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The Book of Mormon and New World DNA

Miraculous claims surrounding the coming forth of the Book of Mormon are an evidence of the prophetic calling of Joseph Smith. Critics intent on discrediting the Restoration point to DNA studies on indigenous American peoples in an attempt to expose Joseph, the Book of Mormon, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as frauds. Claiming that scientific evidence excludes any possibility that Middle Eastern or ancient Jewish travelers came to the Americas in antiquity, such critics attempt to sow seeds of doubt in the minds of Latter-day Saints and those of other faiths concerning the authenticity of the Book of Mormon as an ancient religious text.

Latter-day Saint Life

BYU Surprises in 'Money' Magazine's New College Rankings

In the very long history of American higher education, the idea of ranking colleges is actually a fairly recent development.

Latter-day Saint Life

Kirtland Stake Presidency Member Offers Invocation at the Republican National Convention

By Katie Lambert

Nathan Johnson, the second counselor in the Kirtland Ohio Stake Presidency, gave the invocation for the Republican National Convention on Wednesday.

The Bells on Temple Square to present “Winter Festival of Sound”

Audiences will thrill to the visually fascinating Bells on Temple Square during its annual winter concert on Friday, 16 November, in the Salt Lake Tabernacle at 7:30 p.m. The concert, titled Winter Festival of Sound, will feature wintry holiday hymns and American folk songs.Conductor LeAnna Willmore says, “Think of all of the happy thoughts associated with the ringing of a bell — the announcement of the arrival of a friend ringing your doorbell, the holy ringing of church bells, the tinkling of sleigh bells. Winter Festival of Sound is a celebration of this most cheerful sound and the feelings associated with it.”

Baptist panel asks: Can Christians vote for a Mormon?

Addressing an issue on the minds of many evangelical voters as a Mormon runs for president, a Baptist seminary panel said Tuesday that evangelicals must jettison -- for the good of their faith -- the idea that the White House occupant must be a "religious mascot" for Christianity. Southern Baptist Theological Seminary hosted the panel discussion, less than two months before American voters will choose between President Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney, who is Mormon.

BYU features photographer Dorothea Lange's 'Three Mormon Towns'

In the summer of 1953, American photographer Dorothea Lange traveled to southern Utah where she met up with her long-time friend, Ansel Adams. The two photographers spent three weeks photographing the landscape and people in the Mormon towns of Toquerville, Gunlock and St. George with the intention of publishing the work in LIFE magazine. Ms. Lange's enthusiasm for her subject yielded hundreds of photographs from which she composed an extended essay of 135 photographs, including images by Ansel Adams. Thirty-five of those photographs with text by Daniel Dixon appeared under the title "Three Mormon Towns" in the Sept. 6, 1954, issue of LIFE.

From the Church

First Presidency Issues Important Statement Following the Election

Following the presidential election, the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles released the following statement on November 9, 2016, on Mormon Newsroom:

Taking heat over his $10,000 bet, Mitt Romney responds with story from his LDS mission

Mitt Romney offered Rick Perry a $10,000 bet Saturday during the Republican presidential debate, and opportunists from all over the political spectrum are howling to high heaven that this is just the latest example of how the uber-rich Romney is out of touch with most Americans. Perry sparked an unforced error from Romney by claiming that the former Massachusetts governor changed critical language about individual healthcare mandates in his book "No Apology" from one printing to the next. By offering to bet Perry $10,000 that the Texas governor was dead wrong, the CEO of the 2002 Olympics is drawing fire from Republicans and Democrats alike.

Scholar details 'striking' parallels between Book of Mormon and ancient civilization

Since 1955, John L. Sorenson has been exploring the relationship between the Book of Mormon and the anthropology of Mesoamerica (southern Mexico and northern Central America). Since the publication of his 1985 book, "An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon," he has been regarded as arguably the leading exponent for the theory that the book's narrative took place within a limited geographic setting. This contrasts with the traditional understanding of many LDS Church members over the years that the events described in the book transpired throughout North and South America.

Latter-day Saint Life

Red Cross Regional CEO Calls LDS Church "National Leaders in Disaster Response"

“The generosity of the LDS Church empowers the Red Cross to give hope to people when they need it most. They are truly national leaders in disaster response,” said Heidi Ruster, CEO of the Utah and Nevada region.