Daniel C. Peterson's Blog, page 42

The hope of a virtuous pagan

  I attended the funeral this morning of my friend James Brown Allen, who passed away recently in his ninety-eighth year.  In my experience, the faith-filled funeral services of good people are among the best and most inspirational of meetings, and this one was no exception. Neal Lambert, like the Allens a resident of the […]

On contending for the faith

  We were fortunate in casting a remarkable “Joseph Smith” (aka Paul Wuthrich, whom many of you will also know through his leading role in Escape from Germany) in our movie Witnesses.  And we knew that we would need to be similarly fortunate in our casting of a Brigham Young for Six Days in August. […]

Resources regarding the “Transfiguration” of Brigham Young

  IMPORTANT:  For those who are in Utah Valley, or who may or can be in the vicinity on the evening of Wednesday, 25 September, I would like to announce a major fireside.  It will take place at the SCERA Center for the Arts, in Orem.  I hope that you will make plans to be […]

The Latest in Mahonri Moriancumr Studies

  Two new articles have gone up on the website of the never-changing and completely dead website of the Interpreter Foundation: “The Man with No Name: The Story of the Brother of Jared as an Anti-Babel Polemic,” written by Walker Wright Abstract: Within the text of the Book of Mormon, the name of Jared’s brother […]

“Hearing Wilford Woodruff’s Testimony in His Own Voice”

  Somehow I missed it when it occurred, but an article written by . . .  well, written by me went up a couple of days ago in Meridian Magazine:  “Hearing Wilford Woodruff’s Testimony in His Own Voice.”  I hope that you’ll read it.  And I hope that you’ll enjoy it. Also in the “me […]

Slightly more than a month to go!

  As the release date for Six Days in August approaches, I find myself thinking about the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum, the Patriarch. 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 […]

“Gazpacho”? Really?

  This is a stunning story about the converting power of the Book of Mormon and about the motivating power of personal faith:  “Refugee walks 728 miles to be baptized after reading Book of Mormon: Amos Makulu walked across Tanzania to be baptized as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Now […]

“Pioneers of Africa” and the “Temple on Mount Zion”

  Last night, my wife and I watched a video — not quite an hour long — entitled Pioneers of Africa.  Directed by Marcy Brown and produced at least partially under the auspices of Brigham Young University, it’s about the limited, tentative, and awkward approaches of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to […]

Points that we want others to take away from the project

  On 28 August 2024, I recorded a lecture in connection with the Interpreter Foundation’s approaching Mesoamerica tour.  It was entitled “The Importance, and Non-Importance, of Knowing the Geography of the Book of Mormon,” and it is now up on the Interpreter Foundation website.  Truth be told, it wasn’t one of my better outings — […]

Our Last Day at the Festival

  I’ve fallen a bit behind, so it’s high time to catch up: These two pieces appeared on Friday on the Interpreter Foundation’s completely comatose website: “Restoring Melchizedek Priesthood,” written by John S. Thompson Abstract: Church historical sources make four differing claims as to when, how, and by whom Melchizedek priesthood was restored. These seemingly […]