Joseph Smith’s Relationship with Local Churches After the First Vision After the religious excitement surrounding the revivals in Manchester, a local preacher attempted to unify the denominations. Lucy Mack Smith recorded that members of the family were inclined to join, but Joseph would not. She recounted him saying he felt no desire to attend meetings … Read more
John Bunyan, Imprisonment, and the World of Pilgrim’s Progress John Bunyan lived during the upheaval of the English Civil War and the restored monarchy that followed. A Puritan soldier and later a non-conformist preacher, Bunyan refused to accept the Church of England as the state religion. For this he spent twelve years in prison under … Read more
The Latter-day Saint Exodus and Fear of Federal Intervention (1846) As the Latter-day Saints moved west in early 1846, they did so believing federal intervention was imminent. Members had repeatedly been warned that an army was coming to stop their migration. Many viewed the United States government as hostile because it had failed to protect … Read more
Introduction The question of Zion—its location, its purpose, and the destiny it represents for the Latter-day Saints—has shaped the history of the Restoration from the earliest revelations Joseph Smith received until the final sermons he delivered in Nauvoo. This episode traces the Saints’ attempts to establish Zion in Missouri, their repeated expulsions, the doctrinal expansion … Read more
Faithfulness and Apostasy in Early Church History Throughout the early decades of the Restoration, many Saints faced profound spiritual and emotional challenges as friends, family members, and even respected leaders left the Church. The episode recalls several stories illustrating how difficult such departures could be. Thomas B. Marsh—one of the original Twelve Apostles—left the Church … Read more
Early Patterns of Ordination in the Restored Church In the opening years of the Restoration, the landscape of priesthood offices looked very different from the age-structured system familiar today. During the 1830s, the Articles and Covenants—now Doctrine and Covenants 20—provided broad definitions for deacons, teachers, and priests, yet offered little detail about how these offices … Read more
Are “Mormons” Christian? – Part 1 President Polk’s Motive for the Mormon Battalion It was long assumed that President James K. Polk called for the Mormon Battalion out of military necessity and that the Saints responded patriotically. Traditional narratives describe this as mutually beneficial: the U.S. gained troops for the Mexican-American War, and the Saints … Read more
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
Word of Wisdom Part 1 Introduction to the Word of Wisdom The Word of Wisdom is an essential part of Latter-day Saint history and doctrine, offering guidance for physical and spiritual health. The Word of Wisdom (Doctrine and Covenants 89) was received in February 1833, in Kirtland, Ohio. Prior to this, in late 1832, Joseph … Read more
The Revelation (Doctrine and Covenants 87) Doctrine and Covenants 87 is a revelation given to Joseph Smith on December 25, 1832, while the church was in Kirtland, Ohio. This was shortly after previous revelations identifying Jackson County, Missouri, as the location of Zion. The revelation prophesies: Wars would shortly come to pass, beginning at the … Read more