“Oh Say, What Is Truth?”: Approaches To Doctrine,
Brigham Young University
“Oh Say, What Is Truth?”: Approaches To Doctrine
BYU Studies Quarterly
The restored gospel of Jesus Christ, like other religious traditions, claims to be based on true doctrines.2 The above hymn, included in the first edition of the Pearl of Great Price, encapsulates the deep longing for truth by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Statements by Church leaders abound extolling the virtue and power of truth, but such statements often beg the question, What is truth? Scripture states that “truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come.”3 Church curricular material further states that “divine …
"A Mother There": A Survey Of Historical Teachings About Mother In Heaven,
Brigham Young University
"A Mother There": A Survey Of Historical Teachings About Mother In Heaven
BYU Studies Quarterly
Since the 1840s, leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) have taught that in addition to a Father in Heaven, we have a Mother in Heaven. This cherished doctrine has been an important, although relatively obscure, part of the Latter-day Saint understanding of the premortal origins and divine nature of humankind. The authors, a professor and a student of philosophy at Brigham Young University, present historical statements by Mormon leaders about Mother in Heaven. Contrary to criticism in some quarters, Church leaders have not relegated this deity to a confined role. Statements from the late 1840s …
History Of The South African Mission Of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints, 1853-1970,
Brigham Young University
History Of The South African Mission Of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints, 1853-1970
All Theses and Dissertations
The history of the South African Mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1853-1970) describes the progress of the Church in South Africa from its inception until the present time. Missionary proselyting activities in the land are traced, and the major historical developments of the mission are discussed.
In 1853 three missionaries began Mormon proselyting activities in the Cape Province and within six months they had baptized forty-five persons, established two branches, and organized the first conference of the Church.
Despite mob violence and opposition from the clergy, civil authorities, and the press, the Church continued to …
Dating The Birth Of Christ,
Brigham Young University
Dating The Birth Of Christ
BYU Studies Quarterly
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has taken no official position on the exact date of Christ's birth. In his 1915 classic Jesus the Christ, Elder James E. Talmage maintained that Jesus Christ was born on April 6 in the year 1 BC. Talmage was apparently the first LDS writer to propose this particular date. Nearly a century has passed since his book appeared, and in that time it has become practically axiomatic among Latter-day Saints that Jesus was born on April 6 in that year. Two other Apostles, President J. Reuben Clark and Elder Bruce R. …
Some Thoughts On Higher-Dimensional Realms,
Brigham Young University
Some Thoughts On Higher-Dimensional Realms
BYU Studies Quarterly
No abstract provided.
Spencer W. Kimball And The Revelation On Priesthood,
Brigham Young University
Spencer W. Kimball And The Revelation On Priesthood
BYU Studies Quarterly
Edward L. Kimball discusses the former Mormon policy of restricting Church members of African descent from receiving the priesthood. He examines the traditional and proposed scriptural basis for the policy, its origin and implementation, and the chain of events that led his father, President Spencer W. Kimball, to seek revelation regarding changing the policy. Black Africans' interest in joining the Church, the Civil Rights movement, Church members' changing perceptions regarding the priesthood policy, and spiritual manifestations all contributed to President Kimball's landmark decision. The article describes how President Kimball went about obtaining the revelation allowing all worthy male Church members …
Warren Stone Snow, A Man In Between: The Biography Of A Mormon Defender,
Brigham Young University
Warren Stone Snow, A Man In Between: The Biography Of A Mormon Defender, John Peterson
All Theses and Dissertations
Warren Stone Snow was an early convert to the LDS church who during the Church's first four decades was often involved in defensive roles as Mormonism encountered various conflicts on the American frontier. while he protected the lives of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young and defended Illinois Saints from houseburning mobs and took a leading role in the Battle of Nauvoo, his greatest defensive contributions took place after the Mormons settled in Utah. As commander of the Sanpete Military District, he was one of the leading figures in Mormon defensive efforts during the Utah War in 1857 and later as …
The Case For Sidney Rigdon As Author Of The Lectures On Faith,
Brigham Young University
The Case For Sidney Rigdon As Author Of The Lectures On Faith, Noel Reynolds
All Faculty Publications
Twentieth century attempts to include the "Lectures on Faith" in the writings of Joseph Smith, Jr., provoked this comprehensive survey of historical evidence and carefully designed authorship testing of the text. Every credible approach reaches the same conclusion. Sidney Rigdon wrote the Lectures on Faith, likely without help from Joseph Smith or any others. These Lectures are characterized by both teachings and language that Rigdon may have retained from his recent discipleship with Alexander Campbell. The published Lectures follow both the form and content of lectures given and then published by frontier phenomenon Charles Finney. The decision to insert these …
"In The Land Of The Chaldeans": The Search For Abraham's Homeland Revisited,
Brigham Young University
"In The Land Of The Chaldeans": The Search For Abraham's Homeland Revisited
BYU Studies Quarterly
Readers of the Hebrew Bible first encounter Abram (later Abraham), the spiritual father of the three great monotheistic faiths—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—at the end of Genesis 11. There they discover he was the son of a certain Terah and claimed “Ur of the Chaldeans” as his home (Gen. 11:28). Being as central as Abraham is to the patriarchal narratives of Genesis and, subsequently, to the faith of scores of believers across the globe, both faithful and nonbelieving readers have turned a critical eye toward the passages where Abraham makes an appearance and have attempted to discern if any historicity lies …
Reading Nephi Reading Isaiah Reading 2 Nephi 26–27,
Brigham Young University
Reading Nephi Reading Isaiah Reading 2 Nephi 26–27, Joseph Spencer
Faculty Publications
This series of books is based on a novel idea: that Mormons do theology. Doing theology is different from weighing history, deciding doctrine, or inspiring devotion. Theology speculates. It experiments with questions and advances hypotheses. It tests new angles and pulls loose threads. It reads old texts in careful and creative ways.
