Latter-day Saint Perspectives

In her debut episode, LDS Perspectives podcaster Stephanie Dibb Sorensen interviews Casey Paul Griffiths, an expert on the history of the Church Education System and its globalization efforts. Together they discuss the history of the LDS Church Education System, its early struggles, and its current vision and scope. The formal foundation of education in the Mormon Church began in 1888 when the church board of education was established. Around this time, the United States initiated a free schools program. President Wilford Woodruff, the president of the church at that time, became very concerned about the idea that young Latter-day Saints would be receiving their schooling without any instruction in the scriptures. Starting in the 1890s, he instructed every stake to launch their own academy. By the early 1900s, the academy system became unsustainable, and the church opened its first seminaries. Little did church leaders realize that this would lead to a whole new problem — training religious instructors and

Ardis Parshall is one half of the duo behind the Mormon Image in Literature series published by Kofford Books. Along with Michael Austin, Ardis rescues literature from the past that otherwise would remain largely unknown. The works that Ardis and Michael are republishing are rare, fragile, and soon could be lost. They hope to preserve these types of works for a generation of researchers. Dime Novel Mormons, their current offering, presents four Mormon-themed novellas.  Dime novels were a popular genre from about 1870 through the turn of the century. America was going through an educational revolution and people needed things to read. Dime novels filled that need with affordably priced, page-turning excitement. The way Mormons were portrayed in dime novels was remarkably consistent. The authors played on common stereotypes and themes such as Danites, polygamy, and the Mountain Meadows Massacre. These stereotypes couldn't help but affect the public opinion and the reception of Mormon missionaries. No matter

Tyler Griffin Taylor Halverson and Tyler Griffin are co-founders and co-directors of the BYU Virtual Scriptures Group. This group recently released the Virtual New Testament App for desktop computers, mobile devices, and tablets. The app allows users to navigate in and through locations in New Testament Jerusalem and surrounding areas. They are currently working on a Book of Mormon geography app. Creating a map or a virtual app for Book of Mormon geography has been a bit more challenging because there is no widely accepted location to pin on our modern maps. Taylor Halverson While many individuals and groups forward various theories on Book of Mormon geography, the LDS Church officially holds a position of neutrality as to geographic locations. Some members are either apathetic or confused by proposed Book of Mormon geography models. Tyler and Taylor sympathize with the challenge many learners experience and are motivated to bring some sense of clarity and meaning to learning Book of Mormon geography.

In November 2015, George Handley, associate dean of the College of Humanities at BYU, spoke on his journey of faith in an Education in Zion lecture that was later published in BYU Studies. Partially because of its timing and mainly because of its powerful message, his speech has been widely circulated since that time. Not only did he offer words of comfort to those who were struggling but also tools to be a more critical consumer. Handley suggests that the three crucial ingredients of criticism, compassion, and charity must work together to create a quality intellectual and spiritual life. These elements also work together to develop meaningful relationships and build communities. Exploring the humanities offer an incomparable opportunity to expand the soul, increase creativity, learn from others, and criticize our environment. Critical judgment allows us to step back and analyze a situation and to get out of ourselves emotionally; it is a deliberate and calm process of evaluation. We can’t experience all

From the New Testament, we learn that Jesus’s favorite mode of teaching was through fiction; he taught parables. Although the characters and events may not be historical, few Christians question the truth in the messages. Despite comfort with parables, some Christians become unsettled thinking about elements of the Bible as being non-historical. Biblical scholar Ben Spackman points out that this hesitancy is inherited from Enlightenment thinking, which regarded revelation as truth and truth as scientific or historical fact. This thinking, Ben points out, causes many readers to jettison common sense and plain readings of scriptural text. Often times when reading scripture, the assumption is made that the text is either literal or figurative, but these two categories are insufficient to describe the different genres of scriptures. It would be more helpful to approach the Bible as if it were a library that contained books of many different genre instead of being all the Amanda Brown, Guest Podcaster same typ

In 1835, the church published the Doctrine and Covenants, which contained significant additions to the 1833 Book of Commandments. At the beginning of the collection of revelations were seven theological lectures that had originally been delivered at the Kirtland School the preceding winter. Details about the purpose and curriculum of the Kirtland School, later referred to as the "School for the Elders" or "School of the Prophets," are uncertain. Most of what we know is taken from late reminiscences recorded nearly fifty years after its commencement. Lessons included at least an English grammar element and the seven theological lectures, which were part of a series to "unfold ... the doctrine of Jesus Christ." The classroom consisted of prospective missionaries and church leaders and, by all accounts, was presided over by Sidney Rigdon. The lectures were removed from the Doctrine and Covenants in the 1921 edition, but they did not fade away. They have proven to be particularly buoyant as they have experienced

Don Harwell, Eddie Gist, and Wain Meyers make up the current Presidency of the Genesis Group of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Genesis Group was started in 1971 as a dependent branch of the LDS Church with the charge to fellowship and meet the needs of a growing number of African-American members. It was considered "dependent" because members were dependent on other members for the priesthood. This policy changed in 1978 under Church President Spencer W. Kimball. After the 1978 policy change (Official Declaration #2), Genesis Group numbers began to dwindle as black members were integrated more fully into local congregations. However, in 1996, LDS Church leadership re-organized the Genesis Group as a support effort for the needs of a growing and diverse worldwide church. Today the Genesis Group meets on the first Sunday of every month in Salt Lake City. In recent years, the membership has grown to over three hundred members of all ethnicities. Many come to experience a less traditional

References to a divine council of gods are found in several ancient Near Eastern cultures, including Mesopotamia, Greece, Egypt and Canaan. There are also numerous references to the divine counsel in the Hebrew Bible. The concept was pervasive. Members of the LDS Church may not realize that references to the divine council are also found in the Book of Mormon, the Book of Moses, the Book of Abraham, the Doctrine and Covenants, and in Joseph Smith's Nauvoo discourses. The Book of Abraham's depiction of creation, which includes a divine council, fits nicely in an ancient New Eastern cultural background and has strong affinities with the depiction of the cosmos found in other ancient Near Eastern texts. This places the divine council not only within the time frame of Abraham but also within the LDS canon. Many of the Hebrew descriptions of the divine counsel mirror a heavenly court with God the Father sitting at the head of a court of angelic hosts. Joseph Smith preached in the King Follett discourse that the he

Jed Woodworth works in the Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is also the author of the Revelations in Context essay on Section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants entitled, “The Word of Wisdom.” In the early 1830s, the Temperance Movement was in full swing in the United States. Chapters of temperance societies had an undeniable influence on the discourse of the day. The story of the coming forth of the revelation recorded as Section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants has sometimes failed to take into account how the movement may have been an influence on Joseph Smith and the Saints. Much like other prophetic revelations, the catalyst for this revelation seems to have come from multiple circumstances. Historical context helps to shed light on the extent to which the Temperance Movement may have been an influence and what that means. In this episode of the LDS Perspectives Podcast, host Nick Galieti and Jed Woodworth delve into what is often  referred to as the "Lord

In this episode of the LDS Perspectives Podcast, Laura Harris Hales visits with John Hilton III about teaching in church settings. John has spent a good deal of his adult life working in religious education. He began his teaching career in the seminary and institute program and was hired by the BYU Department of Ancient Scripture after earning a PhD in education. He is also a popular speaker and author of several books for youth. Hilton helped develop a “know, feel, and do” model for effective religious teaching. President Thomas S. Monson said that “the goal of gospel teaching is not to ‘pour information’ into the minds of [learners]. … The aim is to inspire the individual to think about, feel about, then do something about living gospel principles.” Hilton's method aims to accomplish these goals. To have a successful class, whether it is Gospel Doctrine or Come Follow Me or Seminary, students should learn something new, feel something positive, and should be able to apply what they learn in their lives.

Robert L. Millet was the Abraham O. Smoot Professor of Ancient Scripture at Brigham Young University and has spent years engaging in interfaith dialogue with scholars of many religious traditions. He has often been asked the core question: “Are Mormon’s Christian?” His answer is echoed in a recent Gospel Topics essay on LDS.org resolutely declaring, “Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints unequivocally affirm themselves to be Christians.” The early members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may have been considered peculiar, but they were rarely accused of not being Christian. The current argument against Mormonism's Christianity is based on three observations: 1) Latter-day Saints do not accept the creeds, confessions, and formulations of post-New Testament Christianity. 2) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not descend through the historical line of traditional Christianity. That is, the LDS Church did not break off of the Roman Catholic, Eastern Ort

In December 2013, Scott Hales bought himself an iPad and a digital drawing software program. He was in the final stages of finishing his PhD dissertation and was ready to try his hand at a lighter medium. Dusting off his dormant art-major-dropout skills, he started drawing comic strips about a self-proclaimed weird Mormon girl. Enid is fifteen and on a journey of self-discovery. She explores the area between doubt and belief while grappling with doctrine and church history she seeks to understand. Her struggles are compounded by living in a non-traditional family. She finds herself in a parenting role during her teenage years when she most needs a nurturing support system. Her home life is anything but the ideal she hears about at church. The comic started out as an experiment, but Scott soon realized he had discovered an effective tool for examining more closely the potholes in the road. It is Enid's quirkiness that creates a safe space for readers. If Enid's thoughts uncomfortably mirror the readers’ at

Few aspects of Joseph Smith’s life have been scrutinized more in recent years than his personal practice of polygamy. Some readers' first exposure to Joseph Smith's practice of polygamy comes from reading sensational headlines. Exaggerations and assumptions fill internet discussions, podcasts, and newspaper articles, so it is hard to know where to go for accurate information. The temptation by some authors to fill in historical gaps often results in distortions that stir up emotions and create tantalizing soundbites that, even if largely fictional, may generate unnecessary fear and confusion. Polygamy is part of the collective Mormon past that many struggle to understand. Current members have no cultural or religious basis to situate plural marriage. Members in pioneer Nauvoo shared that same struggle. When Benjamin Johnson first heard of it, he recalled: "If a thunderbolt had fallen at my feet I could hardly have been more shocked or amazed." Early Mormon polygamy is a historical puzzle that can at best

Lisa Olsen Tait claims that Susa Young Gates is the most important Mormon woman that most have never heard of. Susa grew up in a time when cultural gender roles were changing and women's opportunities were expanding in exponential ways. Susa took advantage of these opportunities and was active in civic and religious spheres as a writer, editor, educator, and LDS Church leader.  She also started both the Relief Society and Young Women's magazines. In the 1880s, she accompanied her husband Jacob on a mission to the Sandwich Islands. There she developed a deep and enduring friendship with Elder Joseph F. Smith. It is perhaps because of her passion for genealogy work that the Prophet Joseph F. Smith shared with her a vision he had concerning the redemption of the dead. The doctrine was not new, but it was comforting to have it articulated in one place. Join Nick Galieti as he discusses with women's historian Lisa Olsen Tait the reception history of Doctrine and Covenants 138.  

Last summer Russell Stevenson sat down with Rachel Steenblik and Caitlin Connolly, two women who have studied the concept of a divine feminine--or Heavenly Mother. Rachel was the primary researcher on a BYU Studies article that identified known references to a Heavenly Mother in the Mormon historical record. Caitlin was commission to paint Heavenly Mother by Deseret Book. Though it is assumed that we have a Heavenly Mother, she is rarely mentionioned in LDS Church discourse, with a preference to referring to Heavenly Father or Heavenly Parents. Steenblick notes that most members are aware of the reference to a Heavenly Mother by Eliza R. Snow in "O My Father." However, her song was not the first reference. W. W. Phelps wrote two pieces--one a few months before the Prophet Joseph Smith's death and one a few months after. And in the nineteenth-century Church, a Heavenly Mother was not unfrequently referenced. Three prophets of the twentieth century, Spencer W. Kimball, Joseph Fielding Smith, and Harold B. L

David F. Holland is a respected scholar and Professor of New England Church History at Harvard Divinity School. On October 29, 2016, he spoke on the topic “Latter-day Saints and the Problem of Pain” at the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship at BYU in Provo, Utah. Recently LDS Perspectives host Nick Galieti interviewed David Holland about his presentation at BYU, his further explorations on the seemingly paradoxical problem of pain, as well as the role pain and suffering play in the journey of the Christian disciple. David reflects on counsel given to his father from Elder Neal A. Maxwell, prior to an address Holland’s father gave at BYU. The counsel was to be sensitive to the unseen problems that inform the varied histories of audience members, “There are scars that go unnoticed, but you must see them. You must tread with caution on the hallowed ground of another’s suffering.” Holland shared that two members of his New England area stake committed suicide within a week of each other. It is

Leta Greene never thought she would grow up to be a beauty consultant and motivational speaker. But she has overcome the scars of emotional and physical abuse and feelings of awkwardness and ugliness to excel at life by choosing happiness. Leta has developed a system of changing the way women perceive themselves through daily validation or "vanity prayers." She has learned that nobody can give from an empty well. One of the most important things women need to nurture is their relationship with themselves. Through her experiences, she speaks to setting healthy boundaries to protect against emotional and physical abuse and listening to our inner compasses in our interactions. She advocates only allowing into our spheres of influence those we love, trust, and who take responsibility. The way women perceive themselves is often the biggest "glass ceiling" they need to break in order to excel and achieve their dreams. Leta gives us some tools to begin thinking in new ways. Join Laura Harris Hales of LDS Perspect

Finding a balance between loyalty or commitment to one’s faith and sympathetic openness to other faiths is one of the biggest challenges Mormons face in an age of inclusiveness. The classic “theology of religions” view of other faiths known as “inclusivism” broadly fits what Dr. Mauro Properzi thinks this balance should look like in an LDS context. The idea is that one’s faith is unique, most effective, and overall preferential (or one could use the term “truest”) in leading to our eternal destination. Other religions, however, while being positive paths that move as a whole in the same direction, lack some elements that characterize the faith you embrace. Perhaps other paths take unnecessary detours, perhaps they have holes that cause slower progress, perhaps they are not as scenic. Still, these roads are going in the same general direction as your road, not in the opposite one. In short, if your road leads to God, the other roads don’t lead to Satan; they are also oriented toward God. Inclusivism is the

Steven Harper points out that one of things the Church History Department's Revelations in Context series was designed to do was to encourage study of the history and doctrine of the LDS Church in order to move members past folk doctrines. One of these misunderstandings that has developed over time is the relationship between the law of consecration and tithing. The law of the Lord is given in D&C 42, and it is to love God and love one’s neighbor. All are encouraged to give of their time and temporal means to relieve the suffering of others. It is not a law governing ownership but rather one that asks us what we are willing to do with what we have. The law is also about agency, accountability, and stewardship. Tithing didn't replace the law of consecration; it is simply one way in which it is practiced. The law is eternal and does not change but the way followers practice it does. In the early days of the LDS Church, any freewill offering was considered tithing. This has changed over time. How we consecra

Gale Boyd is an ethnic Jew who convert to the LDS Church. In 1983, she and her husband decided to move their family to Israel to explore their Jewish heritage. She was unprepared for the culture shock she experienced as an American Jewish Mormon living in Jewish Zion. Not only was there the language barrier but also the differences in money, weights and measures, Sabbath observance, and even the year was counted differently. As she became immersed in Israeli culture, she learned about Jewish holy days and their symbolism. Her experiences led her to write Days of Awe with the purpose of sharing with Latter-day Saints the Christian symbolism found in the celebration of Jewish festivals. The book contains a history of Old Testament feasts, their ancient and current patterns of observance, their prophetic symbolism, and their relevance to Latter-day Saints today. She also clears up some misconceptions about the Jewish people, their scripture, the complexity of their religion, and their history. Join Laura H