Daniel C. Peterson's Blog, page 1123

“The Prospects for Polygamy” (according to the New York Times)

    I told you so.   http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/31/opi...   And I wasn’t the only one.   Posted from Bayreuth, Germany  

If you happen to be in Darmstadt on Thursday or Friday, please drop by!

    There will be a conference of FairMormon this coming Thursday and Friday in the city of Darmstadt.  Details about location and speakers are available, auf Deutsch, here:   http://de.fairlds.org/?page_id=5219   As you can readily see, I’ll be speaking early on Thursday afternoon.  Which means that you could still come on Thursday morning or [Read More...]

The only paradise that cannot be lost?

    Recollection is the only paradise from which we cannot be turned out.  (Jean Paul, early 19th-century German poet)   Posted from Bayreuth, Germany    

Luxuriating in German cultural history

    The official name of the city of Wittenberg is actually Lutherstadt Wittenberg, “Luther City Wittenberg.”  The great Reformation university is essentially gone, having moved quite some time ago to Halle, and its name is now Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, so the city’s claim to fame is its association with the great Reformer, not its eminence [Read More...]

The Salt Lake Tribune explains “How a new Mormon apostle is chosen”

    http://www.sltrib.com/lifestyle/faith...   Posted from Bayreuth, Germany    

“LDS Charities heals, aids, builds character”

    Some nice remarks from Sharon Eubank (who’s in a position to know) on some of the tangible good — it’s just a relatively small proportion — done by the Church:   https://www.lds.org/church/news/lds-c...   As an acquaintance of mine, now serving in the Seventy, remarked about Church relief efforts following recent disasters in the [Read More...]

Not meaning to overdo it on Elder Perry, but this one’s good

    A really nice portrait of Elder L. Tom Perry in the Salt Lake Tribune (!) by my long-time friend — or, at least, my friendly acquaintance of long-standing; we met each other, gulp, nearly forty years ago — Peggy Fletcher Stack:   http://www.sltrib.com/lifestyle/faith...   Posted from Wittenberg, Germany    

Meet Mr. Mephistopheles

      As I mentioned yesterday, the historical alchemist and astrologer Johann Faust (about whom Christopher Marlowe wrote his famous play Doctor Faustus, and about whom J. W. von Goethe wrote his enormous poetic play Faust, and about whom, in high school, I once began a never-completed spoof entitled Dr. Faustus, M.D.) lived for a couple [Read More...]

Today in Wittenberg

    Wittenberg is a quiet, quaint little town — and especially so on Sundays like today.   But it was the center of one of the major revolutions in the history of Western Civilization, and there are more UNESCO World Heritage sites concentrated in a smaller area here than anywhere else on Planet Earth. [Read More...]

Three pieces about Elder Perry

    “Elder L. Tom Perry — An uncommon life of service and enthusiasm”   “21 uplifting quotes from Elder L Tom Perry”   “Family, dignitaries honor Elder L. Tom Perry’s ability to connect with leaders, regular people”   Enthusiasm, ability to connect with common folk as well as dignitaries — these were certainly striking [Read More...]