So, I came across an interview of Richard Bushman at the Pew Research Forum, about both early and modern Mormon politics. I’ve also been reading a book called The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power by D Michael Quinn on the early leadership of the church. I want to combine the 2 sources, and talk about Joseph Smith’s presidential plans of 1844. First, let me quote Bushman.
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Joseph Smith’s Presidential Platform
My First Scoop!
I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the number of positive responses of the Malay Theory in my previous post. In discussing the post with Ralph Olsen, the author of this theory, he has given me permission to post his unpublished manuscript! Ralph is looking for a sort of “peer review”, where people give honest feedback about how the article could be improved. He would also like to further promote the theory. So, feel free to download it here Olsen_Complete_Manuscript_sm, and post your comments, questions, thoughts, or concerns here. (Please be patient! The document is about 300 pages long, and nearly 20 MB in size, so it will take some time.)
Check out this map, and a few other links! Continue Reading »
My 100th Post
The Faithful Dissident recently had a post commemorating her 1st anniversary as a blogger. Since I let my 1st anniversary pass without fanfare (in January), I decided to do a sort of anniversary when I reached my 100th post.
Academic and Mormon Views of Easter
So, I’ve been checking my blog stats, and with Easter upon us, it seems my post from last year about why Mormon’s don’t celebrate Easter is getting the most hits. While last year’s post was a little negative-that I think Mormon celebrations of Easter are lacking compared to other Christians’ Easter celebrations, I hope to talk more about some scholarly insights into Jesus this year as we discuss Easter.
A Radically Different Book of Mormon Geography Theory
In the movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Nazi’s are looking for the Lost Ark of the Covenant. They have an image of a map burned into the hand of a Nazi scientist, so they think they know where the Ark is. However, there is a critical piece of information missing which is found on the other side of the medallion, which only Indiana Jones has. Indiana exclaims, “They’re digging in the wrong place!”
Book of Mormon geography is one of my favorite topics, and it’s been a while since I talked about it. Wouldn’t it be cool to find some archaeological evidence? There are over 100 theories concerning Book of Mormon geography. Since they can’t all be correct, obviously, some scientists are digging in the wrong place. Let’s review some of the theories again.
Financial Problems in Kirtland
As a follow up to 2 of my previous posts, (Kirtland Bank Failure and Sidney Rigdon book), I just wanted to add this interesting quote from page 177.
Neither Joseph Smith nor Sidney Rigdon demonstrated at any time during their careers the financial acumen that became the hallmark of millionaire Brigham Young’s thirty-year administration in the Rocky Mountain Basin. Joseph’s and Sidney’s fincal ventures–first in Kirtland and later in Nauvoo, where both ultimately filed for bankruptcy–proved disastrous forays into high finance and real estate management, areas in which they had little knowledge and less expertise. Rigdon’s and Smith’s implications that God devised their financial plans left no room for mistakes in the minds of followers who became disillusioned and antagonistic.
Adding a Little Color to the GA’s
With little fanfare over the weekend, President Uchdorf announced the call of only the second black general authority, Joseph Sitate of Nairobi, Kenya. He was called to the First Quorum of 70, as well as Yoon Hwan Choi of Seoul, Korea.
Sidney Rigdon, after the Martyrdom – Part 5
Ok, I know I have devoted much time to Sidney Rigdon. I think this is the last one I’ll do for a while, though I reserve the right to change my mind. Most people are aware that Sidney left the church (or should we say the church left him?), but few know very much about his own branch of Mormonism.
After Joseph Smith was killed, there was a real question about who would lead the church. Joseph Smith left no succession plans. Between his public and private announcements, at least 8 people claimed to have been appointed as Smith’s successor. There is a great article at BYU studies, outlining many of these and other people who made claims to lead the church.
Sidney and Joseph – A Strained Friendship – Part 4
With Sidney running the church in Quincy, Joseph and others were still in the Liberty Jail. Through the first 10 years of the church, Sidney Rigdon and Joseph Smith seem to be in lock step with each other. However, the Nauvoo period seems to show a few cracks in the friendship. Were they serious? Well, Joseph called Sidney to be his Vice Presidential nominee–but I’ll get to that later.
Mormon Heretic 