We've all heard stories of faith and heroism from the early Saints as they crossed the plains, but this book takes our understanding of those pioneers to a whole new level, allowing us to get intimately acquainted with several of the individuals and families who traveled with the Willie handcart company through photos, journal excerpts, inspiring stories, and biographical details. Throughout the book, the stories of these faithful are brought to life through the gorgeous and plentiful paintings of Julie Rogers.

This year marks a joyous milestone in temple history with the dedication of the Provo City Center Temple as the 150th LDS temple on the earth today. In celebration, here are three additional fascinating stories, along with several little-known facts, about these beautiful and holy structures.

MR says: Check out these 5 insights from a temple ordinance worker that could help transform the way you view and experience the temple.

As we haul out the wrapping paper and decorate the Christmas tree, it's important to remember what really matters this season.

A newly renovated mansion on the U of U's campus has been given a new name: the Thomas S. Monson Center. The mansion, west wing, and carriage house will house the university's Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute and will also act as a place to host dignitaries, wedding receptions, and other events.

It's funny how the simple and often seemingly inconsequential things really can make all of the difference in changing someone's life for the better.

With the addition of two new buildings at the Provo MTC, the First Presidency has announced open house dates for the public to take tours of the new expansion.

The First Presidency has announced open house and dedication dates for the Phoenix Arizona Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The public is invited to visit the temple during an open house from Friday, 10 October, through Saturday, 1 November 2014, excluding Sundays. Free reservations for the open house can be made starting Monday, 29 September 2014 on the www.phoenixmormontemple.org website.

Has darkness ever overwhelmed you? Have you seen cities sink and communities set ablaze? Has a voice saved you? If you know the Book of Mormon, then you are familiar with the tale I tell. After hundreds of pages chronicling the ebbs and flows of civilizations, the narrative reaches a climax. In Palestine, Jesus Christ was crucified and buried. The world felt the reverberations. “Thick darkness” fell upon the land. Nothing could bring light, “neither candles, neither torches; neither could there be fire kindled with their fine and exceeding dry wood, so that there could not be any light at all.” The sounds of howling and weeping pieced the darkness. Sadness reigned. It is difficult to overstate the drama and the beauty of the Book of Mormon’s rendering of these days. As one who watched silvery strands cloud the corneas of my infant son and darken his vision onto blindness, as one who takes the Christ story seriously in the depth of my soul, and as one who more and more considers the place of the sun and the moon, the land and the sea, in our religious imaginations, this scripture leaves me in tears. It also leaves me spinning about why the Book of Mormon is vital for American religious historians. It is not simply an artifact. It is also a treasure trove of ideas. To me, it should be required reading for anyone in my guild, and here are a few reasons.

One of the most prominent and difficult issues in philosophy of religion addresses the dilemma that arises when one asserts the existence of an all-powerful God who is also perfectly loving, while also asserting the presence of genuine evil in the world. As David Hume puts the case: “Either God would remove evil out of this world, and cannot; or He can, and will not; or, He has not the power nor will; or, lastly He has both the power and will. If He has the will, and not the power, this shows weakness, which is contrary to the nature of God. If He has the power, and not the will it is malignity, and this is no less contrary to His nature. If He is neither able nor willing, He is both impotent and malignant, and consequently cannot be God. If he is both willing and able (which alone is consonant to the nature of God), whence comes evil, or why does he not prevent it?” There have been many attempts through the centuries to address this dilemma, ranging from denial of the logical problem that seems apparent when trying to hold to all three assertions, to giving reasons for God allowing evil for some larger goods: because love requires free will, which opens the door to the possibility of us choosing evil, or because the presence of evil creates ideal conditions for “soul making,” our proving ourselves through how we respond to it.