Richard E. Turley Jr.

Living

Biography

Richard E. Turley Jr. served as Managing Director of the Church History Department and Assistant Church Historian. He co-authored several books including Massacre at Mountain Meadows and has contributed to the church’s Gospel Topics Essays addressing controversial historical issues.

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“Questions lead to faith and to revelation, whereas doubts lead to disobedience, which in turn renders people less able to receive revelation. Or in other words, doubt is darkness.” - Richard E. Turley, Lawyer, Assistant Church Historian, "Boise Rescue" Devotional, June 13, 2015 | wasmormon.org “For those without an understanding of how 19th-century people in Joseph’s region lived their religion, seer stones can be unfamiliar, and scholars have long debated this period of his life... The stone pictured here has long been associated with Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon translation. The stone Joseph Smith used in the Book of Mormon translation effort was often referred to as a chocolate-colored stone with an oval shape.” - Richard E. Turley Jr., Robin S. Jensen and Mark Ashurst-McGee, Joseph the Seer Ensign, October 2015 | wasmormon.org “The stone pictured here has long been associated with Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon translation. The stone Joseph Smith used in the Book of Mormon translation effort was often referred to as a chocolate-colored stone with an oval shape.” - Richard E. Turley Jr., Robin S. Jensen and Mark Ashurst-McGee, Joseph the Seer Ensign, October 2015 | wasmormon.org "Joseph Smith used at least one other seer stone in translating the Book of Mormon, often placing it into a hat in order to block out light. According to Joseph’s contemporaries, he did this in order to better view the words on the stone... according to Martin Harris, Joseph also used one of his seer stones for convenience during the Book of Mormon translation... Over the years, artists have sought to portray the Book of Mormon translation, showing the participants in many settings and poses with different material objects. Each artistic interpretation is based upon its artist’s own views, research, and imagination, sometimes aided by input and direction from others." - Joseph the Seer, Richard E. Turley Jr. Liahona, October 2015. Still shows incorrect depictions but blames artistic interpretations (and direction from others) for the discrepancy. | wasmormon.org