Mormon Studies Commons^™

Representations Of Nineteenth Century Mormonism In A Mormon Maid: A Cinematic Analysis, Elisabeth Weagel

Journal of Religion & Film

During the first quarter of the 20th century there was a trend in Hollywood to make films about Mormons. Practices such as polygamy created just the kind of sensationalism that attracted filmmakers (even Thomas Edison contributed with his 1902 film A Trip to Salt Lake). Many of these were B-pictures, but the 1917 film A Mormon Maid stands out because it was produced by a major production company (Paramount) and was backed by top director Cecil B. DeMille. It is often given passing reference, but very little genuine scholarship has been done on the film. A hundred years …

The Cult Of Names, Shaydanay A. Urbani

Capstones

The Mormon church keeps extensive records of its members. This is a personal story about how I tried to get my record removed, 15 years after leaving the church, as well as a short history of naming, women, and theology.

Guardians Of Virtue, Tamsen Maloy, Tasia Jensen

Capstones

Guardians of Virtue is a short documentary following Tamsen Maloy as she explores how the church of her upbringing--the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon church)--handles sexual assault. It is quickly revealed that the church does not have adequate resources for sexual assault survivors. On the contrary, the culture and system of the church enables assault and encourages survivors to feel they are to blame.

Link to capstone: https://tantproductions.wordpress.com/

Clark Memorandum: Fall 2018, J. Reuben Clark Law School, Byu Law School Alumni Association, J. Reuben Clark Law Society

The Clark Memorandum

• Heroes of Unity: Latter-day Saints, the "Bonds of Affection," and the Atonement of Christ (Thomas B. Griffith)
• Defend Divinely Inspired Freedoms (Elder Quentin L. Cook)
• Homicides in the Old Testament and the Book of Mormon (John w. Welch)
• How to Enjoy the Ride: Choosing to Love in Life and Career (Sharla Smith Hales)

Truth Endures, D. Todd Christofferson

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

I thank my Heavenly Father for the privilege of being with you tonight. I’m grateful for Elder Kim B. Clark and Brother Chad H Webb. I admire all those who have been mentioned this evening or are listed in the printed program. I have a deep appreciation for the Church Educational System, for seminaries and institutes. I have deep admiration for all who serve—the associates, the volunteers, all who contribute. The service you provide is supremely important and valuable to Church members, especially to each rising generation, and I am grateful to you.

The Book Of Mormon And Patriarchal Blessings: Reflections By An Ordained Patriarch, Richard Dilworth Rust

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

In my service as a stake patriarch before going on several missions with my wife and subsequently in giving patriarchal blessings to several of my grandchildren, I have learned how the Book of Mormon as a whole and in its parts can be likened in many ways to a patriarchal blessing. Likewise, a patriarchal blessing given by an ordained patriarch can be likened to the Book of Mormon. An increased understanding of the one can help us better understand and value the other. In looking at the Book of Mormon and patriarchal blessings together, one can see even more clearly …

Lds Hispanic Americans And Lamanite Identity, Tyler Balli

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

In September 1972, the Ensign published a piece called “What Is a Lamanite?” Using an “imaginary conversation” between different individuals of Latin American descent and a Church leader, this article got to the heart of the complexity of Lamanite identification within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When this piece was published in the 1970s—and even long before—some Church leaders strongly encouraged Hispanics to identify as Lamanites, a name referring to a people found in the Church’s founding scripture—the Book of Mormon. Even with the Church’s encouragement, however, not all Hispanics jumped to identify as Lamanites. The “What …

See The One, Lori C. Newbold

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

I am grateful for the opportunity to be here today and share my love for the Savior, for you, and for the youth and young adults we have the privilege of serving.

Review Of Sacred Space: Exploring The Birthplace Of Mormonism, Daniel H. Olsen

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

When I was asked to read and review Michael MacKay’s Sacred Space: Exploring the Birthplace of Mormonism, I was expecting to read a straightforward history of Fayette, New York, the story of the founding of Mormonism in Fayette, and the efforts of the LDS Church to purchase and restore the Peter Whitmer Sr. home where, Church members have been told, the Church was organized on 6 April 1830. However, I was quite surprised, as I imagine most Church members would be, to read that the location of the establishment of Mormonism is highly contested within some Mormon history circles. Some …

End Matter

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.

Filled With Joy, Grant C. Anderson

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

Two years ago our commissioner, Elder Kim B. Clark, taught us from 3 Nephi of the angels and children who were encircled about with fire. He taught us that as religious educators, we too should be encircled about by that holy fire.1 There is, as you know, another account in the Book of Mormon of individuals being surrounded by heavenly flames. Lehi and Nephi had been thrown into prison, and the account says: “They were as if in the midst of a flaming fire. . . . And behold, the Holy Spirit of God did come down from heaven, . …

Front Matter

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.

That They May Know How To Come Unto Him And Be Saved, Chad H. Webb

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

I am very grateful to be with you wonderful students on this beautiful campus. Thank you for coming so prepared to learn.

I want to begin by sharing with you a story that was told of a baseball team. This baseball team had a manager who thought that if his players took turns playing all the positions, they would become a better team. So, during one game the manager called time-out, walked onto the field, and told the third baseman and the first baseman to switch positions. The problem in this instance was that the third baseman had never played …

Religious Literacies As Social Practice: A Latterday Saint Perspective, Eric D. Rackley

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

Although we are learning more about how young people make sense of religious truths, there is a conspicuous dearth of research examining the meaning-making practices of Latter-day Saint youth. As a result, it is unclear, for example, how Latter-day Saint youth read scripture. What’s working for them? What’s not? How do we know? “Faith without understanding” may be the sardonic standard for religious literacy in the United States, but I am confident that in the Church we can do better. We can help youth develop faith and understanding. Without a clearly articulated conception of religious literacy, however, the Church may …

Multicultural Competency For Us Seminary And Institute Teachers, Mario O. Lopez

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

I remember visiting an early morning seminary class in Laie, Hawaii, held in a chapel next to the high school. The seminary teacher was Caucasian. Her students were Polynesians, Asians, Latinos, and haoles (Caucasians). I noticed the Tongans were seated together on one side and the Samoans on the opposite side. The Asians were scattered in the middle. The haoles were in the front seats and the Latinos right next to the back door. The Tongans and Samoans were talking and laughing. The Asians were quiet, heads bowed down, and some were sleeping. The Latinos were always looking at the …

“The Lord God Which Gathereth The Outcasts” (Isaiah 56:3–8), Daniel Balnap

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

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. Yet the plight of the marginalized was not only realized in the law, it was also found in the writings of the prophets. One …

Full Issue

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.

Review Of Lengthening Our Stride: Globalization Of The Church, D. Brent Smith

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

Lengthening Our Stride: Globalization of the Church, published in January 2018 by the BYU Religious Studies Center and Deseret Book, builds upon the landmark 4 April 1974 address of President Spencer W. Kimball to LDS regional representatives in which he, in the initial months of his presidency, called upon the Church and its leaders to “lengthen our stride” and “enlarge our vision” in taking the gospel to “all nations.” Edited by Reid L. Neilson, assistant Church historian, and Wayne D. Crosby, director of Global Support and Acquisitions in the Church History Department, the book includes twenty-one addresses presented in …

Deep Learning And Joy In The Lord, Kim B. Clark

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

It is a blessing to speak to the Seminaries and Institutes family all across the earth. I love you very much, and I am grateful for you and all that you do and all that you are. I pray the Lord’s blessings upon you in the great work that lies before us.

“O Stop And Tell Me, Red Man”: Indian Removal And The Lamanite Mission Of 1830-31, Kaleb C. Miner

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

In 1830-1831, Mormon missionaries were sent out to proselytize Native Americans—an effort called the “Lamanite Mission.” While this event has been scrutinized multiple times over and in a variety of ways, the Native Americans themselves are most often either considered passive characters in the narrative or ignored completely. However, understanding the circumstances of those Native Americans leading up to the Lamanite Mission, during the era of Indian Removal, can give a deeper understanding of the early Mormon mission which has heretofore been ignored. Understanding Indian Removal not only explains why the Seneca, Wyandot, Shawnee, and Delaware people were located as …

Historical Analysis Of Leadership Theory In The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints And Its Educational System, Kevin D. Whitehead

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

An organization’s leadership theory acts as a collection of primary guiding characteristics which influence its identity and direction. Developing leaders has always been important for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Historically, the Church has promoted leadership ideals for all its members through various aspects of its doctrine and organization. This study provides an analysis of multiple leadership texts produced by the ecclesiastical and educational wings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The study helps to reveal how Latter-day Saint leadership theory has developed over time. This study considers the unfolding of Latter-day Saint leadership …

Lydia Dunford Alder: The Life Of The Mormon Poet, Suffragist, And Missionary, Sarah Kate Johnson Stanley

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis examines the life of Lydia Dunford Alder (1846–1923), who was a prominent but now nearly forgotten early Mormon writer, women’s rights activist, missionary, and leader of various women’s clubs. A respected member of the late-nineteenth– and early-twentieth-century Salt Lake City, Utah community, Alder was the colleague and friend of various distinguished Mormon leaders. While these leaders have been studied in-depth by scholars, Alder’s similar achievements have never been examined in scholarship. As the first comprehensive biography ever written on Alder, this thesis explores her birth in England (1846), her immigration to the United States (1850), her return to …

Early Latter-Day Saint Martyrs: The Jesse Woods And Armela Shanks Berry Family, Shauna Timpson Johnson

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

On 10 August 1884, three Mormon missionaries, Elders William S. Berry, Henry B. Thompson, and John H. Gibbs, met at the house of James Condor in Cane Creek, Tennessee, for Sunday worship services. They had just finished singing a hymn when a mob rushed up to Condor’s front gate. Historian B. H. Roberts described the dramatic scene:

Elder Gibbs had just taken up his Bible . . . when a man disguised—which afterward proved to be David Hinson—came in at the front door, crossed the room, took down a shotgun suspended on hooks over the back door, and then took …

End Matter

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.

Teaching The Doctrine Of The Family: A South African Example, Khumbulani D. Mdletshe, Michael A. Goodman

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

Early in 2015, I visited my aunt’s home. She lives in one of the largest townships in South Africa, an urban residential area with a predominantly black African population. Townships often have higher unemployment, greater poverty, and younger populations than other areas in South Africa. Townships also tend to have higher levels of risk behaviors such as drug abuse, unprotected sex, and crime. This was my first visit to my aunt’s home in five years. As I entered the home, I noticed some young people I had never met. My aunt, who is in her early sixties, began to introduce …

Full Issue

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of The Joseph Smith Translation Of 1 Corinthians 15:40, Jared T. Parker, Todd B. Parker

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

The Joseph Smith Translation ( JST) of 1 Corinthians 15:40 is significant for the Latter-day Saint (LDS) community because the King James Version (KJV) is closely associated with the LDS doctrine of three degrees of glory in the Resurrection. Of particular interest is that JST 1 Corinthians 15:40 adds two phrases to the KJV,1 in bold below:

Dealing With Difficulty In Scripture: Divine Violence In The Book Of Mormon, Andrew C. Smith

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

Latter-day prophets have implored and continually encouraged members of the Church to make daily and habitual study of the scriptures a priority in their lives. One of the most important reasons for this is the fact that it is through the scriptures that one learns the most about the life and teachings of the Savior and how to follow him. “What manner of men had ye ought to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am” is Jesus’s scriptural call to each of us (3 Nephi 27:27).1 When we consider our relationship with Jesus, especially as our exemplar …

“After This Manner Did He Speak”: Mormon’S Discourse On Faith, Hope, And Charity, Charles Swift

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

Literary scholar Richard Dilworth Rust calls Mormon’s discourse in Moroni 7 “one of the most tightly woven and forceful sermons in the Book of Mormon.” It is a masterful example of a prophet not simply stating doctrinal truth but building a case for it. Mormon creates an argument that begins with teachings that seem almost completely unrelated to what he ends up saying in his conclusion, yet the argument is so tightly constructed that each step beautifully and powerfully leads to the next.

“This Shall Be Our Covenant”: Brigham Young And D&C 136, Chad M. Orton

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

Two and one-half years after Brigham Young assumed the primary leadership role for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and nearly a year after the first Saints left Nauvoo, Illinois, to begin the journey west, the responsibility of leading the Church had taken a physical toll on him. By January 1847 he had lost so much weight that his clothes no longer fit. The reason was that the Latter-day Saints had literally and figuratively become stuck in the mud. Worn out and needing wisdom on how to extricate the Church and move the work forward, Brigham received the …