How well do you know issues in LDS history?

How well do you really know church history? When an ex- or disaffected member brings up an issue, its tempting to say, "well I knew that, why didn't you?" This test is to help determine if you have the right to say that.

The LDS church recently (and quietly) released several essays on lds.org responding to difficult historical and scientific issues that have been raised. In them, the anonymous authors acknowledge as fact many issues that detractors say have been ignored as "anti-mormon." This quiz is sourced entirely from these essays.

Created by: k_space
  1. According the the essay "Race and the Priesthood," which LDS church president first enforced the racial restriction on priesthood ordination?
  2. What reason(s) for the racial restriction are given in the essay?
  3. What ordinances, specifically, were Blacks barred from receiving?
  4. In 1879, Elijah Abel, a well known early African priesthood holder, petitioned to receive his endowment. His request was:
  5. In the essay "Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo," which of the following are given as justifications for polygamy?
  6. Which of the following are given in the essay as reasons the Lord may have introduced polygamy?
  7. When does the essay say the revelation describing how to practice polygamy was recorded?
  8. 4. According to the essay, polygamy was ____ in all states where the saints practiced it
  9. Which of the following is true about how plural marriage was practiced in kirtland and nauvoo according to the essay? 1. Polygamy was practiced openly, and those involved were free to discuss it candidly with other faithful members. 2. Joseph Smith sought and received approval from Emma for all of his plural wives 3. The Lord gave clear instruction on how polygamy was to be practiced, recorded in D&C 132 among other places, and the faithful saints were strict in t heir obedience to His guidance. 4. Joseph took only single virgins as plural wives.
  10. According to the essay, how old was the youngest of Joseph Smith's wives at the time of marriage?
  11. According to the essay "First Vision Accounts," In what year was the first "First Vision" account recorded?
  12. According to the first known "first vision" account, written by Joseph Smith, who visited him?
  13. Out of the following, which occurred during the vision according to the 1832 account: 1. He was told he should not join any church – they had all fallen 2. His sins were forgiven 3. He was told he would be called to restore the true church 4. he was set upon by a unearthly, dark force
  14. According to the second known "first vision" account, recorded by Robert Matthews, who visited Joseph Smith?
  15. How does the essay suggest that the earliest account may have reference two beings, and not one ("the Lord")?
  16. According to the essay, Joseph Smith used two divine instruments to aid in translatition: the Urim and Thummim and the seer stone. Which statement accurately describes how Joseph Smith received these instruments?
  17. T/F Joseph Smith used the seer stone to help find buried treasure and lost objects
  18. It is commonly said by those critical of the church that, during translation, Joseph Smith placed the seer stone (or Urim and Thummim) in a hat, blocked the light with his face, and read the characters that appeared on the stone aloud to the scribe. Is this account confirmed or denied by most historical accounts, according to the essay?
  19. According to the essay "Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham," which statement best describes how Joseph Smith got the Egyptian papyri, from which the Book of Abraham was translated?
  20. In preparation for translating the book of Abraham, Joseph studied and translated some Egyptian characters from the papyri. Which statement describes how his translations match modern translations?
  21. Although most of the papyri fragments were destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire, facsimile 1 and surrounding characters still exist today. T/F Non-Mormon and Mormon Egyptologists agree that there is no mention of Abraham or any events in the Book of Abraham in facsimile 1 or the remaining characters.
  22. Out of the following, which was not given as a possible reason for the mismatch between the Book of Abraham translation and the Egyptian text?
  23. T/F The papyri Joseph used to translate the Book of Abraham has been identified as a standard Egyptian funerary text
  24. What evidence for the authenticity of the Book of Abraham does the essay present?

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Quiz topic: How well do I know issues in LDS history?