Volume 36, No. 4
Winter 2003
The Winter 2003 Issue delves into the psychological and mystical dimensions of Joseph Smith's prophetic leadership within early Mormonism. Lawrence Foster introduces the concept of prophetic charisma, exploring how it shaped Smith's influence and the development of charismatic leadership in the church. Len Oakes responds to Foster's analysis, discussing the implications of prophetic charisma and its effects on followers. Ronald V. Huggins examines the evolution of key figures in early Mormonism, tracing the transition from Captain Kidd's treasure ghost to the Angel Moroni, highlighting how these changing narratives reflect the broader cultural context of the time. And much more!
Contents
Articles/Essays
Scrying for the Lord: Magic, Mysticism, and the Origins of the Book of Mormon
Clay L. ChandlerDialogue 36.4 (Winter 2004):109–128
JOSEPH SMITH GREW UP in a time and place where folk magic was an accepted part of the landscape. Before he was a prophet, he was a diviner, or more specifically, a scryer who used his peepstone to discover the location of buried treasure.
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Joseph Smith in the Book of Mormon
Robert M. PriceDialogue 36.4 (Winter 2004):109–128
DID JOSEPH SMITH WRITE the Book of Mormon? To this over-familiar question the orthodox Latter-day Saint answer is a resounding “No” because the official belief is that a series of men with quasi-biblical names wrote the book over many centuries.
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Simply Implausible: DNA and a Mesoamerican Setting for the Book of Mormon
Thomas W. MurphyDialogue 36.4 (Winter 2004):129–167
Instead of lending support to an Israelite origin as posited by Mormon scripture, genetic data have confirmed already existing archaeological, cultural, linguistic, and biological data, pointing to migrations from Asia as “the primary source of American Indian origins
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The LDS Church and Community of Christ: Clearer Differences, Closer Friends
William D. RussellDialogue 36.4 (Winter 2003): 177–192
In this paper I will briefly discuss what I see as the six major differences between the two churches during the first century of their existence, and then I will look at eight new differences that have emerged over the past forty years or so. I make no claim that either is a complete list.
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Fiction
Another Death
Thomas F. RogersOne Saturday morning Jimmy wondered about himself as he lay in bed instead of watching cartoons on TV or shooting baskets through the hoop under the eaves. They didn’t have a garage, but they didn’t…
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Coyote Laughter
Joe StaplesThe flask lay under a loose plank on the back porch. To someone lifting the board there was only an empty space, but when Wayne knelt and reached to his elbow beneath the adjacent board,…
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