Excerpt from the LDS Gospel Topic Essay, Book of Mormon and DNA Studies: 1 The Book of Mormon provides little direct information about cultural contact between the peoples it describes and others who may have lived nearby. Consequently, most early Latter-day Saints assumed that Near Easterners or West Asians like Jared, Lehi, Mulek, and their … Read more
Mormon 9:22–24, the Book of Mormon: 1 22 For behold, thus said Jesus Christ, the Son of God, unto his disciples who should tarry, yea, and also to all his disciples, in the hearing of the multitude: Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature; 23 And he that believeth … Read more
Excerpt from Alexander Campbells ‘Delusions an analysis of the Book of Mormon‘, Pub. 1832: 1 “This prophet Smith, through his stone spectacles, wrote on the plates of Nephi, in his book of Mormon, every error and almost every truth discussed in N. York for the last ten years. He decides all the great controversies — … Read more
Jacob 4:1, the Book of Mormon: 1 1 Now behold, it came to pass that I, Jacob, having ministered much unto my people in word, (and I cannot write but a little of my words, because of the difficulty of engraving our words upon plates) and we know that the things which we write upon … Read more
Excerpts from BYU Journal of Book of Mormon studies, ‘A New Artistic Rendering of Izapa Stela 5: A Step toward Improved Interpretation’, by BYU Mesoamerican archaeologist John E. Clark (August 1 1999): 1 “In the 48 years since Jakeman first concluded that Stela 5 represents Lehi’s dream of the tree of life, major advancements have … Read more
Excerpt form the Joseph Smith translation of Facsimile No. 2 from the Book of Abraham: 1 “Fig. 7. Represents God sitting upon his throne, revealing through the heavens the grand Key-words of the Priesthood; as, also, the sign of the Holy Ghost unto Abraham, in the form of a dove.” Excerpt from BYU Egyptologist Michael … Read more
Excerpt from an October 1960 General Conference address by Elder Marion G. Romney: 1 Now, brethren, if we will keep these things in mind, we shall not be deceived by false teachings. I remember years ago when I was a bishop I had President Grant talk to our ward. After the meeting, I drove him … Read more
Excerpt from ‘Children of Promise’, By Apostle Mark E. Petersen, Pg. 46: 1 “If there had been large numbers of other peoples here when the Jaredites came, or when Lehi arrived, certainly the Book of Mormon would have said so. The land was reserved for the Lord’s purposes and for His peoples, and the Book … Read more
Doctrine and Covenants 110:12, 13: 1 12 After this, Elias appeared, and committed the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham, saying that in us and our seed all generations after us should be blessed. 13 After this vision had closed, another great and glorious vision burst upon us; for Elijah the prophet, who was taken … Read more
Excerpt from an address by Prophet Thomas S. Monson in the April 2013 General Conference:1 “Declared President Joseph F. Smith in October 1873, “Obedience is the first law of heaven.” Matthew 22:37-40: 2 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, … Read more
Excerpt from the BYU Journal of Undergraduate Research, A Recently Recovered Source: Rethinking Joseph Smith’s Bible Translation (March 16, 2017): 1 “Joseph Smith’s translation of the Bible has attracted significant attention in recent decades, drawing the interest of a wide variety of academics and those who affirm its nearly canonical status in the LDS scriptural … Read more
Excerpts from a 1954 Address by Apostle Mark E. Petersen, ‘Race Problems As They Affect The Church’: 1 “It is a good thing to understand exactly what the Negro has in mind on this subject, I’ll be talking about other races besides Negroes, of course, but it is the Negro question which pinpoints it, so … Read more
Excerpts from a 1954 Address by Apostle Mark E. Petersen, ‘Race Problems As They Affect The Church’: 1 “It is a good thing to understand exactly what the Negro has in mind on this subject, I’ll be talking about other races besides Negroes, of course, but it is the Negro question which pinpoints it, so … Read more
Excerpts from a 1954 Address by Apostle Mark E. Petersen, ‘Race Problems As They Affect The Church’: 1 “It is a good thing to understand exactly what the Negro has in mind on this subject, I’ll be talking about other races besides Negroes, of course, but it is the Negro question which pinpoints it, so … Read more
Excerpts from a 1954 Address by Apostle Mark E. Petersen, ‘Race Problems As They Affect The Church’: 1 “It is a good thing to understand exactly what the Negro has in mind on this subject, I’ll be talking about other races besides Negroes, of course, but it is the Negro question which pinpoints it, so … Read more
Excerpts from a 1954 Address by Apostle Mark E. Petersen, ‘Race Problems As They Affect The Church’: 1 “It is a good thing to understand exactly what the Negro has in mind on this subject, I’ll be talking about other races besides Negroes, of course, but it is the Negro question which pinpoints it, so … Read more
Excerpt from an October 1967 General Conference address by Ezra Taft Benson, ‘Trust Not in the Arm of Flesh’: 1 “The world largely ignores the first and great commandment—to love God—but talks a lot about loving their brother. They worship at the altar of man. Would Nephi have slain Laban if he had put the … 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
LDS Official Declaration 1, October 6 1890, Wilford Woodruff: LDS Official Declaration 1 – https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/od/1?lang=eng To Whom It May Concern: Press dispatches having been sent for political purposes, from Salt Lake City, which have been widely published, to the effect that the Utah Commission, in their recent report to the Secretary of the Interior, allege that … 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, made in the Great Salt Lake City Bowery, July 8, 1860 (JoD v. 8, p. 115):1 “While brother Joseph was referring to the providences of God, I was led to reflect that there is no act, no principle, no power belonging to the Deity that is not purely … 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
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
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
Excerpt from a 1993 Christmas Devotional address by Gordon B. Hinckley: 1 “And so at this Christmas season we reach out to all in a spirit of love and reconciliation, even to those who speak evil against us. We sing beautiful carols that tell of the night of His birth, that silent and holy night. … 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
Excerpt from the LDS Gospel Topic Essay, ‘Race and the Priesthood’: 1 “Today, the Church disavows the theories advanced in the past that black skin is a sign of divine disfavor or curse, or that it reflects unrighteous actions in a premortal life; that mixed-race marriages are a sin; or that blacks or people of … Read more