Biographical highlights of seventy-eight figures in Mormon history.

A Book of Mormons not only provides a fascinating glimpse into a religion that has taken center stage in the last presidential election, but will prompt insights into what living an encompassing religion means both individually and for the community trying to understand exactly "What does it mean to be a Mormon today?" Mormonism is at a crossroads, having been under the microscopic lens of the media for the past five years, even as Mormons young and old grapple with the openness and accessibility of The Information Age. Both the institutional church and its lay members are working to better define the faith for outsiders as well as within. This collection of essays from a broad swath of Mormons -- some who live their faith quietly, others who wrestle with how it colors their professional endeavors -- is an attempt to broaden perspectives about Mormons and demystifying stereotypes.

(Ingram Books). 2004 Tony Award winner for Best Musical, Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical! Playbill.com describes Avenue Q, a decidedly adult puppet/human show, as a meeting of Sesame Street and South Park . Our deluxe songbook features all 20 songs in standard piano/vocal format (melody in the piano part), more than 20 fabulous full-color photos from the production, and a bio of the writing team of Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, who've scored big with their first Broadway show! Tunes include: The Avenue Q Theme * Fantasies Come True * I Wish I Could Go Back to College * I'm Not Wearing Underwear Today * If You Were Gay * The Internet Is for Porn * It Sucks to Be Me * Mix Tape * The Money Song * Purpose * There Is Life Outside Your Apartment * What Do You Do with a B.A. in English * and more. PARENTAL ADVISORY: EXPLICIT LYRICS. The Libretto includes the complete book and lyrics from the musical with additional color photos from the Broadway performance.

Shows how Joseph Smith, Jr.'s influential Book of Mormon launched one of the fastest growing new religions on the planet.

Available for the first time fifty years after the author's death, Studies of the Book of Mormon presents this respected church leader's investigation into Mormonism's founding scripture. Reflecting his talent for combining history and theology, B. H. Roberts considered the evident parallels between the Book of Mormon and Ethan Smith's View of the Hebrews, a book that predated the Mormon scripture by seven years. If the Book of Mormon is not historical, but rather a reflection of the misconceptions current in Joseph Smith's day regarding Indian origins, then its theological claims are suspect as well, Roberts asserted. In this and other research, it was Roberts's proclivity to go wherever the evidence took him, in this case anticipating and defending against potential future problems. Yet the manuscript was so poorly received by fellow church leaders that it was left to Roberts alone to decide whether he had overlooked some important piece of the puzzle or whether the Mormon scripture's claims were, in fact, illegitimate. Clearly for most of his colleagues, institutional priorities overshadowed epistemological integrity. But Roberts's pathbreaking work has been judged by the editor to be methodologically sound-still relevant today. It shows the work of a keen mind, and illustrates why Roberts was one of the most influential Mormon thinkers of his day. The manuscript is accompanied by a preface and introduction, a history of the documents' provenances, a biographical essay, correspondence to and from Roberts relating to the manuscript, a bibliography, and an afterword-all of which put the information into perspective.

Mark Twain once derided the Book of Mormon as "chloroform in print." Long and complicated, written in the language of the King James version of the Bible, it boggles the minds of many. Yet it is unquestionably one of the most influential books ever written. With over 140 million copies in print, it is a central text of one of the largest and fastest-growing faiths in the world. And, Grant Hardy shows, it's far from the coma-inducing doorstop caricatured by Twain. In Understanding the Book of Mormon, Hardy offers the first comprehensive analysis of the work's narrative structure in its 180 year history. Unlike virtually all other recent world scriptures, the Book of Mormon presents itself as an integrated narrative rather than a series of doctrinal expositions, moral injunctions, or devotional hymns. Hardy takes readers through its characters, events, and ideas, as he explores the story and its messages. He identifies the book's literary techniques, such as characterization, embedded documents, allusions, and parallel narratives. Whether Joseph Smith is regarded as author or translator, it's noteworthy that he never speaks in his own voice; rather, he mediates nearly everything through the narrators Nephi, Mormon, and Moroni. Hardy shows how each has a distinctive voice, and all are woven into an integral whole. As with any scripture, the contending views of the Book of Mormon can seem irreconcilable. For believers, it is an actual historical document, transmitted from ancient America. For nonbelievers, it is the work of a nineteenth-century farmer from upstate New York. Hardy transcends this intractable conflict by offering a literary approach, one appropriate to both history and fiction. Regardless of whether readers are interested in American history, literature, comparative religion, or even salvation, he writes, the book can best be read if we examine the text on its own terms.

Authors determine that The Book of Mormon is an adaptation of an obscure historical novel. Read about their findings.

When Joseph Smith presented the Book of Mormon for sale in early 1830, questions surfaced immediately regarding its claim to be an ancient history of America. In this ten-essay compilation, scholars outline the broad contours of contemporary research bearing on this question. Drawing from a variety of disciplines, contributors discuss historicity from the standpoint of physical and cultural anthropology, geography, linguistics, demographics, literary forms, liturgical context, theology, and evolution of the original manuscript to published work. The message of the Book of Mormon is one of socio-economic equality and divine intervention. That message can be obscured by people who revere it as an icon and prooftext rather than read it for understanding. Furthermore, attempts to make the book safe for Sunday school audiences can gloss over context. Returning to a nineteenth-century understanding restores the book's spiritual rather than symbolic importance. By asking hard questions, contributors modify, even transform, previous theories regarding the nature of LDS scripture. Still, through painstaking research, they share a wealth of fresh perspectives and offer an array of new directions for future investigation.

The Book of Mormon is one of the boldest hoaxes of all time. And millions of people have fallen for it. Co-author, Kendal M. Sheets: Joseph Smith Jr. claimed that an angel gifted him-an uneducated farm boy-with ancient golden plates and the ability to translate their hieroglyphics. From that improbable premise sprang The Book of Mormon and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, with its millions of followers, known as Mormons. In Book of Mormon, Book of Lies, authors Meredith Ray Sheets and Kendal M. Sheets expose The Book of Mormon and the story surrounding its creation as one of the greatest deceptions in the history of America, if not the entire world. The result of twenty-five years of research, Book of Mormon, Book of Lies will alter the course of global religion, finance, and politics. Book of Lies proves that Smith's manuscript, which he published in 1830, is nothing more than cleverly disguised plagiarism of The Travels of Marco Polo, the voyage of Christopher Columbus to the New World as recorded by his son, histories of the Spanish conquest of Mexico, and travel journals . . . all readily available to Smith. In Book of Lies, Meredith Sheets, a retired petroleum executive, and Kendal M. Sheets, an experienced intellectual property attorney, compare content from historic books with the content of The Book of Mormon. The results are astonishing. For the first time ever, the authors show exactly how the American-born religion of Mormonism and its religious scriptures were created by man and not by God.