Y Religion

In the summer of 1830, the Prophet Joseph Smith began an audacious undertaking: to translate the Holy Bible.  But what was this Bible “translation”? Was he reading from other languages? Was he restoring the Bible text to its earliest condition? Was it an inspired commentary? Is the JST canonized scripture? And, did Joseph ever finish the complete translation? In this episode, Dr. Jared Ludlow shares his recent publications tackling these questions and more.

Like complementary colors, women and men are meant to work in harmony to bring their inherent and unique qualities to parenting.  Dr. Jenet Erickson specializes in research related to the distinct contributions of mothers and fathers in child development. In this episode, she shares some of her research about what the spring 2020 Covid pandemic illuminated about the work and family desires of men and women and ways their complementary contributions can be harmonized.

For centuries, some readers of Genesis have blamed Eve for the evils of the world because she ate the forbidden fruit in Eden. But Latter-day Saint scripture opens the way for different views, including seeing Eve’s decision as visionary and courageous. Our interpretations of Eve have not always been this positive, however, and historical Christianity’s interpretations haven’t always been that negative. In this episode Dr.’s Amy Easton-Flake and Mark Ellison expand our understanding of Eve.

Every worthy, baptized member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can and should receive a patriarchal blessing, which provides inspired personal direction from God. There are many common questions surrounding patriarchal blessings: Why should I get one? What will it say? Why does my lineage matter? With whom can I share it? How should I prepare? In this episode, professor Brad Wilcox shares insights to these questions and more from his research and publication on patriarchal blessings.

When we hear the name of Samuel the Lamanite, most of us know his epic story on the wall. That, however, is part of the problem. We know the drama of his escape, but often have overlooked the depths of his doctrinal teachings and prophetic message. Are some of us like the Nephites who were admonished by Jesus for overlooking the prophecies of Samuel? In this episode professor Ryan Sharp helps us remember Samuel the Lamanite from a historical, prophetic, and doctrinal perspective.

Many of us are familiar with the excitement of “show and tell” at school.  There’s something potent in the combination of seeing an interesting object and hearing a good narrative related to it.  Latter-day Saint history has produced many important relics related to the Restoration.  In this episode, Professor Casey Griffiths discusses his book publication on fifty of these important objects and takes us on a podcast version of show and tell into some of the captivating corners of Church history. 

Two thousand years after the mortal life of Jesus and the expansive global spread of Christianity, we must be careful to not overlook the fundamental nature of Judaism in Christianity, and that Jesus himself was Jewish. In this episode, BYU religion professor Avram Shannon helps us understand how Jewish Rabbinic literature—which are the texts written by early Jewish sages—can help better enlighten certain aspects of the New Testament, Jesus’s mortal ministry, and Christianity. 

Over the last few decades in the Church, there has been an increased emphasis on the grace of Jesus Christ.  This coincides with global increases in societal rates of anxiety, depression, and other challenges to mental health, including within our Church membership.  Professor Daniel K Judd has dedicated much of his professional life to researching mental health and religion.  In this episode he discusses how experiencing the grace of Christ can have a direct positive relationship with mental health.

Latter-day Saints are often interested in the public perception of their faith. We’ve long been written about, defended, condemned, praised, or vilified in national press outlets.  Professor J.B. Haws has researched extensively how the public perception of the Church has shifted over time, and the reasons why. In this episode he explores the perception of the Church in the American public press, specifically since the 1950’s, and the events that have shaped those perceptions, and still do today. 

Although some Latter-day Saints fly American flags on July 24th to celebrate settling in the Rocky Mountains, the irony is that the pioneer Saints were desperately trying to flee the USA. After years of being persecuted, Church leaders concluded that the existing US government would not protect their civil and religious rights as a minority group, and the Saints decided to leave. In this fascinating episode, Dr. Gerrit Dirkmaat shares his research on this history, along with lessons learned for today.