Daniel C. Peterson's Blog, page 65

Can the great American de-churching be reversed?

  Conference Talks: The Two Ways in Ancient Egyptian Religion and Israelite Temple Theology, presented at the 2018 Temple on Mount Zion Conference by John Thompson The fourth “Temple on Mount Zion” Conference was held on Saturday, November 10, 2018 in the Tanner Building at Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. The presentations were filmed, and […]

Don’t take it all for granted.

  I’ve been reading a small collection of essays by the late Edward O. Wilson (1929-2021), the Harvard biologist,  ecologist, and entomologist who is best known for developing the field of sociobiology:  Every Species is a  Masterpiece (London: Penguin Books, 2021).  Wilson was also, by the way, an outspoken advocate of “scientific humanism” (a term […]

A chink in the armor of reductive materialism?

  I read an interesting paper this morning — Stephan A. Schwartz, “Nonlocality and Exceptional Experiences: A Study of Genius, Religious Epiphany, and the Psychic,” Explore 6/4 (July/August 2010): 227-236 — from which I’ll share a few quoted passages.  At the time that he published his article, Stephan Schwartz was Senior Samueli Fellow for Brain, […]

Something that Christians don’t need to believe

  Spencer Kraus, Martin Tanner, Hales Swift, and Brent Schmidt came together for the 7 January 2024 episode of the Interpreter Radio Show, which focused on Come, Follow Me Book of Mormon lesson 5 and on evidences for the Book of Mormon.  Their conversation is now archived, freed from commercial interruptions, and made available for […]

The Lord’s new temple in Orem

  We participated in the first dedicatory service for the new Orem Utah Temple this morning.  Elder Hugo E. Martinez, whom we came to know just a bit during a tour of Israel many years ago (prior to his call as a General Authority), conducted the meeting, which featured a pre-recorded video message from President […]

Is morality “findable”?

  We held our quarterly Interpreter Foundation board meeting today — technically, it’s our annual board meeting (so, among many other things, we voted to continue our officers as they had been constituted) — and our book committee met this afternoon.  There are, I’m happy to report, some very good things on the horizon.  I’m […]

Heavenly Ascent in 2 Nephi?

  Newly published on the website of the Interpreter Foundation: “Heavenly Ascent in Jacob’s Writings in Second Nephi: Addressing the Question of What the Plan of Salvation is in the Book of Mormon,” written by Skyler R. Smith Abstract: Heavenly ascent describes the process of an individual (or community) returning to the presence of God. […]

On Religious Involvement and Health

  Conference Talks:  Bearing Testimony in Hebrew: A Comparison of Ancient Israelite Temple Worship with Modern Latter-day Saint Testimony Meetings, presented by Ryan Davis at the Interpreter Foundation’s 2018 Temple on Mount Zion Conference The fourth “Temple on Mount Zion” Conference was held on Saturday, November 10, 2018 in the Tanner Building at Brigham Young […]

Some reasons to be religious?

  I want to remind you of Steve Densley’s rapidly approaching fireside in the greater Houston area.  (See here for details of time and place and topic.)  In one exceptionally weird corner of the internet, of course, the reviews of his remarks are already pouring in, days before those remarks will be delivered.  I can’t […]

“If you seek his monument, look around”

  These three items went up today on the website of the Interpreter Foundation: Nibley Lectures: Come, Follow Me Book of Mormon Lesson 3 “Come and Partake of the Fruit”: 1 Nephi 6-10 During 1988, 1989, and 1990, Hugh Nibley taught Honors Book of Mormon classes for four semesters at Brigham Young University. The lectures were […]