Full Bibliography by Title

One evidence that people today speak in tongues is the translation of the Book of Mormon into the many languages of the world. Also presents other evidences.

Proof of the Book of Mormon lies in the spiritual realm. However, there is evidence that supports it: architecture, cement, highways, weapons of war, metallurgy, medicine, and highly organized priesthood. There are many native legends that tell of a Christ-like god whose teachings resemble Christ’s.

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.”
Suggests that scholars are only knowledgeable in a small field and, as such, should not be held to be the expert to everything.

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.

Several pages of this work are devoted to showing how the Book of Mormon teaches the principle of mercy in relationship to the Atonement and the condition of the Lamanites.

Review of Blaire Ostler, Queer Mormon Theology: An Introduction (Newburgh, IN: By Common Consent Press, 2021). 152 pages. $10.95 (paperback).
Abstract: Blaire Ostler attempts to show how “Mormon theology is inherently queer” and may be expanded to be fully “inclusive” of LGBTQ+ members. Unfortunately, Ostler conflates God’s love with indulgence for behavior that he has described as sinful. She offers a pantheistic/panentheistic conception of deity that collapses any differences between men and women in sharp contrast to the Latter-day Saint understanding that men and women are complementary and require one another for exaltation and eternal life. Many of this book’s arguments are sophistry and the philosophies of men mingled with scripture. None of it is compatible with revealed truth contained in The Family: A Proclamation to the World and consistently taught by prophets, seers, and revelators.

When we invite the Holy Ghost to fill our minds with light and knowledge, He “quickens” us, that is to say, enlightens and enlivens the inner man or woman.

Letters responding to C. L. Sainsbury’s letter (July/August issue) seeking inclusion of Nephite history on an international timeline. Contributors contend that no archaeological evidence exists for the Book of Mormon, point out the book’s similarity to the Bible, and enclose the Smithsonian Institution’s statement concerning the Book of Mormon.

May we have a productive year—a year of success and influence elevated and shaped by BYU’s unique mission to “assist individuals in their quest for perfection and eternal life.”

An attempt to understand how Mormonism’s idea of “religious authority” appealed to early converts. Refers to the Book of Mormon to describe Mormonism’s idea of religious authority. Discusses the role of the book in the formulation of Joseph Smith’s philosophy and doctrine.

One evidence that people today speak in tongues is the translation of the Book of Mormon into the many languages of the world. Also presents other evidences.

Proof of the Book of Mormon lies in the spiritual realm. However, there is evidence that supports it: architecture, cement, highways, weapons of war, metallurgy, medicine, and highly organized priesthood. There are many native legends that tell of a Christ-like god whose teachings resemble Christ’s.

Answers the questions, if the gospel “the power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16), why is the Book of Mormon necessary; is not the Bible sufficient? Points out that it is not the Bible but the gospel that is the power of God unto salvation. The Book of Mormon functions in the same way as the Bible but makes biblical doctrines clearer.

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.

Discounts the idea that Joseph Smith possessed gold plates from which came the Book of Mormon.

This book of questions and answers deals with the subject of the Book of Mormon on pages 119 to 142. Discusses the origin of the book, different editions, changes in the text, the original manuscript, and others.

Parley P. Pratt and other missionaries have taken the Book of Mormon to the Holy Land, but all Jews should have an opportunity to hear the gospel.

Abstract: The 1921 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants included an additional comma, which was inserted after the word “used” in D&C 89:13: “And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.” Later authors have speculated that the addition of the comma was a mistake that fundamentally changed the meaning of the verse. This article examines this “errant comma theory” and demonstrates why this particular interpretation of D&C 89:13 is without merit.

Some critics of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, chiefly of the secular variety, claim that Latter-day Saints are mind-controlled robots who are forbidden to think for themselves. I collected an example of this claim nearly twenty years ago that will serve to represent many other such expressions before and since.

Series that discusses the “Reign the Judges” Based strictly on text, deals with details such as names, dates, and specific events.

Great minds conceive great questions—questions that spark imagination, questions that stimulate discovery, and questions that provoke more questions. Ignorance cannot last long when accompanied by investigation and inquiry.

When we love God, we make and strive to keep our sacred covenants. I testify that living gospel commandments brings anyone untold blessings, allowing us to become our very best selves—exactly who God wants us to be.

Answers questions concerning the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon agrees with the Bible because they are both of divine origin and God does not disagree with himself. The Bible has been robbed of plain and simple truths. All are required to repent and accept the message of the Book of Mormon.

Spirited tract asks and answers 28 questions in a decidedly negative tone. “The Book of Mormon . . . is a rather orthodox book, and that in spite of its baseless claims to authenticity and inspiration”

Answers objections to the use of the word ste in the Book of Mormon.

Answers the question “Did Jesus appear to the people on the American continent before or after his ascension?” 3 Nephi 11:12 and 10:18 indicate he appeared after his final ascension in Palestine.

Hugh Nibley answers a series of questions about what became of church authority and doctrine in the centuries following the ministry of Jesus Christ. He compares scriptural prediction with historical fulfillment to answer questions like “What became of general authority in the church?” and “Would God allow his church to be destroyed?”

Reprinted in LDS Views on Early Christianity and Apocrypha: Articles from BYU Studies, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book.
A compendium of passages from the New Testament, from the early fathers of the church and from historians of Christian antiquity on the question of the apostasy. The issues raised in this handout were eventually dealt with systematically in the series that appeared in the Improvement Era between January and December 1955 called “The Way of the Church,” and also in the essay entitled “The Passing of the Church,” Church History 30, no. 2 (June 1961): 131–54; reprinted in When the Lights Went Out (1970), 1–32; and in “The Passing of the Church: Forty Variations on an Unpopular Theme,” BYU Studies 16, no. 1 (1975): 135–64; “The Passing of the Primitive Church,” in Mormonism and Early Christianity, The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley 4. 209–322; and “The Passing of the Primitive Church: Forty Variations on an Unpopular Theme,” in When the Lights Went Out (2001), 1–47.

Considers the idea that the white god of America, Quetzalcoatl, was Jesus Christ of the Book of Mormon.

This article provides several legends and descriptions of the “feathered serpent” god called Quetzalcoatl and links Jesus Christ and his visit to the Americas (3 Nephi) with him. Quetzalcoatl was known as a light complexioned wise benefactor. After having spent some time with the ancestors of the Aztecs, he promised to return to them.

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 eighteenth part covers Quetzalcoatl.

Many scholars suggest that Quetzalcoatl of Mesoamerica (also known as the Feathered Serpent), the Maya Maize God, and Jesus Christ could all be the same being. By looking at ancient Mayan writings such as the Popol Vuh, this theory is further explored and developed. These ancient writings include several stories that coincide with the stories of Jesus Christ in the Bible, such as the creation and the resurrection. The role that both Quetzalcoatl and the Maize God played in bringing maize to humankind is comparable to Christ’s role in bringing the bread of life to humankind. Furthermore, Quetzalcoatl is said to have descended to the Underworld to perform a sacrifice strikingly similar to the atonement of Jesus Christ. These congruencies and others like them suggest that these three gods are, in fact, three representations of the same being.

Relates Quetzalcoatl to the Yucatan statue of Choc Mool.

Recounts several myths about Quetzalcoatl, whom the later Mexicans identified with Jesus.

Reports a conversation the author had with a descendant of the Toltecs. Includes a description of and legends about Quetzalcoatl.

Review of Michael F. Hull. Baptism on Account of the Dead (1 Cor 15:29): An Act of Faith in the Resurrection.

Much like faith precedes the miracle, much like baptism by water comes before the baptism by fire…so being quick to observe is a prerequisite to and a preparation for the gift of discernment.

Review of Same-Sex Dynamics among Nineteenth-Century Americans: A Mormon Example (1996), by D. Michael Quinn

I believe that our Father in Heaven expects us to develop this unity and cultivate our diverse talents and abilities so that we can be counted among the “few” servants in the allegory of the olive trees charged with pruning and edifying His vineyard (Jacob 5:70). He has spared the vineyard, as well as all of us, for this sacred purpose.

Reprinted as “The Haunted Wilderness,” in Nibley on the Timely and the Timeless (1978).

Reprinted from Qumran and the Companions of the Cave.

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.
Alma’s church in the wilderness was a typical “church of anticipation”. In many things it presents striking parallels to the “church of anticipation” described in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Both had gone forth into the wilderness in order to live the Law in its fullness, being dissatisfied with the official religion of the time, which both regarded as being little better than apostasy. Both were persecuted by the authorities of the state and the official religion. Both were strictly organized along the same lines and engaged in the same type of religious activities. In both the Old World and the New these churches in the wilderness were but isolated expressions of a common tradition of great antiquity. In the Book of Mormon Alma’s church is clearly traced back to this ancient tradition and practice, yet until the recent discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls no one was aware of its existence. We can now read the Book of Mormon in a totally new context, and in that new context much that has hitherto been strange and perplexing becomes perfectly clear.

The Lord would have you establish a strong quorum. As He gathers His children, they need a place to belong and grow.

Notes that Moroni’s sermons about spiritual gifts, the sacrament, and charity resemble Paul’s teachings in 1 Corinthians 13. Suggests that Jesus was actually the originator of Paul’s words, since Paul could have collected records from his contemporaries that were not included in the four gospels. Moroni would have learned from Jesus’ actual words to his disciples in America, which explains the similarities in the teachings of 1 Corinthians and the Book of Mormon.

What we have of Jesus’s ministry to the Nephites is an abridged version because the Lord wished to “try the faith of [his] people” (3 Nephi 26:6–13). Dutiful to his charge, Mormon did not provide a full account of Jesus’s teachings, but his son Moroni provided three quotations of portions that his father did not.