In Which A Vocal “Heartlander” Compares Me To Satan

Messiah cover — From the BYU movie’s official site. (Fair Use)

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Some who accept the common political spectrum that puts Communists on the left and Nazis on the right like to point to the fact that the two extremes often come to resemble each other. (It’s partly for reason of precisely that resemblance that I’ve never accepted the traditional left/right spectrum, although that’s a matter for another discussion.)

Anyway, I’ve just been alerted to yet another area where seemingly opposing positions appear to converge:

“Jonathan Neville just likened Daniel Peterson to Satan”

(I like the snappy title of that report.)

A small coterie of my most obsessive ex- and anti-LDS critics effectively appear to be convinced that I’ve never done a decent deed, thought a humane or honest thought, achieved even the most insignificant competent act, said a civil or charitable thing, been impelled by an honorable motive, behaved other than in the most buffoonish possible way, or breathed a worthy breath. And now Mr. Jonathan Neville seems to have come to a similar conclusion, albeit by a rather different route. In view of such a growing consensus, I find that I myself am almost persuaded.

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But there are far worse things on this fallen planet than malicious silliness. And, at the Christmas season, it’s perhaps not inappropriate to give a thought to the situation of some of the world’s Christians:

“The United States Abandons Nigerian Christians”

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Here’s another take on the study that I mentioned in my immediately previous blog entry:

“A religious upbringing may reduce divorce risk — but probably not for the reason you think: “Religious Marriage Paradox” says when to marry hinges on life and relationship choices, not chronology”

Somehow, I overlooked it when I was rummaging around in the Christopher Hitchens Memorial “How Religion Poisons Everything” File© late last night. I guess that I was just too tired. My apologies.

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If you get the chance, watch BYU Television’s film about the creation of G. F. Händel’s great oratorio Messiah, for which Mark Goodman (the director of the Interpreter Foundation’s Witnesses theatrical film) was the co-director with Lee Groberg: