The Topics and Questions, available on the Gospel Library app and ChurchofJesusChrist.org, has three new pages with details on the Book of Mormon translation, the character of Joseph Smith, and the practice of plural marriage. Each page provides information in an easy-to-understand Q&A format.

Book of Mormon Translation

The Book of Mormon Translation page explains that the Book of Mormon came to us through a series of miraculous events. “It is the translation of an ancient record engraven on plates that was preserved for centuries and entrusted to Joseph Smith by an angel named Moroni. The translation was accomplished not using traditional methods, but by divine revelation.”

The page answers several questions, such as “What did Joseph Smith mean when he said he ‘translated’ the Book of Mormon?” and “What do we know about Joseph Smith’s use of the interpreter and seer stone in translating the Book of Mormon?” Other questions touch on the role of the gold plates in the translation and the reliability of the Book of Mormon witnesses.

Joseph Smith’s Character

The page Joseph Smith’s Character explains that “God has always worked through imperfect servants to accomplish His work, raising them up and strengthening them as they do His will. This was certainly true of Joseph Smith.” While Joseph was a remarkable prophet and a man of character, he was also human.

The page answers the following questions:

• What kind of person was Joseph Smith?
• What did Joseph’s contemporaries say about his character?
• Can a person with flaws, as Joseph Smith had, still be a prophet?
• Was Joseph Smith ever convicted of illegal activities?
• Did Joseph Smith pay his debts?
• Did Joseph Smith exercise undue political power in Nauvoo?
• How do I know that Joseph Smith really said the statements that are attributed to him?
• How can I make sense of the conflicting views of Joseph Smith I find online?

Plural Marriage

The page Plural Marriage begins by saying, “The Bible and the Book of Mormon teach that monogamy is God’s standard for marriage unless He declares otherwise. In limited, specific cases the Lord has commanded His followers to practice plural marriage.”

“From the early 1840s to about 1890, in response to revelation given to the Prophet Joseph Smith, leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints taught the practice of plural marriage, also called polygamy. Over a period of about 50 years, 20 to 30 percent of Latter-day Saint men, women, and children lived in families that practiced plural marriage.”

The page answers the following questions about the practice of plural marriage:

• Do members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints practice plural marriage today?
• Will there be unwanted marriage arrangements in the next life?
• Does the Church teach that plural marriage is required for exaltation?
• Why did the Church teach and practice plural marriage in the 19th century?
• What is known about the beginning of plural marriage in the Church?
• Did Joseph Smith practice plural marriage, or was it introduced by Brigham Young and others?
• What did Emma Smith know about Joseph’s practice of plural marriage?
• How did women experience plural marriage in the 19th century?
• How did plural marriage end in the Church?