Since the first man perceived and used his environment, there has existed a reciprocal man-land relationship. The physical environment provides opportunities for man's use and also sets limitations. Man's perception and use of his environment is greatly influenced by his culture, which consists of past experience, technology, attitudes, and needs. It is these factors that determine what a man will see as possibilities in land use, and how he will use his environment.In the case of the relic Mormon Culture Region, Mormon religious beliefs highly influenced perception of the environment. Most visual geographical features of the landscape in the relic Mormon Culture Region were influenced by religious doctrines and practices. General examples of such landscape features in the region are: rural-urban pattern, agriculture activities and patterns, urban landscape, vegetation, irrigation systems, buildings, settlement patterns, and natural resource exploitation.

The purpose of this study is to compile the major eschatological prophecies and teachings found in the scriptures and in the discourses and writings of Latter-day Saint General Authorities; to include sufficient explanatory material to interrelate and clarify the events which are expected to transpire; and to establish, in so far as is possible, the order of these eschatological events.

The purpose of this study was to show by the use of the opinions of LDS athletes who have excelled in sports whether or not excellence in gospel living contributes to excellence in sports.Religion has played a role in sports from very early history and has continued to the present time. The degree of religious influence has been determined by the society of the time, whether it played a minor or a positive role.The results of the study pointed out the following:The teachings of the LDS Church had a positive influence, according to LDS athletes, on the fourteen qualities of sports that were selected by coaches representing excellence in sports. The areas they were positive in were moral laws, word of wisdom, and priesthood responsibilities. The athletes were in conflict on whether the Sabbath day was an influence or not on excellence in sports, and they determined that keeping current on Church happenings and paying Church financial obligations had no bearing on the athletic qualities.

This thesis examines the belief in and use of the concept of Mother in Heaven among some women's support groups comprised of female members (and attached males) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The expectations were that those surveyed would express belief in Heavenly Mother, but that the concept would not be a central one. Various propositions suggested relationships between religious dimension, feminism, and alienation variables and belief in and salience of Mother in Heaven. Most of those surveyed believe in the Goddess, but the concept is underutilized among those surveyed. Belief in Mother in Heaven was found to be strongly a function of religious orthodoxy. Salience of Mother in Heaven was found to be related to a more complex set of model variables.

"Brigham Young's Philosophy of History" attempts to describe how Brigham Young gave order and unity to the hubbub and confusion in which man lived. The laws which gave form and pattern to the baffling, diverse phenomena of and around man receive major attention. This thesis is an expository type of writing rather than an evaluation of Brigham Young's ideas and principles or laws in reference to other philosophies of history, Latter-day Saint theology, the modern natural exact sciences, or in reference to the current views of his times. This thesis is limited to a digestion of Brigham Young's works in the Journal of Discourses rather than an attempt to add another biography to the many on Brigham Young or to attempt to trace the roots of his ideas in his environments. Neither is this work a comparison of Brigham Young's ideas concerning history with those of his contemporaries in and out of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Nor does it deal with the influence which Brigham Young may have had upon the dogma of the "Mormon" church. In literary style, the thesis is written in the first person and dramatic narrators. This style may be confusing to the reader who never experienced it before. With the exception of the introduction, the first chapter, the epilogue, and the appendicies, this particular literary style allow the thesis to read as if Brigham Young had written the work. Thus, all the ideas expressed in the main body of the thesis are those of Brigham Young.Brigham Young's mind seemed to operate upon a priori and a posterori as well as a form of ratiocination when he arrived at his conclusions. The main law governing the universe and all its modes was the law of increase with its antithesis, decrease. The numerous laws which were below the law of increase taught man how to increase and gave him power to increase. Should he refuse to obey these laws, he was acted upon by other laws until he decomposed back into his native element. Man had his existence to learn to increase, expand, and spread abroad. It was his mission. He was the apex of focus for the law of increase.Below the law of increase and its antithesis, decrease, were numerous subsidiary laws which helped to govern all events. The organization of matter to form intelligence, spirit bodies, and mortal bodies to house these spirits were all governed by these laws. The war in heaven, the creation of this earth, the transgression of Adam and Eve, the struggles of mankind against evil, and the interference by God into man's affairs were all opportunities calculated to allow the rational beings the privilege of giving their loyalty to either increase or decrease. Although there is seemingly a fluidity in man's choices, man cannot stymie increase by continual conscious or unconscious wrong choices, for increase will eventually destroy all the evil upon this earth.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that there are several estates through which man must pass on his way to exaltation in the celestial kingdom. These estates consist of man as: (1) a pre-mortal spirit being, a literal offspring of God; (2) a mortal being having physical as well as spiritual parents; (3) a post-mortal spirit being, his spirit having withdrawn from his physical body at death; and (4) an immortal resurected personage over which physical death has no more power. The teachings concerning these estates form a goodly portion of the gospel plan as taught by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. God is desirous that man comprehend his future and the way he must go in order to again return to his presence. He has given man the Holy Spirit to guide and direct him on his journey. Physical death is a reality from which mortals cannot escape. Everyone has friends and family who have passed into the Spirit World. The post-mortal Spirit World condition of man is one of the least understood of the estates of man. It is not uncommon to hear argumentation upon the subject when mentioned in classes of instruction within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is possible that much of the disagreement comes from a lack of study upon the subject. In this thesis, the writer will examine data available relating to the spirit world.

The hymnal of the Latter-day Saints first proposed only shortly after the organization of the Church and published continually every few years between 1835 and 1871, is a remarkably accurate indicator of the changing fortunes and beliefs of the early Saints. The first hymnal, gathered by Emma Smith, uncompromisingly sets forth the basic Mormon belief in man's free agency, his innate perfectability, and his kinship to his Heavenly Father. Later editions reflect the missionary concerns of the church (1840), the tremendous persecution the saints are subjected to (1841), the Church difficulties after the martyrdom of Joseph Smith (1849), the call to gather in the Zion of Deseret (1851), the promulgation of newly evolving Church doctrines (1856), the dissension arising between some Church members (1863), and the Church's dedication to Jesus Christ (1871). Indeed, the hymnal stands as a record of a people's journey from innocence to experience. From a literary viewpoint, the hymnal has its shortcomings, and is often considered to be too didactic and too enthusiastic. While this may be true, several hymnists, notably W. W. Phelps, Parley P. Pratt, and Eliza Snow have created excellent hymns.

The purpose of this study is two fold: first, to review the historical sources pertaining to the observance of fasting from the time of the establishment of the church in 1830 until 1896, when the last essential change in its observance occurred; and second, as the payment of fast offerings is so closely related to an analysis of the subject, to trace its development out of the Church's policy to provide for its poor.

This thesis cites many of the parallels and differences between Mormonism and Transcendental Meditation (TM) philosophy as it is expounded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Areas explored include the following: (1) the technique of Transcendental Meditation as compared with notions of meditation within the Mormon tradition; (2) the issue of whether Transcendental Meditation is a religion; (3) reports of physical transformation as a result of TM and Mormonism; (4) a comparison of L.D.S. Church leaders' and Maharishi's views of America, the laws of the land, social order, modesty, drugs, and strict morality; (5) the ideas of inner and outer morality; (6) the idea of pure Intelligence in TM philosophy as compared with the doctrine of the Spirit of God in Mormonism; and (7) teachings concerning the purpose of life, evolution, and concepts of God.

The purpose of this investigation was to try to measure the perceived effect of three films upon L. D. S. college student's attitudes toward premarital affection immediately after viewing each film and over a time interval of three to four weeks. The sample consisted of seven health classes (180 males and 195 females in total) in the Department of Health Education at the Brigham Young University. A questionnaire was devised by the investigator and used as the instrument to determine the student's perceived attitudes toward premarital affection.The students evidenced significance change in the conservative direction only after viewing the film "How Do I Love Thee." None of the three films effected attitude change over the time interval of three to four weeks. The favorable response, positive respones, and the perceived contributed information given for each film dropped over the time interval of three to four weeks.