DAVIESS COUNTY, Mo. (RNS) To non-Mormons, it sounds odd that a bluff on a bend 124 feet above the Grand River represents to 15 million faithful both the beginning and end of human time. Mormon doctrine makes reference to the place as the site where Adam and Eve went after God banished them from the Garden of Eden. It's also regarded as a gathering place for the faithful at the second coming of Jesus Christ. By Tim Townsend.

SALT LAKE CITY (RNS)  For Mormon historian Don Bradley, the search for truth about Joseph Smith led to disaffection, alienation and, finally, devotion to the faith's founder. By Peggy Fletcher Stack.

SALT LAKE CITY (RNS) Whether believers realize it or not, the trees near their houses of worship have religious roots. By Lisa Schencker.