Daniel C. Peterson's Blog, page 838

“Breaking the Science-Atheism Bond”

    Alister McGrath is one of the most interesting Christian theologians in the English-speaking world.  And he holds an Oxford doctorate in molecular biophysics, to boot:   http://www.beliefnet.com/news/science...   Posted from Park City, Utah    

“Elder Christofferson Says Religious Freedom Is ‘Under Fire'”

    Elder D. Todd Christofferson, of the Quorum of the Twelve, recently spoke on the topic of religious liberty and threats against it:   http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article...   I might note that Elder Christofferson is a lawyer, trained at Duke University.   And he’s not alone in his view.  Here’s a piece from David French (J.D., [Read More...]

Three from Thomas Jefferson

    I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them but to inform their discretion.    Do you want to know [Read More...]

Good music, coupled with a feeling of inferiority

    We’re just back from Deer Valley, where we attended a “patriotic” concert by the Utah Symphony, which performed under the guest direction of Jerry Steichen.  The program included pieces by John Philip Sousa, of course.   My father always remembered seeing and hearing Sousa as a child, when the great band director brought his [Read More...]

Elie Wiesel dead at 87

    I was saddened to hear the news this afternoon of the death of Elie Wiesel, the Holocaust survivor, social activist, writer, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.   Here’s an unusually good profile of him, including video, from CNN:   http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/02/world/e...   And here is the profile of him that was published today by [Read More...]

BOM Alma 43

    Today’s reading, Alma 43, is a relatively long one.  But I intend to post a relatively short comment.  Actually, four very short comments.   1.   I note, again, the fierce, even murderous, hatred of the Zoramites and the Amalekites for their Nephite former brothers and sisters.  The bitter anger of apostates fascinates [Read More...]

Mr. Romney and the Republican Nomination

    Ross Douthat, the principal conservative voice at the New York Times, wants him to do it.  So does at least one of his sons.  And, although I’m almost certain that he won’t, so do I.   Just do it already.https://t.co/OFbshPUiQ3 — Ross Douthat (@DouthatNYT) June 30, 2016   And so do others:  “Why [Read More...]

“Rare Viking ‘death house’ discovered in Denmark”

    http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/0...   One of the things to be learned from this find is that pre-modern trade networks, and very possibly pre-modern travel, extended considerably further than some of us likely tend to assume.    

Responding to a Catholic critic of Mormonism

    Catholic anti-Mormon writing is relatively uncommon — anti-Mormonism has long been an Evangelical Protestant specialty — but it does occur.  The indispensable Robert Boylan, who serves on the Interpreter Foundation’s editorial board and who lives in traditionally Catholic Ireland, responds to a recent specimen of such Catholic criticism:   http://scripturalmormonism.blogspot.c...   Along the way, [Read More...]

“Kurt Van Gorden refuted on sola scriptura”

    This is, of course, an important topic in and of itself.  But I confess that Kurt Van Gorden occupies a special place in my heart since he once sued me for 4.5 million dollars.  (Although I was the principal target, my codefendants included President Gordon B. Hinckley.)   http://scripturalmormonism.blogspot.c...   Incidentally, just in [Read More...]