Y Religion BYU Religious Education

In 3 Nephi and Moroni, the resurrected Savior provides specific directions to the Nephites regarding four rituals: baptism by immersion, the bestowal of the gift of the Holy Ghost, communal prayer, and the sacrament. Why were such rituals important to the Savior and his ministry among the Nephites? How can understanding these teachings help us with our discipleship in the latter days? In this episode Dr. David Calabro, visiting assistant professor of ancient scripture, answers these questions in discussing his chapter “Jesus Christ as a Revealer of Ordinances in the Book of Mormon” from I Glory in My Jesus: Understanding Christ in the Book of Mormon. Professor Calabro briefly compares the New Testament and Book of Mormon depictions of these rituals and highlights how the Nephite record more fully depicts the Savior’s character as a generous giver of blessings. He explains how, as a revealer of ordinances in the Book of Mormon, the Savior both presents the actions and wording of each ritual and explains with great emphasis the blessings associated with each ordinance. In understanding and applying these rituals, we, like the Nephites, may approach the living Christ and gain an experiential witness of him. 

 

Publications:  

“Jesus Christ as a Revealer of Ordinances in the Book of Mormon” (in I Glory In My Jesus: Understanding Christ in the Book of Mormon, Religious Studies Center, 2024) 
He Was Seen: Witnessing the Risen Christ (Religious Studies Center, 2024) 
“Disability and Social Justice in Ancient Israelite Culture” (in Covenant of Compassion: Caring for the Marginalized and Disadvantaged in the Old Testament, Religious Studies Center, 2021) 
“Nonverbal Communication in the New Testament” (in New Testament History, Culture, and Society: A Background to the Texts of the New Testament, Religious Studies Center, 2019) 
“‘Stretch Forth Thy Hand and Prophesy’: Hand Gestures in the Book of Mormon” (in Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, 2012) 
"Joseph Smith and the Architecture of Genesis" (in The Temple: Ancient and Restored, Eborn Books, 2016) 
"Lehi's Dream and the Garden of Eden" (in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship, 2017) 
"An Early Christian Context for the Book of Moses" (in Tracing Ancient Threads in the Book of Moses: Inspired Origins, Temple Contexts, and Literary Qualities, Eborn Books, 2021) 

 

 Click here to learn more about David Calabro 

“Latter-day Saints believe in the pursuit of truth through ‘study and faith’ and are thus not opposed to intellectual examination of scripture” (Dr. David R. Seely). One way we might examine the scriptures is through the use of biblical criticism, or historical criticism, an approach regularly used by biblical scholars to assess the meaning of a text—it's original context, audience, and authorship. In this episode Dr. Jason Combs, associate professor of ancient scripture, discussed his chapter “Historical Criticism of the Bible among the Latter-day Saints.” He outlines the history of biblical criticism and explains how it may serve as a tool to aid our scripture study. Further, Dr. Combs details how such approaches may provide a more well-rounded vision of the scriptures, especially in studying the Old and New Testaments and comparing multiple accounts of the same events. In doing so we should balance biblical criticism with the application of scriptures and the gospel to our daily lives.  
 
Publications 
Jason Robert Combs, “Historical Criticism of the Bible among the Latter-day Saints” (in The Bible and the Latter-day Saint Tradition, eds. Taylor G. Petrey, Cory Crawford, and Eric A. Eliason (Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 2023), 202–16.).Used courtesy of the University of Utah Press. Jason R. Combs, et al., eds. Ancient Christians: An Introduction for Latter-day Saints (Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, 2022)  “‘Christ’ after the Apostles: The Humanity and Divinity of the Savior in the Second Century” (in Thou Art the Christ, the Son of the Living God:  The Person and Work of Jesus in the New Testament, Religious Studies Center, 2018) Professional Website, https://www.jasonrobertcombs.com/ “A Modern Perspective on Ancient Christians” (Y Religion, episode 70, 2022) “The Humanity and Divinity of Jesus Christ” (Y Religion, episode 37, 2021)  
Click here to learn more about Jason Combs 
 

In his October 2021 general conference talk President Ballard expressed, “We must always remember that our true happiness depends upon our relationship with God, with Jesus Christ, and with each other.” How do we build and shape these relationships? In this episode assistant professor of Church history and doctrine Brian Mead discusses his article “The Important Role of Relationships in Our Heavenly Father’s Plan of Salvation.” Dr. Mead defines doctrinal and relational approaches to the Plan of Salvation and examines how they strengthen our understanding of eternal relationships. Further, he addresses how using a relational approach to teach the Plan of Salvation aids in answering a number of why questions: Why do we need a mortal experience? Why must we repent? Why do we need a Savior? Such an approach builds upon our personal understanding and connections to our Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, family, and others.
 
Publications:
·      “The Important Role of Relationships in Our Heavenly Father’s Plan of Salvation” (Religious Educator, 23.3, 2022)
 
Click here to learn more about Brian Mead

For thousands of years the Sabbath as an institution has remained a core aspect of religious life, and people have constantly fought to keep it holy. The prophet Isaiah declared the Sabbath “a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable” (Isaiah 58:13). How can we observe the Sabbath and keep it holy? How might rituals of neighboring religions inform Latter-day Saint experiences with making the Sabbath a delight? In this episode Dr. Andrew Reed, associate professor of Church history and doctrine, discusses his chapter “‘The Erosion of Sabbath Worship Is Now Extensive’: The Imperative to Learn Holiness from Other Religious Traditions.” Dr. Reed presents an interfaith approach for slowing the erosion of Sabbath worship. He outlines efforts by religious communities to reengage believers with the Sabbath (including thinking about the secular), analyzes the ways both Jews and Christians think about sacred time, and examines potential applications for Latter-day Saints.
 
Click here to learn more about Andrew Reed
 
Publications:
·      “‘The Erosion of Sabbath Worship is Now Extensive’: The Imperative to Learn Holiness from Other Religious Traditions” (in Sacred Time: The Sabbath as a Perpetual Covenant, Religious Studies Center, 2023)
·      “The Influence of Rose Marie Reid” (Y Religion Podcast, episode 21, December 2020)
·      “A History of the Jewish—Latter-day Saint Academic Dialogue” (in Understanding Covenants and Communities: Jews and Latter-day Saints in Dialogue, Religious Studies Center, 2020)
·      “Framing the Restoration and Gathering: Orson Hyde and Early Mormon Understandings of Israel, Jew, and the Second Coming” (in Foundations of the Restoration: Fulfillment of the Covenant Purposes, Religious Studies Center, 2016)

According to a 2023 U.S. News & World Report, Utah’s economy continuously ranks first across all 50 states. Experts have even deemed the state’s noteworthy economic growth, strong business climates, and high rates of economic mobility a miracle. But what are the major contributing factors for this “Utah economic miracle”? In this episode Dr. Jenet Erickson, associate professor in the Department of Church History and Doctrine, and Dr. Jason Carroll, family initiative director of the Wheatly Institute and a professor in the School of Family Life, discuss one of the strongest predictors of state economic success: strong families. In examining the “Utah family miracle,” they detail the foundation of strong, resilient relationships and highlight which factors make relationships more fragile. They emphasize how the blessings of religion help us develop the characteristics and virtues to strengthen relationships and marriages. 
 
Click here to learn more about Jenet Erickson and here to learn more about Jason Carroll
 
Jenet Erickson Publications:
·      “The Utah Family Miracle: Five Policy Ideas to Keep Utah Families Strong and Stable” (Sutherland Institute & Institute for Family Studies Policy Publication, 2023)
·      “The Complementary Nature of Mothers and Fathers” (Y Religion, episode 48, year)
·      “Motherhood: Restoring Clarity and Vision in a World of Confusing Messages” (in By Divine Design, Religious Studies Center, 2014)
·      “Homeward Bound: The Work-Family Resent in Post-Covid America” (Institute for Family Studies, 2021)
 
Jason Carroll Publications
·       “The Soulmate Trap: Why Embracing Agency-Based Love is the Surest Path to Creating a Flourishing Marriage” (Wheatley Institute, 2024)
·       “A Not-So-Good Faith Estimate: Why Many Studies Underestimate the Full Benefits of Religion” (Wheatley Institute, 2022)
·       “A True Temple Marriage” (BYU-Idaho Devotional, BYU-Idaho Speeches, 19 March 2024)
·       The Marriage Compass (BYU Academic Publishing, 2018)

The word anxiety (or anxious) is used nine times in the Book of Mormon, and it appears in both positive and negative forms. In the positive form it refers to something more akin to “eagerness” (see Mosiah 29:38 and 3 Nephi 3:3), whereas the negative refers more to “uncertainty” or “troubling fear” (see 2 Nephi 1:16 and Mosiah 28:12). Of the seven negative references, four are penned by the prophet Jacob, including one in which he couples “great anxiety” with the counterbalancing attribute of “faith” (see Jacob 1:5). In this episode Dr. Jared Halverson, associate professor of ancient scripture, discusses the mental, emotional, and spiritual issues related to anxiety as explained in the life and teachings of Jacob. Professor Halverson closely examines Jacob’s writings on the anxiety born of adversity (trauma), anxiety due to responsibility (pastoral perfectionism), and anxiety over one’s standing before God (scrupulosity). In analyzing Jacob’s words, we can find counsel and compassion, whether we struggle with anxiety or are anxious to support those who do.
 
Click here to learn more about Jared Halverson
 
Publications:
·      “‘Because of Faith and Great Anxiety’: Jacob and the Challenges of Mental Health” (in Jacob: Faith and Great Anxiety, Religious Studies Center, 2024)
·      “Protecting Our Strengths: Alma’s Counsel to Shiblon” (in Book of Mormon Insights: Letting God Prevail in Your Life, Religious Studies Center, 2024)
·      “The Way, the Truth, and the Way to Truth: Harmony in Pursuit of Orthodoxy” (in I Glory in My Jesus: Understanding Christ in the Book of Mormon, Religious Studies Center, 2024)
·      “Swine’s Blood and Broken Serpents: The Rejection and Rehabilitation of Worship in the Old Testament” (in Ascending the Mountain of the Lord: Temple, Praise, and Worship in the Old Testament, Religious Studies Center, 2013)
·      “Lehi’s Dream and Nephi’s Vision as Apocalyptic Literature” (in The Things Which My Father Saw: Approaches to Lehi’s Dream and Nephi’s Vision, Religious Studies Center, 2011)
·      “Of Soils and Souls: The Parable of the Sower” (in Religious Educator, 9.3, 2008)