Every once in a while, I encounter the claim from some former member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that leaders of the Church are quietly, gradually, stealthily moving Latter-day Saints toward acceptance of the notion that the Book of Mormon is merely “inspired” fiction of some sort. Perhaps an allegory. A parable. Church leaders are being forced in this direction — so the reasoning typically goes — not only by the alleged lack of any... Read more
This is the abstract that I sent in this morning for the 2025 FAIR Conference, which will run from the evening of Wednesday, 6 August, through Friday, 8 August, at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, Utah. I will be speaking on Friday: “Brigham Young and Slavery” We cannot hide the fact that Brigham Young said some things about race that make us wince in the twenty-first century. In fact, to make matters worse, as territorial governor of Deseret he presided... Read more
Coming tomorrow: “5,000 episodes: The power and reach of ‘Music & the Spoken Word’: Messages from listeners have helped to craft the choir’s milestone 5,000th episode on Sunday” I don’t know whether I’ll have the opportunity to watch this. I hope that at least some of you will. And, of course, it may be available online for later viewing. I hope so. And this new item, written by Newell D. Wright, was posted earlier today on the blog of the... Read more
Newly posted in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship: “Smooth Words and Slippery Things: Samuel the Lamanite’s Prophetic Use of Hebrew ḥlq,” written by Matthew L. Bowen Abstract: Samuel the Lamanite expressly drew on the words of Isaiah (Isaiah 30:10) and possibly Jeremiah (Jeremiah 23:12) with a clever, powerful wordplay on forms of the Hebrew verbal root ḥlq: ḥălāqôt (“flattering words,” literally “smooth things”) and ḥălaqlaqqôt (“slippery [things]”) in Helaman 13:28–36. This wordplay established a genetic... Read more
This item has just been posted on the fossilized and entirely static website of the Interpreter Foundation: “Seek Ye Words of Wisdom: “Columbus among the Lamanites,” written by Andrew H. Hedges: Part of our book chapter reprint series, this article originally appeared in Seek Ye Words of Wisdom: Studies of the Book of Mormon, Bible, and Temple in Honor of Stephen D. Ricks, edited by Donald W. Parry, Gaye Strathearn, and Shon D. Hopkin. For more information, go to https://interpreterfoundation.org/books/seek-ye-words-of-wisdom/. “Students... Read more
Newly posted today on the website of the Interpreter Foundation: The Heartland Versus Mesoamerica Part 13: Some Final Comments , written by Brant A. Gardner. I regard this series as a very important contribution to studies of the Book of Mormon, and a useful corrective. Is the Interpreter Foundation officially pledged to a limited-geography for the Book of Mormon that is centered in southern Mexico, Guatemala, and (perhaps) adjacent areas? No, it is not. Am I myself fundamentally committed... Read more
I had a lengthy telephone conversation today with a long-time friend. I learned not very long ago that he’s on hospice care, and I had hoped to visit him before we left for Canada. But I was back in Missouri, where I developed a remarkably persistent and irritating cold, which I didn’t want to pass on to him. I’m still dealing with it, and now I’m up here in Alberta. I don’t know how long he has. He actually... Read more
My wife and I were delighted late last night to see this article in the Deseret News: “Meet the 97-year-old pianist playing 7 shows a week at the Utah Shakespeare Festival: For the last 22 years, Doreen Woolley has played at the festival — without sheet music, and usually while looking up to greet people as they walk by, all without missing a beat” She is one of the most astonishing people that either of us has ever met. I... Read more
The rant immediately below was posted to Facebook on 23 April 2025. I omit the name of its author out of charity but also because I don’t know him and have no wish to embarrass him. However, it’s definitely now in the public domain: YUUP ! —— It took 50 years, but the truth is finally out. The Warren Commission lied. The government covered it up. JFK’s assassination was not the act of a lone gunman — it was... Read more
For a long time, I found one of the prophecies of Isaiah quite distressing: Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain. (Isaiah 40:4) Even G. F. Handel’s magnificent musical setting of the prophecy in his Messiah wasn’t enough to win me over or cheer me up. With apologies to those who live there, I haven’t been able to muster much... Read more
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