Mormon Studies Commons^™

Review: Etga Ugur. Faith And Politics In The Public Sphere: The Gülen Movement And The Mormon Church. Syracuse, Ny: Syracuse University Press, 2019., Jean-François Mayer

Mormon Studies Review

When I accepted the invitation to review this book, published in a valuable series on Religion and Politics of which I had enjoyed reading several volumes, I assumed that it was a study of interactions between the Gülen movement (also known as Hizmet [service], emphasizing the social service projects for which the movement is well known) and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—something that I found intriguing, since I could not conceive how such a topic might deserve a full volume. I realized my mistake as soon as I started to read it. No sensational revelations about hidden …

Book Notice: The Ancient Order Of Things: Essays On The Mormon Temple; Why I Stay 2: The Challenges Of Discipleship For Contemporary Latter-Day Saints; Real Vs. Rumor: How To Dispel Latter-Day Myths , Brooke James, Roger Terry, Matthew B. Christensen, Christian Larsen, Editor, Robert A. Rees, Editor, Keith A. Erekson

BYU Studies

The Ancient Order of Things: Essays on the Mormon Temple presents a variety of academic discussions on different aspects of temples. In the introduction, the collection’s editor, Christian Larsen, explains that the essays focus on historical perspectives of significant and “unique facets” (x) of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The essays cover themes such as histories of ordinances, the role of temples beyond mainstream LDS tradition, and the position of temples within wider cultural contexts.

Review: Jake Johnson. Mormons, Musical Theater, And Belonging In America. Urbana: University Of Illinois Press, 2019., Amanda Beardsley

Mormon Studies Review

Jake Johnson opens his book Mormons, Musical Theater, and Belonging in America from the relatively vulnerable subject position of his relationship to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As Johnson explains, he was a former member of both the LDS Church and the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (now the Community of Christ), but no longer subscribes to either faith. This personal detail about his background may be startling, but it immediately lends a unique authorial voice and point of view to his book, which, in turn, discusses the centrality of voice and theatricality in …

Review: Brenda R. Weber. Latter-Day Screens: Genre, Sexuality, And Mediated Mormonism. Durham, Nc: Duke University Press, 2019., Andrew Patrick Nelson

Mormon Studies Review

For a religion whose adherents make up only 2 percent of the nation’s population, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has occupied an outsized place in the American media landscape of the new millennium. Highly publicized events like the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, the kidnapping of fifteen-year-old Elizabeth Smart, the arrest and trial of fugitive polygamist child rapist Warren Jeffs, and the presidential campaigns of former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney have repeatedly thrust the Latter-day Saint faith into the national media spotlight. So have a variety of popular entertainments with Mormons as their subject, including the hit …

The Story Of The Restoration Continues: Insights Into Saints, Volume 2, Matthew J. Grow, Scott A. Hales, Lisa Olsen Tait, Angela Hallstrom

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

On 12 February 2020, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released the second volume in the Saints series. Subtitled No Unhallowed Hand, this volume begins with the Latter-day Saints leaving Nauvoo, Illinois, in early 1846, shortly after thousands of Church members received their endowments in the partially completed Nauvoo Temple. It tells the story of the settlement of territorial Utah and the surrounding areas; the expansion of missionary work around the globe, with a particular emphasis on Europe and the Pacific; the gathering of Saints to the American West; the lived reality of plural marriage and the national …

Review: Gregory Prince. Gay Rights And The Mormon Church: Intended Actions, Unintended Consequences. Salt Lake City: University Of Utah Press, 2019., Elizabeth Alice Clement

Mormon Studies Review

With an accessible writing style and startlingly short chapters, Gregory Prince analyzes three aspects of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint’s engagement with homosexuality in the postwar US.1 First, he carefully traces the evolution of the church’s understanding of the causes of homosexuality and the policies the church developed to address same sex attraction among the faithful. Second, he analyzes the church’s participation in both state and national debates around public policy towards homosexuality, with a particular focus on the campaigns against gay marriage. Finally, he explores the harm the church’s analysis, policy, and public involvement have done …

Review: Megan Sanborn Jones. Contemporary Mormon Pageantry: Seeking After The Dead. Ann Arbor: University Of Michigan Press, 2018., Jill Hemming Austin

Mormon Studies Review

Outdoor historical pageants hold a long and steady presence in the informal and grassroots culture of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There are several reasons for the robust health of this tradition: theology that implicates living church members in the salvation of their ancestors; an enthusiastic proselytizing culture that seeks to spread the good word; and a tendency towards large-group events and performance. In her book, Contemporary Mormon Pageantry: Seeking After the Dead, Brigham Young University theatre professor Megan Sanborn Jones takes on the task of examining four of the largest church pageants in the United States: …

Race And The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints In India, Taunalyn Rutherford, Joe Chelladurai, Vinna Chintaram

Mormon Studies Review

Paul Reeve has argued that the Book of Mormon’s imperative, “all are alike unto God,” “met its match in an American religious and racial culture which insisted otherwise.”1 The complexity of race and its construction in “Indian culture” over the course of a much longer history has created a formidable match for a Mormonism characterized at times by its “whiteness” and “Americanness.”2 Race in India is a multifarious and changing phenomenon. Contemporary scholars claim that India is facing “a race problem made up of a combination of ignorance and denial.”3 The policy of geographic boundaries rather than self-selection creates diverse …

Temple Excursions From Tonga To New Zealand: Stories Of Faith, Mark D. Ogletree, Ph.D.

Mormon Pacific Historical Society

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has had a presence in Tonga since July of 1891, when Mormon missionaries, Brigham Smoot and Alva Butler arrived in Nuku’alofa on the island of Tongatapu.1 Although the Tongan mission was organized as early as 1916, the Church did not began to grow at a steady rate in Tonga until the 1920s. The first stake in Tonga was created in 1968, and the Nuku’alofa Tonga Temple was dedicated in 1983. However, where did Tongan Latter-day Saints attend the temple between from the 1920s until 1983?

Hong Kong: A Temple For Every Corner Of The World

Mormon Pacific Historical Society

A Special Case: An Exception to Temple Rationale

There was a sense of urgency for providing a temple in Hong Kong in the 1990s as in no other temple construction. This was because the ninety-nine-year lease that made Hong Kong a British colony was going to expire 30 June 1997.1 The British government would be handing over Hong Kong to the People’s Republic of China on 1 July 1997.2 When Hong Kong became part of China, “religious organizations,” according to Elder John K. Carmack, “were to be given the right to acquire property; receive outside financial support, have ownership rights, …

Unto The Isles Of The Sea: Latter-Day Saint Temples In The Pacific, Richard O. Cowan

Mormon Pacific Historical Society

Temple blessings and covenants are at the apex of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, so temples have been important to Latter-day Saints in the Pacific. To what extent has temple building in this area reflected the pattern worldwide?

Trajectories In The Evolution Of Mormon Studies On Faith And Science, Steven L. Peck

Mormon Studies Review

The relationship between science and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been and continues to be a complicated story. Concerns and differing perspectives about science provided the underlying context for a number of formal and informal institutional directions taken by the church in the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-centuries. Often, these were influenced by differences in opinion about science among various leaders of the church. Areas in which science played a role include: the relationship between secular and church education, a battleground in framing doctrinal questions about creation—including syncretic influence from the rise of Christian fundamentalism and …

Mormon Studies In Africa, Amy Hoyt

Mormon Studies Review

Mormon studies, as understood by scholars, includes the scholarly examination of all of the traditions that have stemmed from Joseph Smith Jr. This essay will review the state of the field of Mormon studies in Africa and pay particular attention to two of these traditions, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Community of Christ, formerly known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

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 …

The Term Of President And Sister Melvin B. & Carol R. Butler Tonga Nuku'alofa Mission--July 1983 To June 1986

Mormon Pacific Historical Society

How does one begin to describe in a few paragraphs the joys, blessings, challenges, miracles, hardships and successes of the Tonga Nuku'alofa Mission during the period of July, 1983 to the end of June 1986, at which time the mission was presided over by myself, Melvin B. Butler from Salt Lake City, UT. Together with my precious wife Carol and seven beautiful children, Holly, Melony, Paul, Jill, David, Mark, and Russell, we willingly left our home, families and cherished friends to start a new life for three years in the islands of Tonga.

The Vital Apostolic Visits Of Elder David O. Mckay And Elder George Albert Smith For Tonga, Mary Jane Woodger

Mormon Pacific Historical Society

Early on in the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Savior was adamant that the Quorum of the Twelve would travel and traveling became a distinctive feature of those who became modern day Apostles. As early as 1832, the Savior made traveling a commandment. He revealed, “It is expedient that I give unto you this commandment that ye become even as my friends in days when I was with them, traveling to preach the gospel in my power.” (D&C 84:77). In this revelation the Lord acquainted traveling with power. Later in 1834, the Savior identified that the Traveling …

Sacred And Historical Latter-Day Saint Places Of Laie, Mary Jane Woodger

Mormon Pacific Historical Society

Through the ages, the locations at which sacred historical events occurred have traditionally become holy. How holy or sacred a site is depends on the understanding of those beholding it. Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote that “Earth’s crammed with heaven, / And every common bush afire with god; / But only he who sees, takes off his shoes— / The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.”1 Though some may consider some of the locations listed in this paper to be mere “berry picking sites,” for those who lived there, these places became consecrated by their sacrifices.

Elder William Mark Waddoups: Called And Served With Aloha, Carol Helekunihi

Mormon Pacific Historical Society

The beautiful new Temple of the Latter-day Saints at Laie, Oahu, Hawaii territory, was dedicated on Thursday, Nov. 27, 1919, by President Heber ]. Grant. The services were attended by a number of the general authorities of the Church, and by many local officers and Saints, and the religious ceremonies and the dedicatory prayer delivered by President Grant were impressive and inspiring to the last degree. It was a solemn and in many other ways memorable occasion, when the past and the present were linked together in ceremonious religious observance, and another epoch in the history of temple building was …

Teaching With The 2013 Edition Of The Doctrine And Covenants, Kenneth L. Alford Ph.D., Gerrit J. Dirkmaat

Faculty Publications

An overview of many insights to numerous sections in the Doctrine and Covenants made by the Joseph Smith Paper Project. A discussion of how to incorporate this updated information while teaching Latter-day Saints (Mormons).

The History Of Lds Seminaries And Institutes In Taiwan, John Hilton Iii, Po N. Chou

Faculty Publications

Taiwan is a vibrant nation of approximately twenty-three million people, living in an area about one-sixth the size of the state of Utah. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints remains relatively small in Taiwan. Its 55,805 members compose just 0.2% of the population. Yet the LDS Church is growing, and an important part of that growth is found in the Seminary and Institute (S&I) program.

Joseph F. Smith And The First World War: Eventual Support And Latter-Day Saint Chaplains, Kenneth L. Alford Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

A discussion of the calling of three Latter-day Saint (Mormon) U.S. Army chaplains who served during World War I and support for the war from President Joseph F. Smith, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The Silent Lesson, John Hilton Iii

Faculty Publications

One day during my second semester as a part-time seminary teacher, a student named Mindy came into class and asked, “Brother Hilton, are we going to do a silent lesson this year?” When I told her that I had never heard of a silent lesson, she said, “Brother Kirkham just taught a silent lesson, and I heard it was really awesome. You should ask him how to do it.” Wanting to be a good seminary teacher, I approached Brother Kirkham and asked him to teach me about silent lessons. He obliged, and I began regularly using them in a variety …

Ben E. Rich: Sharing The Gospel Creatively, Kenneth L. Alford Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

The life and missionary work of Ben E. Rich. President of the Southern States Mission and the States Mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons).

Indian Relations In Utah During The Civil War, Kenneth L. Alford Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

A discussion of native American (Indian) relations in Utah Territory during the Civil War, including the differing policies of Mormon president Brigham Young and U.S. Army commander Colonel Patrick Edward Connor, the January 1863 Bear River Massacre (called the Battle of Bear River at that time), Indian superintendents, treaties, and reservations.

Mormon Motivation For Enlisting In The Civil War, Brant Ellsworth, Kenneth L. Alford Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

A discussion of several Latter-day Saint (Mormon) Union and Confederate soldiers who served in the American Civil War.

Utah And The Civil War Press, Kenneth L. Alford Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

A discussion of how Mormons were treated in the national press during the American Civil War with an emphasis on polygamy, statehood requests, loyalty, and Brigham Young.

This chapter was originally published (and reprinted in "Civil War Saints" with permission):

Kenneth L. Alford, “Utah and the Civil War Press.” Utah Historical Quarterly 80, no. 1 (Winter 2012): 75–92.

What's In A Name? The Establishment Of Camp Douglas, Kenneth L. Alford Ph.D., William P. Mackinnon

Faculty Publications

A discussion of the establishment (1862) of Camp Douglas, Utah Territory -- named by Col. Patrick Edward Connor after U.S. Senator Stephen A. Douglas.

Latter-Day Saints And The Civil War, Kenneth L. Alford Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

An introduction to "Civil War Saints" published in 2012 by the Brigham Young University Religious Studies Center and Deseret Book, Kenneth L. Alford, editor.

Latter-Day Saint Poetry And Songs Of The Utah War, Kenneth L. Alford Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

During the Utah War (1857–58), Latter‐day Saints wrote and published a large number of poems and song expressing their loyalty to the Church, anger at the federal government, and defiance of the United States soldiers who were marching toward Utah Territory. This article places those poems and stories in context and shares many of them.

Camp Douglas: Keeping A Watchful Eye On The Saints, Kenneth L. Alford Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

A discussion of the establishment (1862) and early years of Camp Douglas, Utah Territory. Discusses the tense relationship between Brigham Young and Colonel (later Brigadier General) Patrick Edward Connor, U.S. Army commander of Camp Douglas.