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Our 10 Favorite Mormon Moments from 2015

The year 2015 has seen a lot of exciting changes in the Church. From five new temples built in Argentina, Utah, Peru, Indiana, and Mexico,to three new apostles being called to the Quorum of the Twelve, we've experienced a lot of joy and even a little heartache as we've moved forward in the work of the Lord.

Joshua M. Matson

Joshua M. Matson is a scholar of the Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls and an assistant professor in ancient scripture at Brigham Young University with an appointment to the Jerusalem Center where he teaches classes related to the Old and New Testaments, the Book of Mormon, and Ancient History. Josh holds a PhD in religion from Florida State University, with an emphasis in religions of western antiquity and a minor in American religious history. In addition to his academic training, Josh spent time teaching with Seminaries and Institutes of Religion, with appointments as a Religious Educator at Bingham High School and as a teacher and director of the Tallahassee Institute of Religion. Josh and his wife Erin are the parents of four children and reside in Santaquin, Utah.

Liz Hansen

Liz Hansen is a lead writer for the Church's Book of Mormon video, director, and consultant who has gone from acting on Broadway to a Byline at the Los Angeles Times to the classrooms of Brigham Young University. She holds an MFA in screenwriting from the American Film Institute, has won the prestigious Writers Guild Award, an EMMY nomination, and was a finalist for the Humanitas Prize for excellence in children's television programing. In addition, she has a Telly award and two Crystal Awards for excellence in corporate video writing.

Latter-day Saint Life

The Surprising Truth I Learned Taking President Nelson's Challenge to Read the Book of Mormon (+ the Miracles It Brought into My Life)

By Carmen Rasmusen Herbert

A few years ago, a dear friend challenged me to read the Book of Mormon in 28 days, and I’m not exaggerating when I say it changed my life. I only had one baby at that time, and was able to read while he napped during the afternoons. I would make myself a little lunch, sit down on the couch with a comfy blanket, and read for around an hour every day in the quiet family room of our tiny third-story condo.

Jessica Nelson

Jessica Nelson is a historian and documentary editor for the Joseph Smith Papers. She completed a BA in American studies at Brigham Young University and an MS in history at Utah State University, where she held the Milner/Butler Editorial Fellowship at the Western Historical Quarterly. Her thesis, titled “‘The Mississippi of the West’: Religion, Conservatism, and Racial Politics in Utah, 1960–1978,” was awarded the Lester E. Bush Best Thesis Award by the Mormon History Association in 2018. Previous to joining the Joseph Smith Papers, she worked as a research assistant for the women’s history team at the Church History Department.

SOM Transcript - S5E5

Bonus: Race and Priesthood in the Old Testament

You may have heard the profound quote by Lorenzo Snow, “As man now is, God once was: As God now is, man may be." But you may not have heard BYU professor Dr. Marcus Martins’s thoughts that then “God ... could very well be like me.” Martins believes that “if [God] lived on an earth like ours with the same plan of happiness, then it might not be so far from [the] truth to say that [He] could be Asian, Pacific Islander, African, Hispanic, Mauri, or American. We really don’t know, but it is worth considering.” In this special bonus episode of Sunday on Monday, we’ll discover how all have been truly alike unto God since the very beginning, and how race and the priesthood relate to the Old Testament.

Michelle Franzoni Thorley

Michelle Franzoni Thorley is a Mexican American visual artist, anti-racism consultant and plant lover. Her work and words are available on Instagram at @florafamiliar.

SOM Transcript - S4E43

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Christian Sagers, Deseret News

Christian Sagers is an assistant editor and staff writer. He has won multiple awards for editorial writing on politics, religion and conservative values. He graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in American Studies. Twitter: @C_Sagers