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Just like the candy M&M’s come in so many colors but all taste the same, missionary work looks different for every person but all leads to the same thing—bringing souls unto Christ.
Four-part series concerning Peruvian antiquity and its parallels with the Book of Mormon. Machu Picchu in Peru was a cultivated, highly civilized area in Peru two thousand years ago. The Incan civilization that developed there was built by “white, auburn haired, bearded men” and tradition speaks of four brothers who correspond in many ways to the Book of Mormon brothers Laman, Lemuel, Nephi and Sam. Historical, traditional, and archaeological parallels resemble the Book of Mormon. These ancient people were acquainted with the Christianity.
There should be nothing casual, nonchalant, or indifferent about holding priesthood. Once accepted, it should not be ignored, neglected, or cast aside. It is a mantle of honor and power.
The idea of names as “keywords” has been associated with temples since very early times. In a temple context, the meaning of the term “keyword” can be taken quite literally: the use of the appropriate keyword or keywords by a qualified worshipper “unlocks” each one of a successive series of gates, thus providing access to specific, secured areas of the sacred space. In this presentation, we will explore how a series of names and titles purportedly given to Moses at various points in his life might relate to accounts of his ascents to heaven.
Book of Moses Topics > Temple Themes in the Book of Moses and Related Scripture
Book of Moses Topics > Temple Themes in the Book of Moses and Related Scripture
RSC Topics > D — F > Education
RSC Topics > L — P > Learning
Remember, glorious as this physical tabernacle is, the body is designed to support something even more glorious—the eternal spirit that dwells in each of our mortal frames. The great accomplishments of this life are rarely physical. Those attributes by which we shall be judged one day are spiritual.
There is an urgency for you to fulfill your duty to God. I am confident that you will.
Gives references for several “choice passages” in the Book of Mormon, which include sermons, father-to-son talks, letters, missionary experiences, and visits of Jesus Christ. Accompanying chart details compilation of records that made up the plates given to Joseph Smith.
“I hope that we may continually improve our behavior toward others in the way our Savior would have us do, to be magnanimous in our thoughts and deeds.”
An Address by Elder Parley P. Pratt, Delivered in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, September 23, 1855. Reported By: G. D. Watt.
A Book of Mormon left in the author’s mailbox lay unread for several years. Prayer seemed to be the way to find the truthfulness of the book and dispel fearful and doubtful feelings. Assurance and conversion followed a simple prayer.
Finding vast numbers of remains of both cultural and skeletal materials at archaeological sites is the main challenge to Book of Mormon archaeology. Further, these materials must match with Book of Mormon accounts in dating period, geographical area, and description. Excavations in Mexico and Central America have been made since 1830 that actually date according to the Book of Mormon period.
How Israel accepted the law but missed the Lawgiver
Old Testament Topics > Bible: Joseph Smith Translation (JST)
RSC Topics > L — P > Prophets
RSC Topics > T — Z > Testimony
A condensed version of Mormonism: Shadow or Reality?
Andrea Thomas teaches that doing small things and listening to those around us are easy ways to make a difference in the world.
Change yourself. Decide today “I am going to make the Church and kingdom of God the center of my life!” Position yourself firmly inside God’s kingdom; allow it to encompass you.
Despite all of the negative challenges we have in life, we must take time to actively exercise our faith.
Old Testament Topics > Old Testament: Overviews and Manuals
I plead with you today to counter the lure of the world by making time for the Lord in your life—each and every day.
RSC Topics > Q — S > Salvation
RSC Topics > Q — S > Sin
It is my contention that a responsible and usable approach to interpreting and understanding the Book of Mormon requires that the reader be brought into a historical conversation with the early nineteenth century, a larger hermeneutical conversation with the text itself, and an interpretive strategy that may enable a more-adequate understanding of a reading of the Book of Mormon, which would include the perceived aims and purposes of Joseph Smith Jr. himself. Such an approach is necessary if one is to adequately understand the word and witness of the Book of Mormon in the twenty-first century. [From the article]
Fundamentals of daily living—scripture reading, prayer, family home evening, the conversation at dinner—these provide the experiences that make faith a reality.
Listen, learn, live, and serve, and as you do so you will carve out memories that will be etched into your heart and soul. Our memories and experiences, our friendships and closeness that we have developed will last with us wherever we go.
As you examine the memorabilia you have put into your book of life, will you find the ones prescribed by the Lord in being obedient to his laws?
An illustrated history of Joseph Smith for young readers. Presents a narrative of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon from the irst visits of Moroni to the testimonies of the witnesses. This work is reviewed in B.191.
Discusses the creation of a high quality Book of Mormon film.
Several important principles can help make sense of your blessing’s counsel: how to understand God’s promises, make sense of His timing, and find guidance and peace in the present.
Direction came to Joseph Smith from the Lord, who instructed Joseph to build the first temple in this dispensation in Kirtland. This temple was built out of the poverty of the Saints, and shortly after its dedication the Lord came and accepted it. At that glorious time other heavenly manifestations also took place, including the fulfillment of the prophecy found in Malachi.
Old theories die hard in academia, at least when they are entrenched and have been defended intellectually with fervor. Only with overwhelming evidence to the contrary does the institutional status quo crumble and make way for new theories to find legitimacy within the academic mainstream. Illustrative of this struggle for acceptance in the academy has been the contest between the establishment position that ancient American civilization evolved in complete independence from the Old World and the “cultural diffusion hypothesis.” The latter proposes that American societies did not arise and develop in total isolation but were stimulated by connections from the Old World.
Resolve that each moment of your life will reflect your determination to humbly be an example of righteousness, integrity, and conviction.
Abstract: Apologetics is typically seen as a purely cerebral activity designed to convince others of the truth or, at least, of the plausibility of certain propositions, typically but not always religious. In the case of the Gospel, however, mere intellectual assent isn’t enough—not in the eyes of God and, probably, not for the typical mortal human being. To please God, we must live our lives according to the Gospel, not merely concede its truth. But living such lives to the end requires that we love God and the Gospel and find them desirable, in addition to checking off a list of required faith-statements. Can apologetics play a role in encouraging and cultivating such attitudes as well as in convincing our heads? This article maintains that apologetics can and should play such a role, and invites those with the appropriate gifts and abilities to make the effort to do so.
Emphasis on temples and sealing keys
“In recent decades, Mormon scholars have narrowed down the search for the land of promise. Some of the most popular hypotheses propose that Book of Mormon events occurred in MesoAmerica. Internal evidence in the Book of Mormon, based mostly upon times required to travel from site to site, clearly supports the concept of a restricted area… possibly a few hundred miles in length and less than that in width. In recent years, a significant amount of ’digging around’ has accordingly been undertaken by well qualified experts in archaeology and anthropology. Clearly a driving force in the efforts has been the desire to prove that the Book of Mormon is a genuine scripture and that Joseph Smith was an authentic Prophet of God… My hope is that, as an uninvited intruder in a sacred domain, I will be permitted to present the Malay Hypothesis as a tentative guess… The presentation is divided into sections. In each section an attempt is made to show how well the accounts in the Book of Mormon and the archaeological evidence ’fit’ the Old World Hypothesis [and more specifically, the Malay Hypothesis]. Each section is reasonably independent of other sections; accordingly, there is some repetition. Comparisons are made, where appropriate, to traditional New World Hypotheses [and, more specifically, the currently popular MesoAmerican Hypotheses].” [Author’s introduction]
Prompted by inconsistencies in the placement of Book of Mormon events in the Americas, the author proposes the Malay Peninsula as an alternative location. While not claiming to definitively prove the location, the author gives cultural, geographic, and agricultural evidence that supports the Malay theory.
Remarks by Elder John Taylor, made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, February 19, 1860. Reported By: G. D. Watt.
“Men are that they might have joy” (2 Nephi 11:25-27). The resurrected man can die no more, his spirit and body will never be divided again, and thus will progress through the eternities if he wills it so (Alma 11:45).
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Alma
Joy comes from experiencing and knowing opposites, and then choosing the better part (2 Nephi 2:25).
The doctrine of free agency is strongly set forth (2 Nephi 2:26-27; Alma 29:4).
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Alma
Discourse by President Joseph F. Smith, delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday, June 18, 1882. Reported By: Geo. F. Gibbs.
Old Testament Topics > Adam and Eve [see also Fall]
Old Testament Topics > Symposia and Collections of Essays
Old Testament Topics > Adam and Eve [see also Fall]
A look at biblical examples of how man averted war
First, I want to deal with the figure of the Son of Man in ancient literature, reviewing along the way what current biblical scholarship says about this personality, especially since he is mentioned prominently in nonscriptural sources. Second, I intend to treat the question of the anthropomorphic view of God in scripture, specifically in the Old Testament. Third, I wish to touch on the issue of the nature of the titles used for deity throughout scripture, for we all have the impression that a great many are applied to God, especially within the pages of the Old Testament. Fourth and last, I want to single out the parallels in ancient Christian and Jewish literature to the remarkable, almost singular theological position to which we Latter-day Saints are committed when we call deity a Man, whether Man of Holiness, Man of Counsel (Moses 7:35), or some similar title.
Book of Moses Topics > Messianic and Christological Themes in the Book of Moses
Book of Moses Topics > Messianic and Christological Themes in the Book of Moses
Book of Moses Topics > Messianic and Christological Themes in the Book of Moses
Briefly discusses some of the characteristics of Jacob, son of Lehi. Jacob is portrayed as a man to whom others look for an example of spiritual living.
A feeling of responsibility for others is at the heart of faithful priesthood service.
Discourse by Elder Orson Pratt, delivered in the Sixteenth Ward Assembly Rooms, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, March 14, 1875. Reported By: David W. Evans.
A Discourse by Elder Lorenzo Snow, Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, Sunday Morning, January 18, 1857. Reported By: J. V. Long.
This article describes how the voyage of Christopher Columbus was foreseen by the Book of Mormon prophets. The spirit of the Lord “wrought upon the man.” Columbus wrote to King Ferdinand of his desire to spread the word of God as foretold by the prophet Isaiah in chapters 24 and 64. His journal excerpts show his loyalty to God and his own knowledge of his divine appointment. He recorded that an angel appeared to him and gave him keys to “bind the oceans” and to link the continents.
After nearly three-quarters of a century, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sought to reestablish its presence in the Palmyra area by sending Willard W. Bean and his family to live in the newly acquired Joseph Smith Sr. home in Manchester, New York. Bean soon discovered he had a difficult task set before him because Joseph Smith and Mormonism were held in derision in Palmyra. During the twenty-four years that the Bean family lived in the home, they overcame ostracization through cultivating friendships and preaching the gospel. Willard Bean was instrumental in the acquisition of additional properties of historical significance, including the Hill Cumorah. He restored and improved the Hill Cumorah and nearby acreage. Having completed their assignment to make friends for the church in Palmyra and to build up the church there, the Beans were released from their mission in 1939.
Abstract: Since 1829, various theories about the production of the Book of Mormon have been proposed. Modern scholarship has moved away from the idea that Joseph Smith actually translated ancient engravings into English. Two books, A Man That Can Translate and Infinite Goodness, propose a “neo-orthodox” view, offering evidence that Joseph did translate ancient engravings into English. Recent reviews in the Interpreter of these two books significantly misunderstand and misrepresent the argument. This response corrects some of those misconceptions. [Editor’s note: We are pleased to present this response to two recent book reviews in the pages of Interpreter. Consistent with practice in many academic journals, we are also publishing a rejoinder from the author of those reviews, immediately following this response.]
A Sermon by President Orson Hyde, Delivered in Great Salt Lake City. Reported By: G. D. Watt.
Discourse by Elder Orson Pratt, delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, August 8, 1880. Reported By: John Irvine.
A Discourse by President Orson Hyde, Delivered at the General Conference Held in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, Oct. 6, 1853. Reported By: G. D. Watt.
In this work the Book of Mormon is seen in a new perspective; we see it in a world setting, not in a mere local one. It takes its place naturally alongside the Bible and other great works of antiquity and becomes one of them.
A discussion of Lehi’s avoidance with contact of other humans and suggests that, from what we know today, this is consistent with the behavior of modern Arabs and with known conditions in the desert in Lehi’s day.
In this work the Book of Mormon is seen in a new perspective; we see it in a world setting, not in a mere local one. It takes its place naturally alongside the Bible and other great works of antiquity and becomes one of them.
Discusses Nephi’s description of his father’s eight years of wandering in the desert versus what we know of the desert today and suggests that this gives us an all but foolproof test for the authenticity of the Book of Mormon.
This article is about Edward King or Viscount Kingsborough, author of a nine-volume work The Antiquities of Mexico, believed that the Ancient Americans were members of the house of Israel and at some time in their history they had been visited by Jesus Christ.
RSC Topics > L — P > Obedience
RSC Topics > L — P > Personal Revelation
RSC Topics > Q — S > Service
Old Testament Topics > Adam and Eve [see also Fall]
Old Testament Topics > Marriage
Discourse by Elder John Taylor, delivered at the Forty-Fifth Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, in the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Thursday Morning, April 8, 1875. Reported By: David W. Evans.
Discourse by Elder John Taylor, delivered at the Forty-Fifth Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, in the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Thursday Morning, April 8, 1875. Reported By: David W. Evans.
Old Testament Topics > Creation
An Address by President Brigham Young, Delivered at the General Conference in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, Oct. 9, 1852. Reported By: G. D. Watt.
Discourse by Elder Moses Thatcher, delivered at the General Conference, Tuesday Afternoon, April 8, 1879. Reported By: Geo. F. Gibbs.
Discourse by Elder Orson Pratt, delivered in the Tabernacle, Ogden, Saturday Morning, August 16, 1873. Reported By: James Taylor.
Discourse by President John Taylor, delivered at the time of the Dedication of the Temple, in the Tabernacle, Logan, Cache County, Sunday Afternoon, May 18, 1884. Reported By: John Irvine.
RSC Topics > L — P > Parenting
RSC Topics > Q — S > Service
RSC Topics > T — Z > War
This article quotes Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and other contemporary accounts to show how and where Joseph obtained the plates. It also quotes Emma Smith and the Three Witnesses to explain that the Book of Mormon was translated with divine aid and with the use of the Urim and Thummim.
Old Testament Topics > Prophets and Prophecy
Deals with external evidences of the Book of Mormon: testimonies of the witnesses, American Indian traditions, and Mesoamerican ruins.
Prophecies in the Old and New Testaments and Book of Mormon tell of the apostasy. The dispensation of the fullness of times was established through the work of Joseph Smith and the revelation of the Nephite records.
Teaches the importance of the Book of Mormon as a witness for God and the Bible. Explores the Bible in the nineteenth century, the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, the contents of the book, and how it supports the Bible.
Deals with external and internal evidences of the Book of Mormon.
The author asserts the gold plates of the Book of Mormon never existed because gold was not used in America until the eleventh century. The Indians are of mongoloid origin and not Hebrew. Joseph Smith plagiarized the Bible, Book of Mormon witnesses did not really see the plates, and there is no archaeological evidence for the Book of Mormon.
Among the biographical sketches of ancient prophets are Nephi and Moriancumer, the brother of Jared.
Biographical sketches of ancient prophets, a continuation of the 1903-1904 manual (see above). Includes King Benjamin, Abinadi, Alma the Younger, Ammon, Mormon, and Moroni.
Solomon Spaulding was born at Ashford, Connecticut, on 21 February 1761. He served in the Revolutionary War, graduated from Dartmouth College, preached as an ordained evangelist, and was involved in several unsuccessful business ventures. He died at age fifty-five in October 1816 in Amity, Pennsylvania, nearly fourteen years before the publication of the Book of Mormon in 1830. In about 1812, while living in New Salem (now Conneaut), Ohio, Spaulding wrote a fictional historical romance that he introduced as a translation from Latin of a portion of twenty-eight rolls of parchment he had found in a small cave near the remains of an ancient fort on the west bank of the Conneaut River. His novel has become known as “Manuscript Story” or “Manuscript Found.” It tells of a group of Romans in the days of Constantine (Roman emperor, A.D. 306–37) whose ship, blown off course by a fierce storm, carried them across the Atlantic Ocean to what is now the northeastern United States. The story contains an account of the history, wars, and religion of several groups of natives discovered by the Romans.
“The “Manuscript Found”: Manuscript Story” (1885)
Manuscript Found: The Complete Original “Spaulding Manuscript” (1996)
Introduces Spaulding’s Manuscript Found and reprints the first few pages of the manuscript for the purpose of showing RLDS readers that the manuscript bears no resemblance to the Book of Mormon.
Reprint of a letter from the Toledo Weekly Blade accusing ‘Mormons’ of printing Spaulding’s Manuscript Found for the purpose of refuting the argument that the Book of Mormon is based on that manuscript.
This three-part essay describes in detail the experience of the author in obtaining Solomon Spaulding’s manuscript, purported to be similar to the Book of Mormon, while in Honolulu. The third part disproves the testimonies of the witnesses included in part II.
This was the first-ever facsimile edition of Manuscript Found, which preserves the original unedited words, spelling, and punctuation of Spaulding’s handwritten text published. While Manuscript Found will undoubtedly never become a literary classic, modern readers will enjoy the charm, spontaneity, and subtle humor of its author. Spaulding’s novel provides an engaging view into one man’s fanciful reconstruction of Native American life. But it will not take long for readers to see that it bears no resemblance to the Book of Mormon. Nevertheless, this unique edition will be a useful reference for students of Latter-day Saint history and nineteenth-century American culture. ISBN 9781570082979
“The “Manuscript Found”: A Verbatim Copy of the Original” (1885)“The “Manuscript Found”: Manuscript Story” (1886)
A fictional novel claimed by many to have been the basis used by Joseph Smith to create the Book of Mormon. It is a story of a group of Romans driven to the Americas by a tremendous storm in the third century a.d. The manuscript contains descriptions of the “natives” and the castaways’ dealings with them.
Explains the manner in which the Spaulding Manuscript was preserved and placed in the possession of the RLDS church. Includes letters from James H. Fairchild stating that the Spaulding theory for the Book of Mormon need be relinquished and from L. L. Rice explaining how he had obtained the manuscript. Includes a reprint of the manuscript.
This three-part essay describes in detail the experience of the author in obtaining Solomon Spaulding’s manuscript, purported to be similar to the Book of Mormon, while in Honolulu. The first part deals with the origin of and initial reactions to the Spaulding Manuscript and its relationship to the Book of Mormon.
This three-part essay describes in detail the experience of the author in obtaining Solomon Spaulding’s manuscript, purported to be similar to the Book of Mormon, while in Honolulu. The second part refutes the idea that the Book of Mormon is based on or similar to the Spaulding Manuscript and contains a number of interviews with the involved parties.
A fictional account of a Roman citizen who made his way to the American continent and there set up a colony among the natives. Includes an introductory letter by L. L. Rice, who found the manuscript, in which he concludes that this story was not the basis for the Book of Mormon.
An RLDS publication, containing primary documents relative to the Spaulding manuscript, including letters from L. L. Rice and a lecture by James H. Fairchild of Oberlin College. Concludes that it is unlikely that Spaulding had anything to do with the Book of Mormon.
A theory proposed by E. D. Howe (Mormonism Unveiled) purports that Sidney Rigdon stole Spaulding’s manuscript and rewrote it for Joseph Smith to publish. It was research into the history of the manuscript that led to the conclusion that the Book of Mormon and Spaulding manuscript are not related. An excerpt from the manuscript is reprinted and Spaulding’s religious beliefs are explored. Rigdon’s denial is included.
This is a reprint from Western Reserve Historical Society 3:185-200, and is also found in Tract #77, March 23, 1886, RLDS Church. The author concludes that Spaulding’s Manuscript Lost and the Book of Mormon are not related, contrary to the theory suggested by Howe’s Mormonism Unvailed. An excerpt from Manuscript Lost is reprinted as well as Spaulding’s feelings about the Christian religion and the Bible. Rigdon’s denial that he wrote the book is included.
Details of the history of Book of Mormon manuscripts and RLDS editions are summarized in a chart. Concludes with the suggestion that a corrected text is needed.
The Book of Mormon foretells the rise of the United States of America and its divinely inspired constitution. In order for Latter-day Saints to exercise their freedom of religion the God-inspired government must be maintained. The Book of Mormon provides the pattern for maintaining the constitution and the freedom of governing oneself.
No abstract available.
Due to the preaching of the sons of Mosiah, many Lamanites converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and became righteous.
Old Testament Topics > Adam and Eve [see also Fall]
Old Testament Topics > Women in the Old Testament
Review of Dennis Largey, Andrew Hedges, John Hilton III, and Kerry Hull, eds. The Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon: A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, in cooperation with Deseret Book Company, Salt Lake City, 2015, pp 308.
Abstract: At the end of October each year, speakers from the Church Educational System, as well as other gospel scholars, gather at Brigham Young University to make presentations at the Sidney B. Sperry Symposium. The Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon: A Marvelous Work and a Wonder is a compilation of the addresses given at the forty-fourth symposium, in 2015. This volume does not so much delve into the doctrine of the Book of Mormon as it studies the history behind its coming into the world. Just as the doctrine itself is inspirational, the story behind the coming forth of the Book of Mormon serves as an inspiration and a testament to its truthfulness.
Pointed social commentary concerning the state of the natural environment.
Hugh W. Nibley Topics > Stewardship, Creation, Earth, Environment
Brother Brigham Challenges the Saints presents Hugh Nibley’s reflections on the thoughts of Brigham Young on politics, education, leadership, and the environment. The timeliness of Brigham’s counsel on these topics will quickly become apparent to readers, as will the unique insights that Nibley adds. This volume will amuse, provoke, and challenge and, above all, educate.
Hugh W. Nibley Topics > Stewardship, Creation, Earth, Environment
Discourse by Apostle Wilford Woodruff, delivered in the Assembly Hall, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, March 26, 1882. Reported By: Geo. F. Gibbs.
Discourse by President John Taylor, delivered in Payson, Thursday Evening, Nov. 23, 1882. Reported By: John Irvine.
Following the Lord’s pattern to hear and give heed to divine truth will help you build a personal spiritual foundation and determine what you will become.
Review of Marjorie Newton, Tiki and Temple: The Mormon Mission in New Zealand, 1854–1958 (Salt Lake City: Greg Kofford Books, 2012), xv + 328 pp. (including a glossary of Māori words, three appendices, bibliography, two maps, twenty-nine illustrations and a photography register, and index). $29.95 (paperback).
Abstract: Marjorie Newton’s widely acclaimed Tiki and Temple ((Marjorie Newton has received several awards for her book, and it has also been reviewed favorably.)) is a history of the first century of Latter-day Saint missionary endeavors in Aotearoa/New Zealand. She tells the remarkable story of what, beginning in 1881, rapidly became essentially a Māori version of the faith of Latter-day Saints. Her fine work sets the stage for a much closer look at the deeper reasons some Māori became faithful Latter-day Saints. It turns out that Māori seers (and hence their own prophetic tradition) was, for them, commensurate with the divine special revelations brought to them by LDS missionaries. Among other things, the arcane lore taught in special schools to an elite group among the Māori is now receiving close attention by Latter-day Saint scholars.
Abstract: Selwyn Kātene has again assembled twelve essays written by the descendants of famous Māori Latter-day Saints. This volume flows from a revival of interest in the ground and content of the faith of early Māori Saints that began in the late 1990s. In various ways the essays in this volume add to and amend what has previously been known about what began unexpectedly on Christmas Day in 1882, when the first group of Māori joined the Church of Jesus Christ. Not only did the Māori have Seers who opened the way, some of those elite Māori men, who had been initiated into Māori esoteric knowledge of divine things, also found that their temple endowment fit rather snugly with their previous initiation ceremonies. Unlike other Christian missionaries, Latter-day Saint missionaries did not see the Māori as primitive heathens, and Māori saw in the restored gospel crucial elements of their own deeper understanding of divine things. Latter-day Saint missionaries were seeking to liberate Māori from the soul-destroying vices brought to them or enhanced by British colonization, while relishing the most noble elements in the Māori world.
Review of Selwyn Kātene, ed., By Their Fruits You Will Know Them: Early Maori Leaders in the Mormon Church, vol. 2 (Wellington, New Zealand: Steele Roberts Publishers, 2017). 295 pp. N.Z. $39.99 (hardback).
A review of Jason Hartley. Ngā Mahi: The Things We Need to Do; The Pathway of the Stars. n.p.: Xlibris, 2013. 264 pp., no index. $23.00AUD (softcover).
Jason Hartley’s book manifests a passion for alleviating the problem of Māori surging into the prisons of Aotearoa/New Zealand
by restoring their old, traditional religious ethos and the social control that hinges on the recovery of the old belief that they are potentially noble children of God. In setting out his own disappointing discovery of the roots of both a growing problem and what he believes is the solution, he describes how he came to learn the arcane moral teachings, or old stories, that once buttressed Māori social order. For Latter-day Saints, he also demonstrates that for some Māori, despite much degradation, the Heavens are still open, just as they were when Latter-day Saint missionaries first encountered a people prepared for them and their message by their own seers, thus also implicitly challenging recent efforts to downplay or explain away the old stories as mere embellishments, wishful thinking, or an implausible founding mythology.
The M?ori people read and understood the Book of Mormon from their own cultural perspective. Rather than examining particular verses for doctrinal content, the M?ori viewed the Book of Mormon as a moral story of a people with failings and strengths. They likened the stories to themselves, feeling they lacked the spiritual strength to stay on a righteous path for long. They saw a tragic story of families in conflict and subtribes and tribes quarreling with each other and bent on revenge for personal insults and factional quarrels. The kinship ties seemed particularly relevant to them. The Book of Mormon can be read in multiple ways and will be interpreted according to the cultural background of those reading it.
In this article John-Charles Duffy provides an extensive overview of the place of the Book of Mormon among Church members, scholars, and those inside the Church and out of it over the 19th and 20th centuries. Includes the brief article “Did B. H. Roberts Lose Faith in Book of Mormon Historicity?”
Mapping Mormonism brings together contributions from sixty experts in the fields of geography, history, Mormon history, and economics to produce the most monumental work of its kind. More than an atlas, this book also includes hundreds of timelines and charts, along with carefully researched descriptions, that track the Mormon movement from its humble beginnings to its worldwide expansion. A work of this magnitude rarely comes along. Mapping Mormonism’s first edition proved to be a landmark reference work in Mormon studies; now it is further improved and updated with the latest information in this second edition. This work covers the early Restoration, the settlement of the West, and the expanding Church, giving particular emphasis to recent developments in the modern Church throughout all regions of the world. Of all the books on Church history, Mapping Mormonism may be the single most effective work to date at giving an expansive vision of the rise of the LDS Churcha vision as vibrant as those who have led the way in building Zion. In 2012, Mapping Mormonism won the Mormon History Association Best Book Award and the Cartography and Geographic Information Society Best Atlas Award.
Contains synopses of each chapter in the Book of Mormon, 32 hypothetical maps to illustrate where events took place, and listings of geographical references. This work is reviewed in S.514.
A Discourse by President Brigham Young, Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, June 13th, 1852. Reported By: G. D. Watt.
Review of Strangers in Paradox: Explorations in Mormon Theology (1990), by Margaret and Paul Toscano.
Reviews of Margaret Barker. Temple Themes in Chrstian Worship.
Review of Sweet is the Word: Reflections on the Book of Mormon? Its Narrative, Teachings, and People (1996), by Marilyn Arnold
A Review of Marjorie Newton, Southern Cross Saints: The Mormons in Australia, foreword by Lawrence Foster (xiii-xv). (Laie, HI: Institute for Polynesian Studies, 1991). xxvi+283 pp., with a glossary of Latter-day Saint Terms (257–59), Bibliography (261–71), Index (273–83). Softcover (out of print, but copies are still available).
Abstract: This is a survey of Marjorie Newton’s account of Latter-day Saints in Australia which identifies the roots of her agenda — that is, what she was striving to accomplish in her first book in 1991 (and the other related essays) which she published before turning her attention to a criticism of the faith of Māori Latter-day Saints, first in 1998 and then in 2014. Midgley locates in her early publications on the Saints in Australia early signs of her controlling cultural Mormon agenda and hence how and why she insists that there has been a trampling of the Māori culture by what she considers a Mormon version of American cultural imperialism.
Abstract: Marjorie Newton’s Mormon and Maori is a version of her 1998 thesis in which she rejects key elements of the Māori Latter-day Saint historical narrative. This contrasts with her earlier, faith-affirming Tiki and Temple. In Mormon and Maori Newton targets what she sees as Māori/missionary mythology. She has written for different audiences; one was for secular religious studies scholars, while the other was for faithful Saints. Midgley rejects Newton’s claim that a Mormon American cultural imperialism requires Māori to abandon noble elements of their culture. Faithful Saints are liberated from the soul destroying behavior that results from the loss of traditional Māori moral restraints. Midgley insists that Newton has little understanding of the deeper structures of Māori culture.
Review of Marjorie Newton, Mormon and Maori (Salt Lake City: Greg Kofford Books, 2014). 248 pp. $24.95 (paperback).
Review of The Power of God (1997), by Mark A. Smith
Review of “A Rhetorical Approach to the Book of Mormon: Rediscovering Nephite Sacramental Language” (1993), by Mark D. Thomas.
Smith’s newest book, Where the Gods Are: Spatial Dimensions of Anthropomorphism in the Biblical World (part of the Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library), continues that multidisciplinary trajectory, examining early anthropomorphic conceptualizations of deity in the Hebrew Bible and in cognate literature, as well as the way place and space mediated, influenced, and constrained those conceptualizations. The salience of anthropomorphism in recent years owes much to recent publications like Esther Hamori’s “When Gods Were Men” (2008),4 Benjamin Sommer’s The Bodies of God and the World of Ancient Israel (2009),5 and Anne Knafl’s Forming God: Divine Anthropomorphism in the Pentateuch (2014),6 and Smith engages with each in outlining a unique model of divine embodiment. However, Smith also seeks new insights in Where the Gods Are through the interpretive frameworks of materiality and spatiality, briefly roping in discussions about cognitive science and anthropology (without straying too far from his methodological wheelhouse).
The small detail of the “chief market” mentioned in the story of Nephi’s prayer on his tower (Helaman 7:10) corresponds well to what is known of marketplaces in ancient Mesoamerica.
RSC Topics > D — F > Discipleship
RSC Topics > L — P > New Testament
A tract attempting to prove the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon through a discussion of the marred servant (Isaiah 52:13-15).
Discourse by Elder Orson Pratt, delivered in the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, August 31, 1873. Reported By: David W. Evans.
If two people love the Lord more than their own lives and then love each other more than their own lives, working together in total harmony with the gospel program as their basic structure they are sure to have this great happiness.
RSC Topics > L — P > Marriage
RSC Topics > L — P > Plan of Salvation
In a society where marriage is often shunned, parenthood avoided, and families degraded, we have the responsibility to honor our marriages, nurture our children, and fortify our families.
This article consists of a careful study of the religious beliefs and practices of the Quiché Maya, indicating that their roots may be found in the Book of Mormon narrative. The author discusses marriage customs of the Quiché Maya.
A careful study of the religious beliefs and practices of the Quiché Maya indicate that their roots may be found in the Book of Mormon narrative. Discusses marriage customs of the Quiché Maya.
Old Testament Topics > Abraham and Sarah [see also Covenant]
Old Testament Topics > Marriage
Old Testament Topics > Plural Marriage
Old Testament Topics > Priesthood
Old Testament Topics > Women in the Old Testament
RSC Topics > A — C > Creation
RSC Topics > L — P > Marriage
Old Testament Topics > Women in the Old Testament
The marriage of Hosea and Gomer illuminates the covenant relationship of Jehovah and Israel
RSC Topics > A — C > Covenant
Old Testament Topics > Women in the Old Testament
RSC Topics > L — P > Marriage
RSC Topics > L — P > Old Testament
Discourse by Apostle Erastus Snow, delivered in the Salt Lake Assembly Hall, Sunday Afternoon, February 26, 1882. Reported By: Geo. F. Gibbs.
A Lecture by President Orson Hyde, Delivered at the General Conference, in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, October 6, 1854. Reported By: G. D. Watt.
An Address by President Brigham Young, Delivered at the General Conference, in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, October 6, 1854. Reported By: G. D. Watt.
Old Testament Topics > Adam and Eve [see also Fall]
Old Testament Topics > Marriage
Old Testament Topics > Women in the Old Testament
Every time we go to the temple, the ordinances reorient us to the natural order of the universe, including the natural order of marriage. Like the ancient mariner, we look to the heavens to get our bearings—and we do that through the temple.
Remarks by Elder Amasa M. Lyman, delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, April 5, 1866. Reported By: G. D. Watt.
The promises of the Lord are extended to all those who follow the pattern of life that builds happy, holy marriage relationships.
This first of two volumes of essays honoring Hugh Nibley includes scholarly papers based on what the contributors have learned from Dr. Nibley. Nearly every major subject that he has encompassed in his vast learning and scholarly production is represented here by at least one article. Topics include the influence of Nibley, Copts and the Bible, the Seventy in scripture, the great apostasy, the book of Daniel in early Mormon thought, an early Christian initiation ritual, John’s Apocalypse, ancient Jewish seafaring, Native American rites of passage, Sinai as sanctuary and mountain of God, the Qurʾan and creation ex nihilo, and the sacred handclasp and embrace.
A study into the original Roman New Year and how some of those traditions carry on now in March instead.
A biography that relates the story of Martin Harris’s loss of the 116 manuscript pages of the Book of Mormon and his experience of seeing the gold plates and signing the testimony of the Three Witnesses. Includes a letter by Martin Harris wherein he states that he never denied the truth of the Book of Mormon.
This article is a presentation of two recorded testimonies of Martin Harris concerning his vision as one of the Three Witnesses.
I…have chosen to see the hand of the Lord not only in our history but also in the discovery of new understandings of His handiwork in the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in these latter days.
A biographical treatise of Martin Harris that includes a discussion of his willingness to sacrifice much of his own property and personal life, in spite of his own doubts and apprehensions, to assist with the publication of the Book of Mormon.
The character of Martin Harris, one of the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, is examined. The author examines accounts of the associates of Martin Harris in the three decades he lived in Palmyra, New York.
Martin Harris: Uncompromising Witness of the Book of Mormon reveals the compelling story of a man who had seen angels and knew Joseph Smith was a prophet but who nevertheless struggled to keep his faith in the prophetic calling of Joseph Smith and the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. His is a story of fascination with worldly honors, flirtations with apostasy, and pride that nearly cost him the joy of his later years in the West. It is the biography of a witness who clung tenaciously to his testimony of the Book of Mormon. Well-known historians Susan Black and Larry Porter have written a landmark biography of Martin Harris, one of the most important figures in early Church history. Joseph Smith relied on his generosity and goodwill to publish the Book of Mormon, of which he was one of the Three Witnesses. But Latter-day Saints in the twenty-first century know relatively little about him, especially the decades he spent away from the Restoration—until now. This biography deserves a place on the bookshelves of historians and other interested Church members. Strongly recommend. Reid L. Neilson Assistant Church Historian and Recorder The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints This deeply researched book examines the life of one of Joseph Smith’s closest associates in the Church’s early years. It tells us more about significant episodes, such as the printing of the Book of Mormon, than anyone has ever known. Most important, it helps us reassess the character of Martin Harris, a key contributor to the Restoration. Harris emerges as a man of substance and judgment, a fitting witness to the angel and the plates. The book explains how he fell away and then returned but at no time backed away from his testimony. Richard Lyman Bushman Author, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling As one of the earliest believers in Joseph Smith’s spiritual claims, Martin Harris figured prominently in the early events of the Restoration. He observed firsthand many of the sacred scenes associated with the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, assisted in its translation, was one of the book’s Three Witnesses, financed its publication, and was one of the first converts baptized into the Church of Christ. Authors Susan Easton Black and Larry C. Porter have produced an insightful, informative, well-documented biography of Martin Harris’s lifelong religious sojourn—a life characterized by integrity, faith, and generosity, but most of all, testimony. This is solid, down-to-earth biographical history at its best. Alexander L. Baugh Professor, Church History and Doctrine, BYU
Relates Harris’s connection with the coming forth of the Book of Mormon and his unfaltering testimony regarding seeing the gold plates and the angel.
A biographical treatise on the life of Martin Harris that discusses his personal involvement in the coming forth of the Book of Mormon.
Recounts the circumstances leading to Martin Harris’s willingness to finance the publication of the Book of Mormon.
For children, the courageous story of Abinadi as he bears witness before King Noah (Mosiah 11-17).
RSC Topics > G — K > Heaven
RSC Topics > G — K > Joseph Smith
RSC Topics > L — P > Priesthood
RSC Topics > L — P > Prophets
RSC Topics > L — P > Marriage
RSC Topics > T — Z > War
This compilation of groundbreaking articles about the Martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith is selected from over fifty years of LDS scholarship published by BYU Studies. This volume features articles on Joseph’s meeting with John C. Calhoun Jr., a crime scene analysis of the Carthage Jail, the Joseph/Hyrum funeral sermon, mobocracy, the Martyrdom itself, and the aftermath of this tragic event. Contents “John C. Calhoun Jr. Meets the Prophet Joseph Smith Shortly before the Departure for Carthage” Brian Q. Cannon “The Martyrdom of Joseph Smith and His Brother Hyrum by Dan Jones introduced and translated” Ronald D. Dennis “Physical Evidence at Carthage Jail and What It Reveals about the Assassination of Joseph and Hyrum Smith” Joseph L. Lyon and David W. Lyon “The Joseph/Hyrum Smith Funeral Sermon” Richard S. Van Wagoner and Steven C. Walker “Life in Nauvoo, June 1844: Vilate Kimball’s Martyrdom Letters” Ronald K. Esplin “‘It Seems That All Nature Mourns’: Sally Randall’s Response to the Murder of Joseph and Hyrum Smith” Steven C. Harper and Jordan Watkins “A Little Known Account of the Murders of Joseph and Hyrum Smith” Jan Shipps “The Lynching of an American Prophet” Warren A. Jennings “Mobocracy and the Rule of Law: American Press Reaction to the Murder of Joseph Smith” Paul Ellsworth “Nauvoo’s Whistling and Whittling Brigade” Thurmon Dean Moody “‘Will the Murderers Be Hung?’ Albert Brown’s 1844 Letter and the Martyrdom of Joseph Smith” Timothy Merrill Review of Dallin H. Oaks and Marvin S. Hill, Carthage Conspiracy: The Trial of the Accused Assassins of Joseph Smith Reviewed by Klaus J. Hansen
“What bravery! They died with their boots on!” remarked one of the Zapatista executioners about the surreal way local Church leaders Rafael Monroy and Vicente Morales had stood to receive the fusillade of bullets that pierced their bodies. The terror of facing an execution squad notwithstanding, no cowering, begging, or hysterics marred their calm and stalwart resolution to not renounce their faith. The Zapatista commander had given them that option. The men responded by reaffirming their religious convictions, emphasizing that the only arms they possessed were not the concealed military weapons they were accused of hiding but rather their sacred texts—the Bible and the Book of Mormon. The book first examines the founding of the LDS Church in the village of San Marcos in Hidalgo, Mexico, amid the trials of the Mexican Revolution of 1910–17 and the martyrdom of two members. The second part explores the trials of developing and organizing the faith in the state of Hidalgo up through the 1950s. This book is a riveting story of Mexican members and their country’s society, economy, and polity. ISBN 978-1-9443-9432-5
We need to embrace, study, and appreciate the revealed truths that are ours. We need to declare the gospel generously and kindly to all of our Father’s children.
A radio address delivered Sunday, December 1, 1945, over KSL. Explains how Joseph Smith received the plates from the angel, translated them and published them. Determines that the Three Witnesses were privileged to view the plates.
God be thanked for His marvelous bestowal of testimony, authority, and doctrine associated with this, the restored Church of Jesus Christ.
The promises and prophecies of the Book of Mormon made to the descendants of the ancient American inhabitants are being fulfilled. The descendants have accepted and rejoiced in the Book of Mormon, as was foretold in the book. The gathering of Israel is based upon faith, repentance, baptism, and the reception of the Holy Ghost.
This article describes the importance of the Book of Mormon in the Restoration, missionary work, and daily life. The author gives his witness to the truthfulness and validity of the book.
This article states that faithful men and women all over the world bear witness of the authenticity of the Book of Mormon. The message can be spread throughout the world through Church members. Two stories, one of a Methodist minister and another of a young Baptist, reveal the value of this concept
Williams discusses Book of Mormon historiography and the “Galileo Event” which occurred when traditional historical and cultural views were questioned by scientific evidence. Specifically, Williams discusses the Lamanite identity and its resulting special status claimed by Latin American converts. He discusses the parallelomania in Book of Mormon scholarship and its consequences, concluding that Book of Mormon historicity is currently facing a redefinition wherein its traditional views are becoming less authoritative.
Isaiah 29 prophesies future events concerning the Book of Mormon. The history of the Church proves that the Mormon church is a marvelous work and a wonder. Most of the persecution against the Church stems from the Book of Mormon.
A series of radio addresses on the Book of Mormon discussing metal plates, the Spaulding manuscript, Hebrew traits and Bible quotations within it, the antiquity of the book, its current relevance, the Book of Mormon as a witness of the Bible, and the witnesses.
The Book of Mormon fulfills prophecies of Isaiah. The phrase “marvelous work and a wonder” (used by both Isaiah and Nephi) has a three-fold meaning: the true gospel of Jesus Christ would be restored, the covenants the Lord made with the children of Israel would be fulfilled, and the records of the ancient American people would be given to all of the world.
RSC Topics > D — F > Family
RSC Topics > L — P > Missionary Work
RSC Topics > Q — S > Relief Society
This article states that the Book of Mormon fulfills prophecies of Isaiah. The phrase “marvelous work and a wonder” (used by both Isaiah and Nephi) has a three-fold meaning: the true gospel of Jesus Christ would be restored, the covenants the Lord made with the children of Israel would be fulfilled, and the records of the ancient American people would be given to all of the world.
Address delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Uyah at the first session of General Conference, October 3, 1924.
Discourse by Elder Orson Pratt, delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, June 16, 1878. Reported By: Geo. F. Gibbs.
As part of the ongoing Museum of Art lecture series on the life of Christ, S. Kent Brown, director of FARMS, addressed the topic “The Birth of the Savior” on January 17. Drawing from Luke 1 and 2 and studies on life among ancient Jews, he focused on Mary and Elisabeth, whose lives are only faintly sketched in the scriptures.
These studies offer solid information about the material culture of the first-century Judea. Even though the story of Masada itself has recently become significantly politicized and rightly reexamined in the scholarly literature, these developments do not diminish the importance of this archaeological site as a source of information about the world of the New Testament.
A historical treatment of Mormonism and its possible connection with Free-masonry. The author suggests that the Book of Mormon’s Gadiaton Robbers reflect nineteenth century influences of anti-Masonic hysteria in New York during the late 1820s.
An historical treatment of the possible effects of Freemasonry on Mormonism. The writer recounts the anti-Masonic hysteria during the late 1820’s following the death of William Morgan. He notes that since many people of the time referred to Freemasonry as a “combination” or “secret society,” the Book of Mormon’s Gadianton Robbers may reflect environmental influence.
Review of Christopher Cain (producer). September Dawn and Review of Carole Whang Schutter. September Dawn.
Documents the history of archaeological work at El Mirador in Guatemala and suggests that this was a city abandoned by the Nephites about A.D. 300 (concurrent with the archaeological record).
A polemical attack on Mormon scriptures, including the Book of Mormon. There is no archaeological evidence for the Book of Mormon. Various anachronisms found in the Book of Mormon, such as the use of steel and Nephi’s temple in America, are discussed.
In 1899 a skeleton of a mastodon was found in North America and scientists believe that these ancient relatives of the elephant co-existed with men.
In the end, leadership is about serving, teaching, and encouraging and truly caring for individuals with kindness.
Sister Stephens testifies of the Savior’s power to heal us from our sins, from the unrighteous actions of others, and from difficulties of mortality.
2 Nephi 2:11-14 presents a brilliant philosophical discussion on the idea that there must be opposition in all things. The very existence of humanity depends upon these opposites.
RSC Topics > D — F > Education
RSC Topics > G — K > Honesty
RSC Topics > L — P > Learning
Inspiring learning is our entire university project. It is a shorthand description of the mission and aims. It is about educating our students by study, by faith, and by experience.
Contains many of the important works of Orson Pratt. Subjects include elephants of the Jaredite nation, darkness upon the American continent following the crucifixion, the Hill Cumorah, the Book of Mormon is consistent with the Bible, the witnesses to the Book of Mormon, and the Jaredite origins and records.
Review of S. Michael Wilcox, Holding On: Impulses to Leave and Strategies to Stay (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2021). 128 pages. $11.99 (paperback).Abstract: In his latest book, S. Michael Wilcox has written a masterpiece on grappling with doubts and overcoming our impulses to leave the Church. Wilcox displays a refreshing degree of personal vulnerability and openness, deep empathy and compassion for the struggling; and concrete and memorable suggestions for successfully dealing with faith crises. These traits give this book a power that no other work published by Deseret Book on this topic can match.
Chiasmus is a style of writing known in antiquity and mused by many ancient and some modern writers. It consists of arranging a series of words or ideas in one order, and then repeating it in reverse order. In the hands of a skillful writer, this literary form can serve several purposes. The repeating of key words in the two halves underlines the importance of the concepts they present. Furthermore, the main idea of the passage is placed at the turning point where the second half begins, which emphasizes it. The repeating form also enhances clarity and speeds memorizing. Readers (or listeners) gain a pleasing sense of completeness as the passage returns at the end to the idea that began it. Identifying the presence of chiasmus in a composition can reveal many complex and subtle features of the text.
Contains a poetic account of “the people and events depicted . . . by the Book of Mormon”
Omer, a descendant of Jared, departed the Jaredite lands to a place by the seashore. His community’s domesticated animals consisted of elephants and other unidentified animals that had perished by the time the Nephites arrived. Pratt muses about the disappearance of these animals and the remnants of curious animals found in New York.
Neal confronts critics’ claim that “spiritual eyes” indicated a subjective experience and not evidence of the verity of the plates.
An Address by President Heber C. Kimball, Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, Oct. 9, 1852, at the General Conference. Reported By: G. D. Watt.
Rahab, Tamar, Susanna, Mary, and Eve are all biblical women traditionally associated with sexually scandalous narratives in biblical text. Their stories are easily read initially as types of revealed shame that do not often carry that same burden for men in the story. Rahab’s narrative is found in Joshua 2 and 6, and its legacy continues in the genealogical references found in Ruth 4 and Matthew 1 as well as in the typology of her conversion in Hebrews 11 and James 2. Rahab’s story is ultimately part of a larger story about the sovereignty of Israel’s God and the accounting of his interventions and deliverance in bringing Israel into the promised land of Canaan.
The difference between happiness and misery … often comes down to an error of only a few degrees.
Review of Symbols in Stone: Symbolism on the Early Temples of the Restoration (1997), by Matthew B. Brown and Paul T. Smith
Abstract: As a graduate student, Gordon Thomasson had the opportunity to introduce two internationally renowned scholars to the publications and scholarship of Hugh Nibley: Matthew Black, an eminent scholar of ancient Enoch writings; and Mircea Eliade, famed chair of the History of Religions program at the University of Chicago. Upon hearing of Nibley’s Enoch discoveries, Black made an immediate, impromptu visit to BYU to meet him. Upon reading one of Nibley’s studies, Eliade proposed hiring him on the spot, exclaiming, “He knows my field better than I do, and his translations are elegant!”
[Editor’s Note: Part of our book chapter reprint series, this article is reprinted here as a service to the Latter-day Saint community. Original pagination and page numbers have necessarily changed, otherwise the reprint has the same content as the original.
See Gordon C. Thomasson, “Matthew Black and Mircea Eliade Meet Hugh Nibley,” in Hugh Nibley Observed, ed. Jeffrey M. Bradshaw, Shirley S. Ricks, and Stephen T. Whitlock” (Orem, UT: The Interpreter Foundation; Salt Lake City: Eborn Books, 2021), 423–432. Further information at https://interpreterfoundation.org/books/hugh-nibley-observed/.]
Hugh W. Nibley (1910–2005) was arguably the most brilliant Latter-day Saint scholar of the 20th century, with wide-ranging interests in scripture, history, and social issues. The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley comprise nineteen weighty volumes. But he was also one of the most enigmatic observers of the Church. In this volume readers will discover that the personal stories and perspectives behind the scholarship are sometimes even more captivating than his brilliant and witty intellectual breakthroughs. This comprehensive three-part collection of essays sheds fascinating new light on Hugh Nibley as a scholar and a man. Part 1, entitled “Portraits,” contains the first collection of observations—a “spiritual” portrait of Hugh Nibley by his close friend and colleague John W. “Jack” Welch, a description of the physical portrait by Rebecca Everett hanging in the Hugh Nibley Ancient Studies room at Brigham Young University, and a biographical portrait by Hugh himself. Part 2, “Nibley, the Scholar,” contains expanded and updated versions of the almost forgotten audio and video recordings of the BYU Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship lecture series celebrating the centennial of Nibley’s birth in 2010. An additional set of chapters on Nibley’s scholarship rounds out this collection. Part 3, “Nibley, the Man,” includes tributes given by family members and others at Nibley’s funeral service. A series of entertaining personal stories, reminiscences, and folklore accounts concludes the volume.
As a graduate student, Gordon Thomasson had the opportunity to introduce two internationally renowned scholars to the publications and scholarship of Hugh Nibley: Matthew Black, an eminent scholar of ancient Enoch writings; and Mircea Eliade, famed chair of the History of Religions program at the University of Chicago. Upon hearing of Nibley’s Enoch discoveries, Black made an immediate, impromptu visit to BYU to meet him. Upon reading one of Nibley’s studies, Eliade proposed hiring him on the spot, exclaiming, “He knows my field better than I do, and his translations are elegant!”
The past year intensified the study of the Prophet’s early life because of the release of two “treasure letters” seeming to illuminate the pre-Book of Mormon period. The questionable letter of Joseph Smith to Josiah Stowell in 1825 has a “clever spirit” guarding a treasure hoard. The questionable 1830 letter from Martin Harris to William W. Phelps claims that Joseph spoke of a salamander and “old spirit” at the hill in 1827, though Joseph’s real experience could be obscured by such a singular secondhand report. Publicity on these documents has stimulated research and reevaluation, some of it asserting a lifelong interest of the Prophet in paranormal discovery of riches. This paper examines the basis of such claims after 1827 and finds them wanting. Editor’s Note: The online version of this article was revised after it became public knowledge that the 1830 Martin Harris letter referred to in the article was a Mark Hofmann forgery.
Review of Robert M. Price. The Pre-Nicene New Testament: Fifty-four Formative Texts.
Review of “The Question of the Validity of Baptism Conferred in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” (unpublished), by Luis Ladaria
Named in honor of the late Latter-day Saint scholar Hugh W. Nibley, the Maxwell Institute’s Nibley Fellowship Program is intended to help foster the next generation of faithful scholars by providing financial aid to students enrolled in accredited doctoral programs in areas of study related to the work and mission of the institute, including study of the Bible, early Christianity, the Book of Mormon and other restoration scriptures, and Mormon studies.
The Maxwell Institute and the Harold B. Lee Library have announced that a new electronic database, “Book of Mormon Publications, 1829–1844,” will soon be available to researchers and others interested in Mormon history. “We are excited about this collection,” notes M. Gerald Bradford, executive director of the Maxwell Institute, “because it brings together for the first time everything published about the Book of Mormon during Joseph Smith’s lifetime. Books, pamphlets, and articles from newspapers and periodicals are all included. This represents a major step forward for Mormon studies.”
The Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship invites you to an open house from 7:00 to 9:00 pm in room 3215 of BYU’s Wilkinson Center on Thursday, 24 August 2006, during Campus Education Week. This will be an occasion for you to meet authors, editors, directors, and friends and to celebrate the formation of this new BYU institute.
Scholars from the Maxwell Institute, as well as a number of authors who contribute to the institute’s publications, delivered papers at the recent FAIR conference held in Sandy, Utah, in August. The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of Latter-day Saint doctrine, belief, and practice.
For six weeks this past summer, eight scholars from all over the United States and from Eu- rope met daily in the Maxwell Institute library to discuss and research the topic “The Cultural History of the Gold Plates.” They were the lat- est rendition of a seminar that has met every summer since 1997 under the direction of Richard Bushman, with the aid of Terryl Givens and Claudia Bushman, to explore as- pects of Mormon culture.
To commemorate the 200th anniversary of Oliver Cowdery’s birth on 3 October 1806, more than a dozen scholars treated crowds in the BYU Conference Center to fresh perspectives on Cowdery as a central figure in the Restoration. Entitled “Oliver Cowdery: Restoration Witness, Second Elder,” the symposium featured cultural historian Richard L. Bushman as keynote speaker and several other distinguished speakers spread throughout four sessions of three or four concurrent presentations each. Cosponsors of the five-hour event, held on 10 November, were the Mormon Historic Sites Foundation and BYU’s Religious Studies Center.
On May 8 Andrew Skinner, executive director of the Maxwell Institute, Daniel C. Peterson, editor in chief and director of its Middle Eastern Texts Initiative, and Ed Snow, Development Director, met with U.S. Senator Bob Bennett and leaders of the Library of Congress in Washington DC to thank the senator for helping to secure federal funding for METI and to present him with several volumes of METI publications. Beginning in 2005, Senator Bennett worked to obtain $750,000 from the Library of Congress’s bud-get to go toward METI publications, in addition to requesting $250,000 more for 2008.
The Maxwell Institute is pleased to sponsor a series of presentations at Brigham Young University Campus Education Week, slated for August 19–22, 2008, in Provo, Utah. These presentations, given by members of the Institute’s administration and associated scholars, represent a range of the work done by the Maxwell Institute.
Four scholars from the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship spoke at the FAIR conference held in Sandy, Utah, in August. FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research, is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of Latter-day Saint doctrine, belief, and practice.
Several scholars associated with the Maxwell Institute spoke at the FAIR conference held in Sandy, Utah, in August. As explained on its Web site (www.fairlds.org), FAIR (the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research) is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of Latter-day Saint doctrine, belief, and practice.
RSC Topics > G — K > Grace
RSC Topics > G — K > Hope
Nebuchadnezzar’s dream
The Lord is watching over His kingdom. He is inspiring its leadership to care for its ever-growing membership.
My earnest prayer is that you will have the courage required to refrain from judging others, the courage to be chaste and virtuous, and the courage to stand firm for truth and righteousness.
RSC Topics > L — P > Miracles
The temple of inscriptions at Palenque in Mexico has a glyph that “can be interpreted as meaning Hill Ramah or Hill Cumorah” Delong believes that Cerro Rabon is a prime candidate for the Hill Cumorah in Mesoamerica.
Christenson, in the annual FARMS lecture delivered on 27 February 1991, examined the Maya New Year’s harvest festival, perhaps the most important public festival of the year. The festival coincided with the main corn harvest in mid-November and served as the New Year’s Day of the solar calendar, when kingship was renewed. Christenson gave particular attention to the symbolic treatments of the evil god Mam; the ritual descent of the king, as representative of the god of life and resurrection, into the underworld; the king’s ritual conflict with and defeat of the lords of the underworld (and of death); and the king’s triumphant return or resurrection. The Maya used the image of the tree of life in connection with the atonement and resurrection.
People deciphering Book of Mormon geography have argued about whether the Nephite “north” is true north. This article reports hieroglyphs found in Rio Azul that were oriented correctly to the cardinal directions.
Examines research into Maya glyphs and states that this research has produced two finds important to Book of Mormon believers: the glyphs are partly phonetic, and the glyphs deal mainly with history. Based upon findings from glyphs, the author proposes Yaxchilan to be Zarahemla and Palenque to be Bountiful.
Finds parallels between Maya hieroglyphs and themes in the Book of Mormon to demonstrate the validity of Mesoamerica as the setting for Book of Mormon events.
Robinson wishes to tell “the tragic story of the Maya Lamanite who was forsaken by the Lord. It tells of his past, his present, his future, and [the Latter-day Saints’] obligation to this neglected branch of Lehi’s family. It is a true story gleaned from historical, archaeological, and sociological facts, and is woven in and around the Book of Mormon narrative” Includes two fold-out maps.
The Popol Vuh, an epic poem that tells the creation story of the Maya, will soon be avail-able in a searchable database published on CD-ROM by the Maxwell Institute’s Center for the Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts (CPART). Prepared by Allen J. Christenson, the database incorporates his recently published edition and translation of the Popol Vuh. The database offers the first-ever publication of a complete set of images of the earliest manuscript of the Popol Vuh, kindly provided by the New-berry Library in Chicago.
A series of brief comments in which the author presents archaeological findings, architectural notes, and myths and legends that deal indirectly with the Book of Mormon. Dibble discusses the wheel, ancient irrigation methods, metals, Mexican and Mayan codices, Quetzalcoatl, ancient buildings, and numerous other related items. The eleventh part covers the Mayan calendar.
Presents an extract from Science Supplement concerning discoveries of ancient Mayan cities, roads, temples and other ruins of interest to Latter-day Saints.
I wanted to start with the voyage we all know about and take it to another voyage, because there is an element to the Pilgrim story that, 20 years ago, I would have never believed existed but is true.
A polemical work against Mormonism. The author discusses numerous elements that he sees as anachronistic, including contradictions with the Bible, Christian teachings before Christ, and alleged plagiarisms from the New Testament.
The full text of a letter written by William E. McLellin dated August 14, 1880, to J. T. Cobb in which he reaffirms his testimony of the Book of Mormon. He denies that Sidney Rigdon helped to author the book as he had not known Joseph Smith until after publication of the Book of Mormon.
Moroni and the Title of Liberty feature a “step-by-step procedure on preparation for spiritual warfare through the upholding of Jesus Christ” These steps are: despise evil, humble ourselves, put on the armor of God, seek God’s instruction through prayer, work to save the nation, and look to the Lord.
The American Indians have lost more than buffalo and animals of the forest. Their greatest loss was in their knowledge of the Great Spirit. There is a sacred book of their history that will restore that knowledge—the Book of Mormon.
Similarities between LDS doctrines and the Dead Sea Scrolls do not prove that Qumran had the gospel
Victor L. Brown - Acknowledging the fact that this mortal body is the tabernacle of the spirit and that the spirit was fathered by our Father in heaven, it behooves us to show respect for our bodies.
An abbreviated version was published in Student Review, 20 December 1989. 3.
Discusses how the Atonement shows us that this world is not all there is.
An expansion of a talk by the same name given 10 November 1988, as part of the Deseret Book/FARMS Nibley lecture series.
Discusses how the Atonement shows us that this world is not all there is.
Reprinted in Studies of the Books of Moses and Abraham: Articles from BYU Studies, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book.
Looks at several of the Kirtland Egyptian Papers and rumors surrounding them that may or may not be true based on the lack of evidence surrounding them.
The volume “An Approach to the Book of Abraham” contains diverse essays, including his three-year series of lengthy articles from Improvement Era, “A New Look at the Pearl of Great Price.” According to Nibley, “Until now, no one has done much more than play around with the bedizening treasury of the Pearl of Great Price. They would not, we could not make of the Book of Abraham an object of serious study. The time has come to change all that.”
Looks at several of the Kirtland Egyptian Papers and rumors surrounding them that may or may not be true based on the lack of evidence surrounding them.
Suggests that the Book of Mormon was not named after a man, but after a place called Mormon where the Nephites once covenanted to observe the laws of God. This important place was very suitable as a name for a book of scripture.
Shows certain similarities between activities and language in the Book of Mormon and those found in religious revivals of the early nineteenth century. Includes some interesting comparisons, such as being saved from our sins, not in them.
Uses science to find more of the meaning of the temple.
Hugh W. Nibley Topics > Temples
In Temple and Cosmos, Brother Nibley explains the relationship of the House of the Lord to the cosmos. In Temple, the first part of the volume, he focuses on the nature, meaning, and history of the temple, discussing such topics as sacred vestments, the circle and the square, and the symbolism of the temple and its ordinances. In the second part, Cosmos, he discusses the cosmic context of the temple-the expanding gospel, apocryphal writings, religion and history, the genesis of the written word, cultural diversity in the universal church, and the terrible questions: Where did we come from? Why are we here? and Where are we going?
Uses science to find more of the meaning of the temple.
Hugh W. Nibley Topics > Temples
RSC Topics > A — C > Baptism
RSC Topics > G — K > Holy Ghost
RSC Topics > G — K > Jesus Christ
RSC Topics > Q — S > Repentance
This article quotes Joseph Smith’s statement that “Mormon” means “more good,” or, in other words, “better.” The first syllable is English, the second is Egyptian. The “good” in the name is related to the gospel as good news. Several native American languages have superlatives that translate “more good.”
One of the stunning aspects of Dr. Hugh Nibley’s genius was his persistent sense of wonder. That trait induced him to range widely through very disparate subjects of study—all covered in volume 17 of The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley on Himself, Others, and the Temple. In this compilation of materials, most of which have been published previously outside the Collected Works volumes, Nibley explores the ancient Egyptians, the temple, the life sciences, world literature, ancient Judaism, and Joseph Smith and the Restoration. The contents of this volume illustrate the breadth of his interest through autobiographical sketches, interviews, book reviews, forewords to books, letters, memorial tributes, Sunday School lessons, and various writings about the temple.
RSC Topics > T — Z > Tithing
While the reputation and standing of this remarkable institution are measured and evaluated in a number of different ways, ultimately the real value of its contribution is reflected in the graduates that it produces.
Discourse by President George A. Smith, delivered in the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, at the Semi-Annual Conference, October 8, 1873. Reported By: David W. Evans.
Many Christians and their churches have seen the fall of Adam as a great mistake that ruined God’s plan and offended him. They have assumed that God was unhappy with humanity for what Adam did in Eden. This led to the idea that we must win back his love and favor. If we could not do that by our own actions, then it had to be by Christ’s suffering, as a kind of gift that would please God. But the scriptures are clear that God did not reject us; rather, mankind rejected him. We do not need to win back God’s love; he is always ready. Instead, we need to be reconciled to God.
As graduates you may think you have completed your last final exams. I must remind you, however, that one final examination remains for us all. This will be a comprehensive final exam, and it will include an ultimate accounting of our personal stewardships—what we have learned, what we have done with what we have learned, and who and what we have become.
RSC Topics > G — K > Jesus Christ
RSC Topics > L — P > Mercy
RSC Topics > L — P > Prayer
RSC Topics > Q — S > Sin
RSC Topics > A — C > Church History 1845–1877
RSC Topics > D — F > Death
Abstract: The view of Hebrew as a language of magic, for which precedents can be discerned in the Bible and in rabbinic tradition, spilled over into early and medieval Christianity. Andrew Skinner adroitly explores the material and theological history of this trajectory, showing how this contributed to the emergence of Christian Kabbalah in the sixteenth century.
[Editor’s Note: Part of our book chapter reprint series, this article is reprinted here as a service to the LDS community. Original pagination and page numbers have necessarily changed, otherwise the reprint has the same content as the original.See Andrew C. Skinner, “Medieval Christian Views of Hebrew as the Language of Magic,” in “To Seek the Law of the Lord”: Essays in Honor of John W. Welch, ed. Paul Y. Hoskisson and Daniel C. Peterson (Orem, UT: The Interpreter Foundation, 2017), 375–412. Further information at https://interpreterfoundation.org/books/to-seek-the-law-of-the-lord-essays-in-honor-of-john-w-welch-2/.].
Reprinted in Brother Brigham Challenges the Saints, The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley 13. 380–404.
Brother Brigham Challenges the Saints presents Hugh Nibley’s reflections on the thoughts of Brigham Young on politics, education, leadership, and the environment. The timeliness of Brigham’s counsel on these topics will quickly become apparent to readers, as will the unique insights that Nibley adds. This volume will amuse, provoke, and challenge and, above all, educate.
Meekness is a defining attribute of the Redeemer and is distinguished by righteous responsiveness, willing submissiveness, and strong self-restraint.
Meekness is needed in order for us to be spiritually successful—whether in matters of the intellect, in the management of power, in the dissolution of personal pride, or in coping with the challenges and routine of life. With meekness, living in “thanksgiving daily” is actually possible even in life’s stern seasons.
It is the meek who have access to heaven’s instruction and guidance. The centrality of meekness in our spiritual growth, indeed our salvation, has been taught repeatedly, perhaps most often in the form of caution to avoid its opposite—pride.
Furthermore, whether you realize it or not, you are a generation drenched in destiny.
Will you shift in your seat and succumb to popular opinion, or will you stand firm and confident in the counsels and blessings of your loving God and let Him have His head?
If I had been more meek, more patient, more understanding of the challenges or problems facing others…it is quite possible that my judgment would have been improved and I might have been more open to being taught by the Spirit in my actions.
Examines the personalities of important persons in the scriptures, including characters of the Book of Mormon.
Praises the book Hugh Nibley Observed for its more complete portrait of Hugh Nibley.
Hugh W. Nibley Topics > Hugh Nibley > Scholarship, Footnotes, Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, CWHN, Editing
Remarks by President Brigham Young, delivered in the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Oct. 6, 1870. Reported By: David W. Evans.
RSC Topics > G — K > Hope
Discourse by Elder Orson Pratt, delivered in the Tabernacle, Ogden, Sunday Morning, May 18, 1873. Reported By: James Taylor.
Polemical work from a fundamentalist Protestant point of view. Contains a study guide to help Chilean Protestants learn how to “witness” to the Mormons. Includes photostat copy of the article “Book of Mormon Problems” written by the author and published by Saints Alive Journal.
The combined doctrine of God’s foreknowledge and of foreordination is one of the doctrinal roads least traveled by, yet these clearly underline how very long and how perfectly God has loved us and known us with our individual needs and capacities.
The choices you make—mission, education, marriage, career, and service in the Church—will shape your eternal destiny.
A polemical work against Mormonism. Alleged problems and anachronisms in the Book of Mormon are discussed such as Shakespeare, pre-Columbian domesticated animals, textual changes, King James English, plagiarism, and the Spaulding theory.
Old Testament Scriptures > 1 & 2 Kings/1 & 2 Chronicles
Old Testament Scriptures > 1 & 2 Kings/1 & 2 Chronicles
Abstract: Zoram, the servant of Laban, is a character from the Book of Mormon who is only mentioned a few times and on whom little information is given. This article analyzes what information is given in the Book of Mormon and contextualizes its historical background, all coupled with the observations of Latter-day Saint Church leaders and scholars. Insight is provided concerning Zoram’s Hebraic descent in the tribe of Manasseh and his working duties under Laban’s command, along with how all this affected his role in assisting Lehi’s family. The meaning of his name in Hebrew and possible correlations to the meaning of his life’s events are explained. The oath between Nephi and Zoram is discussed, and the debate regarding whether Zoram was a slave or servant is addressed, to show that he was likely a free servant.
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Alma
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Ether
RSC Topics > L — P > Priesthood
RSC Topics > T — Z > Zion
Discourse by Elder Orson Pratt, delivered in the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, May 13, 1877. Reported By: Geo. F. Gibbs.
This second of two volumes of essays honoring Hugh Nibley includes scholarly papers based on what the authors have learned from Nibley. Nearly every major subject that Dr. Nibley has encompassed in his vast learning and scholarly production is represented here by at least one article. Topics include the sacrament covenant in Third Nephi, the Lamanite view of Book of Mormon history, external evidences of the Book of Mormon, proper names in the Book of Mormon, the brass plates version of Genesis, the composition of Lehi’s family, ancient burials of metal documents in stone boxes, repentance as rethinking, Mormon history’s encounter with secular modernity, and Judaism in the 20th century.
Discusses Alma’s use of the material about Melchizedek.
Hugh W. Nibley Topics > Hugh Nibley > Scholarship, Footnotes, Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, CWHN, Editing > Bible > Old Testament
Hugh W. Nibley Topics > Hugh Nibley > Scholarship, Footnotes, Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, CWHN, Editing > Book of Mormon
In the Church the authority of the priesthood is exercised under the direction of a priesthood leader who holds the keys of that priesthood.
This article tells of the assignment, given to every Melchizedek Priesthood holder, to read the Book of Mormon during the year 1961.
Old Testament Topics > Melchizedek
LDS sources illuminate Melchizedek and Enoch as types of Christ
Old Testament Topics > Melchizedek
Old Testament Topics > Priesthood
Old Testament Topics > Zion
Old Testament Topics > Melchizedek
Old Testament Topics > Melchizedek
This article is an historical account of the life, sacrifices, and accomplishments of Meliton Gonzalez Trejo, who, being guided by a dream, left his homeland Spain and moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, where he joined the LDS church. Trejo translated the Book of Mormon into Spanish.
Review of “Book of Mormon Christology” (1993), by Melodie Moench Charles.
Review of “Book of Mormon Christology” (1993), by Melodie Moench Charles.
Notwithstanding the frigid circumstances, a genuine warmth emanates from the Alaskan Saints. The match that lit this internal flame was the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, first striking the Alaskan borders at the turn of the twentieth century. They have subtly shaped Alaskan society, although composing less than five percent of the state’s population. Their influence on Alaskan communities can be seen through their family values, humanitarian service, community projects, and family history centers. This book tells the story of the rise and influence of Latter-day Saints as they joined hands on their journey of “melting the ice.” Melting the Ice was praised by the Alaska Historical Society in Volume 33, Number 2 of Alaska History. Read the review here. Companion Documentary
A comparison of the character of Alma in Melville’s Mardi and the two Almas in the Book of Mormon.
President Benson lists six ways for members to increase their faith, one of which is to read and ponder the Book of Mormon. President Monson relates a story of a family that was converted by the Book of Mormon. Elder Dunn said that the spiritual side of man is built by reading the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon. Elder Oswald showed a list of members who had committed to read the Book of Mormon.
In a talk to mission presidents, President Benson stresses that the Book of Mormon is the “great converter” Missionaries need to build their own faith and a way to do that is to read the Book of Mormon.
Church President Ezra Taft Benson challenges members to read the Book of Mormon and the members respond by reading the book.
A polemical article on Mormonism. Considering the Mormon movement to be a “fanatical delusion,” the author asserts that Joseph Smith used the Spaulding manuscript as the basis for the Book of Mormon narrative.
Observations from Jakeman’s students honor this LDS scholar, who could be called the father of Book of Mormon archaeology.
Hugh W. Nibley (1910–2005) was arguably the most brilliant Latter-day Saint scholar of the 20th century, with wide-ranging interests in scripture, history, and social issues. The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley comprise nineteen weighty volumes. But he was also one of the most enigmatic observers of the Church. In this volume readers will discover that the personal stories and perspectives behind the scholarship are sometimes even more captivating than his brilliant and witty intellectual breakthroughs. This comprehensive three-part collection of essays sheds fascinating new light on Hugh Nibley as a scholar and a man. Part 1, entitled “Portraits,” contains the first collection of observations—a “spiritual” portrait of Hugh Nibley by his close friend and colleague John W. “Jack” Welch, a description of the physical portrait by Rebecca Everett hanging in the Hugh Nibley Ancient Studies room at Brigham Young University, and a biographical portrait by Hugh himself. Part 2, “Nibley, the Scholar,” contains expanded and updated versions of the almost forgotten audio and video recordings of the BYU Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship lecture series celebrating the centennial of Nibley’s birth in 2010. An additional set of chapters on Nibley’s scholarship rounds out this collection. Part 3, “Nibley, the Man,” includes tributes given by family members and others at Nibley’s funeral service. A series of entertaining personal stories, reminiscences, and folklore accounts concludes the volume.
Speaks out on the relationships between “memory and mood, memory and testimony, memory and models, memory and thoughts, and memory and you.” Asay quotes many scriptures from the Book of Mormon to support his ideas, including Alma 36, Moroni 10, Alma 18, and Helaman 5.
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Helaman
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Moroni
Speaks out on the relationships between “memory and mood, memory and testimony, memory and models, memory and thoughts, and memory and you” Asay quotes many scriptures from the Book of Mormon to support his ideas, including Alma 36, Moroni 10, Alma 18, and Helaman 5.
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Helaman
Remember is one of the most frequently used verbs in the Book of Mormon. It is consistently used by its authors in a covenant context—establishing or renewing an eternal relationship with God, expressing and realizing the blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and preserving the distinctive identity of a covenant people. The present study examines the complex and profound ways that the complementary concepts of memory, identity, and covenants express the meaning of the sacred Nephite history through the vocabulary and narrative structures of the text and postulates how and why the Nephites preserved this official record for posterity.
Abstract: The multiple historical accounts of Joseph Smith’s First Vision have been an area of intense study, debate, and discussion for several decades. The newest addition to the discussion is a specialized monograph engaging the various accounts of the First Vision through the lens of psychology and, particularly, memory studies. This book, authored by Steven C. Harper, proves to be a valuable resource in answering some pressing questions about the integrity of the First Vision accounts, even though that was not the book’s explicitly stated purpose. This review highlights these contributions as interpreted through the lens of a Millennial reviewer — a demographic widely assumed to be facing challenges today in recontextualizing, repurposing, and appreciating the First Vision, with which this new book can help.
Review of Steven C. Harper, First Vision: Memory and Mormon Origins (New York: Oxford University Press, 2019). 271 pages with index. $35.
Evidence exists to prove that man and elephants coexisted in America during the premodern era.
This article discusses scientific justifications for the Word of Wisdom. It also includes a clipping from a newspaper that talks of the ancient ruins of Central America and the magnificence of the race that occupied these ruins. The author writes that such ruins are evidence that the peoples of the Book of Mormon did indeed exist.
Let us continue to do what we have learned from our university experience and seek out truth and understanding everywhere it can be found.
A Discourse by Elder John Taylor, Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, April 19, 1854. Reported By: G. D. Watt.
A Discourse by President Heber C. Kimball, Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, March 23, 1856. Reported By: G. D. Watt.
Remarks made by President Heber C. Kimball, at Centerville, Sunday, Feb. 19, 1865. Reported By: G. D. Watt.
Discourse by President John Taylor, delivered at Grantsville, Sunday Evening, Oct. 29, 1882. Reported By: Geo. F. Gibbs.
Remarks by President J. M. Grant, Delivered in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, October 6, 1855. Reported By: G. D. Watt.
Chapter 3 of this polemical work against Mormonism is devoted exclusively to the Book of Mormon. The author attempts to discredit Mormon interpretations of Bible prophecy that support the Book of Mormon. He discusses the Anthon episode, problems in the issue of translation, Bible plagiarism and anachronistic usage of biblical material such as the Sermon on the Mount, linguistic problems, the term Bible used 600 years before Christ, New Testament phraseology, Isaiah, lack of scientific evidence, and more. He concludes that the Book of Mormon is not a true history, but a fraud.
RSC Topics > T — Z > Women
Remarks by Elder Erastus Snow, made in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, August 26, 1860. Reported By: J. V. Long.
We have all felt the excitement that comes from seeing a great scholar at work, whether in the classroom or the archives. No less palpable is the thrill of a personal encounter with the past through direct contact with ancient texts or artifacts. Most of us can trace our fascination with the ancient world back to just such a personal encounter. One of our roles at the Maxwell Institute is to help inspire the next generation of young scholars. We do this by providing opportunities for BYU students to work directly with Institute scholars on new research, and thus to help them have their own encounters with the ancient world.
When our hearts are filled with the love of God, we become “kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving.”
Understanding men and women’s inability to merit salvation through their own efforts can lead one to rely “alone upon the merits of Christ”. Nephi put it this way: “O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man”. Nephi had seen his weak and fallen condition and realized that without the strength of the Lord, he would not be able to overcome the world and his own personal struggles. When we see clearly that we are lost and that we need Him, we can be led to rely on His goodness and His grace in our lives. This reliance on the merits of Christ involves more than simply passive belief. It includes recognizing our fallen nature and finding access to grace through making and keeping sacred covenants.
RSC Topics > G — K > Hope
RSC Topics > L — P > Obedience
RSC Topics > Q — S > Salvation
RSC Topics > Q — S > Sin
RSC Topics > G — K > Grace
RSC Topics > L — P > Mercy
Lessons for young people in Sunday School, based on Book of Mormon characters, events, and doctrine.
Givens first recounts the six visions that Nephi records in the Book of Mormon. He then suggests five themes from these visions: personal revelation, focus on Jesus Christ, wilderness and varieties of Zion, new configurations of scripture, and the centrality of family. Finally, he expands on each of these themes individually, explaining how they are illustrated throughout the Book of Mormon.
Through illustrated outlines, the article compares the major points of the Mesoamerican and Book of Mormon cultural histories. The evidence and correlations presented support the authenticity of Book of Mormon cultural history.
Discusses the development of the Mayan language based upon the research of Cambell and Kaufman and proposes that the Mayan language is descended from that of the Nephites. Briefly discusses the relationship of the Olmec-Jaredite languages.
There are eighteen different aspects of Yahweh or Jehovah that are duplicated by the Life and Rain gods, Itzamna-Chac of Mayan culture and Quetzalcoatl-Tloloc of Central Mexico. There are too many similarities for this to be an accident. There is much evidence to show that pagan practices developed among the Lamanites in a late period. Idolatrous gods were added that are identifiable with Near Eastern gods.
Ancient Mesoamericans used some systems of weights and measures; items in the market, though, were usually sold by volume. The Mesoamerican weights and measures may coincide with the weights and measures described in Alma 11 of the Book of Mormon, but more research is necessary in order to make conclusive claims.
The Book of Mormon first mentions a weapon called a cimeter during the time of Enos (some time between about 544 and 421 bc). Speaking of his people’s Lamanite enemies, Enos says, “their skill was in the bow, and in the cimeter, and the ax” (Enos 1:20). Later, in the first and second centuries bc, the weapon was part of the armory of both Nephites and Lamanites in addition to swords and other weapons (Mosiah 9:16; 10:8; Alma 2:12; 43:18, 20, 37; 60:2; Helaman 1:14).
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Mosiah
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Alma
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Helaman
Written for young people. Details the historical background of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, its translation, and then presents selected messages and characters from the Book of Mormon.
How we ought to rejoice that this Firstborn Son in the spirit was willing to become the Only Begotten Son in the flesh, to suffer incomprehensibly and die ignominiously to redeem us.
Report of a prophecy concerning the coming of Johnston’s army and of U.S. soldiers in Utah Territory, delivered by a messenger considered to be one of the Three Nephites.
Report of a prophecy concerning the coming of Johnston’s army and of U.S. soldiers in Utah Territory, delivered by a messenger considered to be one of the Three Nephites.
RSC Topics > L — P > New Testament
A seminary teacher’s manual designed for Indian students. Includes lesson outlines, lesson objectives, ideas for devotional materials, creative ways to present the lesson, and lesson preparation aids.
A pamphlet that discusses the testimony of the Book of Mormon witnesses and argues that the book carries its own evidence or authenticity.
A series of one-page pamphlets that presents Book of Mormon passages concerning such topics as: “Reality of God,” “Deity of Jesus,” “Salvation Through Christ,” “Agency of Man,” “Immortality of Man,” “Baptism,” “Miracles and the Gifts of the Spirit,” and the “Kingdom of God” Each pamphlet contains three or four passages of scripture from the Book of Mormon that exemplify the doctrine expressed in the title.
A manual for Seminary teachers who teach American Indians. Seventeen lessons cover a variety of topics including, transmission of the Book of Mormon, faith, courage, obedience, and the destiny of the Indian.
Republished in 2005 in a richly illustrated volume with new format and additional material as Message of the Joseph Smith Papyri, The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley 16. For reviews, see C. Wilfred Griggs, “A Great Fuss about a Scrap of Papyrus,” Ensign, October 1975. 84, and Eric Jay Olson, “A Hint of an Explanation,” Dialogue 9, no. 4 (1974): 74–75.
A translation and commentary on the so-called “Book of Breathings” that turned up among the Joseph Smith Papyri, containing parallels with early Christian materials.
Hugh W. Nibley Topics > Temples > Ancient Temples > Endowment
This is the first and still the only book-length commentary on the Joseph Smith Papyri. In this long-awaited new edition, with expanded text and numerous illustrations, Professor Nibley shows that the papyri are not the source of the Book of Abraham. Rather than focusing on what the papyri are not, as most commentators have done, Nibley masterfully explores what the papyri are and what they meant in ancient times. He demonstrates how these ancient Egyptian papyri contain a message that is of particular interest to Latter-day Saints.
Hugh W. Nibley Topics > Pearl of Great Price > Book of Abraham > Joseph Smith Papyri, Book of Breathings, Book of the Dead, Facsimiles, Egyptology, Hypocephalus
Hugh W. Nibley Topics > Temples > Ancient Temples > Endowment
A. Theodore Tuttle - The personal appearance of both the Father and the Son, clarified once and for all the fact of their existence. The fact that they lived. The fact that they are separate, distinct beings. And the fact that they love us.
The message of the Restoration is [an] invitation to know why the gospel of Jesus Christ and His true Church have been restored by a prophet in modern times.
We declare to the world that the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth.
Mormons “reject anti- Semitism as an intrinsically distasteful ideology” This is based on the Mormon interpretation of Ezekiel 37:16-17, which explains that the Book of Mormon is the stick of Joseph and the Bible is the stick of Judah. The Book of Mormon teaches that the “New Jerusalem” will be established on the American continent by Israelites. Descendants of Judah will reestablish Old Jerusalem. The LDS church, according to the Book of Mormon, will concern itself with building the “New Jerusalem” on the American continent.
I hope each one of you becomes a man of God. You will become a man of God through righteous works.
The Book of Mormon states that America is a choice land that is reserved for a righteous people. It declares that Jesus Christ is the God who calls to every person all over the world and to the inhabitants of America to repent. Failure to heed this message will culminate in the failure of the nation.
Through the incessant din and drumbeat of our day, may we strive to see Christ at the center of our lives, of our faith, and of our service.
A Sunday School instructor’s manual containing forty-five Book of Mormon lessons. The lessons feature lesson objectives, commentary, selected related scriptural references, and an assignment for the next class.
As often as we sincerely seek and are worthy to receive, our Eternal Father communicates with us through revelation—messages that come to us in the reflective moments of prayer, through the words and enlightenment of the scriptures, from the teachings of the prophets, or in the peaceful melodies of heavenly music. His messages are often quiet, and we all know that we can miss them if we are not ready to receive.
President Benson and Elder Ashton spoke at a leadership conference concerning the importance of the Book of Mormon. President Benson stressed the importance of using the Book of Mormon in missionary work and in practical religion.
A testimony of the Book of Mormon and explanation of how it came into existence through the appearance of an angel.
RSC Topics > G — K > Justice
RSC Topics > L — P > Law of Moses
RSC Topics > Q — S > Repentance
RSC Topics > Q — S > Salvation
Abstract: Several of the Prophet Joseph Smith’s earliest revelations, beginning with Moroni’s appearance in 1823, quote the prophecy of Malachi 3:1 with the Lord “suddenly com[ing] to his temple” as “messenger of the covenant.” Malachi 3:1 and its quoted iterations in 3 Nephi 24:1; Doctrine and Covenants 36:8; 42:36; 133:2 not only impressed upon Joseph and early Church members the urgency of building a temple to which the Lord could come, but also presented him as the messenger of the Father’s restored covenant. Malachi’s prophecy concords with the restored portion of the “fulness of the record of John” and its “messenger” Christology in D&C 93:8 in which Jesus Christ is both “the messenger of salvation” (the “Word”) and the Message (also “the Word”). The ontological kinship of God the Father with Jesus, angels (literally messengers), and humankind in Joseph’s early revelations lays the groundwork for the doctrine of humankind’s coeternality with God (D&C 93:29), and the notion that through “worship” one can “come unto the Father in [Jesus’s] name, and in due time receive of his fulness” (D&C 93:19; cf. D&C 88:29). D&C 88 specifies missionary work and ritual washing of the feet as a means of becoming, through the atonement of Jesus Christ, “clean from the blood of this generation” (D&C 88:75, 85, 138). Such ritual washings continued as a part of the endowment that was revealed to Joseph Smith during the Nauvoo period. Missionary work itself constitutes a form of worship, and temple worship today continues to revolve around missionary work for the living (the endowment) and for the dead (ordinances). The endowment, like the visions in which prophets were given special missionary commissions, [Page 2]situates us ritually in the divine council, teaches us about the great Messenger of salvation, and empowers us to participate in his great mission of saving souls.
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Moroni
Old Testament Scriptures > Twelve Minor Prophets
RSC Topics > A — C > Book of Mormon
RSC Topics > T — Z > Testimony
Abstract: Although not evident at first glance, shared terminology and phraseology in Malachi 3:1 (3 Nephi 24:1) and Moroni 7:29–32 suggest textual dependency of the latter on the former. Jesus’s dictation of Malachi 3–4 to the Lamanites and Nephites at the temple in Bountiful, as recorded and preserved on the plates of Nephi, helped provide Mormon a partial scriptural and doctrinal basis for his teachings on the ministering of angels, angels/messengers of the covenant, the “work” of “the covenants of the Father,” and “prepar[ing] the way” in his sermon as preserved in Moroni 7. This article explores the implications of Mormon’s use of Malachi 3:1. It further explores the meaning of the name Malachi (“[Yahweh is] my messenger,” “my angel”) in its ancient Israelite scriptural context and the temple context within which Jesus uses it in 3 Nephi 24:1.
Book of Mormon Scriptures > 3 Nephi
Old Testament Scriptures > Isaiah
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Moroni
Old Testament Scriptures > Twelve Minor Prophets
The long-anticipated DVD set, Messiah: Behold the Lamb of God, is now available for purchase. For the first time ever, teachings of the restoration, sound academic views from faithful Latter-day Saint scholars, and state-of-the-art documentary production have been combined in this seven-part series on Jesus Christ, the Messiah.
New archaeological discoveries in Mesoamerica confirm the validity of the Book of Mormon. The authors discuss historical accounts, traditions, and myths and display photographs of ancient pictographs concerning Quetzalcoatl as the Christ figure in America who taught Christian values and ordinances. The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ. This work is reviewed in S.742.
Abstract: In sermons and writings, Jacob twice quotes the prophecy of Isaiah 11:11 (“the Lord [ʾădōnāy] shall set his hand again [yôsîp] the second time to gather the remnant of his people”). In 2 Nephi 6:14 and Jacob 6:2, Jacob uses Isaiah 11:11 as a lens through which he interprets much lengthier prophetic texts that detail the restoration, redemption, and gathering of Israel: namely, Isaiah 49:22–52:2 and Zenos’s Allegory of the Olive Trees (Jacob 5). In using Isaiah 11:11 in 2 Nephi 6:14, Jacob, consistent with the teaching of his father Lehi (2 Nephi 2:6), identifies ʾădōnāy (“the Lord”) in Isaiah 11:11 as “the Messiah” and the one who will “set himself again the second time to recover” his people (both Israel and the righteous Gentiles who “believe in him”) and “manifest himself unto them in great glory.” This recovery and restoration will be so thoroughgoing as to include the resurrection of the dead (see 2 Nephi 9:1–2, 12–13). In Jacob 6:2, Jacob equates the image of the Lord “set[ting] his hand again [yôsîp] the second time to recover his people” (Isaiah 11:11) to the Lord of the vineyard’s “labor[ing] in” and “nourish[ing] again” the vineyard to “bring forth again” (cf. Hebrew yôsîp) the natural fruit (Jacob 5:29–33, 51–77) into the vineyard. All of this suggests that Jacob saw Isaiah 49:22–52:2 and Zenos’s allegory (Jacob 5) as telling essentially the same story. For Jacob, the prophetic declaration of Isaiah 11:11 concisely summed up this story, describing divine initiative and iterative action to “recover” or gather Israel in terms of the verb yôsîp. Jacob, foresaw this the divine action as being accomplished through the “servant” and “servants” in Isaiah 49–52, “servants” analogous to those described by Zenos in his allegory. For Jacob, the idiomatic use of yôsîp in Isaiah 11:11 as he quotes it in 2 Nephi 6:14 and Jacob 6:2 and as repeated throughout Zenos’s allegory (Jacob 5) reinforces the patriarch Joseph’s statement preserved in 2 Nephi 3 that this figure would be a “Joseph” (yôsēp).
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Jacob
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Enos
Old Testament Scriptures > Isaiah
Walter Benjamin famously claimed that “only a redeemed mankind is granted the fullness of its past-which is to say, only for a redeemed mankind has its past become citable in all its moments. Each moment it has lived becomes a citation a l’ordre du jour. And that day is Judgment Day.” The Book of Mormon (1830) posits a pathway to redemption for believers and organizes all time around the coming of Christ. I aim to use Benjamin’s model of messianic time to interpret the complicated formal and narrative temporalities in The Book of Mormon and to offer a possible answer to the question, “Why did The Book of Mormon materialize when and where it did?” The Book of Mormon anticipates its own appearance in the nineteenth century. This temporal peculiarity authorizes my reading of the sacred text in its economic and historical context. I will argue that Joseph Smith’s discovery and translation of the plates he unearthed on a hillside in Palmyra, New York, presented a challenge to the capitalist perception of time that threatened to further disenfranchise Smith and others in the Burned-over District.
The Holy Spirit is the conduit through which you can feel how much your Father in Heaven loves you and how Jesus Christ, through His Atonement, desires to change both your mud and sand to rock and to be your sure foundation.
A series of brief comments in which the author presents archaeological findings, architectural notes, and myths and legends that deal indirectly with the Book of Mormon. Dibble discusses the wheel, ancient irrigation methods, metals, Mexican and Mayan codices, Quetzalcoatl, ancient buildings, and numerous other related items. The fourth part covers Ancient American metallurgy.
Research has shown that the Egyptians, Hebrews, and Greeks used tablets of metal to record important documents. The Inca-ruled natives of Peru and the Aztecs of Mexico engraved records on metal sheets. Engraved records are also found among relics of North American Indians. The British Museum possesses a set of twenty-five silver plates containing Buddha’s first sermon and a gold tablet containing the dedication of the temple to Osiris by Ptolemy Eureregetes, 242-222 B.C.
Attempts to demonstrate that contemporaries of Lehi used stone boxes and metal plates.
Brings attention to the recent discoveries of metal plates with inscriptions on them and stone boxes containing treasures.
Produces many evidences that ancient Israelites engraved their records upon metal plates.
No abstract available.
The text of the Book of Mormon refers many times to metals, ores, and metal processing. John Sorenson provides an annotated bibliography of sources on archaeological finds of Old World and Mesoamerican metallurgy and metal specimens. He includes a summary of statements in the Book of Mormon text about metals, ores, and metal processing, with notes on Hebrew usage of metal-related terms.
For three weeks in February 2000, a team of BYU geologists worked in coastal Dhofar, focusing on geological formations that could have produced the metals needed by Nephi for making tools to build a ship. This article discusses the ores and processes that Nephi would have employed and considers the possibility that the coast of Dhofar may be a candidate for the location of Nephi’s shipbuilding.
We can decide to always be perfectly honest, to contribute our skills and talents to our communities, and to build and serve everywhere we go. We can decide to live up to the expectations and to guard the trust of those who have sacrificed for us.
RSC Topics > D — F > First Vision
Review of Allen J. Fletcher. A Study Guide to the Facsimiles of the Book of Abraham.
In this article the author explores the process by which the Book of Mormon was translated through the lens of first-hand accounts of the early witnesses, allowing us to ”…place a broader interpretation on the nature of the Book of Mormon record itself.”
Joseph Smith and his family had considerable contact with Methodism in the years surrounding his first vision, as Richard Bushman has described. Lucy and Joseph Sr. attended Methodist meetings while the family lived in Vermont. In Palmyra, Joseph Jr. reportedly attended Methodist camp meetings, where he experienced “a spark of Methodism,” and joined a class meeting of the Palmyra Methodist Church. Willard Chase, one of Joseph’s treasure-hunting associates in Palmyra, was also a Methodist class leader. Later, Chase hired a “conjuror,” and he and his sister Sally used her “green glass” in an attempt to find where Joseph had hidden the gold plates, which apparently did not violate his Methodist scruples. During the time that Joseph translated the plates into the Book of Mormon, he and his wife, Emma, attended Methodist meetings, and Joseph reportedly joined a class. Joining a class meeting was significant. It defined one as a member of a Methodist society. Anyone could attend public meetings, but joining a class implied a deeper level of commitment. Classes met once a week, usually in someone’s home. They were supposed to include about a dozen members, a size thought best to promote intimacy, openness, and discipline, though they often ballooned to two or three times that number. Class meetings were not preaching occasions. After singing and prayer, the leader would usually examine each member in turn, asking them to reveal their troubles and triumphs in front of their neighbors. The leader recorded attendance and contributions weekly. Attending a class meeting would have given Joseph Smith an inside look at all that it meant to be a Methodist.
Consider this picture: A sandy courtyard some- where on the outskirts of a desert village. A group of boys—ages perhaps 8 to 16—are gathered outside the entrance to a simple, well-worn little building. They are seated or kneeling in the sand, huddled in the last vestiges of the late morning shade. Each holds a text or a tablet. Some are reading, some are looking out to where the pale sky meets a broken line of housetops and trees, reciting, in a quiet murmur to themselves, the words of the book they are holding. Some gently rock back and forth as they read, letting the cadence of their movement compliment the rhythm of the words on the page. Others are writing on tablets of slate or wood. These writers are likewise engaged in the exercise of recitation, but with the pen, setting down line after line from memory. One boy uncrosses his legs, stands up, and steps toward a man who is seated on a little chair in front of the group. As the boy steps forward, his teacher rises and the boy presents his tablet to him. It is written front and back in neat lines of Arabic. Both the teacher and the boy are careful not to smudge the words on the slate. They are sacred words, revealed to a prophet named Muhammad long ago in Mecca, a town on the western edge of Arabia, toward which they have both been praying every day since they were very young.
A series of brief comments in which the author presents archaeological findings, architectural notes, and myths and legends that deal indirectly with the Book of Mormon. Dibble discusses the wheel, ancient irrigation methods, metals, Mexican and Mayan codices, Quetzalcoatl, ancient buildings, and numerous other related items. The first part covers Mexican and Mayan codices.
Ancient American calendars indicate that Quetzalcoatl was born on April 6, about the same year that Jesus was born.
Reports on an article in the May issue of Popular Science Monthly, which in turn borrowed the article from Gentleman’s Magazine. Pre-Columbian Mexicans believed in a god named Quetzalcoatl, who had striking similarities to the biblical Messiah. Cortez was mistaken for this god, who was expected to return. Comments on the author’s inference that Quetzalcoatl was St. Brendan, an Irish bishop.
A series of brief comments in which the author presents archaeological findings, architectural notes, and myths and legends that deal indirectly with the Book of Mormon. Dibble discusses the wheel, ancient irrigation methods, metals, Mexican and Mayan codices, Quetzalcoatl, ancient buildings, and numerous other related items. The fourteenth part covers Mexican “money-axes.”
Using recent theoretical work developed by historian of American religions Robert A. Orsi, I argue that in order for the Book of Momron to have a vivid and compelling immediacy it has to be “enlivened.” … Within tourism to Book of Mormon sites, however, one family of tour guides use what I will call “fragmentary presence” to bring life to the sites. [From the text]
Suggests that much of the Book of Mormon activity took place in Mexico, speaks concerning Book of Mormon geography, archaeology, ancient races of Mexico, and traditions of the Mexican Indians.
The peoples of the Book of Mormon were destroyed and their lands were not cared for. The Book of Mormon records this “sad fate” because of their iniquity, but in these latter days the land will again become fruitful if the people will serve the God of the land, Jesus Christ.
Relates Mexican data concerning Quetzalcoatl to the messianic concept of the Old Testament and ultimately to Jesus.
Follows Eduard Meyer’s Ursprung und Geschichte der Mormonen to compare Mohammad with Joseph Smith.
Hugh W. Nibley Topics > Joseph Smith > Criticisms, Apologetics > Eduard Meyer
A conversation with Elders James E. Faust, Marion D. Hanks, and L. Tom Perry; Presiding Victor L. Brown, H. Burke Peterson, and Vaughn J. Featherstone
Pages 323-29 feature MIA lessons about prophecy and the Book of Mormon. The lesson outlines were previously published in the Young Women’s Journal 36 (January—April 1925).
Old Testament Scriptures > Twelve Minor Prophets
Review of Angular Chronology: The Precolumbian Dating of Ancient America (1994), by Michael M. Hobby, June M. Hobby, and Troy J. Smith.
Review of Angular Chronology: The Precolumbian Dating of Ancient America (1994), by Michael M. Hobby, June M. Hobby, and Troy J. Smith.
Review of Book of Mormon Stories (CD-ROM, 1995), by Michael R. todd, Ted E. Van Horn, and Mark Van Horn
LDS teachings about Adam
Old Testament Topics > Adam and Eve [see also Fall]
One of the most enduring archaeological hoaxes, the Michigan relics, a series of copper, slate, and clay forgeries, were “discovered” throughout counties in Michigan from the late 19th century until 1920. James Scotford and Daniel Soper apparently worked together to create and sell the forgeries. Scholars and archaeologists were skeptical from the outset, but interest in the objects persisted. In 1911 James E. Talmage studied the relics, recognizing the impact they could have on the perception of the Book of Mormon if they were genuine. In a detailed report, Talmage dismissed them as blatant forgeries.
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Ether
Talmage exposes the fraudulent nature of relics found in Michigan claimed to be of ancient origin. He warns collectors of artifacts and Church members eager for external evidences of the Book of Mormon not to be deceived. Talmage explains his investigation, details eight reasons for his conclusions, and cites other recognized scholars who have labeled the “Michigan relics” as spurious.
A reprint of an article for Deseret Museum Bulletin, September 1911, with the addition of a letter from Miriam Brooks substantiating TAlmage’s observations.
Reports the finding by Mark Hofmann of the original Anthon Transcript. (Editor’s note: this transcript has since been shown to be a forgery.)
RSC Topics > T — Z > Testimony
RSC Topics > T — Z > Zion
The Jewish Midrash, which runs to some twenty volumes, is a treasure house of “rabbinical exegeses, extrapolations, interpretations and expansions on the Torah.” Traditional midrashim, based on both oral and written tradition, constitute an extensive library of Jewish insight into the possible interpretations of scripture. Here, Rees argues that Latter-day Saints should consider writing midrashim based on Restoration scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon. Since Latter-day Saints believe that the Book of Mormon was written by Israelites who began their long, exiled history in the New World with the Law and the Prophets up to Jeremiah, he stresses that it seems inviting to consider it a source, like the Torah, not only for interpretation but for invention, expansion, and imagination.
Tenemos la bendición de vivir y servir en una de las épocas más notables de la dispensación del cumplimiento de los tiempos. Testifico que ninguna mano impía y ninguna pandemia pueden impedir que la santa obra del Señor progrese.
Elder Gavarret teaches how to obtain, recognize, and maintain a change of heart.
RSC Topics > G — K > Hope
RSC Topics > L — P > Living the Gospel
RSC Topics > Q — S > Repentance
RSC Topics > Q — S > Salvation
Since 1989, the Review of Books on the Book of Mormon has published review essays to help serious readers make informed choices and judgments about books and other publications on topics related to the Latter-day Saint religious tradition. It has also published substantial freestanding essays that made further contributions to the field of Mormon studies. In 1996, the journal changed its name to the FARMS Review with Volume 8, No 1. In 2011, the journal was renamed Mormon Studies Review.
The author reflects on the lasting influence of the eminent Latter-day Saint scholar Hugh Nibley, whose far-reaching scholarship, unmatched erudition, and vigorous defense of the Mormon faith established Mormon studies on a solid foundation and pointed the way for others to follow.
Hugh W. Nibley Topics > Hugh Nibley > Scholarship, Footnotes, Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, CWHN, Editing > Theology
Hugh W. Nibley (1910–2005) was arguably the most brilliant Latter-day Saint scholar of the 20th century, with wide-ranging interests in scripture, history, and social issues. The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley comprise nineteen weighty volumes. But he was also one of the most enigmatic observers of the Church. In this volume readers will discover that the personal stories and perspectives behind the scholarship are sometimes even more captivating than his brilliant and witty intellectual breakthroughs. This comprehensive three-part collection of essays sheds fascinating new light on Hugh Nibley as a scholar and a man. Part 1, entitled “Portraits,” contains the first collection of observations—a “spiritual” portrait of Hugh Nibley by his close friend and colleague John W. “Jack” Welch, a description of the physical portrait by Rebecca Everett hanging in the Hugh Nibley Ancient Studies room at Brigham Young University, and a biographical portrait by Hugh himself. Part 2, “Nibley, the Scholar,” contains expanded and updated versions of the almost forgotten audio and video recordings of the BYU Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship lecture series celebrating the centennial of Nibley’s birth in 2010. An additional set of chapters on Nibley’s scholarship rounds out this collection. Part 3, “Nibley, the Man,” includes tributes given by family members and others at Nibley’s funeral service. A series of entertaining personal stories, reminiscences, and folklore accounts concludes the volume.
The author reflects on the lasting influence of the eminent Latter-day Saint scholar Hugh Nibley, whose far-reaching scholarship, unmatched erudition, and vigorous defense of the Mormon faith established Mormon studies on a solid foundation and pointed the way for others to follow.
Hugh W. Nibley Topics > Hugh Nibley > Scholarship, Footnotes, Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, CWHN, Editing > Theology
Discourse by President John Taylor, delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, October 8, 1882. Reported By: John Irvine.
May we gain knowledge through study. May we make home a heaven. May we find joy in service.
This first of two volumes of essays honoring Hugh Nibley includes scholarly papers based on what the contributors have learned from Dr. Nibley. Nearly every major subject that he has encompassed in his vast learning and scholarly production is represented here by at least one article. Topics include the influence of Nibley, Copts and the Bible, the Seventy in scripture, the great apostasy, the book of Daniel in early Mormon thought, an early Christian initiation ritual, John’s Apocalypse, ancient Jewish seafaring, Native American rites of passage, Sinai as sanctuary and mountain of God, the Qurʾan and creation ex nihilo, and the sacred handclasp and embrace.
Studies the prohibition against eating meat in the Old Testament.
Hugh W. Nibley Topics > Hugh Nibley > Scholarship, Footnotes, Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, CWHN, Editing > Bible > Old Testament
RSC Topics > Q — S > Service
RSC Topics > Q — S > Restoration of the Gospel
One million copies of the Book of Mormon have been donated to the personalized family-to-family Book of Mormon project since the project began in 1966.
A psychological study of Mormonism’s founder, with an attempt to demonstrate that the Book of Mormon is a forgery and that Joseph Smith was deranged.
Gaps can be reminders of ways in which we can improve or, if ignored, can be stumbling blocks in our lives.
Abstract: In Doctrine and Covenants 132:8 we read: “Behold, mine house is a house of order, saith the Lord God, and not a house of confusion.” I propose that the words “order” and “confusion” in this passage are literary allusions to the ideals, constructs, and outcomes that embody Zion and Babylon, respectively. In other words, God’s house is a house of Zion and not a house of Babylon.
A previously unknown oil sketch by Minerva Teichert (1888–1976), the pioneering LDS woman artist, was recently acquired by an art collector when it came up for sale in Salt Lake City. This small painting depicts the temptation of Corianton, a son of Alma in the Book of Mormon. The painting had been owned for many years by a Wyoming rancher who received it from Teichert as a birthday gift when he was a boy in the early 1950s. This article introduces The Seduction of Corianton, including a full-color scan of the painting.
Presents a paper and wood model of the gold plates.
We will implement a newer, holier approach to caring for and ministering to others.
Let us reach out and care as our Savior would, especially to those whom we are privileged by love and assignment to minister.
Review of David B. Ostler, Bridges: Ministering to Those Who Question (Salt Lake City: Greg Kofford Books, 2019), 206 pp. $32.95 (hardback), $20.95 (paperback).
Abstract: David Ostler’s book Bridges: Ministering to Those Who Question addresses the daunting task of ministering to people who have grown disillusioned with the core doctrines and the community of believers they encounter in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is perhaps the most challenging ministering effort a leader or member of the Church can undertake, and Bridges provides valuable insight into the process of disaffection as well as specific things that Church leaders and members can do to create a healthy environment for members to work through challenges to their faith. This review discusses those strengths of Bridges as a resource and also explores areas where the well-intentioned approaches discussed in the book can backfire, causing more harm than healing in a community of believing Latter-day Saints.
May we show our gratitude and love for God by ministering with love to our eternal sisters and brothers.
We will minister in His name, with His power and authority, and with His loving kindness.
God never leaves us alone, never leaves us unaided in the challenges that we face.
The 43rd Annual Brigham Young University Sidney B. Sperry Symposium This volume sheds important light on the mission of the man whom Jesus himself referred to as “the rock.” As a sometimes fallible but nonetheless earnest disciple, Peter is an important example of grace, transformation, service, and power. Essays in this collection treat his cultural background and context, his role in the apostolic church, many of his noted teachings, and his important legacy in early Christianity and the Restoration. But above all, Peter is revealed as one who, through the Atonement and the endowment of the Spirit, overcame his own weaknesses to become one of the greatest, and most powerful, witnesses of the divinity, mission, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The 43rd Annual Brigham Young University Sidney B. Sperry Symposium This volume sheds important light on the mission of the man whom Jesus himself referred to as “the rock.” As a sometimes fallible but nonetheless earnest disciple, Peter is an important example of grace, transformation, service, and power. Essays in this collection treat his cultural background and context, his role in the apostolic church, many of his noted teachings, and his important legacy in early Christianity and the Restoration. But above all, Peter is revealed as one who, through the Atonement and the endowment of the Spirit, overcame his own weaknesses to become one of the greatest, and most powerful, witnesses of the divinity, mission, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. ISBN 978-1-60907-922-2
I testify of the tranquility to the soul that reconciliation with God and each other will bring if we are meek and courageous enough to pursue it.
RSC Topics > G — K > God the Father
RSC Topics > G — K > Godhead
RSC Topics > G — K > Jesus Christ
Later this year, the Religious Studies Center will publish a volume called Joseph Smith’s New Translation of the Bible: Original Manuscripts, edited by Scott H. Faulring, Kent P. Jackson, and Robert J. Matthews. To help readers understand the scope and purpose of this project, the Religious Educator held the following interview with two of the editors.
All of us will experience difficult challenges in life. How you deal with and overcome adversity is what is important.
Faith is the basis of testimony. Faith underlies loyalty to the Church. Faith represents sacrifice, gladly given in moving forward the work of the Lord.
I have seen some individuals who have confessed and forsaken their sins with a broken heart and a contrite spirit and yet are unable to accept the forgiveness that comes through the Atonement … They do not understand the miracle of forgiveness or the wonderful gift of grace that the Atonement is.
Whatever your past has been, your future is spotless, so tie yourself to your potential, not to your past. One of the most beautiful truths of the plan of happiness is that the Lord forgives and forgets.
There is no sin or transgression, pain or sorrow, which is outside of the healing power of His Atonement.
Divides the Book of Mormon into elements of doctrine, narrative, geography, structure, and miscellany. Correlates Book of Mormon scriptures with biblical chronological events, divides the geography into four lands (maps are included), the way in which the book is presented, and miscellaneous items of poetry and chiasmus.
We are true and full believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and in His revealed word through the Holy Bible.
God does have control of all of these elements. You and I can reach out, and if it’s His will, we can bring those elements under our control for His purposes.
Old Testament stories compared with modern ones show that miracles still happen
Review of Alonzo L. Gaskill, Miracles of the Book of Mormon: A Guide to the Symbolic Messages, 2015, Springville, UT: Cedar Fort, 447 pp. + bibliography, appendix of Brief Biographical Sketches of Ancient and Modern Non-LDS Sources Cited, index, etc. Hardbound. $27.99.
Abstract: Author Alonzo L. Gaskill has used his considerable scholarly and spiritual skills to provide the reader with a book that describes and applies to our lives the miracles found in the Book of Mormon, some of which may have slipped the reader’s eyes, mind, and heart.
RSC Topics > Q — S > Sabbath
This is a lengthy poem about the coming forth of the Book of Mormon from the Hill Cumorah.
Some Zuni Indians consider themselves to be descendants of Montezuma. A tradition says that more than 300 years before the Spanish arrived, white men landed in Mexico and became the ancestors of the great kings, including Montezuma. They intermarried and lost their distinction. Story told of an elder who administered to 406 Indians afflicted with small pox.
Chiasmus is used so profusely in the Book of Mormon that this author examines the mirror image of chiasmus in other forms such as art and architecture. The article contains figures and photographs as examples.
RSC Topics > L — P > Prayer
Remarks by President Daniel H. Wells, Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, March 1, 1857. Reported By: G. D. Watt.
RSC Topics > T — Z > Worship
During his visit to the Nephites, the Savior instructed Nephi to add to their records a missing scripture concerning the resurrection of many of the dead immediately following his own resurrection, as well as their appearance to many people. Good evidence suggests that it was Samuel the Lamanite’s prophecy of this resurrection that was missing. Aspects of the manner of recording, abridgment, and translation of the text of the Book of Mormon are elucidated through this missing scripture as it appears in the English text.
Review of Simon G. Southerton. Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church.
In teaching Book of Mormon at Brigham Young University over the past quarter century, I have rarely found a student, whether true freshman or returned missionary, who knows what the word mark means in Jacob 4:14.1 Most of them know that the mark symbolizes Christ in this verse, but they do not know what a mark is. That is, if a mark symbolizes Christ, then mark must be something in real life other than Christ. In fact, most Book of Mormon readers justifiably feel satisfied and uplifted by relying on what they think mark means in this verse. While it is true that great lessons can be learned from this verse by relying simply on the symbolic meaning of mark, when the meaning of mark as it fell from the Prophet’s lips while translating becomes clear, whole new, additional dimensions of understandings of Jacob’s warning begin to unfold.
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Ether
Abstract: Chapters from Isaiah quoted in the Book of Mormon use the King James Bible as a base text yet frequently vary from it in minor ways, particularly in the earliest text of the Book of Mormon. A disproportionate number of these variants are due to the omission or replacement of words italicized in the KJV. Many of the minor variants were eliminated by the printer for the 1830 edition or by Joseph Smith himself for the 1837 edition, but others remain. Some of the minor variants are easily explained as errors of dictation, transcription, or copying, but others are not so readily accounted for. While some are inconsequential, others negatively affect Isaiah’s text by confusing its meaning or violating grammatical norms. Most have no clear purpose. The disruptive character of these variants suggests they are secondary and were introduced by someone who was relatively uneducated in English grammar and unfamiliar with the biblical passages being quoted. They point to Joseph Smith, the unlearned man who dictated the Book of Mormon translation. Even so, it seems unlikely that a single individual would have intentionally produced these disruptive edits. They are better explained as the product of the well-intentioned but uncoordinated efforts of two individuals, each trying to adapt the Book of Mormon translation for a contemporary audience. Specifically, many of these variants are best explained as the results of Joseph Smith’s attempts to restore missing words to a text from which some words (those italicized in the KJV) had been purposefully omitted by a prior translator. The proposed explanation is consistent with witness accounts of the Book of Mormon translation that portray Joseph Smith visioning a text that was already translated into English. It is also supported by an 1831 newspaper article that describes Joseph Smith dictating one of the Book of Mormon’s biblical chapters minus the KJV’s italicized words. An understanding of the human element in the Book of Mormon translation can aid the student of scripture in distinguishing the “mistake of men” from those variants that are integral to the Book of Mormon’s Bible quotations.
Book of Mormon Scriptures > 2 Nephi
Book of Mormon Topics > Translation and Publication > KJV
Old Testament Scriptures > Isaiah
Old Testament Topics > Elijah
RSC Topics > D — F > Fall of Adam and Eve
Old Testament Topics > Moses
RSC Topics > G — K > Gifts of the Spirit
RSC Topics > G — K > Holy Ghost
RSC Topics > L — P > Love
RSC Topics > Q — S > Spiritual Gifts
Discourse by Apostle Moses Thatcher, delivered at the General Conference, Saturday, April 8, 1882. Reported By: Geo. F. Gibbs.
How could the longest-serving Latter-day Saint mission president be considered one of the Communist Regime’s most wanted American spies during the post–World War II era? Don’t miss this true story of faith, testimony, and miracles amidst war, Nazis, communism, and espionage. This enticing story will captivate you as you read about Wallace Toronto, who defied the Nazis, Communists, and Czechoslovakian prisons to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. This book offers a glimpse at the life of Wallace (Wally) F. Toronto with emphasis on the World War II era. Saints in Czechoslovakia had the same amount of time as those in other countries to prepare themselves for resistance to the Nazi and Communist regimes. Yet they fared much better. Toronto experienced missionary work in the most diverse of circumstances, yet he helped established a foothold so firm that Czechs, as stubborn believers, endured war and almost sixty years of repression. ISBN 978-1-9443-9466-0
A Discourse by Elder Ezra T. Benson, Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, Sunday Morning, January 24, 1858. Reported By: J. V. Long.
RSC Topics > T — Z > Zion
RSC Topics > T — Z > Testimony
RSC Topics > T — Z > Zion
RSC Topics > L — P > Missionary Work
RSC Topics > L — P > Missionary Work
RSC Topics > T — Z > Zion
RSC Topics > L — P > Missionary Work
I am thankful that missionaries are called by the Lord, that they respond to that call, and that they are serving throughout the world.
RSC Topics > L — P > Peace
RSC Topics > T — Z > War
Tells about the rising number of LDS missionaries, a record high of 33,000, and coupled with “perhaps the most extensive missionary circulation ever of the Book of Mormon” as a missionary tool.
A news report that LDS missionaries and members in New Hampshire are placing copies of the Book of Mormon in every public library.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, delivered in the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Morning, August 27, 1871. Reported By: David W. Evans.
A tract prepared for full-time missionaries that argues that the “Book of Mormon is the most effective piece of missionary literature we have”
Cartoon message for children. A nine-year-old boy presents a book report on the Book of Mormon in his school, impressing his teacher to the point that she desires to read it.
A story of a 90-year-old woman who sends copies of the Book of Mormon, along with her testimony, to her non-member relatives and friends.
A story of a girl who was converted by the Book of Mormon and she in turn helped convert ten other people.
Remarks by Elder George A. Smith, made in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, April 6, 1863. Reported By: G. D. Watt.
A lack of copies of the Book of Mormon available for missionaries prompts a request for more donations to the Church’s General Book of Mormon Fund.
Discourses by Elder John Q. Cannon, President Wilford Woodruff and President John Taylor, delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, June 29, 1884. Reported By: John Irvine.
RSC Topics > L — P > Missionary Work
Contains thirteen lessons for adults on instructions and teachings within the Book of Mormon on missionary work.
A history of Kresimir Cosic, his introduction to the gospel, and how that continued to impact him and those around him.
Testimony of a convert who discovered and joined the Church via the Book of Mormon; he found scriptural prophets such as Nephi and Moroni to be “the best missionaries”
The excitement and thrill of being a full-time missionary is one of the greatest blessings a young man of the Aaronic Priesthood can aspire to.
RSC Topics > D — F > Family
RSC Topics > L — P > Missionary Work
RSC Topics > T — Z > Women
President Ballard teaches about the blessings of missionary service and encourages young people to prepare and serve full-time missions.
Referring to passages in the Book of Mormon (which is the great converter), Ed Pinegar, former president of the Missionary Training Center, emphasizes the commission that all members of the church have to bring souls to Christ. Missionaries are expected to exemplify the virtues that they teach to potential converts, such as repentance-induced purity, charity, obedience, fasting and prayer, faith, knowledge, and commitment.
Denigrates LDS practices and teachings. Says that missionaries circulate the Book of Mormon but not the Bible. Comments on reactions of Church leaders to an earlier article claiming that LDS teachings were changing.
Compiles approaches in using the Book of Mormon in connection with missionary work.
Wherever you are on this earth, there are plenty of opportunities to share the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
This personal narrative of missionary Adolf Haag is a compelling story of one missionary who sacrificed everything to travel to a foreign land and faithfully share his beliefs with others. In January 1890, Haag, a German immigrant living in the small community of Payson, Utah, was called to be a missionary in Switzerland and Germany. This book contains the journals Haag kept during his mission, letters he sent in preparation for it, and all the known letters he sent home while he was serving. These documents chronicle the willingness of a young man to accept a call to serve the cause of a religion he fervently believed in. They record the challenges he faced leaving behind his home, his business, and his wife and two young children. His letters in response to problems at home may show him at his missionary best. They read, in large part, like sermons, extolling the virtues of trusting in God, exercising patience and forbearance, and staying true to the faith. See additional information: rsc.byu.edu/adolf-haag ISBN 978-0-8425-2959-4
A polemical tract. Compares Mormonism with paganism, Baalism, and Islam. Paraphrases Moslem credo to be a Mormon slogan: “There are many gods, and Joseph Smith is their Prophet” Mormon scriptures have less value than the Koran.
RSC Topics > D — F > First Presidency
RSC Topics > Q — S > Quorums of the Seventy
Abstract: This is the second of two articles discussing Missouri’s requisitions to extradite Joseph Smith to face criminal charges and the Prophet’s recourse to English habeas corpus practice to defend himself. In the first article, the author discussed the English nature of pre-Civil War habeas corpus practice in America and the anachronistic modern idea that the Nauvoo Municipal Court did not have jurisdiction to consider interstate habeas corpus matters. In this article, he analyzes the conduct of Governor Thomas Reynolds in the matter of Missouri’s requisitions for the extradition of Joseph Smith in light of 1840s legal ethics in America. That analysis follows the discovery that Governor Reynolds had dismissed the underlying 1838 charges against Joseph Smith when he was a Missouri Supreme Court judge. It also responds to the revelation that Missouri reissued indictments based on the same underlying facts in June 1843 despite the existence of a double-jeopardy provision in the Missouri Constitution of 1820. .
Claims that the writer of the Book of Mormon was unaware of the setting of Jerusalem in 600 B.C., that he misunderstood such Hebrew words as “messiah,” and points out other mistakes of the book.
A polemical work against Mormonism containing similar material as the author’s other work, Is the Book of Mormon From God?
A defense of Joseph Smith in response to The Children of God, by Vardis Fisher. Joseph Smith made no mistake in translating the record that represents a people who dwelt upon the land of America 600 years B.C. who brought no records of the minor prophets who wrote between the time of Lehi’s departure and A.D. 70.
Abstract: The Mormonizing of America by Stephen Mansfield has been touted as a solid, impartial look at Mormon history and doctrine. Unfortunately, on closer examination, the book is seriously lacking both in substance and impartiality. This article discusses the book’s numerous problems.
Review of Stephen Mansfield. The Mormonizing of America: How the Mormon Religion Became a Dominant Force in Politics, Entertainment, and Pop Culture. Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing, 2012. 264 pp. $22.99.
Reprinted as six chapters in The Prophetic Book of Mormon.
A series about the Book of Mormon and its nineteenth-century American critics. David Marks, who heard the story of the book from the Whitmer family, dismissed it as deception that he could not support by purchasing the book. Alexander Campbell, Origen Bacheler, E. D. Hose, and Professor Rafinesque joined him. The critics could not believe in angelic visits, visions, and further revelation from God. They criticized the grammar and content, rebuked the translator as a fraud, a liar, and a money-digging, peep-stone looking cheat. One critic relied upon the words of another without checking to see if there was any truth.
The seeds of faith and light are planted, cultivated, nurtured, and grow bathed in the glow of His tender care—the behavioral and verbal testimony examples of Latter-day Saint BYU students and graduates on campus and around the world.
All of us living in the world today need points of reference—even models to follow.
RSC Topics > L — P > Parenting
RSC Topics > Q — S > Service
RSC Topics > T — Z > War
This article discusses a prophecy made by Nephi (2 Nephi 30:3), which states that many Gentiles of the last days will believe the words of the Book of Mormon. The author believes that the great numbers of persons who read and accept the Book of Mormon in this era demonstrate eloquent fulfillment of this prophecy.
Discourse by President George Q. Cannon, delivered at the General Conference, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, April 3, 1881. Reported By: Geo. F. Gibbs.
Includes a report from the History of Iowa stating that man and horses were in Iowa, Nebraska, soon after the glaciers melted. These people built homes, made cloth, and built mounds. The author notes similarities between the History of Iowa report and the account of the Jaredites.
American antiquities support the claims of the Book of Mormon. Prior to the publication of the book extensive facts about the ancient Americans’ language, ancestry, and works were unknown to the world. Gives information about publication dates for works about American antiquities and when their use began in America.
Review of The Best Kept Secrets in the Book of Mormon (1988), by Loftes Tryk.
World peace can only come if there is tolerance and freedom. The Book of Mormon teaches these attributes. It also teaches there should be no law against belief and no single race is superior to another.
David’s “mighty men in 2 Samuel 23 compared to modern Church members
With the battle raging between good and evil, I have seen many a modern, mighty woman stick her banner in the ground in her own way as she takes a stand and defends the doctrine of Jesus Christ.
Author believes that it is as foolish to try to disprove the Book of Mormon as it is the Bible, for both works are built upon revelation. There are, however, many who refuse to accept the teachings of both scriptures.
Abstract: Contemporary Palestinian archaeology has produced two major threats to traditional interpretations of the history of ancient Israel. The first threat, which derives from scientific discomfort with the exodus story as an explanation for the sudden population expansion in southern Palestine at the beginning of the Iron Age (c. 1200 bce), has led to a wide variety of theories about how these Israelites could have been drawn from existing populations in the general area. This challenge is answerable in ways that preserve the exodus account, which is fundamental to the Book of Mormon as well as the Bible. The second threat is the glaring mismatch between the biblical glorification of David and Solomon’s “empire” and disparagement of the northern kingdom combined with the archaeological finding that the cities of the northern kingdom were far larger and more advanced than Jerusalem and the south. This discrepancy between archaeology and the biblical record provided support for the widely embraced theory that everything from Genesis through Kings had been revised to promote the political and religious preeminence of Judah above the other tribes. This second challenge does fit the archaeology and contemporary textual interpretations. But it also provides stronger grounding for the hypothesis that Nephi’s Brass Plates could have been produced by an ancient Manassite scribal school of which he and his father were highly trained members, and which may have been out of sync with the Jewish scribal schools and the elders of Jerusalem.
RSC Topics > L — P > Love
RSC Topics > L — P > Marriage
RSC Topics > Q — S > Relief Society
RSC Topics > T — Z > Women
After the announcement of the intent to rebuild the Nauvoo Temple, there was much discussion in the town about why The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would want to build such a large building in such a small place and what impact it might have on Nauvoo. Questions were raised about the vast potential increase in the number of visitors to Nauvoo, as well as whether large numbers of Church members would come to settle in Nauvoo permanently, significantly affecting the political and cultural environment. Additional interest focused on the whole history of the Mormons in Nauvoo. Those ideas, attitudes, and feelings of residents were captured in this collection of interviews. Twenty-six Nauvoo residents were interviewed and their answers recorded in this volume. ISBN 978-0-8425-2526-8
Discusses what the Book of Mormon says about war. God has forbidden the shedding of blood (Ether 8:9). However, he does not command men to subject themselves to bondage, but rather to protect their freedom (Alma 6:9-14).
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Ether
A work about Joseph Smith that devotes considerable space to the Book of Mormon. Tells about Joseph Smith’s encounter with Moroni and the translation of the plates. Quotes separate testimonies of the Three Witnesses. Discusses the important role of the American Indians.
Cites various sources to argue the authenticity of the Book of Mormon. Writes concerning the confusion of tongues at the tower of Babel when God led people over the sea in ships to the islands. With the discoveries of ruins on the American continent the Jewish origin of American natives is being increasingly recognized.
Writes of various external evidences of the Book of Mormon that Joseph Smith, according to Ricks, would not have been aware of. Mentions the great ruins that have been discovered in Central and South America, evidence of iron, wool, cement, elephants, and domesticated horses, ox, sheep, and swine.
Adding to the five known philosophies of life, Epicureanism, Stoicism, Platonism, (fourth not mentioned), and Christianity is the sixth philosophy, or the Philosophy of God in the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times. It brings a unity to life. The teachings in the Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price, and Doctrine and Covenants clarify the meaning of life.
Old Testament Topics > Restoration and Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith’s contributions to the scriptural canon include the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants. Both are added witnesses of Jesus Christ and clarify the teachings and doctrines of Jesus Christ, including the conditions for eternal life or exaltation.
Early British diatribe against Mormonism, lamenting the receptiveness of Britons to the Church. Tells about Moroni’s visit, the first scene at the Hill Cumorah, the manner of translation, the loss of the 116 pages, the role of Martin Harris, and the theory of the Spaulding manuscript. Relies heavily on the Episcopal Recorder in Philadelphia.
Samuel L. Bray and John F. Hobbins, Genesis 1–11: A New Old Translation for Readers, Scholars, and Translators (Wilmore, KY: GlossaHouse, 2017). 326 pages, $14.99, paperback.
Abstract: Samuel L. Bray and John F. Hobbins have recently released a new translation of Genesis chapters one to eleven. The highlight of the work is their extensive notes that provide insight into not just their translation process, but on the process of Bible translation as a whole. The book offers a great deal to interest Bible readers, scholars, and translators.
Review of Matthew S. Brown, Jeffrey M. Bradshaw, Stephen D. Ricks, and John S. Thompson, eds., Ancient Temple Worship: Proceedings of the Expound Symposium 14 May 2011 (Orem and Salt Lake City, UT: The Interpreter Foundation/Eborn Books, 2014). 293pp., $24.95 (hardcover)
Abstract: This well-produced, noteworthy volume adds to the growing number of resources available to help make more meaningful the complex and historically rich experience of the temple.
Review of As One Crying from the Dust: Book of Mormon Messages for Today (1999), by Brent L. Top
In this statement, the First Presidency requests that the Book of Mormon not be rewritten into familiar or modern English because of “risks that this process may introduce doctrinal errors or obscure evidence of its ancient origin.”
A famous Mohawk singer, Os-ke-non-ton, was told the story of the Book of Mormon and his ancestors and said, “Of the many anthropological explanations of the origin of the American Indian the Mormon one impresses me as the briefest and most feasible”
I am a devout Christian who is exceedingly fortunate to have greater knowledge of the true “doctrine of Christ” since my conversion to the restored Church.
A hundred years ago, the Book of Mormon was regarded by the scholarly world as an odd text that simply did not fit their understanding of the ancient world. Since that time, however, numerous ancient records have come to light, including the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi texts. These discoveries have forced scholars to change their views of history, and they place the Book of Mormon in a new light as well. That is why respected Latter-day Saint scholar Hugh Nibley wrote Since Cumorah, a brilliant literary, theological, and historical evaluation of the Book of Mormon as an ancient book.
David Whitmer traveled to Harmony, Pennsylvania, to return with Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery to the Whitmer home where the translation of the Book of Mormon would be completed. Whitmer’s fears were allayed by the appearance of a man who told him he was going to Cumorah and then disappeared.
Samuel Smith was the first missionary with copies of the completed Book of Mormon. He gave one copy to Rev. John P. Greene, who was converted, and he passed it on to the Young family, many of whom were also converted. It was also given to Heber C. Kimball.
In April of 1889 the Book of Mormon was first printed in the Maori language in New Zealand.
In 1942 President McKay obtained proof sheets of the first edition of the Book of Mormon from Wilford C. Wood.
A list of important moments in Church history including a missionary giving a copy of the Book of Mormon to the King of Sweden in 1897.
The choices we make with money are at the heart of mortality’s test. Will we choose to waste our resources upon transitory pleasures, or will we choose to serve others and build up the kingdom of God?
Lays out the monetary measurement of the Nephites as codified by Mosiah. The coins are named after people or places. Barley seems to have been the standard of measurement, just as was the case from the races from which the English people sprang.
Lays out the monetary measurement of the Nephites as codified by Mosiah. The coins are named after people or places. Barley seems to have been the standard of measurement, just as was the case from the races from which the English people sprang.
Lays out the monetary measurement of the Nephites as codified by Mosiah. The coins are named after people or places. Barley seems to have been the standard of measurement, just as was the case from the races from which the English people sprang.
RSC Topics > L — P > Parenting
RSC Topics > T — Z > War
This reprint of a newspaper article declares that the Book of Mormon is of the highest moral type and suggests that there is no internal evidence that it is a romance written by a skillful author. It is consistent with the “highest type of Christian life”
Review of The Book of Mormon: First Nephi, The Doctrinal Foundation (1988), edited by Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate Jr.
Review of The Book of Mormon: Second Nephi, The Doctrinal Structure (1989), edited by Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate Jr.
Review of The Book of Mormon: 3 Nephi 9-30, This Is My Gospel (1993), edited by Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate Jr.
Review of The Book of Mormon: Fourth Nephi through Moroni, From Zion to Destruction (1995), edited by Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate Jr.
Review of The Book of Mormon: Alma, The Testimony of the Word (1992), edited by Monte S. Numan and Charles D. Tate Jr.
Review of The Book of Mormon: Jacob through Words of Mormon, To Learn with Joy (1990), edited by Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate Jr.
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Words of Mormon
Review of The Book of Mormon: Mosiah, Salvation Only through Christ (1991), edited by Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate Jr.
Review of The Book of Mormon: Helaman through 3 Nephi 8, According to Thy Word (1992), edited by Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate Jr.
Book of Mormon Scriptures > 3 Nephi
Review of An Ensign to All People: The Sacred Message and Mission of the Book of Mormon (1987), by Monte S. Nyman.
Review of The Most Correct Book: Why the Book of Mormon Is the Keystone Scripture (1991), by Monte S. Nyman.
It is because of the Atonement of Christ that we can recover from bad choices and be justified under the law as if we had not sinned.
What do we have that we can offer in return for all the good gifts of our Father in Heaven and His Son Jesus Christ? We can offer our hearts and our free will—our obedience. We can sacrifice a broken heart and a contrite spirit.
Moral discipline is the consistent exercise of agency to choose the right because it is right, even when it is hard.
Your intuition is to do good and to be good, and as you follow the Holy Spirit, your moral authority and influence will grow.
A symposium titled “The Gospel: The Foundation for a Professional Career Symposium” was held on Brigham Young University campus in March 2007. It was cosponsored by Religious Education and the Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering and Technology. The purpose of the symposium was to emphasize how important it is for graduates of BYU to live the highest standards of morality and integrity as they leave campus and assume residency and employment in the world community. It was an opportunity to make principles taught by the Latter-day Saint faith find practical application in the lives of graduates. This volume contains the presentations from this symposium. “We live in most interesting times. Scandals in society and infamous episodes in the lives of respected leaders force us to ask hard questions about what matters in people’s lives. We must explore the difficult issue of whether leaders’ private morality is in any way related to their capacity to make responsible and moral judgments in our behalf.”—Robert L. Millet “Both by doctrine and by covenant, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are compelled to be men and women of character, honesty, and integrity in their personal and professional lives. As students attend Brigham Young University, graduate, and move out into the community and various chosen careers, they have an obligation to maintain the highest standards of integrity. In the workplace, whether they are employees or employers, they must be immune to improper incentives, social and corporate pressures, and shortcuts designed to enhance balance sheets at the expense of integrity and sound, acceptable business practices. “Integrity is a matter of behavior, sound thinking, and an attitude that honesty is essential to good business and engineering practices. Adherence to a code of professional integrity has its foundations in the doctrines of the Restoration, particularly the knowledge that we are all sons and daughters of God and face eventual accountability for our words, works, and thoughts (see Alma 12:14). Church membership compels Latter-day Saints to be trustworthy and immune from political, financial, or personal corruption in a world where such traits are fast losing ground to economic expediency and personal greed.”—The Editors ISBN 978-0-8425-2686-9
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Ether
RSC Topics > L — P > Marriage
RSC Topics > Q — S > Sin
Presents a life sketch of the Alma family, many of whom became prophets. The life of Alma the Younger is compared to the Apostle Paul—both were called upon to repent and became great missionaries for the Lord. The prophecies of Alma are among the most numerous, important, and interesting in the Book of Mormon, and his inspired advice to his sons contains many doctrinal matters. Helaman the son of Helaman, grandson of Alma, carried on the work of righteousness in spite of the Gadianton robbers. His son Nephi was a great prophet who paved the way for the visit of Christ in America. Nephi’s brother Lehi and Lehi’s son Nephi were also great leaders.
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Helaman
While archaeologists search for the secrets to the origin of the early inhabitants of America, members of the Church believe the keys to understanding such things are contained in the Book of Mormon.
The inhabitants of ancient America had Christian traditions in pre-Columbian times and their ancestors crossed the Pacific Ocean in boats, landing somewhere on the coast of present day Mexico.
Reprinted in Brother Brigham Challenges the Saints, The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley 13. 346–79.
Statements on Brigham Young’s view of education.
“More Brigham Young on Education” (1976)
“More Brigham Young on Education” (1994)
Hugh W. Nibley Topics > Education, Learning
Statements on Brigham Young’s view of education.
“More Brigham Young on Education” (1976)
“More Brigham Young on Education” (1994)
Hugh W. Nibley Topics > Education, Learning
Brother Brigham Challenges the Saints presents Hugh Nibley’s reflections on the thoughts of Brigham Young on politics, education, leadership, and the environment. The timeliness of Brigham’s counsel on these topics will quickly become apparent to readers, as will the unique insights that Nibley adds. This volume will amuse, provoke, and challenge and, above all, educate.
Statements on Brigham Young’s view of education.
“More Brigham Young on Education” (1976)
“More Brigham Young on Education” (1976)
Believes that North America is the “land north” of the Book of Mormon and South America is the “land south” The principle argument advanced is the great length of time (approx. 600 to 200 B.C.) that passed without the large populations of Nephites, Zarahemlaites (Mulekites), and Jaredites discovering one another, suggesting a large territory.
This is the first and still the only book-length commentary on the Joseph Smith Papyri. In this long-awaited new edition, with expanded text and numerous illustrations, Professor Nibley shows that the papyri are not the source of the Book of Abraham. Rather than focusing on what the papyri are not, as most commentators have done, Nibley masterfully explores what the papyri are and what they meant in ancient times. He demonstrates how these ancient Egyptian papyri contain a message that is of particular interest to Latter-day Saints.
We can become more diligent and concerned at home as we are more faithful in learning, living, and loving the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
We know who we are. We know that we have made the commitment to do our parts in advancing scholarly excellence while lifting and strengthening the faith and testimonies of our students. Without apology, we affirm the supremacy of Deity, the reality of the Restoration unfolded through the Prophet Joseph, and our allegiance to today’s presiding high priests who are also the officers of our board of trustees.
Old Testament Topics > Book of Mormon and the Old Testament
Nineteen golden plates were discovered in South Korea in 1965. These contain the records of Buddhist scripture. Archaeologists also confirm that this is how most ancient records were kept.
Report of three 8 in. x 5 in. gold sheets found near Rome. Two were inscribed with ancient Etruscan, the other Phoenician. Tells of a discovery made in Italy when archaeologists found three gold plates that date back to 500 B.C. This, along with the Dead Sea Scrolls, proves that such records like the Book of Mormon were kept in ancient times.
It is important for families and individuals to aggressively seek more of the virtues which go beyond this mortal life.
Review of Into the Light: A Novel (1995), by Keith C. Terry; and The Remnant (1996), by Keith C. Terry and Wesley Jarvis
The title page of the Book of Mormon was most likely written by Moroni, but in recent years scholars have suggested that Mormon, Moroni’s father, may have written the first six lines of the title page, with Moroni writing the rest. However, a more in-depth analysis of the text on that page and the specific language that is used provides evidence supporting the notion that the title page was, in fact, written solely by Moroni.
If we are going to beat the problem of contempt, we’re going to need something more radical than civility—something that speaks to our hearts’ desire. We need love.
President Benson teaches that more missionaries are needed. He encourages families to read and study the Book of Mormon. “The Book of Mormon is one of the greatest means for preparing missionaries”
Michael D. Coogan identifies the silver plates found in a Jerusalem burial site as one of the ten most significant finds for biblical archaeology because “they are our earliest witness to the text of the Bible.”
Royal Skousen has done an excellent job of summarizing the use of the construction “the more part of + ‹ NOUN PHRASE ›” (and close variants) in the Book of Mormon at Helaman 6:21 in his Analysis of Textual Variants. In this phrase, the adjective more conveys an obsolete meaning of ‘greater’. My concern here is to compare Book of Mormon usage to that of the King James Bible and the textual record and to place it in its proper time.
Editor’s note: Because of the complex typesetting of this article, the rest of it has not been reproduced on this webpage. The reader is referred to the PDF version to view the entire article.
Review of “The Priority of Mosiah: A Prelude to Book of Mormon Exegesis” (1993), by Brent Lee Metcalf.
Review of “Does the Book of Mormon Reflect an Ancient Near Eastern Background?” (2002), by Thomas J. Finley, and “Rendering Fiction: Translation, Pseudotranslation, and the Book of Mormon” (2002), by David J. Shepherd.
Review of The Word of God: Essays on Mormon Scripture (1990), edited by Dan Vogel.
Jesus Christ is not only our hero; He is our Lord and King, the Savior and Redeemer of mankind.
Trials are not just to test us. They are vitally important to the process of putting on the divine nature.
Perhaps the most unique thing about a BYU education is that it prizes eternal and not simply academic progression. This difference in priorities encourages both faculty and students to factor in service alongside their pursuit of knowledge.
Even among those of us who are convinced of the divinity of the Book of Mormon’s source and the primacy of its message, there is a tendency to find “the most perfect book ever written” prolix. However, when compared with the King James Version of the Bible the Book of Mormon offers some very important additions. Take, for example, the Book of Mormon Beatitudes—3 Nephi 12:3–11, which parallels Matthew 5:3–11. Though the ands and alls and yea and again of the Nephi version are clearly superfluous, at least a third of the eighteen percent additional words used by Nephi enrich the passage; they are no more redundant than the “and thirst” in “hunger and thirst after righteousness.” “Blessed are the poor in spirit who come unto me, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” while using more words than the original, makes it clear that the Sermon was directed to those who had come unto the Savior in the waters of baptism. And verse 6—”Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled”—is made specific with the addition of “with the Holy Ghost.” Verse 10’s alteration of “righteousness’ sake” to “my name’s sake” serves a similar focusing function, distinguishing between suffering for any good cause and enduring persecution specifically for devotion to Christ.
This paper looks closely and critically at how the Nephite prophets dealt with the records of the Jaredites as the text of the Book of Mormon itself presents these dealings. 1 It questions unspoken assumptions that often pervade discussions of these records and of how record keepers from King Mosiah2 to Moroni managed them. It asks, for example, whether Mormon could realistically have taken on the task of preparing the abridgment of Jaredite history found in the book of Ether. It also challenges the idea that Moroni wrote the book of Ether only because Mormon did not have time to do so, suggesting instead that Moroni’s role in preserving the Jaredite legacy was his own unique commission from the Lord. These questions are part of my appeal for a fundamental reconsideration of the roles played by the key actors who handled the Jaredite records.
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Ether
Suggests a six step approach using the Book of Mormon to develop spiritual power—study, fast, pray, humility, faith in Christ, joy and consultation, yielding to God, sanctification, purification, spiritual power. Follow these steps to prepare to receive the remaining portions of the Book of Mormon and to bring forth Zion.
Some brief references to the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Hugh W. Nibley Topics > Dead Sea Scrolls
Some brief references to the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Hugh W. Nibley Topics > Dead Sea Scrolls
As you set goals and make plans for your life, working to relieve the suffering and lift the burdens of others should be present in your endeavors.
Examines Book of Mormon passages wherein the original author or editor added additional words for clarification. Since the custodians of the gold plates did not possess erasers, they used terms or phrases such as “or,” “rather,” and “or in other words” when adding clarifying remarks to the text. Includes a list of all the verses where this is noted.
The image of the Savior, what He taught, what He sacrificed and did for us planted firmly in our minds can help us remember all that we must do.
Transcript of an address made January 7, 1901. Condemns “Mormans,” but describes the plates, the Urim and Thummim, and the stone box that held the treasures.
Writes concerning the conditions of the people and era when Mormon grew up and the manner in which Mormon’s family influenced him for good. Discusses Ammaron’s influence on Mormon, and Mormon as a record keeper, teacher, and warrior.
A poem about the prophet Mormon.
A children’s story of Mormon up to the time he received the plates.
An article in the September issue of Moody Monthly reported that analyses of the manuscript of the Book of Mormon and the Spaulding manuscript confirm that they were written by the same person. In this letter to the editor, Fisher exhorts the publishers to report the evidence on both sides of the issue. He mentions that Henry Silver, one of three handwriting analysts, withdrew from involvement after stating that he had been misrepresented in published statements. In response the editor refers to an extensive article on the subject in the November issue.
RSC Topics > A — C > Bishop
RSC Topics > A — C > Consecration
RSC Topics > D — F > First Presidency
RSC Topics > G — K > General Authorities
RSC Topics > G — K > Jesus Christ
RSC Topics > G — K > Joseph Smith
RSC Topics > L — P > Priesthood
RSC Topics > Q — S > Quorum
RSC Topics > Q — S > Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
RSC Topics > Q — S > Quorums of the Seventy
RSC Topics > Q — S > Relief Society
RSC Topics > Q — S > Revelation
RSC Topics > Q — S > Service
RSC Topics > T — Z > Tithing
RSC Topics > T — Z > Welfare
RSC Topics > T — Z > Women
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Moroni
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Moroni
RSC Topics > G — K > Grace
RSC Topics > G — K > Hope
A story for children that deals with Mormon, abridger of the Nephite records.
A rebus (a story puzzle with pictures representing part of the words) of the story of Mormon.
Gives an explanation of the lost 116 pages and how the small plates of Nephi were substituted for these lost pages that had been translated from the large plates of Nephi.
A critical work on the Book of Mormon that attempts to determine various environmental factors that may have influenced Joseph Smith to write the book. Among these are free-masonry, Ethan Smith’s book View of the Hebrews, and the deistic views of Thomas Paine. The Book of Mormon is seen as a sincere attempt to combat naturalistic views of Joseph Smith’s time and an attempt to win souls back to God. This work is reviewed in G.089.
Review of “Anti-Intellectualism in Mormon History” (1966), by Davis Bitton
Basic explanation of LDS beliefs and Book of Mormon migrations. Book of Mormon archaeologists need to correlate textual descriptions with New World archaeological sites and land conigurations.
Reviews movements that have characterized LDS archaeological studies since the 1950s. During the 1970s, archaeological studies emphasized elementary historical questions less and anthropological issues more.
Mormon’s choices are most revealing when the message of his editing seems to contradict the facts that he recorded. Mormon’s honesty as a historian sometimes forced him to include facts that did not exactly support the message he was trying to convey. This tension is frequent in the Book of Mormon as Mormon tried to make spiritual sense of historical events. For me at least, this tension is evidence that Mormon was an actual person, since we all face similar difficulties in making sense of our own lives.
The Book of Mormon contains various colophons and source indicators that signal documents or authors that Mormon and the writers of the small plates used, quoted, paraphrased, or summarized in composing the final text. Some of these headers have been italicized and separated out by the printer; others form an integral part of the text but could as well have been separated and italicized. Mormon’s extensive notation of sources is another set of evidence for the intricate and complex nature of the text and, simultaneously, of the magnitude of Mormon’s work as an ancient editor and historian.
The Deseret News is a newspaper published in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States.
Suggests that Latter-day Saints can honor Hugh Nibley by knowing why they believe what they do.
The wife of Solomon Spaulding, Matilda Spaulding Davidson, provides reasons why Spaulding wrote Manuscript Found. She believes that the Book of Mormon is built on Manuscript Found and that Sidney Rigdon had access to the manuscript left by Spaulding at the printing office of Mr. Patterson sometime between the years 1812 and 1816.
The wife of Solomon Spaulding, Matilda Spaulding Davidson, provides reasons why Spaulding wrote Manuscript Found. She believes that the Book of Mormon is built on Manuscript Found and that Sidney Rigdon had access to the manuscript left by Spaulding at the printing office of Mr. Patterson sometime between the years 1812 and 1816.
The wife of Solomon Spaulding, Matilda Spaulding Davidson, provides reasons why Spaulding wrote Manuscript Found. She believes that the Book of Mormon is built on Manuscript Found and that Sidney Rigdon had access to the manuscript left by Spaulding at the printing office of Mr. Patterson sometime between the years 1812 and 1816.
Among the anachronistic elements discussed are Book of Mormon statements regarding animals, the Lamanite curse, condemnation of polygamy, large numbers of war casualties, and the great destructions at the time of Christ’s visit to the American continent. The author advocates a Spaulding origin for the Book of Mormon.
Reprint from the Deseret News. An article written in the Post and Tribune contains much false information about the Book of Mormon, including that the witnesses had denied their testimonies and the book was written by Spaulding. The Book of Mormon corroborates and supports the Bible, but does not replace it.
An indexed bibliography of works dealing with the LDS church. References concerning the Book of Mormon are included.
Historians will find a researcher’s treasure trove in this remarkable two-volume reference work that includes 14,400 entries to publications by or about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In fact, the goal of the compilers was to cite every publication—both the good and the bad—in the first hundred years of the Church’s existence. Called by reviewers the “most significant” and “most comprehensive” bibliography on Mormonism, this attractive, library-quality reference work was compiled by Chad J. Flake and Larry W. Draper of BYU’s Harold B. Lee Library. ISBN 0-8425-2570-X
A critic gives his appraisal of Mormonism and the Book of Mormon. While he finds several examples of good moral teachings in the Book of Mormon, he finds the book’s narration “fiat, monotonous, imitative of the King James Version of the Bible, and lacking in vitality in contrast to the Bible itself and other scriptures of Penguin Classic stature”
Criticism of the way Mormons interpret the Old Testament to support their views
Bennion’s response to Melodie Moench Charles’s “The Mormon Christianizing of the Old Testament, which appeared in Sunstone.
The Book of Mormon’s declarations concerning war dispense with the concepts of the war-like Jehovah of the Old Testament as well as the pacifistic Christ of the New Testament. Ear Latter-day Saints were ambivalent with respect to war until they were leaving the United States and the Mexica War developed. Although peaceful solutions were always sought, there was no opposition to the defense of liberty. A strong military stance was maintained in Utah for the sole purpose of defense.
A basic history of the LDS church that includes the Smith family history, the First Vision story, and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon.
A large portion of this booklet is devoted to an attempt to discredit the Book of Mormon. The author challenges LDS claims by referring to opinions of the Smithsonian Institute and shows the views of pre-Book of Mormon publications that have similarities in thought to the Book of Mormon. He also claims that the testimonies of the Three Witnesses were faulty.
The fulfillment of the prophecy of Armageddon will depend on the faith of the Saints and there will be no nuclear or conventional war
Letter to the editor that criticizes Melodie Moench Charles’s article “The Mormon Christianizing of the Old Testament, which appeared in Sunstone.
Contains the tandem views of a non-vitriolic non-Mormon and a fundamentalist Mormon. Discusses the Three Witnesses, the process of translation, and the feasibility of the Egyptian language for the Book of Mormon.
Review of Terryl L. Givens. People of Paradox: A History of Mormon Culture.
Reprint of and rebuttal to an article that appeared in Northwestern Christian Advocate, April 17, 1901, which claims that Sidney Rigdon was a “literary genius” who adapted the Manuscript Found by Spaulding to Joseph Smith’s and his own ideas.
A polemical work against Mormonism. Accepts the Spaulding theory regarding the Book of Mormon’s origin. The author lists several examples of New Testament plagiarism in the Book of Mormon.
A polemical work attempting to discredit Mormonism and in particular the Book of Mormon. The first section reproduces Alexander Campbell’s 1831 work, Delusions. The writer favors the Spaulding origin of the Book of Mormon.
RSC Topics > A — C > Church History 1845–1877
A polemical work against the Book of Mormon and Mormonism based upon a debate between the author and a Mormon named Nickerson. Contradictions with the Bible and a plethora of anachronisms and absurdities are identified. The Gadianton robbers are seen as Freemasons. The Spaulding theory is advanced as “proof” that the Book of Mormon is a fraud. Testimonies of the witnesses are discredited.
Tour report by Milton R. Hunter. Archaeological evidence, in the form of carvings and artifacts viewed in Central and South America, are given as support for the veracity of the Book of Mormon.
An overview of Hugh Nibley’s life as a tribute after his death.
In this two-part series, the author writes concerning the conditions of the people and era when Mormon grew up and the manner in which Mormon’s family influenced him for good. The first part discusses Ammaron’s influence on Mormon, and Mormon as a record keeper.
In this two-part series, the author writes concerning the conditions of the people and era when Mormon grew up and the manner in which Mormon’s family influenced him for good. The second part discusses Mormon as a teacher and warrior.
A polemical work against Mormonism that enumerates various criticisms against the Book of Mormon, such as changes in the Book of Mormon, translation through the seer stone, use of King James English, Book of Mormon witnesses, Anthon denials, use of Egyptian, and others.
Review of The Refiner's Fire: The Making of Mormon Cosmology (1994), by John L. Brooke.
A perfunctory discussion on the unique LDS scriptures. Devotes a chapter to the Spaulding manuscript, concluding that proper names and writing style in that romance have affinities with the Book of Mormon.
A sequel to his previous article (8 July 1977), the writer describes setbacks in Davis, Cowdery, and Scales’s work on the Spaulding connection. Several handwriting experts felt they had been misrepresented by the researchers. He also notes the recent criticisms of their work by Jerald and Sandra Tanner. [M R.]
The Pearl of Great Price documents are not ancient documents but later interpretations like the Jewish tradition of Midrash
Old Testament Topics > Bible: LDS Interpretation
Mormons who believe that the Book of Mormon was delivered by an angel of the Lord have been troublesome wherever they have been: Kirtland, Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, and Salt Lake City, Utah. Gives the history of the rise of the anti-polygamy Mormons, the Josephite Mormons, or RLDS church.
An account of why the author left the Mormon church. A chapter on the Book of Mormon explains why it is not a divine work and the manner in which it contains errors made by Joseph Smith. Scott uses archaeological, historical, and linguistic evidence and the Bible to demonstrate the errors of the Book of Mormon.
Between the first Mormon missionary visit to central Europe in 1888 and the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the Church made only a few advances in this region. But in a mere decade, that all changed. By the end of the twentieth century, nineteen missions existed in central and eastern Europe and thousands of missionaries labored where only a handful had served before.
An alleged exposé of Mormonism and its beliefs wherein the Book of Mormon is considered to be “heavy” and “verbose” in style. The author asserts that most of the proper names of the Book of Mormon could have been formed from biblical, Latin, or modern names. Various anachronisms are noted, such as the assertion in the Book of Mormon regarding the presence of pre-Columbian domesticated animals, passages from Shakespeare, modern phraseology, and ungrammatical expressions. Numerous Book of Mormon phrases are listed that the author views as being peculiar to nineteenth-century revival language.
Writes on a variety of Book of Mormon related subjects to show how the Mormon use of the Bible is incorrect. Discusses the restoration of the gospel by Joseph Smith, the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, the cessation of revelation, the antiquity of the Book of Mormon, “other sheep,” and other items. Attempts to dispel the myths by using correct interpretations of the Bible. Finds that Joseph Smith is the author of the Book of Mormon.
A brief article describing attempts to demonstrate a connection between the handwriting of Solomon Spaulding and the unknown scribe who wrote several pages of the Book of Mormon manuscript.
Review of Mormon Neo-Orthodoxoy: A Crisis Theology (1987), by O. Kendal White Jr.
An alphabetical listing of translations of the Book of Mormon, including editions from both the LDS and RLDS churches. Also includes an example of the script of the language and photocopies of the cover and/or title page.
Examines the Mormon church’s claim to divine authority to determine if the “extrabiblical scriptures the Mormons hold sacred are really the Word of God” Looks at the theories concerning the origin of the Book of Mormon, including the idea that Joseph Smith wrote it himself, the Spaulding/Rigdon theory, and the View of the Hebrews
Old Testament Topics > Creation
An historical discussion of Mormonism. The Anthon denials are discussed. Author considers the Book of Mormon to be “a strange jumble of pseudo-historical narrative and religious precept” and dismisses the book on the grounds that it is full of “outlandish errors in spelling, syntax and grammar” He also notes what he terms “countless anachronisms that exposed the author’s ignorance of geography, chronology, physical science and Bible history” He decries the book’s use of King James English and alleged pilfering of biblical material. He seems to accept the Spaulding Theory regarding its origin.
Argues that the Book of Mormon is not supported by archaeological evidence.
A polemical attack on Mormonism. The Book of Mormon contains plagiarized passages from the Bible.
The sustained success of the Broadway musical The Book of Mormon posed a major dilemma for the Mormon Church1 and for many individual Mormons who revere the scripture from which the musical comedy takes its name. As a minority religion in the USA, the Mormon Church has endured over 190 years of persecution, public ridicule and marginalisation, much of which has been prompted by media and religious opposition to the Church’s distinctive doctrines and scripture. Naturally, Mormon sensitivity to criticism – including humour which targets its core doctrines – remains high, given this historical legacy of wider community hostility. Nevertheless, the Mormon Church responded with what commentators saw as a unique and good-natured official public relations/proselyting campaign, capitalising on the musical’s success. It signalled what can be referred to as a mature and creative policy/culture of tolerance, and this policy probably encouraged some members to attend the musical. This paper investigates the Church’s official response to the musical, looks briefly at Mormon humour, and presents the results of a survey amongst Mormons who watched the show, to see if Mormons can laugh at The Book of Mormon.
After the Latter-day Saints were driven from Missouri they were instructed by the Prophet Joseph Smith to prepare affidavits describing the property losses they had sustained and the abuses and atrocities they had suffered at the hands of lawless men there. Nearly seven hundred men and women accepted the Prophet’s charge and wrote almost eight hundred documents. This book is a complete collection of all known petitions, as contained in both the Historical Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City and the National Archives in Washington DC. ISBN 0-8849-4850-1
Famine and hard times in Utah in the mid-1850s convinced Church leaders that God was not pleased with the state of the Kingdom. Consequently, they initiated a program of rebaptism, rededication, and retrenchment among the Saints between 1856 and 1857. Jedediah Grant exerted much influence during this period, helping to convince members to change and repent. Over time, however, the fervor subsided and was replaced by a more moderate and reasoned approach to reform. This short-lived but somewhat controversial period saw excommunications and heavy-handed rhetoric, but also spiritual rejuvenation, forgiveness, and recommitment. Paul H. Peterson’s 1981 dissertation paints a clear and fascinating picture of the Mormon Reformation.
Article about David Whitmer’s memories of his early role in the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. Also discusses the original Book of Mormon manuscript.
A polemical work against Mormonism. The author discusses what he considers to be various anachronisms and absurdities in the Book of Mormon.
The Book of Mormon was influenced by Thomas Paine’s The Age of Reason. The LDS church and its Book of Mormon undermine the Bible, and in doing so will destroy the very foundation upon which the Book of Mormon rests. Evidence is presented that shows that modern archaeological finds such as the Dead Sea Scrolls prove the Book of Mormon false in its attack on the Bible.
The name Mormon is an honorable name, borne by one who was a great prophet on the American continent. Joseph Smith said that the name meant “more good” (TJS, pp. 299-300). The book that Mormon prepared bears his name—the Book of Mormon. It has touched the lives of thousands for good, for it witnesses of the Savior and Redeemer of the world, Jesus Christ.
RSC Topics > L — P > Missionary Work
Abstract: Lehi’s son Jacob was troubled by a great theological mystery of his and our day — the problem of evil. If God is both all good and all-powerful, how is it possible for the world to be so full of human and natural evils? Jacob was able to elicit from the Lord responses to the question of why He permits evil to flourish in this world. The Lord elucidates the perennial problem of evil for Jacob and us in three distinct genres and at three different levels of abstraction: at a metaphysical level in a philosophical patriarchal blessing, at a concrete level in the history of the emerging Nephite political economy, and in the Allegory of the Olive Tree.
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Jacob
Latter-day Saints may think Church history in Illinois began in 1839 with establishment of the city of Nauvoo. However, important events took place much earlier in the decade. For example, the missionaries to the Lamanites unexpectedly had to cross the state on their trip from Ohio to Missouri. This happened in 1830, ten years before more prominent events took place in the history of the Church in Illinois. This occurrence made Illinois one of only four states to receive missionaries in the year 1830. The Church grew rapidly there, and by 1835 it was likely the fourth largest religious body in the state. This account fills in the ten-year gap of Church history in Illinois using both LDS and non-LDS sources. The book tells the story of the conversion of future Apostle Charles C. Rich. It also talks about the Saints’ involvement in the so-called Mormon War. Other chapters discuss the events of Zion’s Camp, Kirtland Camp, and the Saints’ exodus from Missouri to Quincy, Illinois. ISBN 978-0-8425-2652-4
Tabernacle discourse explaining the LDS perspective on Jesus’ role as the Savior of mankind. Quotes Nephi’s words (2 Nephi 25), King Benjamin’s speech, and modern revelation. Discusses the role of the twelve Nephite apostles, the role of faith, and the conditions of salvation.
Also printed in the United States under the same title in Concilium: Theology in the Age of Renewal 30 (1968): 170–73.
A summary statement of the content and purpose of the Book of Mormon prepared for Concilium, a journal devoted to an examination of the Christian scriptures. Explains it as an ancient record, a companion to the Bible with revealed Christianity before Christ and 40-day literature from the appearance of Christ among the Nephites.
“Chapter 13: The Mormon View of the Book of Mormon” (1989)
“The Book of Mormon: A Minimal Statement” (2004)
Journal of the Book of Mormon and Restoration Scripture Volume 19 Issue 1 (2010)
Also in Concilium: Theology in the Age of Renewal 30 (1968): 170-73, and in other foreign- language editions of this Catholic journal in French, 151-53; Portuguese, 144-47; German, 855-56. Reprinted as “The Book of Mormon: A Minimal Statement,” in Nibley on the Timely and the Timeless, 149-53. Provo, UT: Brigham Young University Religious Studies Center, 1978 Reprinted in CWHN 8:259-64. A summary statement of the content and purpose of the Book of Mormon prepared for Concilium, a journal devoted to an examination of the Christian scriptures. Explains it as an ancient record, a companion to the Bible with revealed Christianity before Christ and 40-day literature from the appearance of Christ among the Nephites.
The Book of Mormon is a prophetic book. It was written by prophets and about prophets. It was foreseen by prophets and foresees our day. It was brought forth by prophetic gifts for prophetic purposes. It speaks in a clarion voice of warning to those who would survive the last days. The articles in this volume, brought together under one cover for the first time, approach the Book of Mormon through a variety of prophetic themes. They speak out incisively on such topics as the prophecy of Ezekiel 37, internal and external evidences of the divine origin of the Book of Mormon, literary style in the Book of Mormon, ancient temples and the Book of Mormon, and the Book of Mormon’s teachings for the last days.
“The Mormon View of the Book of Mormon” (1967)
“The Book of Mormon: A Minimal Statement” (2004)
Journal of the Book of Mormon and Restoration Scripture Volume 19 Issue 1 (2010)
Hugh W. Nibley Topics > Book of Mormon
Also in BYU Studies Quarterly 16, no. 4, Article 18.
Includes comments about Nibley’s work.
A polemical work against Mormonism. The author dismisses the testimonies of the Book of Mormon witnesses by asserting their poor character and credulous nature. The Book of Mormon contains numerous anachronisms such as the account of the Jaredite barges, discusses pre-Columbian domesticated animals, Old World crops in the New World before Columbus, alleged absence of archaeological evidence, anthropological dificulties, Lehi’s desert journey, the mongoloid origin of the Indians, contradictions with the Bible, and others.
Urges that Joseph Smith bore false witness by claiming to be the author of the Book of Mormon.
Abstract: In this essay, Richard Bushman borrows a critical perspective from Erich Auerbach’s Mimesis: The Representation of Reality in Western Literature. He analyzes the representation of antiquity in two of Joseph Smith’s striking translations, the Book of Mormon and the Book of Moses. The two texts, produced within a few years of one another, created distinctive stages on which to dramatize the human-God relationship. The question is: What can we learn from this comparison about God, prophets, and human destiny?
[Editor’s Note: Part of our book chapter reprint series, this article is reprinted here as a service to the Latter-day Saint community. Original pagination and page numbers have necessarily changed, otherwise the reprint has the same content as the original.
See Richard L. Bushman, “Mormon, Moses, and the Representation of Reality,” in Tracing Ancient Threads in the Book of Moses: Inspired Origins, Temple Contexts, and Literary Qualities, edited by Jeffrey M. Bradshaw, David R. Seely, John W. Welch and Scott Gordon (Orem, UT: The Interpreter Foundation; Springville, UT: Book of Mormon Central; Redding, CA: FAIR; Tooele, UT: Eborn Books, 2021), 51–74. Further information at https://interpreterfoundation.org/books/ancient-threads-in-the-book-of-moses/.].
“Mormon, Moses, and the Representation of Reality” (2021)
“Mormon, Moses, and the Representation of Reality” (2021)
“Mormon, Moses, and the Representation of Reality” (2021)
“Mormon, Moses, and the Representation of Reality” (2021)
“Mormon, Moses, and the Representation of Reality” (2021)
“Mormon, Moses, and the Representation of Reality” (2021)
From the moment Sariah and Lehi’s family arrived in the promised land, their prophets warned that the people would face destruction if they failed to trust in Christ. Centuries later, Mormon witnesses the fulfillment of this dark prophecy. He witnesses his own people hewn down in open rebellion against God. Crying out from the depths of his heart, the prophet reflects on what went wrong and how it might have been avoided. Through it all, hope in Christ abides. In this brief theological introduction, philosopher and theologian Adam S. Miller presents Mormon’s book as a beginner’s guide to the end of the world. Mormon’s life is a case study in apocalyptic discipleship. What does a disciple’s task of sacrificing all things look like in a world where all things are already passing away? Miller introduces a Mormon for our own troubled times—a sober and observant prophet who models hope in Christ even as everything in the world he loves collapses around him.
Clyde Williams examines the identity of the prophet Mormon and highlights his varied roles and valiant qualities. He lived in a society filled with symptoms of departure from a Christ-centered culture. Mormon testifies that the Book of Mormon witnesses to the truth of the Bible. He knew the power of faith, hope, and charity. Mormon felt the responsibility to teach the consequences of unrighteousness and plead for repentance.
This article is a biographical sketch of Mormon, who served as prophet, editor, soldier, and author.
The Deseret News is a newspaper published in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States.
An overview of Hugh Nibley’s life as a tribute after his death.
The Book of Mormon was introduced to Louisa Barnes Pratt and her husband by Louisa’s sister. Both were eventually converted, and Louisa became the irst woman missionary in the Church.
Tells of the conversion of Sidney Rigdon who read the Book of Mormon and “partly condemned it” but after two days accepted it as truthful. He asked for a sign though he knew it was wrong and saw the devil appearing as an angel of light. The author of this article warns against the Book of Mormon and against the deception of the Mormons.
A correspondent relates that Joseph Smith entered Waterloo with his wife decked in a profusion of gold jewelry. They were selling stocks in the “Gold Bible”
Blustery article on the Book of Mormon and its production by “Joe Smith,” Martin Harris, and Oliver Cowdery. Accepts the Spaulding story.
Calls the Book of Mormon “a religious romance in the style and phraseology of scripture” Believes Solomon Spaulding wrote the Book of Mormon.
A polemical article discussing the history of Mormonism. Aside from accepting the Spaulding theory, the author asserts that the Book of Mormon plagiarizes the Bible, is full of ungrammatical expressions, and condemns the practice of polygamy. He also recounts information regarding Joseph Smith’s alleged money digging practices, the Anthon episode, the Book of Mormon witnesses, as well as other information relative to the Latter-day Saint movement.
Supercilious essay on the Mormon system, including the Book of Mormon: “When the Golden Bible was first announced . . . it was considered too ridiculous for serious refutation” The author discusses Spaulding, Book of Mormon witnesses, Anthon, and the plates.
A polemical piece on Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. Claims that the Bible advises people not to expect further revelation. Tries to discredit the Three Witnesses. Takes issue with prooftexts found in Ezekiel 37 and Revelation 14:6-7.
A polemical article against Mormonism that appeals to the Spaulding theory for an explanation of the Book of Mormon’s origin.
A polemical article against Mormonism. The writer asserts that the Book of Mormon is the production of Joseph Smith who pilfered most of the narrative from the “invalid and crack-brained Presbyterian preacher, Solomon Spaulding” Various Mormon teachings are criticized.
A piece critical of Mormonism that contends that the Book of Mormon plagiarizes the New Testament, has undergone numerous changes, and contains strands of Protestant doctrines common to Joseph Smith’s day.
A polemical work that sets forth claims against Mormonism and its doctrines. The account of the angel and his gold plates is of questionable authenticity since the plates themselves are not available for inspection. Charles Anthon denied the Mormon version of the Martin Harris incident, and Harris must have lied or exaggerated greatly. There is no archaeological evidence for the Book of Mormon. It attributes King James English to people who lived thousands of years ago, and moreover it attributes Christian ideas and phrases to people who lived long before Christ’s coming in the flesh. The testimony of the Book of Mormon witnesses is also dismissed as worthless.
Examines the Book of Mormon language, the materials upon which the text was written, the translation of the book, and the problems of the Book of Ether. The author finds that the Book of Mormon is “one of the most cunning and wicked impositions ever palmed upon the world”
A polemical tract against Mormonism debunking Mormon history, doctrines, and the Book of Mormon. The book of Mormon “adds” to the word of God contradicting the divine warning of Revelation 22:18.
A polemical work against Mormonism wherein the author presents a skeptical account of the events surrounding the coming forth of the Book of Mormon.
Chapters 1-10 of this polemical work against Mormonism deal with the Book of Mormon. The author considers the book a fraud on the basis that it contains gross anachronisms and absurdities such as the mention of steel and domesticated animals in America before Columbus. He attempts to discredit the testimonies of the Book of Mormon witnesses, raises the issue of the means of translation, finds corrections in the volume anachronistic, and discredits Mormon interpretations of Hebrew prophecies that are used to support the Book of Mormon. He also highlights what he sees as absurdities in Nephi’s description of their desert journey, suggests that the claim of Israelite influence upon American peoples is unfounded and unsupported by any substantial evidence, discusses alleged philological and linguistic problems with the book, and asserts that there is no archaeological or historical evidence to support Book of Mormon claims.
Discusses the intent of archaeology, anthropology, and biology in providing evidences to the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.
From the outset of his career, Dr. Hugh Nibley has been centrally concerned with primitive Christianity, especially the shadowy era between the New Testament proper and the emergence and the triumph of the Catholic Church and Holy Roman Empire. That is the era treated in the nine essays collected in this volume. The essays cover such subjects as early accounts of Jesus’ childhood, the Savior’s forty-day ministry after his resurrection, baptism for the dead in ancient times, the passing of the primitive church, and the early Christian prayer circle. Each essay examines the close connection between the practices and the doctrines of the early Church and the Church of the latter days. Each essay has been reedited, and all the original sources have been rechecked.
Hugh W. Nibley Topics > History > Christian History, Apostasy > Early Christianity, Church Fathers, Patrologia
A polemical work against Mormonism and Mormon scripture. The author attacks the interpretations of biblical prophecy supporting the Book of Mormon, previously advanced by Orson Pratt, B. H. Roberts, and other Mormon writers. The testimonies of Book of Mormon witnesses are also discussed and dismissed. The writer further alleges the complete lack of historical, scriptural, or archaeological evidence supporting the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon, he asserts, contradicts pagan practices of certain native American peoples and asserts that they bear no relation to descriptions in the Book of Mormon. He asserts a mongoloid rather than a Hebrew origin for these peoples.
Abstract: To many outside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (and to some of its members), the Church’s teachings and practices appear not only socially and experientially constraining, but intellectually restrictive as well, given its centralized system of doctrinal boundary maintenance and its history of sometimes sanctioning members who publicly dissent from its teachings. Do these practices amount to a constraint of intellectual freedom? This essay argues that they do not, and offers several possible explanations for the commonly-asserted position that they do.
The theory of intelligent design is an explanation for the origin and evolution of life on earth. Latter-day Saints should be sympathetic toward intelligent design.
A brief review of William Linn’s work, The Story of the Mormons and Riley’s, The Founder of Mormonism. Carruth favors Riley’s psychological thesis over the Spaulding theory for the origin of the Book of Mormon. [M.R.
A Discourse by Elder Amasa M. Lyman, Delivered in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, July 12, 1857. Reported By: G. D. Watt, J. V. Long.
The anti-Masonic movement of the 1820s and its influence on the Book of Mormon. Its injunctions against secret societies seen in opposition to Masonry.
An attempt to explain the Gadianton robbers in the Book of Mormon on the basis of events in the late 1820s related to the Freemasons and the murder of William Morgan. Language used in the Book of Mormon to describe the Gadianton robbers is used elsewhere to describe Freemasons.
A polemical tract against Mormonism that declares the Book of Mormon is “in utter disagreement with the Bible,” and “Satanically- inspired” Discusses the Spaulding theory, the Eight Witnesses, and Charles Anthon.
RSC Topics > D — F > Fall of Adam and Eve
RSC Topics > G — K > Grace
A polemical attack on Mormonism. The Book of Mormon is discussed on pages 11-60, 253-330. The Spaulding theory is espoused by the author. The testimony of the Book of Mormon witnesses is discounted. The Book of Mormon shows clear evidence of being plagiarized from the Bible. The author finds the direction of desert travel by Lehi’s family somewhat absurd. Anthon’s 1834 denial is recounted and various other anachronisms are discussed.
A polemical article against Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. Believes that Joseph Smith was illiterate and unable to write the Book of Mormon by himself, and hence used the Spaulding manuscript to create the Book of Mormon.
A polemical article against Mormonism and the Book of Mormon. Discusses the testimonies of Book of Mormon witnesses and the Spaulding theory.
This polemical work sets out to “unmask the deception” of the Book of Mormon upon which “the whole fabric of Mormonism” rests. It includes an attempt to show that the Book of Mormon was a “sandy foundation upon which to build a religious system” and supports the Spaulding theory.
A polemical tract against Mormonism. The author accepts the Spaulding theory of the Book of Mormon origins.
Abstract: The prominence of circles and circular motion has been one present in scientific discussion of the structure of the universe from Aristotle to Einstein. Development through Ptolemy, Copernicus and Kepler created elliptical variations, but in essence, the scientific community has been unable to break free of a certain degree of circular motion that ultimately seems fundamental to the very nature of the universe. Just as the circle featured prominently in Aristotle’s cosmology, it remains an integral aspect of reality, though perhaps it is more difficult to pick out in its present forms as planetary ellipses and curved space-time. In this paper I analyze the intellectual tradition surrounding the circle as a reflection of God’s eternal nature as discussed in Doctrine and Covenants 3:2. Essentially, I argue that the traditional Mormon conception of “one eternal round” is evidence of the eternal and divine nature of circles, which, the tradition indicates, is an inescapable feature of physical reality, and indicative of God and his purposes.
Draws comparisons between the Book of Mormon and the Spaulding manuscript and concludes that there is no resemblance between the two.
Mormonism and the Temple: Examining an Ancient Religious Tradition contains the proceedings of the Academy for Temple Studies conference held under the same title on the campus of Utah State University on 29 October 2012, and includes the following presentations: • Restoring Solomon’s Temple by Margaret Barker • Chapel, Church, Temple, Cathedral: Lost Parallels in Mormon and Catholic Worship by Laurence Paul Hemming • Questions and Answers with Margaret Barker and Laurence Hemming • The Temple, the Sermon on the Mount, and the Gospel of Matthew by John W. Welch • A Divine Mother in the Book of Mormon? by Daniel C. Peterson • Temples—Bridges of Eternity by LeGrande Davies • The Temple, the Book of Revelation, and Joseph Smith by John L. Fowles
This compilation of fascinating articles on the U.S. Constitution and Mormonism is selected from over fifty years of LDS scholarship published by BYU Studies. This volume features articles on the history of the Constitution, the unique LDS view of the Constitution as an inspired document, and various issues related to the Constitution, such as philosophical liberalism, terrorism, and individual rights and liberties.
Abstract: The ability to quickly and easily access literature critical of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been made significantly easier through the advent of the Internet. One of the primary sites that dominates search engine results is Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia that “anyone can edit.” Wikipedia contains a large number of articles related to Mormonism that are edited by believers, critics, and neutral parties. The reliability of information regarding the Church and its history is subject to the biases of the editors who choose to modify those articles. Even if a wiki article is thoroughly sourced, editors sometimes employ source material in a manner that supports their bias. This essay explores the dynamics behind the creation of Wikipedia articles about the Church, the role that believers and critics play in that process, and the reliability of the information produced in the resulting wiki articles.The fact that this [Wikipedia] article has been stable for months suggests that other Mormons have found the evidence unassailable. ((Comment posted by Wikipedia editor “John Foxe,” responding to an LDS editor on the “Three Witnesses” Wikipedia talk page, 27 January 2009.)).
This article portrays the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a restoration of ancient Christianity and explains why Mormonism is not simply a generic sect.
Review of Douglas J. Davies. An Introduction to Mormonism.
Review of Terryl Givens and Philip L. Barlow. The Oxford Handbook of Mormonism (New York: Oxford University Press, 2015). 647 pp. + index. $150.00
Abstract: The Oxford Handbook of Mormonism is a welcomed addition to the current scholarly discussion surrounding the history, theology, and culture of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It should be read and studied by all interested students of Mormonism and signals that the scriptures, theology, and history of the Latter-day Saints are all increasingly being taken seriously in mainstream academia.
Criticizes the Book of Mormon by writing that the Book of Mormon contradicts itself, falsifies its own prophecies, and “destroys its own theology” It contains “bad grammar, bad arrangement, bad taste, and bad material”
A polemical tract against Mormon interpretations of biblical prophecy supportive of the Book of Mormon. Author asserts that the Book of Mormon contradicts the Bible.
A polemic against Mormon scriptures. The Book of Mormon contradicts the Bible and is full of gross anachronisms and absurdities.
The Book of Mormon conflicts with itself and with the Bible and contains internal proof of its fallacy. One hundred such fallacies are listed, i.e., the Book of Mormon date of the death of Christ disagrees with the Bible, the date of the birth of Christ does not coincide with world history.
A polemical tract against Mormonism. The Book of Mormon abounds in anachronisms, such as the use of the compass in 600 B.C. The Book of Mormon witnesses only claimed to see the plates with their “spiritual eyes,” therefore their testimony is of questionable value. The author asserts that the Spaulding theory best accounts for the origin of the Book of Mormon.
An exposé of Mormonism, written by a former Mormon. Spaulding was responsible for the origin of the Book of Mormon. The testimony of the witnesses of the Book of Mormon is rejected. Numerous contradictions with the Bible are listed. The Anthon denial is cited. Phrases and style in the Book of Mormon that are similar to those in the Bible are denounced as plagiarisms.
A polemical tract against the doctrines of Mormonism and the Book of Mormon. The testimony of the Book of Mormon witnesses is suspect since they all left the Church. The Book of Mormon shows evidence of borrowing from the language of the Bible and the King James Version. The Book of Mormon also contradicts the Bible in many places. These and other anachronisms in the book make it difficult to believe it to be the word of God.
A polemical tract against Mormonism. The writer suggests that Joseph Smith fabricated a false set of plates for the Book of Mormon witnesses and mentions Anthon’s 1834 denial, the Spaulding theory, alleged plagiarisms of the Bible, the manner in which the Book of Mormon contradicts the Bible, and the use of the compass before Christ.
A careful reading of the Book of Mormon exposes its “meanness” of diction, error in language, contradictions, and gross blasphemies. Any intelligent thinking person could not be deceived by such hypocrisy. The Book of Mormon is directly opposed to the Bible. The Book of Mormon is a book of plagiarism, filled with fraud. Favors the Spaulding theory.
Denounces Mormonism and the Book of Mormon that breathes “a spirit of cruelty” that is common in every man-devised religion. Through its doctrine of endless misery Mormonism consigns to hell those who do not believe in it.
One of the first major exposes of the Book of Mormon. The author considers the book “trash,” “vulgar,” and utterly devoid of merit. He provides a plethora of examples of what he considers bad English, modern phraseology and language, anachronistic statements, contradictions with the Bible, and absurdities. Provides a fairly good summary of common objections to the Book of Mormon.
A polemical tract against the Book of Mormon in which the writer notes various absurdities in the book and the story of its origin. He discusses issues of translation, the character of the Book of Mormon witnesses, lack of scientific evidence, ethnological difficulties, Jaredite barges, and alleged Bible plagiarism. He appeals to the Spaulding theory to explain its origin.
Contains sensational lore concerning Joseph Smith and the plates and a section on “the Golden Bible” in the appendix.
Made up of quotations of Mormon writings that are being kept hidden from the public. Equates Joseph Smith with Mohammed and reveals the “bloody nature” of Mormons. Joseph Smith pretended to find the Book of Mormon in earth. He wrote the Book of Mormon for the purpose of making money. This fact is attested to by Martin Harris.
A polemical work against Mormonism and the Book of Mormon. Author believes that the Book of Mormon contradicts the Bible, both doctrinally and scripturally; there is no archaeological evidence for the Book of Mormon, the Anthon account is discredited, and no proper names in the Book of Mormon can be found in Central America.
Evans rejoices in the fact that missionaries are now being sent to preach to the Navaho Indians. The Navahos have many legends that are similar to biblical myths such as the fiood, and Jonah in the great lish. Many have tried to determine the origin of the Native Americans. The Book of Mormon gives the answer that they descend from Lehi, a Jew from Jerusalem.
Pages 149-222 of this work deal critically with the Book of Mormon. Author is consigned to condemn both book and author to the flames. Joseph Smith’s character is discredited and the testimony of Book of Mormon witnesses is dismissed. Turner shows how the book contradicts the Bible and contains absurdities and anachronisms. It plagiarizes the New Testament and is unworthy of the belief of any reasonable human being.
Describes the surprising rise of Mormonism. Praises the Book of Mormon as having great literary value, but discounts its divine origin.
Websites for and against the Latter-day Saints proliferate. Some of them are, of course, better than others.
Mormon websites include those with links to other sites and those with something substantive to offer. Numerous links to substantive websites are given.
Tract exposing the absurdities of Mormonism. Pages 4-14 discuss various anachronisms in the Book of Mormon.
A polemical attack on Mormon beliefs. The author objects to the Mormon idea of expanding revelation, since the Bible is, as he asserts, infallible. The Book of Mormon contradicts the practice of plural marriage.
A systematic response to William Palmer’s polemical tract. Contains documentary evidence from Sidney Rigdon that he had nothing to do with the Spaulding manuscript. Examines the language of the Book of Mormon, allegations of internal contradictions, and Book of Mormon inconsistencies with the Bible.
A polemical work against Mormonism and Mormon scripture. The author asserts that the Book of Mormon contains anachronisms, grammatical errors, and plagiarizes the Bible. There are no archaeological evidences that support the book. Author ridicules what he esteems to be numerous absurd and fantastic elements in the narrative, which include the Jaredite barges, Nephi’s temple, battle accounts, alleged contradictions with the Bible, and others.
In this tract the author sets about to prove that Mormonism is false and that the Book of Mormon is “a silly fabrication of falsehood and wickedness” States that the Book of Mormon story is fictitious and believes that it represents a plagiarism of Solomon Spaulding’s Manuscript Found.
The theory that Joseph Smith copied the Book of Mormon from someone else’s writings was first introduced in 1834 in Eber D. Howe’s book, Mormonism Unvailed. It published materials gathered by Philastus Hurlbut which were intended to prove that the Book of Mormon came from a manuscript written by Solomon Spaulding (sometimes also spelled Spalding) in 1812. The claim that Joseph Smith used Spaulding’s writings as the source for the Book of Mormon has come to be known as the “Spaulding theory.”
A polemical article against Mormonism wherein the writer compares Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon with Mohammed and the Koran. The coming forth of the plates and the visions of Joseph Smith are unsubstantiated by any witnesses. The author considers Mormonism to be a “brazen-faced deception . . . as black as the regions of hopeless night”
Small brochure claiming that the LDS church opposes the Bible. Notes that Joseph Smith declared the Book of Mormon to be the most correct book.
Associates Joseph Smith with false Jewish messiahs and Christian impostors. Gives an overview of the Book of Mormon, claiming the presence of several anachronisms. Calls the Book of Mormon a “romance” Says the Nephites believed in the doctrines of the Calvinists and Methodists. Makes negative comments about Lehi and Mormon. Argues that if the Bible was of God, the Book of Mormon could not have had the same author. Takes issue with the testimony of the Three Witnesses.
Claims that the Bible is sufficient, inerrant, and infallible. The Book of Mormon adds to God’s word, when this is strictly forbidden by scripture. For the author, it is “the Bible, the whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible” The Book of Mormon also contradicts many statements found in the Bible and is full of many ridiculous anachronisms.
Presents a brief history of Mormonism. Accepts the Spaulding theory for the origin of the Book of Mormon.
The “familiar spirit” of which the Book of Mormon speaks is used in the Bible to refer to evil spirits. The authors discuss the Masonic Enoch legend of a gold plate and draw comparisons with Mormon accounts.
Review of Clyde R. Forsberg Jr. Equal Rites: The Book of Mormon, Masonry, Gender, and American Culture.
Abstract: We are called as Latter-day Saints to be a force for good in the world in every way possible, which necessarily includes active and positive engagement with political and social issues. At the same time, it is essential to our spiritual survival that we never allow ourselves to forget the radical difference between the philosophies of men — no matter how superficially harmonious some of these may seem with particular principles of the gospel or with some aspects of traditional Mormon culture — and the teachings of the prophets. In a world that constantly entices us with messages designed to lure us away from the eternal truths of the restored gospel and into the embrace of philosophies that are partially and contingently true at best and actively destructive at worst, we must exercise constant vigilance. This essay suggests and discusses six propositions that, if understood and embraced, should help us maintain that vigilance.
A Discourse by Parley P. Pratt, Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, July 10, 1853. Reported By: G. D. Watt.
Covering its historic development, important individuals, and central ideas and issues, this encyclopedia offers broad historical coverage of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Mormonism: A Historical Encyclopedia helps readers explore a church that has gone from being an object of ridicule and sometimes violent persecution to a worldwide religion, counting prominent businesspeople and political leaders among its members (including former Massachusetts governor and recent presidential candidate Mitt Romney). The encyclopedia begins with an overview of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints―six essays cover the church\'s history from Joseph Smith\'s first vision in 1820 to its current global status. This provides a context for subsequent sections of alphabetically organized entries on key events and key figures in Mormon history. A final section looks at important issues such as the church\'s organization and government, its teachings on family, Mormonism and blacks, Mormonism and women, and Mormonism and Native Americans. Together, these essays and entries, along with revealing primary sources, portray the Mormon experience like no other available reference work.
Joseph Smith is one of the false prophets referred to in Matthew 24:4, 5, 11. He pretended to have visions of angels that brought gold plates. An affidavit prepared by Peter Ingersol states that Joseph Smith confided his evil plan to him. The Book of Mormon weaves the Spaulding manuscript with biblical scriptures.
Gives H. H. Bancroft credit for placing side by side both Mormon and anti-Mormon literature in his book “History Of Utah” Calls the rural inhabitants who live on the “selvage of American civilization” primitive. These “primitive” people were willing to believe in revelation and supernatural manifestations. It was fertile soil for Joseph Smith who told a story of a golden Bible. The Mormons seem sincere and upright in their purposes.
A polemical work against Mormonism. The writer notes what he perceives to be several anachronisms in the Book of Mormon, asserting that there is not a “scrap of evidence” in support of the antiquity of Book of Mormon names. The Book of Mormon is merely the “production of an over-imaginative mind”
Gives the testimony of David Whitmer, the manner of translation, and an account of the loss of the 116 pages of Book of Mormon manuscript—the Book of Lehi. Also an account of the events surrounding the Three Witnesses seeing the plates, as well as the eight who saw them later.
Gives the testimony of David Whitmer, the manner of translation, and an account of the loss of the 116 pages of Book of Mormon manuscript—the Book of Lehi. Also an account of the events surrounding the Three Witnesses seeing the plates, as well as the eight who saw them later.
A polemical tract on Mormonism, written by a former Mormon who claims that the Book of Mormon is full of mistakes and modernisms, and that it plagiarizes the Bible.
A polemical work against Mormonism. The writer asserts that the Book of Mormon blasphemously adds to God’s biblical word in direct contradiction to Revelation 22:18-19. He asserts that the book is full of gross anachronisms, such as the Jaredite barges, number of war casualties, the Lamanite curse, and pre-Columbian domesticated animals.
The author recounts the events that brought forth the Book of Mormon, and the effects that the book had on the people and history. The Book of Mormon cannot be “the most correct” book as at least 3,913 changes have been made since the 1830 edition, and the current edition disagrees with the earlier edition. The Book of Mormon originated from the Manuscript Found, “The Wonders of Nature and Providence Displayed,” or Joseph Smith received his visions “under the influence of demonic powers” The concept of God in Mormon theology is contradicted by the Book of Mormon.
An evangelical/polemical tract against Mormonism. The Book of Mormon plagiarizes much from the New Testament and the book of Isaiah. The 1834 Anthon denial is cited. The testimonies of Book of Mormon witnesses are discredited, contradictions between the Book of Mormon and the Bible are listed. Author accepts the Spaulding theory of the Book of Mormon’s origin.
“The books [Joseph Smith] published are imitations of the Bible, without one proof of their being given from heaven, and abounding with proofs that they were not, and could not be” Favors a Spaulding explanation for Book of Mormon origins.
A polemical work against Mormonism. The author advances a variation of the Spaulding theory and he notes the presence in the Book of Mormon of modern phrases.
A tract against Mormonism. Pages 20-36 deal specifically with the Book of Mormon, arguing against the witnesses, the use of modern phrases and King James style English, contradictions with the Bible, and various anachronisms and absurdities. Criticizes the Mormon use of biblical prophecy to support the Book of Mormon and provides alternative interpretations for such prophecies.
A polemical tract based upon a lecture given against Mormonism and the Book of Mormon. After giving an unsympathetic recounting of the Book of Mormon narrative, the writer asserts that the word “Mormon” means “monster” and that the Book of Mormon was based upon Spaulding’s unpublished romance.
An exposé of Mormonism. Asserts that the witnesses of the Book of Mormon were fickle and unreliable. Discusses various environmental factors that influenced Joseph Smith in the production of the Book of Mormon such as religious revivals, Protestant teachings of the time, anti-masonry, the Bible, theories regarding the Hebrew origin of the American Indian and Shakespeare’s writings. Various anachronisms are also discussed. Contains a criticism of stylometry and the Book of Mormon. Discusses Nephite coins, the Anthon incident, the Bat Creek inscription, Kinderhook plates, the Newark Stones, Izapa Stela 5, Book of Mormon geography, and others. This work is reviewed in R.469.
Booklet that opposes Joseph Smith and his work. Discusses the Book of Mormon witnesses, the Anthon interview, and the Book of Mormon plates. Emphasizes archaeological arguments and internal evidence. Claims that the Book of Mormon plagiarizes the Bible and borrows extensively from the King James Version. Notes changes in the text of Book of Mormon editions. This work is reviewed in P.208.
The first two chapters of this book describe the history of the Mormon church until the publication of the Book of Mormon. The author stresses the importance of the Book of Mormon in converting people to Joseph Smith’s cause. Only later did the First Vision begin to take prominence. This work is reviewed in A.026.
Early polemical work written against Mormonism and the Book of Mormon. Discusses each of the Three Witnesses. Claims that names like “Nephi,” “Lehi,” and “Maroni” (sic) end in the Latin “I” Assumes primal authorship belonged to Solomon Spaulding. Includes a chapter on the credibility of the Book of Mormon.
Tells in Danish about the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith, Mormon doctrine, and Mormons in Denmark.
A polemical article against Mormonism. The author favors the Spaulding theory in explanation of the Book of Mormon’s origin. Bible influence and Book of Mormon plagiarisms are discussed.
Accepts Sidney Rigdon as the real impetus behind the Book of Mormon. Sees the following chain in nascent Mormonism: from Sidney Rigdon to Alexander/Thomas Campbell and from them to John Locke.
One of the strangest and most extensive archaeological hoaxes in American history was perpetrated around the turn of the twentieth century in Michigan. Hundreds of objects known as the Michigan Relics were made to appear as the remains of a lost civilization. The artifacts were produced, buried, “discovered,” and marketed by James O. Scotford and Daniel E. Soper. For three decades these artifacts were secretly planted in earthen mounds, publicly removed, and lauded as wonderful discoveries. Because the Michigan Relics allegedly evidence a Near Eastern presence in ancient America, they have drawn interest from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This article traces the intriguing history of this elaborate affair and Mormonism’s encounter with it. At the center of this history lies the investigation of the artifacts by Latter-day Saint intellectual and scientist James E. Talmage.
The research of John Welch and David Whittaker identifies several historical, theological, and institutional reasons why the open canon of Mormon Christianity has not become a Pandora’s box. This article discusses the Apocrypha, the Latter-day Saint concept of scripture in light of modern canonical criticism, and the process of scriptural standardization.
Longer version of an invited presentation originally given at the 2009 Conference of the European Mormon Studies Association, Turin, Italy, July 30-31, 2009
Examines the socio-political climate into which the Book of Mormon was introduced in Jacksonian America in 1830. As the term “secret combinations” was used almost exclusively when referring to Freemasonry, the Book of Mormon became known as the “Anti-Masonick Bible” Examines the Book of Mormon text to see how these anti- masonic themes are woven throughout.
Discourse by Elder Orson Pratt, delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Feb. 24, 1869. Reported By: David W. Evans.
Discourse by Elder Daniel H. Wells, delivered in the Assembly Hall, Salt Lake City, Friday Morning (General Conference), October 6, 1882. Reported By: Geo. F. Gibbs.
A letter dated March 1831 from S. Bainbridge to the Magazine and Advocate in an effort to stop the progress of the Mormon religion, provides a history of Joseph Smith declaring that he is a deceitful impostor of no good character. His great deception lies in his claim to have received new revelation in the Book of Mormon.
Finds that Joseph Smith, Martin Harris, and Sidney Rigdon are religious fanatics claiming to possess a Golden Bible, but in reality only possessing a wild imagination and a desire to become rich. These reprobates hold meetings to disseminate their plot—the Book of Mormon.
A response to an article by Matilda Davidson. The LDS scripture is not called the “Mormon Bible” (as if to replace the well-known Bible), it is called the “Book of Mormon” The Book of Mormon corroborates the Bible. Pratt refutes Sidney Rigdon’s connection with the Spaulding manuscript.
A polemic that states that the Book of Mormon “by no means is made up of a series of skillfully constructed pieces, nor even of individual forgeries cunningly concocted. The workmanship must appear spurious to any person who brings a small share of scholarship or of critical knowledge to test it. In short, it is a clumsy affair altogether, which can only in its present shape impose upon the ignorant, the illiterate, and the most credulous”
Considers “Mormonites” to be “deluded fanatics,” and is surprised and worried about their growth. Accepts the Spaulding story. Also quotes several Book of Mormon passages, including those calling Joseph Smith a “choice seer”
A correspondence about the Mormons and the Book of Mormon that denies the fact that many individuals are accepting the book and its teachings.
A polemical article on Mormonism. The writer considers Joseph Smith to be an impostor. He cites the Anthon denial as evidence against the Harris account. The Book of Mormon narrative is attributed to Spaulding. He further notes a resemblance between the tendency of the Jews to interpret Old Testament prophecy literally and the literalistic interpretations made by Mormons. The writer finds this literalism unpalatable.
A polemic against the LDS church. Declares the Book of Mormon to be a plagiarized version of the Spaulding manuscript.
The author considers Joseph Smith to be on impostor and a fanatic, alleging that Joseph Smith plagiarized the manuscript of Solomon Spaulding in order to create the Book of Mormon.
A polemical tract against Mormonism. The writer considers Joseph Smith’s account of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon “fantastic” beyond belief. He feels that the Book of Mormon was a hoax, based largely upon Solomon Spaulding’s published novel. He also asserts that the Book of Mormon carelessly plagiarizes the King James translation of the Bible.
As part of chapter three, “Pageant in Palmyra,” the author relates the story of Moroni’s visit to the Prophet Joseph Smith and some of the scenes that relate to the Hill Cumorah Pageant.
A news item relating that leaders of the LDS church have added the subtitle “Another Testament of Jesus Christ” to the Book of Mormon.
Discusses the history of and demonstrates the fallacies of LDS attempts to establish the truth of the Book of Mormon through archaeological evidences. Cites the improbability of there existing horses, chariots, wheat, and metallurgy in ancient America, as the Book of Mormon claims.
Early Mormon attitudes towards Jews differed from those of other Christians
Old Testament Topics > Judah and the Jews
One of the intriguing things about religious texts is how long of a life and how long of an afterlife they have. Once a text becomes a part of a “canon,” once it becomes in a way fixed, it becomes open to further discussion and elaboration. Different groups and religious traditions create different genres of interpretation to work with and understand their scriptures according to the needs of their traditions. One form of interpretation involves reopening the Bible and expanding on the narrative of the already canonized text, such as is found in the rabbinic genre of midrash and in Joseph Smith’s New Translation (JST) of the Bible.
Book of Moses Topics > Joseph Smith Translation (JST) > Translation
Book of Moses Topics > Source Criticism and the Documentary Hypothesis
The early nineteenth- century confiict between the Mormons and the Missourians is treated. Writing about the Book of Mormon, the author believes that the book is “no idle scheme, nor production of a fanciful moment but required considerable research, and no ordinary degree of sagacity” Kirk produces a brief overview of the Book of Mormon story in the appendix.
Islam, the faith of the Muslims, is a major world religion. Its believers are found on all of the inhabited continents. Nearly one out of every six people on earth today is Muslim. In common with Christians generally, Mormons as a whole know little of Islam and its adherents. Yet the two religions have many interesting similarities and parallels. Examples include a firm belief in a living God and obedience to him; emphasis on the family; assistance to the poor and other social concerns; a sense of man’s obligation to testify of God; belief in a physical resurrection and a life thereafter; and a total commitment to values and lifestyle rather than a mere creedal recitation. Islam is considered a “biblical faith” in part because Muhammad, the Arabian prophet of the Muslim world, revered the teachings of Abraham and Moses and other Bible prophets. To this common ground between Muslims and Mormons is added the fact that both Muhammad and Joseph Smith are regarded by their respective adherents as instruments in the hand of God in revealing new scriptures, the Qur’an and the Book of Mormon—in each case under angelic direction. In bringing together papers from a symposium held at Brigham Young University in October 1981, this book on Mormons and Muslims presents some of the finest and ablest exponents and interpreters of the Muslim faith. As well as relationships between that faith and Christianity generally, the book offers a new dimension in that much of the focus centers for the first time on parallels, similarities, and contrasts with the religion of the Latter-day Saints. This can be both explicit and implicit, as in chapters on pre-Islamic and Arabian prophets, the idea of redemption in Christianity and Islam, the Muhammad-Joseph Smith comparison, and religious practices of women in Islamic countries. Many spontaneously arising questions about analogies between Mormonism and Islam find here an informed forum for discussion, especially by the Mormon participants who have lived among Muslims and studied their cultures and life-styles. As prophetic figures, how do Joseph Smith and Muhammad compare? What is the role of women in the Muslim faith? Could Hud, the Qur’an prophet, actually be the Book of Mormon Lehi? Is there really a relationship between Jesus Christ and the Mahdi, the redemptive figure in Islam? Not all the answers are here, but the concepts, experiences, and suggested conclusions will certainly inform and stimulate each reader’s thinking. For both critic and believer, for both scholar and general reader, for both Mormon and Muslim, as well as for all serious students of comparative religion, here is an intriguing and authentic exchange leading to a deepening understanding of “spiritual foundations and modern manifestations.” ISBN 0884944832
ISBN 1-59156-023-3
One does not long study Mormon beginnings without realizing that the Bible held a special place in the hearts of the early Saints. Latter-day Saints use of its accounts and teachings greatly influenced the formulation of Mormon theology, and, in addition, helped the Saints find their personal and group identity in God’s Kingdom. The deep commitment of early Mormon intellectuals to the ancient scriptures is suggested by the frequency and nature of biblical references in their writings. Three Church periodicals published between 1832 and 1838, The Evening and the Morning Star (Independence, Missouri, 1832–33, and Kirtland, Ohio, 1833–34), the Latter Day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate (Kirtland, 1834–47), and the Elders’ Journal (Kirtland, 1837, and Far West, Missouri, 1838) are the most important representative samples of the written expression of early Mormon thought, and serve in this investigation as indicators of the attitudes of the Saints towards the Bible, and their uses of its contents. Let us begin by identifying two leading assumptions which governed Mormon biblical interpretation.
Philip L. Barlow offers an in-depth analysis of the approaches taken to the Bible by major Mormon leaders, from its beginnings to the present. He shows that Mormon attitudes toward the Bible comprise an extraordinary mix of conservative, liberal, and radical ingredients: an almost fundamentalist adherence to the King James Version co-exists with belief in the possibility of new revelation and surprising ideas about the limits of human language. Barlow’s exploration takes important steps toward unraveling the mystery of this quintessential American religious phenomenon. This updated edition of Mormons and the Bible includes an extended bibliography and a new preface, casting Joseph Smith’s mission into a new frame and treating evolutions in Mormonism’s biblical usage in recent decades.
Book of Moses Topics > Joseph Smith Translation (JST) > Latter-day Saint Edition of the Bible
Old Testament Topics > Bible: LDS Interpretation
Church pamphlet
The editor decries Mormonism in general and introduces a “sketch . . . prepared by a gentleman attached to the United States Army, who was stationed sometime in the Salt Lake Valley” that summarizes the contents of the Book of Mormon. He comments that the sayings of Jesus in 3 Nephi are merely altered copies of New Testament scripture, and the whole Book of Mormon is explained by Solomon Spaulding’s Manuscript Found that Sidney Rigdon furnished to Joseph Smith.
A polemical work against Mormonism. Much of the book is devoted to an attack on the Book of Mormon along the same lines as the author’s 1887 work, The Golden Bible.
Talks about the Three Witnesses and the manner of translation. Notes that President Fairchild of Oberlin College compared the newly discovered Spaulding manuscript to the Book of Mormon and found the two texts bore little resemblance one to another. The latter, however, “does not need the Spaulding manuscript to account for it. It is a prosy imitation of the Old Testament, showing no special genius, and no ability more than Smith may very well have had”
This polemical book recounts the history of the Book of Mormon and examines selected verses from the book in an attempt to discredit it.
A polemical work critical of the Book of Mormon. Joseph Smith probably used Ethan Smith’s book View of the Hebrews in creating the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon shows evidence that it was influenced by modern environmental factors such as free- masonry. Various anachronisms are discussed. On pages 95-167 the author lists over fifty-eight examples of what he terms false prophecies made in the Book of Mormon or by Joseph Smith.
RSC Topics > Q — S > Relief Society
RSC Topics > T — Z > War
RSC Topics > Q — S > Service
RSC Topics > A — C > Christmas
RSC Topics > G — K > Hope
RSC Topics > Q — S > Relief Society
RSC Topics > Q — S > Sacrament
RSC Topics > Q — S > Service
RSC Topics > T — Z > Youth
Presenting a brief history of the Mormons in Illinois, the author offers a psychological interpretation of Joseph Smith, considering the Book of Mormon to be “the product of an adolescent mind, and a mind obviously suffering from the characteristic mental disease of adolescence-dementia praecox. The Mormon faith is the result of the reaction of an adolescent nation to that book”
Winner of the 2019 Mormon History Association’s Best International Book Award. From the day Lorenzo Snow stepped out of a carriage onto Italian soil in 1850 to the day that Thomas S. Monson turned a shovel of Italian soil to break ground for a temple in 2010, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has made evangelization in Italy a high priority. Mormon missionary work unfolded against a backdrop of historical forces—political upheaval, world wars, social change, and internal Church dynamics—that presented both obstacles and opportunities for growth. Over the span of a century and a half, the Church managed to establish a small but significant and enduring presence in Italy. This research on Church history and religious change among Italian Mormons is intended to help provide a comprehensive account and thorough analysis of the people, events, and issues related to this important chapter in Church history. This volume highlights the human drama associated with the encounters between foreign missionaries and local spiritual seekers, discussing the tensions and adjustments that result at both the individual and institutional levels, and explores the implications of religious growth across obstacles of faith, geography, and culture. What are reviewers saying? Click here. ISBN 978-1-9443-9410-3
A letter to the editor agreeing with Melodie Moench Charles’s article “The Mormon Christianizing of the Old Testament,” which also appeared in Sunstone.
A polemical work against the Book of Mormon. The author discusses the Anthon denials and other alleged anachronisms in the Book of Mormon such as the pre-Columbian presence of certain domesticated animals in America such as the horse, cow, and ox. The Book of Mormon quotes Shakespeare, the Westminster Confession of faith, and plagiarizes the New Testament.
A polemical work against Mormonism. The author espouses the Spaulding theory to explain the origin of the Book of Mormon and shows that at the time of the publication of the Book of Mormon many theories were afioat regarding the origin of the American Indian.
A polemical work against Mormonism. The author, who favors the Spaulding theory for the origin of the Book of Mormon, asserts that the book anachronistically quotes Shakespeare, mentions steel and various domesticated animals.
Old Testament Topics > Biblical Criticism
Devotes several pages to the role of Martin Harris in the coming forth of the Book of Mormon.
This multidisciplinary volume of essays was written by colleagues and former students of John L. Sorenson as a tribute to his lifetime of contributions to our understanding of Book of Mormon and anthropological scholarship. The contributing authors present their original research findings on such diverse topics as nineteenth-century Mormon funeral sermons, the question of Nephite kingship, the Isaiah commentaries in the Book of Mormon, early Mormon publishing efforts in the Pacific Mission, and evidences of transoceanic diffusion in pre-Columbian times.
A polemical work against Mormonism wherein the author favors the Spaulding hypothesis in explanation of its origin.
Presents a distorted view of the coming forth and translation of the Book of Mormon.
An historical work on Mormonism, from a non-Mormon perspective. The author notes what he feels are several problems in the testimonies of the Book of Mormon witnesses. He recounts Anthon’s 1834 letter of denial and accepts the Spaulding theory for the book’s origin. He also asserts that much of the material from the Book of Mormon has been plagiarized from the Bible and that there are many anachronisms and ungrammatical expressions in the book.
Tells of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon (includes a sketch of the Hill Cumorah), and continues with a history of the rise of the Church. The article dwells on Joseph Smith’s use of the “peep stone” and a “hazel wand” and his poor reputation and low moral standards.
The Hill Cumorah Pageant, a dramatic reenactment of the events in the Book of Mormon, is reviewed. Details are given concerning the size, location, and quality of the pageant.
Discusses many aspects of the LDS religion including a section describing Joseph Smith’s experiences in bringing forth the Book of Mormon.
Gardner examines the timeline and process that Mormon plausibly underwent when he compiled and added to the Book of Mormon. Mormon’s message is the cycle of history—the Messiah will come again.
An author may promise in the course of writing to return to a subject later to supply further details. Actually keeping such a promise can prove difficult. Even with modern writing aids, memory can betray a person into failing to tuck in the corners of plot or information. Mormon, the editor of much of the Book of Mormon as we have it, made these types of promises at least seven times. In each case, he or his son Moroni followed through perfectly.
Perhaps Mormon included so much information about geography in the Book of Mormon for the following reasons: to aid the gentiles in locating the remnant, to locate the Hill Cumorah, to provide a historical base similar to the Bible, and to enrich the understanding of the reader.
As the ancient prophet Mormon edited the scriptural texts that would become the Book of Mormon, he must have had a map in his mind of the places and physical features that comprised the setting for the events described in that book.
Mormon’s Map is Book of Mormon scholar John Sorenson’s reconstruction of that mental map solely from information gleaned from the text after years of intensive study. He describes his method; establishes the overall shape of Book of Mormon lands; sorts out details of topography, distance, direction, climate, and civilization; and treats issues of historical geography.
The resultant map will facilitate analysis of geography-related issues in the Book of Mormon narrative and also be of help in evaluating theories about where in the real world the Nephite lands were located.
Abstract: Although unable to write more than a hundredth part of his people’s history, Mormon seemingly found the time and plate-space to deliver literary justice on behalf of Gideon, who suffered a martyr’s death at the hand of the wicked Nehor. This article applies a literary approach buttressed by evidence from the Book of Mormon to suggest that Mormon intentionally supplied tightly-controlled repetitive elements, like the repetition of names, to point the reader to discover multiple literary sub-narratives connected by a carefully crafted network of themes running under the main narratives of the scriptures. The theories espoused in this work may have begun with the recognition of the reader-arresting repetition of Gideon’s name in Alma 6:7-8, but driven by scriptural data points soon connected Gideon with Abinadi, the Ammonites, and others. The repetitive and referential use of the moniker Nehor, Gideon’s murderer, on various peoples by Mormon seemed to connect thematically and organically to a justice prophesied by Abinadi. In parallel with the theme of justice laid upon the Nehor-populations, evidence is marshaled to also suggest that Mormon referenced the place-name of Gideon to intentionally hearken back to the man Gideon. Following the role of Gideon, as a place, we propose Mormon constructed a path for the martyr Gideon via proxy to meet the resurrected Lord in Bountiful. Mormon’s concern for the individual and his technique for rewriting Gideon’s story through proxy ultimately symbolizes the role Christ’s atoning power can take in each of our lives to save us.
A polemical work against Mormon scripture. Author accepts the Spaulding theory and asserts that the Book of Mormon plagiarizes the Bible, contains ungrammatical expressions and absurd anachronisms, contradicts the Bible, and contains many evidences of being a “vile imposture”
In Moroni 7:20, Mormon raises a question that deserves close attention in Book of Mormon studies: “How is it possible that ye can lay hold upon every good thing?” In relation to questions of culture, space, mortal limitations, and time, Mormon’s question and the answers he poses are rich with potential for scholarly work and deeper understanding of discipleship. Close contemporary readings of Mormon’s sermon could challenge and enlarge spiritual perspective, sensitivity to God’s grace, and relationships in the world.
How Mormon compiled Nephite records into the book that bears his name has never been carefully studied. This paper makes an attempt to understand that process as it details the limitations Mormon faced and the sources he would have used. Mormon’s framework depended primarily on the larger plates of Nephi, but this paper demonstrates that Mormon appears to have supplemented those plates with other sources from the Nephite archive of records. The restrictions of the plates of Nephi and the nature of the additional sources are discussed and evaluated.
Review of Keith Bailey Schofield. How to Increase Your Enjoyment of the Book of Mormon: Striking New Insights Into the Life of Mormon and His Work.
Book of Mormon text reformatted with the actual text in the right-hand column, and a summarized explanation for younger readers in the left-hand column.
An polemical tract designed to encourage Mormons to question their belief in the Book of Mormon.
RSC Topics > D — F > First Vision
RSC Topics > G — K > Joseph Smith
RSC Topics > Q — S > Restoration of the Gospel
RSC Topics > Q — S > Revelation
RSC Topics > T — Z > Women
A story for children about Moroni.
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Moroni
RSC Topics > D — F > Eternal Life
RSC Topics > G — K > Grace
RSC Topics > G — K > Holy Ghost
RSC Topics > L — P > Mercy
RSC Topics > Q — S > Spiritual Gifts
RSC Topics > T — Z > Zion
This article discusses Moroni’s abridgment of the gold plates, his wanderings, his address concerning the future, the war at Cumorah, and how to gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon (Moroni 10:4).
On the anniversary of Moroni’s visit to Joseph Smith, the moon astronauts were noted as not being the only men of space. Moroni and others came from God through space to present their messages. If God allows men to walk in space, a miracle in and of itself, then why not angels sent from his presence?
RSC Topics > Q — S > Restoration of the Gospel
This article addresses the origins of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and discusses whether the Saints believed Moroni to be an angel or merely a treasure guardian.
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Moroni
Testimony stating that the gold plate story is true and that Moroni did visit Joseph Smith.
The prophecies given by Moroni to Joseph Smith come from Malachi, Isaiah, and Joel. The Malachi prophecies deal with the rise and restoration of the church, preparation for the millennium, and the significance of the sons of Levi. The Isaiah prophecies, explained in the Doctrine and Covenants, give a direct explanation of the millennium and Joseph’s own role in the preparation for it. The Joel prophecies have to do with the events just prior to the “great and terrible day of the Lord.”
This article provides “an account of the dedication of the Angel Moroni Monument at Hill Cumorah, near Palmyra, New York,” and discusses the significance of this dedication to the Church.
This article describes how Moroni experienced two aspects of war—he rallied his soldiers in defense of their liberties and later witnessed the destruction of his people. Moroni later wrote concerning the destruction of his people.
Moroni preserves a sermon from his father Mormon (Moroni 7), who counsels readers to “enter the rest of the Lord”
The story of Captain Moroni is retold for children.
Discusses Moroni’s closing words in the Book of Mormon (Moroni 10:1, 10:24). Discusses the admonitions and promises he left for those who read the Book of Mormon.
Moroni was a man who was faithful in life, in death, and as a resurrected being. Under the most difficult circumstances during and after the Nephite civil war, he lived as an outcast rather than deny his testimony.
Moroni was alone for thirty-six years. He finished the Book of Mormon, abridged the book of Ether, and wrote the title page.
Moroni was alone for thirty-six years. He finished the Book of Mormon, abridged the book of Ether, and wrote the title page.
Moroni wandered alone for sixteen years before adding to the abridged record of his father. When he did make his additions, he also wrote the title page of the Book of Mormon, but in two stages, each stage necessitating a return to the Hill Cumorah. The second paragraph clearly follows his decision to abridge the book of Ether.
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Moroni
This article discusses how Moroni was alone for thirty-six years. He finished the Book of Mormon, abridged the book of Ether, and wrote the title page.
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Moroni
Book of Mormon archaeologists are doing research to find if the “feathered serpent” god of the ancient American is a symbol of Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon prophesies of an apostasy, which the author concludes was between Moroni and Columbus.
Roberts offers his thoughts on the origin and character of government, both in general and amongst the Children of Israel in the Old Testament.
Roberts offers his thoughts on the origin and character of government, both in general and amongst the Children of Israel in the Old Testament.
Roberts discusses the peculiarities of succession in the Nephite kingship, both in the land of Nephi and later in the land of Zarahemla, while also presenting a summary history of the governance of the people of Nephi up to the point of King Mosiah, the son of King Benjamin.
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Moroni
Roberts discusses the peculiarities of succession in the Nephite kingship, both in the land of Nephi and later in the land of Zarahemla, while also presenting a summary history of the governance of the people of Nephi up to the point of King Mosiah, the son of King Benjamin.
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Moroni
Roberts relates the reunion of the people of Zeniff and Alma the Elder with the Nephites at Zarahemla. He discusses the bloody revolutions throughout history and compares them to the peaceful “revolution” undertaken by King Mosiah at the end of his reign by changing the mode of government to what Robert characterizes as a “republic” under the reign of the judges. Some modes of operation of the new government are discussed.
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Alma
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Moroni
Roberts relates the reunion of the people of Zeniff and Alma the Elder with the Nephites at Zarahemla. He discusses the bloody revolutions throughout history and compares them to the peaceful “revolution” undertaken by King Mosiah at the end of his reign by changing the mode of government to what Robert characterizes as a “republic” under the reign of the judges. Some modes of operation of the new government are discussed.
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Alma
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Moroni
Roberts summarizes some of the work of Guizot regarding the relations between church and state. He classifies the Nephite Republic as most closely resembling one in which the church and state were distinct societies. He provides examples from the text to demonstrate this. He then summarizes the events of the Amlicite Revolt, the first severe trial the new republic faced, five years into its existence.
Roberts summarizes some of the work of Guizot regarding the relations between church and state. He classifies the Nephite Republic as most closely resembling one in which the church and state were distinct societies. He provides examples from the text to demonstrate this. He then summarizes the events of the Amlicite Revolt, the first severe trial the new republic faced, five years into its existence.
Roberts discusses Ammoron assuming the throne after the death of his brother, and his two-front war against the Nephites, both on the east and the west. The efforts of the Nephites in retaking their captured cities are detailed, especially that of Helaman and his army of stripling Lamanites in the west. The lack of support in terms of men and materiel from the Nephite government in Zarahemla is mentioned, as is the determination of Helaman and his men to hold out regardless.
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Helaman
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Moroni
Roberts discusses Ammoron assuming the throne after the death of his brother, and his two-front war against the Nephites, both on the east and the west. The efforts of the Nephites in retaking their captured cities are detailed, especially that of Helaman and his army of stripling Lamanites in the west. The lack of support in terms of men and materiel from the Nephite government in Zarahemla is mentioned, as is the determination of Helaman and his men to hold out regardless.
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Helaman
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Moroni
Roberts gives us a brief summary of the efforts of Alma the Younger and Amulek in Ammonihah, as well as the success of the sons of Mosiah in their missionary labors among the Lamanites. He details the persecution of the people of Ammon and their seeking refuge among the Nephites and the several wars of conquest attempted by the Lamanites in the following years. He mentions the childhood and upbringing of Captain Moroni during these conflicts and his victory over Zerahemnah.
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Alma
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Moroni
Roberts gives us a brief summary of the efforts of Alma the Younger and Amulek in Ammonihah, as well as the success of the sons of Mosiah in their missionary labors among the Lamanites. He details the persecution of the people of Ammon and their seeking refuge among the Nephites and the several wars of conquest attempted by the Lamanites in the following years. He mentions the childhood and upbringing of Captain Moroni during these conflicts and his victory over Zerahemnah.
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Alma
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Moroni
Roberts sets out Alma the Younger as one of the great exemplars of the scriptures, saying “there is scarcely any condition of life that Alma’s life will not instruct.” He discusses the demoralizing effect of war upon communities and details Amalickiah’s attempted rebellion amongst the Nephites, Captain Moroni’s response with the Title of Liberty, and Amalickiah’s flight and subsequent and unbelievable rise to the Lamanite throne.
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Moroni
Roberts sets out Alma the Younger as one of the great exemplars of the scriptures, saying “there is scarcely any condition of life that Alma’s life will not instruct.” He discusses the demoralizing effect of war upon communities and details Amalickiah’s attempted rebellion amongst the Nephites, Captain Moroni’s response with the Title of Liberty, and Amalickiah’s flight and subsequent and unbelievable rise to the Lamanite throne.
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Moroni
Roberts details how Captain Moroni both spiritually and physically fortified his people for the potential future conflicts with the Lamanites. The reversal of the Lamanites in trying to take the cities of Ammonihah and Noah is detailed. Roberts spends time discussing the physical characteristics of Moroni’s fortifications and speculates that fortifications in Ohio built centuries later may have taken inspiration from them.
Roberts details how Captain Moroni both spiritually and physically fortified his people for the potential future conflicts with the Lamanites. The reversal of the Lamanites in trying to take the cities of Ammonihah and Noah is detailed. Roberts spends time discussing the physical characteristics of Moroni’s fortifications and speculates that fortifications in Ohio built centuries later may have taken inspiration from them.
Roberts discusses the failed political attempts by “monarchists” among the Nephites to reform the government to a system more to their liking. The subsequent actions of Captain Moroni relevant to them are discussed, as is Moroni’s role appointed role as a “dictator” in the Roman tradition for the preservation of the people. Amalickiah’s series of successes, leading up to his ignominious assassination at the hands of Teancum is also discussed. Roberts offers brief insights as to how that action is sometimes perceived in modern times, against how it would have been understood anciently.
Roberts discusses the failed political attempts by “monarchists” among the Nephites to reform the government to a system more to their liking. The subsequent actions of Captain Moroni relevant to them are discussed, as is Moroni’s role appointed role as a “dictator” in the Roman tradition for the preservation of the people. Amalickiah’s series of successes, leading up to his ignominious assassination at the hands of Teancum is also discussed. Roberts offers brief insights as to how that action is sometimes perceived in modern times, against how it would have been understood anciently.
Roberts discusses Moroni’s epistle to Pahoran, accusing the latter of disloyalty and destruction if he did not live up to the obligations of his office. The revolution of Pachus and the monarchists is revealed in Pahoran’s response, and Moroni goes to the besieged chief judge’s aid, putting down the erstwhile rebellion. Roberts offers thoughts on the seeming harshness of the Nephites’ capital punishment of those who rebelled and would not take up arms in defense of their government and their people. Following the defeated insurrection, Moroni is able to send reinforcements to his beleaguered fellows.
Roberts discusses Moroni’s epistle to Pahoran, accusing the latter of disloyalty and destruction if he did not live up to the obligations of his office. The revolution of Pachus and the monarchists is revealed in Pahoran’s response, and Moroni goes to the besieged chief judge’s aid, putting down the erstwhile rebellion. Roberts offers thoughts on the seeming harshness of the Nephites’ capital punishment of those who rebelled and would not take up arms in defense of their government and their people. Following the defeated insurrection, Moroni is able to send reinforcements to his beleaguered fellows.
Roberts discusses the waning days of the war with the Lamanites, until Ammoron’s assassination by Teancum near the City of Moroni. The rebuilding process, both spiritual and physical, following the war is mentioned, as is the passing of its chief figures within a handful of years. Roberts discusses the impossibility of knowing a great deal about Captain Moroni, but compares him favorably to Washington. He concludes by stating that “[t]he fate of the Nephite Republic is a warning to all free governments…that the people of a republic—a free people—must be a righteous people or the days of their prosperity are numbered…”
Roberts discusses the waning days of the war with the Lamanites, until Ammoron’s assassination by Teancum near the City of Moroni. The rebuilding process, both spiritual and physical, following the war is mentioned, as is the passing of its chief figures within a handful of years. Roberts discusses the impossibility of knowing a great deal about Captain Moroni, but compares him favorably to Washington. He concludes by stating that “[t]he fate of the Nephite Republic is a warning to all free governments…that the people of a republic—a free people—must be a righteous people or the days of their prosperity are numbered…”
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Moroni
This call to pure love marks the culmination of Moroni’s book—and thus of the Book of Mormon. With his final words the prophet concludes that love is the lens through which we can fully understand our Savior, the essential quality in our quest to become like him. David Holland shows the book of Moroni to be an intentionally organized collection of artifacts, pointing readers toward the transformative power of divine love. He interprets Moroni’s teachings as a “theology of the Gift”—a doctrinal depiction of a God whose nature is to give. This theology powerfully reminds Latter-day Saints that the ordinances we observe, the community we serve, and the talents we develop are all gifts designed to draw us toward the culminating bestowal of Christlike love. Ultimately, this theology rests upon the truth that Jesus Christ is the Gift from which all other gifts flow.
An account of the government and politics of the Nephites prior to and during the time of the Nephite republic as described in the book of Mosiah. Main emphasis is on Captain Moroni and his leadership.
Uses Moroni’s example to teach “(1) the resurrection is a reality, (2) the state of a celestial being is truly glorious, (3) there is opportunity for continued service in the kingdom of God beyond the veil, (4) the knowledge and intelligence one attains in mortality does rise with that person in the resurrection, and (5) this dispensation has great destiny to fulfill”
A pamphlet that describes Moroni as a prophet, soldier, and scribe.
Moroni, the final writer and compiler of the Book of Mormon, provides three endings to the book. His first ending, in Mormon 8–9, can be called a “signature ending”—the primary purpose here is to state that the writing is finished and to identify the author and his father and nation. Moroni, yet alive, provides a second ending, a “farewell ending,” in Ether 12. This type of ending both concludes the work and wishes the reader well but then warns or rejoices that the narrator will meet the reader at the final judgment. In the final farewell ending (in Moroni 10), Moroni, the lone survivor of his people, expresses joy and hope. The three endings remind latter-day readers to acknowledge the destruction of the Nephite and Jaredite nations and provide doctrinal, logical, and scriptural arguments in defense of the Book of Mormon and its doctrines.
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Moroni
Byron Merrill discusses Moroni’s mission, both during his mortal life and in his role as the angel who brought the Book of Mormon to the last dispensation. The scriptures tell of the strength of his educational preparation and his relationship with his father. Moroni deals with signs of the latter days such as pollutions, fashions, pride, and miracles. Merrill describes the latter-day functions of Moroni and the reason why his statue is atop so many temples.
Lamanites will be restored to the gospel covenant, fulfilling Book of Mormon prophecy, and Moroni will no longer be the forgotten man of a forgotten people.
Old Testament Topics > Restoration and Joseph Smith
Describes the first visitation of the angel Moroni to Joseph Smith, Joseph’s call to the ministry, and scriptures quoted and interpreted by Moroni. Emphasis is placed on prophecies of key events in the latter days.
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Moroni
Moroni wrote the title page of the Book of Mormon. The poetic structure of the title page emphasizes that its purpose is for the Lamanites, Jews, and Gentiles to “know the covenants of the Lord”
Questions the validity of visits by Moroni to Joseph Smith, the existence of the plates, and the veracity of the First Vision. Casts doubts on the characters of the Three Witnesses.
The last words of Moroni are important for those living in America. Both Mormon and Moroni indicate that Americans must abandon pride, money, substance, and fine apparel (Mormon 8:35-36) in order to not be swept off the land as the ancient Nephites were.
The mortal Savior was not man, not human (Alma 34:10). Infinite and eternal, he received his physical life not from a son of Adam but from the Father of Adam, God. He took upon himself the image of man, but in truth he was the model, not the copy. Though mortal, he was still God, able to suffer and to redeem as only a god could. He was Son, because he received physical life from his Father, and Father, because he used his divine powers to give eternal life to others. Though not man, he experienced mortality, which allowed him to understand and love mortals.
Who are we? We are the spirit offspring of an Eternal Being who has given us the opportunity to experience mortality—a brief but critical time in an eternal journey.
A two-page tract. English title is “What is the Book of Mormon?”
Old Testament Topics > Bible: Joseph Smith Translation (JST)
Old Testament Topics > Law of Moses
RSC Topics > L — P > Pearl of Great Price
Abstract: This article highlights the striking resemblances between Moses 1 and a corresponding account from the Apocalypse of Abraham (ApAb), one of the earliest and most important Jewish texts describing heavenly ascent. Careful comparative analysis demonstrates a sustained sequence of detailed affinities in narrative structure that go beyond what Joseph Smith could have created out of whole cloth from his environment and his imagination. The article also highlights important implications for the study of the Book of Moses as a temple text. Previous studies have suggested that the story of Enoch found in the Pearl of Great Price might be understood as the culminating episode of a temple text woven throughout chapters 2–8 of the Book of Moses. The current article is a conceptual bookend to these earlier studies, demonstrating that the account of heavenly ascent in Moses 1 provides a compelling prelude to a narrative outlining laws and liturgy akin to what could have been used anciently as part of ritual ascent within earthly temples.
“Moses 1 and the Apocalypse of Abraham: Twin Sons of Different Mothers?” (2020)
“Moses 1 and the Apocalypse of Abraham: Twin Sons of Different Mothers?” (2021)
Book of Moses Topics > Joseph Smith Translation (JST) > Historicity and Ancient Threads — General Issues
Book of Moses Topics > Chapters of the Book of Moses > Moses 1 — Visions of Moses
“Moses 1 and the Apocalypse of Abraham: Twin Sons of Different Mothers?” (2020)
“Moses 1 and the Apocalypse of Abraham: Twin Sons of Different Mothers?” (2021)
Book of Moses Topics > Joseph Smith Translation (JST) > Historicity and Ancient Threads — General Issues
Book of Moses Topics > Chapters of the Book of Moses > Moses 1 — Visions of Moses
“Moses 1 and the Apocalypse of Abraham: Twin Sons of Different Mothers?” (2020)
“Moses 1 and the Apocalypse of Abraham: Twin Sons of Different Mothers?” (2020)
Book of Moses Topics > Joseph Smith Translation (JST) > Historicity and Ancient Threads — General Issues
Book of Moses Topics > Chapters of the Book of Moses > Moses 1 — Visions of Moses
RSC Topics > L — P > Pearl of Great Price
RSC Topics > L — P > Pearl of Great Price
RSC Topics > L — P > Pearl of Great Price
RSC Topics > L — P > Pearl of Great Price
RSC Topics > G — K > Heaven
RSC Topics > L — P > Pearl of Great Price
“Moses 6–7 and the Book of Giants: Remarkable Witnesses of Enoch’s Ministry” (2021)
“Moses 6–7 and the Book of Giants: Remarkable Witnesses of Enoch’s Ministry” (2021)
Abstract: The Book of Giants (BG), an Enoch text found in 1948 among the Dead Sea Scrolls, includes a priceless trove of stories about the ancient prophet and his contemporaries, including unique elements relevant to the Book of Moses Enoch account. Hugh Nibley was the first to discover in the BG a rare personal name that corresponds to the only named character in the Book of Moses besides Enoch himself, a finding that some non-Latter-day Saint Enoch scholars considered significant. Since Nibley’s passing, the growth of new scholarship on ancient Enoch texts has continued unabated. While Nibley’s pioneering research compared the names and roles of one character in Moses 6–7 and BG, scholars have now been able to examine the names and roles of nearly all of the prominent figures in the two books and analyze their respective accounts in more detail. Not only are the overall storylines of the two independent accounts more similar than could have imagined a few years ago, a series of recent studies have added substance to the claim that the specific resemblances of the Book of Giants to Moses 6–7—resemblances that are rare or absent elsewhere in Jewish tradition—are more numerous and significant than the resemblances of any other single ancient Enoch text—or, for that matter, to all of the most significant extant Enoch texts combined. Of particular note is new evidence in BG that relates to the Book of Moses account of Enoch’s gathering of Zion to divinely prepared cities and the ascent of his people to the presence of God.
[Editor’s Note: Part of our book chapter reprint series, this article is reprinted here as a service to the Latter-day Saint community. Original pagination and page numbers have necessarily changed, otherwise the reprint has the same content as the original.
[Page 96]See Jeffrey M. Bradshaw, “Moses 6–7 and the Book of Giants: Remarkable Witnesses of Enoch’s Ministry,” in Tracing Ancient Threads in the Book of Moses: Inspired Origins, Temple Contexts, and Literary Qualities, ed. Jeffrey M. Bradshaw, David R. Seely, John W. Welch and Scott Gordon (Orem, UT: The Interpreter Foundation; Springville, UT: Book of Mormon Central; Redding, CA: FAIR; Salt Lake City: Eborn Books, 2021), 1041–256. Further information at https://interpreterfoundation.org/books/ancient-threads-in-the-book-of-moses/.
A condensed and simplified version of ancient evidence for the Enoch account in the Book of Moses will be forthcoming in a new book:
Bradshaw, Jeffrey M., Enoch and the Gathering of Zion: The Witness of Ancient Texts for Modern Scripture. Orem, Springville, and Salt Lake City, UT: The Interpreter Foundation, Book of Mormon Central, and Eborn Books, 2021. See https://interpreterfoundation.org/books/enoch-and-the-gathering-of-zion/.
In the meantime, perhaps this video version may be a little easier to digest:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HP6GYxbieNQ
Also, the Book of Moses Essays #1-30 at https://interpreterfoundation.org/book-of-moses-essays/ overlap somewhat, containing both earlier versions of some (but not all) of the findings in this article, while also including topics that are not in the paper.]
“Moses 6-7 and the Book of Giants: Remarkable Witnesses of Enoch’s Ministry” (2021)
“Moses 6–7 and the Book of Giants: Remarkable Witnesses of Enoch’s Ministry” (2021)
“Moses 6–7 and the Book of Giants: Remarkable Witnesses of Enoch’s Ministry” (2021)
“Moses 6-7 and the Book of Giants: Remarkable Witnesses of Enoch’s Ministry” (2021)
RSC Topics > L — P > Pearl of Great Price
RSC Topics > L — P > Pearl of Great Price
RSC Topics > L — P > Old Testament
Old Testament Topics > Moses
Abstract: This work explores an alternative interpretation of the Exodus narrative as a metaphor for childbirth. Gleaning from Old Testament and Judaic sources, we find rich female birth and salvific imagery in the saga of the migration of the children of Israel and the Passover itself. This perspective of sacred childbirth, when coupled with traditional Christian interpretations of the first Passover, ultimately paints an enhanced picture of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
There are unpleasant topics, and then there are Unpleasant Topics. The latest volume to appear in the Medical Works of Moses Maimonides, On Hemorrhoids, seems the perfect occasion to modestly avert our attention from the actual subject of the book and consider instead the question of its reception. When referring to the reception history of an antique text, scholars have in mind the journey the text has taken. During its long life, what paths have a given text traveled, so to speak? By this we mean not just where has a given physical document turned up, but also where and by whom were the words and ideas it contained copied, translated, paraphrased, summarized, or argued with? Information was precious in the premodern age. The painstaking work required to hand copy or translate texts of any significant length ensured that only those writings that were in real demand received such attention.
After Israel’s deliverance from Egyptian bondage and crossing of the Red Sea, another enemy, the Amalekites, attacked the camp on its pilgrimage to worship God at Sinai. Moses, in response to this cowardly act, directed Joshua to fight them. For his part, Moses would stand atop a nearby hill holding the rod of God. “And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.” Moses, however, was tired and could not always keep his hands up, so “Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun” (Exodus 17:8– 12, emphasis added), allowing Joshua and the men of Israel to prevail in the battle.
Old Testament Topics > Moses
Old Testament Topics > Moses
This paper shows that the account of Moses’ brazen serpent as taught by the Nephite leaders parallels the symbol and name of the Mesoamerican god Quetzalcoatl. It further shows that the term flying, used in the Nephite but not in the biblical account of the fiery serpent, has parallels in the Old and New Worlds.
Old Testament Topics > Covenant [see also Ephraim, Israel, Jews, Joseph]
Old Testament Topics > Moses
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Alma
RSC Topics > G — K > Judgment
RSC Topics > Q — S > Scriptures
King Mosiah and his people migrated and eventually united with the people of Zarahemla. King Mosiah became the ruler of both peoples.
The prophet Mormon faces the monumental task of abridging Nephite history for future generations. He looks back hundreds of years to discern God’s hand amid the people’s divisions and conversions. Multiple records recount multiple migrations to lands where different kings organize competing societies. A righteous monarchy ends, and a reign of judges begins. In this brief theological introduction to the book of Mosiah, philosopher and theologian James E. Faulconer untangles a complicated timeline. Mormon transports readers back and forth through time—King Benjamin’s sermons provide a backdrop for the earlier speeches of the prophet-martyr Abinadi and the later conversion of the renegade Alma. What might we learn about covenant and community from a history of Nephite division? Faulconer presents the book of Mosiah as a fragmentary history about a fragmented people, written by a record keeper obsessed with unity. According to Mormon, destruction can be avoided only if we understand the mysteries of Christ’s atonement and perform the service God calls us to do together.
This article discusses the significance of major scriptural personalities, contrasting the lessons we can learn from the positive and negative experiences of such individuals with the role models set for us in Christ and little children. Internal textual sources relate to the composition of the book of Mosiah within the context of a particular literary tradition and style. According to one argument, the text employs a “dialectical” style or stylistic device based on the “law of opposition in all things,” which juxtaposes individuals, such as righteous and wicked kings, to illuminate gospel principles. Several Old World and Book of Mormon perspectives give insight on royal treasures, symbolism, and iconography (including objects such as the Liahona and the sword of Laban). The article also contrasts views of religious freedom, taxation, and agency and responsibility, and compares duties of parents and kings.
Review of Dale Morgan On Early Mormonism: Correspondence and a New History (1986), edited by John Philip Walker.
Presents arguments dealing with the authenticity of the Book of Mormon, including discussions about Jesus, the Shepherd, the witnesses, revelation from God, the translation of the work, ancient discoveries, and testimonials.
An admonitional speech encouraging individuals to regard the Book of Mormon with resolution. The stories relating Alma’s encounter with Korihor and Alma’s parting words to his three sons are recalled. The Book of Mormon is vital to our spiritual condition.
Review of Ed J. Pinegar and Richard J. Allen. Teachings and Commentaries on the Book of Mormon.
Over the years, Book of Mormon scholars have noticed extraordinary clues hidden in its subtle details. Many of these have proven the source of convincing evidence that the Book of Mormon is a genuine history. This outstanding work by a scholar of Middle Eastern antiquities presents some of that evidence. Included are insights about discoveries made since the time of Joseph Smith that suggest the ancient existence and nature of “reformed Egytptian;” newly discovered texts that show Jeremiah really did testify of the Savior, as taught in the Book of Mormon; Old World writings that support the brother of Jared’s idea of lighting Jaredite barges with stones touched by the Savior; evidence that Laban was involved in a conspiracy with the Elders in Jerusalem which was much like those of the Gadianton Robbers; the old-world profession of Lehi and his sons; some eye-opening similarities between the slaying of Laban by Nephi and the slaying of the Egyptian by Moses; the probable timing of the Savior’s visit to the Nephites; the similarity of untranslated words in the Book of Mormon (like “ziff”) to words in certain Middle Eastern languages; why oaths in the Book of Mormon were relied on in war, and ancient texts that uphold Nephi’s teachings about Satan. A powerful testimony of Joseph Smith’s prophetic calling, this book demonstrates the inspired nature of the work he described as “the most correct book on earth.”
A three-pronged discussion of Joseph Smith’s statement that the Book of Mormon (1) is the most correct book, (2) is the keystone of the LDS religion, and (3) enables a person to get close to God by abiding by its precepts. Subthemes deal with the translation of the book, a warning to the inhabitants of the promised land, how the book contains a fulness of the Gospel, how the book is scripture, what it has to say about the ministering of angels, how the book testifies of the Bible, and how the world is to be judged by the book.
On November 28, 1841, the Prophet Joseph Smith met with the Nauvoo City Council and members of the Quorum of the Twelve in the home of President Brigham Young. History of the Church records that he conversed “with them upon a variety of subjects. Brother Joseph Fielding was present, having been absent four years on a mission to England.” It was in that setting, at the Sunday city council meeting in the Young’s residence, that Joseph Smith made what has come to be one of the most axiomatic and memorable statements in Mormon literature: “I told the brethren,” he said, “that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.” In what follows, we will consider the possible meaning and implications of the various parts of this rather bold declaration about this extrabiblical document. We will consider the nature of the Book of Mormon’s correctness, how it is the keystone, the precepts it contains, the poignancy of those precepts, its importance to the world, and finally, its prophetic destiny as a book of holy scripture.
Abstract: The names Mary and Mormon most plausibly derive from the Egyptian word mr(i), “love, desire, [or] wish.” Mary denotes “beloved [i.e., of deity]” and is thus conceptually connected with divine love, while Mormon evidently denotes “desire/love is enduring.” The text of the Book of Mormon manifests authorial awareness of the meanings of both names, playing on them in multiple instances. Upon seeing Mary (“the mother of God,” 1 Nephi 11:18, critical text) bearing the infant Messiah in her arms in vision, Nephi, who already knew that God “loveth his children,” came to understand that the meaning of the fruit-bearing tree of life “is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore it is the most desirable above all things” (1 Nephi 11:17-25). Later, Alma the Elder and his people entered into a covenant and formed a church based on “love” and “good desires” (Mosiah 18:21, 28), a covenant directly tied to the waters of Mormon: Behold here are the waters of Mormon … and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God … if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized …?”; “they clapped their hands for joy and exclaimed: This is the desire of our hearts” (Mosiah 18:8-11). Alma the Younger later recalled the “song of redeeming love” that his father and others had sung at the waters of Mormon (Alma 5:3-9, 26; see Mosiah 18:30). Our editor, Mormon, who was himself named after the land of Mormon and its waters (3 Nephi 5:12), repeatedly spoke of charity as “everlasting love” or the “pure love of Christ [that] endureth forever” (Moroni 7:47-48; 8:16-17; 26). All of this has implications for Latter-day Saints or “Mormons” who, as children of the covenant, must endure to the end in Christlike “love” as Mormon and Moroni did, particularly in days of diminishing faith, faithfulness, and love (see, e.g., Mormon 3:12; contrast Moroni 9:5).
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Mosiah
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Alma
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Moroni
This article is a reprint of a conference talk by LeGrand Richards. The Book of Mormon is tangible evidence that the angel Moroni came to visit the earth with the greatest message possible: that Jesus is the Christ. The author states that some prophecies and statements found in the Bible can only be understood by the added information found in the Book of Mormon.
I testify that charity—Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ’s pure love for us—is real. I pray that we may be blessed with a more abundant measure of charity in accordance with the work of our hands and the desires of our hearts.
David Whitmer represents “the last surviving witness” of the Book of Mormon plates. This article presents a number of interviews with Whitmer by various figures who interrogated him at times throughout his life.
This article shows that David Whitmer represents “the last surviving witness” of the Book of Mormon plates. This article presents a number of interviews with Whitmer by various figures who interrogated him at times throughout his life.
Review of Christopher Hitchens. God is not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything.
A reaffirmation by Larry S. Ferguson on behalf of his father Thomas Stuart Ferguson that he (Thomas Stuart Ferguson) believed the Book of Mormon to be the word of God until the day that he died.
Lists scriptural passages from the Book of Mormon and other standard works under a comprehensive list of gospel topics.
The final editors of the Book of Mormon, Mormon and Moroni, selected the message of the Book of Mormon under the inspiration of God. It was their intent to present a clear message by relating the events of their era to those who would live in the present era. The book is also a testimony of Christ.
By developing a mother heart, each girl and woman prepares for her divine, eternal mission of motherhood.
Twenty stories from the Book of Mormon designed for children.
Perhaps the reason we respond so universally to our mothers’ love is because it typifies the love of our Savior.
RSC Topics > T — Z > Women
In these last days it is essential—even critical—that parents and children listen to and learn from one another.
Old Testament Scriptures > Genesis
Old Testament Topics > Women in the Old Testament
I believe it is by divine design that the role of motherhood emphasizes the nurturing and teaching of the next generation.
There is eternal influence and power in motherhood.
RSC Topics > L — P > Love
RSC Topics > Q — S > Service
RSC Topics > T — Z > Women
In ancient Israel, the household was the center of a woman’s life and the place in which she held the most power. Even though a child was born into “the house of the father” (bet
Story of how Williams’s mother gained a testimony of the Book of Mormon and joined the RLDS church.
A Discourse by Elder John Taylor, Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, June 12, 1853. Reported By: G. D. Watt.
Discusses the culture of the mound builders whose remains stretch from New York to Central America. The mounds, thought to be works of defense, religious structures, or sepulchral monuments, are as large as 70 feet high and 1000 feet in circumference. Relics of art have been found such as implements of copper, single and double axes, pottery, and cloth. Author believes that the mound builders and the Toltecs were the same people.
This article provides circumstantial evidence that the architectural styles of Ancient America are similar to ancient Babylonian architecture, due to the Jaredites who left Babylonia approximately three hundred years before the time of Abraham.
A two-part series. The Book of Mormon presents the history and civilization of three distinct peoples who settled in the Americas. Clark identiies these peoples with the Mound Builders found in North and South America, who were well acquainted with Egyptian language and culture. Also compares the destruction of the Cliff Dwellers or Pueblo Indians with the people destroyed at the time of Christ’s appearance on the American continent. These Indians used iron and steel and possessed animals that had their origin in Asia and Egypt.
Dahl reviews many of the major works of numerous authors who between 1800 and 1840 were using archaeology and conjecture to explain the origins of the mound-builders. He compares these works to Bryant’s poems “The Prairies” and “Thanatopsies” Concerning the Book of Mormon, Dahl writes that it is “certainly the most influential of all Mound-Builder literature,” and that “whether one wishes to accept it as divinely inspired or as the work of Joseph Smith, it fits exactly into the tradition”
Sees mounds near St. Louis, Missouri, as evidence for the Book of Mormon and speculates that the mounds are the remains of the cement houses spoken of in Helaman 3.
Sees mounds near St. Louis, Missouri, as evidence for the Book of Mormon and speculates that the mounds are the remains of the cement houses spoken of in Helaman 3.
Analyzing the Sermon on the Mount, this author compares the account in 3 Nephi with three translations of the Bible. He defines of key words, gives scriptural and personal examples of the concept, explores the state of happiness that is promised in each of the beatitudes, and discusses the required acts and thoughts of achieving such a state.
Old Testament Scriptures > Genesis
Old Testament Topics > Temple and Tabernacle
Old Testament Topics > Types and Symbols
Old Testament Topics > Temple and Tabernacle
If we have faith in Jesus Christ, the hardest as well as the easiest times in life can be a blessing.
RSC Topics > D — F > Easter
RSC Topics > G — K > Hope
RSC Topics > Q — S > Resurrection
The death and burial of Ishmael at Nahom (see 1 Nephi 16:34-39) can puzzle readers who are uncertain about how the story fits into Nephi’s overall account or uncertain about why the incident is included at all. This section, however, is one of those parts of the Book of Mormon that contain hints of a deeper meaning than what appears on the surface. At least one important meaning of the Nahom episode is connected with the word Nahom itself.
Remarks by President Brigham Young, Delivered in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, September 13, 1857. Reported By: G. D. Watt, J. V. Long.
In this video, Rebecca Nibley shares a poignant father-daughter conversation after a local viewing of “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?” The film raised concerns for Rebecca about the former restrictions that prevented men of African descent from being ordained to the priesthood. His full answer to these concerns was not given till one year later.
““Worlds Without Number”: Hugh Nibley on Science and Religion” (2021)
“Reading with My Dad, by Rebecca Nibley” (2021)
“Hugh Nibley’s Love For God’s Creation” (2021)
Review of Daniel Becerra, Amy Easton-Flake, Nicholas J. Frederick, and Joseph M. Spencer, Book of Mormon Studies: An Introduction and Guide (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2022). 184 pages. $19.99 (hardback), $15.99 (paperback). Abstract: Book of Mormon Studies: An Introduction and Guide by four Brigham Young University religion professors reviews the field of Book of Mormon studies from the late nineteenth century to the current day. After the historical review of the field, the authors lay out a research agenda for the twenty-first century that, by and large, moves on from the Book of Mormon historicity question that so engaged twentieth-century scholars. This review examines the authors’ claims and demonstrates that the scope of the book is not as broad as it could or should be. Absent perspectives, blind spots, incomplete twenty-first–century research trends, and a discussion of research tools should have been included in the book but were not included. This review ends with a discussion of “the gatekeeper problem” in Book of Mormon studies.
The priesthood, through the workings of the Spirit, moves individuals closer to God through ordination, ordinances, and refinement of individual natures.
This article describes several crudely drawn petroglyphs chiseled on rocks and walls of the Hava Supoi Canyon (Indian Reservation on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon), then concludes that “man and prehistoric animals must have lived at the same time, for man could not make a picture of an elephant or a mastodon if he had not seen one.”
The mother tongue of Jesus and his disciples was not Greek or Latin or even Hebrew, but Aramaic, the language of Israel’s Babylonian captors. Aramaic, and in particular the dialect of Syriac, has continued to be spoken by many Christians in the Middle East and elsewhere down to the present time. This Semitic language became the vehicle for a vast body of early Christian literature that expressed Christian theology in singularly Semitic forms. For example, just as the Hebrew prophets expressed themselves primarily in poetry or rhythmic prose, rich with symbolism and analogy, so also early Syriac teachers composed didactic hymns and even their sermons in poetic meter. In contrast to the philosophical theology of western churches, Syriac Christians articulated a symbolic theology that drew on images from nature and scripture to express the Christian mysteries.
RSC Topics > T — Z > Zion
I am certain our Heavenly Father was mindful of her needs and wanted her to hear the comforting truths of the gospel.
“The only constant across the entire time period has been our commitment to our unique combination of things spiritual with things secular.”
Abstract: Textual Studies of the Doctrine and Covenants: The Plural Marriage Revelation is a textual study of Section 132. It offers some interesting information as the author attempts to understand and place within context the revelation, which is, as the heading for this section in the scriptures reads, “relating to the new and everlasting covenant, including the eternity of the marriage covenant and the principle of plural marriage.” The book has its strengths but is also hampered by some weaknesses, as discussed in this review.
Review of William Victor Smith. Textual Studies of the Doctrine and Covenants: The Plural Marriage Revelation (Salt Lake City: Greg Kofford Books, 2018), 273 pp. $26.95.
Review of Chiasmus: The State of the Art, edited by John W. Welch and Donald W. Parry (Provo, UT: BYU Studies and Book of Mormon Central, 2020). 358 pages. $24.68, paperback.
Abstract: This collection of essays represents the latest scholarship on chiasmus. They were selected from papers delivered at an academic conference at Brigham Young University in 2017. Articles reflect both “the state of the art” and the state of the technique in chiastic studies.
Review of One Lord, One Faith: Writings of the Early Christian Fathers as Evidences of the Restoration (1996), by Michael T. Griffith
Adding to three previous sites proposed as Nephi’s Bountiful, Phillips argues in defense of another candidate—Mughsayl. He evaluates all the candidates and describes the corresponding areas. He proposes that Lehi and his family were not alone during their travels or time in Bountiful and lists ten reasons in support of his proposal of Mughsayl as the land of Bountiful. The merits of Mughsayl include its tributaries, its ability to sustain a large herd of camels and other domesticated animals, and its location on a trade route between Salalah and the Hadramaut region of Yemen.
Review of C. Reynolds Mackay. Muhammad, Judah, and Joseph Smith.
RSC Topics > L — P > Prophets
RSC Topics > T — Z > World Religions
This series is a novel based on the fictional character Mulek, an inhabitant of the city of Zarahemla during the war between Amalickiah and Moroni. The first part consists of chapter I.
This series is a novel based on the fictional character Mulek, an inhabitant of the city of Zarahemla during the war between Amalickiah and Moroni. The second part consists of chapter II.
This series is a novel based on the fictional character Mulek, an inhabitant of the city of Zarahemla during the war between Amalickiah and Moroni. The third part consists of chapter III.
This series is a novel based on the fictional character Mulek, an inhabitant of the city of Zarahemla during the war between Amalickiah and Moroni. The fourth part consists of chapter IV.
This series is a novel based on the fictional character Mulek, an inhabitant of the city of Zarahemla during the war between Amalickiah and Moroni. The ninth part consists of chapter IX.
This series is a novel based on the fictional character Mulek, an inhabitant of the city of Zarahemla during the war between Amalickiah and Moroni. The fifth part consists of chapter V.
This series is a novel based on the fictional character Mulek, an inhabitant of the city of Zarahemla during the war between Amalickiah and Moroni. The sixth part consists of chapter VI.
This series is a novel based on the fictional character Mulek, an inhabitant of the city of Zarahemla during the war between Amalickiah and Moroni. The seventh part consists of chapter VII.
This series is a novel based on the fictional character Mulek, an inhabitant of the city of Zarahemla during the war between Amalickiah and Moroni. The eighth part consists of chapter VIII.
This series is a novel based on the fictional character Mulek, an inhabitant of the city of Zarahemla during the war between Amalickiah and Moroni. The tenth part consists of chapter X.
There was a four- century cohabitation of Mulekite and Jaredite societies before the latter was destroyed. This geographical study concludes that the Mulekites landed north of the narrow neck of land, encountered the Jaredites later and adopted their religion and culture, but fled when the final battle began and established the city where the Nephites found them.
A fictional story for a popular audience. The young Mulek learns about boat building from the prophet Jeremiah. He must learn this to someday build a fieet to sail to the American continent.
RSC Topics > D — F > Education
RSC Topics > L — P > Learning
Results of the author’s use of statistical analysis to determine how many individuals authored the Book of Mormon. Results: “The odds against these books being the work of one author exceeded 100 billion to one!” Also compares Book of Mormon authors with Joseph Smith’s contemporaries, specifically men suggested as having been authors of the Book of Mormon. Result: “None of the wordprints of the modern authors resembled the Book of Mormon wordprints at all” Also did cluster analysis, discriminant analysis, and classification analysis. A brief description is given of each with the results.
Review of Diarmaid MacCulloch. The Reformation. New York: Viking Penguin, 2004. xxvii + 832 pp. with appendix of texts and index. $35.95 (hardcover). $22.00 (paperback).
Response to criticism that Joseph Smith fabricated the Book of Mormon from his own milieu. It is unlikely that Joseph Smith could have realized the following points: the American Indians possess a number of legends that suggest an Israelite origin, including stories regarding the creation of the earth, the temptation of the first man and woman by a serpent, and Cain and Abel. Cement, mentioned in the Book of Mormon (Helaman 3:7, 9), was the primary building material of an ancient community that existed 40 miles north of present day Mexico City.
RSC Topics > G — K > Gold Plates
RSC Topics > T — Z > Women
An explanation of the Hebrew root behind “replenish” in Genesis 1:28
Old Testament Topics > Adam and Eve [see also Fall]
“In this essay I examine one possible problem in current LDS interpretations of the Book of Mormon. In the context of today’s much-publicized population explosion and from the perspective of an era accustomed to miracles in medicine, technology, nutrition, and transportation, I believe we have overlooked a fundamental difficulty in Book of Mormon population sizes. Assuming that Book of Mormon people were like us, we have accepted that the multitudes of Nephites and Lamanites reported in Mormon scripture sprang from two small bands of Palestinian emigrants, since they had hundreds of years in which to “multiply exceedingly.” However, an understanding of historical demography may challenge this traditional interpretation.” [From Author]
A children’s story of Nephi prophesying of the murder of the chief judge. Many people thought Nephi was guilty, but Nephi shows that the chief judge’s brother, Seantum, actually did it.
A Discourse by Elder Orson Hyde, Delivered in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, Sunday morning, October 4, 1857. Reported By: G. D. Watt, J. V. Long.
Article mocks Joseph Smith’s claims that he translated the Book of Mormon under the inspiration of God, or that he had received gold plates. As proof that the Book of Mormon is fraudulent, Reverend F. S. Spalding of Utah’s Episcopal Church contacted eight renowned Egyptologists who state that the facsimiles are poorly copied and the translation was inept. Smith’s work is compared to artifacts found in the Metropolitan Museum in New York.
Old Testament Topics > Music
The music of the gospel is the joyful spiritual feeling that comes from the Holy Ghost. It brings a change of heart.
Review of Come unto Christ: The Conversion of Alma the Younger (1999), by Merrill Jenson, with text compiled by Betsy Jenson
Abstract: In this essay, Kristine Wardle Frederickson muses about “the babe born in Bethlehem,” and who he was — and is — in consideration of those who nurtured, loved, and welcomed the infant Jehovah to Earth. Certain women played critical roles in preparing him for his infinite and eternal Atonement, and that preparation began long before Jesus came to Earth. Four women stand out as devoted mentors, disciples, and witnesses of Jesus Christ’s mission, and of his sublime perfection even on that first Christmas day: Heavenly Mother, Mary, Elisabeth, and Anna. At Christmastime, their witnesses are worthy of deep contemplation as they reinforce the majesty and glory of Jesus Christ, who condescended to enter mortality as an innocent baby, under humble circumstances. Carefully nurtured and loved, he lived a perfect life, pointed the way to salvation, and sacrificed his life that all might live.
John H. Vandenberg - Since God has been so good to us, he has asked us to be good to our brethren who may not be so fortunate as we.
Acceptance of the Book of Mormon requires acceptance of modern revelation and Joseph Smith as a prophet of God. The Church received its name from Jesus Christ, as he said in 3 Nephi 27 and D&C 115:3-4.
This article states that acceptance of the Book of Mormon requires acceptance of modern revelation and Joseph Smith as a prophet of God. The Church received its name from Jesus Christ, as he said in 3 Nephi 27 and D&C 115:3-4.
Winner of the Harvey B. and Susan Easton Black Outstanding Publication Award (Gospel Scholarship in Church History and Doctrine). Seven decades of correspondence help demonstrate the tremendous devotion between Joseph F. and Martha Ann, the orphaned children of Hyrum and Mary Fielding Smith, as they share their innermost feelings, joys, heartaches, determinations, and family happenings. The letters range from 1854, when Joseph F. was a fifteen-year-old missionary in Hawaii, to 1916, when he was President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is a masterful collection of letters, history, and biography—all rolled into one. The editors have left no stone unturned, scouring archives and personal collections, creating decade introductions, and sharing historical context to breathe life into their stories. A biographical register helps readers to sort out people and time periods. This book contains transcripts of all the associated letters and is richly complemented by images of people and events representing the lives of Joseph F. and Martha Ann. ISBN 978-0-8425-2848-1
The restoration of priesthood authority was a key event in the organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Joseph Smith in 1830, as is well known. Much less familiar is the fascinating process of continuing revelation and administrative brilliance that has unfolded over the last two centuries as priesthood offices and quorums have gone into action. This book makes available William G. Hartley’s lifetime of research about that powerful story. Interesting questions include: How were local congregations organized before there were wards and ward bishops? Do bishopric counselors need to be high priests? When did leaders begin to expect all boys to receive the Aaronic priesthood at age 12 in preparation for becoming elders? What is a quorum? Who defines the work of an elders quorum? What is the relationship between the Presiding Bishop and Aaronic Priesthood quorums? When and why did the Seventies become General Authorities? These, and many others, are answered on the pages of this unique and very significant book. This remarkably thorough collection of Professor William Hartley’s career writings is a handsome tribute to a very talented and careful scholar, and a “must read” for every serious student of LDS Church History. —Richard E. Bennett, Associate Dean, Religious Education, Brigham Young University
Lehi may have viewed Jacob (“my first-born in the wilderness”) and Joseph as replacement sons for the disobedient Laman and Lemuel. Scriptural parallels include Manasseh and Ephraim as replacements for Reuben and Simeon, and Seth for Abel.
The story of Job is an example for those wanting to know the Lord’s will
The Lord knows you by name. He is so eager to share His infinite love with you. He wants you to feel His love so that you will embrace your life’s plan and cherish the gift that it is.
As you continue to attentively catch hold of the thought of Jesus Christ, I promise you not only heavenly guidance but heavenly power.
A member of the RLDS church discusses Church doctrine, practices, history, and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon.
The Lord promised peace to His disciples as He was about to leave them. He has made the same promise to us.
Abstract: Aminadab, a Nephite by birth who later dissented to the Lamanites, played a crucial role in the mass conversion of three hundred Lamanites (and eventually many others). At the end of the pericope in which these events are recorded, Mormon states: “And thus we see that the Lord began to pour out his Spirit upon the Lamanites, because of their easiness and willingness to believe in his words” (Helaman 6:36), whereas he “began to withdraw” his Spirit from the Nephites “because of the wickedness and the hardness of their hearts” (Helaman 6:35). The name Aminadab is a Semitic/Hebrew name meaning “my kinsman is willing” or “my people are willing.” As a dissenter, Aminadab was a man of two peoples. Mormon and (probably) his source were aware of the meaning of Aminadab’s name and the irony of that meaning in the context of the latter’s role in the Lamanite conversions and the spiritual history of the Nephites and Lamanites. The narrative’s mention of Aminadab’s name (Helaman 5:39, 41) and Mormon’s echoes of it in Helaman 6:36, 3 Nephi 6:14, and elsewhere have covenant and temple significance not only in their ancient scriptural setting, but for latter-day readers of the Book of Mormon today.
Book of Mormon Scriptures > 3 Nephi
RSC Topics > Q — S > Relief Society
The 2010 and 2011 BYU Easter Conferences This volume brings together talks from two Brigham Young University Easter Conferences. Presentations address the Savior, his life, his mission, the Atonement, and his influence in our lives today. The contributors include Elder John H. Groberg, Elder Gerald N. Lund, Robert L. Millet, and others. The topics range from the infinite sweep of the Atonement to its personal reach in perfecting individuals. “It is always a challenge to talk or write about the Atonement of Jesus Christ,” notes Elder Lund. “First of all, it is infinite in its scope. It is the most profound and pivotal event in all of eternity. And we are so totally and utterly finite. We can but glimpse its importance and come only to a small understanding of its full meaning for us.” ISBN 978-0-8425-2784-2
It is beneficial for all of us to examine periodically where we spend our time and money and realize that this denotes the state of our hearts. As we adapt to simplicity, we feel more joy and gratitude. We appreciate more fully what we already have.
If you have not already developed the habit of daily scripture study, start now and keep studying.
There is absolutely nothing more important we can do for our families than to strengthen them in the scriptures.
Delight in the things of the Lord … will “lift” our hearts and give us cause to “rejoice.”
How important is each of the dimensions of the commandment to love God with all our heart, might, mind and strength! Loving and trusting God in our hearts and minds may require all of our might and strength, but doing so will allow us, in time, to rejoice.
Recalls accepting the Book of Mormon in six stages—he first ignored the book, then opposed it, then tolerated it, followed by convicting it, and finally accepting it and using it as a “sword of the spirit” Bears testimony of the spiritual nature of the book.
A conversion story of a young man who became interested in the Church through his friends’ examples and received his testimony after reading the Book of Mormon.
A conversion story of a young man who became interested in the Church through his friends’ examples and received his testimony after reading the Book of Mormon.
Of all the things for which I feel grateful … , one stands out preeminently. That is a living testimony of Jesus Christ.
A former member of the Baptist Church bears testimony that after he borrowed and read the Book of Mormon, the Spirit testified its truthfulness. He wants his testimony to stand until Christ comes again.
We invite all to inquire into the wonder of what God has said since biblical times and is saying even now.
We invite all to inquire into the wonder of what God has said since biblical times and is saying even now.
“Since Cumorah: New Voices from the Dust” looks at the changing attitudes of biblical scholars toward basic questions about scripture allow room for claims made by the Book of Mormon. Discusses external evidences, the primitive church, Lehi, Zenos, the olive tree, and the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Discusses recent discoveries that cast new light on the identity of the unknown prophet Zenos and are producing information “that no man dreamed of” concerning the authenticity of the Book of Mormon.
Hugh W. Nibley Topics > Book of Mormon
Published in Swedish as Kyrklig forvirring gentemot Gudomligheten i naturen . . . Tillikamed en kortfattad granskning af den foreigifnaurkunden ‘Mormons Bok.’. A polemical work against the Book of Mormon. The writer deplores the secrecy with which the Book of Mormon came about; the idea that Lehi, a devout Jew, would record the scriptures in the language of corrupt Egyptians; the tiny colony of Lehi building a temple like Solomon’s; the Lamanite curse of dark skin; the Anthon denial; and other items pertaining to the Book of Mormon.
Unpublished.
Discussion about Hugh Nibley, then some Nibley remarks on mystery and its relativity.
The Eden account is both literal and figurative
Old Testament Topics > Adam and Eve [see also Fall]
If our vision is blurred where this doctrine and these concepts are concerned, or, if knowingly or unknowingly we have fallen prey to any of the false sectarian notions that abound with reference to them, our progress toward eternal life will be slow indeed.
Provides personal accounts of the Prophet Joseph Smith from several sources (Pearl of Great Price, Times and Seasons, and History of the Church) concerning the plates and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. Questions the validity of the unsupported story.
This booklet calls attention to the wonder of the Great Pyramid of Egypt and points out that ancient Americans show archaeological similarities to the ancient Egyptians. Smith discusses astronomy and geometry as related to the construction of these ancient structures and explores how Mayan ruins and the legend of Quetzalcoatl relate to the Book of Mormon.
This article is a travelogue of visitors to Easter Island. The underlying question is whEther or not certain aspects of the island reflect cultural characteristics of the Nephite voyagers during the time of Hagoth.
Abstract: Isaiah’s oracle in Isaiah 22 regarding a man named Eliakim employs significant and unique language regarding a “nail in a sure place.” This language is accompanied by clear connections to the ancient temple, including the bestowal of sacred clothing and authority, offering additional significant context through which to understand this phrase. Additionally, according to early leaders of the Church, this oracle may not be translated correctly into English, which has caused some confusion regarding the true meaning of the oracle’s conclusion. As such, I offer a new translation of this oracle based on intertextual clues that resolves some of the apparent issues regarding this text and further highlights the temple themes employed by Isaiah.
A highly satirical examination of the early criticisms of Joseph Smith.
RSC Topics > T — Z > Teaching the Gospel
A polemical work against Mormonism. The author sets up certain criteria by which he feels the Bible has been proven reliable and then attempts to show that the Book of Mormon fails to do so. He cites lack of archaeological evidence, no coins found in America, and similar items.
Faulconer, though not a postmodernist himself, argues that postmodernism is misunderstood and should be evaluated more thoroughly. Accordingly, he compares postmodernism with modernism in an effort to provide a more complete view of the two schools of thought.
Sets forth the absurdities that are connected with the Spaulding manuscript. “The upholders of [the myth of the manuscript found] are not only at variance with each other, but that all their assertions are inconsistent with the well-known facts associated with its discovery”
Roper discusses the regularly recurring Spaulding-Rigdon theory of the origins of the Book of Mormon and disputes, once again, the claims that Joseph Smith based the Book of Mormon text on a manuscript by Solomon Spaulding. Roper refutes the existence of two Spaulding manuscripts and shows possible influences of Jedediah Morse’s Geography on Spaulding’s existing “Manuscript Story.”
One Eternal Round is the culmination of Hugh Nibley’s thought on the book of Abraham and represents over fifteen years of research and writing. The volume includes penetrating insights into Egyptian pharaohs and medieval Jewish and Islamic traditions about Abraham; Greek, Egyptian, and Mesopotamian myths; the Aztec calendar stone; Hopi Indian ceremonies; and early Jewish and Christian apocrypha, as well as the relationship of myth, ritual, and history.
Hugh W. Nibley Topics > Pearl of Great Price > Book of Abraham > Joseph Smith Papyri, Book of Breathings, Book of the Dead, Facsimiles, Egyptology, Hypocephalus
Hugh W. Nibley Topics > Temples > Ancient Temples > Ordinances
Discusses several archetypal patterns that occur in the Book of Mormon. These include the archetypal night journey, the Cain-Abel archetype, the Oedipal statement, the Great Mother archetype, and the resulting masculinity of the book. She provides several examples of each archetype, and relates them to the scriptural context.
Review of Wayne L. Cowdrey, Howard A. Davis, and Arthur Vanick. Who Really Wrote the Book of Mormon? The Spalding Enigma.
Suggests that early mythology writers not only were aware of the parallels between religious stories and myths but often used wove parallels together to create their faith-promoting myths.
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Ether
Old Testament Topics > Scripture Study
Suggests that early mythology writers not only were aware of the parallels between religious stories and myths but often used wove parallels together to create their faith-promoting myths.
Book of Mormon Scriptures > Ether
Old Testament Topics > Scripture Study
A series of articles documenting New World myths that relate to the Book of Mormon: there were once highly populated cities in Central and South America; North American Indians migrated from South and Central America; the Indians are descendants of four brothers; the Peruvian myth of Manco Capac is based upon Nephi; the Maya empire began at Zarahemla; the Jaredite country was between Costa Rica and Columbia; the cross was a holy symbol in America before Columbus; pre- Columbian water baptism; the God Quetzalcoatl was born of a virgin, was a high priest, had a white complexion, wore white robes, and had a beard; the “red man” believed that the white man was coming; Indians once had iron tools and glass; the Jaredites were mound builders; bones of animals now extinct have been found in South America (author suggests cureloms and cumoms); pre-Columbian Indians wrote on metal plates.
Review of Gordon L. Weight. Miracle on Palmyra's Main Street: An “Old-Time” Printer's Perspective on Printing the Original Copies of the Book of Mormon.