Daniel C. Peterson's Blog, page 1204

St. John Paul II on socialism

    “The historical experience of socialist countries has sadly demonstrated that collectivism does not do away with alienation but rather increases it, adding to it a lack of basic necessities and economic inefficiency.” Pope Saint John Paul II    

Indisputable evidence of climate change

    http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/11/18...   Temperatures might go up.  They might go down.  The variations might be caused by human action, or they might not.   But there’s simply no question that temperatures are sometimes higher and sometimes lower, in this or that place, for some reason or other.   The expression global warming was uncomfortably specific. [Read More...]

A Mormon-originated, critically-acclaimed TV drama?

      Virtually unthinkable, right?   Nonetheless, consider this, from the New York Times:   http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/01/us/...    

Mosiah 13

    Before I go any further, I want to call your attention to a nice little article that sheds light on the meaning of the name Mosiah:   http://publications.maxwellinstitute....   But now, on to a quick and very brief comment about Mosiah 13, today’s reading:   As was shown in the first verse of [Read More...]

A cynical but likely successful tactic

    Serious analysis from the Anglo-American commentator Charles C. W. Cooke:   http://www.nationalreview.com/article...   The matter of Professor Jonathan Gruber is merely the tip of the iceberg.    

Chronological snobbery

    Something that really irritates me is the casual assumption, on the part of some young people, that, merely because they’re younger, they’re also wiser, more intelligent, and better than those who are older.  You know:  Inevitable progress, and all that.   “You never did real scholarship,” one arrogant youngish Ph.D. said, a couple [Read More...]

Muslims in Egypt offering themselves as a human shield to protect Christians

    Many stories out of the Middle East are discouraging, depressing, and painful.   Some, though, are inspiring:   http://www.butterbin.com/muslims-offe...    

Einstein on science and religion

    “Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.”  (Albert Einstein)   Posted from Mesa, Arizona  

At a dinner on Thursday night

    On Thursday night, my wife and I attended a dinner hosted in Salt Lake City by the Mormon Historic Sites Foundation, an extraordinarily valuable group whose work I admire enormously.   The occasion of the dinner was the bestowal of the ninth annual Junius F. Wells Award upon Donald Enders, for his work [Read More...]

Raheel Raza

    I had a very enjoyable time at last night’s Muslim/Mormon discussion here in Mesa.  And there was a good audience, too.  I’m terrible at estimating numbers, but we met in a large stake center; its chapel was full, and extra chairs had to be set up, after the meeting had begun, well back [Read More...]