*** I published this column in the Deseret News for Christmas 2012. The reference to Newtown, Connecticut, was inspired — if that’s the right word for it — by the terrible massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, which had just occurred on 14 December of that year: His first wife, Mary, died after a miscarriage. His second wife, Fanny, died in a freak household fire. Trying to save her, he himself was burned so... Read more
*** I often consider the question in my mind of which holiday I regard as the most important, Christmas or Easter. I’m inclined, on the whole, toward Easter, because it commemorates two of the most fundamentally important events in both the divine plan and human history: the Atonement of Jesus Christ and his Resurrection. If those two events had not occurred, Christmas would be of no real significance. On the other hand, of course, if... Read more
*** I had certainly not planned that this year’s Interpreter Christmas message would be . . . well, from me. In fact, I had things all arranged for an essay from someone else. But then there were complications. And they came too late for me to reasonably impose on anybody other than myself. So I hurriedly threw something together, and it has just appeared: “Christmas and a Condescending God,” by Daniel C. Peterson Abstract: As religious holidays... Read more
*** And it came to pass that he cried mightily unto the Lord all that day; and behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying: Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfil all that which I have caused to be... Read more
*** And behold, he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers, she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God. And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him... Read more
*** Today marks the anniversary of the birth of the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1805. Which, I suppose, explains why I was awakened this morning by the distant sound of braying donkeys. Some critics of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are rolling out their annual claim that Latter-day Saints celebrate “Smithmas,” the Prophet’s birthday, with more enthusiasm and vigor than we celebrate the mainstream Christian holiday of Christmas. For many such unfortunates, I... Read more
*** Interpreter Radio Show — November 28, 2021 The 28 November 2021 broadcast of the Interpreter Radio Show, which featured Mark Johnson, Matthew Bowen, and Kerry Muhlestein, has been purified from commercial and other interruptions, archived, and, now, made available to the general public at absolutely no charge. In the first hour of this episode, Brothers Johnson, Bowen, and Muhlestein discussed new books on Abraham, Moses, and Isaiah. The second portion of the show, by contrast, was... Read more
*** I failed to mention that some new pieces went up yesterday on the website of the Interpreter Foundation. Here they are: Nibley Lectures: Come, Follow Me Old Testament Lesson 1 “This Is My Work and My Glory”: Moses 1; Abraham 3 During the Winter Semester of 1986 at Brigham Young University, Dr. Hugh W. Nibley, a professor emeritus of ancient scripture at BYU, presented a series of twenty-six lectures to an Honors class on The... Read more
*** As we’ve often done when we’ve been here in the Richmond area, we’ve driven past a huge Philip Morris production facility at least twice each day. Right now, it’s brightly lit up with Christmas ornaments and Christmas trees; its six prominent towers are illuminated in alternating red and green light. Merry Christmas! I’ve long wondered, though, about cigarette companies. What would it be like to work in an industry of which the product, if used... Read more
In scattered moments at the beginning of the day and at its end, I’ve been reading a condensed version of Churchill — Der Kampf ums Überleben 1940/65, which is a German translation of Winston Churchill –The Struggle for Survival 1940-1965, which (in its turn) is allegedly (though somewhat controversially) based on the diary of Lord Moran (Sir Charles Wilson), his personal physician. It offers an interesting perspective on Churchill and the Second World War. I’ve marked just a... Read more
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