Daniel C. Peterson's Blog, page 1046

Some testimonials to the good character of Joseph Smith

    Testimonials to the good character of Joseph Smith abound.[1] The Prophet, recalled Jesse N. Smith, was incomparably the most God-like man I ever saw. I know that by nature he was incapable of lying and deceitfulness, possessing the greatest kindness and nobility of character. I felt when in his presence that he could [Read More...]

“The Communist Spy (Maybe) Behind This Year’s Nobel Prize in Physics”

      This may be indirect circumstantial evidence for the proposition that not all of the sorts of people who turn out for Bernie Sanders rallies are entirely clueless in every area:   http://www.theatlantic.com/science/ar...   But I’m still not completely convinced.    

I have to admit that I’m extremely skeptical about this.

      It could be true, I suppose.   I don’t altogether rule it out, just yet.   But it strikes me as a suspiciously neat and convenient ideological weapon — perfectly suited to the use of critics of mainstream, orthodox Mormonism as taught by, say, the General Authorities – and it reminds me altogether [Read More...]

On Mr. Putin and the new Russian advance into the Middle East

    An interesting piece from Thomas Donnelly:   http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/h...    

“Three Chemists Share Nobel for DNA Repair”

    https://www.insidescience.org/content...   I was pleased to note that one of them is originally from Turkey.    

Two quotations from Thomas Jefferson

    “I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than those attending too small a degree of it.” “In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.”    

News Flash: Some Critics of the Church are Unfair and Unreasonable

    Among some of the more deranged (or at least unreasonable) critics of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints there has been intense criticism of yesterday’s announcement that Elder Whitney Clayton will now serve as the senior president of the Seventy.  This, a few have suggested, is his consolation prize for having [Read More...]

“Toward a Post-Obama Middle East”

      There are elements in this article with which I disagree, but I do agree that the United States lack, and have lacked for some time, a coherent strategy in the Middle East:   http://www.nationalreview.com/article...   I attended a dinner last night hosted by BYU’s International Center for Law and Religion Studies in [Read More...]

“LDS Woman’s Viral Posts Share How Conference Led Her to Re-Convert”

    President Monson’s near-crisis, President Uchtdorf’s loving concern and alert readiness to help, and a remarkable private sequel:   http://lds.net/blog/faith/lds-confere...    

Another installment on Joseph Smith’s character

    Recalling his early experiences with Joseph Smith, Brigham Young remarked, Who can say aught against Joseph Smith? I do not think that a man lives upon the earth that knew him any better than I did, and I am bold to say that, Jesus Christ excepted, no better man ever lived or does [Read More...]