Daniel C. Peterson's Blog, page 949

“Do You KnoWhy? Book of Mormon Central, Month 1″

    A lot of good work has been done over the past decades on the Book of Mormon.   But it’s been scattered, and much of it is out of print and difficult to find or access.   Book of Mormon Central is now opening that treasure house up and making it very accessible [Read More...]

“Why the question of God matters”

    My latest weekly assault on goodness and reason in the pages of the Deseret News:   http://www.deseretnews.com/article/86...   According to some of the commenters, I appear to be an apologist for theocracy who seeks to persuade poor and suffering people to simply endure their condition rather than to attempt to improve it.  And [Read More...]

Some useful items on 1 Nephi

    You’ll enjoy these, I think:   http://etherscave.blogspot.com/2016/0...    

BOM 2 Nephi 16

    Today’s reading, 2 Nephi 16 (= Isaiah 6), recounts the prophetic call of Isaiah.   His awestruck, even terrified, reaction to his vision is noteworthy.  He fears that he’s going to die, but, having undergone a supernatural purification, he survives.   However, what’s really remarkable about the chapter is the simple but plain fact that Isaiah saw [Read More...]

Mwahahahaha!

    “[Mormonism’s] invisibility, and the mystery which was attached to it, made this organization doubly terrible.  It appeared to be omniscient and omnipotent, and yet was neither seen nor heard.  The man who held out against the Church vanished away, and none knew whither he had gone or what had befallen him.  His wife [Read More...]

“What’s Wrong with the Humanities?”

    I was saddened just minutes ago, while driving home from a lecture in West Jordan, Utah, to learn of the passing of my former dean (in BYU’s College of Humanities), Randy Jones.  Unless I’m mistaken, it was only a few weeks ago that I last spoke with him, and the news comes as [Read More...]

“Marilynne Robinson and the Mystery of Progressive Democracy”

    The invaluable Ralph Hancock offers perspective on a superb contemporary novelist:   http://www.libertylawsite.org/2016/01...    

“Christianity Today”: “Dispatch from Sundance: ‘Agnus Dei’”

    The film writer for Christianity Today really likes a movie being shown at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.  The movie doesn’t sound very funny:   http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2...    

The Church’s “Africa Clean Water Initiative: 2003-2010″

    I’m absolutely delighted to have spoken with friends who have been on-the-ground participants in these efforts by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to help our brothers and sisters in Africa.  This infographic helps to get the overall picture, at least as it stood at the end of 2010.    

Has neuroscience really demonstrated that human free will is an illusion?

    For years, many have claimed that hard neuroscientific data has proven that humans don’t actually have free will.   Now, though, that supposed proof doesn’t look even remotely so secure:   http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2016/02/...   This is really important.