Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Latter-day Saint
History and Religion
A curious story from the (real) life of Mark Twain

A curious story from the (real) life of Mark Twain

Last updated on: January 7, 2025 at 10:51 pm by Dan Peterson

0 Comments

A curious story from the (real) life of Mark Twain 2025-01-07T22:51:17-07:00 Dan Peterson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Joseph Smith (Paul Wuthrich) baptizes Oliver Cowdery (Caleb Spivak), with James Jordan filming in the foreground, in a scene from the Interpreter Foundation’s 2021 dramatic film “Witnesses”

This notice went out on the Witnesses Film Facebook Page earlier today:

Hey, all you wonderful people!

With this year’s Come, Follow Me gospel study centered on the Restoration, Church History and the Doctrine and Covenants, we wanted to remind everyone that in conjunction with the movies Witnesses and Undaunted, we did a series of short videos on the Witnesses of the Book of Mormon that address various questions that arise from the early history of the Church, and give you a deeper look into the leadership of the church at that time. Here’s a link to the first video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yj3GBGjC3UM&t=8s

Enjoy!

“Episode 1: Oliver Cowdery, Witness”

11,813 views Apr 30, 2022

Witnesses of the Book of Mormon—Insights: What price did the witnesses pay for being witnesses—and for never denying their testimonies of the Book of Mormon? This is Episode 1 of a series compiled from the many interviews conducted during the course of the Witnesses film project. This series of mini-films is being released each Saturday at 7pm MDT. These additional resources are hosted by Camrey Bagley Fox, who played Emma Smith in Witnesses, as she introduces and visits with a variety of experts. These individuals answer questions or address accusations against the witnesses, also helping viewers understand the context of the times in which the witnesses lived. This week we feature Gerrit Dirkmaat, Associate Professor of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University. For more information, go to https://witnessesofthebookofmormon.org/. Learn about the documentary movie Undaunted—Witnesses of the Book of Mormon at https://witnessesundaunted.com/.

We will now be re-emphasizing these short features more often than once weekly. And more good things are coming within the next month or so. We hope that you will both profit from and enjoy the results of the efforts that have gone into making these films and short videos.

By the way, I had the pleasure this afternoon of being a guest on the Church History Matters podcast that is hosted by Casey Griffiths and Scott Woodward. We had fun, and I think that at least a few out there might enjoy the episode that we recorded today and even find it interesting when it goes up online at some point during February.

A posthumous portrait of Samuel L. Clemens (aka “Mark Twain”) painted by John White Alexander somewhere between 1911 and 1913 (Wikimedia Commons public domain image)

Here is a curious story that I came across while reading Deborah Blum, Ghost Hunters: William James and the Search for Scientific Proof of Life After Death (Penguin. 2007) roughly a year ago. You may recall the pen name that was later used by Samuel Clemens. This is an episode from his life:

In 1858 the Clemens brothers, Sam and Henry, were training to be riverboat captains, working the Mississippi River together on a big, steam-powered paddle-wheeler called the Pennsylvania. On an early June evening, the boat docked in Saint Louis, and the brothers went ashore to visit their sister. After dinner, Henry went back to the Pennsylvania. Sam stayed the night at his sister’s house. Just as Sam Clemens started to slide into sleep, an image formed, a horrifyingly detailed dream in which he saw his younger brother’s body tucked into a casket. The coffin lay balanced across two chairs. Flowers sprayed across Henry’s unmoving chest, a cascade of white roses with a single red bloom in their center. Samuel Clemens sat up in bed, gasping, his heart pounding. He stumbled downstairs, half awake, the dream still so real that he was braced against the sight of his brother’s body in the parlor. He’d been almost shocked to find the parlor quiet and dark, its chairs empty of dead men, its air unscented by roses. Just a dream, he told himself, just a dream. When Sam returned to the Pennsylvania that morning, his brother was waiting—whole, healthy, a little sleepy in the morning light. But they were separated again; the captain transferred Sam over to help on a companion boat, one that trailed behind by a day. Three days later, the Pennsylvania’s boiler exploded, just as the boat cruised south of Memphis. One hundred and fifty people were killed or injured. As soon as the news reached him, Sam Clemens left his boat, hired a fast horse, and rushed to Memphis, where survivors were filling the local hospital. Henry Clemens died that night with his brother sitting beside him. In the morning, Sam walked numbly down to a room where the bodies of the dead were awaiting burial. Henry lay in a metal casket, balanced across two chairs. As Sam Clemens stood, blinking against the memory of his dream, a volunteer nurse stepped up to the coffin and gently laid across it a bouquet of white roses with a single red bloom in their midst. (104-105)

I don’t know exactly what to make of such accounts. (I’m aware of a number of them.). Fortunately, I feel no urgent need to make my mind up about the subject.

The Orlando Florida Temple (LDS Media Library) was dedicated by President Howard W. Hunter.

Finally, a quotation — this one from funeral remarks given by the late President Howard W. Hunter — that has stayed with me since I first encountered it in Brent L. Top, What’s On the Other Side? What the Gospel Teaches Us about the Spirit World (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2012):

In the quiet of this chapel today, our souls have been on their knees. We have contemplated the uncertainties of life and the certainty of death. Each of us in his turn will follow the same course — only the point of time is the difference. Will we be ready? Will the things we intend to accomplish be completed? Will we make right the little wrongs and replace the harsh words with kindness before our call comes? Will we accept the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ by following his teachings, keeping his commandments, being of service to our fellowman, ready to enter the tomb, partake of the glorious resurrection, and stand at the judgment as worthy servants?

I don’t think it morbid — on the contrary, I think it very wise — to occasionally contemplate one’s own death. After all, it will eventually come. How do we want to be remembered? And, much more importantly, what do we want to be? Should we be taking steps now toward such goals, rather than simply waiting for them to be realized somehow?

History and Religion

Travel and Religion

Uncategorized

Book of Mormon

Casey Griffiths

Church History Matters

Oliver Cowdery

Scott Woodward

witness

Previous Post

January 6, 2025

Houston, You Have an Opportunity

Next Post

January 8, 2025 Interpreter is trying to help with "Come, Follow Him"

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"Sutherland's lecture sounds interesting. He seems to restate the Washington consensus that trade brings peace ..."

B. Wilson

Learning more about a region of ..."

"In a meeting today, I learned another important reason why accurate (or at least as ..."

the PROBLEM

From Serbia’s “White City,” Belgrade

"I've been watching a lot of video interviews of NDErs and researchers. I think in ..."

brotheroflogan

Accounts of Premortality?

"PL: "Let's hope he doesn't have your address..."I have to frankly confess that a few ..."

DanielPeterson

From Serbia’s “White City,” Belgrade

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 March 2014 August 2013 February 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Where did Elisha perform many miracles?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Samaria Jericho Shunem Bethel