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The Mormon Land newsletter is The Salt Lake Tribune’s weekly highlight reel of news in and about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Join us onPatreon to receive ad-free podcast episodes, the full newsletter and access to all of our religion content. New scholarship breeds scriptural tweaks Latter-day Saint scriptures repeatedly reference the “unchangeable” God. While that may be true, the scriptures themselves, well, they’ve been tweaked throughout the faith’s history. For instance, later editions of the Book of Mormon, the church’s foundational text, changed verses calling the Nephites a “white and delightsome people” to a “pure and delightsome people.” Last week, the church announced dozens of adjustments to section introductions in its Doctrine and Covenants, thanks largely to new research emerging from the Joseph Smith Papers project, along with two revised chapter headings in the Book of Mormon. Here are examples: • D&C Section 2’s introduction used to refer to “the house of the Prophet’s father at Manchester.” Now it reads “the Smiths’ log home at Palmyra.” • Section 89’s introduction (about the Word of Wisdom) took the following passage: “As a consequence of the early brethren using tobacco in their meetings, the Prophet was led to ponder upon the matter; consequently, he inquired” and added a person: “As a consequence of the early brethren using tobacco in their meetings, and how that concerned his wife, Emma Smith, the Prophet inquired.” • Section 111’s introduction shifted from “the leaders of the Church were heavily in debt due to their labors in the ministry” to “the Church and its leaders were heavily in debt due to the construction of the Kirtland Temple and persecutions in Missouri.” • Section 132’s introduction about eternal marriage and the now-discarded practice of polygamy went from “as early as 1831” to simply “earlier.” • The heading in the Book of Mormon’s 3 Nephi Chapter 27 used to say “Jesus commands them to call the Church in His name.” It now states “Jesus commands that the Church be called in His name.” “These adjustments bring the section introductions in line with what we have learned from more than 20 years of careful study of Joseph Smith’s documents,” general authority Seventy Kyle McKay, the church historian, said in a news release. “The minor changes to dates and places reflect the careful attention with which we believe this remarkable legacy of divine revelation ought to be treated.” The latest ‘Mormon Land’ podcast: Changes in temple rites Latter-day Saint temple ceremonies underwent at least four significant changes during Russell Nelson’s presidency. But those shifts were simply a continuation of an evolution that has been occurring since the church’s beginnings. Historian Jonathan Stapley, author of the newly released “Holiness to the Lord: Latter-day Saint Temple Worship,” explains those developments and what they signify. Listen to the podcast. Read the story. Around the world • As mighty Hurricane Melissa crept across the Caribbean, relief organizations were preparing for their disaster response. To expedite that effort, a United Nations logistics hub was established in Barbados earlier this year, thanks partly to donations from the church. • Mongolia’s ambassador to the U.S. met with President Dallin Oaks and his counselors in the First Presidency last week in Salt Lake City. The church is building its first temple in the Asian country and establishing a second mission in its capital of Ulaanbaatar. • The church’s agriculture investment arm has bought a 112-acre kiwifruit orchard in New Zealand for an undisclosed sum. “What an absolutely wonderful crop we have admired from a distance for some time,” Farmland Reserve President and CEO Doug Rose told New Zealand’s Farmers Weekly. “I don’t know that there is a more beautiful country on the Earth than New Zealand, with a more beautiful people and culture.” Although this was Farmland Reserve’s first investment in the nation, the news site reported, documents show the church reported a $23 million surplus there last year, and owned property, plants and equipment valued at $517 million, along with $10 million in investment property. From The Tribune • The wait is finally over. New sleeveless garments are now available across the U.S. • As top church leaders age, they move closer to the “zone of dementia,” a Latter-day Saint historian notes in excerpts from last week’s “Mormon Land” podcast. • Follow the incredible spiritual odyssey of a Latter-day Saint who converted to Catholicism, became a mystic and is now being considered by the Vatican for sainthood. • In rural Utah, a preservation fight is brewing over its “Mormon landscape.” • The church reaffirms its ban on firearms on church property — save for law enforcement — in a letter to lay leaders addressing safety guidelines. • A famous Broadway couple will headline this year’s Christmas concerts with The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square. • The church filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court that argues granting transgender people protections under the 14th Amendment “would jeopardize established rights and protections securing religious freedom.” • A century after Brigham Young’s wine mission shut down, some southern Utahns are again enjoying grape success. • The Lindon Temple will welcome public tours March 12 through April 11, 2026, in advance of a May 3 dedication. The twin-spired, three-story, 81,000-square-foot building will be Utah’s 32nd planned or existing temple.
