Milagre 
Introduction to Early Ideas About Book of Mormon Geography Debates about Book of Mormon geography date to the earliest years of the Church. No official revelation has ever mapped its geography, and early leaders expressed differing, sometimes contradictory, views. Modern Church statements affirm only that the Book of Mormon took place somewhere in ancient America, … Read more
Context of the Revelation Doctrine & Covenants 91 was received on March 9, 1833, one day after Joseph Smith received Doctrine & Covenants 90. Doctrine & Covenants 90 commanded Joseph Smith to finish the translation of the Bible, preside over the Church and the School of the Prophets, and receive further revelation that would “unfold … Read more
Evaluating Safety and Reliability of Early Latter-day Saint Historical Sources Historians distinguish between what can be verified through evidence and what belongs to the realm of faith. Religious claims often involve miraculous events that lie outside the limits of historical methodology, which relies on documents, eyewitness accounts, and material evidence. For example, Christians universally affirm … Read more
Early Uncanonized Revelations of Joseph Smith (1830–1843): Historical Overview Early Latter-day Saints understood that more revelations existed than those published in the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants. Church members knew Joseph Smith received numerous revelations recorded in journals, letters, manuscript books, and loose documents kept by scribes. These uncanonized revelations were treated as genuine, publicly read, … Read more
Historiography and the Evolution of Sources In 1975, Elder Dallin H. Oaks and historian Marvin S. Hill published Carthage Conspiracy through the University of Illinois Press, a peer-reviewed academic publisher. This gave the book strong academic credibility and established it as the standard study of the trials connected to the murder of Joseph Smith. Like … Read more
Mercy Rachel Fielding Thompson Introduction Among the many influential women of early Latter-day Saint history, Mercy Rachel Fielding Thompson stands out as a devoted disciple whose life intersected repeatedly with pivotal events of the Restoration. Although less widely known than her sister Mary Fielding Smith, Mercy’s experiences provide firsthand insight into persecution, temple building, plural … Read more
Baptism and Salvation A Modern Case That Revived an Ancient Debate In early 2022, international news reported that a Catholic priest in Arizona had performed thousands of baptisms incorrectly for more than 20 years. Instead of saying “I baptize you,” he used the phrase “We baptize you.” According to Catholic sacramental theology, altering the formula … Read more
This episode focuses on the Book of Moses, especially Moses 1, as a key early revelation in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and in Joseph Smith’s doctrinal development. Historical Context and Dating of Moses 1 The Book of Moses comes from Joseph Smith’s early work revising/“translating” the Bible (later … Read more
Early Criticism of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon – Part 1 Religious Climate in the Early 19th Century During the early 1800s in the United States, particularly in western New York, the religious environment was characterized by revivalism, competition among denominations, and widespread interest in personal conversion. This period is often associated with … Read more
D&C 93 and the Nature of God – Part 1 Early Christian Context: Monotheism and the Nature of Christ Judaism in the time of Jesus was distinguished from surrounding pagan religions primarily by monotheism. Pagan religions accepted many gods; Judaism rejected the existence of other gods entirely. This strict monotheism created a theological problem for … Read more