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Guide Home > Early LDS History
Additional TopicsThe following are additional topic areas related to Early LDS History. If there is a bracket number after the topic, that number indicates how many actual articles there are related to that subject. If the link for the topic is not live, it simply means the topic is a 'planned area' for future growth.
FAIR ResourcesThese links are either to Web pages hosted on the FAIR Website, or to FAIR Papers. FAIR Papers are short articles about specific topics or questions, written by members of FAIR. These articles can be downloaded and read in PDF format and are intended to be distributed by e-mail or print for the general use of our patrons. (To read FAIR Papers you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader. It can be downloaded free from the Adobe Web site.) Click on a title below to visit a FAIR Web page or to read the latest version of a FAIR Paper. "Kirtland Safety Society," FAIR Wiki (City Unknown: FAIR) This FAIR Wiki article examines Joseph's Smith's involvement with the Kirtland Safety Society, why it failed, and the critical charges related to Joseph's involement. Russell Anderson, "The 1826 Trial of Joseph Smith," (2002 FAIR Conference presentation.) Was Joseph Smith convicted of being a fraud and glass looker? Russell Anderson, "The 1826 Trial of Joseph Smith," (Mesa, Arizona: FAIR, August 2002) In his 2002 FAIR Conference presentation, Russell Anderson responds to critics who attempt to use the 1826 "trial" to impugn the reputation and character of Joseph Smith. Kevin L. Barney, "A Tale of Two Restorations," (1999 FAIR Conference presentation.) A comparison of the LDS restoration movement and the Alexander Campbell restoration movement. Davis Bitton, "George Q. Cannon and the Apostates," (Mesa, Arizona: FAIR, December 2005) Davis Bitton summarizes President George Q. Cannon's statements on why people apostatize and how apostates should be viewed. Davis Bitton, "I Don't Have A Testimony of the History of the Church," 2004 FAIR Conference presentation. 2004 FAIR Conference presentation. Some of the most knowledgeable historians of LDS history, are believing Latter-day Saints. Bitton explains why accurate history is not a threat to one's testimony. Matthew B. Brown, "Historical or Hysterical. Anti-Mormons and Documentary Sources," (Mesa, Arizona: FAIR, April 2005) At the 2004 FAIR Conference, Matthew Brown presented a presentation that examined many of the claims made by anti-Mormons about Joseph Smith's character and his account of the events of the Restoration. Anti-Mormon literature is filled with many accusations against Joseph Smith: he was of low moral character, he was not spiritually-minded as a youth, the "true" accounts of his behavior and personality have been nefariously suppresed by the Church, and that historical records show that Joseph Smith's accounting of the Restoration evolved into the story that is told today. Brown brings up evidence showing that these anti-Mormon claims are unsupported and contradicted by the evidence. This article includes the slide presentation used by Brown, and shows point by point how anti-Mormon accusations really are more hysteria than history. David Ferguson, "Miraculous Events in Early Church History," (Mesa, Arizona: FAIR, July 2005) David Ferguson recounts a number of miracles, fulfilled prophecies, and "marvelous events" in LDS Church history. Louis Midgley, "Naturalistic Terms: Some Reflections on a Motto and Type of Historical Explanation," (2001 FAIR Conference presentation.) A look at the "New Mormon History" and its naturalistic approach to the origin of the restored Church. Louis C. Midgley, "Naturalistic Terms: Some Reflections on a Motto and Type of Historical Explanation," (Mesa, Arizona: FAIR, April 2003) Originally presented at the 2001 FAIR Conference, this article by Louis Midgley examines the roots of the "New Mormon History" movement. Margaret Blair Young, "Black Latter-day Saints: A Faith-FULL History," (Mesa, Arizona: FAIR, 2003 FAIR Conference) In her 2003 FAIR Conference presentation, Margaret Blair Young shares stories of faithful black Latter-day Saints from the early days of the Church. Encyclopedia of MormonismThe resources listed below are articles available in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism. These links are to information not located on the FAIR Web site. Richard L. Bushman, Larry C. Porter and Milton V. Backman; "History of the Church," Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Edited by Daniel H. Ludlow (New York: Macmillan Publishing, 1992), 598-647 Scott A. Partridge, "The Failure of the Kirtland Safety Society," BYU Studies 12:2 The argument over the Kirtland Safety Society is typical of historical discussions in which much is made about the “facts” of a situation. It is as if the truth were somewhere “out there” and if we could somehow manage to separate fact from opinion, we would know what really happened. This idea neglects to consider the point that the facts of history seldom come to us in pure form, since they are always filtered through the mind of the historian who wrote them. There are no “facts” waiting in splendid isolation for discovery by the historian, but only the observations of earlier writers who had their own prejudices. Thus, the anti-Mormon writer who sees the “facts” as damning to the Church and the pro-Mormon writer who sees them as further proof of the validity of his own argument might be wise in working to obtain a broader perspective of the problem in order to reevaluate that which they have come to accept as fact. The purpose of this paper is to reexamine the story of the Kirtland Safety Society. Richard W. Sadler, "Seagulls, Miracle of," Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Edited by Daniel H. Ludlow (New York: Macmillan Publishing, 1992), 1287-1288 Ensign ArticlesThese articles cited below provide information on the topic of this page. The Ensign is one of the official publications of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When you click on one of the article links below, you are whisked to the article found in the archives of the Church's Web site. Dean C. Jessee, "I have heard that Joseph Smith didn't actually write his history--that it was prepared by clerks under his direction. If so, how reliable is it?," Ensign, July 1985, 15. Keith W. Perkins, "From New York to Utah: Seven Church Headquarters," Ensign, August 2001, 52. Each place that served as Church headquarters has its own significance in the development of the restored Church. Other ResourcesThe resources listed below are related items available on the Web that should be of interest. These links are to information not located on the FAIR Web site. "Church History in the Fullness of Times: Student Manual," CES (1989) This is a complete copy of the Church's Institute Student Manual on the course covering Church History (coures 341-343). Richard Lloyd Anderson, "The Reliability of the Early History of Lucy and Joseph Smith," Dialogue (Summer 1969), 13-28 Professor Anderson demonstrates that the early historical accounts -- as recorded by Joseph and Lucy -- are reliable sources for information concerning early historical events of the LDS Church. Leonard J. Arrington, "Joseph Fielding Smith: Faithful Historian," Dialogue, Vol. 7:1 (Spring 1972), 21-24 Professor Arrington looks at Joseph Fielding Smith's role as Church Historian. Davis Bitton, "B.H. Roberts as Historian," Dialogue (Winter 1968), 25-44 Historian, Davis Bitton, takes a look at B.H. Roberts contributions to LDS historical studies. Richard L. Bushman, "Faithful History," Dialogue (Winter 1969), 11-25 Professor Bushman notes that historians -- like everyone else -- have bias. Historians must select those things which have meaning to the story they are trying to tell and contrary to what many critics have claimed, historical facts do not simply "speak for themselves." Scott H. Faulring, "The Return of Oliver Cowdery," (Provo, Utah: FARMS) Historical evidences related to Oliver Cowdery's rebaptism in the Church. Stephen R. Gibson, "Did Church Leaders Have Weaknesses?," One-Minute Answers to Anti-Mormon Questions (Bountiful, Utah: Horizon Publishers) How can Latter-day Saints believe the LDS Church is true in view of the weaknesses of the early Church leaders? David B. Honey and Daniel C. Peterson, "Advocacy and Inquiry in the Writing of Latter-day Saint History," BYU Studies, Vol. 31:2 (1991), 1-41 Our epigraphs suggest that knowledge and spirituality are not mutually exclusive, but rather are essential concomitants in understanding the significance of life and living it fully. Recent debate in Latter-day Saint circles, however, seems most often to stress the incompatibility of spiritual faith and historical knowledge, whether the emphasis be on the supposed lack of faith in Latter-day Saint historiography or on the purported lack of history in Latter-day Saint apologetics. However, the debaters often seem to rely on different underlying assumptions, to utilize different historical forms, to address different audiences, and to argue along intellectual lines which lie in different dimensions. In short, each faction seems to defend a different definition of history and of its function. The situation is manifestly unproductive, and more than a few onlookers have expressed impatience with it. Thomas G. Alexander, a leading practitioner of the so-called New Mormon History and one of the central figures in the ongoing debate between professional historians and apologists, has recently declared it to be “imperative that we begin building bridges” between spiritual faith and historical knowledge. The present article attempts to assist in the work of construction. Dean C. Jesse, "Priceless Words and Fallible Memories: Joseph Smith as Seen in the Effort to Preserve His Discourses," BYU Studies, Vol. 31:2 (1991) Speaking of Joseph Smith, the Lord told an ancient prophet, "I will not loose his tongue, that he shall speak much, for I will not make him mighty in speaking." As if in fulfillment, some who heard Joseph noted that he was "not unusually talented for a Speaker," nor did he appear to be "an educated man." Yet many also complimented the energy, fervor, and meekness of his speech. Because of Joseph's prominence in introducing a new dispensation of the gospel, we might assume that clerks followed the Prophet and recorded everything he said. In reality, the records do not measure up to the stature of the life they chronicle, and probably not more than one in ten of Joseph Smith's discourses were recorded. And the sharp outlines of the Prophet still lie hidden beneath the personalities of clerks, editors, and ghostwriters. Using the body of work related to Joseph Smith requires a studious effort to understand its nature and fully appreciate its content. Louis Midgley, "Knowing Brother Joseph Again," FARMS Review (City Unknown: FARMS), xi-lxxiv Midgley looks at LDS restoration stories and how critics attempt to rewrite and reinterpret the foundation events. D. Michael Quinn, "The Council of Fifty and Its Members, 1844 to 1945," BYU Studies, Vol. 20:2 (1980), 1-34 Many scholarly studies of the Council of Fifty have tended to distort insufficient evidence and sometimes to sensationalize their interpretations. This article's research into the documents and historical environment of the Council of Fifty requires a rewriting of these scholarly and highly popular interpretations rather than a rewriting of Mormon history in light of these previous interpretations of the Council of Fifty. The primary role of the Council of Fifty was to symbolize the other-worldly world order that would be establised during the millennial reign. The secondarly role involved literal, practical functions. The author divides his study of the Council of Fifty into the following: establishment, names, purposes, activity, supervision, membership, officers, legacy. D. Michael Quinn, "The Council of Fifty and Its Members, 1844 to 1945," BYU Studies (1980) Many scholarly studies of the Council of Fifty have tended to distort insufficient evidence and sometimes to sensationalize their interpretations. This article's research into the documents and historical environment of the Council of Fifty requires a rewriting of these scholarly and highly popular interpretations rather than a rewriting of Mormon history in light of these previous interpretations of the Council of Fifty. The primary role of the Council of Fifty was to symbolize the other-worldly world order that would be establised during the millennial reign. The secondarly role involved literal, practical functions. The author divides his study of the Council of Fifty into the following: establishment, names, purposes, activity, supervision, membership, officers, legacy. Elden Watson and D. Charles Pyle, "The Nephi/Moroni Problem," (June 2002) A look at an anti-Mormon claim that it wasn't Moroni that visited Joseph Smith, but Nephi.
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