Education is examined within the context of religious beliefs and values found in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons). Education is defined as the process of becoming like God. An investigation is conducted into the stewardship and responsibility parents have for the education of their children. This responsibility is determined to be a sacred stewardship that cannot simply be delegated to others in society. All education is shown to be religious in nature. Conflicts between the beliefs and values of different members of society are found to be at the heart of many of the difficulties in education. The secularization of Western civilization and education is described. The history of public schooling in America is examined, and the current status of the public school system is analyzed. On the basis of this analysis, parents are urged to be more vigilant in attending to the responsibilities of educating their children. Several suggestions are made for how parents can become more responsible for the education of their children, and one of these options, home schooling, is explored in some depth. Two Latter-day Saint home-schooling families are examined using qualitative research methods. Their philosophy of education is considered at length and described in detail. The methods they employ in the education of their children are investigated and described. A detailed account of a week in the life of each family is also included. The study closes with an examination of what it means for parents to pass a goodly heritage on to their children. Passing on a rich heritage is found to consist in seeking the Spirit of the Lord, following the counsel of Church leaders, and keeping the commandments of God.

This study examined differences between Latter-Day Saint (LDS) and non-Latter-Day Saint (non-LDS) females across six universities in the United States regarding desire to engage in substance use and eating behaviors in response to negative emotion. Additionally, this study explored differences between LDS and non-LDS females regarding body image, as well as body image differences between LDS females residing inside Utah and outside Utah. Findings suggested that non-LDS females were more likely to experience increased urges to use substances in response to negative emotion than LDS females, consistent with LDS doctrine teaching the avoidance of substance use. LDS females also did not appear to substitute LDS-sanctioned eating behaviors for substance use in response to negative emotion, as has previously been suggested by other researchers. Additionally, LDS females were found to have more positive body image than non-LDS females generally, although LDS females in Utah have less positive body images than LDS females residing in other states. Body image findings are substantial since body image distress is rampant and is a risk factor for the development of eating disorders. Clinical implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed.

Religious affiliation and its inherent membership in an associated social network as a sociolinguistic factor is examined in the community of Latter-day Saints (LDS) in Cardston, Alberta. Building on Meechan's 1998 findings that the LDS community in the area used Canadian Raising in a different set of phonotactic environments than the surrounding non-LDS English speakers, the study aims to determine if the LDS community uses other Canadian speech features differently or less frequently and if any Utah features (defined as Utah English in the literature, being the language of LDS English speakers in Utah) have continued from the settling of the area by Utahns in the 1880s. The study analyzes the effect of religious affiliation on dialect leveling and general sociolinguistic change. To perform the study, interviews were conducted with 51 informants eliciting items characterized by Canadian and Utahn features. Statistical and inferential analysis shows that one Utah feature, the cord-card merger, survived in a very attenuated form in the speech of older respondents, and Canadian features were generally less prevalent among the LDS. It is concluded that religious affiliation is a factor in the phonology of the region.

This project uses a qualitative research approach to understanding Mormon women's uses and gratifications of magazines. The first study provides a retrospective look at the uses and gratifications of readers of the Relief Society Magazine (1915–1970) in order to understand where media targeted to Mormon women has been. Through interviews, focus groups and questionnaires, the study finds the main reasons Mormon women read the Relief Society Magazine was to provide (a) a handbook for daily life, (b) a community, (c) intellectual stimulation, (d) an aspirational ideal, and (e) an escape from daily life. When the magazine ceased publication, readers felt a sense of loss and recognized a need to move on. The second study researches Mormon women's current uses and gratifications of media, with a focus on magazine use. Through focus groups and questionnaires, the main uses and gratifications of current media among Mormon women include (a) interaction, (b) cognition, (c) and diversion. Mormon women's media use is also influenced by warnings from others about the dangers of particular media or too much media use. This project then presents the concept and design for a new magazine targeted to Mormon women and seeks to fulfill the needs and gratifications found in the research discussed here.

This work is the first of its kind on women in the Book of Mormon. It (1) is an exhaustive treatment of the book's female characters, (2) analyzes how women function in the text, and (3) delineates the text's female-inclusive language. This thesis contains a complete list and discussion of the identifiable women in the Book of Mormon (Chapter 1); provides a compilation and treatment of the book's gender-inclusive language—comprising over 200 words and more than 5,000 references to them—and its bearing on the doctrines and depictions of women in the narrative (Chapter 2); and illustrates the significant influence individual women had on the Nephite-Lamanite-Jaredite civilization (Chapter 3). This study concludes with a chapter that attempts to account for the scarcity of women's stories in the narrative and the minimal knowledge we are provided about them compared to men. Readers will find overwhelming evidence from this thesis that women figure more prominently in the narrative than we often realize. This work offers a compelling argument for the pervasive and powerful presence of women in the Book of Mormon.

As part of BYU's Distance Learning Project to teach English for gospel purposes, a committee created a survey to assess the English needs of LDS non-native English speakers in native-language units in the United States. This thesis uses several sections of the survey to correlate proficiency, callings in the Church, and demographic information. In addition to survey data, this thesis uses qualitative information from focus groups, and interviews to illustrate the statistical findings. The theory underlying this research is that learning precedes involvement in a community. Although learning in the LDS Church community is multi-faceted, this study examines the learning of English tasks and involvement in the Church community, defined as callings.The results indicate that male leader (high councilors) callings correlate with church tasks, and that female vice-leader callings correlate with survival English and church tasks. Demographic information, although relevant, does not alter the correlations. The qualitative findings supports these findings, whereas the trend indicates that bilingual leaders are preferred to monolingual non-English language leaders.

This study is an examination, in terms of critical areas identified by correlation, of the 1967-68 lesson manuals prepared for high school age LDS youth by the teaching organizations of the Church responsible for implementing a correlated religious education program for this age group.Major findings center around the answers to the questions formulated to limit and analyze the problem of this study, and were obtained by examining the lesson manuals and identifying the major themes or concepts contained in them. These findings indicate: (1) that duplication or repetition of gospel concepts does exist in the lesson materials, (2) that gaps, omissions, and inequalities in the emphasis of gospel concepts within these materials do exist, and (3) that the most emphasized gospel concepts are Book of Mormon leaders, priesthood, socials, service, family unity, Old Testament leaders, activities, Book of Mormon history, New Testament leaders, and Jesus Christ, respectively.

As indicated by the title, this study presents a history of Federal Legislation against Mormon polygamy prior to 1890 and of certain United States Supreme Court decisions supporting such legislation. Of necessity, the subject had to be limited, emphasis being placed upon three legislative acts and upon a few leading court decisions.

Education and learning have ever been at the core of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Throughout its history that now extends nearly one hundred ninety years, the Church has made numerous attempts to provide educational opportunities for its members. Some attempts have failed, and others were met with some success—though limited, to be sure. In hindsight, most of these efforts were simply laying the foundation for something far greater. At the dawn of the twenty-first century, the groundwork for global Church education had been laid, and the seeds planted. Beginning with a pilot administered through BYU-Idaho, a program known as “Pathway” grew into a worldwide effort that is successfully providing educational opportunities to individuals distanced from such occasion. The Church-affiliated university also created a robust online program, that coupled with Pathway, was providing a largely affordable, yet high-quality education to Church members and even a few other individuals across the globe. Not without its barriers, Pathway and the BYU-Idaho online degree program worked to overcome legal and other limitations in order to create and expand a vigorous offering across cultures, time, and space. Recently, these programs have given root to what is now a global education initiative, collaborating a united effort from each institution affiliated with the Church Educational System.

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