A marvelous article by Matt Holland, historically informative and, even more, inspiring:   https://www.lds.org/ensign/2015/06/the-path-to-palmyra?lang=eng     Read more

    “Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.” Booker T. Washington (1856-1915)     Read more

    It’s fashionable in some (usually politically and theologically leftish) Mormon, fringe-Mormon, and ex-Mormon circles to despise Brigham Young.  He’s routinely denounced as a misogynist and a racist, as if — even if those epithets were accurate — that would count as a more or less exhaustive description of the second president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.   And, even among some still-believing Latter-day Saints, there’s occasional deep discomfort with him.   So I would... Read more

    I thought the movie fairly good.  I can recommend it.  The story, however, is both true and deeply, deeply significant:   http://www.examiner.com/article/movie-the-cokeville-miracle-is-one-not-to-miss   Here’s the film’s Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/CokevilleTheMovie?fref=ts         Read more

        “Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing. Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go... Read more

    I’m in a poetic vein.  And it’s the Sabbath.  So, here, I share one of the greatest religious poems in the English language, by John Donne.  I’ve modernized the spelling and simplified the punctuation a bit, for the sake of clarity:   Death be not proud, though some have called thee Mighty and dreadfull, for thou art not so, For those whom thou think’st thou dost overthrow Die not, poor death, nor yet canst thou kill me. From... Read more

    An interesting list:   http://www.famousscientists.org/25-famous-scientists-who-believed-in-god/   I realize, of course, that there’s been debate about Einstein’s religious views.  I’m inclined to think that, although he definitely wasn’t a standard or orthodox theist, he was, still, in a real sense, religious.  Certainly, on at least one occasion, he strenuously denied the claim that he was an atheist.     Read more

    Cassandra Hedelius, Martin Tanner, and Bruce Webster joined in this 126th roundtable from the Interpreter Foundation to discuss Acts 1-5 in conjunction with 2015 Gospel Doctrine lesson 28:   http://www.mormoninterpreter.com/scripture-roundtable-126-new-testament-gospel-doctrine-lesson-28-we-are-witnesses/     Read more

    Luke 10:17-20 Compare Mark 16:17-18; John 12:31   This passage has always struck me as very interesting on a human level.   For instance, the surprised delight of the Seventy at the power that they’ve been granted seems very believable to me.  Jesus actually has to caution them that the vesting of that power in them isn’t really the most important thing.   More striking to me, though, is the seemingly out-of-the-blue remark in Luke 10:18.  It’s as... Read more

    I’ve already called attention to the exchange between Dr. Phillip Jenkins, a Catholic-turned-Episcopalian historian at Baylor University who has suddenly emerged as a harsh critic of the Book of Mormon and those who believe in it, and my friend Dr. William Hamblin:   Here.   And here.   The conversation has continued since then, with these two entries: Jenkins Rejoinder 2 Jenkins Response 5: Peer Review     Read more