Mormon Studies Commons^™

Challenging Conventional Views Of Metal Use In Mesoamerica, John L. Sorenson

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

Orthodox archaeologists have for many years supposed that metals were not used in Mesoamerica, the probable area where Book of Mormon events took place, until nearly 500 years after the scripture says the Nephites were destroyed. Of course the Book of Mormon briefly mentions the use of metal among the Nephites (although by the time of its last mention, in Mosiah 11:8, it was "precious"). Previous attempts to refute the prevailing view have had little effect. Renewed research by John Sorenson has revealed a substantial body of data on the subject that was previously ignored.

Former Farms Worker Honored

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

On March 7, DeeAnn Hofer was crowned Ms. Wheelchair Utah. Because of her fine contributions to the foundation, F.A.R.M.S. was pleased to be one of her sponsors in this competition.

Chiasmus Study Cited

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

The 1992 reprint of a classic work on chiasmus, Nils W. Lund's Chiasmus in the New Testament, contains a new preface that refers frequently to Chiasmus in Antiquity, a work published in 1981 by John W. Welch.

F.A.R.M.S. Conference On "The Olive And Jacob 5" A Success

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

More than 300 people attended the F.A.R.M.S. conference on ''The Olive and Jacob 5," held on Saturday, March 21. The nineteen presenters approached Jacob 5 from a variety of perspectives----cultural, economic, literary, historical, and theological. Comments from the audience indicated that they found this fifth annual F.A.R.M.S. Book of Mormon Lecture extremely helpful in understanding the background and meaning of the allegory of the olive tree.

Belonging In Unashamed Authenticity, Nathan R. Kitchen

Together We RISE (Making Excellence Inclusive)

In 2020, the UCLA School of Law’s Williams Institute reported that 47% of LGBTQ adults were moderately or highly religious. This equates to 5.3 million religious LGBTQ adults in America. We cannot ignore this population.

When making the transition into young adulthood, many religious LGBTQ youth feel they must make a choice between their spiritual well-being or their queerness. As a university community interested in the success of the rising generation, we can provide support for religious queer young adults through understanding:

1. What is happening in this transition and why,

2. The well-being needs of religious queer young adults …

Full Issue

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Dead Sea Scrolls Photos Acquired

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

A significant addition to the F.A.R.M.S. research library is the recently published two-volume set of photographs of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Patient and skillful work will be required before any conclusions can be drawn about their contents.

Book Of Mormon Text Reformatted

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

Donald W. Parry has reformatted the text of the Book of Mormon so that the reader can easily see the hundreds of examples of parallel and repetitive patterns in the Book of Mormon. For instance, 1 Nephi 22:26 has been formatted with indented lines labeled with English letters, and certain words have been underlined to reveal the passage's chiastic structure.

The Olive Tree And Jacob 5

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

On Saturday, March 21, F.A.R.M.S. will hold a symposium at which numerous studies will be presented about the masterful allegory of the olive tree in Jacob 5. Over a dozen speakers will report their findings from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. in room 205 JRCB (Law School) at Brigham Young University.

Map Of Book Of Mormon Places Based Wholly On The Text, John L. Sorenson

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Welch Appointed Editor Of Byu Studies

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

John W. Welch, founding president and continuing member of the board of directors of F .A.R.M.S., has been appointed editor-in-chief of the 32-year-old BYU Studies.

Working Groups Formed

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

A working group is being formed under the direction of Warren Aston and John Sorenson to study how ships were built in the 6th century B.C., which may help us understand the construction of Nephi' s ship and its voyage to America. Persons with substantial knowledge of the history, design, construction, or sailing of small craft are invited to participate.

Working Groups Formed

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

A project is underway to prepare textual and visual resource files to aid artists and media producers in representing Book of Mormon peoples with (Mesoamerican) historical accuracy. Volunteers within a reasonable distance of Provo who have qualifications and a desire to assist (initially probably as library "gofers") are invited to write to F.A.R.M.S. detailing their interest, availability, and relevant background.

Working Groups Formed

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

Under the auspices of F.A.R.M.S., Marlon Nance (Geology Department, Univ. of California, Davis) is organizing a working group on Geology and Environment in the Book of Mormon.

Tours Planned On Lehi's Arabian Trail

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

Bountiful Tours of Australia is preparing the first ever tours on the trail that Lehi likely took from Jerusalem to Bountiful. Warren Aston will lead 22-day tours along this trail, limited to 15 participants for each tour, departing Sept. 7, Sept. 28, Nov. 2, and Nov. 23, 1992. As Lehi's journey is followed from Jerusalem to Bountiful, events and places described in the Book of Mormon will take on new relevance and meaning.

Study Aid Again Available

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

The "Wide Margin Edition" of the Book of Mormon, prepared by Eldin Ricks, is available through F.A.R.M.S. This edition has wide margins and is printed in 29 separate 30-page booklets (in a 3-ring binder), making it convenient for students and teachers to take small sections of the Book of Mormon to Gospel Doctrine class for teaching or making notes.

Paper Studies Characteristics Of Oral Culture In The Book Of Mormon

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

A recent fascinating study by William Eggington of the BYU English Department suggests that, by and large, Book of Mormon peoples functioned as an oral culture. Although the Lehite community had access to print as a technology, Eggington believes that they wrote only to accomplish narrow (i.e., religious) goals and that their writings retained many features of a nonprint culture. His evidence comes from certain indicators and memory-aiding devices within the text of the Book of Mormon, including repetitious patterns, balanced patterns, formulaic expressions, and parallelisms.

Language And Script In The Book Of Mormon, Stephen D. Ricks

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

In what language was the Book of Mormon written? The most obvious answer is some form of Egyptian. Moroni states that "we have written this record ... in the characters which are called among us the reformed Egyptian" (Mormon 9:32). Nephi confirms this at the very beginning of the record when he says, "I make a record in the language of my father, which consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians" (1 Nephi 1:1).

Nibley Considers The Temple In The Cosmos

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

Hugh Nibley's long-awaited treatment of the temple, which is volume 12 of the Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, will be released early in April by F.A.R.M.S. and Deseret Book.

A Decade Of Research Explored And Documented

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

This month, F.A.R.M.S. and Deseret Book will release their newest book, Reexploring the Book of Mormon. This volume reports the highlights of F.A.R.M.S. research over the last ten years. It is designed to appeal to a very wide audience.

Full Issue

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

No abstract provided.

New Cd-Rom

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

Infobases has released the first edition of a gospel study system on CD-ROM. It includes the standard works, volumes 1-10 of the Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, and 41 titles by Church leaders. The CD also contains search and retrieval software. Infobases intends to sell updates to the CD containing 10-20 titles every 3-6 months. For more information, see the flier included in this mailing.

Kbyu-Tv Broadcasts Nibley Class

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

KBYU-TV began broadcasting Hugh Nibley's Book of Mormon class on January 5. Every Sunday afternoon in 1992 at 5:00 P.M. (MST) you can watch another stimulating and informative class session.

Elder Maxwell Speaks At Farms Banquet Of Consecration And The Gospel's "Democracy Of Demands" That Builds And "Aristocracy Of Saints"

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

KBYU-TV began broadcasting Hugh Nibley's Book of Mormon class on January 5. Every Sunday afternoon in 1992 at 5:00 P.M. (MST) you can watch another stimulating and informative class session.

Electronic Bulletin Board Formed

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

F.A.R.M.S. has received notice of the formation of MORMON-L, an electronic bulletin board on Mormon studies. The organizers indicate that it is open to all persons, Mormons and non-Mormons alike, who wish to engage in substantial discussion of topics relating to Mormonism. The following guidelines will regulate the bulletin board.

Scholars Discuss Geography

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

On December 7, a "working group on Book of Mormon internal geography," consisting of 14 people, met in Provo. The invitation to meet had been sent by convenor John Sorenson to all who had received from F.A.R.M.S. a copy of his "Source Book" on the subject, along with selected other people.

Encyclopedia Selling Briskly

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

The F.A.R.M.S. office has been receiving a steady stream of orders for the Encyclopedia of Mormonism, published by Macmillan. We are pleased that many F.A.R.M.S. readers are taking advantage of the opportunity to obtain this excellent reference source. We believe your family will enjoy and learn from the informative articles and numerous excellent illustrations.

More On Abraham In Egyptian Papyri

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

F.A.R.M.S. has been pleased to receive several comments from interested readers about the article that appeared in our September Newsletter exploring the possible significance of the name Abraham in certain late Egyptian magical papyri. As that article indicated, full publication of this ongoing work is yet to come. As work progresses, up-todate reports will be given.

Selected Sperry Symposium Papers Now Available

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

The annual Sperry Symposium was held at BYU on October 26, 1991. Many of the papers presented will be published next spring. In the meantime, four papers are now available separately on the enclosed order form.

Articles Available Separately

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

The Summer 1990 issue of BYU Studies, a special issue on the Book of Mormon, is now out of print. The new 1992 F.A.R.M.S catalog, however, lists several of its articles individually.