What is a Urim & Thummim, and how will the earth become like one? Continue reading…
Archive for the 'smith' Category
Finally, a lesson that really makes you think! This is probably my favorite JS lesson this year (no one dies or has to move to Missouri). For those who are teaching, you may also enjoy the excellent essay at Feast on the Word blog by joespencer. Continue reading…
Okay, last week I said the death lesson was going to be tough. Frankly, I think a Zion lesson is no picnic either. I’m looking ahead though, and there are some better ones on the horizon, so hang in there, teachers! Continue reading…
Welcome to the second virtual co-ed 3rd hour. This week’s lesson is a topic that is often a seething hotbed of Mormon Matters controversy: “Obedience: When the Lord Commands, Do It.” Continue reading…
This is the last installment of Our Foundation Stories, I promise!
As a child, I heard the story of the restoration of the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods this way: In May of 1829 Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were praying in the woods about baptism and had John the Baptist appear to them, put his hands on their heads, and recite the following, currently found in D & C Section 13: Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah, I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins…”
Was the Book of Mormon translated? Was the Book of Mormon revealed? Was it inspired? Was it all three, or a combination of the above? How much does it matter?
Now that we’ve discussed the nature of the First Vision, what did it mean?
There are many meanings, the most vital being those which each person can discover for herself or himself. Here are those we are most familiar with, because they have been written and spoken about at length in the official media of the institutional LDS Church:
As we know from JS-H 1: 8, Joseph Smith had attended various religious meetings and (in his own words) “In process of time my mind became somewhat partial to the Methodist sect, and I felt some desire to be united with them.” So, what did Joseph Smith (as a future Mormon) see in Methodism, and what practices in our faith correspond with the brand of Methodism Joseph experienced? Continue reading…
For the unindoctrinated, MBTI (Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator) is a psychometric that classifies people into one of 16 profiles. It is primarily used to help people get along better at work (along with staples like Wacky Bowling and Ropes courses). So, what is Jesus’ MBTI type? Does Jesus’ personality type create a subtle bias against religious leaders (or even followers) with different personality traits? Continue reading…
In today’s episode, J. Nelson-Seawright, David King Landrith and I discuss our favorite books on mormonism (listed below).
J. Nelson-Seawright’s Recommendations
- D. Michael Quinn:
- Douglas J. Davies: The Mormon Culture of Salvation: Force, Grace, and Glory
- Leonard J. Arrington and Davis Bitton: Saints Without Halos: The Human Side of Mormon History
- Levi S. Peterson: Juanita Brooks: Mormon Woman Historian
- Leonard Arrington: Great Basin Kingdom: Economic History of Latter-Day Saints 1830-1900
David King Landrith’s Recommendations
- Richard L. Bushman: Joseph Smith and the Beginnings of Mormonism
- Leonard J. Arrington: Brigham Young: American Moses
- Fawn M. Brodie: No Man Knows My History
- Juanita Brooks: The Mountain Meadows Massacre
- Maurine Whipple: The Giant Joshua
- Richard L. Bushman: Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling
- D. Michael Quinn: Early Mormonism and the Magic World View
John Dehlin’s Recommendations
- Leonard Arrington: Adventures of a Church Historian
- Gregory Prince: David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism
- Richard and Joan Ostling: Mormon America: The Power and the Promise
- Levi Peterson: The Backslider
- Philip L Barlow: A Thoughtful Faith
- Mary L. Bradford: Lowell L. Bennion: Teacher, Counselor, Humanitarian
