FLDS prophet declares no more sex

Excerpts of Marriages dissolved, sexual relationships banned among FLDS faithful, KSL news.  The FLDS church is a Mormon sect that continues to practice polygamy.  They broke off from the LDS church in the early 1900s after the LDS church banned polygamy. Copies of revelations from Jeffs are being sent to LDS meetinghouses.

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...followers of Warren Jeffs await the apocalypse he has predicted, they're living under a challenging edict: they're forbidden to have sex until Jeffs is sprung from a Texas prison.

"He has predicted that the walls in the prison where he's at will fall and crumble," said Joni Holm, who has many relatives in the polygamous FLDS faith.

Review: "Re-Claiming the Bible for a Non-Religious World"

John Shelby Spong's reputation rests (or should rest) not only on his achievement of having published over twenty books on religion and the Bible, but also on the fact that he has risen to high rank in his church (Episcopal bishop of Newark, New Jersey for twenty-one years until his retirement) despite religious beliefs and attitudes toward the Bible that would have had him burned at the stake as a heretic only a few centuries ago. Even in our modern and supposedly more tolerant age, Bishop Spong has received eighteen death threats. All from Christians.

The present volume continues the themes of Spong's previous books. In his writings, he claims (and "re-claims" here) that 1) the Bible is a great and valuable book; 2) most Christians are quite ignorant about the Bible, confining their knowledge of it to their Sunday school stories and the passages frequently quoted in their pastor's sermons; 3) the Bible is not - and should not be considered as - the "Word of God"; 4) the Bible is mis-used when cited to justify injustice or cruelty, such as genocide, slavery, second-class status for women, or discrimination against homosexuals.

Simon Southerton on DNA and the Book of Mormon

Publications by Simon Southerton and Thomas Murphy led to a so-called "Galileo moment" regarding DNA and the Book of Mormon. Genetic studies demonstrated that Native Americans were not primarily descended from the Middle East as had been assumed by most members and leaders of the church.  Apologists responded, suggesting the Book of Mormon should be read with the assumption that a larger indegenous population was already here when Book of Mormon peoples arrived, and that DNA evidence of Middle Eastern descent was washed out by breeding with the indigenous population.  The church subsequently clarified the introduction to the Book of Mormon to accommodate this view.

Simon Southerton has begun publishing updates about DNA and the Book of Mormon.

Mormon polygamous sect: must be 'chosen' by year's end or be destroyed

Excerpts of FLDS must be 'chosen' by year's end or be destroyed, Jeffs says, by John Hollenhorst, KSL News
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A "frenzy" of activity has erupted among a polygamist community in southern Utah as imprisoned leader Warren Jeffs has told his followers that they must be "chosen" by the end of the year or be destroyed.

According to outside observers, there has been a flurry of church meetings almost daily, a set of mysterious construction projects and widespread re-baptism as thousands of followers react to apparent prophesies of doom from their imprisoned leader.

Author Interview: John Dinger, 'The Nauvoo City and High Council Minutes'

An important new book, The Nauvoo City and High Council Minutes makes available for the first time the minutes of the city and church high councils from the Mormon city of Nauvoo, Illinois, 1839-1845.  The minutes were edited into book format by John S. Dinger, assistant district attorney in Boise, Idaho.

He was kind enough to answer a few questions about the book:

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Clair Barrus: Can you provide a description of the contents of the book, I.E. what documents are included, what time frame do they span, where did these councils fit into the leadership hierarchy of Nauvoo.

John: The book contains the records of two of the governing bodies in Nauvoo; the City Council and the High Council. 

SNL Insight on answers to prayers, and the true church

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/jesus-politely-requests-tim-tebow-take-it-down-a-notch-on-snl/

Rethinking Retrenchment: Course Corrections in the ongoing Campaign for Respectability

Sociologist Armand Mauss has written an important "update" on the continuing evolution of the modern church.  His article in the most recent issues of Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought summarizes his views of LDS church assimilation into the greater culture as presented in his 1994 book The Angel and the Beehive: The Mormon Struggle with Assimilation. He describes periods of assimilation into the greater American religious culture, interleaved with periods of retrenchment that differentiate the Mormon church from other religions. Periods of retrenchment emphasize differences between the church and society, while periods of assimilation focus on commonality and deemphasize differences. 

Gender gap widens among Mormons

Excerpts of Gender gap widening among Utah Mormons, but why? by Peggy Fletcher Stack, The Salt Lake Tribune.  See here where a BYU researcher questions this survey.
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A new survey shows Mormon women outnumber men in the LDS Church — and the gap appears to be widening, especially in Utah.

James E. Talmage investigation of the Dream Mine

John Koyle said he was shown the
"Dream Mine" (or Relief Mine)
by a heavenly messenger

In the 1880s, John Koyle started having dreams about lost cattle.  Later, his fellow missionaries felt he had the ability to prophesy.  He continued to have dreams about world affairs.  Many Latter-day Saints believed his predictive dreams were being fulfilled, and his reputation as a visionary spread.

Koyle said a heavenly messenger told him of an ancient Nephite gold mine near Spanish Fork, Utah in 1894.  He was given detailed instructions how to mine the site, and was told the mine would aid in the relief of his people during a time of world-wide crisis. In 1910, Koyle was appointed bishop of a ward in Spanish Fork.

Trained geologist and apostle James E. Talmage visited the Relief Mine in 1913 and  reported his is findings to the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve. Some in the church heirarchy believed in Koyle's abilities, while others felt he was deluded. 

Polygamy frankly discussed in church publication (Joseph Smith Papers volume)

Excerpts of Thoughts on the introduction to the new JSP Volume: Journals Vol. 2 (1841-43) By: Ben Park, Juvenile Instructor
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...The Joseph Smith Papers just released the most recent addition to their foundational series. Journals, Volume 2 (1841-1843) ... I just want to comment on a single section of the introduction; in fact, only about seven pages of the introduction....  in a little over twenty pages, they had to update their readers on what happened between 1838 (when the last Journals volume ended) to when Willard Richards became Smith's journal keeper in December 1841 ...  about a third of the entire introduction—of discussion on the origin, documentation, and controversy over polygamy. And it's not just the length of the discussion that's surprising, but also the content.

Mormon Defense League now called MormonVoices

Excerpts of FAIR changes Mormon defenders website name by Joseph Walker, Deseret News
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"The Mormon Defense League" is out. "MormonVoices" is in.

That change became official ..., when the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research announced a name change for its website aimed at defending the teachings and practices of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

A Selected Chronology of George Albert Smith

The Priesthood / Relief Society manual "Teachings of Presidents of the Church: George Albert Smith" will be studied by Latter-day Saint men and women in 2012.  LDS-Church-History will present a selected chronology of the life of George Albert Smith, 8th president of the L.D.S. Church, providing further insight into his life.

George Albert Smith was born of a "royal" Mormon heritage.  His father, grandfather and great-grandfather were all members of the Quorum of the Twelve and First Presidency.  His great-grandfather was a brother to Joseph Smith Sr., and  George Albert Smith's wife was a grand-daughter of Wilford Woodruff.  Genealogical information of his ancestry will be presented, as well as major events from their lives where available.


His father, John Henry Smith, kept a detailed journal, which sheds light on the childhood and family life of George Albert Smith.  When George Albert Smith became an apostle, he and his father were the first father-son pair serving at the same time in the Quorum of the Twelve.  Entries from John Henry Smith's journals provide valuable insight into the first forty years of the life of George Albert Smith.

Aspects of his life as an apostle will also be drawn from other sources, including his own journals, the journals of his fellow apostles, and also from President Heber J. Grant's.  Major issues dealt with by the Quorum of the Twelve will also be included.

Upon the death of Heber J. Grant, George Albert Smith became the 8th president of the church. This chronology will include aspects of his life, presidency and major events in the administration and history of the church during his presidency.

Each day, several items from this chronology will be posted.  The best way to follow LDS Church History is by subscribing to one of the following:

• Email
• Twitter
• Facebook or 
• Feed

Another Mormon fundamentalist family in the spotlight

Darger Family, Utah Polygamists, Want To Dispel Misconceptions About Their Faith by Ileana Llorens, Huffington Post

Television shows such as "Big Love" and "Sister Wives," have recently brought attention to polygamy in the U.S. Now, one Salt Lake City family is telling their story in hope of dispelling misconceptions about their beliefs.

Between Joe and his three wives, Alina, Vicki and Val -- two of whom are identical twins -- the Dargers have a total of 24 children. While they acknowledge their lifestyle is illegal in the United States, the four say they're willing to risk jail time in order to share their story with the world.

Herod did not complete temple in Jerusalem

New find sheds light on ancient site in Jerusalem, by Matti Friedman, AP

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JERUSALEM (AP) — Newly found coins underneath Jerusalem's Western Wall could change the accepted belief about the construction of one of the world's most sacred sites two millennia ago, Israeli archaeologists said Wednesday.

The man usually credited with building the compound known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary is Herod, a Jewish ruler who died in 4 B.C. Herod's monumental compound replaced and expanded a much older Jewish temple complex on the same site.

But archaeologists with the Israel Antiquities Authority now say diggers have found coins underneath the massive foundation stones of the compound's Western Wall that were stamped by a Roman proconsul 20 years after Herod's death. That indicates that Herod did not build the wall —

Judge affirms Canadian ban on polygamy

Excerpts of Judge affirms Canadian ban on polygamy by Erin Alberty, The Salt Lake Tribune
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A Canadian judge dealt a blow to polygamy advocates Wednesday by upholding the country's ban on plural marriage.

In a landmark decision, British Columbia Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Bauman wrote that the ban prevents "sundry harms" related to polygamy and "minimally impairs religious freedom."

Review: The Joseph Smith Papers, Journals, Volume 2: December 1841--April 1843

Excerpts of  Hedges, Smith and Anderson, "The Joseph Smith Papers, Journals, Volume 2: December 1841--April 1843" (reviewed by Bryan Buchanan)
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The latest volume in the Joseph Smith Papers series is the second Journals volume covering the period of December 1841 to April 1843.  This volume is the follow-up to the surprising bestselling first Journals volume, published in 2008. [1]  Included in this second volume are the journal portion of the Book of the Law of the Lord (hereafter BLL) and the first two of four memorandum books (in the case of the second memorandum book, only the first portion is included with the balance to be published in the third and final Journals volume) kept almost entirely by Willard Richards.

Gay BYU professor fired

Excerpts of Openly gay BYU producer, filmmaker fired by Peggy Fletcher Stack, Salt Lake Tribune

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LDS Church-owned Brigham Young University has fired Kendall Wilcox, an executive producer in the school's broadcasting department who, on his own time, is making an independent documentary about being gay and Mormon.

Wilcox announced the move Friday morning on his Facebook page, saying he was terminated the previous week by his BYU supervisors who "cited certain tasks and communications that I had not performed to their liking."

The Emmy-winning filmmaker, who in an email Friday declined to be interviewed, defended himself in his Facebook post. He said he faced "an increasingly hostile work environment over the last several months with which I refused to continue to engage."

Review: "Free Inquiry"

Excerpts of "Free Inquiry" (reviewed by Richard Packham), Association of Mormon Letters

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*Free Inquiry* is one of the leading journals for readers interested in "secular humanism."  The issue reviewed here features a series of articles under the general heading "America's Peculiar Piety: Why Did Mormonism Grow? Why Does It Endure?" The magazine's front cover is the famous 1842 portrait of Joseph Smith - probably the best contemporary likeness of the church founder - altered to show that he has his fingers crossed.

The articles, although written from a non-Mormon perspective, are generally respectful, rational, and sincerely trying to answer the questions posed by the series

Mormon Ad Campaign

Excerpts of Mormons' Ad Campaign May Play Out on the '12 Campaign Trail, Laurie Goodstein, New York Times

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After Sunday worship in recent months, Mormon bishops around the country gathered their congregations for an unusual PowerPoint presentation to unveil the church's latest strategy for overcoming what it calls its "perception problem."

Top Mormon leaders had hired two big-name advertising agencies in 2009, Ogilvy & Mather and Hall & Partners, to find out what Americans think of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Using focus groups and surveys, they found that Americans who had any opinion at all used adjectives that were downright negative: "secretive," "cultish," "sexist," "controlling," "pushy," "anti-gay."

An outsider's tour of the LDS church

Excerpts of Questioning General Authority, by Jim Burklo, bycommonconsent
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Jim Burklo, ... is Associate Dean of Religious Life at USC....
For an exotic cultural and religious experience without leaving the borders of the United States, pay a visit to the headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints!
... I went to Salt Lake City this past Thursday and Friday to meet with top leaders, known as "General Authorities", of the Mormon church. We were guests of the church, invited by the interfaith representatives of the LDS in southern California....

Harold Bloom on a Mormon candidate for president

Famed literary critic Harold Bloom called Joseph Smith a religious genius in his acclaimed The American Religion: The Emergence of the Post-Christian Nation.  Since then he has been quoted in general conference, and has been quoted in the pages of the New Era and Ensign.  Now he weighs in on possibility of electing a Mormon for president.  Below are excerpts of Will This Election Be the Mormon Breakthrough?, Sunday Review, New York Times, by Harold Bloom
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... Mr. Romney, earnest and staid, who is deep within the labyrinthine Mormon hierarchy, is directly descended from an early follower of the founding prophet Joseph Smith, whose highly original revelation was as much a departure from historical Christianity as Islam was and is. But then, so in fact are most manifestations of what is now called religion in the United States....
However, should Mr. Romney be elected president, Smith's dream of a Mormon Kingdom of God in America would not be fulfilled,

Dreams of Brigham Young

Excerpts of The Dreams of Brigham Young by Clair Barrus, examiner.com
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Dreams were an important component of early Latter Day Saint spirituality. Many Mormons attached a high level of importance to their dreams, seeing them as heavenly communications. Recorded below are the dreams of Brigham Young, second prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Laurel Thatcher Ulrich lecture: "Stirring up LDS History"

Time: Sunday, December 11 · 7:30pm - 9:30pm
Location: University of Utah, meeting room to be announced
Sponsored by Sunstone

Joseph Smith Papers series, Journals, Volume 2 announced

The first volume of the Joseph Smith Papers series, Journals, Volume 1, became an overnight bestseller. The much-anticipated Journals, Volume 2, covers the Nauvoo period from December 1841 to April 30, 1843. Two major documents are featured in this volume:

Mormon bishop says church responsible for gays’ emotional wounds

Excerpts of Mormon bishop says church responsible for gays' emotional wounds by Bill Oram, The Salt Lake Tribune
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The way gays are treated and perceived by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is an "atrocity," an LDS bishop from Illinois told a group of gay Mormons Sunday.
"If you leave here not remembering what I have to say, remember this: I'm sorry," Bishop Kevin Kloosterman.

Journal of Mormon History now online

Digitized issues of the Journal of Mormon History are now online through Utah State University's digital commons. All issues two years or older are available to anyone, while more recent articles are available to members of the Mormon History Association.

The Journal of Mormon History is published four times a year by the Mormon History Association.  The Mormon History Association is an independent organization dedicated to the study and understanding of all aspects of Mormon history -- who welcome all who are interested in the Mormon past, irrespective of religious affiliation, academic training, or world location. We promote our goals through scholarly research, conferences, awards, and publications.

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Gold Plates seminar

                                  The Annual Summer Seminar on Mormon Culture

                              "THE GOLD PLATES AS CULTURAL ARTIFACT - II"

                                                      Brigham Young University

            June 18 – July 27, 2012

            In the summer of 2012, the Neal A Maxwell Institute at Brigham Young University will sponsor a second summer seminar for graduate students and junior faculty on "The Gold Plates as Cultural Artifact." 

Poll finds 62% of gay Mormons inactive or have left the church

Excerpts of Conference to discuss issues for gay Mormons by Peggy Fletcher Stack, The Salt Lake Tribune
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A recent online poll, co-sponsored by Bradshaw and Renee Galliher of Utah State University, invited commenters from Mormon blogs, Facebook, LDS gay and lesbian support groups, media outlets and word of mouth.

Researchers found nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of the 1,600 respondents had tried to change their orientation, and 86 percent classified church counseling that sought to end their same-sex attraction as not helpful, somewhat harmful or severely harmful.

About a third (29 percent) of the respondents said they remained active in the LDS faith, a little more than a third were inactive (36 percent) and 26 percent asked to have their names removed from the church's membership rolls.

Still, nearly 70 percent said they believed in God, 52 percent believed in Jesus Christ, and 36 percent believed that LDS Church founder Joseph Smith was "a prophet of God." .....

Conference for LGBTQ (SSA) Mormons

Excerpts of Conference to discuss issues for gay Mormons By Peggy Fletcher Stack, The Salt Lake Tribune

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Hundreds of gay Mormons, their families and friends will meet in Salt Lake City this weekend to explore issues of homosexuality and same-sex attraction at a conference titled "Circling the Wagons."

The purpose of the conference, sponsored by researcher John Dehlin, along with Mormon Stories and Open Stories Foundation, is "to create a space where LGBTQ or SSA individuals and their families and allies can gather to acknowledge, explore and honor shared experiences."

It will bring together speakers such as author and playwright, Carol Lynn Pearson, retired Brigham Young University microbiology professor Bill Bradshaw, Utah State Democratic Party Chair Jim Dabakis, filmmaker Kendall Wilcox, psychologist Lee Beckstead, as well as Dehlin, who has helped conduct online research within the LDS gay community.

...

"Circling the Wagons" will run Friday through Sunday. The main portion of the conference will be Saturday at the First Baptist Church, 777 S. 1300 East, Salt Lake City. For times, other locations and registration information, go to http://mormonstories.org/?p=1962.

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Voices of Dissent in the Mormon West

Playing with Shadows: Voices of Dissent in the Mormon West
(h/t Reed)

Edited by: Polly Aird, Jeff Nichols, Will Bagley

Volume 13 in Kingdom in the West: The Mormons and the American Frontier
Subject: History of the American West

The personal journeys of four Latter-day Saints who came to doubt the faith
This collection of narratives by four individuals who abandoned Mormonism—"apostates," as Brigham Young and other Latter-day Saint leaders labeled them—provides an overview of dissent from the beginning of the religion to the early twentieth century and presents a wide range of disaffection with the faith or its leaders.

Mormonism To Be A Bigger Issue In The General Election, Say Evangelicals

Excerpts of Romney's Mormonism To Be A Bigger Issue In The General Election, Say Evangelicals - The Huffington Post

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The loudest objections to Mitt Romney's Mormonism have not yet been raised, according to evangelical leaders and conservatives.

Romney's faith does give many protestants pause. But polls, and evangelical leaders, tell another story:

The BYU tithing police fiasco, 1957-1963

Excerpts of Ernest L. Wilkinson and the BYU tithing police fiasco,  Doug Gibson, Standard Examiner
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In the latest issue of Sunstone magazine, ... "The Moniteering of BYU Faculty Tithing Payments, 1957-1963," ... Wilkinson, upon assuming the presidency of BYU in the 1950s, was outraged that some BYU professors paid only a partial tithing, and some paid none at all...

At one point, Wilkinson told LDS Church President David O. McKay that 27 percent of BYU faculty were either part tithing payers or paid no tithing at all.

Upon the Temple Lot: The Church of Christ’s Quest to Build the House of the Lord

R. Jean Addams. Upon the Temple Lot: The Church of Christ's Quest to Build the House of the Lord. (Independence, MO: John Whitmer Books, 2010, v + 167 pp., photographs, maps, notes, index, $14.95., paperback.)

Reviewed by H. Michael Marquardt, published in Mormon Historical Studies 12, no. 1 (Spring 2011):179-81, and available on here.

This important book on the effort to build the temple in Independence, Missouri, by the Church of Christ (Temple Lot) is a welcome work on the history relating to the progress and circumstances toward this project. The author, R. Jean Addams has devoted many years in gathering hard to find sources in understanding the history behind this attempt.

The "spot for the temple" in Zion was designated by Joseph Smith in 1831 (see D&C 57). The author provides a brief history of emergence of what became the Church of Christ (Temple Lot), which is nicely presented (7–17). Some members had been associated with the original Church as early as 1831–1833. After a few families gathered to Independence in 1867, they commenced purchasing city lots where they anticipated the temple was to be located.
George D. Cole, who had been baptized in April 1870, said he received a dream or vision regarding the location where the temple would to be built. ...

Continue reading review here

Banning blame game over anti-Mormon claims

Excerpts of RedState: We don't ban Mittites, but 'bigotry' claims,Ben Smith, Politico
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... Free Republic founder Jim Robinson affirmed the explicit ban on Romney supporters. But RedState's Erick Erickson -- whose site was also accused of the practice -- said any Romney supporters banned from the site would have been banned for accusing people of "anti-Mormon bigotry":

Group sues to ban Church influence in Utah Liquor Laws

Excerpts of Group Wants Mormon Church Blocked From Future Liquor Law Debates, Fox News
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A trade group for bars and restaurants is asking a federal judge to block Utah legislators from considering input from the Mormon church when drafting future liquor laws.
The Utah Hospitality Association contends that considering the views of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is unconstitutional under federal laws separating church and state.

Free Inquiry: Special issue on Mormonism

Free Inquiry: Special issue on Mormonism.
Items from the Table of Contents

• America's Peculiar Piety: Why Did Mormonism Grow? Why Does It Endure? (Introduction) Tom Flynn
• My Journey into 'Formonism' Brian Dalton
• Joseph Smith: Liar, Lunatic, or Lord? Robert M. Price
• Obadiah Dogberry: Mormonism's First Critic Tom Flynn
• The Price of Free Inquiry in Mormonism Michael Nielsen and Ryan T. Cragun
• What Is So Strange about Believing as the Mormons Do? James Alcock

.....

Computers Piece Together Scattered Medieval Scrolls

Computers Piece Together Scattered Medieval Scrolls by Stephanie Pappas, LiveScience
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It's like something out of "The Da Vinci Code": Hundreds of thousands of fragments from medieval religious scrolls are scattered across the globe. How will scholars put them back together?

The answer, according to scientists at Tel Aviv University, is to use computer software based on facial recognition technology. But instead of recognizing faces, this software recognizes fragments thought to be part of the same work. Then, the program virtually "glues" the pieces back together.

International Journal of Mormon Studies Vol 4 (2011)

International Journal of Mormon Studies Vol 4 (2011)

Contents:

Dirty feet and the role of women

Excerpts of Mormon Women Get Upper-ity: This Week's News & Commentary by Jana Riess , BeliefNet

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The intrepid Cynthia L., who had that great BCC post a couple of weeks back raising the issue of why Mormon women don't pray in General Conference, posted this snippet from the Provo Daily Herald article  "Authorities break ground for new LDS temple in Payson":

"Following his remarks and the closing exercises, Oaks invited the four general authorities in attendance to shovel a scoop of dirt from the shallow trench, followed by the 26 stake presidents in the Payson Utah Temple District, then local government officials, and lastly, any 12-year-old ordained deacons.
Oaks noted that he purposefully excluded women from the ceremonial shoveling out of respect for them because of the muddy conditions in front of the podium. He didn't want their shoes to get soiled."

Attraction Research Foundation Conference (church sponsored conference on homosexuality)

A Conference "Foundation for Attraction Research Conference," co-sponsored by AMCAP and LDS Family Services, and will be held Saturday, October 22, 2011 at the LDS church owned Joseph Smith Memorial Building. Attendees will receive a copy of the book, Understanding Same-Sex Attraction, authored by some of the presenters.

A review of this book published in BYU Studies notes:

"Readers looking for a book that supports the idea of homosexuality being an innate part of one's identity will not be interested in Understanding Same-Sex Attraction: Where to Turn and How to Help. Instead, the authors of this book assert the unpopular opinion, backed by scientific research, that same-sex attraction can be lessened or eradicated in those who desire change and are willing to try.

Mormons fired for being Mormon?

Taiwan school fined for sacking Mormon teachers
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TAIPEI (AFP) - Taiwan has fined a school for firing two Mormon teachers over their faith, marking the first time that religious discrimination in the workplace has been punished on the island, officials said on Wednesday.

Gloves coming off in Mormon/Cult debate?

Discussion about whether Mormonism is a cult continues in the media at a strong pace.  The following goes beyond typical differences in views on the trinity, or grace -- instead mining some aspects of Mormon history and practice that can appear strange to some.  This New York Times article continues non-believers Christopher Hitchen's and Bill Mahr's escalating argument for Mormonism as a cult.

Excerpts of Anne Frank, a Mormon, by MAUREEN DOWD, New York Times

Apostle Dallin Oaks testifies on tax reform

Excerpts of Mormon apostle to Senate: Keep charitable deductions, By Matt Canham, The Salt Lake Tribune
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Dallin H. Oaks, a member of the high-ranking Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, addressed the Senate Finance Committee on Monday at the invitation of Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. He spoke for a group of religious leaders that included a representative of the Catholic and Baptist faiths.

Perry Campaign, anti-Mormon strategizing?

Excerpts of Perry Camp's Anti-Mormon Message, by McKay Coppins, Daily Beast
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Emails obtained by The Daily Beast show an operative with close ties to Rick Perry's campaign engaged in anti-Mormon cheerleading.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry has publicly distanced himself from the anti-Mormon rhetoric of a prominent Baptist minister who has endorsed his presidential campaign. But new evidence suggests that Perry's team may be quietly advancing the notion that Mitt Romney's faith should disqualify him from the White House.

The Daily Beast has obtained a series of emails that show an influential evangelical activist with close ties to the Perry campaign stressing the political importance of "juxtaposing traditional Christianity to the false God of Mormonism," and calling for a "clarion call to Evangelical pastors and pews" that will be "the key to the primary" for Perry.

Southern Baptist President declares Mormonism a cult

Excerpts of  Mormonism is more like Islam, says Southern Baptist president by jgalloway, Political Insider
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The Rev. Bryant Wright ... president of the 16 million-member Southern Baptist Convention, the nation's largest Protestant denomination.
Denis O'Hayer of WABE (90.1FM) has posted this interview with Wright. Some excerpts:

"It is a cult, in the sense that it does not adhere to what would be traditional or orthodox biblical teaching. It's really been kind of comical at the outrage of some folks when it's called a cult….

SiriusXM Radio series "Mormon Monday"

THE BOOK OF MORMON and SiriusXM launch Mormon Mondays
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THE BOOK OF MORMON, the Tony Award winning musical from the creators of "South Park," Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and the co-creator of Avenue Q, Robert Lopez will be featured on SiriusXM's new series, Mormon Mondays, a limited series of weekly specials. Mormon Mondays begins airing on Monday, October 17 at 8:00 AM ET and 8:00 PM ET on On Broadway, channel 72 and new installments will run weekly.

Mormon Mondays features THE BOOK OF MORMON cast members introducing songs from the show's original cast recording on Ghostlight Records, sharing backstage anecdotes and offering listeners a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the creative process for the critically acclaimed production. The cast will also play some of their favorite show tunes, selected from shows they've performed in, admired or found inspiring.

Survey for those who have lost their faith

From John Dehlin, Mormon Stories
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Mormon Friends: Please help. I can't discuss specifics, but a meeting is being held in less than 2 weeks with a high level leader in the LDS church. We are gathering data to present to this leader. Can you please help me share this survey with anyone who once believed, but no longer believes the LDS church is true? Thanks in advance.

Is Mormonism a Cult, and Does It Matter?

Excerpts of Is Mormonism a Cult, and Does It Matter in 2012? by Dr. James Emery White, Pastor, Ranked Adjunctive Professor of Theology and Culture Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
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The answer is both "yes" and "no," and understanding why is an important discussion.

Review: Scripture and the Authority of God: How to Read the Bible Today

"...Writing a book about the Bible is like building a sandcastle in front of the Matterhorn.  The best you can hope to do is to catch the eye of those who are looking down instead of up, or those who are so familiar with the skyline that they have stopped noticing its peculiar beauty...."

Review

Title: Scripture and the Authority of God: How to Read the Bible Today
Author: N. T. Wright

Review: The Oxford Handbook of the Dead Sea Scrolls

"....To a Mormon audience (just as with a New Testament readership), these essays serve as a reminder not to pound square proto- Mormon pegs into the round holes of history. ...."

Review

======

Title: The Oxford Handbook of the Dead Sea Scrolls
Editors: Timothy H. Lim & John J. Collins
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Genre: Ancient Near East Studies, Biblical Studies

Lecture: Patty Bartlett Sessions, Mormon Midwife

Patty Bartlett Sessions, Mormon Midwife

October 13, 2011, 7:00 p.m., Donna Toland Smart

Midwifery was an important profession in Maine, where Patty was raised. Unexpectedly having to assist in a birth, she was later told by the local doctor that "she must attend to that business, not to have any fear, for she would prosper in it." Her skill in delivering babies would become critical to the well-being of fellow members of the Church. As a Mormon, Patty received further confirmation of her decision to follow an obstetrical career.
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Lectures will be held

Is Mormonism a Cult? News selections

Excerpts of FAIR's Front Page, fairlds.org.  Below are a sampling of news items regarding Rick Perry's introducer calling Mormons a cult and the ensuing fallout.
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How do Mormons answer 'not Christian' claims? By Michael Otterson [a spokesperson for the LDS Church] Washington Post

Huntsman tells evangelical pastor what Mormons were thinking

Huntsman: Pastor is a 'moron'
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(CNN) – GOP presidential hopeful and Mormon Jon Huntsman had some choice words on Monday for the Dallas pastor who's repeatedly described Mormonism as a "cult" and a "false religion" this weekend.

"The fact that, you know, some moron can stand up and make a comment like that, you know, first of all, it's outrageous," Huntsman said on "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer." "Second of all, the fact that we are spending so much time discussing it makes it even worse."

Republican candidates Gingrich and Cain refuse to state Mormons are Christians

Bob Schieffer asked Republican presidential candidates Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich whether Mormons were Christians on Face the Nation
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Schieffer: ...  I want to ask both of you -- You both spoke to the big conservative values conference last week but the preacher who introduced Rick Perry kind of stole all the headlines because he told reporters that Mormonism is a cult and that Mitt Romney is not a Christian. Mr. Gingrich, should that be a part of the discussion?
Gingrich: No, I think that none of us should sit in judgment of somebody else's religion and I thought it was very unwise and very inappropriate.
Schieffer: Do you think that Mitt Romney is a Christian?
Gingrich: I think he's a Mormon and Mormons define themselves as a branch of Christianity.
Schieffer: How about you, Mr. Cain. What's your thought on this?
Cain: I feel the same way. We're not running for theologian in chief. We're running for president of the United States of America. What I believe is that the American people want to know: what are your values? What are your principles? Because your values and your principles may impact how you make decisions. But not get into the specifics of your chosen religion.
Schieffer: Do you think Mormons are Christians?
Cain: I believe that they believe that they're Christians based on their definition but getting into whether or not they're more Christian than another group, I don't think that's relevant to this campaign.
--

Background,

1841: The Illinois Roots of Utah Polygamy

George D. Smith, "1841: The Illinois Roots of Utah Polygamy" Date: Sunday, October 9, 2011 Time: 3 p.m. - 4 p.m. Books and Authors Series Featuring George D. Smith, "1841: The Illinois Roots of Utah Polygamy" George Smith's latest book, "Nauvoo Polygamy . . . but we called it celestial marriage" (Signature Books, 2010), is a study, not only of what happened in a boomtown along the Mississippi River in the 1840s, it is a study about what plural marriage does to the early Latter-day Saints Church.

Evidence for the Divine Authenticity of the Book of Abraham

Excerpts of the October 2011 FAIR Journal

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FAIR has produced a new DVD on the Book of Abraham titled: "A Most Remarkable Book: Evidence for the Divine Authenticity of the Book of Abraham"

The Book of Abraham has been a source of inspiration and edification for its readers for many generations.  However, critics of the LDS Church have relentlessly attacked the authenticity of the Book of Abraham and the credibility of Joseph Smith as an inspired prophet and translator.

Church studying blog sites, news sources and podcasters

Excerpts of Church asks Mormons: Which websites, writers do you read? by Tony Semerad, The Salt Lake Tribune
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The LDS Church is surveying its members about their readership of key websites and Mormon writers, a move that reflects the faith's growing interest in managing its public image.

Church officials confirmed this week that the survey on a range of social, political and doctrinal matters — including the trustworthiness of specific journalists — is partly intended to gauge how and where Latter-day Saints get their information on LDS-related issues.

"This kind of survey is one way church leaders have to hear from members,'' church spokesman Scott Trotter said in a statement. He declined to say specifically what would be done with the results.

Meet the authors: Parley P. Pratt: The Apostle Paul of Mormonism by Terryl. Givens and Matthew Grow

From Benchmark Books: Spend an Evening with the Authors

            We are excited to announce the arrival of Parley P. Pratt: The Apostle Paul of Mormonism by Terryl L. Givens and Matthew J. Grow, published by Oxford University Press. We will have both authors at our store to speak about and sign their book on Friday, October 14. They will be here from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., speaking at 6:00, and will answer questions and sign books before and after that time.

            After Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, Parley P. Pratt was one of the most influential figures in early Mormon history and culture. Missionary, pamphleteer, theologian, historian, and martyr, Pratt was perennially stalked by controversy--regarded, he said, "almost as an Angel by thousands and counted an Imposter by tens of thousands."

Review: Joseph Smith Papers: Revelations and Translations volumes

H. Michael Marquardt, author of The Joseph Smith Revelations: Text and Commentary has reviewed two volumes from the Joseph Smith Papers: Revelations and Translations series  in the John Whitmer Historical Association Journal 31, no 2 (Fall/Winter 2011):152-56. Below are excerpts from his review of "Revelations and Translations, Volume 2: Published Revelations" below.  The full review of both volumes including volume 1 is available at the Mormon PDF Web Site.

Boyd K. Packer: The end isn't near

Excerpts of Mormon apostle Boyd K. Packer: The end isn't near by peggy fletcher stack, The Salt Lake Tribune

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... The end is not near, senior LDS apostle Boyd K. Packer said Saturday

Today's youths can look forward to "getting married, having a family, seeing your children and grandchildren, maybe even great-grandchildren," Packer told more than 20,000 Mormons gathered in the giant LDS Conference Center in downtown Salt Lake City. ...

Utah No. 1 in growth by whites

Excerpts of Utah No. 1 in growth by whites during past decade, census says by Lee Davidson, The Salt Lake Tribune

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Few states saw fast growth among non-Latino whites over the past decade. But Utah was different, leading the nation with 16.7 percent growth by that group, a new U.S. Census report says.

The 2010 Census shows that Utah's growth among non-Latino whites was a whopping 14 times higher than the national average growth of 1.2 percent, according to a Census Bureau report released this week on the population of whites.

Wikileaks and the LDS Church

Excerpts of WikiLeaks files: U.S. envoys helped Mormons worldwide by Tony Semrad,The Salt Lake Tribune

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Thankful for the opportunity, an LDS Church official in Kazakhstan presented tenets of his faith to the central Asian nation's president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, a tough former Communist labeled by detractors as corrupt and ruthless.

General authority Paul Pieper, who represents the area for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, spoke in both Kazakh and Russian

Bushman on Mormons and political civility

Excerpts of Scholar: Political name-calling goes against Mormonism by Peggy Fletcher Stack, The Salt Lake Tribune
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If Mormon politicians were living their religion, they wouldn't engage in name-calling against their opponents or verbally attack any officeholder, especially the commander in chief, a prominent LDS historian said this week.

"I sorrow to hear my fellow Latter-day Saints resort to the demeaning language that has degraded political discourse in our time," Bushman told a packed audience at the University of Utah's Union Building. "Should not Mormons, with their tradition of working together, lead the [vanguard] in these calls for moderate speech and collaboration? Should they not live their religion seven days a week by extending the respect they afford church leaders to other kinds of authority?"

Mormon apologetics journal undergoes 4th name change

For an overview of Mormon Apologetics and its impact, see Defending the Kingdom, Rethinkng the Faith: How Apologetics is Reshaping Mormon Orthodoxy By John-Charles Duffy, Sunstone Magazine. Excerpts of 'Mormon Studies Review' is a scholarly feast, By Dan Peterson, Deseret News.
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The FARMS Review of Books on the Book of Mormon was launched nearly a quarter of a century ago, in 1988. Since then, it has shed that original name (and the acronym ROBOTBOM by which its editors affectionately knew it) to become first the FARMS Review of Books and then, simply, the FARMS Review.

Over the years, the Review has entered controversies with gusto and has garnered a following of readers who appreciate — and a chorus of critics who loathe — its energetic, straightforward and often humorously ironic style.

The Review has again been renamed — for the last time, one hopes! — emerging now with both a new physical design and the title "Mormon Studies Review."

Inscribed metal amulets

Joseph Smith's seerstone was in some ways used as an amulet. It also led him to inscribed metal plates containing scripture.  This article discusses how inscribed metal amulets were sometimes used like scripture in the ancient middle east.

'Prayers of Petition' in the Psalms and West Semitic Inscribed Amulets: Efficacious Words in Metal and Prayers for Protection in Biblical Literature

from Journal for the Study of the Old Testament recent issues by Smoak, J. D.

This article compares several Phoenician and Punic inscribed amulets to the language preserved in several psalms that petition YHWH for protection against evil or other types of danger. The fact that both the amulets and these particular psalms share a similar concern or function, namely, protection against evil, invites such a comparison. It is argued in this article that the similarities between the psalms and the amulets allow for the conclusion that both forms drew from a similar stock of words commonly employed in West Semitic apotropaic religious practices. In particular, it is argued that the protective formulae inscribed on the amulets, which bear certain similarities to the language employed in such psalms, indicate that the psalms contain more reflexes of apotropaic formulae than previously recognized.

How Mormon economics shape the G.O.P.

Harper's Magazine has published Pennies from heaven: How Mormon economics shape the G.O.P, (subscription only) by Chris Lehmann. Below are excerpts from a response by Martin E. Marty, Sightings  9/19/2011, Mormons Now

.  Also responding to Lehmann is Russell Arben Fox at ByCommonConsent and Hal Boyd at the Deseret News


--- ... Chris Lehmann, in Harper's, has a novel, focused, cogent name for the new order, one which also has to stretch the concept of "we" significantly, as he judges: "We are all Mormons now." Read on: this column is not a Mormon-bashing, .... [article].

Instead, I will attend to Chris Lehmann's article on some often overlooked reaches of Mormon-influenced economics, themes which would be relevant even if there were no Mormons running for any office.

Tanner Lecture: Richard Bushman, "Mormonism and the Public Good"

The Tanner Humanities Center is proud to present the 2011 David P. Gardner Lecture in the Humanities and Fine Arts

Please join us for a lecture by Richard Bushman "MORMONISM AND THE PUBLIC GOOD"

Tuesday, September 27, 2011
7:00 PM
Saltair Room – University of Utah Olpin Union
200 S. Central Campus Dr.

60 Minutes on 'The Book of Mormon' musical

Book of Mormon musical

"After 15 years, Comedy Central's hit animated series "South Park" is still dishing up crude jokes and subversive plot lines. Its irreverent creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone haven't found a line they won't cross. Correspondent Steve Kroft profiles the team, following their zany creative process from television to Broadway, where their musical comedy, "The Book of Mormon," is also a huge success.

"If you came to New York this summer to see a Broadway play or a musical, chances are the one show you couldn't get tickets for was "The Book of Mormon." And if you want to come and see it next summer, you would be well-advised to book your reservations now.
...

Video clips here
Story here

70 addresses Evergreen conference, same-sex attracted can find peace in Jesus

Same-sex struggles? Find peace in Christ, Mormon leader says, by By Lee Davidson,  Salt Lake Tribune
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Mormons with same-sex attraction can find peace by focusing on Jesus Christ and his atonement, an LDS Church general authority told a conference on Saturday that focused on members with such attractions.

"Through the infinite and eternal atonement, we can be reconciled and sit comfortably in peace by [the] side of Christ and Heavenly Father," said Elder Jay E. Jensen, of the church's Presidency of the Seventy.

He spoke at the 21st annual conference of Evergreen International, which describes itself as "the same-sex voice of faithful" LDS members. The one-day conference, in the church's Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City, focused on resources to help members who struggle with same-sex attraction.

Gay Mormon suicide

Excerpts: Gay Mormon Excommunicated From His Church, Commits Suicide, pride in Utah.

Update (Sep 30)

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40 year old Bryan Michael Egnew spent the last decades of his life building up the courage to come out to his family and Mormon church. Once he did his life, family and religion were stripped away from him, and he committed suicide within a matter of weeks.
...Bryan Michael Egnew went on a Mormon Mission when he was 19, was married in a Mormon Temple to his wife Amy and had 5 children. He served within his local Mormon congregation for years, and outwardly was everything a Mormon man was expected to be. But inside, Bryan fought a constant struggle over whether to continue pretending, or to be honest about himself.

But last month, Bryan found that courage and came out to his family and his church. The results were tragic. According to Curran, his wife Amy immediately packed up their children and drove them out of state to Tennessee, refusing to let Bryan see them. His parents and family withdrew, and his Church immediately excommunicated him because he refused to denounce his sexual orientation....

Active Gay Mormon story on CNN

Excerpts: Church leadership post for an openly gay Mormon By Jessica Ravitz, CNN
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"I'm a man that lives in two worlds that a lot of people don't think intersect," Mayne said. "Both sides of myself exist in me. It's part of my DNA, part of my makeup."
Actively Mormon and openly gay: It's the sort of combo that might leave people wondering. After all, the LDS Church teaches that homosexuality, specifically if same-sex attractions are acted upon, is a sin. And the church has actively backed measures to ban same-sex marriages.

Utah demographics 2011

Who are Utahns? Survey shows we're highest, lowest, youngest, The Salt Lake Tribune

Utah still has the nation's largest households, highest fertility rate, lowest median age, youngest age at marriage and most stay-at-home moms.

That's according to the annual American Community Survey, which was released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau. The statistics gives a snapshot of America, and Utah, in hundreds of categories.

Demographers have long said that the Mormon culture has made Utah unique with those large families. But slowly over time, Utah is trending toward becoming more like the rest of the country.

<Full article here, including more stats>

2011 John Whitmer Historical Association

John Whitmer Historical Association annual meeting.
September 22-25, Nauvoo Ill.

Papers & Panels

• "Community of Christ and LDS Church Responses to Social Issues of the Modern Era" --Presenter: F. Ross Peterson, Utah State University, Logan, Utah; Editor Emeritus, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought
• "On the Nauvoo Legion" --Presenter: Richard Bennett, BYU, Provo, Utah
• "The Twelve Had Swallowed Up the Thirty-Eight: Minority Views of the Council of Fifty" --Presenter: Christopher J. Blythe, Florida State University

The Gift and the Power: Translating the Book of Mormon (review)

'Brant A.  Gardner's new book is a game changer-a paradigm-bending exercise which combines rigorous methodology with creativity in a historical analysis of the Book of Mormon translation story.  Gardner amasses evidence from the historical record, the actual Book of Mormon manuscripts, and its text in order to "discover the most economical explanation for all aspects of the Book of Mormon"' ... '  I can't recommend "The Gift and Power" enough.' -- Blair Hodges
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Student Review -- ressurrected

Excerpts of "Introduction to the Student Review" by Tamarra Kemsley, Craig Mangum & Hunter Schwarz, Student Review

The Student Review is a publication with a history. We thank and honor those Student Review-ers who originally founded the publication and set the precedent for what we are currently trying to do.
The Student Review is an independent, student-produced publication that seeks to be an open forum in facilitating student thought and discussion within the BYU campus community.
As articulated in Hunter Schwarz's article, the Daily Universe's status as a "lab" paper means its staff is limited to those majoring in communications. We do not criticize the Daily Universe for this policy. We understand that they have the obligation to train their students with the skills they will need to enter the workforce. However, the unfortunate consequence of this "lab" paper status is that the published "voice" of our BYU campus is drastically limited.
We sincerely hope that the Student Review will become a place where any student can write about what motivates him or her from a position of authority, an authority that comes from being an active participant in the campus community.

Wilford Woodruff's personal appendix to the Book of Commandments

Wilford Woodruff hand-copied the Word
of Wisdom into his Book of Commandments

Rather than reproducing the text, the editors of the Joseph Smith Papers project included photographs of each page of an original the Book of Commandments (BOC) in their Published Revelations volume.(1) This was done in part to allow the modern reader to experience the revelations as they were by the original reader -- with the same size, font, color and type.  Wilford Woodruff's personal copy of the BOC was used as the source of this photographic reproduction.

The final "gathering" or the last 32 pages of the BOC were never printed. Because the printing press was destroyed by a mob, the BOC ends abruptly in the middle of a verse. Thanks to efforts by the Joseph Smith Papers scholars, we now are quite confident of the content that would have been included in the completed BOC. (2)

Too much? The controversy of the Albert Carrington article in the Journal of Mormon History

Excerpts of Gary James Bergera, "Transgression in the LDS Community, Part 1" JMH, Summer 2011 by Ardis Parshal, keepapitchin.org
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The most recent issue of the Journal of Mormon History ... Gary James Bergera's "Transgression in the LDS Community: The Cases of Albert Carrington, Richard R. Lyman, and Joseph F. Smith." Part 1, the case study of Albert Carrington, appears in this issue, with articles on the other two cases [Apostle Richard R. Lyman and Patriarch Joseph F. Smith] scheduled for fall 2011 and winter 2012 issues of the Journal of Mormon History.
Part 1 begins with a very brief overview of excommunication in Latter-day Saint practice, followed by a brief biography of Albert Carrington, a 19th century member of the Quorum of the Twelve, then a detailed report of the investigation, hearing, and excommunication for adultery, and Carrington's appeal for mercy and the Quorum's consideration of that appeal. The narrative is straightforward, explicit, and painful, and I recommend it for reading of almost all serious students of Mormon history

...

LDS patriarch pens evolution book

Excerpt: LDS patriarch pens evolution book by Duane Jeffery, correspondent, Herald Extra
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Howard Stutz ...Mormonism's first formally trained evolutionary geneticist, head of academic departments at two different institutions of higher learning ...Brigham Young University faculty member, Latter-day Saint high councilor, bishop and stake patriarch ...
The book is titled "Let the Earth Bring Forth — Evolution and Scripture" and is available from Kofford Books (Salt Lake City) and the usual LDS book outlets. ...

His book covers many ... evolutionary matters from both animals and plants: comparative anatomy, geographical distribution, embryology and other speciation mechanisms. But none illustrate his title so clearly as his own work with native American plants.

The book is written for a general audience and should be of interest to all students of "evolution and scripture."

∫ Duane Jeffery is an emeritus professor of biology at Brigham Young University.
Read the entire review here.

"Book of Mormon" musical will be made into movie

Excerpts: "Trey Parker and Matt Stone say they will definitely make a 'Book of Mormon' movie -- EXCLUSIVE", Entertainment Weekly, by Clark Collis
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South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have confirmed to EW that they plan to adapt their Broadway hit The Book of Mormon for the big screen. The multiple Tony-winning comedy-musical, which stars Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad as a pair of Mormon missionaries attempting to find converts in Uganda, has been playing to sold out houses since opening this spring and a national tour is set to debut in Denver, Colo., next summer. "Hopefully it will have a big run and a big tour and then we can do the movie in several years," says Parker, who penned the musical with Stone and Avenue Q co-writer Robert Lopez. .....

Read the entire article here.

Mormon fundamentalist convicted of murder

A member of a Mormon fundamentalist sect (not part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Community of Christ, etc...) was convicted of crimes related to blood atonement against "sons of perdition" (I.E. apostates).  Excerpts: Ervil LeBaron's daughter going to prison in connection with '92 sect killings, Salt Lake Tribune

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Houston • A polygamous sect leader's daughter was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to a charge relating to the shotgun killings in Texas of an 8-year-old girl and three sect members who had left the church.

Jacqueline LeBaron, the daughter of Utah polygamist Ervil LeBaron, was originally indicted in 1992 but was a fugitive for almost 20 years before being arrested last year in Honduras. She had faced 14 counts, including murder, and could have faced life in prison.

Jacqueline LeBaron was among six family members charged in the killings. Authorities say she and her family were following their sect's doctrine of blood atonement, in which defectors were killed.

Mountain Meadows Massacre memorial dedication on 9-11

Excerpts:Mountain Meadows group walks path of victims for first time by Mark Havnes, Salt Lake Tribune

Published: September 10, 2011 11:26PM
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Descendants of the victims of the Mountain Meadows Massacre and others interested in the 1857 atrocity had an opportunity Saturday to walk through history.

More than 100 people gathered in Washington County at the site of the infamous massacre of 120 California-bound emigrants by a Mormon militia. Thanks to land ownership changes, they were able for the first time to walk the path taken by the doomed, unarmed men and women from Arkansas as they were led away from the security of their besieged wagons under the guise of being taken to safety, then ruthlessly gunned down.

BYU Studies review - Nauvoo Polygamy: “. . . but we called it celestial marriage”

Review: Nauvoo Polygamy: ". . . but we called it celestial marriage" 
Author: George D. Smith

Reviewer: Thomas G. Alexander

Journal: 50:3

Although focusing on the introduction of plural marriage by Joseph Smith, Nauvoo Polygamy is also an analysis of the background of pre-Mormon polygamy, a consideration of the expansion of the institution, and the testimony of those who entered it. Significantly, it is the first attempt since Todd Compton's In Sacred Loneliness to provide a critical list and analysis of the women whom Joseph married. It is not, however, an attempt to provide a statistical analysis of plural marriage, and its consideration of the operation of plural family life is much shorter than we find in the works of Kathryn Daynes and Jessie Embry. Rather, it essays more on the organizational aspects of the practice, the antecedent practices, and the opposition to the practice. It also focuses more on internal opposition rather than on outside political pressure, as found in Sarah Barringer Gordon's The Mormon Question.

…George Smith's Nauvoo Polygamy is an excellent book.

The Essential Parley P. Pratt - online

The Essential Parley P. Pratt (now online)

Foreword by Peter L. Crawley

One of the first converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Parley Parker Pratt (1807-57) would eventually become early Mormonism's most famous and widely published defender. ...


Contents