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Articles 1 - 30 of 359
Full-Text Articles in Mormon Studies
"Dark And Loathsome": The Construction And Persistence Of Racial Theology In The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints, Margaret Phillips
"Dark And Loathsome": The Construction And Persistence Of Racial Theology In The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints, Margaret Phillips
Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints banned Black men from holding the priesthood until 1978, a policy many mistake for the whole of the faith's engagement with race. This thesis argues that the priesthood ban was only a symptom of a far deeper theology of race, one built into Mormonism's broader theology from its founding. Two intertwined beliefs anchor this theology: the default whiteness of the human body and soul, and twin curse narratives that mark Black and Indigenous peoples alike as bearers of a divine curse— dark skin read as the visible penalty for their ancestors' sin. …
Ammonihah's Allegory Of Damnation: "Fire And Brimstone" In The Book Of Mormon And Doctrine & Covenants, Ella Bethany Sessions
Ammonihah's Allegory Of Damnation: "Fire And Brimstone" In The Book Of Mormon And Doctrine & Covenants, Ella Bethany Sessions
Honors Projects
This paper examines D&C 76, an 1832 revelation penned by Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon that details Mormon theology in regards to eternity, salvation, and damnation, and Mosiah 27 and Alma 9–14 from the Book of Mormon to observe and analyze how the D&C 76’s specificity is mirrored and encased in two Book of Mormon stories: Alma the Younger and Ammonihah. The first section synthesizes D&C 76’s doctrinal claims and contextualizes Mormonism’s salvation and damnation as uniquely epistemic—or reliant on knowledge—and oriented around the internal processes of progression towards or away from God as necessary precedents to external and eternal …
The Flimsiest Show On Earth, Blake T. Ostler
The Flimsiest Show On Earth, Blake T. Ostler
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
Every so often an anti-Mormon book comes along that lowers the bar for attacks on the faith. How the Book of Mormon Came to Pass is one such work. It relies on speculation, conjecture, and tenuous connections to render, out of whole cloth, a hypothesis for the Book of Mormon’s creation that is almost laughable.
Joseph And Oliver Told The Truth About The Translation: A Response To Brant Gardner’S And Jeff Lindsay’S Reviews, James W. Lucas
Joseph And Oliver Told The Truth About The Translation: A Response To Brant Gardner’S And Jeff Lindsay’S Reviews, James W. Lucas
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
Two recent reviews of By Means of the Urim & Thummim: Restoring Translation to the Restoration by Jeff Lindsay and Brant Gardner seriously misrepresent the book’s argument. Perhaps most significantly, they largely sidestep the book’s central thesis that the statements by Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery that the Book of Mormon was translated from the plates using the “Urim and Thummim” interpreters which God provided with the plates should be at the center of any account of the Book of Mormon’s production. Prioritizing problematic and unreliable seer stone accounts conflicts with the testimonies of these primary eyewitnesses, and thus is …
“When Ye Shall Rend That Veil Of Unbelief”: A Typological Reading Of Ether 3 And 4, Matthew Scott Stenson
“When Ye Shall Rend That Veil Of Unbelief”: A Typological Reading Of Ether 3 And 4, Matthew Scott Stenson
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
In the book of Ether, the prophet Moroni “Christianizes” the Jaredite story, inserting extensive Christian elements into an original text that predates the house of Israel, the Nephite nation, and the Christian era. In this paper, a typological and intertextual method is used to show how Moroni uses the words of Christ in Ether 3 and 4 to exhort his Gentile readers to embrace the Nephite record when it is manifest to them that they might receive even greater things (divine truths). Specifically, Moroni uses the brief account of the brother of Jared atop Mount Shelem to illustrate how Gentiles …
Practical Faith For The Real World Reading As If, Believing As If, Kylie Turley
Practical Faith For The Real World Reading As If, Believing As If, Kylie Turley
BYU Studies
A few years ago, I was talking with some friends about the Book of Mormon. Actually, if you know me much at all, then you know that those last five words are unnecessary. Of course I was talking about the Book of Mormon. My children have been known to complain that the Book of Mormon is all I talk about. But let’s continue the story: One of my friends indicated that we “cannot read the Book of Mormon down to the word level.” She insisted that it was just not possible to read it “as if individual words are meaningful.”
Seeing With A Hat: How Joseph Smith Used A Hat In Translating The Book Of Mormon, Stan Spencer
Seeing With A Hat: How Joseph Smith Used A Hat In Translating The Book Of Mormon, Stan Spencer
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
Joseph Smith’s use of a seer stone and hat in producing the Book of Mormon has been a point of confusion, dismay, and even embarrassment among some believers. These feelings may reflect a lack of understanding of the functions of these objects in enabling Joseph to receive divine revelation. As the term was used in the Bible and commonly used in Joseph Smith’s day, a seer was a “seer” of visions. Accordingly, a seer stone was a stone used for seeing visions. Joseph was reported to have used seer stones to receive the translation of the Book of Mormon in …
Jeremiah “The Prophet”, Loren Spendlove
Jeremiah “The Prophet”, Loren Spendlove
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
This article, which focuses on the role of Jeremiah as a prophet, is based on a study of the Hebrew Bible and the Greek Septuagint. It also analyzes references to Jeremiah in the Book of Mormon and connects those references to current scholarly research on the book of Jeremiah. Consistent with the general consensus among biblical scholars today, as well as Nephi1’s own references to Jeremiah in the Book of Mormon, the author proposes that even though Jeremiah embodied the office of a prophet, he was not recognized as being “among the prophets” during his lifetime. This is a subtle …
What Can Artificial Intelligence Tell Us About The Literary Skills Needed To Dictate A Text Like The Book Of Mormon?, Brian C. Hales
What Can Artificial Intelligence Tell Us About The Literary Skills Needed To Dictate A Text Like The Book Of Mormon?, Brian C. Hales
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
The first oral draft of the Book of Mormon dictated by Joseph Smith reflected remarkable literary refinement and complexity. Such observations demonstrate that he exhibited highly developed composition and oratory skills. To date, no scholar has attempted to describe the specific skills Joseph manifested while dictating. This essay addresses whether Artificial Intelligence (AI) could generate an accurate list of the skills necessary. It begins by identifying and informally testing eleven chatbots to see if they can accurately predict the skills needed to perform a task. Seeing success, they are next asked a long question about the skills needed to dictate …
“Not Only Men But Women Also” An Argument For Alma’S Intentional Inclusion Of Women, Cassidy Nichole Pyper
“Not Only Men But Women Also” An Argument For Alma’S Intentional Inclusion Of Women, Cassidy Nichole Pyper
BYU Studies
In an interestingly specific inclusion of women, Alma taught the Zoramites that “[God] imparteth his word by angels unto men, yea, not only men but women also” (Alma 32:23). This phrase suggests that Alma had an awareness of women and their ability to receive revelation despite how little the Book of Mormon explicitly includes women in its narrative.1 The Book of Mormon mentions women at drastically lower rates than even the Bible.2 Some students of the Book of Mormon are concerned not only that women are rarely spoken of in the text but also that women may have been ignored …
What Are We To Make Of The Gold Plates?, Richard Lyman Bushman
What Are We To Make Of The Gold Plates?, Richard Lyman Bushman
BYU Studies
During the winter of 2020–2021, I worked on the manuscript that was eventually published as Joseph Smith’s Gold Plates: A Cultural History (Oxford University Press, 2023). The book was an attempt to describe the many ways the plates had been imagined from the time they were first described as a “Golden Bible” in the June 1829 Wayne Sentinel1 down to the Sunday School and missionary lessons today. I marveled at the enduring interest in the plates over time, not only among Latter-day Saints but also among other American writers. In my lifetime, the plates had appeared in the Book of …
“Struck With Wonder And Amazement” On Reading The Book Of Mosiah, Joseph M. Spencer
“Struck With Wonder And Amazement” On Reading The Book Of Mosiah, Joseph M. Spencer
BYU Studies
The Wonder of Scripture”: that’s the title of this lecture series.1 Book of Mormon scholar that I am, that title draws my mind to a passage in our keystone scripture. It’s a passage where the word “wonder” is used in connection with people’s responses to sacred records—to scripture. Tucked away somewhere most of us wouldn’t think to look, the Book of Mormon stages a remarkable scene that’s precisely about the wonder of scripture. I can’t help seeing that as just a little too appropriate, so I’d like to examine that scene. I’m going to argue that Mormon, serving simultaneously in …
Royal Skousen’S Book Of Mormon Critical Text Project, Roger Terry
Royal Skousen’S Book Of Mormon Critical Text Project, Roger Terry
BYU Studies
Between 1984 and 1986, the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS) published a critical text of the Book of Mormon. While this early publication was useful in certain ways, it was also woefully inadequate. It was, for instance, based on a computerized text of the 1830 printed edition of the Book of Mormon rather than on the remnants of the two handwritten manuscripts.1 Recognizing its inadequacies, Brigham Young University linguistics professor Royal Skousen began in 1988 what would become a thirty-seven- year endeavor and his life’s work: a fully professional critical text of the Book of Mormon.2
“There Is Law” Joseph Smith’S Use Of Arbitration To Protect The Book Of Mormon, Jeffrey N. Walker, Andrew H. Hedges, Gerrit J. Dirkmaat
“There Is Law” Joseph Smith’S Use Of Arbitration To Protect The Book Of Mormon, Jeffrey N. Walker, Andrew H. Hedges, Gerrit J. Dirkmaat
BYU Studies
This case marks the first time Joseph Smith invoked his legal rights to safeguard work connected with his prophetic calling from abuse or exploitation. The case arose from Abner Cole’s1 January 1830 efforts to publish Book of Mormon excerpts in his newspaper The Reflector, which he printed on the same Palmyra, New York, press that the Book of Mormon was being printed on. The case was evidently settled in Joseph Smith’s favor through arbitration, an out-of- court option for adjudication that New York law considered legally binding.2
Stirreth Up The People, Lindon J. Robison
Stirreth Up The People, Lindon J. Robison
Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel
Relationships between people are influenced by what they share, their commonalities. Empathy is an important commonality enabling people to internalize each other’s well-being and create empathetic networks that can provide important economic and social advantages. Shared antipathy for another person or group is another commonality enabling people to create cheap networks. Cheap networks are inexpensive to create, but they are unlikely to provide the economic and social advantages of empathetic ones. Cheap networks focus mainly on defensive and destructive acts that often produce costly consequences. In addition, they can be taken over by strong leaders who use them to pursue …
Translation And The World Order, Richard Lyman Bushman
Translation And The World Order, Richard Lyman Bushman
BYU Studies
Joseph Smith published three books he called translations: his masterwork, the Book of Mormon, translated from gold plates when he was twenty-four and published in March 1830; the eight chapters of the book of Moses based on Genesis in the Bible, begun in June 1830 and completed by February of the following year; and the book of Abraham, translated from scrolls that the Church purchased from Michael Chandler in 1835 and published in 1842. It is hard to think of any prophetic figure in religious history who relied as extensively on translations to spread his message as did Joseph Smith.
"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
"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 …
“When Ye Shall See These Things Come Among You” A Survey Of Teachings On Modern Secret Combinations, Nicholas J. Frederick
“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.
Using The Book Of Mormon Art Catalog, Kenneth L. Alford
Using The Book Of Mormon Art Catalog, Kenneth L. Alford
Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel
The Book of Mormon Art Catalog (https://bookofmormonartcatalog.org) is an online repository for thousands of images pertaining to the Book of Mormon. The purpose of this article is to help readers learn to use the Book of Mormon Art Catalog website quickly and efficiently. It discusses how the website is organized, lists supplementary videos and resources that are available (at no charge), and explains the many search filters that are available to help users narrow their search queries. Users may search by scripture reference, topic, artist, date of creation, country of origin, artistic style or technique, art medium, and many other …
Creating The Book Of Mormon Art Catalog Why Religious Art Matters, Jennifer Champoux
Creating The Book Of Mormon Art Catalog Why Religious Art Matters, Jennifer Champoux
Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel
The Book of Mormon Art Catalog allows users to access and study a greater volume and variety of art based on this book of scripture than ever before. This open access digital database includes more than four thousand images from seven hundred different artists hailing from fifty-five nations. The catalog provides a resource for teachers, enhances possibilities for scholarship, and creates new opportunities for artists. As an ongoing gathering of art, the catalog can also inspire new production, including scenes or approaches currently underrepresented in the art. Incorporating more art into our study and teaching of the Book of Mormon …
Experiencing The Doctrine Of Christ, Gaye Strathearn
Experiencing The Doctrine Of Christ, Gaye Strathearn
Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel
This paper compares the prophetic teaching of Nephi, son of Lehi, regarding the doctrine of Christ and the teaching of the resurrected Jesus in the Americas. This comparison shows the purposeful and experiential nature of Christ’s teaching, leading the Nephites to experience the doctrine of Christ rather than simply hear it. By drawing on scriptural texts in the Book of Mormon and the New Testament, this paper shows how each step of the doctrine of Christ was presented to and experienced by those who were witnesses to the Savior in the Americas. These insights directly relate to current seekers of …
Stephen Burnett Versus The Eight Witnesses An Exercise In Mature Historical Thinking, Neal Rappleye, Stephen O. Smoot
Stephen Burnett Versus The Eight Witnesses An Exercise In Mature Historical Thinking, Neal Rappleye, Stephen O. Smoot
Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel
This article critically examines the credibility of the claims made by Stephen Burnett about the experience of the Eight Witnesses of the Book of Mormon. A disaffected Latter-day Saint who lost his faith in Joseph Smith after the failure of the Kirtland Safety Society in 1837, Burnett wrote a scathing letter in early 1838 in which he claimed he heard Martin Harris admit that the Eight Witnesses did not physically see and handle the gold plates as claimed in their printed testimony. This article argues that Burnett is not a credible source for accurately understanding the experience of the Eight …
Rediscovering Zoram: The Chief NaʿAr Of The Commander Of The Fortress, Kelly N. Schaeffer-Bullock
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 …
The Curse Of The Covenant: The Deuteronomic Curses In The Book Of Mormon, T. J. Uriona
The Curse Of The Covenant: The Deuteronomic Curses In The Book Of Mormon, T. J. Uriona
BYU Studies
The ancient Near East had a rich and well-developed covenant tradition that helped to define the relationships between covenant parties. Much like modern contracts, which tend to follow a conventional construction, there is within the ancient Near East tradition a prominent covenant construction known as the suzerain-vassal treaty. Covenant treaties of this type stipulated the conditions of loyalty between a lord or suzerain to the vassal or subject. A major feature of this type of treaty was the promise of blessings as well as the threat of curses. The blessings and curses ensured covenant fidelity and maintained the social and …
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
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, …
“Words Of Plainness” Jacob’S Apology, His Addendum, And The Competing Forms Of Nephite Worship, Dan Belnap, Rob Hernandez
“Words Of Plainness” Jacob’S Apology, His Addendum, And The Competing Forms Of Nephite Worship, Dan Belnap, Rob Hernandez
Faculty Publications
Jacob’s powerful essay in Jacob chapters 4–6 ends with this statement: “I bid you farewell, until I shall meet you before the pleasing bar of God, which bar striketh the wicked with awful dread and fear. Amen” (Jacob 6:13). The essay represents Jacob’s teachings as a Nephite priest concerning the centrality of Christ in the religious and doctrinal framework of his Nephite congregation. It fits within the greater structure of the book of Jacob, which appears to be governed by Nephi1’s instructions concerning what should be included on the small plates. Recorded by Jacob in Jacob 1, the instruction suggests …
How Was The Book Of Mormon Used By The Early Saints?
How Was The Book Of Mormon Used By The Early Saints?
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
When the Book of Mormon was first translated and published, it was brand new to the entire world. Its doctrines, messages, personalities, and details were all in need of rediscovery. Even the Prophet Joseph Smith, the instrument through which God transmitted this record, does not appear to have fully assimilated all its complexities and nuances, for he rarely quoted from the Book of Mormon (as one might expect had he written the book).
Annotated Bibliography On Trans-Oceanic Voyaging And Culture Contacts In Preparation
Annotated Bibliography On Trans-Oceanic Voyaging And Culture Contacts In Preparation
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
The Book of Mormon reports that Jaredites, Nephites-Lamanites, and Mulekites arrived in ancient America by sea. To help understand such travels in general, a major project is underway to organize scholarly information about ancient seafaring.
Hugh Nibley Tapes Project Underway
Hugh Nibley Tapes Project Underway
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
A new project is underway to make archival copies, as well as copies for distribution, of many of Hugh Nibley's taped speeches.
Audio Tapes Of Nibley Book Of Mormon Class Available, Russell Peek
Audio Tapes Of Nibley Book Of Mormon Class Available, Russell Peek
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Those interested in an additional resource for study of the Book of Mormon in 1988 will be rewarded by the audio tapes of Dr. Hugh Nibley's upper division Book of Mormon class at BYU. Russell Peek and a team of recording technicians have captured on cassette tape more than 50 hours of lectures from fall semester 1987 and winter semester 1988, one hour of lecture per cassette.