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

From a Brigham Young University devotional address on 1 December 2015.

Today I would like to talk about some of the big issues of our time through the lens of history and literature as well as the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. We live in a day of technological and scientific marvels. It is also a time of uncertainty—one in which many question whether or not faith and religion have a place in their lives or in the public square. You too will have to decide whether faith has an enduring place in your own life.

The Great Plan Of Happiness: A Christ- Centered Visual Approach, Tyler J. Griffin

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

The greatest concept we can study or teach is the plan of redemption—sometimes called the plan of salvation or the plan of happiness. The doctrines of the plan of redemption have more power to bring men to God than any other truth or concept.

Joseph Smith, Robert Foster, And Chauncey And Francis Higbee, Andrew H. Hedges

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

On 7 June 1844, seven dissenters from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—William and Wilson Law, Francis M. and Chauncey L. Higbee, Robert and Charles Foster, and Charles Ivins—published the first and only issue of the Nauvoo Expositor, a four-page, six-column paper whose purpose was to provide “a full, candid and succinct statement of facts, as they exist in the city of Nauvoo, fearless of whose particular case they apply.” Concerned that the paper’s accusations and inflammatory rhetoric would result in violence against Nauvoo, the city council three days later ordered Joseph Smith, in his capacity as mayor …

Discussing Difficult Topics: Politics And The Church, Richard Davis, Thomas A. Wayment

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

Wayment: I’ll just start out by saying that we’re here with Richard Davis, professor of political science and director of the Office of Civic Engagement. Richard is also the author of The Liberal Soul: Applying the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Politics, published by Greg Kofford Books in 2014, and he is the author of Fathers and Sons: Lessons from the Scriptures. Richard is also a weekly columnist for the Deseret News and was chair for the Utah County Democratic Party from 2007 to 2011.

Review Of An Other Testament: On Typology, Andrew C. Smith

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

Typology has held a place of importance in the Christian tradition as a method of theology, scriptural exegesis, and history from the composition of the New Testament onward. In An Other Testament: On Typology, Joseph Spencer examines the place of typology within the Book of Mormon in order to understand the book’s theological complexity: “By theological complexity, I do not primarily mean that the ideas presented in the Book of Mormon are complex, though sometimes they are. Rather, I mean that it can be difficult to bring into focus some of the Book of Mormon’s overarching theological claims, given the …

The Word Made Flesh: Teaching The Gospel Concretely, Stephan Taeger

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

When compared to other Christian denominations, the restored gospel emphasizes the role of the body in unique ways. For Latter-day Saints, obtaining a body is not just a footnote in the plan of salvation; it is central to the very purpose of life. Joseph Smith taught, “We came to this earth that we might have a body and present it pure before God in the celestial kingdom. The great principle of happiness consists in having a body.”

End Matter

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.

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 …

Mormonism And Same-Sex Marriage: Theological Underpinnings And New Perspectives, Seth R. Payne

Journal of Catholic Legal Studies

No abstract provided.

Terryl L. Givens And Reid L. Neilson, Eds., The Columbia Sourcebook Of Mormons In The United States, Reviewed By Max Perry Mueller

Mormon Studies Review

No abstract provided.

Royal Skousen And Robin Scott Jensen, Eds., Revelations And Translations, Volume 3, Parts 1 And 2: Printer's Manuscript Of The Book Of Mormon, Reviewed By Paul Gutjahr

Mormon Studies Review

No abstract provided.

Mark A. Scherer, The Journey Of A People: The Era Of Restoration, 1820 To 1844; The Journey Of A People: The Era Of Reorganization, 1844 To 1946; The Journey Of A People: The Era Of Worldwide Community, 1946 To 2015, Reviewed By Chrystal Vanel

Mormon Studies Review

No abstract provided.

Still The Seed Of Abraham?, David A. Hollinger

Mormon Studies Review

No abstract provided.

Thomas Carter, Building Zion: The Material World Of Mormon Settlement, Reviewed By Paul G. Monson

Mormon Studies Review

No abstract provided.

Letter To The Editor, David G. Stewart Jr., Matthew Martinich

Mormon Studies Review

No abstract provided.