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Latter-day Saint History

What Is the History of the Church in Mexico?

Early Latter-day Saints in Mexico faced many struggles as they accepted their new religion as members of Mormonism around the world. They persevered with faith and overcame, showing resilience and strength in the process. Yet, conflicts led to the creation of a schismatic movement called the Third Convention during the 1930s. In this interview, Fernando R. Gomez discusses the early history of the Church in Mexico, the three conventions of the 1930s, and the reunification of the Third Convention with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

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Devotional

What Inspires Jorge Cocco Art?

Latter-day Saint artist Jorge Cocco standing in front of one of his religious painting in sacrocubism style.

Jorge Cocco Santangelo is a Latter-day Saint artist known internationally for sacrocubism—an art style blending sacred themes with cubist techniques. A self-taught painter, he has spent decades capturing the spiritual essence of religious events rather than creating literal depictions. Some of his most notable paintings include “The Call,” “Tree of Life,” and “First Vision,” and his work is featured on the cover of books like Latter-day Saint Art: A Critical Reader. In this interview, Jorge Cocco offers a glimpse into his artistic journey.

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Doctrine and Covenants

What Are Keys of the Ministering of Angels?

An AI-generated image of birds shaped like angels carrying keys, signifying the majesty and mystery of the keys of the ministering of angels spoken of by Joseph Smith.

The most straightforward definition of the keys of the ministering of angels might mean having a special right to behold angels. There are other possible interpretations of the phrase found in the Doctrine and Covenants as well. For example, some general authorities have suggested it means that priesthood holders serve as ministering angels or empower others to receive the ministry of angels. The phrase could also have meant a number of things in Joseph Smith’s time. In this interview, Chad Nielsen discusses how our understanding of the keys of the ministering of angels has evolved.

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Categories
Book of Mormon

Did Moroni Translate the Book of Mormon?

An AI-generated image of a resurrected angel Moroni preparing to translate the Book of Mormon in 1600s England.

A new theory suggests that Moroni may have translated the Book of Mormon as a resurrected being. The hypothesis stems from Royal Skousen’s linguistic and textual analysis, which indicates that Joseph Smith didn’t translate the book traditionally but dictated the text—including its anachronisms—verbatim from an external source. In this interview, Roger Terry explores the possibility that a postmortal Moroni was responsible for the translation.

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Latter-day Saint History

Keith Erekson Tackles Church History Myths and Rumors

The book cover of Real vs. Rumor: How to Dispel Latter-day Myths

Historian Keith Erekson’s book teaches Latter-day Saints how to separate fact from fiction regarding faith-promoting stories. For example, he gives readers the tools needed to assess the accuracy of a purported photograph of Joseph Smith—or identify the myth about Brigham Young miraculously leaving space in the Salt Lake Temple for future elevators. In this interview, he explains how Latter-day Saints can gauge the accuracy of church history stories.

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Book of Mormon Latter-day Saint History

How Was the Book of Mormon Translated Into Portuguese?

The Portuguese Book of Mormon surrounded by Christus statues.

Translation efforts for the first Portuguese Book of Mormon began in 1937. Concerns that the resulting volume incorporated Catholic doctrine were largely overblown, but the book nonetheless suffered from many translation errors and doctrinal simplifications. As a result, the First Presidency created the Church’s Translation Department and catalyzed the retranslation of the Book of Mormon into several other languages to serve Mormonism around the world. In this interview, Jeremy Talmage discusses the history of translating the Book of Mormon into Portuguese.

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Doctrine and Covenants

Seeing: Themes in the Doctrine and Covenants

A Jorge Cocco painting of the Savior healing a blind man, reflecting the importance of seeing as a theme in the Doctrine and Covenants.
"Your Faith Has Made You Whole" by Jorge Cocco. Used by permission.

The Doctrine and Covenants includes an invitation to develop an eye single to the glory of God. A volume from the Maxwell Institute’s Themes in the Doctrine and Covenants series looks at what this means and how it can be accomplished. It also examines various ways sight can serve as a devotional tool. For instance, the book offers strategies for managing visual distractions like social media and explains how pornography prevents seeing others as God does. In this interview, author Mason Allred discusses his new book, Seeing.

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Categories
Devotional Old Testament

“His Hand Is Stretched Out Still”: The Lord’s Eternal Covenant of Mercy

A section from the Sistine Chapel showing the hand of God outstretched toward man.

Many times in the scriptures, we read of the Lord’s outstretched hand or arm. It serves as a metaphor both for his forbearance and for his invitation to come to him. Nephi reports the Lord’s assurance that “mine arm is lengthened out all the day long (2 Nephi 28:32). We find such references scattered throughout Isaiah’s writings. “His anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.”

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Categories
Devotional Theology

Julian of Norwich: Mystic and Rescuer of Souls

An AI-generated image of Julian of Norwich in renaissance style.

Very little is known about the personal life of this extraordinary woman. Both her given name and her surname have been lost to time. She acquired the forename Julian because that was the name of the small Benedictine church to which she was attached. Her surname, Norwich, is the name of the city in Norfolk located in the region of East Anglia where she resided her entire life. Hence, she is known as Julian of Norwich. Based on her writings it is believed that she was born in the year 1342 or 1343.

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Categories
Ancient history New Testament

Did Herod the Great Claim to Be the Messiah?

While Herod the Great is portrayed as an anti-Jesus in the Gospels, archaeologists think that the ancient king claimed to be a Messiah.

Herod the Great is perhaps best known for the massacre of the innocents portrayed in the Gospel of Matthew. Interestingly, many scholars believe that Herod claimed to be a messiah, and Ehud Netzer’s discovery of King Herod’s tomb at Herodium led to additional evidence. In this interview, biblical archaeologist and Masada expert Jodi Magness expounds on her related article in the Journal of Ancient Judaism.

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