Gary W. Toyn

What a Traffic Jam in India Taught Me About the American Experiment I went to India recently to attend a friend’s wedding. What I didn’t expect was a lesson in US constitutional government. Traveling internationally has taught me many lessons I could never have learned at home. That’s why I have visited more than fifty countries. One thing I have learned is that every place has something to teach me, if I’m paying attention. India taught me more than most. The people I met t

At a Glance Martin Harris lost his marriage, his church standing, and any financial return on his investment — yet never denied that he saw an angel and the golden plates. Even his critics and enemies consistently described him as honest, upright, and respected. He was not a dupe, but a natural skeptic who rigorously tested Joseph Smith's claims before committing his money or his testimony. Over nearly fifty years, through excommunication, poverty, and sustained community rid

What the data shows and why it surprised researchers Newsweek, November 2025. The headline that prompted a closer look at what the data actually shows AT A GLANCE: The headlines say American religion is collapsing. Maybe so, but the story is different for Latter-day Saints. A team of BYU researchers analyzed five major national datasets and found something social scientists didn't expect: Latter-day Saints lead every religion in the United States in active participation. Not

What if doctrines critics call “un-biblical” were actually ancient? Modern biblical scholarship is reconstructing a religious world that looks surprisingly familiar to Latter-day Saints. Quick Summary: The Old Testament Reflects a Reform Movement Modern biblical scholarship widely agrees that during the reform period of the 7th and 6th centuries BCE, Deuteronomist editors reshaped Israel’s sacred texts. In their effort to centralize worship and reinterpret earlier traditions,