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If we choose to view events in our lives from the eternal perspective that emanates from an understanding of God’s eternal plan of salvation, our lives will be happier and more productive, and we will have greater strength to meet the challenges that will inevitably come our way.
Between 250 and 300 people took part on 27–29 March 2003 in a conference in New Haven, Connecticut, devoted to the subject of “God, Humanity, and Revelation: Perspectives from Mormon Philosophy and History.” The conference, hosted by the Divinity School of Yale University, was organized by Kenneth West, a Latter-day Saint graduate student there. The Institute for the Study and Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts was one of the conference sponsors.
There are many on the earth who desire a witness of truth and earnestly seek the peace and joy promised by the Savior.
In this Church there are no strangers and no outcasts. There are only brothers and sisters.
Your body really is the instrument of your mind and the foundation of your character.
This song, written in the key of F Major for a soprano voice, uses the text of 3 Nephi 15:21-24, which states that the Nephites are the other sheep of whom Jesus spoke in John 10:16.
RSC Topics > Q — S > Quorums of the Seventy
RSC Topics > Q — S > Service
RSC Topics > T — Z > Youth
Through faith in Christ, we can be spiritually prepared and cleansed from sin, immersed in and saturated with His gospel, and purified and sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise.
Review of Michael S. Helser. “You've Seen One Elohim, You've Seen Them All? A Critique of Mormonism's Apologetic Use of Psalm 82.”
Elder Mutombo teaches that Jesus Christ is the Light of the World and that He can guide us in dark and troubling times.
RSC Topics > T — Z > Zion
The creator actively remembers His creation. Closely linked to His remembrance of us is the loving attention associated with it. He not only remembers you; He cares deeply about where you are, what you are doing, who you are becoming, and what you are feeling.
LDS philosopher and theologian Blake T. Ostler employs the tools of logic and formal argumentation to assess recent claims against Book of Mormon historicity.
LDS philosopher and theologian Blake T. Ostler employs the tools of logic and formal argumentation to assess recent claims against Book of Mormon historicity.
RSC Topics > T — Z > Trials
RSC Topics > T — Z > War
We hope you will study seriously and with great effort both the Constitution and your other course work. More important, in all that you expect of yourselves, be sure that you do not neglect your private and personal prayers, your scripture study, or your appropriate acts of anonymous service as well as the public manifestations you make of your devotion to God and country.
Turn your soul toward the light. Begin your own wonderful journey home. As you do so, your life will be better, happier, and more purposeful.
John Sorenson proposes a plausible chronology for the Jaredites based on what is known of ancient American cultures through archaeology.
Guided by personal revelation, the creative art of living and becoming requires our full attention and intention to “Yes, and . . .” because that is magic—where the unexpected not only happens but creates something we could have never done on our own.
Abstract: Elaine Cannon, who was general president of the Young Women some four decades ago, had an interesting conversation with President Spencer W. Kimball in 1978. According to Sister Cannon’s firsthand account, President Kimball revealed important insight into how he thought about himself as the prophet as well as how he thought leaders should talk to the general membership about that topic. Sister Cannon’s report is thus a valuable part of the historical record regarding both Spencer W. Kimball and prophets generally.
The Lord invites us using various verbs: “Come unto me,” “Follow me,” “Walk with me.” In each case it is an invitation to act.
Ulisses Soares testifies that if we will stay true to our testimony of Jesus Christ and His gospel, we will win our battles against evil.
Review of ?The Disappointment of B. H. Roberts: Five Questions that Forced a Mormon General Authority to Abandon the Book of Mormon? (1991), by James R. Spencer
An important part of discipleship is knowing what questions to ask—and which ones have not yet been adequately answered. From the beginning to recent times, prophets have reminded the Saints that the Restoration is ongoing, not an event. Our purpose in assembling this collection of essays is simple: we wish to celebrate the miracle of continuing revelation, and the promise of more to come, that God will “yet reveal many great and important things.” This means that the essays selected for inclusion represent only a few of the hundreds of possible subjects. Ours is an effort to clarify some of the hazy borders of orthodoxy and to honor the dynamism, the richness, and the possibilities of a Restoration still very much in process of unfolding. Joseph Smith taught, “By proving contraries truth is manifest.” A fuller understanding of truth can come by keeping multiple perspectives in mind and letting them work themselves out in patience and God’s own time, like fruitful leaven. Topics include: What is the nature of God’s progress? Where did Book of Mormon events take place? What is women’s relationship to priesthood? Is God subject to or the creator of eternal law? Will things get better or worse before the Second Coming? Was Jesus married? Is the Song of Solomon scripture? How was the Book of Mormon translated? “We as Latter-day Saints have too often felt sure about things the prophets haven’t actually decided, and about things God seems to have left open for us to reflect on humbly. This breathtakingly honest collection of essays does excellent work to make clear just how much we in fact don’t know. That there’s so much to learn is wonderful news, however. We’ll have to bring all of our minds, and not just all of our hearts, to the task of being earnest disciples.” —Joseph Spencer, author of 1st Nephi: A Brief Theological Introduction “This much-needed engagement with . . . interesting theological questions is long overdue.” —Blake T. Ostler, Esq., author of the four-volume Exploring Mormon Thought book series on Latter-day Saint theology
RSC Topics > L — P > Obedience
When we open ourselves to the Spirit, we learn God’s way and feel His will.
Stirrings within us originate from a divine source and, when followed, will help to keep us on course, thus protecting us from harmful influences and dangerous detours.
Abstract: Christ’s famous call to take his yoke upon us in Matthew 11 may merit more analysis than it has commonly received. Taking up the yoke may have connections to other things that are taken upon us as well, including the name of Christ, temple covenants, priestly robes, and sacred anointing. These all reflect a relationship of obedience and service to the Master, who set the example by taking the heaviest yoke of all upon him, including the yoke-like beam of the cross that he carried to Golgotha and the full weight of human sin and misery as he suffered for us. Our yoke is easy, and the burden of the cross we are called to take up (Matthew 16:24; 3 Nephi 12:30) is light indeed relative to what he bore or to bearing the weight of our own sins. However, his call, while rooted in grace, implies actual effort and work, not belief alone. It is a call for faithful service, linked to him in sacred covenants most fully expressed in the sacred temple. A review of ancient scripture, early Christian writing, some Jewish perspectives, and modern revelation gives us insights into the richness of meaning that may be associated with taking upon us the yoke of Christ and entering into his rest.“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
— Matthew 11: 28–30.
Largely concerned with the identity of the American Indians, their noble heritage, and their role in the events of the latter days. Several Book of Mormon passages dealing with the Lamanites are reviewed and listed.
Primary has grown until it is a part of the Church all across the world. Today there are almost a million of you children in Primary.
Your role as sisters is special and unique in the Lord’s work. You are the nurturers and the caregivers.
As disciples of Jesus Christ, our Master, we are called to support and heal rather than condemn.
As you move from one priesthood service to another, you will see the Lord is in the work with you.
A study guide (instructional aid) that attempts to make the reader an expert on the Book of Mormon. The guide includes three parts—memorization of the basic contents of each chapter in the Book of Mormon, memorization of the reader’s fifty favorite scriptures, and knowledge of important verses about Jesus Christ.
As long as we are willing to rise up again and continue on the path, … we can learn something from failure and become better and happier.
Brother Corbitt teaches that the youth of the Church can help gather Israel as they understand their true identity and unique power.
Marvin J. Ashton - The field is white, ready for harvest. The lost want to know how to get back. They want to be shown they can get there from where they are. Let us not give up. Let us not tire. Let us not weary.
Pornography, though billed by Satan as entertainment, is a deeply poisonous, deceptive snake that lies coiled up in magazines, the Internet, and the television.
President Romney told the saints at the Mexico Area Conference that they fulfill the scriptures by using the Book of Mormon and teaching it to their seed.
You can learn more about your life and mission on earth by preparing to receive and then studying your patriarchal blessing.
No matter how difficult the trail … we can take comfort in knowing that others before us have borne life’s most grievous trials and tragedies by looking to heaven.
President HeberJ. Grant, hoping to help his wayward brother Brigham, prayed, then opened the Book of Mormon hoping for the answer to his brother’s plight. The book fell open to Alma 36, a chapter of hope. When Brigham read the words of consolation and faith, his life was changed.
The Lord uses a scale very different from the world’s to weigh the worth of a soul.
Abstract: Wordplay and punning involving the names Philemon (Φιλήμων, “affectionate one”) and Onesimus (Ὀνήσιμος, “useful”) and their meanings, with concomitant paronomasia involving the name-title Χριστός (Christos) and various homonymic terms, constitutes a key element in Paul’s polite, diplomatic, and carefully-worded letter to Philemon, the Christian owner of a converted slave named Onesimus. Paul artfully uses Philemon’s own name to play on the latter’s affections and to remind him that despite whatever Onesimus may owe (ὀφείλει, opheilei) Philemon, Philemon more than owes (προσοφείλεις, prosopheileis) his very self — i.e., his life as a Christian and thus his eternal wellbeing — to Paul. Hence, Philemon “more than owes” Paul his request to have Onesimus — who was once “useless” or “unprofitable” and “without Christ,” but is now “profitable” and “well-in-Christ” — as a fellow worker in the Gospel. In a further (polyptotonic) play on Onesimus, Paul expresses his urgent desire to “have the benefit” (ὀναίμην, onaimēn) of Onesimus in the Lord out of Philemon’s own free will and with his blessing, since all three are now brothers in Christ, and thus slaves to Christ, their true “master.” In the context of Paul’s use of –χρηστός (–chrēstos) and ὀναίμην (onaimēn), Paul’s desire for Philemon’s voluntary “good deed” or “benefit” (τὸ ἀγαθόν σου, to agathon sou) is to be understood as the granting of Onesimus and as the point and climax of this publicly-read letter.
The 41st Annual Brigham Young University Sidney B. Sperry Symposium The Lord declared to the Prophet Joseph Smith, “This generation shall have my word through you.” The Doctrine and Covenants helps fulfill that purpose. Jesus declares of this record, “These words are . . . of me; . . . for it is my voice which speaketh them unto you; for they are given by my Spirit unto you, and by my power.” The Doctrine and Covenants is another witness of Jesus Christ to the children of God in these latter days. It strengthens faith and confidence in the words of the Lord. It explores significant messages, teachings, doctrines, and themes given by the Lord. It contains a Christ-centered message that expands our understanding of the Lord’s purposes for each of us. ISBN 978-0-8425-2819-1
RSC Topics > A — C > Book of Mormon
RSC Topics > Q — S > Service
The 41st Annual Brigham Young University Sidney B. Sperry Symposium The Lord declared to the Prophet Joseph Smith, “This generation shall have my word through you.” The Doctrine and Covenants helps fulfill that purpose. Jesus declares of this record, “These words are . . . of me; . . . for it is my voice which speaketh them unto you; for they are given by my Spirit unto you, and by my power.” The Doctrine and Covenants is another witness of Jesus Christ to the children of God in these latter days. It strengthens faith and confidence in the words of the Lord. It explores significant messages, teachings, doctrines, and themes given by the Lord. It contains a Christ-centered message that expands our understanding of the Lord’s purposes for each of us.
RSC Topics > G — K > Jesus Christ
RSC Topics > Q — S > Restoration of the Gospel
A brochure that summarizes the contents of the Book of Mormon.
You simply must understand this, because you were born to lead by virtue of who you are, the covenants you have made, and the fact that you are here now in the 11th hour.
Suggested program for studying the scriptures that provides a list of scriptural passages for studying with a specific subject in mind. Subjects include prayer, fasting, the value of the Book of Mormon, searching the scriptures, and keeping records and journals.
RSC Topics > T — Z > War
This article is a message to young men comparing the Book of Mormon to binoculars, which allow you to see ahead in order to avoid pitfalls and traps. It uses the story of Nephi and his brothers returning to obtain the brass plates to show that young men should fulfill all of their assignments even if they think they cannot.
For five days a group of young women from 10 LDS stakes met in a Tennessee camp, studied the Book of Mormon, and dramatized Book of Mormon stories.
We need young men to stand up in their calling, knowing of their ordained right to act in the office to which they are appointed.
Discourse by President Heber C. Kimball, delivered in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, July 19, 1863. Reported By: J. V. Long.
Every young woman in the Church should feel valued, have opportunities to serve, and feel that she has something of worth to contribute to this work.
Alma the Younger, onetime foe to the Church, was converted to the Gospel and became a leader and faithful member of the same Church.
RSC Topics > T — Z > Women
RSC Topics > T — Z > Youth
RSC Topics > T — Z > Zion
You don’t have to be Captain Moroni to make a difference. Our Father in Heaven needs you to be who you are, in your family. He planned it that way.
Our BYU stories have played a major role in shaping us. We all leave this place with memories and experiences that impact our future for good and serve as a springboard for the next phase of life.
When you pray often and seek to know the Lord’s will like Nephi did, the Lord will show you the way.
There will come those teaching times to each of you when you will witness the love of your mother, the strength of your father, and the inspiration of God.
Missionaries are taught that part of their responsibility is to “invite all to come unto Christ.” Surely if all are worthy of an invitation to come unto Christ, they are worthy of an invitation to join a study group or to come to a dance. Let our campus be an inclusive community, not an exclusive fraternity.
Old Testament Scriptures > Twelve Minor Prophets
Old Testament Topics > Women in the Old Testament
Elder Renlund uses the Young Women theme to teach about our divine nature and eternal destiny.
In a very real sense, we are builders of eternal houses. We are apprentices to the trade—not skilled craftsmen. We need divine help if we are to build successfully.
Learning is more powerful and truths are better understood when they are shared with others in an effort to help them improve.
Let us consider our callings, let us reflect on our responsibilities, let us determine our duty, and let us follow Jesus Christ our Lord.
The unique burdens in each of our lives help us to rely upon the merits, mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah.
There is significant truth in the notion that much of what happens to us is unexpected and not in our control. However—and this is most vital and critical to understand—the things of greatest ultimate importance to us are largely in our control and are within the scope of our agency.
The Savior invites us, each day, to set aside our comforts and securities and join Him on the journey of discipleship.
I know of no better answer to [the] foul practices that confront our young people than the teachings of a mother, given in love with an unmistakable warning.
Heavenly Father offers to you the greatest gift of all—eternal life—and the opportunity and infinite blessing of your own “happily ever after.”
Whether [your holy places] are geographic or moments in time, they are equally sacred and have incredible strengthening power.
Only after we are tried and tested can we be trusted with our inheritance as heirs to the kingdom of God, joint heirs of Jesus Christ.
Well, we believe in you, my dear brothers and sisters, and so does our Heavenly Father. I pray that you will follow His counsel for you throughout the eternities because He sees in you the power to become perfect and to dwell with Him eternally.
Keep your eyes riveted on your goal … and walk in the straight and narrow path of the Son—the Son of God.
I see the light shining in your faces. That light comes from the Lord, and as you radiate that light, it will bless you and many others.
Come and be part of the greatest generation of missionaries the world has ever known.
There are those among us who would recoil in horror at the thought of stealing another person’s money or property but who don’t give a second thought to stealing another person’s good name or reputation.
Your loving Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, invite you to take your next step toward Them. Don’t wait. Take it now.
The Holy Ghost has the power to bring light and understanding to our lives, but we must pay the price to seek and win His companionship.
Your path of discipleship involves embracing your imperfect story and sharing who you are in a way that meets the world’s great needs.
My patriarchal blessing helped me understand my true eternal identity—who I really was and who I could become.
As we follow that Man of Galilee—even the Lord Jesus Christ—our personal influence will be felt for good wherever we are, whatever our callings.
As you read the scriptures and listen to the words of the prophets with all your heart and mind, the Lord will tell you how to live up to your priesthood privileges.
Create your own playbook of how you will prove yourself as a disciple of Christ.
This article states that there have been many intelligent, honest men who never heard the gospel and will not be held accountable for their sins, for their acts were done in faith and obedience to what they had been taught.
A handicapped boy in Bountiful, Utah, cannot go on a mission so he donates money to the Book of Mormon fund.
The nearer we get to God, the more easily our spirits are touched by refined and beautiful things. If we could part the veil and observe our heavenly home, we would be impressed with the cultivated minds and hearts of those who so happily live there.
You received the power, the authority, and the sacred duty to minister the moment you were ordained to the priesthood.
Remember why you came to BYU and, more important, why you came to earth. Do your utmost. Do the best you can. And then act as if there is no alternative but to succeed.
As you joyfully use the map your loving Father has provided for your journey, it will lead you to holy places and you will rise to your supernal potential.
To each of you I say that your work is not yet finished either, and I regret to inform you that you don’t know how much time you’ve got left. Pondering that reality should raise some questions in your mind as to what you should be doing with that time.
Personal letters written by Hugh Nibley during his youth show the fundamental consistency of his personality, style, beliefs, concerns, and penetrating perceptions throughout his lifetime.
An analysis of personal letters written by Hugh Nibley during his youth.
An encouragement for LDS youth to read the Book of Mormon and pray about its contents so that they will know the truth.
The Book of Mormon has a message for our day. The responsibility of parents to teach is equaled by the responsibility of youth to learn from their parents, to know for themselves through the witness of the Holy Ghost, and to prepare for the future by studying the Book of Mormon. See “Being Parents, Being Children,” a companion article on the role of parents in the Book of Mormon in the September 1977 Ensign, p. 13.
The only lasting joy and happiness you will ever find during your mortal experience will come by following the Savior.
The Book of Mormon has a message for our day. The responsibility of parents to teach is equaled by the responsibility of youth to learn from their parents, to know for themselves through the witness of the Holy Ghost, and to prepare for the future by studying the Book of Mormon.
Discourse by Elder Orson Pratt, delivered in the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, Aug. 20, 1876. Reported By: Geo. F. Gibbs.
Heiser discusses Psalm 82 and the interpretations of Elohim that Latter-day Saints and evangelicals derive from that scriptural passage. Heiser then offers alternative interpretations from his own study.
For twelve years a Jew living in Mexico City gathered evidence to attempt to prove the original inhabitants of America were of Jewish descent. The material that he collected provides a great deal of evidence that the people observed the Mosaic Law, believed in one supreme God, and believed in figures like Adam, Eve, and Noah.