Joseph Smith Papers: Histories, Vol. 1 (1832-1844)

Joseph Smith Papers: Histories, Vol. 1 (1832-1844) The Joseph Smith Papers Project has released Histories, Volume 1: Joseph Smith Histories, 1832-1844, the first volume in its Histories series. This volume contains compelling narratives of Joseph Smith's life and of early Latter-day Saint history - including several accounts of the First Vision and of the visits of the angel Moroni. Presented in this first volume of the Histories series are the six histories that Joseph Smith personally wrote, dictated, or supervised. The volume also contains several dozen photographs, maps, charts, and other illustrations that help bring the historical narratives to life.

Forms of re-baptism in Mormon history

The next topic at LDS-Church-History will cover forms of rebaptism in Mormon history. Various types of rebaptism will be analyzed, including baptism for recommitment, baptism for health, baptism for the dead, reformation baptism, and even baptism to prepare for plural marriage.

Baptism within the Latter Day Saint tradition followed a separate trajectory from other Christian practices of baptism in the 19th century. Revelations received at the formation of the church required already baptized Christians to be rebaptized into the church due to issues of apostasy and authority. Later, new forms of baptism became available to members of the church,

Mormon gender roles enter political debate

Excerpts of Why Ann Stayed Home, BuzzFeed, McKay Coppins
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Ann Romney was already fully immersed in stay-at-home motherhood — raising five sons, — when Mormon prophet Ezra Taft Benson took to a pulpit on February 22, 1987 and delivered a definitive sermon on gender roles in the church titled, "To the Mothers of Zion."

Association for Mormon Letters conference

The Association for Mormon Letters will hold its annual conference on April 21st at Utah Valley University. The theme of the conference is: "Going Forth Into All the World: Mormon Literature in an International Church." Keynote speaker will be Elder John H. Groberg, Emeritus Seventy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose LDS mission was the subject of the film The Other Side of Heaven. Panelists will talk about various authors and LDS film and literature throughout the world.

Joseph Smith's 1st plural wife becomes part of political wrangling

Excerpts of "The Story Behind Lawrence O'Donnell's Apology to Mormons" by Michael Scherer, Time 2012 Swampland
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MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell apologized Wednesday night for inaccurate comments he made a week earlier about the origins of the Mormon church. "I am truly sorry if I said something inaccurate about Joseph Smith..."

"This Is My Doctrine": The Development of Mormon Theology

" .. no one interested in Mormon teachings should ignore the vast amount of information in this book.  It used to be that books about Mormon doctrine were either prescriptive, by Mormon theologians, saying what the correct doctrine was, or critical, by critics of Mormonism, saying why Mormon doctrine (as they understood it) was false.  This book is of neither kind, and will be of great worth to both sides.  I know of no other book like it. ..."

Review

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Title: "This Is My Doctrine": The Development of Mormon Theology

Author: Charles R. Harrell

Reviewed by Richard Packham for the Association for Mormon Letters

Gay Mormon Panel at BYU

Excerpts of "BYU's Gay Mormon Panel a Huge Success, Overflow Crowds Turned Away", TrevorAntley.com
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[On April 4 at] Brigham Young University, a panel of three self-identified homosexual students and one bisexual student talked openly regarding their struggles with their sexuality and how they have coped with their same-gender attraction along with their Mormon faith. ...  "Everything you wanted to know about being gay at BYU but were too afraid to ask."

...The university-sanctioned panel-discussion for gay, lesbian, and bisexual BYU students was met with perhaps more success than its organizers anticipated.

BYU students "It Gets Better" video

Below are excerpts of "Gay Mormon students at BYU come out in Web video," Associated Press. Following these excerpts are links to individual videos from which the BYU 'It Gets Better' video was made. 

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Students from a strict Mormon college that prohibits "homosexual behavior" have launched a Web video aimed at reassuring other gay and lesbian youth struggling with their faith and sexual orientation.