Earlier this year, I participated in a conference on religious freedom and related subjects in Uzbekistan. One of the others who attended and presented there was Shima Baradaran Baughman, who was born in Iran and who is now Woodruff J. Deem Professor of Law at Brigham Young University. I’ve been impressed by an essay that she recently published in the Deseret News, not least because of the somewhat dramatic personal family story that she tells in it: “Perspective: The... Read more
My attention has been called to a Latter-day Saint blog — located, like mine, here on Patheos — that is entitled Ye Shall Prosper in the Land. The entry that I first read on it was this one: “Who Is Behind the Murder of Charlie Kirk and What Happened?” It turns out that former Senator Mitt Romney, Senators John Curtis and Mike Lee, and especially Governor Spencer Cox may well be involved in Charlie Kirk’s assassination; that the attempted... Read more
The still relatively new Orem Utah Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stands across the I-15 freeway, a short distance to the southwest of the campus of Utah Valley University (UVU). That campus, of course, is where Charlie Kirk was assassinated last week. The temple is a bit of a walk from UVU, but it’s plainly visible from much of the university and there is a pedestrian walkway over the freeway that makes it reasonably... Read more
A new interview went up today that I commend to the notice of anybody who might have an interest in the Prophet Joseph Smith: “Rough Stone Rolling: Richard Bushman Reflects 20 Years Later: Joseph Smith still eludes me.” It being Sunday, the day on which, according to the New Testament accounts, Jesus rose from the dead, I think it appropriate to share some notes that I’ve amassed on that subject: “Essentially all critical scholars today agree that in 1... Read more
Driving back from the coast to drop our friends off at the airport in Portland, we stopped by the Portland Oregon Temple and walked around its grounds. We didn’t have enough time, alas, to do a session there — though we’ve attended sessions in it once or twice before. I’ve always liked its striking architecture and the beautiful marble with which it’s clad. And, of course, its grounds are gorgeous. Yesterday, its many and varied flowers were exceptionally pretty.... Read more
Having been on the road much of the day and having spoken at a fireside this evening, I’m a bit late with this notification. However, today being Friday, a new article went up this afternoon in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship: “Possible Remembrance and Re-enactment of Old World’s Hieros Gamos in the Book of Ether,” written by Michaël Ulrich: Abstract: This paper explores the conclusions that can be drawn from a Mesopotamian origin theory for... Read more
This is my final warning: Decent people who may be in or near the Pacific Northwest on the evening of Friday, 12 September 2025, should maintain a safe distance from the chapel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that stands at 4195 Southwest 99th Avenue in Beaverton, Oregon, on that evening between approximately 7:00 PM and 8:30 PM. In fact, it might be prudent to avoid Oregon’s Washington County altogether — from late afternoon, perhaps, until... Read more
The big news of the day, of course, was the assassination of Charlie Kirk on the campus of Utah Valley University. It’s a dark day for the university, for the state of Utah, and for the United States. And a horrible day, an indescribably horrible day, for Charlie Kirk’s family. On a personal note: This one hit literally rather close to home for me. I live within (long) walking distance of UVU, driving past it on most days, and... Read more
President Russell M. Nelson entered his 102nd year of mortality today. Remarkable. Here are a few links that seem appropriate to the occasion: “Church Releases Photo of President Nelson on the Eve of His 101st Birthday” “President Nelson’s Op-Ed in Time Magazine Hits the Right Note” “As President Nelson turns 101, here’s a look at how he’s brought temples ‘closer’ to Latter-day Saints: ‘Construction of these temples may not change your life, but your time in the temple surely... Read more
This particular item is probably also to be found — I haven’t looked for it there yet — in the legendary (but not merely mythical) Christopher Hitchens Memorial “How Religion Poisons Everything” File™: The Interpreter Foundation Podcast — August 21, 2025: Interpreter Articles and “Are Latter-day Saints Happier?” For the second 21 August 2025 episode of the Interpreter Foundation Podcast, Terry Hutchinson, John Gee, and John Thompson discussed various recent articles in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith... Read more
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