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Two new articles have just gone up in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship<\/em>:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cRethinking the Encounter between Jacob and Sherem,\u201d<\/span><\/a>\u00a0written by Loren Blake Spendlove<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Abstract: <\/strong>The Book\u00a0of\u00a0Mormon story of Jacob and Sherem has been evaluated and interpreted from many different viewpoints over the years. In his retelling of the story, Jacob crafted a\u00a0cautionary tale of religious hubris and self-importance that can serve as an important lesson for members of the church today. In this paper I\u00a0use various methodologies to examine the interaction between Jacob and Sherem \u2014 including comparative scriptural analysis, semantics, and Hebraic syntax and structural elements \u2014 in an attempt to increase our understanding of the relationship between Jacob and Sherem.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cInterpreting\u00a0Interpreter<\/em>: There Came a Man,\u201d<\/span><\/a> written by Kyler Rasmussen<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n This post is a summary of the article \u201cRethinking the Encounter between Jacob and Sherem<\/a>\u201d by Loren Blake Spendlove in Volume 54 of\u00a0Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship<\/em>. An introduction to the Interpreting\u00a0Interpreter<\/em>\u00a0series is available at\u00a0https:\/\/interpreterfoundation.org\/interpreting-interpreter-on-abstracting-thought\/<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n The Takeaway:<\/strong>\u00a0 Spendlove provides a grab-bag of insights into the story of Jacob and Sherem, based on a reframing of common assumptions about language that Jacob employs within that story. These lead him to conclude that Sherem was native to the Nephite community, that he\u2019d had repeated previous conversations with Jacob, and that Jacob\u2019s narrative was carefully crafted, making use of potential parallelism and Hebrew wordplay (e.g., kachash<\/em>, meaning\u00a0to deceive or deny<\/em>;\u00a0yadah\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0yada<\/em>, meaning\u00a0to know<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0to confess<\/em>, respectively).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n I received this emailed note last night, and I share it with you for your possible interest.\u00a0 I\u2019ve already enjoyed my friend Ralph Hancock\u2019s article, which I hope will be read by both leaders of Brigham Young University and its sponsoring church.\u00a0 (Contrast this opinion piece by a current BYU student that was published on Wednesday in the Washington Post<\/em>:\u00a0 \u201cYoung Mormons aren\u2019t fooled by church support for a gay marriage bill.\u201d<\/a>)<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Welcome, dear readers, to the\u00a0Fall 2022 issue<\/a>\u00a0of SquareTwo! We have an outstanding issue for your reading pleasure.<\/span><\/p>\n First, Professor\u00a0Ralph Hancock<\/a>\u00a0of Brigham Young University writes a heartfelt call for greater attention to the core mission of that university: developing the faith of its students. He suggests that, ironically, this means centering the university\u2019s work more closely on God, and not centering primarily around students. Hancock\u2019s analysis and recommendations will surely be required readings for those who love \u201cthe Lord\u2019s university.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Second, one of the trickiest issues in living the Gospel is navigating a relationship with family members who have left the Church and may now even openly fight against it.\u00a0Holly Hamilton-Bleakley<\/a>\u00a0has penned a deeply thoughtful and deeply moving account of how this has affected her own family, and what she has learned from the experience.<\/span><\/p>\n Third,\u00a0Sarah Coyne<\/a>, Jane E. Shawcroft, Chenae Christensen-Duerden, Lauren A. Barnes, Haley Graver, Moriah Perkins, and Andrew Brindley conduct an empirical investigation of attitudes among members of the Church concerning the principle of modesty and how it is taught. Using two survey instruments, the authors probe whether the manner in which modesty is taught affects one\u2019s feelings, positive or negative, about the body.<\/span><\/p>\n Fourth,\u00a0Amber J. Majeske<\/a>, Sarah M. Coyne, Chelom E. Leavitt, Alice C. Long study the perceptions of Heavenly Mother among a Latter-day Saint population. Surveying a snowball sample of over 4,000 Latter-day Saints, Majeske and co-authors ask how connected respondents feel to their Heavenly Mother, and also inquire about how often She is discussed in Church or personal settings. The authors also include an extensive appendix with the actual comments received through the survey instrument. We think those who ponder our Mother in Heaven will find much of interest in their results.<\/span><\/p>\n Fifth,\u00a0V.H. Cassler<\/a>\u00a0pens a critique of the proposed Fairness for All Act, which has been supported by the Church. How could there be anything wrong with \u201cfairness for all\u201d? Check out her argument, and make up your own mind.<\/span><\/p>\n Sixth,\u00a0Ted Richards<\/a>\u00a0raises the question of whether our knowledge of the imminence of Christ\u2019s Second Coming should instill in us the desire to withdraw from the world in anticipation. Is there any real point in involving ourselves in the fight to make the world better?<\/span><\/p>\n Seventh, we have a rollicking disagreement amongst our editorial board members concerning the\u00a0current Readers\u2019 Puzzle<\/a>\u00a0on whether members of the Church can or should identify as feminists. You will enjoy reading their comments, and we hope you will add your own.<\/span><\/p>\n Eighth, we have a\u00a0new Readers\u2019 Puzzle<\/a>\u00a0concerning the issue of religious accommodation, using as cases in point the proposed Respect for Marriage Act and the proposed Fairness for All Act. We invite you to weigh in with your own perspectives on religious accommodation in the law.<\/span><\/p>\n Last, don\u2019t forget our companion blog,\u00a0The Latterday Crone<\/a>, penned by our own V.H. Cassler which also features real-time commenting. Check it out for more of the SquareTwo experience you enjoy, now on a more frequent basis!<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>