Daniel C. Peterson's Blog, page 907

“Grace Merged with Works: Mormonism in Theory and Practice”

    The always-interesting Ralph Hancock offers a reflection prompted by a 1972 general conference talk, accompanied by a glance at current public affairs:   Grace Merged with Works: Mormonism in Theory and Practice   And here’s a curiously related though completely independent piece by Michael Barone, one of the most insightful political observers in America, that [Read More...]

“How Stephen Fry Got Kicked Out of Salt Lake City”

    It’s pretty funny.  But Stephen Fry — whom I’ve really enjoyed in several roles (particularly that of Jeeves) — is flatly (and pretty obviously) making things up:     Of course, his gullible/snooty audience would be only too eager to believe his description of the ridiculous antics of the Mormon rubes out in the [Read More...]

BOM Mosiah 16

    1.   Today’s reading, Mosiah 16, suggests to me that it isn’t mere honest, sincere error that God punishes, but actual rebellion.   The wicked, says verse 2, are those who “would not hearken unto the voice of the Lord.”  (The would not here probably isn’t a simple past tense of the intransitive auxiliary verb will; rather, it’s the past [Read More...]

A few thoughts on the arrest of Donald Trump’s campaign manager

    http://www.nationalreview.com/article...    

Honesty and Deceit

    “It’s discouraging to think how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit.” Noël Coward, Blithe Spirit      

“Vermont-Driven GMO Labeling Could Have Troubling Unintended Consequences”

    http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevensav...        

“An Open Letter to Trump Voters from His Top Strategist-Turned-Defector”

    http://www.xojane.com/issues/stephani...   Of course, what this woman says can easily be refuted by means of such arguments as “Trump in 2016!” and “Make America Great Again!” and “Look at her ugly face!”   If somebody hits her, maybe Mr. Trump will pay the legal fees.   Brave woman, to challenge The Donald like [Read More...]

“Worldwide Stake Growth Accelerating in 2016”

    http://ldschurchgrowth.blogspot.com/2...    

“Muslim Murdered in Scotland After Offering Easter Blessing to ‘My Beloved Christian Nation'”

    https://pjmedia.com/trending/2016/03/...   A horrible story, and a horribly sad one.  I’ve seen comments about it, however, that require response.   The murder of Asad Shah, evidently by an extremist anti-Christian Muslim, is said to illustrate the evil of Islam and the danger that Muslim immigrants pose to all of us.   But here’s [Read More...]

“The Simpsons” as Political Prophecy, and Etc.

    In 1996, fully two decades ago, the syndicated television program The Simpsons prophesied of a Trump/Clinton presidential race, using the metaphorical ruse of Kang and Kodos (and Bob Dole) to make its stunningly prescient point:     And it predicted the outcome of that election as follows:     Uncanny accuracy, don’t you think?   [Read More...]