Daniel C. Peterson's Blog, page 162

The King, the Maiden, and the True Successor to Joseph Smith

    ***   This parable, from the Philosophical Fragments of Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855), has long been a favorite of mine:   Imagine there was a King who loved a humble maiden. She had no royal pedigree, no education, no standing in the royal court. She dressed in rags. She lived in a hovel; she […]

Witnesses, Long Boat Rides, and Other Wonders

    ***   In case anybody out there might be interested, this new article of mine was published yesterday in Meridian Magazine:   “Observing Hugh Nibley”   ***   The latest of Kyler Rasmussen’s Bayesian essays appeared yesterday on the website of the Interpreter Foundation:   “Estimating the Evidence Episode 8: On Very Long […]

“For the Salvation of Zion”

    ***   Some new items were published earlier today (Tuesday) on the website of the Interpreter Foundation:   “Nibley Lectures: Come, Follow Me Lesson Doctrine and Covenants Lesson 36 (D&C 94-97)”   Audio Roundtable: Come, Follow Me Doctrine and Covenants Lesson 36 “For the Salvation of Zion”: D&C 94-97 The Interpreter Radio Roundtable […]

Discipleship and the Academic Disciplines

    ***   I was very pleased to read the remarks delivered by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland at BYU’s annual University Conference yesterday.  (Although now retired from BYU, I was invited to attend.  Instead, though, I was with the world’s cutest 4.5-year-old at the Butterfly Biosphere and the Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving […]

Two sketches toward an autobiography

    Written separately, so with some overlap:   (1)   My wife and I lived for roughly four years in Egypt, in a southern suburb of Cairo called Ma‘adi that lies on the east bank of the Nile River.  We didn’t plan to be there so long; it simply worked out that way.  We […]

“Could a Loving God Allow Such Suffering?”

    This article of mine was published yesterday, I believe, in Meridian Magazine.  It was actually inspired by certain responses to a blog post here.   “Could a Loving God Allow Such Suffering?”   And this little essay, not by me, went up on the website of the Interpreter Foundation earlier today:   Book […]

“Are Afghan refugees fleeing the Taliban regime headed to Utah?”

    ***   The New Colossus Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,With conquering limbs astride from land to land;Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flameIs the imprisoned lightning, and her nameMother of Exiles. From her beacon-handGlows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes commandThe air-bridged […]

“Better Kingdom-Building through Triage”

    ***   A new article, written by an author whose name is a hiss and a byword among decent people everywhere, has appeared in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship:   “Better Kingdom-Building through Triage” Abstract: We are called to take the Gospel to the entire world, but our numbers are […]

“What’s the Point of a Prophet Who Already Agrees with You?”

    ***   A friend called this afternoon from Orlando, Florida, to make me aware of this:   https://deseretbook.com/p/witnesses?v...   I’m delighted to see the ad campaign beginning so soon.  I still hope, of course, that you’ll be able to see the film on a big screen — whether again or for the very […]

Anybody out there in or near Preston, Idaho, or Lethbridge, Alberta? Or, for that matter, anywhere else in the cosmos?

    ***   Kyler Rasmussen continues his personal investigation of Joseph Smith’s claims and the probability of their being true with a new blog entry on the website of the Interpreter Foundation:   Estimating the Evidence Episode 7: On Three Consonants and a Turn   ***   The theatrical run of the Interpreter Foundation’s […]