Daniel C. Peterson's Blog, page 1058

On Liberty Jail

    Liberty Jail [was], for a time, a center of instruction. The eyes of the saints were turned to it as the place whence would come encouragement, counsel—the word of the Lord. It was more temple than prison, so long as the Prophet was there. It was a place of meditation and prayer. A temple, [Read More...]

Reflections, 171 years after the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum

    Every time I come here, I find myself thinking about the remarkable way the history of this part of Illinois has unfolded.   Thomas Sharp and his conspirators down in Warsaw to the south, and the mob that did the deed in Carthage to the east, thought that, by murdering Joseph and Hyrum [Read More...]

“Former Ordain Women leader now rallying support for Utah’s Planned Parenthood”

      Just in case you missed it:   http://www.deseretnews.com/article/86...   Nobody, I expect, wants to shortchange legitimate healthcare for women.  But does that healthcare need to be funneled through Planned Parenthood?   Posted from Nauvoo, Illinois    

“A Muslim goes to church”

    http://universe.byu.edu/2015/09/17/a-...   Posted from Nauvoo, Illinois    

Was Joseph Smith actually a cynical religious skeptic?

    Incarcerated by the Missouri militia at Independence on 4 November 1838, having escaped execution a few days earlier only because General Alexander Doniphan had refused to carry out the order, Joseph wrote to his wife Emma.  The letter concludes with a thoughts of his children and a heartfelt plea to Emma: Tell them [Read More...]

“Refuting ISIS”

    This book was indirectly brought to my attention by Jabra Ghneim, for which I’m grateful:   http://www.amazon.com/Refuting-ISIS-R...   “Shaykh Al-Yaqoubi reaches the conclusion that this group does not represent Islam, its declaration of a caliphate is invalid, and fighting it is an obligation upon Muslims.”   The phrase “an obligation upon Muslims” comes [Read More...]

“Chimpanzees love horror films, study finds”

    Seriously.   http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-ent...   Posted from Nauvoo, Illinois    

Lincolniana, etc.

    “We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.” Abraham Lincoln (assassinated just slightly more than 150 years ago)   We spent roughly three hours this morning in the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield.  It’s the second time we’ve visited the museum; it wasn’t yet built, [Read More...]

“Mysteries of the Mound Builders”

    Today’s installment of the biweekly Hamblin/Peterson Deseret News column hath appeared:   http://www.deseretnews.com/article/86...   Posted from Springfield, Illinois    

Was Joseph Smith in it for the money?

    For much of his lifetime, newspaper reports insinuated that Joseph Smith was duping his followers in a greed-motivated religious scam.    For a person of his remarkable abilities and undeniable charisma, however, it seems that he derived very little monetary profit from his devilish scheme, if such it was.   “Now father,” Helen [Read More...]