Daniel C. Peterson's Blog, page 785

“‘Love Wins.’ Charity Loses.”

    In a new article, my friend and colleague Ralph Hancock shares a reformulation of some timely thoughts on certain current controversies that he originally presented at the 2016 FairMormon conference back in early August:   http://ldsmag.com/love-wins-charity-l...    

“Coming Challenges to Religious Liberty: What’s on the Horizon?”

    Based upon a presentation by attorney Alexander Dushku at the recent BYU Education Week, this is an important article:   “Coming Challenges to Religious Liberty: What’s on the Horizon?”   To which I add these interesting and related items, as well:   “NCAA turns up pressure on North Carolina over bathroom law”   “NCAA ruling [Read More...]

He would have been 103 today.

    I don’t want to let my father’s birthday pass without mention.  He’s been gone now for more than thirteen years.   A story, not particularly significant or edifying, but one of very many:   One summer, when I was probably just entering into my teenage years, my Dad invited me to go along [Read More...]

On being obsessed with the supposed faults of others

    لو تأملت أحوال الناس لوجدت أكثرهم عيوباً أشدهم تعييباً If you think deeply about the conditions of people, you will find those who are most concerned with the faults of others to have the most faults themselves. al-Jahiz of Basra (d. AD 869)    

“Break the tradition of education by lectures and learn more by doing”

    An interesting (and challenging) article from Taylor Halverson:     http://www.deseretnews.com/article/86...   This challenge will be difficult for many academics to take up.  After all, not a few of us went into teaching largely because we treasure our own opinions and love the sound of our own voices.  We have brilliant ideas and insights [Read More...]

“When did ‘modesty’ become a dirty word?”

    A Muslim perspective:   http://www.sltrib.com/lifestyle/faith...    

“Evidence Rebuts Chomsky’s Theory of Language Learning”

    http://www.scientificamerican.com/art...   This is a pretty big development, since Noam Chomsky’s theories have long been a huge part of the landscape not only of linguistics but of cognitive and evolutionary psychology, child development, and a host of related fields, and have helped to make him a major figure in areas outside his academic specialty. [Read More...]

We favor diversity, of course. But only for those who don’t diverge.

    “Student leaders oppose BYU joining Big 12”   “This New Reg Will Punish Churches That Use ‘Discriminatory’ Gender Practices”    

Where can Mormons turn who can’t vote for Mr. Trump?

    “Trump effect? Fewer U.S. Mormons say they’re Republicans, study shows”   “Donald Trump might be loosening the Republican Party’s hold on Mormon voters”   I have certain reservations about voting for Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party’s nominee for the White House, and I haven’t endorsed him yet.  (And may not.)  But then, as [Read More...]

The Guam Daily Post: “Please Pray for David Sneddon”

    He gets some details wrong.  But this is still a remarkable little essay about the case of the young Utah returned missionary who was apparently kidnapped twelve years ago by agents of North Korea — and about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:   http://www.postguam.com/forum/feature...   I’ve written previously about this [Read More...]