There are, I regret to say, a few sad souls out there who have sought to weaponize the relatively high rate of suicide in Utah against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. If they deign to notice this article by Stephen Cranney, however, they will be sorely disappointed: “Does faith drive suicide in Utah? What the data says: It’s been surprisingly common to see this hypothetical correlation being promoted. But a closer examination of respected datasets simply doesn’t... Read more
Our group traveled from Rome to Florence this morning and, upon arrival, immediately set out in various directions on foot to see the city. My wife and I spent our time in the city’s magnificent cathedral. Truth be told, the interior is pretty open and sparse, a fact that some explain as part of the legacy of the ascetic Dominican reformer (or zealot) and martyr (or heretic) Girolamo Savonarola (1452-1498). But we enjoyed sitting in the cathedral, reading about... Read more
As the late great Ray Bradbury once wrote, something wicked this way comes. I have in mind Episode 5 Trailer | A Marvelous Work. You’ve been warned. Today was principally devoted to the spectacular Musei Vaticani, the Sistine Chapel, and Saint Peter’s Basilica. Magnificent. Probably my favorite of the very many wonderful aspects of Rome (apart now, of course, from Italy’s “Temple Square,” where we spent significant portions of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday). Our visit — led by a... Read more
This time, I think that I’ll lead off with a few items that I’ve retrieved from the Christopher Hitchens Memorial “How Religion Poisons Everything” File™. Sometimes, it’s just plain advisable to get the painful and the bitter out of the way first: “Helping Premature Babies Survive in South Africa: “This is faith in action — and the most beautiful kind of example of faith in action that I can imagine,” Elder Christofferson says” “The Church of Jesus Christ Makes... Read more
These new articles went up yesterday on the Interpreter Foundation website. My apologies for being late in calling attention to them; the eight-hour time difference between Rome and home throws me off my routine in some ways: “The Seven Women Seeking the Bridegroom: Isaiah 4:1 as Transition Point in a Redemption Allegory,” written by Jared T. Marcum Abstract: Nephi laboriously copied many of the words of Isaiah in hopes that his readers would rejoice in Christ. While Isaiah 4:1... Read more
I love Rome. And, perhaps rather curiously, it is the Christian heritage of “the eternal city” that fascinates me even more than its fascinating classical history. Here are a trio of past columns that I wrote about Rome for the Deseret News: “Why was Peter in Rome?” (https://www.deseret.com/2014/6/12/20543095/why-was-peter-in-rome/) “There is much of Christian history, in stone, in St. Peter’s Basilica: St. Peter’s Basilica ranks among the greatest and most important monuments of Christian history” (https://www.deseret.com/faith/2020/2/13/21129701/daniel-peterson-there-is-much-of-christian-history-in-stone-in-st-peters-basilica-catholic-vatican/) “Papal conclaves offer not... Read more
First of all, I share with you some images (and their captions) that have been sent to me by Jeff Bradshaw (under the fitting title of “Detective Work at Historic Sites”) from Rwanda, where he and others are gathering additional material for the Interpreter Foundation’s Not by Bread Alone film project (on which, see here or here). It is really important to preserve these stories before memories and locations are completely lost. I couldn’t help being reminded of Mosiah... Read more
We walked this morning over to Ravenna’s octagonal “Arian Baptistry,” which was erected by the Ostrogothic King Theodoric the Great around the end of the fifth century AD or the beginning of the sixth century, roughly contemporary with the Basilica of Sant’ Apollinare Nuovo (which we visited yesterday). The mosaic illustrations on the interior of its dome are exquisite. Then we caught a bus out to the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare in Classe, near what’s left of the ancient Roman... Read more
I recently came across a story that I had heard before about the late Queen Elizabeth II. I heard it once when she was still alive, and then again during the period of mourning shortly after her death. I think that it’s really funny, so I’m sharing it here just in case somebody reading my blog hasn’t heard it. (I aim to serve.) A funny and true story about the Queen: Around 2005, the Queen and her Personal Protection... Read more
The other day, while we were driving about in Virginia, we had some very good views of a full or nearly full moon. And they reminded me of a poetic bit of science writing that I had recently re-encountered, from Dava Sobel, The Planets (New York and London: Penguin Books, 2006). Ms. Sobel begins by talking about the waxing and the waning of the moon First to come or go is high, round Mare Crisium (the Sea of Crises),... Read more
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