Daniel C. Peterson's Blog, page 917

BOM Mosiah 5

      The eloquent discussion in Mosiah 5, today’s reading, of taking upon ourselves the name of Christ and becoming his children — that is, members of his family and his true disciples — before the Day of Judgment has always spoken powerfully to me:   For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not [Read More...]

Music, tonight and (more urgently) tomorrow

    We enjoyed a BYU concert tonight by Wu Man, one of the world’s leading players of the pipa.  The pipa is a stringed instrument that originally came to China from Persia and that is akin to the Arabic ‘ud — which is perhaps why I felt so completely at home with the evening’s [Read More...]

“Transgenderism: A Pathogenic Meme”

    I used to read articles pretty regularly from Dr. Paul McHugh, but hadn’t seen anything from him in years.  In fact, oddly enough, I thought of him about a week ago, wondering where he had gone.   Thanks to David Wills, a reliable Australian source of good reading, for calling my attention to [Read More...]

A thought for Easter, from a perhaps unexpected source

    But with Christ, we have access in a one-to-one relationship, for, as in the Old Testament, it was more one of worship and awe, a vertical relationship. The New Testament, on the other hand, we look across at a Jesus who looks familiar, horizontal. The combination is what makes the Cross. Bono   [Read More...]

How to think about Mr. Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court

    Merrick Garland’s “Moderation”   “The Senate Should Not Act on President Obama’s Supreme Court Nomination”   In the meantime, who would a President Trump nominate to the Supreme Court?   http://spectator.org/articles/65018/w...   We have literally no clear idea at all.   Trump in 2016!  He’ll do something to America!    

Mr. Trump and Violence

    He has, absolutely, beyond reasonable doubt, coarsened political speech in the United States.  And now he seems to be encouraging thuggish violence:   Los Angeles Times: “Trump’s endorsement of violence reaches new level”   “Donald Trump: ‘Never said’ I would pay supporters’ legal fees”   I’m astonished, genuinely astonished, that apparently otherwise decent people [Read More...]

Is the Bible more like Copernicus, or Plato?

    My Thursday Deseret News column for the week:   http://www.deseretnews.com/article/86...    

BOM Mosiah 4

    In today’s reading, Mosiah 4, we continue with King Benjamin’s remarkable address.   I’ll single out four passages (from among many) that I really like:   1.   I love the exhortation to humility in verse 9.  It seems particularly apt in a time and a society in which many seem to think themselves wiser than [Read More...]

“Bible bonfire: ISIS video shows Christian books being destroyed”

    They’re not joking:   http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/03/15/...    

“‘Elias’ as a ‘forerunner’ in LDS Scripture”

    For years, critics have pointed to Joseph Smith’s use of Elijah and Elias as names or designations for distinct individuals as evidence that he was a false prophet.  After all, Elias is simply a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew name of the prophet Elijah.  In his cunning ignorance, so the argument goes, Joseph [Read More...]