Volume 46 Number 3 (2007)

In this issue of BYU Studies, Bruce A. Chadwic and others present "A Survey of Dating and Marriage at BYU." In 2002, the authors conducted an extensive survey asking BYU undergraduates about their attitudes and practices in "hanging out," dating, and deciding to marry. The results provide evidence that BYU students do in fact act quite differently from their counterparts at other American universities, making BYU unique. Here find data about the surprising frequency of hanging out and dating and how BYU students overwhelmingly keep the law of chastity.

Also included in this issue, Julie K. Allen and David L. Paulsen present "The Reverend Dr. Peter Christian Kierkegaard's 'About and Against Mormonism' (1855)." This document publishes for the first time in English a polemical tract written by the brother of the famous philosopher Soren Kierkegaard. While most clergy mocked or slandered Mormonism in its early years, it is interesting to see that some engaged it seriously, even if not completely respectfully. Peter Christian argues against Mormonism, as he saw early LDS missionaries come to Denmark and convert many of his parishioners. A Mormon reply to the tract's points of doctrine is made in footnotes. An excellent introduction provides history and context of the tract.

A fascinating article by **Max H Parkin** examines the United Firm, a business Joseph Smith established to oversee Church properties and commercial interests in Ohio and Missouri. Parkin’s article also addresses misunderstandings that have persisted in the Church because of pseudonyms that were inserted into certain sections of the Doctrine and Covenants, particularly section 104, which disbanded the United Firm and distributed its properties.

Contents – Volume 46 Number 3 (2007)

Articles

• Joseph Smith and the United Firm: The Growth and Decline of the Church’s First Master Plan of Business and Finance, Ohio and Missouri, 1832–1834, by Max H Parkin
• A Survey of Dating and Marriage at BYU, by Bruce A. Chadwick, Brent L. Top, Richard J. McClendon, Lauren Smith, and Mindy Judd

Document

• The Reverend Dr. Peter Christian Kierkegaard’s “About and Against Mormonism” (1855), by Julie K. Allen and David L. Paulsen

Essays

• “O Lord, My God,” by Sheldon Lawrence
• Old Folsom Prison—East Gate, by James M. Thorne

Poetry

• After Sorrow, by MaryJan Munger

Reviews

• American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation by Jon Meacham, reviewed by Neal W. Kramer
• Define Universe and Give Two Examples: A Comparison of Scientific and Christian Belief by Barton E. Dahneke, reviewed by Noel L. Owen
• “God Has Made Us a Kingdom”: James Strang and the Midwest Mormons by Vickie Cleverley Speek, reviewed by Roger Terry
• The Politics of American Religious Identity: The Seating of Senator Reed Smoot, Mormon Apostle by Kathleen Flake, reviewed by Todd M. Kerstetter
• Religion and Film: An Introduction by Melanie J. Wright, reviewed by Kent R. Bean
• The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity by Philip Jenkins, reviewed by Mark L. Grover
• Prayer: A History by Philip Zaleski and Carol Zaleski, reviewed by Patrick Q. Mason
• The American Discovery of Europe by Jack D. Forbes, reviewed by John L. Sorenson

Book Notices