Of this classic, Elder B. H. Roberts (1857–1933) of the First Council of the Seventy wrote: “The letter is one of the choicest documents in our church literature; as also it is the earliest published document by the Prophet personally, making any pretension to consecutive narrative of those events in which the great Latter-day work had its origin. … For combining conciseness of statement with comprehensiveness of treatment of the subject with which it deals, it has few equals among historical documents, and certainly none that excel it in our church literature.”
March 1, 1842.—At the request of Mr. John Wentworth, editor and proprietor of the Chicago Democrat, I have written the following sketch of the rise, progress, persecution, and faith of the Latter-day Saints, of which I have the honor, under God, of being the founder. Mr. Wentworth says that he wishes to furnish Mr. Bastow [Barstow], a friend of his, who is writing the history of New Hampshire, with this document. As Mr. Bastow has taken the proper steps to obtain correct information, all that I shall ask at his hands is that he publish the account entire, ungarnished, and without misrepresentation.
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Doctrinal Commentary, Gospel Doctrine, Jesus Christ, Quotes Articles of Faith, Joseph Smith, The Wentword Letter
The technology available to you today provides a limitless array of options to consume and create content and to interact with others. With these opportunities, however, come dangers and pitfalls. The purpose of this site is to help you identify and avoid these downsides of technology…
Visit http://besafe.byu.edu/ >
Home and Family, Morality, family internet safety
Robert L. Millet was the dean of Religious Education at Brigham Young University when this devotional address was given on 3 February 1998.
am honored to be asked to speak at the devotional assembly this morning. Because the weekly devotionals at Brigham Young University have been such a significant part of my life, I have taken this invitation very seriously. My topic is “What We Believe.”
Sooner or later you and I will be approached by men and women not of our faith–persons either sincerely interested in what we believe or else opposed to much of what we stand for. This is particularly true as the Church grows and as our influence spreads throughout the world. Perhaps it would be worthwhile for us to entertain a few questions about what we believe, questions frequently asked of the Latter-day Saints concerning scripture, God, Christ, and salvation. For example:
1. How can the Latter-day Saints justify having additional books of scripture and adding to the Christian canon?
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Doctrinal Commentary, Gospel Doctrine, New Classics, Q and A lds beliefs, mormon beliefs, mormon doctrine, what we believe
Kevin Jennings, founder of the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) has been appointed by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to be Assistant Deputy Secretary for the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools. GLSEN is the foremost national group promoting policies to force affirmation of homosexuality in schools, beginning in kindergarten. For example, GLSEN once sponsored a conference at Tufts University that was advertised to “youth only ages 14 to 21″ where three homosexual activists led a workshop graphically guiding the students on gay sex practices.
Under Jennings direction, GLSEN has sponsored the Day of Silence at schools, has pushed for Gay-Straight Alliance clubs, and taught workshops on How to Promote Queer-Friendly Activism in Your Schools and in Your Lives.
The author of the forward to the disturbing book Queering Elementary, which argues for the teaching of sexual “identity” (what you could easily call “indoctrination,” “initiation” or “brainwashing”) to the children in the elementary education stage of life, Jennings has spoken publicly telling the religious right to “Drop Dead.”
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family
Publication of issue 15/2 of the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies was a landmark event in Old World studies of the Book of Mormon. Encouragingly, it illustrates what Daniel McKinlay’s article calls the “brightening light” being shed on Lehi and Sariah’s odyssey. Just thirty years ago the most optimistic of us could not have imagined how much of that journey can now be plausibly situated in the real world.
Researchers generally agree that Nephi’s Bountiful must lie somewhere on the fertile southern coast of Oman, which stretches a short distance into Yemen. Wellington and Potter discuss the most promising specific locations identified to date: Khor (inlet) Rori and Khor Kharfot. W. Revell Phillips proposes a third possibility, Khor Mughsayl, which lies between the other two.1
Having explored the entire east coast of Yemen and Oman, I could claim, I suppose, that at some stage I must certainly have been in the original Bountiful. However, at no time since completing that survey in 1992 have I ever claimed that any particular location was Bountiful. My interest remains what it has always been—to demonstrate that the Book of Mormon’s claimed origins are completely plausible. I have no expectation that research will ever demonstrate more than that.
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Archaeology, Book of Mormon Bountiful, Oman
Korihor appears out of nowhere, as it were, in the Nephite record. His entire story is contained in Alma 30, where he suddenly appears in the land of Zarahemla, preaching “unto the people against the prophecies which had been spoken by the prophets, concerning the coming of Christ.” (Alma 30:6.) What we know of his background is mostly from inference, but his arguments show that he was an educated man, in sophistry if not in the scriptures. But we know from his own final admission that Korihor once had a testimony: “I also knew that there was a God. But behold, the devil hath deceived me. … And I have taught his words; and I taught them because they were pleasing unto the carnal mind, … insomuch that I verily believed that they were true.” (Alma 30:52–53.) Thus Korihor’s life teaches us that having the truths of the gospel and being a covenant servant of Christ are in nowise guarantees of salvation. We are also reminded that the most powerful opposition to the work of the Savior on this earth comes from those who know the truth and then deliberately turn from it and seek to destroy others.
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Accountability, Apostasy & Restoration, Book of Mormon, Morality, Pride, Talks apostasy, humanism, korihor
First Presidency Easter Message
In recognition of the Easter season, the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued the following Easter message:
At this Easter season of hope and renewal we testify of the glorious reality of the atonement and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. The empty tomb brought comforting assurance and provided the answer to the question of Job, “If a man die, shall he live again?” (Job 14:14).
Because of the Savior’s resurrection we will overcome death and become the beneficiaries of His mercy and grace. In a world of trouble and uncertainty, His peace fills our hearts and eases our minds. Jesus is in very deed “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).
We give our sure witness that Jesus is the Christ. Though He was crucified, He rose triumphant from the tomb to our everlasting blessing and benefit. To each member of the human family He stands as our Advocate, our Savior, and our Friend.
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Atonement, Jesus Christ, Misc Easter, First Presidency
179th Annual General Conference Archive
The multimedia archive for the 179th Annual General Conference, held 4-5 April 2009 is now available at LDS.org.
To visit the Conference page, click here >
MP3s, Talks, Videos general conference
The audio and video for the 2008 BYU Education Week seminars has been posted. Several noted speakers including Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve, Daniel Peterson, Joseph Fielding McConkie, and others offer their insights on a variety of topics ranging from the Atonement to the Joseph Smith Papers Project.
Click Here to go to 2008 Education Week downloads >
MP3s, Talks, Videos audio, education week, video
The Hill Cumorah
If known truth were accepted, Joseph Smith’s recovery of the golden plates from the Hill Cumorah would rank as one of the greatest archaeological finds of all time; coupled with the subsequent translation of this golden record into the Book of Mormon, there is nothing comparable in the annals of history. The story of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon reveals a constant tension between the miraculous and the mundane—angels and inscribed golden plates on the one hand, and on the other the work of lifting and carrying heavy objects, periodically hiding the plates, and translating a portion of them character by character. Surely there must have been easier ways. If divine intervention were necessary, why not have an angel just hand young Joseph an English copy of the sacred text and be done with it? Why the drudgeries of exhumation, translation, and transcription, line for line? Was it necessary that Joseph deal with ancient artifacts and spend months with palpable relics dictating paragraphs to scribes? Apparently so.
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Archaeology, Book of Mormon, Q and A Archaeology, cumorah
