Joseph Smith's fame

Scholars around the world are studying the impact of Joseph Smith, attempting to account for the growth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Here's what some have said in academic settings this year, the 200th anniversary of Smith's birth:

Jason Lase, director general of Indonesia's Department of Religious Affairs, called Joseph Smith "a modern religious genius" who created "one of the most stable and well-organized religious organizations" during a May speech at Parliament House in Sydney, Australia.

Arun Joshi, a Hindu journalist from India, concluded "the message of Joseph Smith is more relevant . . . today than ever before" in a paper titled "Mormon Ways of Family Life Can Resolve Conflicts in World" and delivered at National Taiwan University in August.

Terryl Givens, a religion scholar at the University of Richmond, speaking Tuesday at BYU: "It can be heady stuff for members of a previously marginalized religion of modest size to find their faith and founder the subject of symposia, celebration and scholarly interest. Some have even predicted a new world religion will emerge out of these accelerating developments.