The Council of Fifty minutes reveal that Joseph Smith asked a committee to draft a replacement to the U.S. Constitution. The effort was eventually replaced by a revelation from God wherein the Prophet was told that the council itself was to be a living constitution. Legal scholar Nathan B. Oman explains what that means—and what was going on behind the scenes.
Under the Banner of Heaven is an FX miniseries based on a book of the same name by Jon Krakauer. While the book has a controversial history stemming from factual errors, it tells a riveting story. The miniseries stars Andrew Garfield as Detective Jeb Pyre, a fictional Latter-day Saint detective who struggles with his beliefs after coming across the shocking murders committed by Dan Lafferty and Ron Lafferty.
The Song of Solomon (also called the Song of Songs) has a controversial history. Its sensual themes have been interpreted as both scriptural pornography and inspired allegory.
The division manifests itself in Latter-day Saint thought. Joseph Smith made only one comment about the Bible book, and leaders have made statements on both sides of the issue. BYU’s Dana Pike expounds on a recent BYU Studies article focused on the nature of “open questions.”
The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered 75 years ago in a series of caves near the ancient settlement of Masada in the Judean Desert. The manuscripts include the influential Book of Enoch and Book of Isaiah, and have even inspired modern forgeries. Scholars continue to debate related mysteries, such as who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls. Professor Jean-Pierre Isbouts discusses his National Geographic special feature, The Dead Sea Scrolls: 75 Years Since Their Historic Discovery.
Saints 3 is the third volume in the new official history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Scott Hales (General Editor and lead writer) and Jed Woodworth (General Editor and lead historian) discuss the Saints book and tease Saints Volume 4.
The LDS Living All In podcast hosted by Morgan Pearson (formerly Morgan Jones) has a simple premise: What does it mean to be all in the gospel of Jesus Christ? Her companion book takes readers behind the scenes of her inspirational experiences.
Winter Quarters played a key role in the pioneer exodus of the Latter-day Saints. As many as one thousand pioneers died during the settlement’s temporary existence. It was also there that Brigham Young received his only canonized revelation. In this interview, Richard Bennett, president of the Mormon Trail Center at Winter Quarters, discusses the history and legacy of Winter Quarters.