History of the Word of Wisdom

Mormons are not
supposed to drink coffee

The next topic at LDS-Church-History will be the Word of Wisdom.  Every day, a few items regarding the history of the Word of Wisdom will be posted, gradually covering its entire history.

Some have suggested the Word of Wisdom has taken the place of polygamy as the common outward badge of identification for Latter-day Saints.
With the abandonment of polygamy by the LDS church and the increased enforcement of the Word of Wisdom into the mid-20th century, members of the Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-day Saints are more likely to be identified as those who don't drink coffee, alcohol, or smoke.

A vigorous temperance movement
swept the U.S. in the early 19th century

Factors related to the Word of Wisdom include an evolving standard of compliance for church members 

The Claremont Journal of Mormon Studies, Inaugural Issue

The Claremont Journal of Mormon Studies

Inaugural Issue now Available

Download (PDF) the digital version of the first issue of the Claremont Journal of Mormon Studies. This issue includes an editor introduction to the Journal, "Where Is the 'Mormon' in Mormon Studies?" by Loyd Ericson. Other articles include:

• "The Inspired Fictionalization of the 1835 United Firm Revelations" by Christopher C. Smith
• "The Great God, the Divine Mind, and the Ideal Absolute: Orson Pratt's Intelligent-Matter Theory and the Gods of Emerson and James" by Jordan Watkins
• "Prolegomena to Any Future Study of Isaiah in the Book of Mormon" by Joseph M. Spencer

Conservative Artwork censored at BYU?

Excerpts of "BYU Censors Artwork for Being Too Conservative" by Jon McNaughton, plus selected comments.
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This is a sad day for me to have to write this.  ... After recent events I had to let the public know why I have chosen to pull all my art from the BYU Bookstore.

My letter sent to the BYU Daily Universe:

I have a simple question for BYU…what in the heck is going on over there?!  I am an artist who has sold his work at the BYU Bookstore for many years.  But in light of recent events, I cannot in good conscious show my art there any longer.

Modern Mormonism: Myths and Realities

"Life is much, much too short to spend our days either attacking those who are different or exhausting our strength and resources defending our own point of view...I have come to know, through both painful and sweet experiences, that building friendships and nurturing relationships is vital in coming to settle doctrinal differences" (99).

So writes Robert L. Millet, who has spent the past decade conversing and writing specifically, though unofficially, with Evangelical Christians about the beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While "readily admit[ting] that there are doctrinal differences between Latter-day Saints and more 'traditional' Christians," Millet is troubled by those who claim Mormons are not Christian and hopes for a more "broad and inclusive vision of Christianity" (xv). In his new book "Modern Mormonism: Myths and Realities" Millet hopes to model a respectful "Bible based discussion" by approaching eleven "key issues" he has frequently encountered as objections to the LDS faith (xvii). ...

'The Book of Mormon' movie?

Excerpts of Trey Parker and Matt Stone's 'Book of Mormon' to become a feature film? by Scott Wampler, Examiner.com
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Trey Parker and Matt Stone--are currently enjoying a tidal wave of positive reviews for their first Broadway musical, The Book of Mormon.  The show's been selling out since it opened, has wowed critics, and appears well on its way to cleaning up at this year's Tony awards.  So, how 'bout a movie version for all us peons that can't make it to NYC?  From the sound of things, it'll happen sooner rather than later. 

Tower of Babel - in Africa ?

Excerpts of Evolutionary Babel was in southern Africa by Ferris Jabr, New Scientist
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Where did humanity utter its first words? A new linguistic analysis attempts to rewrite the story of Babel by borrowing from the methods of genetic analysis – and finds that modern language originated in sub-Saharan Africa and spread across the world with migrating human populations.

Christian History

I was pleasantly surprised to receive a copy of Christian History Magazine in my mailbox this week.  I had previously subscribed, but was saddened when Christian History ceased publication as the Internet took its toll on many magazines and journals.  However, they are back in business, working on a donations only basis.

Their past publications have been informative, not too academic, with each issue focusing on a particular period, event or person in history.  For me it was the perfect way to acquaint myself with the rich history of Christianity.

Current Issue of Christian History

Review: "Howard W. Hunter: Man of Thought and Independence, Prophet of God"

... "Telling the stories of the prophets can be a tricky business.  There are several audiences for these books, and I'm guessing that it's an impossible task to satisfy everyone.  There are those who enjoy the Gibbons approach of reporting the laudatory episodes and exciting challenges in their lives.  Others want a critical approach – one that factors in all aspects of a prophet's life, even if these aspects might not be considered faith promoting.  Does a book need to be one or the other?  I think not. " ...

'The Book of Mormon' -- the musical

"Mormons were portrayed as naive, sweet, innocent and stupid. [The show was] a religious experience."

Excerpts of 'Book of Mormon' musical called surprisingly sweet by Peggy Fletcher Stack, The Salt Lake Tribune

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"The Book of Mormon," opened for previews at the Eugene O'Neill Theater with a standing ovation.

The production is bawdy, sexually explicit and irreverent. Many believers would see it as a blasphemous assault on scriptures. But the satire and tone were not as hostile as many Mormons feared.

Salt Lake leads nation in breast implant inquires

Excerpts of Salt Lake City Leads Nation in Breast Implant Interest, realself.com

Salt Lake City has the highest interest in breast implants in the nation, according to new RealSelf data. Columbia, South Carolina has the least.

To measure the interest in breast implants, and other cosmetic procedures, our team looked at millions of

Saints Without Halos -- Mormon history resource

Scott Kenney has resurrected his Mormon history website, Saints Without Halos.  After a period of time offline, Scott has decided to restore his site.  Some of his research towards a biography of Joseph Smith in the Kirtland era is included, as are notes regarding Wilford Woodruff, Joseph F. Smith and more. The site contains a wealth of information.

Sealed Metallic Plates -- may be biggest find since Dead Sea Scrolls

Some are saying this could be as big as the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Buried anciently, these metallic plates are bound by rings and written in code. And some of them were sealed. Scholars are excited to open the sealed plates -- as they may provide the earliest look at the ancient Christian church.

Association for Mormon Letters announces 2010 Awards

Orem, Utah, 30 March 2011—The Association for Mormon Letters (AML) announced its 2010 awards last Saturday at AML's annual meeting held at Utah Valley University.  A list of the awards follows:

Pseudepigrapha and the role of women

Excerpts of  Who Wrote The Bible and Why It Matters by Bart D. Ehrman, Huffington Post

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Apart from the most rabid fundamentalists among us, nearly everyone admits that the Bible might contain errors ... But is it possible that the problem is worse than that -- that the Bible actually contains lies? ...
Good Christian scholars of the Bible...will tell you that the Bible is full of lies, even if they refuse to use the term. And here is the truth: Many of the books of the New Testament were written by people who lied about their identity, claiming to be a famous apostle -- Peter, Paul or James -- knowing full well they were someone else.

Regarding the new "Published Revelations" volume of the Joseph Smith Papers project

I was able to attend what I suspect was an experiment on the part of the Church History department.  A "blogger event" was held in conjunction with the release of the two volumes of the Joseph Smith Papers (JSP) project -- as a way to inform, and advertise the release of these volumes.

Richard Turley said that the goal of the editors of the JSP project is to present Joseph Smith's papers in an unfiltered, quality format.  In the past, most publications have included interpretive context for Joseph Smith words.  The JSP project includes only the text, background of that text, and other related tools, leaving interpretation and other scholarly endeavors to other historians.

Originally the JSP project planned to present all the papers in a letter press form, but have since decided to present some of the papers in digital media only.

The sixth gathering of the Book of Commandments

Sample from the Book of Commamdments

In ways, it reads like a Dan Brown novel.  A handwritten book of revelations hidden in a vault is finally uncovered. Its publication reveals mysterious content including unpublished revelations, text written in the "Adamic" language, a song sung with the gift of tongues, versions of revelations different than those we have today, and more. Episode 1 of this Dan Brown-ish story occurred in 2009. But now, a sequel is available.  Using clues from the book recovered in episode 1, scholars have been able to reconstruct the so called "sixth gathering" or missing portion of the Book of Commandments.

Fundmentalist Mormon show "Big Love" ends

The successful five year run of a story about Mormon fundamentalists ends with a vision from Emma Smith and more. 

Below, an interview with the creators encompass an interesting and (to some Latter-day Saints) an uncomfortable  mix of issues -- including Polygamy, feminism, patriarchy, gay marriage, family values and more.

Excerpts of 'Big Love's Creators Deconstruct The Show's Finale, from NPR's Fresh Air  (Spoiler Alert!! - don't read on if you want to be surprised by the season finale ending)

Mother-in-heaven(?) was edited from Bible, but evidence of Her existence grows

The name of Mother-in-Heaven may be 'Asherah' who was anciently included in Jerusalem temple ceremonies, and recognized as God's wife. According to scholars, She was nearly edited out of the Bible by men who were intent on portraying a monotheistic, male God. Today, scholars continue to find additional evidence of Her existence.

Mormon PDF Web Site

Mormon historian Michael Marquardt has put together a collection reviews on important historical works at Mormon PDF Web Site.  Marquardt. author of numerous articles and books, plans on expanding the collection over time.

Diaries of Joseph F. Smith, 1856-1857

Just announced:

"My Candid Opinion": The Sandwich Islands Diaries of Joseph F. Smith, 1856-1857 
Nathaniel R. Ricks editor

For the first time, the earliest surviving diaries of Joseph F. Smith (b. 1838), will be available. Smith, the sixth president of the LDS Church, served from 1901 until his death in 1918. He was also one of the youngest LDS missionaries ever called to serve. He arrived in the Sandwich Islands (now Hawaiian Islands) in 1854 at the age of fifteen. For the next  three years, he labored to bring native converts into the Church while combating loneliness, depression, a fiery temperament, and doubts about his own competence. In fact, one of the perhaps surprising themes to emerge from the diaries is Joseph F.'s driving quest for self-improvement and intellectual competence. Editor Nathaniel Ricks has carefully annotated these earliest diaries of Joseph F. (earlier volumes were destroyed in a fire) to make them accessible to modern readers. The diaries offer a fun look into the formative years of one of Mormonism's most commanding personalities. "My Candid Opinion" will be a Smith-Pettit Foundation imprint (Smith-Pettit is our sister company).

due: May 2011
ISBN: 978-1-56085-219-3
limitation: 250 copies
price: $100

http://signaturebooks.com/2011/03/new-book-announced-from-smith-pettit/