Mormon Studies Commons^™

Explaining Mormonism: A Believing Skeptic’S Guide To The Latter-Day Saint Worldview By Gregory Steven Dundas, Roger Terry

BYU Studies

BYU Studies author Gregory Dundas has written a book aimed primarily at a non– Latter-day Saint audience to inform them about the beliefs, culture, and practices of the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Dundas is an engaging writer who has a diverse background and whose research is both broad and thorough.

End Matter

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Full Issue

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Liberty Jail: Seedbed For Eternal Temple Blessings, Steven L. Olsen

BYU Studies

The difficult Missouri winter of 1838–39 exacerbated an emerging existential crisis for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its founding prophet, Joseph Smith. Latter-day Saints were being driven from their homes and killed by armed militias who justified their aggression with the “extermination order” of Governor Lilburn W. Boggs. This forced evacuation also dispossessed the Latter-day Saints of their “land of promise” and “center place of Zion”—the capital of their millennial utopia that was named for the primordial patriarch Enoch’s “City of Holiness,” whose inhabitants’ righteousness was sufficient, according to Joseph’s visions, to effect its translation into …

Accessing Nephi’S Bountiful: A New Proposal For Reaching Irreantum, Warren P. Aston

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Many Latter-day Saint scholars recognize that an excellent candidate for Nephi’s Bountiful is found at the inlet Khor Kharfot in southern Oman at the end of the lengthy Wadi Sayq. Many researchers have reasonably assumed that Lehi’s eastward travel from Nahom must have led to Wadi Sayq, which then leads directly to Khor Kharfot. However, there is a second route, through Wadi Kharfot, that leads to Khor Kharfot, joining Wadi Sayq near the inlet. Although almost unknown, this second wadi could also have offered a plausible route with some advantages to travelers arriving from the interior desert plateau. Specifics and …

Front Matter

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Rediscovering Zoram: The Chief NaʿAr Of The Commander Of The Fortress, Kelly N. Schaeffer-Bullock

BYU Studies

There are several prominent figures in the opening chapters of the Book of Mormon whose roles, responsibilities, and titles may have eluded the modern reader. As more is learned about ancient Israelite laws, customs, and culture through archaeological successes and academic research, previous biblical scholarship is reworked, refined, or totally redesigned. So too with academic scholarship on the Book of Mormon. The way readers understand the central figures in the opening chapters of the Book of Mormon must be regularly reassessed as additional information is obtained. There is still a great deal more to discover about the people who played …

Can God Truly Forget My Sins?: Christian Temporality And The Possibility Of Repentance, James E. Faulconer

BYU Studies

When we think about repentance, we face a conundrum. On one hand, we are promised new life. As Paul says, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Cor. 5:17). On the other hand, the repentant person remains the same person that he or she was. In the younger Alma’s case, he is the person who “had murdered many of [God’s] children, or rather led them away unto destruction” (Alma 36:14). How can Alma be both a new person and the person who led many …

Decoding The Self-Tracking Symbols Of Wilford Woodruff’S Journals, Joshua M. Matson

BYU Studies

Wilford Woodruff’s journals have been celebrated as one of the greatest textual records of the Restoration. A prominent, yet almost entirely unexplored, component of Woodruff’s journals is his creating, implementing, and consistently drawing symbols and pictures alongside his near-daily autobiographical record. Within his fifteen-volume journal spanning more than a sixty-year period, Woodruff drew approximately nine thousand images. The first of these symbols appears in an entry dated March 23, 1837, and the final image is drawn on March 19, 1897. These images can be divided into two groups. The first are unique illustrations that appear erratically throughout the journals and …

End Matter

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

“They’Re Just Rehearsing”: Gospel Methodology And The Humanities, Rex P. Nielson

BYU Studies

As BYU approaches the fiftieth anniversary of President Spencer W. Kimball’s landmark speech “The Second Century of Brigham Young University,” Church and university leaders continue to revisit this prophetic talk while reflecting upon the educational mission and potential of Brigham Young University. One notable phrase from President Kimball’s discourse that has gained currency at the university points to a potential difference between the educational efforts of BYU and the work of other universities: “Gospel methodology, concepts, and insights can help us to do what the world cannot do in its own frame of reference.”

A Forensic And Historical Look At John Taylor’S Watch: Evidence Of Divine Mercy, Brian A. Warburton

BYU Studies

In June 2023, the Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced the public availability of forensic and historical research recently completed on the pocket watch of John Taylor. Taylor, an Apostle of the Church at the time, was present when Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were killed by a mob in the Hancock County Jail in Carthage, Illinois, on June 27, 1844. During the attack, Taylor was shot four times, and his watch was damaged. This artifact has long held a special place in the hearts of many members of the Church as …

It’S Not The End Of The World; It’S Just The Apocalypse: The Book Of Revelation In The Book Of Mormon, Nicholas J. Frederick, Joseph M. Spencer

BYU Studies

Among the Book of Mormon’s most remarkable characteristics is its consistent interaction with the Bible. The Bible haunts this book, showing up in subtle allusions and type scenes as well as direct quotations both short and long. Further, the Book of Mormon explicitly reflects on the Bible’s historical origins, canonical shape, and scriptural destiny. As has long been recognized, the Book of Mormon’s most sustained interest is in the book of Isaiah. But at least one other biblical focus deserves detailed notice because it has a place of some privilege in the Book of Mormon: the book of Revelation. Indeed, …

Jesus And The Torah In Matthew Beyond Replacement Theology, Jordan Lavender

BYU Studies

The book of Matthew is a first-century Jewish text that reflects the debates and concerns of Second Temple Judaism, a period of Jewish religious practice lasting from the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple in the sixth century BC to its destruction by Roman forces in AD 70. The Gospel of Matthew’s position on the observance of the Torah, or Jewish law, has been the subject of scholarly debate, with some claiming that Matthew advocates for the observance of Jewish law and others arguing that the Gospel proposes abandoning the observance of Jewish law. This paper follows the scholars in the …

Lines For The Forgotten Familiar Living With Loss: My Spouse To Alzheimer’S, Dixie L. Partridge

BYU Studies

Tight as a bulb, I wait in the dark,

wanting only the dark. But I’ve dreamed

the scent of sage, the smell of plowed soil,

a movement of wildflowers coming and going.

Fall Semester, Large Midwestern University, Kevin Klein

BYU Studies

Across acres of parking lots we walk

in thick silence, the first snow

this year, the first ever to stick

Lehi Tries To Explain, John Alba Cutler

BYU Studies

How the liquid branches of that burning tree

whipped upward as if trying to shake

themselves free of the nothing

they consumed, as if they remembered

or anticipated spirits shucking

off bodies, finding a lighter form

Front Matter

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Anti-Nephi-Lehi Mothers: What They Taught Their Stripling Sons, Julie A.P. Frederick

BYU Studies

When I first saw this shirt (see fig. 1), I was immediately taken with the contrast of the shirtless warriors in bodybuilder-type poses and the claim that these men with six-packs and bulging muscles were “momma’s boys.”1 I have always loved a clever juxtaposition, and this one was so delightful that I remember it from years ago. I was a student walking down the main hallway of Orem High School, and I actually stopped in the middle of the hallway to stare at it, then continued down the hall laughing to myself. What made the shirt even more wonderful was …

Sariah’S Sons, Rachel Terry

BYU Studies

And they did murmur because they knew not the dealings of that God who had created them. 1 Nephi 2:12

This poem was a finalist in the 2024 BYU Studies Poetry Contest.

Conclusion Latter-Day Saints And Perfectionism, W. Justin Dyer

BYU Studies

This special issue on members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and toxic perfectionism seems long overdue. Although there has been some research in the past, many misleading narratives about Latter-day Saints and perfectionism—narratives promoted by professionals and nonprofessionals alike—were pulled into that research vacuum. Prior to the research presented in this issue, there were no studies that revealed how Latter-day Saints compare in perfectionism to those of other religions and those of no religion, and there was no longitudinal research that provided evidence for the sources and consequences of perfectionism over time for Latter-day Saints. Without …

The Literary Landscape For Twentieth-Century Spanish-Speaking Lds Poets, Gabriel González Núñez

Writing and Language Studies Faculty Publications

Spanish is the second-most spoken language among Latter-day Saints, but relatively little is known about Mormon literature in this language, either its current status or its history. This absence is evident in the key surveys on Mormon literature that have been carried out. For example, when Eugene England considered the prospects of Mormon literature in his landmark essay on its history and future, he looked ahead at a mostly US-centric and fully English-language literary horizon.¹ This makes sense in the context in which he was writing. In the English language, and in the United States in particular, Mormon literature …

Declared Guiltless Justification By Faith In The Latter-Day Saint Classroom, Stephan Taeger

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

Religious educators can face unique challenges when teaching the doctrine of grace. Some students struggle with excessive guilt and do not think they are doing enough to live the gospel. Others think that grace somehow excuses their sins. Helping students better grasp the doctrine of justification by faith can help them feel peace with God while inspiring them to be more faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. This article uses the words of scripture, modern prophets, and trusted scholars to clarify this doctrine and discusses how understanding it removes guilt and inspires obedience to God’s commandments. The concluding section provides practical …

Helping Students To Take Charge Of Their Own Testimonies, Clark G. Gilbert

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

This message focuses on President Russell M. Nelson’s invitation to “take charge of your testimony,” given in a worldwide devotional to young adults. It is meant to be a resource to religious educators to help their students deepen faith. Elder Gilbert shares his own personal faith journey as an example of what it means to work for, own, nurture, and take care of a testimony. Religious educators are given five suggestions to help students take charge of their testimonies: (1) exercise agency, (2) be a light to others, (3) ask questions in faith, (4) look to truth-filled sources, and (5) …

“An House Of Prayer For All People” A Guide To Christ’S Cleansing Of The Temple, Joe Cochran

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

This article explores the contextual background of Christ’s cleansing of the temple as recorded in the four Gospels. An analysis of scriptural and historical evidence can help teachers and learners better understand what Christ cleansed and for whom his actions were undertaken. Discovering specific meaning and purpose behind the Savior’s words and actions in the temple helps establish this event as yet another witness of the loving, compassionate, and justice-seeking Savior we all know well.

“When Ye Shall See These Things Come Among You” A Survey Of Teachings On Modern Secret Combinations, Nicholas J. Frederick

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

One of the purposes of the Book of Mormon is to warn latter-day Gentiles about the dangers of modern-day secret combinations.” Such combinations led to the destruction of the Jaredites and the Nephites and, we are told, should not be dismissed or overlooked in our own modern day. So how ought we to identify a modern secret combination? What would such an organization look like? How can religious educators discuss secret combinations in a responsible manner? This article explores how modern prophets have described and defined secret combinations, from Joseph Smith up through the present.

Front Matter

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.

“Be Not Faithless, But Believing”, Brad Wilcox

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

esus Christ taught Thomas, and through him, all of us, “Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet believed” (John 20:29). In the Americas, the Savior taught that those who have not seen and still believe are “more blessed” (3 Nephi 12:2). How are we more blessed not to see Him? By not compelling us to believe, the Lord leaves space for choice and for faith. Choosing faith is the act that welcomes God and Christ into our lives, and their involvement and influence bring the miracle of change. The goal is not just to see God and Christ—one …

Vital Gospel Nutrients, Dale G. Renlund

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

Instead of sharing “spiritual Twinkies,” or shallow teachings, teachers can provide deep spiritual nourishment to students. Four spiritual principles, or “staples,” are essential to help students grow strong in faith: (1) nurturing students’ testimonies of Jesus Christ and the gospel, (2) fostering students’ personal relationships with teachers, (3) facilitating students’ confidence in addressing gospel questions, and (4) preparing students’ hearts to feel the Spirit.

"A Pattern In All Things That Ye May Not Be Deceived" Prophetic Themes As An Anchor In Book Of Mormon And Young Adult Religion Courses, Camey L. Andersen

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

In a 2023 Seminaries and Institutes of Religion Annual Broadcast, Elder Clark G. Gilbert of the Seventy, Commissioner of the Church Educational System, emphasized five themes from the current prophetic messages that apply specifically to the young adults of the Church. This article will show how the prophetic themes shared by Elder Gilbert can be an anchor for faith in Jesus Christ and his prophets in young adult religion courses; can influence the curriculum for the course Teachings and Doctrine of the Book of Mormon; can influence teaching and ministering to students to strengthen testimonies of Jesus Christ, his living …