It is only hoped that this preliminary attempt to analyze the functions of county government in the Territory of Utah will strike a note of interest in other students and give them ideas for further study.

When writing about a culture, ethnographers can convey important insights about society. However, ethnography can also misrepresent culture. To address this fact, reflexive ethnography attempts to influence both the methodology and the rhetoric of writing about culture. Reflexivity seeks to acknowledge the bias of the researcher. To include the voice of the cultural insiders, and to more closely represent the dynamics of cultures that always have an element of hybridity. However, reflexive ethnographies can also be unwieldy and impractical. Therefore, one must find a pragmatic application of reflexivity.Reflexivity can have application to Mormon folklore studies. The most important Mormon folklorists in the mid-twentieth century were Austin and Alta Fife and their folklore research includes the ethnography "A Mormon from the Cradle to the Grave," a non-reflexive text that both reveals and conceals aspects of Mormon culture. Analyzing the Fife's world view and the context that surrounded the production of their research helps reveal why their writings describe Mormon culture the way they do. Such a project also assesses their work in a reflexive way as it reveals researcher bias and includes more cultural voices.William A. (Bert) Wilson took the Fifes' place as the preeminent Mormon folklorist, and his work provides a more complete cultural description. He moves past the Fifes survivalist mode to a functional description on Mormon culture. He also combines an insider perspective with his functionalism. Such a shift focuses more on cultural context and does a better job at representing culture. In these aspects, Wilson's work is a step towards reflexivity.Reflexivity, however, could play a greater role in the work of Mormon folklorists. Wilson has called for modifications in the study and writing about Mormon folklore. He has argued that much of the past work misrepresents Mormon folklore by ignoring the more common stories in favor or the supernatural. His urging to modify the type of lore that is collected and analyzed will make Mormon folklore more reflexive. The researcher focus will be closer to what the culture itself is like. Reflexivity could also come about by adopting more reflexive methodologies, like those advocated by Elaine Lawless. Finally, Mormon folklorists can also make sure that all voices are heard in the complex subcultures of Mormonism.

The problem was to create four oil paintings which illustrate Book of Mormon events.The Book of Mormon seems to hold forth great promise to the painter of religious subjects, but to the present only a limited number of artists have made use of this rich source. There is a need for good illustrations to help these scriptures come to life for the Book of Mormon reader.

This thesis explores the problems encountered by Latter-day Saints in establishing released time privileges for the Central Idaho Seminary District. A careful examination of minutes of state and local school boards, of L.D.S. Church Boards of Education, and of local seminary histories plus personal interviews determined which problems had been resolved.The major problems were 1) whether released time was constitutional; 2) whether high school credit should be given for religious instruction; 3) getting good ethical men to serve on school boards; 4) creating good working relationships between public school and the seminary; and 5) overcoming the feeling that the Latter-day Saints wanted released time just for themselves. It was found that when the people had their questions answered, they were no longer opposed to the program.

A. Purpose.To present a study of the various meanings of the words revelation and inspiration that have been used in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.B. Significance.This thesis points out the difficulties involved in the understanding of the theology of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when the two words are used without discretion. The thesis elucidates the various meanings of the words and presents the doctrine arising from their meaning that has been generally understood and confirmed by the leaders of the Church.C. Method of Study and Presenting Material.Three references were considered as the source material for this thesis: The Doctrine and Covenants, The Book of Mormon, and The Journal of Discourses. Every instance of the occurrence of the two words revelation and inspiration was considered. The various meanings and ways the words were used were classified, and these classifications have been discussed separately. Each group classification comprises the subject matter of a section.The two words revelation and inspiration have been used in such a way that they can have more than one meaning. Sometimes they appear to be used synonymously. But in the majority of the cases they have a difference of meaning that is significant to the Latter-day Saints.The difference between revelation (the knowledge given to the Saints as associated with the gospel and the Church) and inspiration (or knowledge received by the world at large) is primarily in the differences of assignment, office, and power of the Holy Ghost and Jesus Christ, from God the Father. The Holy Ghost is the source of revelation as is given in relation to the Church and kingdom of God when the recipients obey the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The light and gift of Christ which is given to every man that is born into the world is the source of the good and of the knowledge that comes by inspiration.

The purpose of this thesis was to analyze and compare the influence of secular educational philosophy upon the curriculum of the seminaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.In order to do this it was necessary to review and record the development of secular educational philosophy and curriculum. This was followed by writing the development of the educational philosophy and New Testament curriculum of the seminaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Next a comparison was made of the influence of the secular philosophies and curricula upon the religious educational philosophy and the New Testament curriculum of the Church.It was found that there was a carryover of the secular influence upon those who received their background training in secular educational philosophy and curriculum development. This training greatly influenced their approach in developing the New Testament curriculum for the seminaries of the Church. Although the background training from their secular education helped them to develop the New Testament curriculum, nevertheless, after a certain amount of experience, they began to attain a measure of independence from the philosophies of the secular educators.

The establishment of Zion has been a goal of interest to every dispensation. The building of temples and participation in temple ordinances has likewise been a practice of many generations throughout history. In the present dispensation, Joseph Smith declared the need to construct temples in connection with the building of a Latter-day Zion.The purpose of this study has been to discover a correlation between temple activity and the development of the Church membership in their preparation for the establishment of Zion. It has been concluded that the temples do perform a very significant role in the development of the Latter-day Saints as a zion-people prior to their establishment of a zion-place.

The American West prior to 1800 was relatively an obscure and unexplored region. However, by 1846, it had been traversed by no less than three government expeditions, and numerous mountain men and adventurers. There was an abundance of guides, maps, and books in print by 1846 for the homeseeker traveling west of the Mississippi River.The Mormon knowledge and interest in the West began as early as 1832. Throughout the 1830's and early 1840's, as the saints moved West in the face of persecution, the Rocky Mountains were often spoken of as the future Zion of the Church. In 1842, Joseph Smith, the founder of the Church, spoke of future Mormon settlements in the Rocky Mountains, and plans were formulated to begin a movement to that region. However, the death of the Mormon prophet in June, 1844, temporarily delayed that movement. Brigham Young continued to point the Church toward the West as planned by Joseph Smith. Under his direction, the Church made an extensive study of maps and books available on the West. As the first wagons crossed the Mississippi in February, 1846, the following plans had been determined: (1) The Great Basin was to be the main headquarters of the Church. (2) And there were to be Mormon colonies at several key locations in the West, especially along the Pacific Coast.

The purposes of this study were (1) to learn how many persons who were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were blind, (2) to determine the social and economic conditions of these blind members, and (3) to learn what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has done to promote employment of blind members through its Welfare Program, and how this was accomplished.

This thesis was begun as just a history of the labor movement in Utah County, but as the research for data proceeded it became more evident that the factors influencing the retardation and development of the movement were the important things to consider. As a consequence, the greater portion of this work is so devoted.