The purpose of this thesis is to present a general history of Utah State Prison in order that a record of that institution may be preserved. This phase of Utah history has long been neglected. It is hoped that a contribution has also been made to a better understanding of Utah's penal system.The present penal system in use in the state of Utah had its beginning with the early Mormon settlements in Salt Lake Valley in 1847. The first laws and judicial bodies of the Mormons were very closely tied to their religious beliefs. The handling of criminals was entirely a religious responsibility, often involving fines, restitution and corporal punishment. Governmental jails and prisons came very gradually.

This study was made to determine the similarities and dis-similarities of Utah's weekly newspaper publishers who belong to the Utah State Press Association and to analyze the publications which they publish each week. It was done to give insight and to make recommendations to those who head and to those extremely interested in community journalism in the Beehive State.

This study sought answers to two major questions regarding the Book of Mormon prophets: first, did a prophet's unique personality cause him to be significantly qualified and effective in coping with the problems of his ministry; and second, were a prophet's teachings directly relevant to his problems, assisting him to be effective in fulfilling his assignments. Six minor hypotheses were used to gather data regarding the four representative prophets chosen: Lehi, Nephi, Alma the Younger, and Mormon. The teachings studied were limited to those which reached the ears of a prophet's contemporaries, and were further limited to those which were clearly emphasized in at least one verse. The minor hypotheses yielded abundant and clear evidence showing that in all but one problem (one in Lehi's life) the prophets were qualified and effective in meeting their problems. The evidence also demonstrated that all of the teachings which were studied were directly relevant and supportive in solving the given problems.

No description available.

Using the qualitative methodology of grounded theory, decision-making about health and illness situations was studied in a sample of six women members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons). The purpose of the study was to identify the process used by Mormon women in deciding when to use available healing alternatives, namely self care, the laying on of hands, biomedical practitioners expertise, and social support networks. The identified process, called the "Mormon Woman's Decision-Making Road-Map to Health," is composed of the categories of Protecting Health, Diagnosing a Problem, Considering Possible Treatment Actions, and Evaluating Treatment Effectiveness. The process described in the Road Map to Health model is helpful to health care professionals who seek to understand and influence the health care decision-making of their clients.

Prophecy appears to play an important role in the Book of Mormon. The prophets evidently felt it necessary to include a considerable amount of prophetic material in this modern book of scripture. Three general divisions of book of mormon prophecy can be made: (1) prophecies which relate to the period of time prior to the year 421 A.D., the approximate date of the final writing on the plates of Mormon, (2) prophecies which relate to the period 421 to 1830, the publication date of the Book of Mormon, and (3) prophecies which relate to the period 1830 onward. The first two divisions above pertain to the period of time prior to the year 1830 A.D. and thus are not pertinent to the discussion under consideration in this thesis. It would be natural to suppose that many of the prophecies relating to the third division would have been already fulfilled. The evidence of fulfillment of prophecies following the publication of the Book of Mormon is added proof of its genuine authenticity. The scriptures indicate that the fulfillment of prophecies made by a prophet is one way of knowing whether or not he is a genuine prophet. There are a number of problems which present themselves as the prophecies of the Book of Mormon are read and considered. Some of these problems are: 1. How much importance is attached to prophecy? 2. What seems to be the purpose of prophecy? 3. Are the prophets dealing with similar basic issues in their prophecies? 4. If so, what are these issues? 5. Can a classification be made of the prophecies? 6. Are the prophecies which deal with the same subject consistent in that which is foretold? 7. Is there sufficient evidence to show fulfillment of the prophecies which should have come to pass since the publication of the Book of Mormon? This thesis will deal with the above problems. The writer will attempt to classify the prophecies of the Book of Mormon that relate to the period from 1830 onward and to present evidence in regard to the fulfillment of these prophecies.

This study analyzes the appearance of eighty visual religious symbols in the Improvement Era, Ensign, and New Era, published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1952-1972. The study notes their frequency and distribution as well as noting their size, the medium used to render them and the correlation of their religious meanings to the articles they illustrate.The findings of this study indicate that visual religious symbols are used and that many of them have a high degree of correlation to the articles they illustrate.This study gives suggestions to those artists who wish to produce works of art for the above named publications and gives some reflection of editorial policies concerning the use of religious symbols in the publications.

This thesis seeks to explore the relationship between Mormon assimilation, exceptionalism, and their endeavors in secular reading by analyzing Out of the Best Books (OOBB), a 1964–71 five-volume reading guide and reading program on secular reading established by the Mormon Church for its women’s organization, the Relief Society. Examining the approaches to secular literature in the OOBB program suggests that Mormons can respond to their competing desires to separate and assimilate by making efforts that fulfill both aspirations simultaneously rather than moving exclusively in one direction. Yet OOBB’s efforts to achieve both objectives did not amount to an entirely seamless navigation of this paradox. The program’s attempts to incorporate texts that might challenge Mormon notions of morality as well as their efforts to introduce world literature and fully address their female audience raised additional tensions particularly relevant to contemporary Mormonism, suggesting the complexity of Mormons navigating this identity paradox both within the context of the OOBB program and today. Furthermore, this examination of OOBB offers a venture at fleshing out the history of Mormon reading, confirming Mormons’ relationship to literature as central to their conception and expression of identity and situating Mormon reading endeavors in the broader context of American reading practices.

Thesis (M.R.E.)--B.Y.U. Dept. of Church History and Doctrine.

Thesis (M.A.)--B.Y.U. Dept. of Educational Administration.