Item Detail
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31159
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0
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12
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English
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The Balance between Church and State in Tonga: A Study in Mutual Respect between the Latter-day Saints and the Royal Family
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Journal of Mormon History
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2020
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46
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1
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Champaign, Illinois
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University of Illinois Press
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53-84
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"In the 1840s, Joseph Smith proclaimed, “Don’t let a single corner
of the earth go without a mission”1 and sent missionaries to the Pacific region in 1843. Taking the restored gospel to foreign countries necessitated cultural sensitivity. This was especially true later in the 1890s
in Tonga where the missionaries and church leaders interacted with
cultural traditions as well as island politics and religions to build
bridges with the Kingdom of Tonga rulers. In addition, Tongan
converts learned to respect their culture and find a proper balance
between church and state, gospel principles, and cultural traditions.
As a result, missionaries and local members developed good relationships with the royal family, the nobility, and government leaders over
the past century and that respect has been reciprocated. Members
feel comfortable in obeying and worshipping their God and at the
same time showing loyalty and respect to their king, queen, and the
nobles. That condition of goodwill between church and state was not
common, but in Tonga those efforts preserved the Saints culture and
allowed to sift their traditions through the gospel instead of sifting
the gospel through their culture. This mutual association came with
great perseverance, exemplary behavior, patience, long suffering,
service, and understanding." -
An Apostle Visits Tonga on His South Pacific Tour : The 1938 Mission of George Albert Smith
BYU-Hawaii : Prophetic Destiny, the First 60 Years
History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Period I : History of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, by Himself
Liahona High School [Tonga], its Prologue and Development to 1965
Mormon Missionaries in the Kingdom of Tonga, 1891-1897
Pacific Apostle : The 1920–21 Diary of David O. McKay in the Latter-day Saint Island Missions
Reflections on the Legacy of Faith of the Tongan Saints : Faka'apa'apa, Foaki, and Mateaki
Sauerkraut and Salt Water: The German-Tongan Diaspora Since 1932
The Story of LDS Church Schools
Tongan Saints : Legacy of Faith
Unto the Islands of the Sea : A History of the Latter-day Saints in the Pacific
Vardis Fisher : A Mormon Novelist