Latter-day Saint rebaptism was practiced from the time of Joseph Smith until the 1910s. Members of the church would often be baptized multiple times, frequently to commemorate significant events or to recommit to a life of discipleship during the Mormon Reformation. In this interview, historians Jonathan Stapley and David Grua explain more about the unique practice.
Artificial intelligence has introduced the world to all kinds of novelties—including artistic designs of AI temples. The fad will pass, but the covenants made within temples won’t. That’s partly why a new book filled with images of AI temples also includes devotional essays. In this interview, author Jeffrey Thayne explains how the temple endowment revealed through Joseph Smith has application even in the imagination.
The Book of Abraham comprises only 15 pages of printed scripture, but there are hundreds of books, periodicals, and other articles detailing its history and theology. This Book of Abraham bibliography compiled by Stephen Smoot, John Gee, Kerry Muhlestein, and John Thompson organizes some of the most important sources on topics such as the Joseph Smith papyri, the ancient world of the Egyptians, and the facsimiles found in the Pearl of Great Price.
The Dead Sea Scrolls sparked a newfound interest in the Bible when they were discovered in the 1940s and 1950s. The fragments include significant portions of the Old Testament, but not New Testament texts. Similarly, claims about their unique connection to Latter-day Saint beliefs and practices fail to consider that relevant scrolls include only a few vaguely defined passages. In this interview, BYU’s Dana M. Pike explains more.
The poetic version of Section 76 of the Doctrine and Covenants has been lauded since it was first published under Joseph Smith’s name in 1843. However, the latest scholarship suggests that it was ghostwritten by William W. Phelps. While some also think it may have resulted from coordination between the Prophet and Eliza R. Snow or Parley P. Pratt, most scholars agree that Joseph Smith wasn’t the sole author of “The Vision” in poetic form.
Susa Young Gates divorced Alma Dunford several years after she was married at the age of 16. She admits being immature, and her lack of experience clashed with her husband’s alcoholism (which may have had underlying causes). In this interview, historian Lisa Olsen Tait explains that Susa’s divorce is more than a tabloid story because of how it contextualizes legal, social, and gender norms in pioneer Utah.
Belle Harris was one of very few women to serve time in prison and to keep a journal in 19th century Utah. Her crime was not testifying against her polygamous ex-husband during a time when the United States was attacking the Latter-day Saint principle of plural marriage introduced Joseph Smith. In this interview, Ken Adkins discusses the Prison Journal of Belle Harris.
There’s a unique tension between faith and intellect. For example, believers sometimes struggle with nuanced terms such as certainty and doubt. And it can be hard to know when intellect supplements faith—versus when it supplants faith. In this interview, Terryl Givens shares quotes from Joseph Smith, and expounds on the relationship between intellect and belief.
Latter-day Saints and mainstream Christians differ in how they understand the natures of God and of Jesus Christ. For instance, the Jesus Christ in the Book of Mormon doesn’t always align with the Savior in the Bible. But those differences might not be as extreme as is often assumed. In this interview, BYU’s Jason Combs discusses efforts by early Christians to understand the nature of Jesus Christ as both human and divine.
The account of Mary Magdalene in the Bible is only the beginning of her story, according to fictional accounts like The Davinci Code. But legend has a way of overshadowing history. In the case of Mary Magdalene, asking only if she was married to Jesus overlooks her contributions. In this interview, biographer Bruce Chilton tells the story of Jesus’ most pivotal female follower.