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Greetings fellow history nerds!
I'm sorry I've gone a few weeks without this newsletter--I've been really busy with the start of the semester. I've also been really busy preparing my paper for the annual Leonard J. Arrington Lecture this coming Thursday at 7pm in the Logan Tabernacle!
The Arrington Lecture, sponsored by Utah State University, is one of the few endowed, distinguished lectures in Mormon studies. It's named after one of the most important figures in the development of the field. Arrington passed before I began my schooling, so sadly I never met him, but he's one of my heroes. He played a key role in my book American Zion, in part because his diaries are so revealing and, well, gossipy. I strongly recommend them. The first Arrington lecture was delivered by Arrington himself thirty-one years ago, and so many of my academic idols have taken a turn. It's an honor to continue that legacy.
I've titled my remarks, "Declarations of Interdependence: Why the Latter-day Saints Just Can't Quit the United States." I'll be surveying 200 years of how the Mormon tradition has intersected with and diverged from American forms of patriotism. I've also included a bit of readers' theater, as voice actors will be performing key texts from my presentation. It's going to be a lot of fun. I hope those of you within driving distance can attend.
NEWS/NOTES/ANNOUNCEMENTS
YOUTUBE VIDEOS
- The Fanny Alger Mystery: What Do the Sources Actually Say? (9/18): Was Fanny Alger Joseph Smith’s first plural wife—or does the historical evidence point to an affair, or perhaps something less certain? The relationship between Joseph Smith and Fanny Alger remains one of the most disputed episodes in early Mormon history. In this deep dive, we examine the surviving documents surrounding Fanny Alger, Oliver Cowdery’s accusation of an “affair,” the Kirtland context, and the much later accounts that portrayed Alger as an early plural wife.
- Mormon Pioneers, Polygamy, Angels, & Horror: Inside "The Angel" (9/16): What happens when Mormon history, polygamy, mysticism, and horror collide? In this deep dive into the short horror film The Angel, filmmakers Jessica and Barrett Burgin of Burgindie Films reveal how they transformed early Latter-day Saint history and folklore into a haunting cinematic world. We explore the film’s depiction of plural marriage, supernatural beings, the testing of angels and spirits, and the historical details hidden throughout its 20-minute story.
- The Danites: Joseph Smith's Secret Mormon Militia? (9/14): Were the Danites really Joseph Smith’s secret Mormon militia—and did Joseph Smith ever order them to kill? The historical record is far more complicated than either the sensational stories or complete denials suggest. In this video, we examine the Danites, officially organized as the Society of the Daughters of Zion, within the turbulent world of the 1838 Mormon Missouri conflict. We explore frontier vigilante justice, the contested “right to remain,” Sidney Rigdon’s inflammatory rhetoric, the Danite Constitution, and the escalating conflict between Latter-day Saints, dissenters, and their Missouri neighbors.
- Why America's Religious Right is Abandoning Democracy (9/11): America’s religious right is changing—and the new movement described in Bradley Onishi’s American Caesar is more skeptical of pluralism, democracy, and traditional conservative ideas than many people realize. In this video, we examine the rise of post-liberal Catholics, Christian reconstructionists, and Silicon Valley technocrats who share a vision of protecting “Western civilization” through stronger political power and a more powerful executive. Historian Benjamin Park interviews Dr. Bradley Onishi about Christian nationalism, Doug Wilson, Peter Thiel, Pete Hegseth, JD Vance, the decline of the Moral Majority model, and the transformation of the American religious right. They also explore what this shift could mean for Latter-day Saints and other religious groups that once found a place within the conservative Christian coalition—and why understanding this history is essential for making sense of religion and politics in America today.
- Why Mormonism is Perfect for the Horror Genre (9/9): Why does Mormonism work so surprisingly well as horror? From Heretic and Mormon missionaries to emerging LDS short films, Mormon horror is becoming a fascinating way to explore faith, fear, embodiment, obedience, guilt, uncertainty, and religious identity. In this conversation, historian Ben Park speaks with Dr. Mason Allred about why the horror genre offers an unusually powerful lens for understanding Mormon culture—and why Mormonism gives horror filmmakers a largely untapped world of beliefs, practices, imagery, and anxieties.
- Mailbag Monday: 4 Mormon History Questions You've Probably Wondered About (9/7): What does “General Authority” actually mean, why is global Mormon history so difficult to tell, and is BYU Religious Education really indoctrination? In this Mailbag Monday, we tackle four fascinating questions about Mormon history, scholarship, publishing, and religious education—including the development of LDS Church leadership structures beginning in the 1830s and the challenges historians face when studying Mormonism outside the United States. We also explore why academic audiobooks can be surprisingly difficult and expensive to produce, how audiobook economics affect university presses, and what distinguishes religious education from academic religious studies. Finally, we examine the complicated history of intellectual freedom and institutional boundaries within BYU Religious Education—and why any fair assessment has to account for both those restrictions and the serious scholars working within them.
- How Cain Became Bigfoot in Mormon Folklore (9/4): Do Mormons really believe Cain is Bigfoot? The answer reveals a fascinating story about Mormon folklore, race, theology, and the way legends evolve over time. This video traces the famous account of LDS apostle David W. Patten allegedly encountering Cain, a huge, hairy wanderer cursed to roam the earth. We examine early versions of the story, its later appearance in Spencer W. Kimball’s The Miracle of Forgiveness, and how Latter-day Saints gradually connected the Cain legend with American Bigfoot folklore.
- Brazil and the End of the LDS Church's Racial Restriction (9/2): Brazil is now one of the strongest centers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but that remarkable growth was never guaranteed. This video explores how the LDS Church’s former racial restriction collided with Brazil’s complex racial history, creating a problem that became increasingly difficult to sustain. From early missionary work and the creation of the São Paulo stake to the announcement of the São Paulo Temple, we trace how Brazil became central to one of the most consequential changes in modern Mormon history.
- The Book of Abraham: Missing Scrolls or Revelation? (8/28): What happened when the Egyptian papyri connected to Joseph Smith and the Book of Abraham were rediscovered—and scholars found that the surviving text did not match the Book of Abraham? This video traces the rediscovery of the Joseph Smith Papyri, the response of LDS scholar and apologist Hugh Nibley, and the evolving attempts to explain the relationship between the papyri, Joseph Smith’s translation, and the Book of Abraham.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
- Declarations of Interdependence, Part 1: TikTok/Insta
- Declarations of Interdependence, Part 2: TikTok/Insta
- Declarations of Interdependence, Part 3: TikTok/Insta
- Declarations of Interdependence, Part 4: TikTok/Insta
- Four Misconceptions Concerning the Book of Abraham: TikTok/Insta
- Analyzing LDS Population Growth Within the US: TikTok/Insta
- Three Common Questions Concerning Cain: TikTok/Insta
- Quick History Lesson for Labor Day: TikTok/Insta
- Stories From My Time Teaching BYU Religion: TikTok/Insta
- A Debunked Critique about Fawn Brodie: TikTok/Insta
- Using Quilts to Tell Mormon History: TikTok/Insta
- Immediate Responses to Dallin Oaks's DC Address: TikTok/Insta
- Contextualizing the Church's Anti-Abortion Position: TikTok/Insta
I think that's all I have for now. I hope to see many of you in Logan on Thursday!
Benjamin Park, Historian and Nerd
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