Tensions continue to mount between resolutely Sunni Saudi Arabia and militantly Shi‘i Iran:   http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/30/middleeast/hajj-deaths-saudi-iran-yemen/index.html   This is not good, and, if nuclear weapons sprout up in the region, it will be very bad indeed.   Posted from Victor, New York     Read more

    Another indication of the Prophet’s sincerity is the striking fact that his own family manifestly believed him.[1] “The parents and all living brothers and sisters of Joseph Smith believed his account of his visions. In fact, the two grandparents still alive in 1830 also believed.”[2] For example, Joseph Smith Sr., the Prophet’s father, traveled two hundred miles—a significant and taxing journey in the frontier America of that period—to carry a copy of the Book of Mormon to his... Read more

    We spent at least two hours this afternoon at the newly dedicated Priesthood Restoration Site in Oakland, Pennsylvania (formerly known as “Harmony”), where most of the Book of Mormon was translated, where the Aaronic priesthood was restored, and in the vicinity of which the Melchizedek priesthood was returned to earth.  (Directly adjacent is the McKune Cemetery, where Isaac and Elizabeth Hale, the parents of Emma Hale Smith, and Joseph and Emma’s infant firstborn son are buried.)   The... Read more

    Some of them — the Americans among them, anyway — are identified here, along with the areas in which they work:   http://www.nature.com/news/nanowires-stem-cell-transplants-and-wastewater-treatment-win-2015-macarthur-genius-grants-1.18461   Posted from Victor, New York     Read more

    Now, what do we hear in the gospel which we have received? A voice of gladness! A voice of mercy from heaven; and a voice of truth out of the earth; glad tidings for the dead; a voice of gladness for the living and the dead; glad tidings of great joy. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that bring glad tidings of good things, and that say unto Zion: Behold, thy God reigneth! As the dews of Carmel, so shall the knowledge... Read more

    As I’ve indicated, I’m ambivalent about Kim Davis, that Kentucky county clerk who refused to issue marriage documents for same-sex couples.  I agree with her on the substance, but I think her choices were either to issue the documents or to resign — barring some sort of work-around accommodation from the state, which would have been the best solution.   I’m also somewhat ambivalent about the hugely popular Pope Francis.  But he’s very well-liked by many on the... Read more

    The Interpreter Foundation is pleased to announce a presentation by Dr. Joshua Berman, Senior Lecturer in the Bible Department at Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel. On Wednesday, October 7, at 7:00 pm in the Varsity Theater at BYU, Provo, Utah, he will present “The Differences between the Tabernacle and the Temple: Architecture and Ideology.”   The event is open to the public, and admission is free. No registration is necessary. The Varsity Theater is in the northeast section... Read more

    Joseph Smith apparently expected to die at the hands of his enemies. “He well knew that he must sacrifice his life for the principles God had revealed through him,” said Lucy Walker Kimball. Yet “Death had no terrors for him although life was dear. I have often heard him say he expected to seal his testimony with his blood.”[1] “He was cheerful and comforting,” remembered Edward Stevenson. He said, “I shall not be sacrificed until my time comes; then... Read more

    http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/29/opinions/munayyer-palestinian-state/index.html   I rather like this article.   I agree with much of its reasoning, but I would also add this point:  An emphasis on equal human rights rather than on separate statehood would be good, as well, because neither the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip nor the Fatah/PLO-ruled West Bank has an acceptable record with respect to basic human rights and the rule of law.  Quite the contrary.   I see little value in replacing heavy-handed Israeli governance over Palestinians... Read more

    Okay.  I get the point.  And I’m not altogether unsympathetic:   http://janariess.religionnews.com/2015/09/28/the-mormon-modesty-wars-are-we-nearing-the-end-of-the-slut-shaming-epidemic/   I confess that I haven’t noticed any supposed “epidemic” of “slut-shaming” in Mormonism.  However, I pay little or no attention to the Oscars, the Grammys, the Emmys, People Magazine, the National Enquirer, and the Kardashians, and I don’t read blogs that focus on them.  So maybe I’ve missed it.   That, though, isn’t my major complaint here:   I think some of what Jana Riess says... Read more