Daniel C. Peterson's Blog, page 781

“How was there a night without darkness?”

    The invaluable Book of Mormon Central has published an interesting article on a subject that has puzzled many (and caused some to guffaw at yet another of Joe Smith’s stupidities):   https://knowhy.bookofmormoncentral.or...        

“It’s Time We Faced the Facts about the Muslim World”

    I’m caught between two extremes.   I strongly disagree with people who want to denounce Islam as wholly evil, to bar all Muslim immigration and even perhaps to deport all Muslims, who cannot admit to a single saving grace in the religion or the culture or grant to Muslims a single historical achievement. [Read More...]

Has the Canadian government just seized control of religious groups there?

    I’m not a lawyer, and I’m certainly not a Canadian lawyer.  Heck, I don’t even play one on television.   Michael Davidson, though, has brought to my notice a very recent Canadian legal decision (dated 8 September 2016) that seems to indicate that government courts in Canada have the right to review (and, [Read More...]

Children Preparing a Video for the Star Valley Wyoming Temple Dedication

    On 10 September 2016, a large group of young children (the “Little Angels”) gathered on the grounds of the soon-to-be-dedicated Star Valley Wyoming Temple.  I like the photographs displayed here:   http://www.starvalleytemple.com/new-g...      

“A man who lives without 90% of his brain is challenging our concept of ‘consciousness'”

    Knowing my interest in reductionist theories of consciousness that assume an identity between mind and brain, somebody called this article to my attention a few days back:   http://www.sciencealert.com/a-man-who...   My apologies, though.  I can’t remember who it was.  I made a note, but I’ve lost the note.  In any event, I’m grateful. [Read More...]

Why an ideologue can’t lose

    An ideologue — one who thinks ideologically — can’t lose.  He can’t lose because his answer, his interpretation and his attitude have been determined in advance of the particular experience or observation.  They are derived from the ideology, and not subject to the facts. James Burnham (1905-1987)      

“Archbishop blasts claim that ‘religious freedom’ is code for discrimination”

    Kudos to him for speaking out:   Archbishop blasts claim that ‘religious freedom’ is code for discrimination   There’s a genuine battle on.  For the first time in American history — certainly for the first time in my life — there’s a substantial and vocal proportion of the citizenry who see no particular [Read More...]

Fighting back against the Mormon traitors!

    Paul Mouritsen kindly calls to my attention this interesting little item from an ardent supporter of Mr. Donald J. Trump:   A Chicago Reader Objects To Mormon Solidarity With Muslim Immigration, Proposes Fighting Back   I hope and presume that he represents only a tiny minority fringe of Trumpists.  But these people are [Read More...]

“Scared? Make women disrobe”

    French secularism is quite different from the principle of religious liberty enshrined in the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, and even from most of the more extreme versions of the “separation of Church and State” that have arisen over the past two or three generations in America.  This has [Read More...]

“‘R’ Is for Red: Common Words Share Similar Sounds in Many Languages”

    This sort of thing interests me a great deal, and seems to me quite significant — though what, exactly, that significance is remains to be considered:   http://www.scientificamerican.com/art...   The link between word sounds and meanings may not be arbitrary after all.   Incidentally, just for the record:  The equivalent of English red in [Read More...]