Book review.

Deuteronomy 5:22 records that the Lord wrote the Ten Commandments on stone tablets and Joseph Smith claims that the Lord gave him a record engraved on plates of gold. The question is what became of these plates? There are many ancient accounts of deities who delivered the law to an intermediary. This book holds a place of honor in the Mormon Church because of its supposed divine origin.

Feasting upon the words of Christ can happen at any time and on any occasion if we prepare our hearts.

In our efforts to prepare, in our efforts to be ready, we are provided a sweet assurance in Alma, where we are reminded that the Savior “has all power to save every man that believeth on his name and bringeth forth fruit meet for repentance” (Alma 12:15).

As we seek to minister just as He did, we will be provided opportunities to forget self and lift others.

Jesus Christ is not only our hero; He is our Lord and King, the Savior and Redeemer of mankind.

Through your devoted service and willing sacrifice, your mission will become holy ground to you.

The peace we all seek requires us to act—by learning of Jesus Christ, by listening to His words, and by walking with Him.

We choose the King of the kingdom when we choose to follow the counsel of those He has chosen: the living prophets. Choose to stay connected. The consequences are eternal.

We cannot control all that happens to us, but we have absolute control over how we respond to the changes in our lives.

This article is a presentation of two recorded testimonies of Martin Harris concerning his vision as one of the Three Witnesses.

Describes Hawaiian myths that resemble biblical myths. The writer asserts that they have myths of the Old Testament and not the New Testament because “Hagoth and his company, from whom we believe the Polynesian islanders originate, sailed from the Northern part of South America” Polynesians have a legend of a visit from one of the gods who promised he would return. The islanders mistook Captain Cook for the god Lono.

I bear solemn testimony that the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is rolling forth under His direction and in preparation for His second coming.

I would like to offer some thoughts on cultivating three faculties that will help us cultivate Godliness in mortality: those of wisdom, curiosity, and patience.

Every single person on the earth now and forever is a child of God. It doesn’t matter what their religious or political affiliation is, it doesn’t matter where they come from or the color of their skin, and it doesn’t matter if they are just like you or are vastly different from you—they are all children of our Heavenly Father.

Based on the foundation of a long-standing precedent of the spirit of inquiry in secular and religious education, this dissertation explored the spirit of inquiry in the Book of Mormon. The discovery was made that the spirit of inquiry consists of numerous attributes or characteristics. The list of characteristics that were discovered to be a part of the spirit of inquiry include such attributes as desire, pondering, a soft heart, asking in faith, belief, diligence, fasting, remembering, questioning, searching, understanding, and sharing. The ultimate discovery was that one cannot come to know Christ unless one walks the path of the spirit of inquiry. The Book of Mormon both models and teaches the importance of coming unto Christ through the spirit of inquiry. This study clearly describes the path of the spirit of inquiry in the hopes that all may follow it to its wonderful conclusion--knowing and understanding Christ.

A chronological chart of every man mentioned in the Book of Mormon and the offices held by each—i.e., prophet, king, military personality.

I also bear testimony of the blessings we can and will receive in our personal lives as we make efforts to be in the right places at the right times and to do the right things for the right reasons. By following the counsel of our Church leaders, we will be better able to feel and follow the Holy Spirit in our lives and realize great blessings.

The Lamanites are the descendants of both Judah and Manasseh and possibly “the seed of Zedekiah” Gentile may apply to all non-Jewish nations of the world or to the separated house of Israel.

Elder Wakolo testifies of God’s love and describes how He shows that love to His children.

Participating in ordinances and honoring the associated covenants will bring you marvelous light and protection in this ever-darkening world.

Found in the “Utah” section of the newspaper.
A description of Nibley’s personal history and his impact on the Church.

Elder Walker teaches that the work of God is progressing at an accelerated pace in the latter days.

Response to Douglas J. Davies. Mormon Culture of Salvation: Force, Grace and Glory.

The impact of Manasseh and Josiah on the kingdom of Judah and its eventual fall

Additional authors: Tad R. Callister, John Gee, Joel A. Flake, and Gerald N. Lund.

Joseph Smith believed in sustaining the law. This book presents his main legal encounters in the context of his day. Party to more than two hundred suits in the courts of New York, Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, and elsewhere, he faced criminal charges as well as civil claims and collection matters. In the end, he was never convicted of any crime, and he paid his debts. These incidents were significant institutionally as well as personally. Eleven legal scholars analyze these legal encounters. Topics cover constitutional law, copyright, disorderly conduct, association, assault, marriage, banking, land preemptive rights, treason, municipal charters, bankruptcy, guardianship, habeas corpus, adultery, and freedom of the press. A 53-page legal chronology presents key information about Joseph’s life in the law. An appendix provides biographies of sixty lawyers and judges with whom he was involved, some being the best legal minds of his day. This book is for anyone interested in the life of Joseph Smith, whether general readers, historians, lawyers, or law students. Each chapter tells a fascinating story based on controlling legal documents—many just recently discovered—that allow detailed legal analysis and accurate understanding. The full book is available for free here: Sustaining the Law, edited by Gordon A. Madsen, Jeffrey N. walker, and John W. Welch Individual chapters: Preface Introduction Joseph Smith and the Constitution The Smiths and Religious Freedom Jesse Smiths 1814 Church Tax Protest Standing as a Credible Witness in 1819 Being Acquitted of a Disorderly Person Charge in 1826 Securing the Book of Mormon Copyright in 1829 Organizing the Church as a Religious Association in 1830 Winning against Hurlbuts Assault in 1834 Performing Legal Marriages in Ohio in 1835 Looking Legally at the Kirtland Safety Society Tabulating the Impact of Litigation on the Kirtland Economy Losing Land Claims and the Missouri Conflict in 1838 Imprisonment by Austin Kings Court of Inquiry in 1838 Protecting Nauvoo by Illinois Charter in 1840 Suffering Shipwreck and Bankruptcy in 1842 and Beyond Serving as Guardian under the Lawrence Estate 1842-1844 Invoking Habeas Corpus in Missouri and Illinois Defining Adultery under Illinois and Nauvoo Law Legally Suppressing the Nauvoo Expositor in 1844 Legal Chronology of Joseph Smith Lawyers and Judges in the Legal Cases of Joseph Smith Glossary of Early Nineteenth-Century Legal Terms Contributors Index

This article examines the arrangement entered into by Joseph Smith and Martin Harris to finance the printing of the Book of Mormon. It focuses on Harris’s property rights to the land he pledged in order to insure the printing, as well as his wife’s claim to a portion of that property.

Religiosity in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Book of Mormon as a tool of conversion.

Mormonism began with a single family—the family of Joseph Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith. Just how did this family operate, and what characteristics did they exemplify? Although much has been written about this family, little has been produced with the intent of sifting through the historical records to reveal what kind of family this was. Through careful research, marriage and family therapists have developed several paradigms or models to facilitate family assessment, and these constructs can be used to evaluate a historical family. While there are certain limitations, there also are many constructs that can be successfully evaluated in a historical family. Kyle Walker uses five family process concepts—cohesion, resiliency, religiosity, conflict management, and family work and recreation—to examine historical sources that identify how the Smith family operated.

Katherine Smith Salisbury, the last surviving member of the Joseph Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith family was frequently sought out by converts, missionaries, and reporters for her recollections of those early events of the Restoration. Such visitors reported that she was a willing and able conversationalist on matters pertaining to her family and was quick to share her testimony of the truth of the work they helped to establish. Her early connection with Mormonism and her willingness to speak and write about her experiences make Katharine’s recollections an important source for the study of early Latter-day Saint history.One such recollection, published by a newspaper in 1895, appears at the end of this article.

Parenting teens is hard, but Laura Walker aims to make it easier by sharing the pros and cons of different parenting approaches found in her research.

Review of Nurturing Faith through the Book of Mormon (1995), by Deseret Book

Missionary work began in Turkey in 1884, but progress was slow because of a lack of printed materials. In 1906 the Book of Mormon was available in Turkish, and 250 copies arrived but were impounded for two years by the government. They were released upon intervention by the U.S. Secretary of State.

From living in a dugout called the Castle of Spiders to eating so many weeds their skin took on a green cast to losing four children in just a few weeks to diphtheria, nearly everything imaginable happened to the Mormon settlers of Utah Territory. Here are the details of the lives of the common people⿿what they ate, wore, lived in, and celebrated, how they worshipped, and why they endured. Here are the details of the lives of the common people, those who traveled in the dust of the leaders. What they ate, wore, lived in, and celebrated. How they worshiped. Why they endured. This volume begins with Marlin K. Jensen’s eulogy of the uncommonly heroic common Saint. Twenty-one renowned historians then apply nearly every type of source and method imaginable to capture pioneer life’s ordinary rhythms and cycles. In Nearly Everything Imaginable, you’ll find hundreds of vignettes from Utah’s early settlers, including these: Old and young would gather for dancing; everybody came early and left about the midnight hour. The bedrooms opening from the hall were generally filled with babies snugly tucked away, while the mothers enjoyed the dance. The huge fireplaces at either end of the hall were piled high with dry cedar fagots, the flames from which leaped and danced up the chimneys. Candles held in place by three nails driven into wooden brackets were ranged high along the walls. Tickets were paid for in any kind of produce that the fiddlers could be induced to accept. Usually a couple of two-bushel sacks could be seen near the door, into which the dancers deposited their contributions. Father made a plow out of a big forked stock and we boys held it in place while our father pulled it. The stock plow was made of quaking aspen. He fastened it to himself by a strap. We plowed two and a half acres that way, and planted wheat. I always remembered that picture of my father doing the work of a horse.

Called as an Apostle at age 25, Heber J. Grant was acutely aware of his inadequacies. Feeling unseasoned and unsure, he questioned whether he had the “qualities that count” for such a position. Yet he took solace in his faith: “There is one thing that sustains me and that is the fact that all powers, of mind or body, come from god and that He is perfectly able and willing to qualify me for His work provided I am faithful in doing my part.” Despite insecurities, Grant always excelled. His single mother, Rachel Ivins Grant, gently fostered the tenacity, industry, and faith that permeated his life. This is the little-known story of Heber J. Grant and his values before he became Church President. “When a leader reaches distinction, we often wonder about his background, the experiences that influenced and molded his aspirations and character. Here, Ronald W. Walker has painstakingly accessed the most reliable sources, mined intimate details, and penetrated to the story behind the story. This is the finest work yet on the formative years of the Church’s seventh president.” —Truman Grant Madsen This book was simultaneously published as BYU Studies Journal volume 43 number 1.

Book review.

The story of the translation of the Book of Mormon into Japanese.

A story that includes spiritualist séances, conspiracy, and an important church trial, Wayward Saints chronicles the 1870s challenge of a group of British Mormon intellectuals to Brigham Young’s leadership and authority. William S. Godbe and his associates protested against Young because they disliked his demanding community and resented what they perceived to be Young’s intrusion into matters of personal choice. Excommunicated from the Church, they established the “New Movement,” which eventually faltered. Both a study in intellectual history and an investigation of religious dissent, Wayward Saints explores nineteenth-century American spiritualism as well as the ideas and intellectual structure of first- and second-generation Mormonism. A compelling story, and the author has a compelling way of drawing the reader into it. I recommend it. —Klaus Hansen, author of Mormonism and the American Experience

Biblical criticism’s contribution to increased learning

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.

The apocryphal book Susanna.

I love Him. I want to do all that I can to serve as He would have me serve.

Each of us will be greatly blessed if we know the stories of faith and sacrifice that led our forefathers to join the Lord’s Church.

Wisdom and strength will come to us as we look to the First Presidency as our ideal and our pattern of leadership.

Three researchers claim that the Book of Mormon was written by Solomon Spaulding rather than Joseph Smith.

Events and predictions of the Book of Mormon are closely related to events that transpired among the Seneca Indians in the years 1798 and 1815.

An abridged version of the Book of Mormon with an emphasis on Christ-related material. Also includes an index of name-titles used in the Book of Mormon to describe Christ.

A partial revision of Evidence in Science and Religion

Argues that science and religion cannot “prove” or “disprove” the existence of God; however, reason and faith each have their role to play in the pursuit of truth. Modern scientific methods along with modern revelation (i.e. Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon) are outlined as a means for drawing conclusions concerning the reality of God.

An apologetic work attempting to demonstrate evidence supporting Mormon beliefs. The authors provide a review of some of the evidence tending to support the Book of Mormon’s complexity and authenticity. Among the topics discussed pertaining to the Book of Mormon are the Eleven Witnesses, archaeology, linguistic complexities, proper names, the allegory in Jacob 5, the Nephite monetary system, modern philosophies predicted by Book of Mormon writers, and others.

By George B. Wallace, Delivered on the Northwest Corner Stone of the Temple, at Great Salt Lake City, after the Presidency of the High Priests’ Quorum, and the Presidency and the High Council of the Stake had laid the Stone, April 6, 1853. Reported By: G. D. Watt.

Many books, including the Bible, are cited for their powerful influence, and the Book of Mormon is extolled as “the most powerful” American religious book to come forth in the nineteenth century. Though it has affected only one percent of the people, that percentage was affected in such a profound way as to affect the whole of the United States.

Book of Mormon gives world new light on ancient history. Archaeology confirms its truth. Quetzalcoatl stems from Christ’s visit. Hagoth’s expeditions possibly settled South Pacific islands. Politics and war are highly developed in Book of Mormon, which is a divine record.

An ex-Mormon, having met the daughter of Solomon Spaulding, tells Spaulding’s “real” story. He includes Thurlow Weed’s and Matilda Spaulding McKinstry’s statements concerning the Manuscript Found. He finds that the Book of Mormon is a plagiarism of Spaulding’s manuscript.

Active engagement in the functioning of government and in addressing community concerns is an inherent responsibility of our citizenship and demands our best efforts.

A compilation of scriptural passages from the Bible with supporting Book of Mormon passages and commentary to help believers of the Book of Mormon see they have been led to believe in false doctrine. Subjects include: the gathering of Israel, Adam and Eve, the doctrine of Christ, apostasy from the primitive Church of Christ, a book to come forth, and others. Maintains that God is a spirit and that Joseph Smith and others misinterpreted their experiences. Plurality of wives is forbidden of God and the Book of Mormon. Dislikes baptism for the dead.

Seeks to prove that Roberts believed the Book of Mormon was of human origin and influenced by View of the Hebrews.

Asserting that B. H. Roberts introduced the idea that Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon himself, this article points out that the Book of Mormon is in conflict with scientific findings. Linguistically there is no link between Old and New World languages; all American races could not be from one family. Looking at the Book of Mormon carefully gives internal evidence that the origin of the book lies in the undeveloped mind of Joseph Smith.

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.

The author discusses two unpublished manuscripts written by B. H. Roberts dealing with the Book of Mormon, one entitled “Book of Mormon Difficulties” and the other “A Book of Mormon Study” The first manuscript discusses alleged anachronisms found in the Book of Mormon, and the second describes modern environmental factors that may have assisted Joseph Smith in producing the Book of Mormon. Walters considers that Roberts’s arguments are just as valid now and asserts that Roberts may have lost faith in the Book of Mormon.

Reports that three newspapers had recently published the news that a portion of the Book of Mormon has been “positively identified as having been written by the hand of Solomon Spaulding”

The Book of Mormon incorrectly mingles Old and New Testament teachings and ideas. Walters attempts to show how the Old Testament provided models for the proper names and events of the Book of Mormon. He shows anachronistic uses of Old Testament passages in the Book of Mormon, including Isaiah variants. Joseph Smith incorrectly applied modern eschatological themes, such as those borrowed from Ethan Smith’s View of the Hebrews, to Book of Mormon peoples living before the time of Christ. This work is reviewed in R.259, and in T.340.

An evangelical approach to the Book of Mormon criticizing the work for various alleged anachronisms found in it.

Empathy is an essential ingredient for all positive interpersonal relationships. If we couldn’t at least imagine what it feels like to be in someone else’s shoes or skin, we wouldn’t be able to connect; we would live our lives in isolation.

Reports on the influence that President Benson’s written testimony within a Book of Mormon had upon a family in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Joseph Smith’s study of Hebrew is related to the translation of the Book of Abraham