History
Mormon History Association meetings
It’s been a busy week. Last week, Summer semester started, and I am teaching 2 online math classes at the local community college, so I apologize for no post on Sunday. I am currently in Kansas City, Missouri for the Mormon History Association meetings over the next few days, so I hope to make up […]
Questions About the Exodus
Sorry there was no post last week. I had planned to put this one up, but this has turned out to be one of my longest posts since my Priesthood Ban post. This post is over 6000 words (14 pages), so be forewarned. I’ve combined three different videos, so that’s why it took so long. […]
The Week of Holy Days: Palm Sunday, Passover, and Easter
Today begins is an interesting week of Holy Days: Palm Sunday, Passover, and Easter. Today is Palm Sunday. Passover begins Monday night at sunset, and of course Easter is next Sunday. I thought I’d do a post which ties all of these related holidays (or stated better–Holy Days) together. Palm Sunday
Has Sodom and Gomorrah Been Found?
Dr. Carole Fontaine of the Andover Newton Theological School said, “Archeologists often find themselves hooted and hollered out of town, when they first suggest things like, ‘I’ve found Troy, or look, we’ve found Sodom and Gomorrah.’ But history has shown that in fact, the more you dig, the more you find. It’s amazing how accurate […]
War and Prayer
Religion is supposed to be about peace, but often it is about war. Some of the worst religious wars include Islamic Jihad, Christian Crusades, and Joshua’s Unholy War. I wish Mormons didn’t have anything to be ashamed of, but I’ve been reading The Mountain Meadows Massacre by Juanita Brooks. One of the things I didn’t […]
Newell Bringhurst Discusses the Mountain Meadows Massacre
Mormon historian Newell Bringhurst recently published a new essay discussing the infamous Mountain Meadows Massacre. For those of you unfamiliar with him, he has written extensively on topics of Mormon history. Some of his books are found here, and here is a short bio on him. Here’s a brief background concerning the disaster. The Fancher […]
The Brigham Young Papers: (There is a soft side to him)
There has been much press about volumes 1 and 2 of The Joseph Smith Papers Project. My wife even spoiled me with a copy of volume 2 this past Christmas. It contains the actual hand-written revelations of Joseph, along with a typed copy to help the reader understand some of the hard to read handwriting. […]
Why Mormons Hated Republicans in the Late 1800’s
I just finished the book by Sarah Baringer Gordon, The Mormon Question. It was a very different book from the previous book I read, More Wives than One, by Kathryn Daynes. Gordon has degrees in both Law and Religion. She looked at Constitutional theory and the arguments before the Supreme Court and Congress as the […]
Did Joseph Start a Religion, or Simply a Denomination?
The book for my book club is by Sarah Baringer Gordon, The Mormon Question. It’s been a really hard book to find at the library (nearly impossible), so I got a late start on it. It takes a very different approach to the polygamy question. Ms Gordon has a law degree, and so she talks […]
Dec 23: Joseph’s Birthday, Emma’s Anniversary
Today is Joseph’s 204th birthday. (He was born in 1805 for those of you curious about the math.) Since Dec 22 is the first day of winter, and the day with the shortest amount of sunlight, I’ve heard people say that Joseph’s birth was symbolic. Joseph was bringing light into the world after a period […]
Mormon Heretic 