Assignment 4: Guest Lecturer

This guest lecturer was actually not my first introduction to cryptography in LDS history.  A few years ago, I read a fictional novel called The Moroni Code, which discussed codes used by prominent church leaders.  The main code discussed in that book was the masonic code we discussed in class.  Still, it was enlightening to see the variety of codes that have been used throughout history.

It makes sense that such codes would need to be used, especially considering the persecution experienced by church leaders.  What was interesting to me about this lecture was how cryptography was used in the Doctrine and Covenants.  I had always seen the section headings that discussed unusual names, but never knew what said unusual names were, and whose names they hid.

In the current day, I wonder what codes the churches use.  I'm sure there are sensitive documents and messages that the church does not want to be intercepted and read.  Thus, the Church must still be using some sort of encryption system, if not more than one.