Category: Latter-day Saint History

Learn more about the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including historical findings about Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and more.

Categories
Joseph Smith

Rough Stone Rolling: Richard Bushman Reflects 20 Years Later

A sketch of Richard Lyman Bushman with his book Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling — reflecting on the biography 20 years later.

Twenty years after writing Rough Stone Rolling, Richard Bushman says his biography of Joseph Smith met a pressing need and still largely stands, though he would now give far more space to plural marriage, especially Sarah Ann Whitney. He recalls the book’s unexpected reception, marvels at Joseph’s reinvisioning of heaven and reinstatement of temple worship, and concedes he missed later allegations like attempted murder. In this interview, Richard Bushman looks back on Rough Stone Rolling, now seeing Joseph as even more inventive than he thought—and more revolutionary than we recognize.

Continue reading “Rough Stone Rolling: Richard Bushman Reflects 20 Years Later”
Categories
International Latter-day Saint History

Global Mormonism: Latter-day Saints Around the World

The Church Office Building in Salt Lake City surrounded by international flags, symbolizing global Mormonism and worldwide Latter-day Saint growth.

Global Mormonism tells the story of how a faith born with Joseph Smith in 19th-century America became a worldwide religion. From Native American missions and Polynesian conversions to Mexico’s Third Convention and the rapid growth of Latter-day Saints in Africa and Brazil, the church’s expansion has been shaped by migration, translation, and local leadership. Along the way, members have endured upheaval—from the Armenian Saints’ exodus out of Aintab to a temple in Manila safeguarded during a coup—while building a global community of faith. This article explores the milestones, tensions, and resilience that define Mormonism’s worldwide journey.

Continue reading “Global Mormonism: Latter-day Saints Around the World”
Categories
Latter-day Saint History

What Is the Origin and Purpose of Latter-day Saint Temple Garments?

Elizabeth Allred sewing muslin for the first Latter-day Saint temple garment under Joseph Smith’s direction, with Emma Smith nearby offering design input such as a collar addition.

The origin of Latter-day Saint temple garments traces back to a vision given to Joseph Smith and serves as a sacred reminder of covenants made in temples. Temple garments symbolize deep spiritual commitments and point believers to Christ. Early Saints, such as Elizabeth Allred, Emma Smith, and Eliza R. Snow, shaped the first versions, which later evolved into shorter, two-piece, and even military styles—although the symbols and covenants have remained unchanged. In this interview, Seth G. Soha explores the introduction of temple garments, their evolution, and their ongoing significance today.

Continue reading “What Is the Origin and Purpose of Latter-day Saint Temple Garments?”
Categories
19th Century 20th Century Latter-day Saint History Scriptures

What Did “Shake the Dust Off Your Feet” Mean to Early Latter-day Saints?

Oil painting of early 1830s Latter-day Saint missionaries shaking dust from their feet, symbolizing rejection and divine judgment in the New Testament and Doctrine and Covenants.

Early Latter-day Saints understood “shaking the dust off your feet” as a ritual curse adapted from Jesus’s New Testament command to His disciples. Joseph Smith revealed the practice as a form of priesthood cursing in several revelations, now canonized in the Doctrine and Covenants (sections 24, 60, 75, 84, and 99). Missionaries most often performed the rite after rejection or persecution. While rarely expected to bring immediate consequences, it symbolized divine judgment reserved for Christ’s Second Coming. In this interview, historian Samuel R. Weber explains how the practice largely disappeared by the early 1900s.

Continue reading “What Did “Shake the Dust Off Your Feet” Mean to Early Latter-day Saints?”
Categories
19th Century Latter-day Saint History

Who Was Vienna Jaques?

A black and white photograph of Vienna Jaques in pioneer Utah.

Vienna Jaques was an early Latter-day Saint convert who consecrated her wealth to build Zion. Although largely anonymous today, Jaques witnessed the first baptism for the dead, donated money to purchase the Kirtland Temple site, and received a personal letter from Joseph Smith. She is one of only two women mentioned by name in the Doctrine and Covenants, alongside Emma Smith. Biographer Brent Rogers shares her story in this interview and explains how Jaques received the peace promised her in D&C 90.

Continue reading “Who Was Vienna Jaques?”
Categories
20th Century International Latter-day Saint History

Did the Nazis Spy on the Church?

A Latter-day Saint family prays by candlelight in a modest German home, unaware of a Nazi officer watching through a frosted window.

The government of Adolf Hitler spied on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during World War II. Recently uncovered documents offer an unprecedented glimpse into how the Third Reich monitored the Church and subjected its membership to systematic surveillance, censorship, and intimidation. A 1937 report even details notes made about President Heber J. Grant during a series of sermons. This interview with Stephen O. Smoot explores key insights into Church-state tensions, missionary activity, and the persecution of individual members, including resistance figures like Helmuth Hübener as part of the story of Mormonism around the world in the time leading up to World War II.

Continue reading “Did the Nazis Spy on the Church?”
Categories
Doctrine and Covenants Polygamy

D&C 132: What Is the Plural Marriage Revelation?

Doctrine and Covenants 132 is the revelation on plural marriage dictated by Joseph Smith in 1843. Shared in secret during his lifetime and later canonized in 1879, it became one of the most consequential and controversial texts in Latter-day Saint history. The revelation introduced the sealing of marriages for eternity, provided the theological foundation for polygamy, and continues to influence Church teachings about family and exaltation today. In this interview, scholar William V. Smith explores D&C 132’s origins and lasting impact.

Continue reading “D&C 132: What Is the Plural Marriage Revelation?”
Categories
Hymns International Latter-day Saint History

Who Was Eduardo Balderas?

Black and white portrait of Eduardo Balderas, featured on the cover of “Eduardo Balderas: Father of Church Translation.”

Eduardo Balderas, the Church’s first official full-time Spanish translator, was so influential among Spanish-speaking Latter-day Saints that many called him the “thirteenth apostle.” He played a pivotal role in making the gospel accessible in Spanish by translating scripture, temple ordinances, and other Church literature. Trusted by Church leaders and admired across cultures, Balderas helped bridge linguistic and cultural divides for Mormonism Around the World. In this interview, biographer Ignacio Garcia explores how this quiet pioneer helped make the gospel truly global.

Continue reading “Who Was Eduardo Balderas?”
Categories
Doctrine and Covenants Joseph Smith

What Was Joseph Smith’s Civil War Prophecy?

Split painting showing Joseph Smith’s 1832 prophecy on the left, with a parchment and quill on a desk, and a Civil War battlefield with cannon smoke and divided flags on the right, symbolizing Doctrine and Covenants 87.

In 1832, Joseph Smith received a revelation now known as the Civil War Prophecy. Early Latter-day Saints saw it as evidence of his prophetic calling, while contemporary newspapers responded skeptically. Initial interpretations emphasized conflict between the Northern and Southern States. Over time, the prophecy was also applied to later wars, including World War I and the Cold War. Today, it’s call to “stand ye in holy places” is the most commonly cited application in General Conference. In this interview, historian Scott C. Esplin discusses the origin and evolving interpretations of Joseph Smith’s Civil War Prophecy.

Continue reading “What Was Joseph Smith’s Civil War Prophecy?”
Categories
Latter-day Saint History

How Was the St. George Temple Built?

A photograph of the St. George Temple.

The St. George Temple was built in 1877 in Utah Territory during President Brigham Young’s administration. Precedents were set there for clothing, performing ordinances in behalf of those outside of family, endowments for the dead, and record keeping. In addition, the endowment ceremony was put in writing for the first time in association with the temple’s construction. It was also in the St. George Temple that Wilford Woodruff saw the Founding Fathers in vision. This post discusses the history and significance of the St. George, Utah Temple.

Continue reading “How Was the St. George Temple Built?”