Early Church member W. W. Phelps wrote, "Cumorah...is well calculated to stand in this generation, as a monument of marvelous works and wonders" (Latter-day Saints' Messenger and Advocate, November 1835, 2:221). With a stately monument of the Angel Moroni cresting its summit, and a yearly pageant commemorating salient events associated with the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, it is fulfilling the exact role that Phelps envisioned. However, the general population of the Church is relatively unfamiliar with the history of this significant Latter-day Saint landmark. The following thesis is an in depth study and documentation of certain historical aspects of the Hill Cumorah as a significant, sacred geographic location to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The Box Elder Stake Academy was a part of the Church System of Academies under the direction of Karl G. Maeser. The historical setting of Box Elder County is rather unique. It was here that Lorenzo Snow directed one of the most successful forms of the United Order. The nearby city of Corinne was established as one of the few gentile cities in Utah, and from there a new crusade to end Mormon rule in Utah was begun. The Box Elder Stake Academy was one of the first academies created under the direction of the First Presidency of the Church. This study includes the purpose for its establishment and methods of accomplishing its goals as viewed within the political, social, religious and economical conditions of this era. The establishment and decline of this academy was closely tied to the historical events of this period. Special attention was paid to the academic function of the academy and the problems involved in its administration. An attempt was made to portray the feeling of dedication and purpose expressed by the faculty as they attempted to achieve excellence in their responsibilities to the students and academy.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the individual's bases for moral behavior and his major field of study are related to his moral judgement. Previous studies have indicated that the effect of certain moral education programs was either negligible or detrimental to the accomplishment of their objectives. Because of the emphasis by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints upon fundamental principles as determinants of moral behavior, it seems appropriate to examine the effects of these concepts upon the individual.

This study is a history of the schools and educational programs organized and maintained by the LDS Church while the saints resided in Ohio and Missouri between the years of 1831 and 1839. The instructors, curriculum, organizational structure, and the purpose of each school is given when information in these areas was available. In Kirtland, the Church organized the School of the Prophets, School of the Elders, Kirtland High School, Hebrew School, a singing school, a writing school, and a few grammar schools. The Church leaders in Missouri organized the Colesville school, a school in Independence, Far West School, and a few others in Caldwell County. However, mob activities probably limited the educational pursuits by the members of the Church in Missouri. Church members took available of many opportunities to enhance their formal education, and some of the schools established by Latter-day Saints were well organized in comparison to many other schools of the early Republic.

The purpose of this study was to see if there would be any advantage in using the phase teaching method of independent study in the LDS seminary classroom and to measure changes in student's attitude, knowledge, and behavior toward seminary taught lessons.

This thesis, DAVID WHITMER, A WITNESS TO THE DIVINE AUTHENTICITY OF THE BOOK OF MORMON, is an attempt to give an unbiased history of the life and religious activities of a man who spent fifty years apart from the Church he was so much an instrument in establishing. His testimony has been a considerable factor in promoting its growth and success. The title of this work was suggested by a text Mr. Whitmer wrote in the year previous to his demise; the subject, by A. William Lund, assistant Latter-day Saint Church Historian. Particular emphasis has been placed upon that phase of David Whitmer's life that touched the Church, both for good and bad, and is not an attempt to elaborate upon his life prior to the year 1829 or to give a comprehensive account of his progenitors and posterity. Nearly all those who knew him in life have long since joined him in death. My thanks to those few who yet live; their contributions have become a part of this work.

The most interesting and important place in the world is where a man lives. His home becomes the finest place on earth regardless of its merits in relation to other habitats. After years of residence the history of the country takes on reality and significance and a long acquaintance reveals elements of romance and adventure that enhance ones love of his surroundings. This is one of the reasons for this thesis topic. During a young impressionable life the stories of Indians, trappers, pioneers, rustlers and polygamist, have been constantly a part of the environment of the author. Long trips in the mountains hunting, fishing, camping, and logging have added to this feeling of veneration and fondness for the country. Others have written many of these early events down but a complete synchronization does not appear in any one place. Added to the fondness for the region is a genuine feeling that here is a peculiar chapter in western American history that has not been completely written. This section of Idaho has been entirely neglected by most historiographers. Even the reports of the Territorial Governors were silent on the settlement and conquest of this region. Whether this neglect has been purposefully or innocently done is not fully clear.

The purpose of this study was to determine as far as possible the extent of the subject-matter preparation of full-time seminary teachers in the areas of Book of Mormon, Old Testament, New Testament, and Church history and doctrine. Answers to the following questions were sought: 1. How many semester hours of college credit have the teachers received in the areas of Book of Mormon, Old Testament, New Testament, and Church history and doctrine? 2. To what extent have the Standard Works been studied by the teachers? 3. How many books which were considered to be basic sources have been read by the teachers? 4. What were some of the other experiences that contributed to the teacher's preparation in subject matter? 5. What evidence of yearly growth, as indicated by semester hours of college credit received and books read, was shown by the teachers during their first five years of teaching? Also sought was a standard of comparison that could be used to make a meaningful evaluation of the data gathered.

This thesis is a project which investigates the science of stylometry and wordprints; the analysis of writing style characteristics. The focus is placed on reexamining a wordprint study done by Wayne Larsen and Alvin Rencher wherein the Book of Mormon was analyzed against texts by those who are purported to have written it. The difference in this study from the first was that new wordprint definitions were developed using a junction grammar program created by Eldon Lytle, the 1830 edition of the Book of Mormon was employed as the base text, the phrase "it came to pass" was deleted and the texts used in analysis were divided into narrative and discourse groups and analyzed separately.The results of the thesis show conclusively that the idea of wordprints being able to identify uniqueness in authors is indeed valid. The tests on the control groups show this. This was then applied to the Book of Mormon authors and a test made which was significant; indicating that no one individual could have authored the text. This was true not only for the wordprint as defined in the Larsen/Rencher study, but for each new definition derived from the junction grammar program. Other tests were performed which showed that Joseph Smith could not have authored any part of the Book of Mormon.

This study examines the impact of religiosity on coping in a group of Mormon (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) youth. Longitudinal data were gathered from detailed questionnaires administered to 2852 male and female adolescents in 1990 and 1993. Coping was conceptualized as four general dimensions (self-concept, public activities and service, deviance and future plans). Religiosity was also conceptualized multi-dimensionally (religious belief, public religiosity, private religious behavior, and religious experiences). Multiple regression analysis was used to investigate the unique effects of each of the dimensions of religiosity on each dimension of coping. It was hypothesized that religiosity was positively related to coping. More specifically, it was hypothesized that public religiosity would have the greatest impact on community service, while private religious practices would most strongly influence deviance and future plans, and that religious belief and religious experiences would have the strongest impact on the self. Results from the study failed to confirm the hypothesis. While private religiosity moderately impacted future religious, educational and career plans among these youth, the results indicated that the impact of religiosity on the other dimensions of coping was negligible. Limitations of the study and possible reasons for these results are discussed.