The following document is a transcript of a roundtable discussion on the work of the Joseph Smith Papers Project. The roundtable on June 10, 2023, moderated by Nathan Waite and featuring Robin Scott Jensen, Jessica M. Nelson, Jeffrey Mahas, Elizabeth Kuehn, and Mark Ashurst-McGee, was held in the Joseph A. Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center in Rochester, New York, as part of the annual Mormon History Association (MHA) Conference. In the conference program, this session was titled "The Work of the Joseph Smith Papers: A Roundtable." The recorded remarks have been edited for clarity and readability.
And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse (Mal. 4:6). A transitional person is one who rejects the unhealthy or evil family patterns of previous generations and sets a new course for future generations by adopting healthy and godly patterns. Transitional persons are gifts to themselves and potentially to thousands of progeny, with effects rippling across time and social networks. The transitional person exemplifies Christlike love by becoming a participant with the Lord in helping to redeem others.(1)
