Resources for Tough Questions about Church History

Resources for Tough Questions about Church History
Some Church history topics can be difficult to understand and explain. The difficulty comes in part because our history blends human activities with holy actions; for example, it includes the visits of heavenly messengers, the translation of ancient records, the teachings of early Church leaders about plural marriage or race, and other issues that raise questions. Many people, both in and out of the Church, are asking these questions in good faith, and they deserve the best possible answers.
The Church has published numerous resources for answering questions about Church history with accurate information and relevant context. These resources appear in multiple locations under various headings. This guide is designed to help locate the best sources for specific needs. All the resources identified here are
on the Church’s website
and
in the Gospel Library app
and most of them are available in at least 10 languages.
As we strive to help friends and family with tough questions, we should first and foremost listen carefully and express love and validation.
Listening helps to identify exactly what a friend needs. At that point, we may need to draw on some published resources to help. We should also rely on the guidance of the Holy Ghost and actively seek the peace that comes from the Lord, the Prince of Peace. Lastly, we should always remember that the past was different from today and that we don’t know everything about it.
Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days
This projected
four-volume set
tells the international history of the Church from its founding to the 21st century.
Saints
also features the stories of individual Latter-day Saints who made covenants with God and strove to keep them. Along the way, the volumes also discuss tough topics from Church history in historical context. Topics are highlighted in the main narrative, and additional sources and links are available in the endnotes.
For example,
volume 1
includes accounts of the First Vision, the translation of the Book of Mormon and the book of Abraham, and Joseph Smith’s teachings about women and about our mother in heaven. It also describes the introduction of plural marriage, with stories about Joseph Smith’s marriages to six women (Emma Hale, Fanny Alger, Louisa Beaman, Mary Lightner, and Emily and Eliza Partridge).
Volume 2
addresses the origins of past priesthood and temple restrictions, the Mountain Meadows Massacre, and the public practice (and subsequent ending) of plural marriage in Utah.
An accompanying
podcast
provides additional context and commentary from Church leaders and scholars.
Gospel Topics Essays
This
series of essays
provides answers to common questions about Church history, with extensive documentation. The essays were drafted by scholars,
approved
by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and published between 2013 and 2015.
Individual essays address the
accounts of the First Vision
; the translation of the
Book of Mormon
and the translation of the
book of Abraham
from papyrus scrolls;
DNA studies of native peoples
and the Book of Mormon; the
beginnings
practice
, and
ending
of plural marriage; the
origins and end
of priesthood and temple restrictions; the
Mountain Meadows Massacre
; teachings about
women
mother in heaven
, and
becoming like God
; and the Church’s
relationship with Christianity
Church History Topics
In connection with the multivolume history
Saints
scholars in the Church History Department have written nearly 200
short essays
to provide additional information and context about people, events, and places from Church history. These include explanations of Joseph Smith’s participation in
treasure seeking
Bible translation
Masonry
, and the
destruction of a newspaper
in Nauvoo;
divining rods
and
seer stones
critics of the Book of Mormon
forged brass plates
from Kinderhook, Illinois; the
Danites
; Brigham Young’s
succession as Church President
Indian slavery
among the pioneers;
antipolygamy actions
by the United States government; early experiences with
dissenters
and
other Latter Day Saint movements
; and
changes in Word of Wisdom practices
Gospel Topics
While “Gospel Topics” sounds similar to “Gospel Topics essays,” the two have different origins and are in different locations. The Gospel Topics series consists of
hundreds of short pieces
describing the Church’s doctrines, principles, and practices. The entries began as part of the reference book
True to the Faith
(published in 2004) and were later moved online, where they have been expanded and updated. They also include links to the longer Gospel Topics essays.
Among the many short entries are summaries about
Book of Mormon geography
Church finances
and commercial activities,
diversity
LGBTQ issues
same-sex marriage
, and helps for
answering gospel questions
Answers to Church History Questions
This
series of short videos
presents conversations with historians on many of the subjects mentioned above, including translations, plural marriage, pioneers, violence, and the Word of Wisdom.
Revelations in Context
This
volume of essays about revelations
in the Doctrine and Covenants describes the background of the revelations and identifies connections between them. Among the essays are contextual explanations about
seer stones
and
divining rods
; Joseph Smith’s prophecies about
war
Zion
, and
financing temporal affairs
; how plural marriage
began
and
ended
; the
end
of priesthood and temple restrictions; and
changes in Word of Wisdom practices
Joseph Smith Papers
The
Joseph Smith Papers
project seeks to assemble all known Joseph Smith documents, including revelations, translations, histories, and personal records. These materials—which will ultimately be published in more than two dozen printed volumes—are freely available on the project website. The website features a Reference drop-down menu with links to
all known accounts of the First Vision
, records describing the
gold plates and the Book of Mormon translation
, documents about the
restoration of the priesthood
, and materials used in the
translation of the book of Abraham
. A glossary on the site includes historical meanings of words and links to documents that use them, including
translate
seer stone
(with photos),
laying on of hands
the
people
(quorum)
who first received the
endowment
and
Danites
The Joseph Smith Papers hosts a podcast
on the First Vision
that includes an episode about
Joseph Smith’s accounts of the vision
, as well as
a podcast on the priesthood restoration
that includes
a discussion of race and the priesthood
Ask Us
The
Church History Library
serves as the official repository for the Church’s most important historical records. The library hosts an
online catalog
where millions of records are available digitally. Our archivists, librarians, and historians have published
research guides
to help with researching numerous topics from Church history. Visitors may submit a question by
clicking “Ask Us”
in the library’s catalog and website.
Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days
, the Gospel Topics essays, Church History Topics,
Answers to Church History Questions
videos,
Revelations in Context
, and other resources about Church history are in the
Restoration and Church History
section of the Gospel Library app. Gospel Topics, the Gospel Topics essays, and Church History Topics are in the Topics section of the Gospel Library app.
Saints
and the Church History Topics are available in 14 languages, the Gospel Topics essays in 19 languages,
Revelations in Context
and the videos in 10 languages, and the Gospel Topics in 58 languages. The Joseph Smith Papers website and podcasts are available only in English.
See Russell M. Nelson, “
Listen to Learn
,”
Ensign
, May 1991, 22–25.
See Keith A. Erekson, “
Understanding Church History by Study and Faith
,”
Ensign
, Feb. 2017, 56–59.
In
Saints
volume 1, for accounts of the First Vision, see chapter
. For the translation of the Book of Mormon, see chapters
, and
. For the translation of the book of Abraham, see chapters
20
and
37
. For Joseph Smith’s teachings about mother in heaven, see chapter
34
. For his teachings about women and temples, see chapter
37
. For the introduction of plural marriage, see chapters
11
36
37
40
, and
46
. For Joseph Smith’s marriages, see the following: to Emma Hale, chapter
; to Fanny Alger, chapter
25
; to Louisa Beaman, chapter
36
; to Mary Lightner, chapter
37
; and to Emily and Eliza Partridge, chapter
40
In
Saints
volume 2, for the origins of priesthood and temple restrictions, see chapters
12
28
, and
39
. For the Mountain Meadows Massacre, see chapters
18
19
, and
29
. For the public practice of plural marriage in Utah, see chapters
10
13
23
30
32
34
, and
40
. For the end of plural marriage, see chapters
37
38
39
40
41
, and
42