German has a perfect word for what I’m now feeling:  Schadenfreude.   Chris Christie’s Low Approval Rating Just Broke an All-Time Record   It’s certainly not the highest of emotions.  On the whole, it’s rather unworthy of a Christian.   More than a few people saw Chris Christie’s behavior during the 2012 presidential election — including a convention keynote address in which, to a remarkable degree, he spoke about himself rather than about Mitt Romney, as well as... Read more

    A prominent voice from the conservative Never Trump movement comments on the president-elect’s recent Twitter controversy, and — I agree with him completely — somewhat more broadly:   http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/442842/donald-trump-boeing-air-force-one-tweet-story-behind-tweet     Read more

    This is a very good little statement from someone who’s been around the world a bit:   http://mormanity.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-church-in-changing-world-robert.html     Read more

    Encouraged by my wife, I’ve been enjoying the Anglo-American miniseries The Crown.  And, I must say, I’ve been enjoying it very much.   For someone who is both an Anglophile and a passionate lover of history, it’s a feast.   And, since I’ve been quite sick for the past week or so, it’s come at a very good time.  I’ve felt too terrible to read a lot of serious stuff, and Law and Order gets old fast.   I... Read more

    For the 189th scripture roundtable posted by the Interpreter Foundation, Bruce Webster, Martin Tanner, and Craig Foster discuss Ether 1-4 and Ether 6, which (by pure coincidence) happen to be the scriptural chapters on which 2016 Gospel Doctrine lesson 45 is based:   Scripture Roundtable 189: Book of Mormon Gospel Doctrine Lesson 45, Never Has Man Believed in Me As Thou Hast     Read more

    “I believe ‘Mormonism’ affords opportunity for disciples of the second sort: nay, that its crying need is for such disciples. It calls for thoughtful disciples who will not be content with merely repeating some of the truths, but will develop the truths; and enlarge it by that development. Not half — not one-hundredth part — not a thousandth part of that which Joseph Smith revealed to the church has yet been unfolded, either to the church or to... Read more

    I admire Art Sisneros for his principles and support his decision to resign:   Faith leads Texas GOP elector to resign rather than cast Trump ballot   For better or worse, Donald Trump is the president-elect of the United States of America.  I agree completely that the founders’ original vision was for us to vote for electors who would then meet, deliberate, and choose the president.  That, however, is not how the Electoral College has worked for a... Read more

    Thanks to Cody Quirk for calling my attention to this amusing poem, which, although obviously written from a Nicene Trinitarian point of view and containing one or two grammatical infelicities, refers to a genuine incident involving the original St. Nicholas of Myra that I mentioned last year in a blog entry titled “Jolly Old St. Nick”:   Twas The Night Of Nicea     Read more

    I posted a piece earlier today about a pretty obnoxious bit of extreme Trumpist anti-Mormonism.  Not the worst I’ve seen, but a helpfully sustained specimen of the toxic brew.   It turns out, though, that it comes from a closed Facebook group called ReTRUMPlicans (not, as I’ve been thinking of it, Trumper Room), which is, by its self-description, for Trump supporters only.  How I gained access to it, I have no idea.  (I know little about Facebook, really.)  I... Read more

    Some of you will, no doubt, be as impressed by the thoughtful reflections of Federico Freddy Cardella as I am:   https://www.facebook.com/groups/ReTRUMPlicans/permalink/1833069260309660/   It’s inspiring and comforting to know that our republic can boast such philosophers, such affectionate and respectful fellow citizens.  I believe that he’s produced some CDs of his singing, as well.  I wonder if it’s of the same striking quality.     Read more