Letter from LDS Apostle Delbert Stapley to then Michigan Governor George Romney regarding Romney’s position about civil rights and attitudes toward black people, January 23, 1964: 1 It was a real pleasure to greet and have a moment to visit with you and Lenore here this past week. It is wonderful to see how enthusiastically … Read more
Letter from LDS Apostle Delbert Stapley to then Michigan Governor George Romney regarding Romney’s position about civil rights and attitudes toward black people, January 23, 1964: 1 It was a real pleasure to greet and have a moment to visit with you and Lenore here this past week. It is wonderful to see how enthusiastically … Read more
Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Kirtland, Ohio, September 22 and 23, 1832 (Doctrine and Covenants 84: 4-5): 1 4 Verily this is the word of the Lord, that the city New Jerusalem shall be built by the gathering of the saints, beginning at this place, even the place of the temple, which … Read more
Joseph Smith, History of the Church, Vol. 5, Pg. 336: 1 “The Prophet On The Second Coming Of The Christ. The question has been asked, can a person not belonging to the Church bring a member before the high council for trial? I answer, No. If I had not actually got into this work and … Read more
Excerpt from Wikipedia, topic: Illusory Truth Effect: 1 “The illusory truth effect (also known as the truth effect or the reiteration effect) is the tendency to believe information to be correct after repeated exposure. This phenomenon was first identified in a 1977 study at Villanova University and Temple University. When truth is assessed, people rely … Read more
Excerpt from an address by Brigham Young, delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, October 9, 1859 (JOD Vol. 7, Pg. 289): 1 “Joseph Smith holds the keys of this last dispensation, and is now engaged behind the veil in the great work of the last days. I can tell our beloved brother Christians … Read more
Excerpt from a 2000 BYU paper by Joseph Fielding McConkie (Professor of Ancient Scripture, BYU) and Craig J. Ostler (Assistant Professor of Church History and Doctrine, BYU) titled ‘The Process of Translating the Book of Mormon’: 1 “Spanning a period of twenty years (1869-1888), some seventy recorded testimonies about the coming forth of the Book … Read more
William McLellin, Letter to Joseph Smith III, July 1872, Community of Christ Archives: 1 “Now Joseph I will relate to you some history, and refer you to your own dear Mother for the truth. You will probably remember that I visited your Mother and family in 1847, and held a lengthy conversation with her, retired … Read more
Excerpt from Studies of the Book of Mormon by B. H. Roberts, pg. 240: 1 “Did Ethan Smith’s View of the Hebrews furnish structural material for Joseph Smith’s Book of Mormon? It has been pointed out in these pages that there are many things in the former book that might well have suggested many major … Read more
On August 18th, several weeks after his marriage to Sarah Ann Whitney, Joseph Smith wrote a letter to his new bride and her parents. At the time he was hiding from the law at a home on the outskirts of Nauvoo: 1 “Dear, and Beloved, Brother and Sister, Whitney, and &c.– I take this oppertunity … Read more
Michael D. Coe (born 1929) is a U.S. archaeologist, anthropologist, epigrapher and author. Primarily known for his research in the field of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican studies (and in particular, for his work on the Maya civilization, where he is regarded as one of the foremost Mayanist scholars of the latter 20th century), Coe has also made … Read more
Excerpts from Mark Twain’s 1872 ‘Roughing It’: 1 “All men have heard of the Mormon Bible, but few except the “elect” have seen it, or, at least, taken the trouble to read it. I brought away a copy from Salt Lake. The book is a curiosity to me, it is such a pretentious affair, and … Read more
Notice issued by Joseph and Hyrum Smith in the Times and Season paper, February 1, 1844 (at the time Joseph had more than 30 plural wives): 1 “NOTICE As we have lately been credibly informed, that an Elder of the Church of Jesus Christ, of Latter-day Saints, by the name of Hiram Brown, has been … Read more
From the Nauvoo City Council Minute Book, 12 Dec. 1843, signed by Joseph Smith Jr. [mayor]: 1 “An Ordinance for the health and convenience of travellers and other purposes. Section 1 Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Nauvoo, that the Mayor of the City be and is hereby authorized to … Read more
Excerpt from a 2017 YSA Face to Face with Russell Ballard and Dallin Oaks:1 MALE HOST:“…we have a lot of questions in the YSA about their friends dealing with doubts. A question from Utah asks what advice/guidance would you give for answering tough questions about church history when we are asked about them by someone … Read more
Topic: Hill Cumorah Cave … From Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 17 June 1877: 1 “Oliver Cowdery went with the Prophet Joseph when he deposited these plates. Joseph did not translate all of the plates; there was a portion of them sealed, which you can learn from the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. When Joseph … Read more
From the 1902 LDS published ‘History of the Church’ vol. 6, p. 424: 1 “At one, P.M., I rode out with Dr. Richards and Orrin P. Rockwell. Called on Davis at the boat. Paid Manhard $90. Met George J. Adams, and paid him $50. Then went to John P. Greene’s, and paid him and another … Read more
Excerpt from Joseph Smith History, volume D-1, June 27, 1843: 1 “It was reported to me that some of the brethren had been drinking whisky that day in violation of the Word of Wisdom. I called the brethren in and investigated the case, and was satisfied that no evil had been done, and gave them … Read more
From ‘A Facsimile from the Book of Abraham No. 3’ explained by Joseph Smith Jr.: 1 Explanation Fig. 1. Abraham sitting upon Pharaoh’s throne, by the politeness of the king, with a crown upon his head, representing the Priesthood, as emblematical of the grand Presidency in Heaven; with the scepter of justice and judgment in … Read more
Excerpt from LDS apostle Orson Pratt’s 1874 General Conference address: 1 “…I have heard now and then (I am very glad to say that only a few such instances have come under my notice), a brother or a sister say, “I am a Latter-day Saint, but I do not believe in polygamy.” Oh, what an … Read more
Footnote 31, ‘Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham’, LDS Gospel Topic Essay: 1 “31. John Whitmer, History, 1831–ca. 1837, 76, in Karen Lynn Davidson, Richard L. Jensen, and David J. Whittaker, eds., Histories, Volume 2: Assigned Historical Writings, 1831–1847, vol. 2 of the Histories series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Dean … Read more
Excerpt of a letter from Thomas Jefferson to James Currie, 1786: 1 “Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.” From the History of the Church, Volume 6: 2 “To the Marshal of said City, greeting. You are here commanded to destroy the printing press … Read more
Excerpt from a 1977 General Conference address by Gordon B. Hinckley: 1 “The so-called Mormon code of health, widely praised in these days of cancer and heart research, is in reality a revelation given to Joseph Smith in 1833 as a “Word of Wisdom” from the Lord. (D&C 89:1.) In no conceivable way could it … Read more
Excerpt from an address given in the October 2017 LDS General Conference, by Apostle M. Russell Ballard: 1 “Among those first Saints to arrive in Utah was Jane Manning James—the daughter of a freed slave, a convert to the restored Church, and a most remarkable disciple who faced difficult challenges. Sister James remained a faithful … Read more
Excerpt from a 2015 BYU Idaho address Millions Shall Know Brother Joseph Again, by Professor Jayson Kunzler: 1 “As we humbly search the scriptures, we will come to know both Jesus Christ and his servant, Joseph Smith. In this connection, may I offer a suggestion to all of us? If we truly desire to know … Read more
Excerpt from the Minutes of a general Conference held in Geauga County Ohio June 3. 1831, Joseph Smith Papers: 1 “Joseph Smith [Sr.], John Whitmer, Joseph Smith jr. & Sidney Rigdon were ordained to the High Priesthood under the hand of br. Lyman Wight” References[+] References 1 Minutes, circa 3–4 June 1831, LDS Joseph … Read more
Excerpt from the LDS Gospel Topic Essay, Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo: 1 ‘Most of those sealed to Joseph Smith were between 20 and 40 years of age at the time of their sealing to him. The oldest, Fanny Young, was 56 years old. The youngest was Helen Mar Kimball, daughter of Joseph’s close … Read more