Joseph Smith
The first Mormon women: Polygamy, healings, and more
By Jana Riess — April 6, 2016
Membership in Relief Society used to be something you had to apply for, and several other surprises from the first 50 years of Mormon women's history.
More Jesus, Less Joseph: Changes in Mormon General Conference
By Jana Riess — March 4, 2016
Where Mormon leaders once spoke at length about the end of the world and being victims of persecution, sociologists say now it's all about Jesus and the nuclear family.
Joseph Smith’s seer stone: the stuff of revelation or a rock to mock?
By Peggy Fletcher Stack — August 6, 2015
SALT LAKE CITY – The seer stone, said one critic, "drags across the line into the realm of the superstitious."
Mormon Church reveals images of founder’s ‘seer stone’
By Reuters — August 5, 2015
The faithful believe God helped him use the "seer stone" to translate symbols found on gold plates into English text that became the Book of Mormon.
Spectacular annual pageant at fount of Mormon faith
By Sarah Taddeo — July 13, 2015
More than 700 people have been cast in scenes from the Book of Mormon this week on the hill in Manchester, where Joseph Smith is said to have received the faith's sacred texts from an angel.
“Despicable Me” creator on Mormonism, Minions, and “the best calling in the church”
By Jana Riess — July 9, 2015
Meet the guy behind the Minions: Cinco Paul, one of the creators of the "Despicable Me" franchise, talks about how his Mormon faith has influenced his two decades of screenwriting.
Mormons aim to address the messy parts of church history, theology
By Peggy Fletcher Stack — March 9, 2015
SALT LAKE CITY (RNS) Can Mormonism add layers of what some see as controversial information without scaring away new converts or longtime members whose devotion is built on the account as they’ve known it all their lives?
New theory connects a Native American prophet with Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon
By Jana Riess — February 5, 2015
Peter Manseau's new book suggests that Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon may have been influenced by a Seneca religious prophet who died 200 years ago.
Mormon Church essay says one of its scriptures may not be a literal translation
By Lee Davidson — July 9, 2014
(RNS) The “Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham” essay comes on the heels of other recent postings designed to help Latter-day Saints and others better understand sometimes-sticky theological or historical issues in Mormonism.
Book examines pivotal moment in US history: Joseph Smith’s murder
By Peggy Fletcher Stack — July 2, 2014
(RNS) The assassination of Mormon church founder Joseph Smith provides rich insights into mob violence in 19th-century America and the country’s failure to protect religious freedom for unpopular churches, says the author of a new book.
Photo Slideshow: A day in the life of a Mormon missionary
By Sally Morrow — September 26, 2013
While carrying out their mission, Mormon missionaries spend time studying, teaching and spreading their message door-to-door with strangers. See what an average day on a mission looks like for two women called to carry out their mission in Independence, Mo.
N.Y. Freethought Trail traces nonbelievers who chartered a historic course
By Kimberly Winston — August 26, 2013
SENECA FALLS, N.Y. (RNS) Settlers transformed West-Central New York into a hotbed of radical social and religious ideas, including Mormonism and Spiritualism. A new Freethought Trail highlights the prominent atheists and agnostics who also called the region home.
Brigham Young and Jesus Christ would break the Mormons’ no-beard rule
By Peggy Fletcher Stack — April 2, 2013
SALT LAKE CITY (RNS) If they lived today, nearly half of Mormon church presidents would be forbidden from serving in the faith’s 141 temples worldwide. That’s because being clean-shaven is generally a requirement for men to be Mormon temple workers.
12 myths about Mormonism
By Peggy Fletcher Stack — November 5, 2012
SALT LAKE CITY (RNS) All those stories about Mitt Romney's White House bid and his Mormon faith educated millions of observant Americans about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Still, some “understandings” remain misunderstandings — and many views of the religion continue to be skewed, exaggerated or flat-out wrong. Here are 12 persistent myths about Mormonism. By Peggy Fletcher Stack.
Missouri remains land of religious promise for Mormons
By Tim Townsend — September 20, 2012
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (RNS) Few places have greater historic and religious significance to Mormons than Missouri. Likewise few places have been the site of greater Mormon conflict. By Tim Townsend.
