Mormon Stories - LDS (Unofficial - MormonThink.com)

David O. McKay presented a dramatic contrast to his predecessors: an athletic, movie-star-handsome, clean-shaven figure who often wore a white double-breasted suit; contrasted to the dark-suited, bearded polygamists (or, in the case of George Albert Smith, son of a polygamist) who preceded him as Church President ever since Joseph Smith. In an age prior to professional image-makers, he instinctively grasped the importance of appearance, and coupled it to the substance of a professional educator to become an icon of Mormonism whose persona did much to change the negative image of the Church in much of the world.

I served an LDS mission in Guatemala in the late 1980s. As my mission progressed, we began to average over 700 baptisms per month, with some companionships baptizing over 40 in one month. When I tried to talk with my mission president about the issue--it got messy. Today we claim 12+ million members in the Church, but truth be told, less than 1/2 of them actually attend church -- and 1/3 of them are nowhere to be found.

Grant Palmer served as a CES Institute Director and Seminary/Institute Teacher for over 30 years. In part 1 of this 4 part series, Grant talks about his childhood (growing up in Salt Lake City), his mission experience in Virginia, and his early years with the Church Education System.

In part 3 of a 5 part series, Anne B. Wilde (Independent Mormon Fundamentalist and polygamist) discusses her story--recounting how she went from being a traditional member of the LDS Church, BYU graduate, married in the temple, and mother of 3 children--to becoming a practicing Mormon Fundamentalist and polygamist--all while remaining active in the LDS church, and raising her children therein.

A discussion with Dr. Claudia Bushman of 19th and Early 20th Century Mormon women, through the writings of 10 women of this era.