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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.

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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.

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Book excerpts Book of Mormon

What I Learned Studying the Lost 116 Pages

Part of the book cover for Don Bradley's study on the lost manuscript of the book of Mormon.

When I first set out to learn what I could of the Book of Mormon‘s lost pages, I had no idea how deeply the complexity of the text would require me to keep going, or for how long—thus far for a decade and a half—and how completely that search would turn my life and view of the world upside down.

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Quotes

President Nelson Temple Quotes

A President Nelson quote about that temple which says nothing strengthens your spiritual foundation more than temple service and temple worship.

Many Russell M. Nelson Quotes focus on the temple. Since becoming the prophet in January 2018, President Nelson has repeatedly emphasized the importance of gathering Israel, spending more time in the House of the Lord, and gaining a deeper understanding of the temple endowment. This post compiles President Nelson’s general conference quotes about the temple from April 2018 to April 2025.

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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.

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New Testament

What Was Gethsemane Like in Jesus’s Time?

Painterly night view of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives with olive trees in the foreground and the illuminated Jerusalem Temple under a full Passover moon in the background.

Gethsemane in Jesus’s time was a working olive orchard with terraced groves and a cave press where olives were crushed and stored. Archaeological findings point to the Gethsemane grotto itself as a likely setting for Jesus’s anguished prayer in the New Testament, with his disciples resting outside among the trees. From its vantage across the Jerusalem temple, the site carried deep associations with sacrifice, light, and anointing. In this interview, Matthew J. Grey explores the history, symbolism, and gospel portrayals of the Garden of Gethsmane.

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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.

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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.

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Come Follow Me Devotional Quotes

President Nelson Quotes From Every General Conference

Latter-day Saint president Russell M. Nelson in his office

President Nelson quotes have the special ability to make your burdens feel lighter. Since giving his first address in 1984, Russell M. Nelson’s talks have covered topics like love, repentance, and faith in Jesus Christ. His most recent talk in the April 2025 General Conference was called “Confidence in the Presence of God.” Similar to our Dallin H. Oaks Quotes page, this article shares President Nelson quotes from all of his general conference addresses, including “Think Celestial!,” “Overcome the World and Find Rest,” and “The Power of Spiritual Momentum.”

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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.

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