Daniel C. Peterson's Blog, page 920

Trumpism and the Rise of American Political Violence

    On 27 February 1933, an arsonist did substantial damage to the German Reichstag or parliament building.  A Dutch Communist confessed to setting the fire, although there is still serious dispute as to whether he was framed (and possibly tortured into confession), whether he acted alone if he did it, whether the Nazis did [Read More...]

The essence of Easter

    Easter may seem boring to children, and it is blessedly unencumbered by the silly fun that plagues Christmas. Yet it contains the one thing needful for every human life: the good news of Resurrection. Frederica Mathewes-Green  

“#Hallelujah — An Easter Message about Jesus Christ”

    Please share the message at this Easter season.   There is power in social media — for good, not just for ill.  Use it, please, for the greatest of all messages.    

“How to be a Christian in a society that’s increasingly skeptical of faith”

    A very interesting little article about what promises to be a very interesting new book:   http://www.deseretnews.com/article/86...   I’ve read (and liked) other things from David Kinnaman and the Barna Group.    

“Ancient Super-Eruption Reconstructed”

    Whenever you’re feeling too secure, too complacent, just read something like this:   http://news.discovery.com/earth/ancie...   And remember that you may well be living near something like the Yellowstone Supervolcano or the Campi Flegrei, or within easy mega-tsunami range of Kilauea and Mauna Loa.   The eruption of Vesuvius that destroyed Herculaneum and Pompeii [Read More...]

Nice little discoveries in the Upper Galilee

    We haven’t typically taken tour groups to Sepphoris — I think that relatively few tour groups go there, whether LDS or non-LDS — but I’m delighted that my next tour to Israel, at the end of April, is scheduled to visit the ruins of the ancient city.  It’s a rapidly changing archaeological site, and it [Read More...]

“Authority in the Book of Mosiah”

    As we approach the book of Mosiah in this year’s adult Sunday School curriculum, I think it might not be entirely inappropriate for me to dust off a piece that I published in 2006, but which was, in its turn, based on an earlier article that first appeared in 1991.  (A quarter of a [Read More...]

My three public lectures this week, in Utah and Idaho, starting TONIGHT

    1. Sunday, 13 March 2016 (7:30 PM) Chapel at the corner of 1200 North 800 East , Orem, UT, United States “Muslims and Mormons: Yesterday and Today”   2. Wednesday, 16 March 2016 (7 PM) Cruise Lady Event Center 9116 S Redwood Rd, West Jordan, UT, United States (map) “The Temple Mount: What is It, What’s On [Read More...]

BOM Mosiah 2

    I could not possibly begin to exhaust the riches to be found in this marvelous chapter, Mosiah 2 — todays’ reading and the first installment of King Benjamin’s well-beloved sermon.   In the glory days of the old Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS), we devoted considerable attention to King Benjamin’s address.  Among the [Read More...]

Ahhhhh. We can kick back and relax for a moment. (And lose an hour of sleep.)

      Well, the Second Interpreter Conference on Mormonism and Science has come and gone, and already we’re thinking about another one.  (I had good conversations with David Bailey about possible future themes.)  Many thanks to David and to Jeff Bradshaw for organizing it.   The conference was well attended.  I always wake up [Read More...]