Wilford Woodruff’s 1897 Testimony in Context: New Discoveries

Excerpts of  Highlights from BYU Studies 50th Anniversary Symposium,  Meridian Magazine

Wilford Woodruff's 1897 Testimony in Context: New Discoveries
by Richard Neitzel Holzapfel, BYU

Richard Neitzel Holzapfel spoke on Wilford Woodruff's March 12, 1897, testimony—the first testimony of a Latter-day Prophet to be audio recorded. Of all the experiences Woodruff had and all the doctrines he knew, what did he choose to record for posterity, both in writing and on the first sound recording? He emphasized his testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith and that fact that Smith revealed priesthood ordinances and conferred priesthood keys on the Twelve.

Throughout Wilford Woodruff's life, he frequently referred to the last meeting the Quorum of the Twelve had with Joseph Smith before leaving on their missions and Smith's martyrdom. Yet Woodruff, one of the best diary keepers in Church history, recorded little about this event on March 26, 1844: "A rainy day. I met in council with the brethren." Joseph Smith's diary mentions he was in council from 9:00 to 12:00 and again from 2:00 to 5:00, and William Clayton's diary also notes a meeting on that day.

Later, during the succession crisis following Smith's death, Woodruff began to speak about the charges Joseph Smith gave to the Twelve in that meeting. For the next fifty-four years, he regularly referred to this event. If it was so life-changing and truly established the authority of the Twelve to lead the Church, why did Woodruff omit the details of the meeting from his diary? Holzapfel shared what seems to be an insignificant journal entry from his own diary as an example: "Went on date to Wilkinson Center." When talking about that date, he fills in more details from his memory. That is because he later married the woman whom he took on that date, so what seemed insignificant took on added meaning.

Perhaps Woodruff did not recognize the true significance of the meeting until Smith's martyrdom. However, a more likely theory is that no one took minutes because of the sacred nature of so many of Smith's teachings. In his recorded testimony, Wilford Woodruff did not address his witness of the Book of Mormon, the First Vision, or anything else that was not disputed at the time. He was partly responding to rumors and questions regarding the origin of the endowment. But he was also preparing his testimony for future, unseen generations. As the last Apostle living who had been in the meeting with Joseph Smith, he felt a responsiblity to encapsulate what he felt was the Smith's legacy---priesthood, temple ordinances, and the resulting blessings. Through his teachings and revelations, Joseph Smith clarified why the Savior taught that "great shall be your reward in heaven"--not that heaven itself is the reward. Joseph Smith and Wilford Woodruff believed there is more and that it had to do with eternal families and exaltation.

While historians prefer to work with contemporary sources, often these sources are fragmentary and participants' recordings of memories after the fact must be used to help fill in the gaps. Holzapfel argued that Woodruff's memories of that important meeting are reliable, even if they are colored and shaped by retrospect, because the core of the story never changed, including the date, the participants, the location, and Joseph Smith's appearance (his face shone "like amber"). He especially recounted Joseph Smith placing the burden of the kingdom on the Twelve's shoulders, warning them to bear off the kingdom or be damned.

Hozapfel pointed out, "Our memory challenges us on nonessential points. but on events that change our lives, our memory is magnified." Wilford Woodruff was not a detached observer in that Nauvoo meeting but a participant in something that deeply affected himself and his understanding of his life's mission. Holzapfel said, "It's not surprising that his memory would allow him to recall specific points about that day throughout his life."

Finally, Holzapfel revealed an exciting possibility. Wilford Woodruff recorded the same testimony twice, on two different dates, in order to get a better sound recording. Why, then, did the Church have a third cylinder in its archives? Holzapfel read a statement from George Q. Cannon, explaining that both he and Joseph F. Smith also recorded their witnesses that they were present to hear Wilford Woodruff's testimony. What if the third cylinder holds the only recording of George Q. Cannon and the earliest recording of Joseph F. Smith? If there is a way to extract the audio from those cylinders and re-record them, it will be exciting to find out what they hold.

Society for Mormon Philosophy and Theology: “The Measure of Their Creation—Theological Anthropology"

Society for Mormon Philosophy and Theology Seventh Annual Meeting
March 25-27, 2010
Utah Valley University, Orem, Utah

2010 SMPT Annual Meeting Schedule

Theme:	"The Measure of Their Creation—Theological Anthropology"
Location:	Library Lecture Hall (LI 120) Utah Valley University, Orem, Utah
Host:	UVU Religious Studies Program

• Panel: Remembering Truman Madsen: Patriarch of Mormon Philosophy
• "Re-thinking Grace and All We Can Do" Sheila Taylor, Graduate Theological Union
• "The Natural Man and Enmity to God" Graham Stott, Arab American University
• "Mormonism Dysembodied: Placing LDS Theology in Conversation with Disability" Anne Leahy, independent scholar and ASL translator
• '"Which Thing I Never Had Supposed": The Problem of Evil and the Problem of Man' Loyd Ericson, Claremont Graduate University
• "Pre-existence, the Problem of Evil, and Two Kinds of Freedom" Benjamin Huff, Randolph-Macon College
• "Finding the Divine in Man: Romantic Angst and the Collapse of Transcendence" Terryl L. Givens, University of Richmond
• "Are Mormons Pelagians?" Brian Birch, Utah Valley University
• "Reflections on Justification, Theosis, and Grace in Christian and Mormon Discourse" Grant Underwood, Brigham Young University
• "The Life of the World" Adam Miller, Collin College
• "Dual Innocence and the Preparatory Redemption" Rob Line, LDS Institute, University of Utah
• "Internal Landscapes: Considerations On the Role of the Body As a Map For Environmental Awareness" Pat Debenham, Brigham Young University
• "Approaching Justice: Toward a Mormon Conception of the Difference Principle" Chris Henrichsen, Brigham Young University
• "Subjectivity and Truth: Towards a Basic Mormon Anthropology" Joseph Spencer, Utah Valley University
• "Subjection, Mastery, and Discipleship" Jennifer Lane, Brigham Young University - Hawaii, Elizabeth Sewell, Brigham Young University
• "The Implications of Evolution and Consciousness for Key LDS Doctrines" Steven Peck, Brigham Young University
• "The New God Argument" Lincoln Cannon and Joseph West, Mormon Transhumanist Association
• "Divine Anthropology: Translating the Suprahuman Chain" Sam Brown, Intermountain Medical Center, Salt Lake City
• "Plato, Purity, and the Iconoclast Temptation: A Catholic Imaginarium" David K. O'Connor, University of Notre Dame
• "The Prodigal Son" Kevin Hart, University of Virginia
• "I've a Mother There" David Paulsen, Brigham Young University
• "Literal Spirit Birth" Eric Nielson, mechanical engineer, Sturgis, Michigan
• "Religious Certainty and Uncertainty in Kierkegaard's Authorship" Keith Lane, Brigham Young University-Hawaii
• "Anthropology as Epistemology: A Kierkegaardian Basis for Mormon Testimony Claims" Blake Ostler, attorney, Thompson Ostler & Olsen
• "Pre-Existence and Chaos: The Struggle for Order" Jim McLachlan, Western Carolina University
• (title TBA) Laurence Hemming, Institute of Advanced Studies, Lancaster University

BYU Studies turns 50

Excerpts of Journal-on-LDS-scholarship-celebrates-50-years,  by Sara Israelsen-Hartley, Deseret News
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"This is a special event," said the journal's editor John Welch, a BYU law professor and a scholar of history and classical languages, "to celebrate, bring people together and do what we like doing best, which is exploring academic insights into Mormon topics."

Those insights abound in BYU Studies, the university's multi-disciplinary journal published four times a year.

It's a place where scholars write about things that appeal to the LDS community, and share insights from their disciplines through the lens of the gospel of Jesus Christ, Welch said.

The journal began in 1959 in the English department as the "Wasatch Review," but then-BYU president Ernest Wilkinson saw the need for a university-wide outlet for scholarly work and broadened its scope, Welch said.

For details about subscriptions, past editions or the upcoming symposium visit: byustudies.byu.edu.

Charity-based churches upset with Glen Beck

Excerpts of Glenn Beck's Advice on 'Social Justice' Churches Sparks Outrage by Jennifer Riley, Christian Post
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Anti-poverty Christian groups are up in arms after popular political commentator Glenn Beck urged Christians to leave their church if it talks about social justice.

Beck, a Mormon, said the word "social justice" is code for communism and Nazism.

In his radio and television show last week on Fox News, Beck urged Christian viewers to talk to their pastor or priest about the word social justice if their church uses the term. If the church leader refuses to change the church's commitment to social justice, then they should leave, Beck continued.

"Now, am I advising people to leave their church? Yes!" he exclaimed.

Later in the show, Beck held up cards with a hammer and sickle on one and a swastika on the other. He said communism and Nazis both have the same philosophy and in America "social justice" is the code word for both.

Meanwhile, anti-hunger ministry Bread for the World said it does not usually feel compelled to respond to Beck's outrageous statements. But it said his recent comments had "gone too far."

"[W]e say Jesus called us to care for 'the least of these,'" wrote Jim McDonald, managing director of Bread for the World, in an e-mail to The Christian Post. "No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, it is impossible for biblically-literate people to deny the thousands of verses in the Bible about hunger and poverty."

Sojourners and Bread for the World are calling on Christians to send Glenn Beck a message to protest his comparison of church-based social justice and communism.

Notably, Beck's religious group, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or the Mormon church, is widely regarded by Christians as either a heretical Christian sect, a cult, or another Abrahamic religion.

New Torah For Modern Minds

New Torah For Modern Minds By MICHAEL MASSING, New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/09/books/new-torah-for-modern-minds.html?pagewanted=1
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Abraham, the Jewish patriarch, probably never existed. Nor did Moses. The entire Exodus story as recounted in the Bible probably never occurred. The same is true of the tumbling of the walls of Jericho. And David, far from being the fearless king who built Jerusalem into a mighty capital, was more likely a provincial leader whose reputation was later magnified to provide a rallying point for a fledgling nation.

Such startling propositions -- the product of findings by archaeologists digging in Israel and its environs over the last 25 years -- have gained wide acceptance among non-Orthodox rabbis. But there has been no attempt to disseminate these ideas or to discuss them with the laity -- until now.

The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, which represents the 1.5 million Conservative Jews in the United States, has just issued a new Torah and commentary, the first for Conservatives in more than 60 years. Called ''Etz Hayim'' (''Tree of Life'' in Hebrew), it offers an interpretation that incorporates the latest findings from archaeology, philology, anthropology and the study of ancient cultures. To the editors who worked on the book, it represents one of the boldest efforts ever to introduce into the religious mainstream a view of the Bible as a human rather than divine document.

''When I grew up in Brooklyn, congregants were not sophisticated about anything,'' said Rabbi Harold Kushner, the author of ''When Bad Things Happen to Good People'' and a co-editor of the new book. ''Today, they are very sophisticated and well read about psychology, literature and history, but they are locked in a childish version of the Bible.''

''Etz Hayim,'' compiled by David Lieber of the University of Judaism in Los Angeles, seeks to change that. It offers the standard Hebrew text, a parallel English translation (edited by Chaim Potok, best known as the author of ''The Chosen''), a page-by-page exegesis, periodic commentaries on Jewish practice and, at the end, 41 essays by prominent rabbis and scholars on topics ranging from the Torah scroll and dietary laws to ecology and eschatology.

These essays, perused during uninspired sermons or Torah readings at Sabbath services, will no doubt surprise many congregants. For instance, an essay on Ancient Near Eastern Mythology,'' by Robert Wexler, president of the University of Judaism in Los Angeles, states that on the basis of modern scholarship, it seems unlikely that the story of Genesis originated in Palestine. More likely, Mr. Wexler says, it arose in Mesopotamia, the influence of which is most apparent in the story of the Flood, which probably grew out of the periodic overflowing of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The story of Noah, Mr. Wexler adds, was probably borrowed from the Mesopotamian epic Gilgamesh.

Equally striking for many readers will be the essay ''Biblical Archaeology,'' by Lee I. Levine, a professor at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. ''There is no reference in Egyptian sources to Israel's sojourn in that country,'' he writes, ''and the evidence that does exist is negligible and indirect.'' The few indirect pieces of evidence, like the use of Egyptian names, he adds, ''are far from adequate to corroborate the historicity of the biblical account.''

Similarly ambiguous, Mr. Levine writes, is the evidence of the conquest and settlement of Canaan, the ancient name for the area including Israel. Excavations showing that Jericho was unwalled and uninhabited, he says, ''clearly seem to contradict the violent and complete conquest portrayed in the Book of Joshua.'' What's more, he says, there is an ''almost total absence of archaeological evidence'' backing up the Bible's grand descriptions of the Jerusalem of David and Solomon.

The notion that the Bible is not literally true ''is more or less settled and understood among most Conservative rabbis,'' observed David Wolpe, a rabbi at Sinai Temple in Los Angeles and a contributor to ''Etz Hayim.'' But some congregants, he said, ''may not like the stark airing of it.'' Last Passover, in a sermon to 2,200 congregants at his synagogue, Rabbi Wolpe frankly said that ''virtually every modern archaeologist'' agrees ''that the way the Bible describes the Exodus is not the way that it happened, if it happened at all.'' The rabbi offered what he called a ''litany of disillusion'' about the narrative, including contradictions, improbabilities, chronological lapses and the absence of corroborating evidence. In fact, he said, archaeologists digging in the Sinai have ''found no trace of the tribes of Israel -- not one shard of pottery.''

The reaction to the rabbi's talk ranged from admiration at his courage to dismay at his timing to anger at his audacity. Reported in Jewish publications around the world, the sermon brought him a flood of letters accusing him of undermining the most fundamental teachings of Judaism. But he also received many messages of support. ''I can't tell you how many rabbis called me, e-mailed me and wrote me, saying, 'God bless you for saying what we all believe,' '' Rabbi Wolpe said. He attributes the ''explosion'' set off by his sermon to ''the reluctance of rabbis to say what they really believe.''

Before the introduction of ''Etz Hayim,'' the Conservative movement relied on the Torah commentary of Joseph Hertz, the chief rabbi of the British Commonwealth. By 1936, when it was issued, the Hebrew Bible had come under intense scrutiny from scholars like Julius Wellhausen of Germany, who raised many questions about the text's authorship and accuracy. Hertz, working in an era of rampant anti-Semitism and of Christian efforts to demonstrate the inferiority of the ''Old'' Testament to the ''New,'' dismissed all doubts about the integrity of the text.

Maintaining that no people would have invented for themselves so ''disgraceful'' a past as that of being slaves in a foreign land, he wrote that ''of all Oriental chronicles, it is only the Biblical annals that deserve the name of history.''

The Hertz approach had little competition until 1981, when the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, the official arm of Reform Judaism, published its own Torah commentary. Edited by Rabbi Gunther Plaut, it took note of the growing body of archaeological and textual evidence that called the accuracy of the biblical account into question. The ''tales'' of Genesis, it flatly stated, were a mix of ''myth, legend, distant memory and search for origins, bound together by the strands of a central theological concept.'' But Exodus, it insisted, belonged in ''the realm of history.'' While there are scholars who consider the Exodus story to be ''folk tales,'' the commentary observed, ''this is a minority view.''

Twenty years later, the weight of scholarly evidence questioning the Exodus narrative had become so great that the minority view had become the majority one.

Not among Orthodox Jews, however. They continue to regard the Torah as the divine and immutable word of God. Their most widely used Torah commentary, known as the Stone Edition (1993), declares in its introduction ''that every letter and word of the Torah was given to Moses by God.''

Lawrence Schiffman, a professor at New York University and an Orthodox Jew, said that ''Etz Hayim'' goes so far in accepting modern scholarship that, without realizing it, it ends up being in ''nihilistic opposition'' to what Conservative Jews stand for. He noted, however, that most of the questions about the Bible's accuracy had been tucked away discreetly in the back. ''The average synagogue-goer is never going to look there,'' he said.

Even some Conservative rabbis feel uncomfortable with the depth of the doubting. ''I think the basic historicity of the text is valid and verifiable,'' said Susan Grossman, the rabbi of Beth Shalom Congregation in Columbia, Md., and a co-editor of ''Etz Hayim.'' As for the mounting archaeological evidence suggesting the contrary, Rabbi Grossman said: ''There's no evidence that it didn't happen. Most of the 'evidence' is evidence from silence.''

''The real issue for me is the eternal truths that are in the text,'' she added. ''How do we apply this hallowed text to the 21st century?'' One way, she said, is to make it more relevant to women. Rabbi Grossman is one of many women who worked on ''Etz Hayim,'' in an effort to temper the Bible's heavily patriarchal orientation and make the text more palatable to modern readers. For example, the passage in Genesis that describes how the aged Sarah laughed upon hearing God say that she would bear a son is traditionally interpreted as a laugh of incredulity. In its commentary, however, ''Etz Hayim'' suggests that her laughter ''may not be a response to the far-fetched notion of pregnancy at an advanced age, but the laughter of delight at the prospect of two elderly people resuming marital intimacy.''

In a project of such complexity, there were inevitably many points of disagreement. But Rabbi Kushner says the only one that eluded resolution concerned Leviticus 18:22: ''Do not lie with a male as one lies with a woman; it is an abhorrence.'' ''We couldn't come to a formulation that we could all be comfortable with,'' the rabbi said. ''Some people felt that homosexuality is wrong. We weren't prepared to embrace that as the Conservative position. But at the same time we couldn't say this is a mentality that has been disproved by contemporary biology, for not everyone was prepared to go along with that.'' Ultimately, the editors settled on an anodyne compromise, noting that the Torah's prohibitions on homosexual relations ''have engendered considerable debate'' and that Conservative synagogues should ''welcome gay and lesbian congregants in all congregational activities.''

Since the fall, when ''Etz Hayim'' was issued, more than 100,000 copies have been sold. Eventually, it is expected to become the standard Bible in the nation's 760 Conservative synagogues.

Mark S. Smith, a professor of Bible and Near Eastern Studies at New York University, noted that the Hertz commentary had lasted 65 years. ''That's incredible,'' he said. ''If 'Etz Hayim' isn't around for 50 years or more, I'd be surprised.''

Its longevity, however, may depend on the pace of archaeological discovery.

Dobson "pushed" out of Focus on the Family?

Excerpts of  Did Focus On The Family Board Force Dobson Out? by Justin Elliott, TPMMuckraker.  More on James Dobson and the LDS Church
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A prominent friend and supporter of James Dobson believes Dobson was pushed aside by the new leadership of Focus on the Family, who want the powerhouse evangelical ministry to project a softer image on issues ranging from abortion to gay marriage to relations with President Obama.

Dobson founded Focus on the Family in 1977 and spent the next 25 years building it into the influential Christian conservative group it is today.

In little-noticed comments from the November show, Dobson seemed troubled by the board's decision to ask him to give up the program.

"[T]the board of directors voted privately on Wednesday -- before we got there -- to ask for my resignation, although their request was made with kindness and respect. We can only guess the reason for their decision because frankly I don't fully know," Dobson said. "But it apparently has to do with the desire for closure on my tenure and the beginning of another."

In a Feb. 6 Wall Street Journal story on the changes at Focus (for which Dobson also declined to comment), [new focus president] Daly said that "he has no use for the sharp personal attacks on politicians employed by Mr. Dobson. 'I don't see evil behind everything.'"

Mr. Daly said he preferred to build bridges with others. While Mr. Dobson blasted President Barack Obama for "fruitcake" ideas, Mr. Daly praised the president for his devotion to family and last summer attended a White House event celebrating fatherhood.

Solar churches, green downtown

Excerpts of Mormon Church seeks to be 'more proactive' in green-building efforts with City Creek, Deseret News, afalk@desnews.com

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It's part of City Creek Reserve Inc.'s goal to recycle half of the steel from the old Crossroads and ZCMI Center malls as officials target an LEED silver certification for the massive downtown development.

"The best lesson we've learned is, at the end of the day, it's probably not very much — or any — more expensive," said Bishop H. David Burton, presiding bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In briefing the Salt Lake City Council on the project's progress, Bishop Burton said "good planning" and recycled materials have helped keep the project under budget. Officials have not disclosed the cost of the project, though some have estimated the LDS Church will spend as much as $3 billion by the time the center opens in 2012.

The green building efforts happening at City Creek Center often are overlooked, said Councilman Soren Simonsen. It is part of a message Simonsen said he hopes church leaders might help spread as they help redevelop downtown.

"It's a very important message," the councilman said. "It's a message that's not always connecting with the masses."

Bishop Burton acknowledged the need for "good stewardship" and said the LDS Church had just recently begun experimenting with "solar meetinghouses." Three such buildings, which would depend primarily on solar power, are under construction, he said.

"In the things we advertise and the things we promote, we could probably be more proactive in that arena," Bishop Burton said. "It's a great story, and we ought to probably promote it more."

Improved restroom fixtures and lighting also will be important pieces in the push to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design accreditation.

Turley and Walker, "Mountain Meadows Massacre: The Andrew Jenson and David H. Morris Collections" (reviewed by Blair Dee Hodges)

Review
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Title: Mountain Meadows Massacre: The Andrew Jenson and David H. Morris Collections
Editors: Richard E. Turley, Jr., Ronald W. Walker
Publisher: Brigham Young University Press/University of Utah Press
Genre: History
Year: 2009
Pages: 342+ index [number includes the index, so is the format right?]
ISBN: 9780842527231
Binding: Cloth
Price: $44.95

Reviewed by Blair Dee Hodges

Andrew Jenson's 1892 mission call was unique. It was startling. As a full-time employee of the Church Historian's Office he was called—not to preach the good news—but to listen to the worst. Jenson's "letter of instructions" from the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints outlined his purpose:

"There have been many facts already published concerning [the Mountain Meadows Massacre]; but there is an opinion prevailing that all the light that can be obtained has not been thrown upon it. Many of those who had personal knowledge concerning what occurred at that time have passed away. Others are passing away; and ere long there will be no person alive who will know anything about it, only as they learn it from that which is written. We are desirous to obtain all the information that is possible upon this subject; not necessarily for publication, but that the Church may have it in its possession for the vindication of innocent parties, and that the world may know, when the time comes, the true facts connected with it" (3).

The letter was a kind of recommend Jenson would use to seek information during his wintry 620-mile round trip through southern Utah. It had been over 30 years since more than a hundred California-bound emigrants were slaughtered by Mormon settlers and some Paiute Indians in the Mountain Meadows Massacre, "arguably the worst incident in Latter-day Saint and antebellum Ozark history" (preface).

Jenson returned from his trip exhausted, reporting to the First Presidency: "I . . . have been successful in getting the desired information…But it has been an unpleasant business. The information that I received made me suffer mentally and deprived me of my sleep at nights" (6). The fruit of Jenson's mission, scribbled field notes as well as polished reports, served as sources for Orson F. Whitney's "History of Utah." But the informants had been promised anonymity, further blunting their credibility. A portion of Jenson's 30-plus documents remained closed in the First Presidency's collection, another portion largely forgotten in the Church Historian's Office (6-7). This is known as the Andrew Jenson collection.

Another collection of documents wasn't so easily forgotten, due in part to historian Juanita Brooks. While researching for her path-breaking book The Mountain Meadows Massacre (Stanford University Press, 1950), Brooks became aware of a group of affidavits collected by David H. Morris, an attorney and judge from St. George. Morris said little about his purpose in collecting statements from people connected to the massacre. Several of the documents in his collection pertained to other matters altogether (292). Brooks knew of, and became particularly interested in, a telegram in the collection from a man named "Lund," whom she incorrectly suspected was Anthon H. Lund, a member of the First Presidency (295).

To Brooks's chagrin the little collection was given to the First Presidency by Helen Forsha Hafen (Morris's foster daughter) after Morris died in 1937. "My hell, we're not supposed to read these," her "cowpuncher husband" Paul exclaimed (293). Despite Brooks's persistence (and a letter of recommend from one of her local church leaders) she was never allowed access (293-295). There they remained, like the Jensen collection, inaccessible to researchers for decades.

Most of the statements in the respective collections had been given under a vow of confidentiality. Church leaders were worried about stirring up old wounds among Mormons or providing fuel for critics of Mormonism (295). Now, the Jenson and Morris collections are available in their entirety for the first time; from the First Presidency's vault to the bookshelf.

The collections came to light again in 2002 during research for the book "Massacre at Mountain Meadows" by Richard E. Turley, Jr., Ronald W. Walker, and Glen M. Leonard (Oxford University Press, 2008). Turley and Walker have put together a beautiful though haunting book, containing color scans and full transcriptions of each of the often-barely-legible documents. "Mountain Meadows Massacre: The Andrew Jenson and David H. Morris Collections" is intended as a "supplement" to "Massacre":

"All the materials we used [for Massacre at Mountain Meadows] that are owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are now available at the Church History Library in downtown Salt Lake City. Among these materials are two sets of documents in which historians have had an interest for many years. To make these materials more widely available to the public—particularly those individuals who do not have access to the library—we are presenting these two collections in their entirety in this book" (preface).

The thin rectangular book (11 x 8.4 x 1.1 inches) contains little analysis of the content of the documents. Instead, the editors have provided short but helpful biographical summaries and detailed footnotes to flesh out the background of each piece in the collections. Some of the documents barely pertain to the massacre, and one—an affidavit from a plural wife of Joseph Smith—is included only to ensure publication of the entire collections (fully blank pages are also not included).

In a few instances the editors give a glimpse into their earlier use of some of the sources: "No testimony of a human witness can ever be completely accurate," they write in regards to massacre participant Nephi Johnson's affidavit, "nor was Johnson's, especially because so many years had passed between the massacre and his affidavits. Like other white settlers who played a part in the massacre, Johnson gave varying accounts of the role of the Indians, failing in his version of events to give convincing answers about why they were willing to take part in the killing and making too much of their role. Still, much from Johnson's statements has the ring of truth. Some of his details were confirmed by other witnesses. Other details in his accounts are convincing because they fit into a general pattern of personalities and events. They agree with what was going on, and their sequence is right. And the affidavits had the weight of Johnson's overall reputation for honesty--despite the awful stain of having spent two days at the Meadows in 1857" (326, see also 296).

Examining these sources brings readers a harrowing step closer to the tragic murders. It also brings into sharp focus the difficulty of researching or writing about the massacre, considering the partial or conflicting reports, the scattered recollections, and the high potential for prevarication and justification. Seeing actual handwriting and imagining the circumstances of these collections can put flesh on these ghosts, some of whom made great efforts to keep things hidden. Consider the chilling statement of Mary S. Campbell, a resident of Cedar City, who recalled:

"After the massacre the teachers were sent around enjoining upon the people to keep their mouths closed Example: If you see a dead men laying on your wood pile dead, you must not tell but go about your business. The people of Cedar was aware of the white's being guilty and hence causioned to be caref silent from the first" (45).

This meticulously edited and excellently produced book is a welcome addition to the ongoing BYU Studies series, "Documents in Latter-day Saint History." Its editors, publishers, and other contributors deserve much praise for their efforts to increase historical understanding by making these sources available. The intent behind this particular volume runs deeper, however, as noted by the editors: "While the massacre continues to shock and distress, we hope that the publication of these documents will be a further step in facilitating understanding, sharing sorrows, and promoting reconciliation" (preface).

-Blair Hodges

Mormon Women's Literary Tour

Excerpts of "Our Voices, Our Visions: A Mormon Women's Literary Tour" in Utah, March 25 - 27 by Jonathan Montgomery, Examiner.com

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Professor and author Joanna Brooks has organized "Our Voices, Our Visions: A Mormon Women's Literary Tour" to explore the diversity of women's experiences in Mormonism.  

What does it mean to be a Mormon woman in the 21st century? Award-winning Mormon poets, novelists, memoirists and non-fiction authors from California to Canada will explore this question in the historic Our Visions, Our Voices: The Mormon Women's Literary Tour, coming to university campuses throughout the Southwest, March 22 - 27, 2010.

Project founders Dr. Joanna Brooks of San Diego State University and Dr. Holly Welker of Salt Lake City have tapped into a range of denominations that share historic roots with the greater Mormon and Latter Day Saint traditions.

Readings will be held at Claremont College, San Diego, California, March 22; Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, March 23; Southern Utah University in Cedar City, March 25; Utah Valley University in Orem, March 26; and the University of Utah in Salt Lake, March 27.

The Utah Valley University Department of English is sponsoring the tour, with additional support from the Claremont University Mormon Studies program. Audio will be podcast at mormonmatters.org. Women writers who want to contribute to the tour's archive at the University of Utah Marriot Special Collections Library can bring their own writings to the readings.

For more information, call 619-594-5271 or visit http://mormonwomenwriters.blogspot.com/.

WebMD: Moderate Drinking Linked to Weight Control

It might be time to add weight control to the growing list of potential benefits for light to moderate drinking.
Normal-weight women who drank alcohol in moderation were less likely than women who didn't drink at all to become overweight or obese over more than a dozen years of follow-up.

Those who drank the equivalent of one to two drinks a day -- be it beer, wine, or liquor -- were 30% less likely than non-drinkers to become overweight or obese.

Study co-researcher Howard S. Sesso, ScD, MPH, cautions that people who do not drink alcohol should not take up the habit to keep from gaining weight.


http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20100308/moderate-drinking-linked-to-weight-control

DNA evidence confirms Israelite identity of African tribe

Excerpts of Report: DNA tests support Zimbabwe tribe's claim of Jewish roots ny Haaretz Service
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Scientists conducted DNA tests on a large sample of the Lemba people, which confirmed Semitic origins dating back more than two millennia.

The BBC says that the 80,000 Lemba tribe members abstain from eating pork, wear yarmulke-like skull caps, conduct ritual animal slaughter, and even put a Star of David on their gravestones.

The report says the tribe has an oral tradition that links them to the ancient Jews. They also circumcise their male children, which is not a common practice in Zimbabwe, but is one of the basic principles of the Jewish faith.

Members of the priestly clan of the Lemba even have a genetic element also found among the Jewish priestly line - known as Cohen.

"This was amazing," Professor Tudor Parfitt from the University of London told the BBC. "It looks as if the Jewish priesthood continued in the West by people called Cohen, and in same way it was continued by the priestly clan of the Lemba," he added.

"They have a common ancestor who geneticists say lived about 3,000 years ago somewhere in north Arabia, which is the time of Moses and Aaron when the Jewish priesthood started," Parfitt told the BBC.

In addition, the report says, the Lemba have a sacred prayer language that combines Hebrew and Arabic, which indicates their roots were in Israel and Yemen.

"We have been a very secretive people, because we believe we are a special people," religious Lemba singer Fungisai Zvakavapano-Mashavave told the BBC.

The tribe even uses a religious artifact they say connects them to their Jewish ancestry - a replica of the Biblical Ark known as the ngoma lungundu, meaning "the drum that thunders," which they say was made by Moses.

The tribe's oral tradition says that centuries ago a small group of men began a long journey carrying the ngoma lungundu from Yemen to southern Africa.

The Ark went missing during the 1970s and was eventually rediscovered in Harare in 2007 by Professor Parfitt.

"Many people say that the story is far-fetched, but the oral traditions of the Lemba have been backed up by science," Parfitt said.

Lesbian Utah State Lawmaker Steps Down, Cites Inequality

Excerpts of Lesbian Utah State Lawmaker Steps Down, Cites Inequality by Kilian Melloy
Friday Mar 5, 2010
--

Utah State Rep. Christine Johnson   
An openly lesbian member of the Utah House of Representatives says that she will be leaving state government come the end of this year.

"I'm not leaving because I'm giving up on the fight in Utah," said State Rep. Christine Johnson, a Democrat who has served two terms, reported the Salt Lake Tribune on March 4. "We have so many budding [GLBT] leaders that I'm anxious to see who's going to step up next."

Johnson took a swipe at the state legislature, saying in a statement that, "For the past four years, I have stood with my colleagues each morning of the session, placed my hand over my heart and pledged 'liberty and justice for all,' and yet repeatedly witnessed blatant disregard of those so in need of equal protections in the name of 'family values.' " Johnson added that "Utah is a better place when we suppress our entitled need to cast judgment on one another and instead respect the authenticity and free agency of each person."

The lawmaker's attempts to shepherd GLBT inclusive anti-discrimination bills into law have met defeat, the article said, but she succeeded in arranging for a cessation in anti-gay legislation--though at the cost of introducing or promoting pro-equality measures.

At the moment, there are two openly gay Utah lawmakers, a third having stepped down last year. When Johnson retires from her role in the house, only one gay lawmaker will be left, unless GLBT equality groups accomplish their stated goal of keeping Johnson's seat "a pro-LGBT seat," as Balken said her group hoped to do.

Association for Mormon Letters 2009 awards

Excerpts of Books: Association for Mormon Letters honors 14 winners by Ben Fulton, The Salt Lake Tribune

The Association for Mormon Letters has named 14 winners of its annual AML Awards.

Literary award winners are:

• Best novel » Todd Robert Petersen, Rift
• Best novel, honorable mention » Jamie Ford, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
• Best drama » Melissa Leilani Larson, "Little Happy Secrets"
• Best film » Jed Wells, "Fire Creek"
• Best humor writing » Elna Baker, The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance
• Best memoir » Kathryn Lynard Soper, The Year My Son and I Were Born
• Best online writing » Sandra Tayler, "One Cobble at a Time"
• Best poetry » Lance Larsen, Backyard Alchemy
• Best short fiction » Larry Menlove, "Path of Antelope, Pelican and Moon"
• Best young adult novel » Carol Lynch Williams, The Chosen One

Service and achievement awards:

• Publishing » Christopher Bigelow, owner of Zarahemla Books, publisher of Petersen's novel, Rift
• Service to AML » Kathleen Dalton-Woodbury
• Honorary Lifetime Membership » James D'Arc
• Smith-Pettit Foundation Award for Outstanding Contribution to Mormon Letters » Levi Peterson

Marie Osmond's Son “Conflicted Over Sexuality; Mormon Family”

Marie Osmond on Suicide Watch; Son Michael "Conflicted Over Sexuality; Mormon Family" Before Death; Legal Name Change Details Sealed, By Editorial Staff, People Magazine
--
Family and friends of Marie Osmond are keeping a close suicide watch on her following the Friday suicide death of her 18-year-old son Michael.

Michael jumped to his death from the eighth floor of his apartment building on the 900 block of S. Flower St. in Los Angeles near the school he was studying apparel manufacturing: the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising.

"I think Michael was distraught because he was conflicted over his sexuality and didn't believe he could ever come out as a gay man to his religious Mormon family," said a family insider to the National Enquirer.

"The family has placed what amounts to a suicide watch on Marie."

. . . .

2010 Restoration Studies / Sunstone Midwest Symposium

2010 Restoration Studies / Sunstone Midwest Symposium will take place on Thursday and Friday, April 8-9, immediately prior to the World Conference of the Community of Christ at the Graceland University, Independence Campus.

The theme of this year's symposium is "Identities & Relationships: Mormonism, Christianity, and the Community of Christ."  Papers/Panels presented:

• "Who is a Christian? The Perspective of Ecumenical Christianity." -- Don Compier
• "'Open Thou My Eyes': Joseph Smith's First Vision as an Invitation into Seership" -- Don Bradley
• "Community of Christ as Emergent/Emerging Church" -- Steve Shields
• "Hispanic Ministerial and Leadership Formation in the Community of Christ" -- John Glaser
• "Early Mormonism and Arminianism" -- Seth Bryant
• "God, Sex, and the Torah: Men, Women, and Homosexuality in a Biblical Context." -- Carol Cease Campbell
• "Religion and Cultural Antecedents of the Latter Day Restoration" -- George D. Smith
• "One Lord, One Faith, Many Olive Branches" -- Michael Humiston
• "How Christian are Mormons?" -- Marcello Jun de Oliveira
• "...And how Mormon is the Community of Christ?" -- Ron Dawbarn
• "Mormon Cosmology, Theology and Culture in Contemporary Popular Culture" -- Panelists: Stuart Palmer and others TBA
• "Studies of Twentieth-century Utah Mormon Sects" -- Panelists: Phil Barlow (chair), Ryan T. Roos, Christopher Blythe, and Christine Magula
• "Prophetic Discourse in RLDS Patriarchal Blessings" -- Gordon Shepard
• "The LDS Bible Dictionary, 1979-2009" -- Ryan Combs
• "The History of the Community of Christ in Continental France" -- Chrystal Vanel
• "The Mormon Cross Taboo" -- Michael Reed
• "Pelagian Theology and Joseph Smith's Conceptions of Free Will" -- TBA
• "Needed: Civil Discourse in Church and Society" -- Bill Russell
• "Joseph Smith's July 1843 Revelation Known as Section 132 in the LDS Doctrine and Covenants: Two Different Perspectives" -- Panelists: Newell Bringhurst and Craig Foster

Gay Marriage Is Legal in U.S. Capital

Excerpts of Gay Marriage Is Legal in U.S. Capital By IAN URBINA, New York Times
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Washington is now the sixth place in the nation where same-sex marriages can take place. Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont also issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Despite failing in court, opponents of the law vowed to fight another day.

The law survived Congressional attempts to block it, and Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. on Tuesday rejected a request from opponents of gay marriage to have the United States Supreme Court put the new law on hold.

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty signed the measure into law in December, but because Washington is not a state, the law had to undergo Congressional review, which ended Tuesday.

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington on Tuesday limited employee health care benefits to avoid coverage of same-sex couples. It was the second time Catholic Charities changed its rules to protest same-sex marriage, having earlier ended its foster care program.

The city's new law was already having regional implications.

Last Wednesday, Maryland's attorney general, Douglas F. Gansler, issued a legal opinion concluding that his state should immediately recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere.

Mr. Gansler's move is expected to draw legal and legislative challenges.

58% of LDS women admit premarital sex

Excerpts of From the Archive: 58% of LDS women admit premarital sex by Peggy Fletcher Stack, The Salt Lake Tribune

--
Fifty-eight percent of Mormon women admit to having sexual intercourse before marriage. And fewer than 70 percent of Mormon marriages are intact after 10 years - the lowest percentage among whites citing religious affiliation.

These were some of the findings presented by two Brigham Young University sociologists.

Fourteen percent of LDS teens say they have smoked a cigarette in the last month.

"No doubt, dramatic changes in sexual norms have . . . created a generation gap between leaders and the youth," said Tim Heaton, one of the sociologists who analyzed the sexual behavior and marital trends among Mormon women.

"These trends coupled with some reluctance to discuss sexual issues openly could lead to an increasing discrepancy between official codes of conduct and actual behavior."

Mr. Heaton looked at three national studies that examined women's behavior on the issues of sex, marriage and children. He then compared and analyzed Mormon women's behavior with other religious traditions and denominations.

These studies show that while premarital sexual behavior among Mormon women is increasing, it is still below the national norm.

Moreover, the percentage of LDS cohabitation is almost half the national number - 12 percent - and not increasing. Mr. Heaton speculated that this might be because cohabitation is a public flouting of church standards.

Other findings from Mr. Heaton's statistics include:

» The median age of LDS women at the time of marriage is 20.6 years, younger than all other groups except Baptists and fundamentalist Protestants.

» More Mormon women are married than the national average, 69 percent to 52 percent, respectively.

» The median age of first birth was 22, much younger than most other religious groups

» Seven percent of Mormon women give birth before marriage.

The number of LDS marriages intact after 10 years is a significant, said Mr. Heaton. Most people assume the reason is because Mormons marry young or have too high expectations. However, according to Mr. Heaton, those Mormons who marry at an older age - defined as any time after 23 - are much more likely to divorce.

Mr. Heaton speculates that this is because there is a great deal of pressure on "older" Mormon singles to marry and they might not make good choices.

Rhodes, "The Hor Book of Breathings: A Translation and Commentary" (reviewed by Joe Geisner)

Review

======

Title: The Hor Book of Breathings: A Translation and Commentary, Studies in the Book of Abraham, vol. 2
Author: Michael D. Rhodes
Publisher: The Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, Institute for the Study and Preservation of Ancient Religious Text
Genre: Scripture, Egyptian Funeral Text
Year Published: 2002
Number of Pages: 97
Binding: Cloth
ISBN: 0-934893-63-2
Price: $39.95

Reviewed by Joe Geisner

The Hor Book of Breathings: A Translation and Commentary is volume two of the series Studies in the Book of Abraham produced by The Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies. The other two volumes in the series are titled:  Astronomy, Papyrus, and Covenant by Gee and Hauglid; and Traditions about the Early Life of Abraham by Tvedtnes, Hauglid and Gee, is the third volume in this series.

Michael Rhodes is an associate professor of Ancient Scripture at BYU. Before BYU he worked for the U. S. Air Force working as a linguist in German and Russian, an intelligence officer and an electrical engineer. Rhodes has done graduate work in Egyptology at John Hopkins University, the Freie Universitat Berlin, and Oxford University.  Rhodes has also done graduate work in archeology at University of Utah with digs in Giza, Egypt and Petra, Jordan.

I will admit, I am completely taken by this volume. My hope is that this excitement will be contagious and all of you will go out and buy this wonderful book.  Students of Mormonism are being given a wonderful collection of primary source volumes and The Hor Book of Breathings: A Translation and Commentary is one of these books. Rhodes has provided an understandable commentary, beautiful color and grey scale photos, and a translation from Egyptian hieroglyphics to English.

Sometime between 1818 and 1822 Antonio Lebolo discovered a number of mummies with papyri near the Egyptian city of Thebes. After Lebolo's death eleven of these mummies with the accompanying papyri were sent to New York City. After their arrival a promoter named Michael Chandler acquired the mummies with the accompanying relics. In July 1835 Chandler sold four mummies, a hypcephalus (facsimile #2) and fragments of three separate papyri rolls to Joseph Smith and the Church. The papyrus fragments are known to include the Hor Book of Breathings, a part of chapter 125 Book of the Dead belonging to Neferirtnub and parts of a Book of the Dead belonging to Tshemmin (pp. 1-2). At Kirtland the ancient artifacts were placed in Joseph and Emma Smith's home, the John Johnson Inn, and the Kirtland temple. In Nauvoo the artifacts were displayed on the second floor of Smith's log house, Lucy Mack Smith's cabin and the Mansion House. The Saints went to great effort to preserve and protect these artifacts; and they were held as sacred relics by Joseph Smith and the early Mormons.

On May 26, 1856 Emma Smith and others sold the collection to a man named Abel Combs. Combs sold some of the collection to a St. Louis museum. This museum closed and the collection was moved to a Chicago museum. The famous Chicago fire of 1871 destroyed the museum and this part of the collection. After Combs died in 1892 his nurse received the papyri fragments. In 1947 Edward Heusser, the husband of the nurse, sold these artifacts to the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. At different times people recognized the importance of the papyri, but never made their find public. In the spring of 1966 Dr. Aziz Atiya, who was a professor at the University of Utah, was made aware of the papyri and contacted President N. Eldon Tanner of the First Presidency. From the spring of 1966 to the fall of 1967 Dr. Atiya worked as liaison between the Church and the Metropolitan Museum in facilitating the transfer of ownership.

A survey of this history along with substantial documentation is H. Donl Peterson's  The Story of the Book of Abraham, Deseret Book Company, 1995. Rhodes uses Peterson's work as his main source for detailing this history.

To give a feel for the importance of the papyri and the Rhodes volume I will quote from two letters written by the leaders of the Church and an account written by Dr. Atiya.

In an Improvement Era article written for the Church, Dr. Atiya wrote about his experience with President Tanner in setting up the acquisition of the papyri: "I met directly with President Tanner, who said the Church was very, very interested and would do anything or pay any price for them. Since that time, we worked quietly on the possibility of their transference to the Church." On November 7, 1967 in a letter sent by President Tanner to Thomas P. F. Hoving, director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Tanner wrote: "It is impossible for us to express in words our appreciation for the very generous action on the part of the Metropolitan Museum in giving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints a group of Egyptian funerary papyri formerly in the possession of Joseph Smith, one of which is illustrated in the Pearl of Great Price."A November 29, 1967 letter sent by the First Presidency to Dr. Atiya signed by David O. McKay, Hugh B. Brown, N. Eldon Tanner and Joseph Fielding Smith includes the following: "This collection is most significant in that it ties so closely with the early history of the Church, and supports completely the claim made by the Prophet Joseph Smith. These meaningful documents, which we appreciate so much having in our possession, will be treasured and preserved and will assist in future research and give further evidence of the authenticity of the Pearl of Great Price." Joseph Smith himself was progressive when it came to the mummies, the papyri and the relics.  Smith saw these ancient items as sacred, just as the Egyptians held them sacred. The preservation and protection of these artifacts was always important to Smith.

Eleven papyri fragments came from the Metropolitan Museum to the Church. These fragments originally came from three separate papyri rolls: the Hor Book of Breathings and two different Books of the Dead. Three of these fragments are the focus of Rhodes book (p.1).

The Hor Book of Breathings is an Egyptian Funeral text and one of twenty nine known examples of the "Book of Breathings Made by Isis." It comes from the Theban region in Egypt (p.13) and is from a family who belonged to the cult of Isis (p.3). The deceased Egyptian would use the papyri as a passport and guide to the netherworld. Dr. Rhodes explains that, "The general purpose of the Book of Breathings Made by Isis, like all Egyptian funerary compositions, was to provide the deceased with the essential information needed to be resurrected from the dead and attain eternal life with the gods in the hereafter. According to the instructions in the text of the Book of Breathings Made by Isis, it was to be placed on the breast of the deceased near the heart." (p. 14).

Marc Coenen, an Egyptologist living in Belgium, seems to be the expert on the "Book of Breathings Made by Isis," and Rhodes makes extensive use of his expertise.  One example of Rhodes following Coenen's lead is in naming the Hor Book of Breathings as a "Book of Breathings Made by Isis." (p. 14). Rhodes also provides information about the dating of the Hor Book of Breathing, citing Coenen that this is the earliest reliably dated "Book of Breathings Made by Isis." (pp. 3, 13). On pages 14-15 Rhodes gives a nice outline of what a "Book of Breathings Made by Isis" contains.

Rhodes provides a "Glossary of Gods, Place Names, and Egyptian Terminology" (pp. 73-75). If I had this glossary years ago it would have saved me many hours of trying to figure out what a Wadjet is, and many other things Egyptian. Rhodes also provides a "Complete Glossary of Egyptian Words in the Hor Book of Breathings." This is very cool; you can act like a Egyptologist and translate the hieroglyphics yourself (pp. 77-89). Rhodes provides a section on paleography -a study of ancient writing showing that the Smith papyri matches papyri from the Greco-Roman period, 332 B.C. to 395 A.D.(pp. 5–6).

I found chapter 4 to be very interesting. Here, Rhodes provides details about the two vignettes (Facsimiles No. 1 and No. 3 found in the Pearl of Great Price) in the Hor Book of Breathings. He explains that these vignettes would occur at each end of the papyrus roll and that the vignette at the beginning (Facsimile No. 1in the Pearl of Great Price) is unique in the Hor Book of Breathings when compared with the other known "Book of Breathings Made by Isis." Eighteen of the twenty-nine known examples of these "Book of Breathings Made by Isis" have vignettes, and some are similar to Facsimile No. 3 found in the Pearl of Great Price. Rhodes provides information as to the figures and objects in the vignettes; Facsimiles No. 1 and No. 3. For example, Rhodes tells the reader that the black figure (figure No. 3) in Facsimiles No. 1, is with "reasonable certainty," Anubis. Rhodes also compares the two vignettes with a number of other "Book of Breathings Made by Isis."

In addition to the above, Rhodes provides a transliteration and translation in chapter 4 of the two vignettes (Facsimiles No. 1 and No. 3). In chapter 5 Rhodes provides the transliteration and translation for the Hor Book of Breathings. I believe it is important for the reader to get a feel for Rhodes' translation of the papyri. To accomplish this I have included Rhodes' translation of Facsimile No. 1and No. 3.

Translation of the original of Facsimile No. 1 [The numbers in ( ) identify the hieroglyphics in columns. The columns in Egyptian are read from right to left]



(1)   [The Osiris, God's father] priest of Amon-Re, king of the gods, priest of Min, who massacres his enemies, priest of Khonsu, who is powerful in Thebes. (2) . . . Hor, justified, the son of one of like titles, master of the secrets, god's priest, Usirwer, justified, born of [the house wife, the musician (3) of Amon-Re,] Taykhebyt. May your soul live in their midst. May you be buried at the head of the West. . . . (4) . . . (5) [. . . ] May you give him beautiful and useful things on the west [of Thebes] like the mountains of Manu. (pp. 21, 23)


Of special interest is Rhodes translation of the characters associated with Facsimile No. 3 found in the Pearl of Great Price. Rhodes has provided the clear identification of the numbered figures:

[Bottom line of Facsimile No. 3, characters from left to right:]
The gods of the West, the gods of the cavern, the gods of the south, north, west, and east say: May Osiris Hor, justified, born of Taykhebet, prosper.

[Figure 2, characters to the right of Isis:]
The great Isis, mother of the god.

[Figure 1, characters to the right of Osiris:]
(1) Words spoken by Osiris, the Foremost of the Westerners: (2) May you, Osiris Hor, abide at (3) the side of the throne of his greatness.

[Figure 4, characters to the left of Maat:]
Maat, Lady of the West.

[Figure 5, characters in front of Hor:]
(1) Osiris Hor, the (2) justified forever.

[Figure 6, characters in front of Anubis:]
(1) Words spoken by Anubis who make protection (2) Lord of heaven, Foremost of (3) the Westerners.
(p. 25)

The papyrus image on page 34 would be to the left of Facsimile No. 1. Part of this text explains where to place the papyrus roll on the deceased individual so that it assists in the afterlife. Michael Rhodes has provided the translation of this instruction in his book:

Translation of column, lines 1-9 to the left of original of Facsimile No. 1 [read from right to left:]

1.   [Osiris shall be brought in] to the great pool of Khonsu,

(2) and likewise [the Osiris Hor, justified] born of Taykhebyt, justified,

(3) after his two hands have been clasped to his heart.

(4) The Document of Breathing which <Isis> made shall (also) be buried, which

(5) is written on both the inside and outside of it, (wrapped) in royal linen, being placed <under>

     his

(6) left arm near his heart, while the bearer of

(7) his coffin works on its outside. If this book is made for him, then he will

(8) breathe like the souls of the gods forever and

(9) ever.

(pp. 27-28)

Highlights of the book are the images of the papyri. On pages 32-41 are the high resolution color photographs with a hieroglyphic transcription. This is where you can use the second glossary and translate the images yourself. From pages 43-47 Rhodes provides high resolution gray scale photos. The advantage of having both sets of images is that some details are clearer in one format than in another. Rhodes has made this book the point of departure for any further research on this part of the Joseph Smith papyri.

It has been eight years since the publishing of The Hor Book of Breathings: A Translation and Commentary. On page one; Rhodes tells us that, "The Book of the Dead fragments will be the subject of a separate book."  I hope this volume will be published soon. If it is of the same caliber as the book reviewed above, we will have another winner from the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies.

This book is essential for anyone interested in the Book of Abraham. It allows the reader to see Facsimile No. 1 in its original form. This provides a great opportunity to see the papyri and have the translation of the Egyptian hieroglyphics that Joseph Smith and the early Saints held as sacred. The papyri are preserved in the Church Historical Library. Rhodes has given us a wonderful opportunity to see these sacred relics in all their glory, and provides the text that allows us to understand the papyri as the Egyptians would have understood them.

Final briefs filed in Prop8 case

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/02/28/BATB1C8B5M.DTL

2 sides file pile of paperwork in Prop. 8 case
Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer
Sunday, February 28, 2010

Opposing sides in the legal battle over same-sex marriage in California have laid out their cases in writing to a federal judge, disputing the status of gays and lesbians in society, the nature of marriage, and the motives behind the ballot measure that defined marriage as the union of a man and a woman.

"Californians voted for Proposition 8 because they thought it would strengthen the institution of marriage (and) ... because they thought it would benefit children," sponsors of Prop. 8 said Friday night in papers filed in federal court in San Francisco.

Their opponents, representing two same-sex couples and the city of San Francisco, said those purported goals of Prop. 8 were contradicted by overwhelming evidence at a 12-day trial in January that allowing same-sex couples to wed would benefit their children and the institution of marriage. Regardless of the intentions of individual voters, they argued, the Prop. 8 campaign was designed to appeal to fear and deep-seated prejudice.

"The evidence demonstrates that Proposition 8's actual motivation was moral disapproval of gay and lesbian individuals," said the measure's opponents, plaintiffs in the federal court case. They said the ballot measure "sends a message to gay and lesbian individuals that they are not welcome in California."

The two sides filed hundreds of pages shortly before a midnight deadline, containing sharply contrasting summaries of the evidence presented at last month's trial, the first ever held in federal court on same-sex marriage.

Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker, presiding over the nonjury trial, plans to review the material before hearing lawyers' final arguments, which have not yet been scheduled. Walker has indicated that his ruling will include detailed findings on the purposes and effects of Prop. 8, assessments that could hold the key to the measure's fate in appeals likely to reach the U.S. Supreme Court.

Prop. 8, approved by 52 percent of the voters in November 2008, amended the California Constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage, overturning a May 2008 state Supreme Court ruling that extended marital rights to gays and lesbians. The state court upheld the initiative last May while also upholding 18,000 same-sex marriages performed in the state before Prop. 8 passed.

Because Prop. 8 eliminated rights that the California court had granted, plaintiffs in the federal suit want Walker to put it in the same category as a 1992 Colorado initiative that overturned local gay-rights laws and prohibited future anti-discrimination measures. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Colorado initiative in 1996 and said its sole purpose was to harm a disfavored minority.

Prop. 8's "express and stated purpose ... was to strip gay and lesbian individuals of constitutional rights" they had won in the state court, plaintiffs' lawyers said. They said Yes on 8 campaign messages "echoed fears that children must be 'protected' from gay and lesbian people."
Imbalance of evidence

The measure's sponsors, a conservative religious coalition called Protect Marriage, argued that subjective purposes were irrelevant and that Prop. 8 should be judged by its text: "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." They also invoked President Obama - who said he opposes same-sex marriage for religious reasons, while also opposing Prop. 8 - as evidence that support for traditional marriage is not based in bigotry.

Friday's filings reflected, to some degree, the imbalance of evidence at the trial. Opponents of Prop. 8 presented 16 witnesses, including the individual plaintiffs - two gay men from Burbank and two lesbians from Berkeley - and a procession of university researchers to make the case that marriage is a historically evolving institution, that anti-gay discrimination is persistent and same-sex marriage would not affect heterosexuals.

Extending marital rights to gays and lesbians "strengthens the institution of marriage for both same-sex couples and opposite-sex couples," plaintiffs' lawyers declared, citing their witnesses' testimony. Despite some recent progress, they said, gays and lesbians "lack political power to defend their basic rights," are not protected from discrimination by federal laws or the laws of most states, and are the disproportionate targets of hate crimes and of ballot initiatives like Prop. 8.
Witnesses withdrawn

Protect Marriage withdrew four of its six scheduled witnesses at the start of the trial - saying they feared television coverage, which the Supreme Court had blocked - and presented two witnesses, political science Professor Kenneth Miller and the president of the Institute for American Values, David Blankenhorn.

The Prop. 8 sponsors cited research works, but no witness testimony, for one of their central assertions Friday: that "extending marriage to same-sex couples would result in a profound change to the definition, structure, and public meaning of marriage." Their opponents urged Walker to disregard such assertions, saying they contradict most academic studies and were never tested in court.

Citing Miller's testimony, Prop. 8's backers said gays and lesbians have strong political allies, particularly in California, and "have achieved the power they need to effectively pursue their goals through democratic institutions" without judicial intervention.

They cited Blankenhorn and the writings of conservative scholars for the conclusion that marriage is universally defined by "maleness and femaleness" and that one of its central purposes is "the encouragement of procreation under specific conditions" - a purpose best served, they argued, by limiting marriage to a man and a woman.

E-mail Bob Egelko at begelko@sfchronicle.com.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/02/28/BATB1C8B5M.DTL

This article appeared on page C - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle

Memorial held for gay Mormon who committed suicide

Excerpts of Memorial held for gay Mormon who committed suicide in Los Altos by Diana Samuels
--

Ten years ago, Henry Stuart Matis walked up to the steps of a Mormon church in Los Altos with a note reading "Do not resuscitate" pinned to his shirt, and shot himself.

He was a 32-year-old gay man and devoted member of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and after a lifetime spent struggling to reconcile the two, explained in a suicide note that "for the first time in over 20 years, I am free from my pains.

"As I believed that I was a Christian, I believed that I could never be gay," he wrote. "Perhaps my death ... might become the catalyst for much good ... Your actions might help to save many young people's lives."

Early Thursday morning — the 10th anniversary of Matis' death — a group of local Mormons and others held a memorial vigil for Matis in Los Altos.


Robert Rees of the Santa Cruz stake, who served as a spiritual adviser to Matis, said the event was meant "to honor a good man who left life much earlier than he should have, whose passing was tragic but whose message was one of hope to other people."

George Cole, a San Francisco resident who is gay and serves on the executive committee of Affirmation, a support and advocacy group for gay and lesbian current and former Mormons, said he didn't know Matis personally but has "lost too many very good friends to suicide.

"I know what it is like to seriously consider taking your life, he said.

Cole said he left the Mormon church in 2002.

"I chose happiness and fulfillment at the cost of not having the church in my own life," he said.