The Interpreter Foundation has already published several books:   http://www.mormoninterpreter.com/books/   Do you have them?   Do all your neighbors, friends, and loved ones have them?   If not, you’d better hurry, because there are additional books just slightly over the horizon.     Read more

    It is not always easy to live in the world and not be a part of it. We cannot live entirely with our own or unto ourselves, nor would we wish to. We must mingle with others. In so doing, we can be gracious. We can be inoffensive. We can avoid any spirit or attitude of self-righteousness. But we can maintain our standards. The natural tendency will be otherwise, and many have succumbed to it. In 1856, when... Read more

    This week’s Thursday column for the Deseret News:   http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865641246/Mormonism-and-the-terrible-questions.html     Read more

    The planet Mars has two moons, Phobos and Deimos.  But Phobos is apparently heading for catastrophic structural failure in just 30-50 million years:   http://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/phobos-is-falling-apart   So cook up some popcorn, put on a coat, grab your binoculars, put out a lawn chair, and enjoy the show!     Read more

    The first is from Noah Feldman, and appeared in the Bloomberg View:   “Mormons’ Peace with Gay Marriage Only Goes So Far”   I almost called this post “Two comments from Gentiles on the controversial recent policy change.”  But then I thought, “No, can’t do that.  Noah Feldman is Jewish.”  Then I thought, “But that would be funny.”  But then I thought, “No, never mind.  It would probably take too much explaining.  And somebody would probably be offended.  (Or... Read more

    I love this quotation from President Hugh B. Brown, who was first counselor in the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for my early formative years and for whom I had (and have) great admiration:   “I admire men and women who have developed the questioning spirit, who are unafraid of new ideas and stepping stones to progress. We should, of course, respect the opinions of others, but we should also be unafraid... Read more

    A panel discussion was convened on this topic at Utah Valley University on Friday afternoon.  I wasn’t a participant and, as it turned out, I was unable to attend.   However, texts have now been posted for the various presentations:   http://ldsmag.com/faith-reason-and-the-critical-study-of-mormon-apologetics/   And here’s a summary of the discussion as seen by Dr. John Gee, who was there.   The texts make for interesting reading.  There are a few assertions to which I would take exception; for what... Read more

    Matthew 26:21-25 Mark 14:18-21 John 13:21-30 Compare Luke 22:21-23   Two quick observations:   1.   Each of the eleven apostles who were innocent in this matter worried that he might be the one who would betray Jesus.  This is commendable.  On this occasion, at least, none of them seems to have imagined himself invincible, impervious to sin or temptation.   We should all recognize our own capacity to mess up badly.  Those who don’t recognize it, I think,... Read more

    This is odd, and intriguing:   http://news.discovery.com/history/ancient-egypt/striking-anomaly-found-in-great-pyramid-151109.htm     Read more

    A little item by John Gee (who earned an M.A. in Near Eastern studies from the University of California at Berkeley after completing undergraduate studies at Brigham Young University, and then proceeded to receive his Ph.D. in Egyptology from Yale University), in which he responds to a little item by an anonymous internet author:   http://fornspollfira.blogspot.com/2015/11/on-supposed-tips-for-lds-graduate.html     Read more