Category: Latter-day Saint Thought

  • Changing Conceptions of Zion

    Brigham Daniels

    The Mormon conception of Zion has changed dramatically over the past century. Today’s members of the church are likely to define “Zion” as wherever the members of the church are: LDS homes, congregations, and stakes. While the conception of Zion in the 19th century may have included these elements, these Saints were determined to literally…

  • Returning to Zion

    Brigham Daniels

    Given all that might be said of Mormonism, it should not come as a surprise that a lot of interesting topics sit pretty much neglected. One of these, I would argue, is the Mormon contribution to building settlements in the United States.

  • New Mormon Studies Clearinghouse: MormonConferences.org

    Ben Huff

    Have you been wondering where to go to find out what all is going on in Mormon Studies? Now you know: MormonConferences.org, just launched today, keeps track of all the major public events in Mormon Studies and lists them all on one calendar

  • The War Chapters

    Julie M. Smith

    And a great sleep did come over the land; yea, verily, there was much dozing and nodding of heads in all of the sabbath schools.

  • Unsubstantiated Rumor #2

    Kaimi Wenger

    Over at MAD-Board, there is rumor about a policy change, to the effect that women may now be sealed to more than one (deceased) husband (just as men may now be sealed to more than one deceased wife). Can anyone confirm or un-confirm this one?

  • Salvation or Happiness?

    Kent Larsen

    During the last few years, I’ve noticed that less often is “the plan of salvation” used in General Conference, and more often we hear “the plan of happiness.” Anyone know why?

  • Why Visit Mountain Meadows?

    Kent Larsen

    A week ago I visited Mountain Meadows for the first time. I was surprisingly hard to find. While the site does appear on maps of the area, there aren’t any signs until you get within a mile of the entrance. That is a shame.

  • What We Didn’t Discuss

    Kylie Turley

    The gospel doctrine lesson on Alma 43-52 proposed four principles of war as waged by the righteous:

  • The Reality of Satan

    Marc Bohn

    I heard a story on This American Life a couple of weeks ago that has had me thinking about the reality of Satan and just what that means for us in our lives.

  • Global Warming, Redefining Marriage, and Risk Aversion

    Frank McIntyre

    I think we can all agree that, from a risk analysis perspective, global warming and gay marriage share a lot of characteristics.

  • Revelation 3:14-22

    Julie M. Smith

    Previous posts in this series are available here.

  • Eve

    Kylie Turley

    (I hope you haven’t discussed this before, at least not in this way.) At the height of national debate over the Equal Rights Amendment, Elder Bruce R. McConkie explained that all LDS women should look to Eve: “Eve, the mother of all living, is truly the perfect pattern for all her daughters. Oh that all…

  • Wish I’d Been There

    Kylie Turley

    Need a smile? Then you might wish you’d gone to sacrament meeting on March 15, 1857 in the Salt Lake Thirteenth Ward:

  • Pioneers and Indians in Utah Valley

    Dave Banack

    Just last week I heard a familiar comment at church: Brigham Young’s policy was to feed the Indians rather than fight them. The actual record of relations between Pioneers and Indians was a bit more complicated, especially in Utah Valley, the watery jewel of early Utah.

  • Yesharah

    Kylie Turley

    Did you know that BYU had a combined-gender missionary club in the early 1920’s named the Y.D.D.? It took me a month to discover the secret of the initials: “Young Doctors of Divinity.”

  • Upcoming Conference on Alma 32

    Julie M. Smith

    For those in the Provo area:

  • Socialism and United Order

    Kylie Turley

    I stumbled across a few LDS socialist stories when I was writing my MA thesis.

  • Political Remembering

    Kylie Turley

    Fascinating Utah history factoid:

  • Christianity by Continent

    Dave Banack

    I recently read Martin Marty’s The Christian World: A Global History (2007). The subtitle is slightly misleading, as Marty recounts Christian history on a continent-by-continent basis. The last two chapters, covering the modern return of Christianity to Africa and Asia, raise issues of particular interest to the LDS experience: correlation and assimilation.

  • Death and Doctrine, II

    Kylie Turley

    Can you help me a bit more with this topic? . . . Since LDS funeral sermons were given exclusively by men before 1900, they make an interesting comparison with LDS women’s death poetry of the same time period.

  • Why Bread and Water in the Sacrament?

    Adam G.

    Why does “communion sweet” in the sacrament require both bread and water?**

  • Death and Doctrine

    Kylie Turley

    I have an uneasy relationship with death.

  • Revelation 3:1-13

    Julie M. Smith

    Previous posts in this series are here.

  • Christ’s nativity: a solution

    Jonathan Green

    From Steven Vanden Broecke, The Limits of Influence

  • God As a Longshoreman

    Julie M. Smith

    Without meaning to, this story (you can read it, but it is better to listen to it–it’s only a minute or so long) does a better job of explaining the nature of our relationship with God than almost anything else I have encountered.

  • Carl and Mathilda

    Craig H.

    Let us praise pioneers. Of all sorts, but today especially the traditional sort. I myself am thinking of Carl and Mathilda, whom I came to know through one of those wholly unexpected spine-tingling unbelievable fantastic experiences.

  • Massacre is Just Around the Corner

    Dave Banack

    The Deseret News just ran a lengthy article giving some details on the long-awaited but soon-to-be-released book Massacre at Mountain Meadows, by three LDS historians.

  • Call for Papers

    Julie M. Smith

  • Revelation 2:12-29

    Julie M. Smith

    Previous post in this series here.

  • Cycling Through Mormon History

    Dave Banack

    For you, summer might be a succession of beaches, barbeques, and baseball games, but for one young man this summer is an extended bicycle tour of American religious sites. He has posted excellent photos of his visits to the Smith family farm and the Hill Cumorah Pageant that I’m sure you’ll enjoy. If he makes…