*** In my surfing of the web this evening during a brief break from more important tasks, I ran across a curious comment. Its author, obviously a disaffected member or former member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, idly wondered why the Church is so “obsessed” — his or her word, not mine — with sex. Why does the Church care what consenting adults do with their bodies? Sex is, after all, merely a... Read more
*** First of all, Kyler Rasmusssen presses on with his Bayesian reflections on the Book of Mormon: “Estimating the Evidence Episode 19: On Uto-Aztecan” [Editor’s Note: This is the nineteenth in a series of 23 essays summarizing and evaluating Book of Mormon-related evidence from a Bayesian statistical perspective. See the FAQ at the end of the introductory episode for details on methodology.] Also new on the website of the Interpreter Foundation: Nibley Lectures: Come, Follow Me... Read more
*** Here’s a new item that’s just appeared on the website of the Interpreter Foundation, kindly supplied by Jonn Claybaugh: Come, Follow Me — D&C Study and Teaching Helps Lesson 47, November 15-November 21: D&C 133-134 — “Prepare Ye for the Coming of the Bridegroom” And this has also just one up on Interpreter’s website: Audio Roundtable: Come, Follow Me Doctrine and Covenants Lesson 47 “Prepare Ye for the Coming of the Bridegroom”: D&C... Read more
*** I’m delighted at this news, which comes right out of the Christopher Hitchens Memorial “How Religion Poisons Everything” File©: “Light the World Giving Machines Return During Christmas Season: Donations accepted at 10 US locations in 2021” And, while I was browsing in the Hitchens File©, I also came across this interesting piece: “US Muslims gave more to charity than other Americans in 2020” *** And some of you might find this... Read more
*** I’m looking forward to this, and I’ve marked Friday, 12 November 2021, on my calendar for it — at 2 PM, Utah time: “Catholic and Latter-day Saints Dialogue Event” Thanks to Cody Quirk for calling it to my attention. *** As the weather grows ever colder, nighttimes of sipping hot chocolate beckon. Amid all of the current pandemic and supply-chain issues, though, we shouldn’t complacently assume that marshmallows, a popular accompaniment to... Read more
*** I feel like sharing some quotations that I’ve previously gathered from believing scientists/mathematicians: “While . . . media attention goes to the strident atheists who claim religion is foolish superstition, and to the equally clamorous religious creationists who deny the clear evidence for cosmic and biological evolution, a majority of the people I know have no difficulty accepting scientific knowledge and holding to religious faith.” “Why do I believe in God? As a physicist, I... Read more
*** A new article appeared today in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship. It was written by someone too mean-spirited, nasty, dishonest, and ignorant to mention. (I’ve been reading some anonymous online comments about the author, so I know.) “Oh, That I Were an Angel!” Abstract: Alma’s conversion experience was both unusual and unusually powerful, and yet he fervently wished that he could provide others with the same experience. So much so, in fact,... Read more
*** My wife and I went last night to see a showing of The Most Reluctant Convert: The Untold Story of C. S. Lewis. at a theater near the local campus of the University of California at Irvine. We were expecting to go with a friend who was to be along with us for most of this trip, but she had a family medical development that kept her home. My wife liked the film; I loved... Read more
*** I’m deeply distressed to write this blog entry, but I feel that I should do so. Our friend Arthur VanWagenen, of Excel Entertainment, is in desperate medical straits. My wife and I met him slightly past midway in the development of the Interpreter Foundation’s Witnesses theatrical film. He was centrally involved in our recent Witnesses event at Provo’s Experience Events Center and we have been looking forward to working with him on the film’s DVD... Read more
*** A new installment of Kyler Rasmussen’s Bayesian reflections has just gone up on the website of the Interpreter Foundation: Estimating the Evidence Episode 18: On Imperfect Prophets [Editor’s Note: This is the eighteenth in a series of 23 essays summarizing and evaluating Book of Mormon-related evidence from a Bayesian statistical perspective. See the FAQ at the end of the introductory episode for details on methodology.] This in addition to the three items that went up yesterday: ... Read more
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