Mormon Chronicles

Feminist activism results in women praying in conference

2013-04-20T09:44:00.001-06:00

Excerpts of Historic prayers in General Conference by Kurt Hanson, Daily Universe

Sister Jean A. Stevens and Sister Carol M. Stephens made history in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by offering prayers during the 183rd Annual General Conference.

When Sister Stevens gave the benediction on Saturday morning it was the first time a woman has prayed during a session of General Conference.

The next day, during the Sunday afternoon session of General Conference, Sister Stephens, first counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, gave the invocation.

Recently, there has been a push for more recognition of the roles of women within the Church, including a Facebook page, "Let Women Pray in Conference," and a blog with the same title, sponsored by the same group. The group advocated for members of the Church to write members of the First Presidency to allow women to pray in conference.

Holland says openly doubting is OK, but lean toward faith

2013-04-20T09:35:00.000-06:00

Excerpts of "Lord I Believe" by Jeffery R. Holland, April General Conference
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Honestly acknowledge your questions and your concerns, but first and forever fan the flame of your faith, because all things are possible to them that believe.

The size of your faith or the degree of your knowledge is not the issue—it is the integrity you demonstrate toward the faith you do have and the truth you already know.

When problems come and questions arise, do not start your quest for faith by saying how much you do not have, leading as it were with your "unbelief." I am not asking you to pretend to faith you do not have. I am asking you to be true to the faith you do have. Sometimes we act as if an honest declaration of doubt is a higher manifestation of moral courage than is an honest declaration of faith. It is not! Be as candid about your questions as you need to be. But if you and your family want to be healed, don't let those questions stand in the way of faith working its miracle.

"We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard," and what we have seen and heard is that "a notable miracle hath been done" in the lives of millions of members of this Church. That cannot be denied.

[P]ease don't hyperventilate if from time to time issues arise that need to be examined, understood, and resolved. They do and they will. In this Church, what we know will always trump what we do not know. And remember, in this world, everyone is to walk by faith.

A 14-year-old boy recently said to me a little hesitantly, "Brother Holland, I can't say yet that I know the Church is true, but I believe it is." I hugged that boy until his eyes bulged out. I told him with all the fervor of my soul that belief is a precious word, an even more precious act, and he need never apologize for "only believing." I told him that Christ Himself said, "Be not afraid, only believe," a phrase which, by the way, carried young Gordon B. Hinckley into the mission field. ... I told [the young boy] how very proud I was of him for the honesty of his quest.

"The Paradoxes of Religious Peace and Conflict" -Margaret Toscano

2013-03-17T18:27:00.002-06:00

2013 Eugene England Memorial Lecture

"The Paradoxes of Religious Peace and Conflict"

Margaret Toscano

Associate Professor of Classics
University of Utah
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
UVU Library Auditorium

Gender, myth, and religion are the focal points of Professor Toscano's research. She is both the co-editor and a chapter contributor for the book Hell and Its Afterlife: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives, published by Ashgate in 2010. She has also published extensively on Mormon feminism for the last 27 years, including Strangers in Paradox: Essays in Mormon Theology(co-authored with her husband Paul) and many articles that have appeared in the Sunstone Magazine and Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. She has published articles on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight books, the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? and the HBO-BBC TV series Rome.

Mormon Scholars in the Humanities conference: "The Mystical"

2013-03-11T21:34:00.002-06:00

2013 MSH Conference, "The Mystical."

We now invite you to register for our 2013 conference, which will be held March 15 and 16, 2013, at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. This year's meeting focuses on mysticism, with presentations by two notable guest speakers, David Loy and Elliot Wolfson, as well as papers on this and other topics.

Registration
Preliminary conference schedule

Joseph Smith Papers volume editor needed

2013-03-11T21:24:00.000-06:00

Historian/Documentary Editor, Joseph Smith Papers

Job Description

The Joseph Smith Papers seeks a full-time historian/documentary editor with the academic training, research, and writing skills to edit Joseph Smith's papers. The Joseph Smith Papers is producing a comprehensive edition of Smith's documents featuring complete and accurate transcripts with both textual and contextual annotation. The scope of the project includes Smith's correspondence, revelations, journals, historical writings, sermons, legal papers, and other documents. Besides providing the most comprehensive record of early Latter-day Saint history they will also provide insight into the broader religious landscape of the early American republic.

Duties will include document analysis (research regarding the intention, production, transmission, and reception of documents); composition of source notes and historical introductions; writing of annotation to provide appropriate context and to clarify or explain passages; regular participation in team meetings and project committees; and professional development. The Joseph Smith Papers is a highly collaborative project; the successful applicant will work in a team environment with other historians and production editors.

Qualifications

A master's degree in history or a related field, with preference given to applicants with a PhD or doctoral candidate in history, religious studies, or related discipline. Experience in one or more of the following areas is desirable: documentary editing, textual studies, archival management, antebellum American history, American religious history, early Mormon history. Demonstration of excellent writing and research skills required. The successful applicant will be able to adhere to rigorous schedules and produce work of the highest professional standards, and therefore must exhibit attention to detail, efficiency, flexibility, good interpersonal communications, and the

ability to work in an academic environment that requires personal initiative and collaborative competence. Must be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, currently temple worthy. Competitive salary based on experience. Expected start date June 15, 2013.

Please send letter of application, vita, writing sample, and three letters of recommendation to Joseph Smith Papers Search, c/o Viola Knecht, Church History Library, 15 E. North Temple St., Salt Lake City, UT 84150-1600. Applicants must also complete on-line application found at www.ldschurch.jobs, posting 99785. Applications due by April 15.

Conference: The Expanded Canon, Perspectives on Mormonism and Sacred Texts

2013-03-11T21:17:00.000-06:00

Annual Mormon Studies Conference

UVU's Religious Studies Program has been sponsoring its annual Mormon Studies conference since March, 2001. These conferences bring together scholars, practitioners, and other presenters to explore a variety of topics and themes in Mormon culture, theology, history, literature, etc. Our program also offers a variety of other lectures, symposia, and conferences that can be seen here.
Thirteenth Annual Mormon Studies Conference
The Expanded Canon
Perspectives on Mormonism and Sacred Texts
April 4-5, 2013

Utah Valley University
This conference will explore the wealth of new scholarship on the sacred texts of Mormonism. The growth of Mormon Studies has initiated a variety of publications that explore the LDS canon in historical and comparative contexts. Examples include Grant Hardy,Understanding the Book of Mormon (Oxford University Press, 2010), David Holland, Sacred Borders: Continuing Revelation and Canonical Restraint in Early America (Oxford University Press, 2011), Terryl Givens, By the Hand of Mormon: The American Scripture than Launched a New American Religion (Oxford University Press, 2003), Royal Skousen, The Book of Mormon: The Earliest Text (Yale University Press, 2009)
Participants Include:

Grant Hardy,  Professor of History and Religious Studies, University of North Carolina - Ashville
David Holland,  Associate Professor of History, University of Nevada Las Vegas
Richard Lyman Bushman,  Howard W. Hunter Chair of Mormon Studies (emeritus), Claremont Graduate University
Claudia Lauper Bushman , Founding Editor, Exponent II; founder, Claremont Oral History Project
Royal Skousen, Professor of Linguistics and English, Brigham Young University

Click here for a full conference schedule

New edition of LDS Scriptures; race, polygamy, historical accuracy

2013-03-02T06:45:00.003-07:00

Excerpts of New Mormon scriptures tweak race, polygamy references, Peggy Fletcher Stack, Salt Lake Tribune. See here for a detailed list of changes.

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Scholars laud changes, say they bring a more accurate, fuller view of faith's history.

Mormon historians are cheering the newly released English edition of LDS scriptures, pointing to new wording about race and polygamy that provides a more accurate and complex view of the Utah-based church and its sometimes-controversial past.

It marks the first time in more than 30 years that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has updated its four books of scripture.

The new edition, already available online at scriptures.lds.org, includes hundreds of minor spelling and punctuation changes to the holy script, as well as more substantive (though subtle) alterations of chapter headings, study helps and historical descriptions.

American religion historian Matthew Bowman [says] "The most significant changes to this new edition emphasize the importance of understanding the culture and context these scriptures were produced in." The changes reflect an evolving and sophisticated understanding of that past and a "more thoughtful Mormonism going forward."

The lead-in to Official Declaration 2, which describes the church's 1978 announcement to lift its ban on black males holding the faith's priesthood, makes clear that Mormon founder Joseph Smith had previously ordained several black men.

Subsequent LDS officials "stopped conferring the priesthood on black males of African descent," the new introduction says. "Church records offer no clear insights into the origins of this practice."

The new edition does not dispel any of the theological myths that arose to defend the practice, saying only that Mormon leaders believed it would take a revelation to undo the ban.

"I am thrilled by the new statement regarding blacks," says Darius Gray, former president of the Genesis Group, a support organization for black Mormons. "The language is more forthcoming than anything we've previously had on the past priesthood restriction, so I take great pleasure in seeing the changes."

Still, they are "incomplete," Gray says. "There is more that needs to be done."

On polygamy, the new LDS scriptures alter the chapter heading to Doctrine & Covenants Section 132, which lays out the theology behind eternal marriage and plural marriage. They also provide a historical introduction to Official Declaration 1, known as "the Manifesto," which signaled a commitment to end the church's practice of polygamy in 1890.

Valerie Hudson, a Mormon political science professor at Texas A&M University, has argued previously that Mormon polygamy was a temporary exception and not an essential LDS doctrine.

"In these new introductions, we see that 'plural marriage' (notice, not 'plurality of wives') is to be viewed as a principle and not as a commandment, and that the 'standard' of marriage is monogamy,"

Brian Hales, an LDS researcher who just published a three-volume work, Joseph Smith's Polygamy, sees the changes as "moving away from the 19th-century wording on polygamy" in some parts, while being more accurate to the history in others.

"We are admitting our past," he says, "better than we ever have before."

One other change brings a new perspective to questions surrounding a set of Egyptian papyri that Smith bought in the 1830s and claimed to "translate" into English. The text Smith produced became part of the faith's scripture and is known as the Pearl of Great Price, but critics charge that the Egyptian images reproduced in the book do not match Smith's text.

In the book's previous edition, it is called a "translation." This time around it says it is "an inspired translation," suggesting a more spiritual process.

"Pretty much everything I'm seeing is a victory for the more modern, scholarly approach to the scriptures with a greater awareness of modern sensibilities," Mormon blogger Julie M. Smith writes at timesandseasons.org, "and the removal of a few generations of unjustifiable accretions of tradition to the record."

By August, members will be able to buy the new print version, though they need not do so, according to an LDS Church news release, because the updated edition does not change any page numbers or layout.

LDS officials, who commissioned these revisions eight years ago, seem excited by the product.

—

Some of the changes

Section heading to Doctrine & Covenants 132

Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Nauvoo, Illinois, recorded July 12, 1843, relating to the new and everlasting covenant, including the eternity of the marriage covenant and the principle of plural marriage. Although the revelation was recorded in 1843, evidence indicates that some of the principles involved in this revelation were known by the Prophet as early as 1831. See Official Declaration 1.

New introduction to Official Declaration 1:

The Bible and the Book of Mormon teach that monogamy is God's standard for marriage unless He declares otherwise (see 2 Samuel 12:7–8 and Jacob 2:27, 30). Following a revelation to Joseph Smith, the practice of plural marriage was instituted among Church members in the early 1840s (see section 132). From the 1860s to the 1880s, the United States government passed laws to make this religious practice illegal. These laws were eventually upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. After receiving revelation, President Wilford Woodruff issued the following Manifesto, which was accepted by the Church as authoritative and binding on October 6, 1890. This led to the end of the practice of plural marriage in the Church.

New Introduction to Official Declaration 2:

The Book of Mormon teaches that "all are alike unto God," including "black and white, bond and free, male and female" (2 Nephi 26:33). Throughout the history of the Church, people of every race and ethnicity in many countries have been baptized and have lived as faithful members of the Church. During Joseph Smith's lifetime, a few black male members of the Church were ordained to the priesthood. Early in its history, Church leaders stopped conferring the priesthood on black males of African descent. Church records offer no clear insights into the origins of this practice. Church leaders believed that a revelation from God was needed to alter this practice and prayerfully sought guidance. The revelation came to Church President Spencer W. Kimball and was affirmed to other Church leaders in the Salt Lake Temple on June 1, 1978. The revelation removed all restrictions with regard to race that once applied to the priesthood.

Samples of spelling and punctuation changes:

Gen. 8:11 "pluckt" to "plucked"

Alma 12:31—"becoming as Gods" to "becoming as gods" (lowercased gods)

Hel. 13:17—"the peoples'" to "the people's"

Source: scriptures.lds.org

Egyptian Alphabet documents posted

2013-03-01T18:45:00.000-07:00

The Joseph Smith Papers Project announces the addition of the following new content and features to its website, josephsmithpapers.org:

The Kirtland Egyptian Papers, including images of the "Grammar and Alphabet of the Egyptian Language"; transcripts and images of "Egyptian Counting," the three versions of "Egyptian Alphabet," and two notebooks with Egyptian characters and English entries; and images of two other documents with characters and illustrations. Also included is a brief introduction to the Egyptian material.
Fragments of the Egyptian papyri purchased by the church in 1835.

The Egyptian manuscripts featured here, which constitute all the known and extant JS Egyptian manuscripts, range from a "counting" document to several "alphabet" documents to sheets of copied hieroglyphs. Scribes created entries on pages within a ledger book as well, titled "Grammar & Aphabet of the Egyptian Language." In total, there is one ledger book, six other assorted records, and two small notebooks of copied hieroglyphs with English commentary. Some of the records are integral to one another; others are more textually tied to the papyri and extant manuscripts of the Book of Abraham.

Mormon presidential candidate endorses gay marriage

2013-02-23T23:09:00.002-07:00

Excerpts of Huntsman endorses gay marriage, urges GOP to do same, by Thomas Burr, Salt Lake Tribune

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman is endorsing gay marriage and urging fellow Republicans to embrace the cause of equality as a basic conservative principle.

Huntsman, who ran an unsuccessful bid for the Republican Party's 2012 presidential nomination, backed civil unions as Utah's chief executive but said in an opinion piece that was "four years ago" and he's evolved.

"I've been married for 29 years. My marriage has been the greatest joy of my life," Huntsman said in a piece published in The American Conservative magazine. "There is nothing conservative about denying other Americans the ability to forge that same relationship with the person they love."

The U.S. Supreme Court will take up the question next month of whether California — with its voter-approved, LDS Church-backed Proposition 8 — can ban gay marriage, a case that could have widespread repercussions for other states.

Huntsman says it's time conservatives "start to lead again" and push for their states to join the nine — along with the District of Columbia — that now allow same-sex marriages.

"The party of Lincoln," Huntsman wrote, "should stand with our best tradition of equality and support full civil marriage for all Americans."

Huntsman as recently as January 2012 had said he was against same-sex marriage, though he said states should be able to decide who can wed.

"On marriage, I'm a traditionalist," Huntsman said at the ABC News debate at New Hampshire's St. Anselm College. "I think that ought to be saved for one man and one woman, but I believe that civil unions are fair."

Utah Eagle Forum leader Gayle Ruzicka noted that Huntsman had backed an amendment to Utah's Constitution that barred gay marriage and she says Huntsman has backed out of a promise to oppose same-sex unions.

"Gay marriage is not a conservative practice, it's not a Republican practice and Governor Huntsman is neither one of those things," Ruzicka said. "He should do himself a favor and become a Democrat. Those are the principles he espouses and those are the people he associates with."

The ex-governor's choice for announcing his new-found support for same-sex marriage was also interesting: The American Conservative magazine, founded in part by ex-presidential candidate Pat Buchanan, and devoted to finding an "intellectual home for serious, independent-minded conservatives."

Huntsman on Thursday also called on his party to refuse to tolerate those within its ranks who "want Hispanic votes but not Hispanic neighbors," and that the GOP needed to lead on reforming drug policies.

Church History Symposium, Approaching Antiquity: Joseph Smith's Study of the Ancient World

2013-02-17T16:52:00.000-07:00

2013 BYU Church History Symposium

Approaching Antiquity:

Joseph Smith's Study of the Ancient World

BYU CHURCH HISTORY SYMPOSIUM

March 7–8, 2013

Thursday, March 7 – Brigham Young University (Provo)

9:00-10:00 a.m. (HBLL Auditorium): Key Note Address

Lincoln H. Blumell (Ancient Scripture, BYU), Welcome (10min)

Richard L. Bushman (History, Columbia University), "The Academic Study of Antiquity in Antebellum America" (45min)

10:15-11:45 (HBLL Auditorium): Scholars, Scripts, and Folklore of Antiquity

Andrew H. Hedges (LDS Church History Department), Moderator

Richard E. Bennett (Church History, BYU), "'To The Most Learned Men of this Generation': Martin Harris and His Visits East, 1828" (25min)

Michael Hubbard MacKay (LDS Church History Department), "'Git Them Translated': Joseph Smith, Ancient Characters, and Translating the Plates" (25min)

Steven C. Harper (LDS Church History Department), "Joseph Smith's Relationships to Hermeticism and Masonry" (25min)

Richard L. Bushman (History, Columbia University), Respondent (15min)

12:00-1:15 Break for Lunch

1:30-3:30 (HBLL Auditorium): Joseph Smith and Ancient Texts

Matthew J. Grey (Ancient Scripture, BYU), Moderator

Jared Ludlow (Ancient Scripture, BYU), "Joseph Smith's Reading of Jewish Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha" (25min)

Lincoln H. Blumell (Ancient Scripture, BYU), "What has Palmyra to do with Jerusalem? Joseph Smith and the Writings of Flavius Josephus" (25min)

Thomas A. Wayment (Ancient Scripture, BYU), "Joseph Smith and Early Christian Apocrypha" (25min)

Kristian S. Heal (Maxwell Institute, BYU), "Joseph Smith and the Early Church Fathers" (25min)

Benjamin E. Park (History, University of Cambridge), Respondent (15min)

3:45-4:45 (HBLL Auditorium): Joseph Smith's Interest in the Ancient Americas

Andrew H. Hedges (LDS Church History Department), Moderator

Mark Alan Wright (Ancient Scripture, BYU), "Joseph Smith and Native American Artifacts" (25min)

Matthew Roper (Maxwell Institute, BYU), "Joseph Smith and the Ruins: Central American Archaeology and Early Views about the Book of Mormon" (25min)

Andrew H. Hedges (LDS Church History Department), Respondent (10min)

5:00-6:30 Break for Dinner

7:00-8:30 (JSB Auditorium): Plenary Session

Elder Steven E. Snow (Church Historian and Recorder), Conducting

Opening Song, "Let Zion in Her Beauty Rise"

Special Musical Number, "If You Could Hie to Kolob"

David F. Holland (History, UNLV), "Joseph Smith and Antiquity: Points of Contact between the Prophet and the Ancient Sources" (50min)

Friday, March 8 – LDS Conference Center Little Theater (Salt Lake City)

9:00-11:45 a.m.: Joseph Smith, the Bible, and 19th Century Biblical Scholarship

Steven C. Harper (LDS Church History Department), Moderator

Kent P. Jackson (Ancient Scripture, BYU), "Joseph Smith and the Bible" (25min)

Nicholas J. Frederick (Ancient Scripture, BYU), "Joseph Smith and the Gospel of John" (25min)

Justin R. Bray (LDS Church History Department), "The Seventy Disciples in Early 19th Century Christian Thought" (25min)

Break (10min)

Samuel Brown (Medical Ethics and Humanities, University of Utah School of Medicine), "The Prisca Theology in Early Mormonism" (25min)

Matthew B. Bowman (Religion, Hampden-Sydney College), "Joseph Smith and 19th c. Biblical Commentaries" (25min)

David F. Holland (History, UNLV), Respondent (20min)

12:00-1:30: Break for Lunch

1:45-3:15: Joseph Smith's Study of Biblical Languages

Lincoln H. Blumell (Ancient Scripture, BYU), Moderator

Matthew J. Grey (Ancient Scripture, BYU), "'The Word of God in the Original': Joseph Smith's Study of Hebrew and its Impact on His Translations, Thought, and Theology" (25min)

Craig K. Manscill (Church History, BYU), "'By the Help of God I Can Read in the Hebrew Bible': Hyrum Smith's Study of Hebrew" (25min)

John W. Welch (Law, BYU), "Joseph Smith's Awareness of Greek and Latin" (25min)

Kevin L. Barney (Independent Scholar), Respondent (15min)

3:30-5:00: Joseph Smith and 19th Century Egyptology

Lincoln H. Blumell (Ancient Scripture, BYU), Moderator

John Gee (Maxwell Institute, BYU), "Joseph Smith and Ancient Egypt" (25min)

Kerry Muhlestein (Ancient Scripture, BYU), "Joseph Smith and Egyptian Artifacts: Towards a Preliminary Paradigm for Evaluating Prophetic and Mundane Ideas Regarding Aspects of the Ancient World" (25min)

Brian M. Hauglid (Ancient Scripture, BYU), "'Endowed with a Knowledge of Hidden Languages': Joseph Smith and the Egyptian Project" (25min)

John S. Thompson (Egyptology, University of Pennsylvania), Respondent (15min)

Symposium Committee

Lincoln H. Blumell (Co-Chair), Department of Ancient Scripture

Matthew J. Grey (Co-Chair), Department of Ancient Scripture

Steven C. Harper, LDS Church History Department

Andrew H. Hedges, LDS Church History Department

Linda Godfrey (Secretary), Department of Church History and Doctrine

Jointly Sponsored by

The Department of Church History and Doctrine, Brigham Young University

Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University

The Church History Department, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

LDS Church files brief supporting Prop 8 and DOMA

2013-02-04T06:40:00.000-07:00

LDS Church files SCOTUS brief supporting Prop 8, DOMA, Fox13 News, Ben Winslow

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has filed a pair of briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court, asking it to uphold California's Proposition 8 and the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

The briefs were drafted by lawyers for the LDS Church here in Utah and filed Jan. 29 before the nation's top court on behalf of the National Association of Evangelicals, the Southern Baptist Convention, the Lutheran Church-MIssouri Synod, the Romanian-American Evangelical Alliance of North America, Truth in Action Ministries, and the Mormon Church.

"Our theological perspectives, though often differing, converge to support the proposition that the traditional, opposite-sex definition of marriage in the civil law is not only constitutional but essential to the welfare of families, children, and society," Von Keetch of the Utah-based firm Kirton McConkie, wrote in the DOMA brief.

In the Proposition 8 briefing, the coalition argues that the Ninth Circuit Court should be reversed. The panel of judges ruled the measure, which banned same-sex marriage in 2008, is unconstitutional.

"The people of California violated no one's civil rights when they adopted Proposition 8. Their twice-expressed preference for the traditional definition of marriage over an untested rival conception was thoroughly rational. It is therefore thoroughly constitutional," Keetch wrote in the Prop. 8 brief.

The LDS Church has been the subject of controversy and protest over its involvement in the passage of Prop. 8. It encouraged members to donate time and money to ensure its passage. The backlash was felt nationwide, with protests around Temple Square.

While insisting that it believes marriage is between a man and a woman, the LDS Church has appeared to soften its tone toward the gay community. The church recently launched a website to encourage "greater compassion" toward the LGBT community, and acknowledged that sexuality is not a choice.

The LDS Church's amicus curiae brief is one of dozens being filed with the U.S. Supreme Court. A number of religious, civic and private organizations are filing "friend of the court" briefs, weighing in on whether same-sex marriage should be allowed.

Most recently, Utah Attorney General John Swallow joined other states in asking the court to uphold Prop. 8 and DOMA. The Utah Pride Center plans to file a brief in support of same-sex marriage.

"Revelations in Context" at lds.org

2013-02-01T17:09:00.002-07:00

Those with an interest in church history have had to deal with incomplete, uncontextualized and often inaccurate historical information published in church curricula. Now, a major step has occurred to correct this situation.

Excerpts of Revelations in Context: The Unveiling by Ardis Parshall, keepapitchinin.org.

... [without good contextual background to the revelations, understanding can be difficult] ... What are you supposed to do as a Gospel Doctrine teacher? No wonder we pick out verses here and there and do proof-texting! How else can we teach from this scripture? What a muddle! ...

A new resource for understanding the Doctrine and Covenants is going online. "Revelations in Context," a series of articles addressing the background of each section of the Doctrine and Covenants, is being published by the Church
here: Revelations in Context.

Written by ... professional historians who are also faithful members of the Church – drawing on the formidable resources of the Joseph Smith Papers project – illustrated by photographs from the Church History Library – linked to images of the original (or earliest extant) written revelations – footnoted to suit even the giddiest lover of footnotes – Revelations in Context explains what was going on at the time and and in the place when a revelation was given.

These essays identify the people involved, and tell of religious and civil history, about social customs, and the state of science and technology, and the geography related to the revelations, and whatever else is helpful to our understanding. They are long enough to be thorough, yet brief enough to be practical. The writing is authoritative yet accessible to all.

And, wonder of wonders, they are, or very shortly will be, linked to the Gospel Doctrine lesson manuals online, so that teachers and class members alike can be easily directed to these resources we have so long wished for. ...
The essays for the next several months' Gospel Doctrine lessons are posted, and I understand the remaining essays are in progress and will be posted well in advance of their appearance in the Sunday School year.

... [let's] acknowledge how far we have come as a Church in the past few years in understanding, trusting, and disseminating our history for the benefit of all the Saints.

A case for Cowdery’s Rod as the “gift” of D&C 6

2013-01-30T12:23:00.000-07:00

Within a few weeks of meeting Joseph Smith,
&C 6 & 8 were received for Oliver Cowdery

This week's Gospel Doctrine lesson (#5, "This Is the Spirit of Revelation") covers D&C 6,8 and 9 which discuss Oliver Cowdery and revelation.

Both sections 6 and 8 each discuss two gifts regarding Oliver Cowdery. Those who have compared D&C 8 with the earlier versions of that revelation (such as in the Book of Commandments) are aware that one of the gifts is a revelatory rod owned by Oliver Cowdery. In this post, I'll provide textual evidence that the first gift mentioned in D&C 6, is the same as the gift of the rod described in earlier versions of D&C 8.*

Marriott, Boy Scouts and gay rights

2013-01-28T22:51:00.000-07:00

Excerpts of Mormon-founded Marriott joins push against anti-gay marriage law, L.A. Times

... One of the nation's leading gay-rights advocacy groups, the Human Rights Campaign, has formed a coalition of major companies calling for the repeal of the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

One of the first companies to join the effort was Marriott International Inc., which was founded by a devout Mormon, John Willard Marriott...

"We are proud of our longstanding commitment to diversity, inclusion and equal treatment of all our employees within our benefits programs. ... Joining the business coalition for DOMA repeal affirms that commitment." ...

Excerpts of Boy Scouts may mirror Mormon policy and let in gays, Salt Lake Tribune

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The Boy Scouts of America soon may allow openly gay members and leaders in its ranks, a move that could have a dramatic impact on the group's century-old relationship with its top sponsor: the Utah-based LDS Church.

The proposed change would allow religious and civic groups that sponsor Scout units to decide for themselves whether to continue excluding gays or let them join.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which got its Scouting charter in 1913, declined to comment Monday, saying it would be "inappropriate" to do so until the decision is announced after next week's BSA national board meeting.

The 14 million-member LDS Church has 420,977 youths in 37,882 Scouting units.

Mormons Building Bridges, a group of Latter-day Saints dedicated to conveying love and acceptance to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, has been "gathering stories of LDS units across the country who have quietly been disregarding the national [Scouting] policy for quite some time. They have been coming out of the closet lately, coaxed on by the church's launch of mormonsandgays.org and its clear edict of inclusion

General Young Women's leader: "No need to lobby for [women's] rights"

2013-01-24T13:13:00.000-07:00

Excerpts of Remark stirs controversy on LDS women's rights and roles, Kim Johnson, abc4.com

During the January 15th Devotional Address, Elaine Dalton said, "you will understand your roles and your responsibilities and thus will see no need to lobby for rights."

It's unclear what Dalton meant by the comment, but speculation is brewing on the website "Feminist Mormon Housewives".

Jessica writes, "how sad to tell women they should never lobby for rights."
JG writes, "I guess having a uterus disqualifies you from lobbying."
Rune writes "you know what I would absolutely love? If we actually got lessons about how to be like Christ rather than how to be like genders."

Some question if recent campaigns from feminist Mormon women to obtain similar rights as men... sparked Dalton's comment. One campaign had criticized not being able to offer prayers at conference and another protested for the right to wear pants to church.

To watch the entire address, click here.

Sweet potato genome suggests pre-columbian Polynesian invovement

2013-01-22T16:48:00.000-07:00

Clues to Prehistoric Human Exploration Found in Sweet Potato Genome, by Lizzie Wade, Science Mag

Europeans raced across oceans and continents during the Age of Exploration in search of territory and riches. But when they reached the South Pacific, they found they had been beaten there by a more humble traveler: the sweet potato. Now, a new study suggests that the plant's genetics may be the key to unraveling another great age of exploration, one that predated European expansion by several hundred years and remains an anthropological enigma.

Humans domesticated the sweet potato in the Peruvian highlands about 8000 years ago, and previous generations of scholars believed that Spanish and Portuguese explorers introduced the crop to Southeast Asia and the Pacific beginning in the 16th century. But in recent years, archaeologists and linguists have accumulated evidence supporting another hypothesis: Premodern Polynesian sailors navigated their sophisticated ships all the way to the west coast of South America and brought the sweet potato back home with them. The oldest carbonized sample of the crop found by archaeologists in the Pacific dates to about 1000 C.E.—nearly 500 years before Columbus's first voyage. What's more, the word for "sweet potato" in many Polynesian languages closely resembles the Quechua word for the plant.

Studying the genetic lineage of the sweet potato directly has proved difficult, however. European traders exported varieties of sweet potato from Mexico and the Caribbean to the Pacific, and those breeds mixed with the older Polynesian varieties, obscuring their genetic history. Therefore, it's difficult to apply information culled from modern samples to older varieties without a prehistoric control.

Now a team of researchers working with France's Centre of Evolutionary and Functional Ecology and CIRAD, a French agricultural research and development center, has identified one such temporal control: sweet potato samples preserved in herbariums assembled by the first European explorers to visit many Polynesian islands. The study, which is published online today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, provides strong evidence for prehistoric contact between Polynesia and South America.

By analyzing genetic markers specific to sweet potatoes in both modern samples of the plant and older herbarium specimens, the researchers discovered significant differences between varieties found in the western Pacific versus the eastern Pacific. This finding supports the so-called tripartite hypothesis, which argues that the sweet potato was introduced to the region three times: first through premodern contact between Polynesia and South America, then by Spanish traders sailing west from Mexico, and Portuguese traders coming east from the Caribbean. The Spanish and Portuguese varieties ended up in the western Pacific, while the older South American variety dominated in the east, which would explain the genetic differences the French team saw.

The decision to analyze herbarium specimens is "innovative" and provides another piece of strong evidence for the tripartite hypothesis, says archaeologist Patrick Kirch, of the University of California, Berkeley, who was not involved in the study. Lead author Caroline Roullier emphasizes that although her genetic analysis alone doesn't prove that premodern Polynesians made contact with South America, it strongly supports the existing archaeological and linguistic evidence pointing to that conclusion. "It's the combination of all different kinds of proof" that's really convincing, she says. Anthropologist Richard Scaglion of the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania agrees, "All the lines of evidence coming together … really strengthens the case" for Polynesian contact with South America.

Ensign magazine discusses changes to revelations

2013-01-22T13:17:00.000-07:00

Excerpts of "Great and Marvelous Are the Revelations of God," Gerrit Dirkmaat, Ensign Magazine

--The ongoing Joseph Smith Papers Project at the Church History Library has highlighted the essential role that Joseph Smith's revelations played in building the faith of early members of the Church. They understood that the process of revelation was not static and that the Lord sometimes commanded Joseph to revise, update, or correct the written revelations.

Some of the Prophet Joseph's earliest revelations came through the same means by which he translated the Book of Mormon from the gold plates. In the stone box containing the gold plates, Joseph found what Book of Mormon prophets referred to as "interpreters," or a "stone, which shall shine forth in darkness unto light" (Alma 37:23–24). He described the instrument as "spectacles" and referred to it using an Old Testament term, Urim and Thummim (see Exodus 28:30).2

He also sometimes applied the term to other stones he possessed, called "seer stones" because they aided him in receiving revelations as a seer. The Prophet received some early revelations through the use of these seer stones.

Records indicate that soon after the founding of the Church in 1830, the Prophet stopped using the seer stones as a regular means of receiving revelations.

Many Revelations Were Later Revised by Joseph Smith through Inspiration

Over the course of the first five years of the Church, Joseph and others under his direction made changes and corrections to some of the early revelation texts in an attempt to more closely portray the intent of the revelation. Other times, especially as the revelations were being prepared for publication, Joseph was inspired to update the contents of the revelations to reflect a growing Church structure and new circumstances. At times this process resulted in substantial additions to the original text.5 As early as November 1831, a Church conference resolved that "Joseph Smith Jr. correct those errors or mistakes which he may discover by the Holy Spirit while reviewing the revelations and commandments and also the fullness of the scriptures."6

Some of the needed changes stemmed from errors made by scribes as Joseph dictated the revelation to them. Other changes were made as later revelations incorporated more teachings that had not been a part of the initial revelation.

Most of the changes to the revelations were made as they were prepared for publication, particularly in 1833 and 1835. Many of these changes made the revelations easier to read and understand; others clarified and expanded upon ideas in the previous revelations as a result of continued revelation on the topic.

While many members today may look at the revelations as being static and unchanging, the Prophet Joseph Smith saw the revelations as living and subject to change as the Lord revealed more of His will.

Early Church members accepted the revelations Joseph Smith received as the literal voice of God speaking to them.
The Joseph Smith Papers Project at the Church History Library is in the process of making the project's documents available to readers either in printed volumes or online (in English). At http://JosephSmithPapers.org, readers can see images and transcriptions of hundreds of Joseph Smith's documents, including revelations, letters, and journals.

Study: Utah ranks last in women attending college

2013-01-22T12:15:00.001-07:00

Excerpts of Utah's higher-education gender gap grows, by Brian Maffly, Salt Lake Tribune
--

UVU study • Percentage of women attending postsecondary institutions trails nation.

Utah women marry younger, have children sooner and have more of them than their peers in all other states. This demographic quirk is often cited as the reason women don't attend college at the same rate as men, a growing cause of concern among higher-education leaders.

Nationally, women make up the majority of college students, currently 57 percent compared with 49 percent in Utah.

According to Utah Valley University scholar Susan Madsen, women who put off completing college until after their children are grown rarely get around to earning a degree.

"For many of the women who come back, something critical happened. They'll be pushed back into it. They lose their husbands or divorce their husbands" said Madsen, an associate professor of management. "Ninety percent of [Utah's] young women believe that they will, at sometime in their life, get a college degree. The problem is the probability of that gets low as time goes by."

Madsen has been exploring women's low college participation and what can be done to reverse the trend.She will present her findings from the Utah Women and Education Project, based on in-depth surveys of 245 women, age 18 to 32.

When it comes to women and college participation, Utah is an outlier. Nationally, women are projected to account for 59 percent of undergraduate and 61 percent of graduate enrollments by 2019, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. In 2008, women earned 57 percent of bachelor's degrees, 62 percent of associate's degrees and 51 percent of doctorate degrees, marking huge gains in education attainment for women — advances not shared by women in the Beehive State.

While the freshman classes at the University of Utah and BYU are evenly split between the genders most years, men earn about 55 percent of the bachelor's degrees — and the gap is widening. According to U. data, the state's flagship university awarded 47.5 percent of its 2000 degrees to women. That share slipped to 45.2 percent this year.

The disparity is relatively recent. In the early 1990s, women made up the majority of enrollments at Utah's public campuses, but in 1993, male participation began outpacing that of females. Women now account for 49 percent, Madsen said.

She suspects many young women don't fully appreciate the economic and social value of a college degree or are unaware of the financial aid and advising services to help them through.

Conventional wisdom holds that Utah's gender gap is connected to the influence of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which celebrates marriage and family. But culture explains only part of the puzzle, especially since church leaders also extoll the virtues of education, Madsen said.

"Lots of young women who dropped out said they wanted to be in college and they did and it was great, but they dropped out after the first semester," she said. "That was their goal — to go to college, not to graduate. They're thinking they're successful if they just go."

A Selected Chronology of Lorenzo Snow

2013-01-04T13:02:00.002-07:00

The Priesthood / Relief Society manual Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Lorenzo Snow will be studied by Latter-day Saint men and women in 2013. In conjunction, LDS-Church-History will present a in-depth chronology of the life of Lorenzo Snow.

Lorenzo and his sister Eliza R. Snow joined the Latter Day Saints in Ohio when Joseph Smith and his followers settled near their home. He soon became immersed in the Mormon movement, living near Kirtland, then Nauvoo, and on to Utah, with missions in between. This study will look at his rise through the hierarchy, family background, and touch on a number of items such as the origin of his famous couplet; "As man is, God once was. As God is, man may become."

Lorenzo Snow merged his intellectual abilities and compassionate outlook with his fervent religious views. As a young man, he studied Hebrew. As a new apostle, he liked to ask deep doctrinal questions of Brigham Young. As president of the Quorum of Twelve, he believed that by achieving perfect harmony among his fellow apostles, the 2nd coming would quickly follow, with the church returning to Zion within a few years. He labored intensely to resolve tensions among his fellow apostles.

This study will also look at his visions, his quest to relieve the debt burden of the church, how he interpreted the manifesto, and other issues faced by the LDS leadership.

Aspects of his life are drawn a variety of sources including the journals of his fellow apostles. Source material is presented as is, without commentary -- allowing the sources to speak for themselves.

Each day over the coming months, several items from this chronology will be posted, providing an unparalleled look into his life. The best way to follow LDS Church History is by subscribing to one of the following:

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RSS Feed

2013 Conference of the Mormon Transhumanist Association

2013-01-03T19:28:00.000-07:00

... The Mormon Transhumanist Association, ... will be held on 5 April 2013 from 9am to 5pm in Salt Lake City, Utah. Speakers will address the themes of Mormonism, Transhumanism and Transfigurism, with particular attention to topics at the intersection of technology, spirituality, science and religion. ...

Keynote Speakers

Ben Goertzel will speak on "Faster Than You Think: The Advent of Transhuman Artificial General Intelligence". He is Chief Scientist of financial prediction firm Aidyia Holdings; Chairman of AI software company Novamente LLC and bioinformatics company Biomind LLC; Chairman of the Artificial General Intelligence Society and the OpenCog Foundation; Vice Chairman of futurist nonprofit Humanity+; Scientific Advisor of biopharma firm Genescient Corp.; Advisor to the Singularity University and Singularity Institute; Research Professor in the Fujian Key Lab for Brain-Like Intelligent Systems at Xiamen University, China; and general Chair of the Artificial General Intelligence conference series. He has published a dozen scientific books, 100+ technical papers, and numerous journalistic articles.

Richard Bushman will speak on "From Humanity to Fulness the Mormon Way". He retired as Gouverneur Morris Professor of History at Columbia University in 2001, and then came out of retirement in 2008 to accept a position as visiting Howard W. Hunter Chair of Mormon Studies at Claremont Graduate University. He is the author of Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling and Co-General Editor of the Joseph Smith Papers. He chairs the Board of Directors of the Mormon Scholars Foundation which fosters the development of young LDS scholars. With his wife Claudia Bushman, he is the father of six children and twenty grandchildren. He has been a bishop, stake president, and patriarch and is currently a sealer in the Manhattan Temple.

Special Guest Speakers

Carl Teichrib will speak on "A Christian Critique of Christian Transhumanism". He is a Canadian-based researcher, writer, and communicator regarding the historic and contemporary worldview shifts taking place, including political and economic globalization, and socio-religious trends. He is the editor of Forcing Change (www.forcingchange.org), a monthly publication dedicated to documenting and analyzing the structures of transformation, and is a frequent guest on radio talk shows. Over the years, his work has been utilized by other researchers, authors, and commentators. Carl's biases are transparent: he embraces a Christian worldview (evangelical/conservative), is pro-liberty (versus politically imposed equality), pro-individualistic (versus consensus collectivism), and pro-free market (volunteer and consensual exchange).

Peter Wicks will speak on "An Atheist Transhumanist Critique of Religious Transhumanism". He studied mathematics at Cambridge, England, where he obtained his PhD in 1991. Since then he has worked mainly at the European Commission, where his responsibilities have ranged from environment policy to research on industrial accidents. In 2011 he took unpaid leave from the Commission to explore alternative career opportunities. In recent years he has become fascinated by the potential philosophical implications of emerging technologies, and broadly supports the goals of the transhumanist movement. Though raised as an Anglican Christian, Peter currently regards himself for all practical purposes as an atheist.

More info available here.

The Cross in Mormon History

2012-12-21T10:07:00.002-07:00

Amelia Folsom Young (Briaham Young's

polygamous wife). Photograph from Utah
State Historical Society Classified Photo
Collection, no. 14195

Excerpts of Reed, "Banishing the Cross: The Emergence of a Mormon Taboo" (reviewed by Boyd J. Petersen)
--

Title: Banishing the Cross: The Emergence of a Mormon Taboo
Author: Michael G. Reed

... As Robert Rees has argued, one of the "very large stumbling blocks" keeping other Christians from accepting Mormons as Christian is our rejection of the central symbol of Christianity: the cross. [1] The symbol is not found on Mormon places of worship, on LDS hymnals or scripture, or on jewelry worn by members of the Church. In fact it is often viewed with suspicion, as a sign of apostasy.

... [F]or the average Mormon, LDS antipathy to the cross may seem doctrinal, perhaps foundational, dating back to teachings from Joseph Smith. However, as Michael Reed aptly demonstrates ... this history is much more recent and quite complex. ...

One of the most interesting chapters of Reed's book focuses on the influences of folk magic and Masonry. Following the work of historians like D. Michael Quinn and Richard Bushman who document the impact of folk magic in early Mormonism, Reed notes the centrality of the cross in folk magic symbolism and identifies crosses on several magical parchments belonging to the Smith family. He goes on to show that the cross was also a part of Christianized Masonry, where the pentagram, for example, symbolizes the five wounds of Christ and the Masonic five points of fellowship. Likely influenced by Masonic symbolism, Reed argues, the decorative cruciform stonework surrounding the pentagram windows in the Nauvoo temple brings together the shape of the cross and the pentagram, directly alluding to Christ's crucifixion. He further notes the decorative cross emblazoned on Joseph Smith's walking cane. Reed shows that the cross is found in both magic and masonry, and that early Mormons were comfortable and conversant in both.

Reed next shows how pre-Columbian discoveries supported Mormon acceptance of the cross. Beginning with the LDS "Times and Seasons" publication of excerpts from John L. Stephens and Fredrick Catherwood's "Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan" in 1841, Mormons have looked to Mesoamerican discoveries for proof of the Book of Mormon's authenticity. With the discovery of cross symbols in Mayan carvings, many Mormons saw it as proof that Christ had visited the New World, just as the Book of Mormon declared. As Reed puts it, "Mormons perceived Pre-Columbian crosses as evidence vindicating the Book of Mormon narrative that Christianity was practiced among native Americans in ancient times" (66).

One of the most wonderful aspects of Reed's book is its bountiful supply of illustrations, and chapter five, "Mormon Crosses before the Institutionalized Taboo," provides plentiful documentation that Mormons once embraced the cross as a symbol of faith. Reed provides photos of crosses in quilts, in the stained glass in LDS chapels, in funeral arrangements (at John Taylor's funeral, no less!), and in jewelry worn by prominent Mormons (one of Brigham Young's wives and two daughters). It was even emblazoned on the spine of an 1852 European edition of the Doctrine and Covenants. The images throughout the book, especially in this chapter, were so good, so important to the thesis, I wished for better production values. I would love to have an over-size coffee table edition of this book. Any reader unconvinced by Reed's argument, would find it difficult to remain unconvinced when confronted with his visual evidence.

Clearly demonstrating that the official Church openly accepted the cross is Reed's discussion of a proposal in the early twentieth century to erect a cross on top of Ensign Peek as a tribute to the Mormon pioneers. The proposal was put forward by B. H. Roberts at a pioneer day commemoration in 1915, when he noted that the "ensign which shall yet float from yonder peak is the ensign of humanity; the ensign of Christ in which every nation shall have part" (87). A year later the Church petitioned the Salt Lake City council for permission to erect the monument. It was opposed initially by a non-Mormon state legislator who thought it was disingenuous for the LDS Church to portray itself as Christian. "It is evident that the oriental crescent of the Mohomedan is a better exhibit for the Pioneer as a monument," he argued.

... The taboo against the cross likely crept into Mormonism as later generations lost touch with the symbols of folk magic and masonry and as Mormons began to assimilate into larger American culture. Reed documents growing tension between Mormons and Catholics in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century as a series of missteps and miscommunication: ...

This increasing tension, combined with some anti-Catholic prejudices of some Church leaders. combined to create an official antipathy toward the symbol of the cross. Mark E. Petersen saw it as nothing but a cruel form of torture, Joseph Fielding Smith saw it as "repugnant and contrary to the true worship of our Redeemer," and Bruce R. McConkie called it the "mark of the beast" (118-20). The taboo against the cross became solidified as President McKay warned of the "two great anti-Christs in the world: Communism and that [Catholic] Church" (115).

... Reed's book is a wonderful addition to Mormon history and a helpful guide in rethinking our contemporary aversion to the central symbol of Christianity.

[1] Lynn Arave, "Cross Called a 'Stumbling Block' for Mormonism," Deseret News 11 Aug. 2008. (available:http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705381404/Cross-called-a-stumbling-block-for-Mormonism.html?pg=all)

=====

Title: Banishing the Cross: The Emergence of a Mormon Taboo
Author: Michael G. Reed
Publisher: John Whitmer Books
Genre: History
Year Published: 2012
Binding: Softcover
Number of pages: 186
ISBN-10: 1934901350
ISBN-13: 978-1934901359
Price: $19.95

Reviewed by Boyd J. Petersen for the Association for Mormon Letters

Mormon Women "Pants Day" at church

2012-12-14T00:30:00.001-07:00

Excerpts of Mormon 'Pants Day' — debate heats up as women prepare to dress down by Peggy Fletcher Stack, Salt Lake Tribune

Modern Mormon women who see the skirts-only convention at LDS chapels to be evidence of outdated and discouraging stereotypes ... proposed the "Wear Pants to Church Day " and posted an announcement on Facebook. The event is intended as the first act of All Enlist, a group dedicated to gender equality in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

"We do not seek to eradicate the differences between women and men, but we do want the LDS Church to acknowledge the similarities," the group's mission statement says. "We believe that much of the cultural, structural, and even doctrinal inequality that persists in the LDS Church today stems from the church's reliance on — and enforcement of — rigid gender roles that bear no relationship to reality ."

Within hours, the page had hundreds of commitments to participate, and even more hostile comments.
Critics questioned the organizers' motives, their spirituality , their loyalty to the faith. A second group posted its own, opposing event: "Wear Skirts to Church Day ."

The pants idea came to Stephanie Lauritzen when she was on the phone with her sister, while perusing sales racks at Target. She wondered aloud what simple act could bring attention to the LDS Church's gender inequality .

Lauritzen and other "Pants Day " organizers did not see their plan as a protest, rally or political statement, but merely an attempt to "make the church better."

This weekend's "Pants Day " isn't limited to women. The group is encouraging men to show support by "wearing a purple shirt, tie, socks, or ribbon, purple being a color historically associated with the suffrage movement."

In response, some LDS men are now asking: When is No Neckties Day ?

Mormon Church launches website on homosexuality

2012-12-06T21:17:00.001-07:00

Excerpts of New Mormon church website touts softer tone on gays by Peggy Fletcher Stack, Salt Lake Tribune

The LDS Church is not changing its tune about homosexuality, but it has launched a new website to alter the tone.

The site —called "Love One Another: A Discussion on Same Sex Attraction" — includes video clips of Mormon leaders as well as gay members and their families promoting compassion and understanding toward homosexuals. It also urges gay Mormons to stick with the faith.

"Our hope with this site is that empathy will grow in families," LDS apostle D. Todd Christofferson says in one clip. "We're trying to communicate that our love is inclusive, that we want to have the family remain intact, and the relationships we've treasured over the years to remain and to grow."

It's important, the apostle says, "to recognize the feelings of a person, that they are real, that they are authentic, that we don't deny that someone feels a certain way."

Many gay-rights activists, inside and outside the LDS Church, applaud Mormonism's latest effort.

"This website is a tool, or resource, for LDS faithful for engaging in this topic," says Brandie Balkan, executive director of Equality Utah. "It is important that the core is inclusion, understanding and compassion. It is my hope that we will see a difference in the lived experience of the LGBT [community], especially of our young people."

LDS leaders have increasingly emphasized that Mormons not abandon or distance themselves from gay loved ones and have condemned bullying and homophobic rhetoric among members and in society at large.

"After the harshness and bitterness of [California's] Proposition 8, [defining marriage as only between a man and a woman], the LDS Church has shown that its underlying principles of love and acceptance are present in this ongoing communication process," [Sen. Jim] Dabakis says in a statement. "I salute leaders of the Mormon church and look forward to a continuing dialogue of respect and greater understanding."

Laurie Campbell always knew she was a lesbian growing up in her Mormon family. She had three successive gay relationships, but, finally, decided to give up her partner and return to her faith. She subsequently married a man and had three children. More than 20 years ago, she wrote about the experience in a bookcalled, Born That Way? A True Story of Overcoming Same-Sex Attraction With Insights for Friends, Families and Leaders.

"It was unnerving to come forward and be open about it — even not living a gay relationship now, that still doesn't go over very well in the church," she says in a phone interview. "But I don't want people to feel ashamed if they identify as gay."

"It's no sin to have inclinations that if yielded to would produce behavior that would be a transgression," apostle Dallin H. Oaks says in an interview posted on the church's newsroom website. "The sin is in yielding to temptation."

On the question of inborn tendencies, Oaks says, "the church does not have a position on the causes of any of these susceptibilities or inclinations, including those related to same-gender attraction."

Same-sex attraction is also "not an illness or a disease," LDS officials say in the new videos, noting that the church no longer encourages gay members to get married to someone of the opposite sex.

"On this website we witness something that church leaders rarely do: Admit that we've done things wrong in the past," Spencer W. Clark, executive directorof Mormons for Marriage Equality, says in a statement. "This is old news to gay children who were thrown out of their homes, spouses whose mixed-orientation marriages ended in disaster, or Mormons who felt so hopeless and persecuted that they were driven to suicide."

The new site also doesn't encourage Latter-day Saints to oppose legislation making gay marriage legal. Indeed, Dabakis notes the fact that the church "didn't get involved in any of the four races [gay marriage initiatives] that were on the [November] ballot — not one volunteer, not one dollar — is evidence of this kind of change, and our community has changed dramatically, too."

The new website has been in the works for more than two years, LDS Church spokesman Michael Purdy says in an introduction, and was prompted by misunderstanding of Mormonism during the recent presidential election.

The church needs to move beyond talk of "feelings of same-sex attraction," Mayne writes in an email, "since being gay is about sexual orientation, which encompasses much more than feelings. I think we need to begin to acknowledge decades of scientific research on sexual orientation (both gay and straight) before we can really formulate the most healthy response to LGBT members."

Mayne is pleased to see the website use "gay" in its Internet address, because in the past the church has avoided that term.

"Any time we can use the word 'gay' instead of same-sex attraction," he says, "I feel hope that we may be emerging from our misguided, primitive history on how we understand what it really means to be an LGBT individual — a complete human, with a sexual orientation and identity equal to and as complex as that of our straight counterparts."

Mormon Church History: 1847

2012-11-26T12:45:00.000-07:00

1847 marks an important period in the history of the LDS Church. The year opens with Mormons wintering in the temporary settlement Winter Quarters on the Nebraska / Iowa boarder. By mid-summer, Brigham Young would found an isolated community near the Great Salt Lake in present day Utah.

Over the next several months, Mormon-Church-History will chronicle each day of 1847, gradually traversing through the entire year. Information posted will include journal entries, meeting minutes, biographical information and more.

See here for more info.

Excerpts from January 1st, 1847
--

Eliza R. Snow's diary mentions receiving a blessing "thro' our belov'd mother Chase and sis[ter] Clarissa [Decker] by the gift of tongues," adding: "To describe the scene . . . would be beyond my power" ...

[Hosea Stout Diary] ...

This being the beginning of another year and our sojourn in Winter Quarters perhaps is about half out I thought I would give you a synopsis of the "face of affairs".

The brethren have mostly got into their houses.

The city is divided into 22 wards & has a Bishop over each ward. They seem to be doing their duty better than I ever knew the Bishops to do before. The poor are uncommonly well seen & attended to

The police Tax are being collected and the people are appearantly willing to pay the same though some have fled because of the police tax and are trying to raise an excitement against us in Missouri & all who have left here contrary to council as far as I can learn have had bad luck & they are truly "cursed" ...

There are now arraingements being made to send off three hundred pioneers before winter breaks who will proceed to the head of the running water and sustain their teams on the rushes as they will travail up the river. and wait there till grass rises & then proceed to the foot of the mountains near the head of the Yellow Stone where they will put in a crop.

The Twelve contemplate & are now raising companies that is each is raising a company who will follow after the pioneers when grass rises here with as many persons as can subsist on the crop put on by the pioneers

There is peace in this place and the Saints seem willing to abide council notwithstanding some dissent and escape & find fault with every move that is made for even now the transgressor in Zion begins to tremble.

I have heard of no report of adultery in this place since the affair last fall or summer with the three young men.spoken of at the time so effectual was the lessen give then on that subject.

The war between the United States and Mexico appears to be continued and there is yet no signs of its termination which creates great dissatisfaction in the States. Elders Hyde & Taylor both arrived in saftey in England ...

Mormons sit on sidelines in anti-gay marriage efforts

2012-11-19T12:47:00.000-07:00

Excerpts of Where Have All the Mormons Gone In the Fight for Marriage Equality? by gay activist & former Mormon Fred Karger, Huffington Post

Tuesday, November 6, 2012 will go down in history in our political fight for LGBT rights. In Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington voters stood up to the usual campaigns and a majority in each state voted for the freedom to marry for the very first time. Before last Tuesday we had lost 33 marriage votes in a row and most by very lopsided margins.

Since the first gay marriage vote in Hawaii in 1998 we have always been vastly outspent by our opponents in every election until we finally evened the score in fundraising after 10 years and 29 losses on California's Proposition 8. We even outraised our opponents $44 million to $40 million. Our narrow defeat on Prop 8 was the turning point in our civil rights movement.

Mormon Church Busted

During the summer of 2008 we were monitoring all the money coming into the Yes on 8 campaign. That is when I discovered the massive involvement of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church) in Prop 8. I shared the information with the Wall Street Journal which broke the story. It turned out that Mormons were not only running the entire Yes on Prop 8 campaign, but they had contributed $30 million of the $40 million raised.

Since the Mormon Church did not report its vast involvement in Prop 8 to California election officials, and instead claimed to have only spent $2078, I filed an unprecedented sworn complaint against them with the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC).

Several top Mormon Church leaders attacked me, called me a liar and even subpoena me in their federal lawsuit in California they had filed to strike down our 35 year old campaign reporting law so they could keep all the money they spent secret. That backfired and the Mormon Church not only lost its federal lawsuit, but the FPPC prosecuted, investigated, fined and found the Mormon Church guilty on 13 counts of election fraud because of my ethics complaint.

Secret Mormon Church Documents Unearthed

A few months after filing my charges against the Mormon Church I was given hundreds of official Mormon documents that showed how they had run and funded every single anti-gay marriage campaign going back to Hawaii in 1998. That was the very first voter approved ban on gay marriage. The Mormon Church directly gave that campaign $400,000 which was enough to defeat marriage equality in Hawaii 70% to 30%. We've posted some of these documents on our web site www.RightsEqualRights.com. The memos and letters show just how devious and involved the Mormon Church was in that first marriage vote. Other documents in my possession show the Mormon Church's leading role in all other gay marriage campaigns throughout the country.

No Mormon Involvement in 2012?

So imagine my surprise when for the first time in 14 years the Mormon Church appears to have sat out the five anti-gay marriage elections this year (including North Carolina's in May). Why you ask? Well, while SSM (same-sex marriage) as they refer to it in their documents is extremely important to the Mormon Chuch, having the first Mormon President of the United States trumps gay marriage any day. They did not want to become an election issue again, especially in Mitt Romney's campaign.

The Mormon Church is extremely political. They admit to having 220 people in their "Public Affairs" department alone. Records from the California investigation against them show that they had 77 full time Mormon Church employees in their Salt Lake City office working to pass Prop 8. Yes 77 Church employees! They even had to provide their names for the investigators.

Mormon Church Established National Organization for Marriage

The Mormon Church created the so-called National Organization for Marriage (NOM) in 2007 to qualify and pass Prop 8 in California. They had Mormon Apostle Jeffrey Holland's politically savvy son Matt Holland do that and serve on the NOM's first Board of Directors. Now the NOM Board has grown and three wealthy and prominent Mormons have taken Matt Holland's place. Mega donors Broc Hiatt and Craig D. Cardon have joined Orson Scott Card on the board, so the Mormon Church has control of NOM which ran and funded all the losing campaigns on November 6th.

NOM Vastly Outspent This Year

For the first time members of the LGBT community, our organizations led by the Human Rights Campaign and Freedom to Marry, as well as so many of our allies were able to vastly outraise NOM and its supporters. Not just by 10% like in Prop 8, but 3 to 4 times the money than NOM was able to raise. This huge monetary advantage enabled the campaigns in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington to do a lot more and do it much earlier. A big early money advantage in a political campaign is often insurmountable. With more and more early voting in the states, the last two weeks of TV and direct mail from NOM was too little too late. NOM's commercials of fear and hate designed by its political hack Frank Schubert were run late because they were low on money. So late in fact, that they were lost in the last minute barrage of other political ads. NOM was even called out on its lies and tactics this time.

[Read the complete article here]