Categories
Latter-day Saint History Theology

What Did the First Presidency Say About Evolution in 1909 and 1925?

Sepia illustration of early 20th-century Latter-day Saint leaders symbolizing the Church’s evolution discourse—featuring Joseph F. Smith, B.H. Roberts, James E. Talmage, and Joseph Fielding Smith, with background elements representing science and scripture.

In 1909 and 1925, the First Presidency stated that the Church has no official position on evolution. Shaped by their historical contexts, these statements reflected a range of views among Church leaders at the time. Decades later, Joseph Fielding Smith reinterpreted the statements, promoting a rigid anti-evolution stance that was not originally intended. Due in part to his prominence, this interpretation soon became the prevailing view among many Latter-day Saints. In this interview, Dr. Ben Spackman discusses his chapter about the First Presidency statements in a new BYU evolution book.

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Categories
Joseph Smith

What’s in John Turner’s Joseph Smith Biography?

Illustration of John Turner reflecting on scenes from Joseph Smith’s life, including the First Vision, Kirtland Temple dedication, Nauvoo preaching, and Carthage Jail.

Historian John Turner’s new biography of Joseph Smith portrays the Prophet as charismatic, flawed, and relentlessly dynamic. His conclusions often differ from those in Richard Bushman’s Rough Stone Rolling, offering a new perspective. Turner approaches Joseph’s spiritual claims with scholarly caution, adopting different stances based on his interpretation of the evidence. He writes there is “little reason to doubt” that Joseph saw the Lord in the First Vision, yet personally concludes that the gold plates weren’t real. In this interview, Turner reflects on Smith’s life—from the Prophet’s unifying vision of Zion to the divisive impact of polygamy.

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Categories
Book of Mormon

How Many Chapters Are in the Book of Mormon?

Stacked gold plates symbolizing the structure of the Book of Mormon, referencing 239 chapters across 15 books.

The Book of Mormon contains 239 chapters, divided into 15 books. Interpretations of its length vary: Mark Twain joked that it put him to sleep, while Brigham Young wished he had “the voice of seven thunders to wake up the people” to its importance. In modern times, scholars like Dan Vogel criticize its long-winded repetitiveness, while Grant Hardy praises its unexpected sophistication. This article presents key statistics about the Book of Mormon’s structure, reading difficulty, listening time, and other relevant details.

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Categories
Brigham Young

Did Brigham Young Really Say That? A Closer Look at Rediscovered Sermons

AI-generated painting of Brigham Young seated at a desk, expression ambiguous, evoking reflection on his sermons

The shorthand record reveals a different personality of Brigham Young than has often been depicted. I have spent a quarter of a century transcribing over one million words spoken by Brigham Young from the original shorthand records. I have found examples of inspirational teachings, spiritual yearnings, brilliant organizational skills, and some disturbing rhetoric, a nuanced picture that paints a complex man living in complex times. This is a slightly modified version of an article I published in FAIR and BYU Studies showing never-before-seen quotes by Brigham—about Brigham.

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Categories
Quotes

Wilford Woodruff Quotes: A Prophet’s Insights

A side by side graphic featuring Wilford Woodruff next to a prophetic quote.

This collection of Wilford Woodruff quotes highlights his teachings on revelation, temple work, record keeping, the Holy Ghost, and more. He kept a detailed journal that has served as a core resource for historians, enabling the compilation of Woodruff sayings similar to our Dallin H. Oaks quotes page. This curated collection deals with topics ranging from the afterlife to true religion. Please leave a comment if there’s a quote you’d like considered for inclusion.

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Categories
Ancient history New Testament

How Close Were Jesus and the Pharisees?

A painting of Jesus healing a blind man while surrounded by Pharisees, as portrayed by Jorge Cocco in "I was Blind, but Now I See."
"I Was Blind, but Now I See," by Jorge Cocco. Used by permission.

The relationship between Jesus and the Pharisees is often reduced to hostility and hypocrisy. But the New Testament tells a more complicated story—one of shared meals, theological debate, and overlapping commitments to the Torah. Far from being outsiders to Judaism, Jesus and the Pharisees were part of the same religious world, sometimes clashing, sometimes converging. In this interview, New Testament scholar Jens Schröter helps unpack that complexity.

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Categories
American West Latter-day Saint History

Was John D. Lee a Scapegoat for the Mountain Meadows Massacre?

Sepia-toned ink sketch of John D. Lee in profile, with ghostly wagon silhouettes in a desert valley at dawn and a faint goat-shaped shadow behind him, symbolizing his role in the Mountain Meadows Massacre and status as a scapegoat.

John D. Lee played a central role in the Mountain Meadows Massacre—helping plan the killings, deceiving the victims under a white flag, and later admitting to personally murdering “five emigrants and possibly six.” He also looted the bodies, claimed that God preserved his life during the attack, and slept soundly the night after the massacre. Yet, despite these actions—and his own confessions—Lee is still sometimes remembered as a scapegoat. He helped craft that narrative himself, not by initially denying his guilt but by protesting that he alone was punished while others escaped justice.

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Categories
Latter-day Saint History Scriptures Theology

Are There 3 Degrees in the Celestial Kingdom?

A symbolic depiction of layered heavenly light representing the possible degrees within the Celestial Kingdom, with radiant tiers ascending into celestial blue.

Did Joseph Smith teach that there are three degrees within the Celestial Kingdom? Modern Latter-day Saints often interpret Doctrine and Covenants 131 as supporting that view, referencing “three heavens or degrees.” However, historical evidence—including the original William Clayton journal entry—suggests this interpretation may be based on a misunderstanding of early terminology like “celestial glory.” In this interview, Bryan Buchanan builds on Shannon Flynn’s research to explore what Joseph Smith may have actually meant and how the idea of levels within the Celestial Kingdom evolved over time.

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Categories
Polygamy

Why Don’t Polygamy Skeptics Think Joseph Smith Practiced Plural Marriage?

A collage of two paintings, one of Joseph Smith and the other of his wife, Emma Smith, facing each other, suggesting the emotional turmoil of polygamy.

Polygamy skeptics reject the idea that Joseph Smith practiced plural marriage, pointing to his public denials, lack of children with wives other than Emma, and doubts about documents like William Clayton’s journals and D&C 132. Once championed by the Reorganized Church, this “Monogamy Model” has gained renewed interest among modern believers who see Brigham Young as the true originator of plural marriage. In this interview, attorney and historian Mark Tensmeyer examines their central arguments and the historical roots behind the resurgence of polygamy skepticism.

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Categories
Intellectualism Latter-day Saint History Theology

What Should Latter-day Saints Know About BYU’s Evolution Book?

Composite image showing a DNA strand, open scriptures, and the BYU campus—representing the themes of faith, science, and education in the BYU evolution book.

The Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ and Evolution is designed to help students reconcile faith in the Savior with scientific understanding of evolution. Published by BYU Life Sciences, the book affirms the Church’s neutral stance on evolution, corrects common misconceptions, and offers practical tools for bridging religion and science. In this interview, co-editor Jamie Jensen shares the book’s origins, purpose, and why this kind of reconciliation matters.

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