Witnesses of the Book of Mormon
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Moroni: Angel Or Treasure Guardian? 39
Mark Ashurst-McGee: Moroni: Angel or Treasure Guardian? 39 Moroni: Angel or Treasure Guardian? Mark Ashurst-McGee Over the last two decades, historians have reconsidered the origins of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the context of the early American tradition of treasure hunting. Well into the nineteenth century there were European Americans hunting for buried wealth. Some believed in treasures that were protected by magic spells or guarded by preternatural beings. Joseph Smith, founding prophet of the Church, had participated in several treasure-hunting expeditions in his youth. The church that he later founded rested to a great degree on his claim that an angel named Moroni had appeared to him in 1823 and showed him the location of an ancient scriptural record akin to the Bible, which was inscribed on metal tablets that looked like gold. After four years, Moroni allowed Smith to recover these “golden plates” and translate their characters into English. It was from Smith’s published translation—the Book of Mormon—that members of the fledgling church became known as “Mormons.” For historians of Mormonism who have treated the golden plates as treasure, Moroni has become a treasure guardian. In this essay, I argue for the historical validity of the traditional understanding of Moroni as an angel. In May of 1985, a letter to the editor of the Salt Lake Tribune posed this question: “In keeping with the true spirit (no pun intended) of historical facts, should not the angel Moroni atop the Mormon Temple be replaced with a white salamander?”1 Of course, the pun was intended. -
MEMBERS of the CHURCH of JESUS CHRIST of LATTER-DAY SAINTS Bmby S-ER 26,1830 Ly Mmd
MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS BmBY S-ER 26,1830 Ly mmD. Platt On September 26,1830 at the second conference By her I had one son and two daughters. The Church of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints it was was not organized but soon after, April 6, 1830. A few days stated that there were sixty-two members, and that thrrty- afterwards] I was baptized in the waters of Seneca Lake by five of them had joined the church since the fist conference Joseph Smith." (0PH2599)It is possible that Solomon was on June 9th. This means that fiom April 6,1830 to June 9, baptized between April 8th and April 10th. As nearly all of 1830 there were twenty-seven people who joined the the baptisms talk place on Sunday during these initial Church, each of whom has been identified for many years, months, the fact that he was not part of the group baptized except fur two. The complete number of sixty-two members on Sunday, April 1 Ith, points to a date of the 8th, 9th or by September 26th has never been identifled prior to this 10th to quai@ for the "few days" noted in his article. autobiography. He had had to iraveI from his home in the vicinity of Lyons, Wayne. New York, just north of Fayette, Joseph Smith, Jr., Oliver Cowdery, and Samuel H. to be baptized, so it was not far. Smith were all initially baptized on May 15, 1829 (LMS:337). -
The Secret Mormon Meetings of 1922
University of Nevada, Reno THE SECRET MORMON MEETINGS OF 1922 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History By Shannon Caldwell Montez C. Elizabeth Raymond, Ph.D. / Thesis Advisor December 2019 Copyright by Shannon Caldwell Montez 2019 All Rights Reserved UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA RENO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL We recommend that the thesis prepared under our supervision by SHANNON CALDWELL MONTEZ entitled The Secret Mormon Meetings of 1922 be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS C. Elizabeth Raymond, Ph.D., Advisor Cameron B. Strang, Ph.D., Committee Member Greta E. de Jong, Ph.D., Committee Member Erin E. Stiles, Ph.D., Graduate School Representative David W. Zeh, Ph.D., Dean, Graduate School December 2019 i Abstract B. H. Roberts presented information to the leadership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in January of 1922 that fundamentally challenged the entire premise of their religious beliefs. New research shows that in addition to church leadership, this information was also presented during the neXt few months to a select group of highly educated Mormon men and women outside of church hierarchy. This group represented many aspects of Mormon belief, different areas of eXpertise, and varying approaches to dealing with challenging information. Their stories create a beautiful tapestry of Mormon life in the transition years from polygamy, frontier life, and resistance to statehood, assimilation, and respectability. A study of the people involved illuminates an important, overlooked, underappreciated, and eXciting period of Mormon history. -
The Story of the Witnesses
TheStory of the Witnesses WRITTEN BY ERIC B. MURDOCK, ILLUSTRATED BY ELLIE OSBORNE Martin Harris David Whitmer Oliver Cowdery The Lord has told me that if you will rely on the Lord, humble yourselves, and testify Joseph Smith of the truth, you may see the plates. Please ask the Lord if we can be the special witnesses mentioned in the Book of Mormon. LATER THAT DAY. EACH MAN TOOK A TURN PRAYING TO BE SHOWN THE PLATES. NOTHING HAPPENED. I’m the reason the heavens are closed. 24 For the Strength of Youth ME OW LL O F , E M O C SOON THE ANGEL MORONI APPEARED. THEN THEY HEARD THE VOICE OF GOD. These plates are from God. The translation is correct, and I command you to share what you now see and hear. LATER, JOSEPH FINDS MARTIN PRAYING. I haven’t received a witness from the Lord, but I still want to see the plates. Will you pray with me? A FEW DAYS LATER AND WITH DIRECTION FROM GOD, JOSEPH INVITED EIGHT OTHERS, INCLUDING HIS FATHER AND TWO OF HIS BROTHERS, TO SEE THE PLATES. THEY DID NOT SEE AN ANGEL, BUT THEY All eleven witnesses attached GOT TO HOLD THE PLATES IN THEIR HANDS. their names to statements in the Book of Mormon, known as Testimony of Three Witnesses and Testimony of Eight Witnesses. Though some left the Church for a time, they all bore testimony throughout their lives that they had seen the gold plates. None of the witnesses ever denied what they saw. February 2021 25. -
Hugh Winder Nibley
SUNSTONE IN MEMORIAM the housing office. From this point until the end of his life, he became an iconic fixture on the Provo campus. HE story of Hugh’s contributions to HUGH WINDER NIBLEY Mormon thought is told mainly T through his publications.2 The list runs to more than 250 items, and many were serial articles, which, if counted individually, By Kevin L. Barney would push the number much higher. Many publications from early in his career, though always infused with his Mormon sensibilities and usually with at least tangential Mormon relevance, were not on specifically LDS sub- jects. These include “New Light on Scaliger” (published before his entrance to World War II) and “Sparsiones,” in the Classical Journal; “The Hierocentric State,” “The Unsolved Loyalty Problem,” and “Tenting, Toll, and Taxing,” in Western Political Quarterly; “Victoriosa Loquacitas: The Rise of Rhetoric and the Decline of Everything Else,”3 in How are the mighty fallen! more than a bedroll, a canteen, and a bag of Western Speech; “Christian Envy of the —2 SAMUEL 1:19 wheat and raisins. Except for an occasional Temple,” in Jewish Quarterly Review; “The ranger, he did not encounter another human Passing of the Church: Forty Variations on an UGH NIBLEY, DEAN of modern being the whole time. He did encounter Unpopular Theme,” in Church History; Mormon scriptural studies, passed cougars, bears, and wolves, but he never felt “Qumran and the Companions of the Cave,” H away 24 February 2005, just shy of in danger. He did recount hearing one ranger in Revue de Qumran; “Evangelium Quadraginta his ninety-fifth birthday. -
Cowdery, Oliver
Cowdery, Oliver Richard Lloyd Anderson Oliver Cowdery (1806—1850) was next in authority to Joseph Smith in 1830 (D&C 21:10—12), and was a second witness of many critical events in the restoration of the gospel. As one of the three Book of Mormon witnesses, Oliver Cowdery testied that an angel displayed the gold plates and that the voice of God proclaimed them correctly translated. He was with Joseph Smith when John the Baptist restored to them the Aaronic Priesthood and when Peter, James, and John ordained them to the Melchizedek Priesthood and the apostleship, and again during the momentous Kirtland Temple visions (D&C 110). Oliver came from a New England family with strong traditions of patriotism, individuality, learning, and religion. He was born at Wells, Vermont, on October 3, 1806. His younger sister gave the only reliable information about his youth: “Oliver was brought up in Poultney, Rutland County, Vermont, and when he arrived at the age of twenty, he went to the state of New York, where his older brothers were married and settled . Oliver’s occupation was clerking in a store until 1829, when he taught the district school in the town of Manchester” (Lucy Cowdery Young to Andrew Jenson, March 7, 1887, Church Archives). While boarding with Joseph Smith’s parents, he learned of their convictions about the ancient record that their son was again translating after Martin Harris had lost the manuscript in 1828. The young teacher prayed and received answers that Joseph Smith mentioned in a revelation (D&C 6:14—24). -
Primary 5 Manual: Doctrine and Covenants, Church History
References Information given in the historical accounts in each lesson was taken from the sources listed below. Lesson 1 Church History in the Fulness of Times (Church Educational System manual [32502], 1993), pp. 21–24, 29–36. Dean C. Jessee, ed. The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1984), p. 4. J. W. Peterson, “Another Testimony: Statement of William Smith, Concerning Joseph, the Prophet,” Deseret Evening News, 20 Jan. 1894, p. 11. Lucy Mack Smith, History of Joseph Smith, ed. Preston Nibley (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1958), pp. 67, 82. Lesson 2 Church History in the Fulness of Times (Church Educational System manual [32502], 1993), pp. 3–10, 17. Milton V. Backman Jr. American Religions and the Rise of Mormonism, rev. ed. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1970), pp. 65–69, 179–81. Roland H. Bainton, Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1950), p. 185. Edwin Scott Gaustad, A Religious History of America (New York: Harper and Row, 1966), pp. 47–66. Lesson 3 Church History in the Fulness of Times (Church Educational System manual [32502], 1993), p. 37. Lesson 4 Church History in the Fulness of Times (Church Educational System manual [32502], 1993), pp. 41–43. J. W. Peterson, “Another Testimony: Statement of William Smith, Concerning Joseph, the Prophet,” Deseret Evening News, 20 Jan. 1894, p. 11. Lucy Mack Smith, History of Joseph Smith, ed. Preston Nibley (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1958), pp. 82–83, 87. Lesson 5 Church History in the Fulness of Times (Church Educational System manual [32502], 1993), pp. -
Joseph Smith and Diabolism in Early Mormonism 1815-1831
Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU All Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 5-2021 "He Beheld the Prince of Darkness": Joseph Smith and Diabolism in Early Mormonism 1815-1831 Steven R. Hepworth Utah State University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd Part of the History of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Hepworth, Steven R., ""He Beheld the Prince of Darkness": Joseph Smith and Diabolism in Early Mormonism 1815-1831" (2021). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 8062. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/8062 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. "HE BEHELD THE PRINCE OF DARKNESS": JOSEPH SMITH AND DIABOLISM IN EARLY MORMONISM 1815-1831 by Steven R. Hepworth A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in History Approved: Patrick Mason, Ph.D. Kyle Bulthuis, Ph.D. Major Professor Committee Member Harrison Kleiner, Ph.D. D. Richard Cutler, Ph.D. Committee Member Interim Vice Provost of Graduate Studies UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY Logan, Utah 2021 ii Copyright © 2021 Steven R. Hepworth All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT “He Beheld the Prince of Darkness”: Joseph Smith and Diabolism in Early Mormonism 1815-1831 by Steven R. Hepworth, Master of Arts Utah State University, 2021 Major Professor: Dr. Patrick Mason Department: History Joseph Smith published his first known recorded history in the preface to the 1830 edition of the Book of Mormon. -
The First Mormons of Western Maine 1830--1890
University of New Hampshire University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository Master's Theses and Capstones Student Scholarship Winter 2010 Western Maine saints: The first Mormons of western Maine 1830--1890 Carole A. York University of New Hampshire, Durham Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/thesis Recommended Citation York, Carole A., "Western Maine saints: The first Mormons of western Maine 1830--1890" (2010). Master's Theses and Capstones. 140. https://scholars.unh.edu/thesis/140 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Scholarship at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses and Capstones by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. NOTE TO USERS Page(s) not included in the original manuscript are unavailable from the author or university. The manuscript was microfilmed as received 44 This reproduction is the best copy available. UMI WESTERN MAINE SAINTS: THE FIRST MORMONS OF WESTERN MAINE 1830-1890 By CAROLE A. YORK BA, University of Redlands, 1963 MSSW, Columbia University, 1966 THESIS Submitted to the University of New Hampshire in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in History December, 2010 UMI Number: 1489969 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. -
Ramah, New Mexico, 1876-1900 an Historical Episode with Some Value Analysis'
RAMAH, NEW MEXICO, 1876-1900 AN HISTORICAL EPISODE WITH SOME VALUE ANALYSIS' BY IRVING TELLING* W'HE„ N BRIGHAM YOUNG planted colonies throughout the semi- arid intermountain region, the conditions under which settlers were called to live equalled in hardship those met anywhere on the American frontier. Yet the number of communities which failed was amazingly small. The Latter-day Saints remained at their posts through the most trying times.2 Why should these people leave their old homes to build anew, suffering again the trials of pioneering in an unfriendly country? Ramah was such a Mormon colony. In west central New Mexico, surrounded by a few hundred Navaho Indians, and twenty miles east of the Indian pueblo of Zuni, the settlement was founded as a mission to the Indians. A contemporary of the first Mormon settlements on the Little Colorado River (Sunset, Obed, Brigham City, and Joseph City), Ramah has been the only one of these initial ventures besides Joseph City to survive the struggle against a hostile environment.3 A mountain ridge *Mr. Telling recently received his doctor's degree from Harvard Uni versity, and is now serving as history instructor at the University of Massa chusetts. This study is an outgrowth of his thesis dealing with the social historyof the Gallup, New Mexico, area. 1The author is grateful for assistance in this study to Mrs. Wayne Clawson and E. Atheling Bond, of Ramah; Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Frederick Nielson, of Bluewater, New Mexico; A. William Lund, Stanley Ivins, Preston Nibley, William Mulder, and Professor Leland H. Creer, of Salt Lake City; Professors Clyde Klucknohn, Arthur M. -
The Mormon Challenge
1 The Mormon Challenge A presentation of the other side of Mormonism using LDS-approved sources 2 Table of Contents Introduction ........................................................................................................................4 Sources ................................................................................................................................4 PART ONE: THE SCRIPTURES ....................................................................................5 The Book of Mormon.........................................................................................................5 Joseph Smith Sr. and the Tree of Life ............................................................................................................. 5 Ancient Evangelists ......................................................................................................................................... 7 Joseph’s Ability ............................................................................................................................................. 10 Possible Flaws Ch. 1 – Conviction and Moroni’s Promise ........................................................................... 11 Ch. 2 – A Precise Text .................................................................................................................................. 19 Ch. 3 – Testing the Book of Mormon with the Bible .................................................................................... 22 Ch. 4 – The Reality of the Law of -
The Presidents of the Church the Presidents of the Church
The Presidents of the Church The Presidents of the Church Teacher’s Manual Published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Salt Lake City, Utah © 1989, 1993, 1996 by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America English approval: 2/96 Contents Lesson Number and Title Page Helps for the Teacher v 1 Our Choice to Follow Christ 1 2 The Scriptures—A Sure Guide for the Latter Days 5 3 Revelation to Living Prophets Comes Again to Earth 10 4 You Are Called to Build Zion 14 5 Listening to a Prophet Today 17 6 The Prophet Joseph Smith—A Light in the Darkness 23 7 Strengthening a Testimony of Joseph Smith 28 8 Revelation 32 9 Succession in the Presidency 37 10 Brigham Young—A Disciple Indeed 42 11 Brigham Young: Building the Kingdom by Righteous Works 48 12 John Taylor—Man of Faith 53 13 John Taylor—Defender of the Faith 57 14 A Missionary All Your Life 63 15 Wilford Woodruff—Faithful and True 69 16 Wilford Woodruff: Righteousness and the Protection of the Lord 74 17 Lorenzo Snow Served God and His Fellowmen 77 18 Lorenzo Snow: Financing God’s Kingdom 84 19 Make Peer Pressure a Positive Experience 88 20 Joseph F. Smith—A Voice of Courage 93 21 Joseph F. Smith: Redemption of the Dead 98 22 Heber J. Grant—Man of Determination 105 23 Heber J. Grant: Success through Reliance on the Lord 110 24 Turning Weaknesses and Trials into Strengths 116 25 George Albert Smith: Responding to the Good 120 26 George Albert Smith: A Mission of Love 126 27 Peace in Troubled Times 132 iii 28 David O.