“Generational Curses and Inheritance in the Book of Abraham”

Last updated on: December 8, 2022 at 10:09 pm By Dan Peterson

““Being of that Lineage”: Generational Curses and Inheritance in the Book of Abraham,” written by John S. Thompson Abstract: The seeming appearance of a lineal or generational curse in the Book of Abraham has been used erroneously to marginalize people and justify racist ideas in Latter-day Saint history. To avoid any further misinterpretation of scripture in ways that are hurtful to others, the following attempts to elucidate the meaning of lineal curses within the Book of Abraham’s claimed ancient provenance.... Read more

New, from the Interpreter Foundation!

Last updated on: December 1, 2022 at 5:44 pm By Dan Peterson

I’m pleased to announce two new items that have appeared on the website of the Interpreter Foundation. The first was created by Alan Sikes. It will be, I think, a very helpful resource for many people: “Introducing the General Conference, Improvement Era, and Journal of Discourses Bibliography Collections” Have you ever had questions like the following, while preparing a talk or article or when just curious: [Question] Are there General Conference talks mentioning “many mansions”? [Answer] There have been 79 General Conference talks... Read more

Some Ways to Light the World

Last updated on: December 1, 2022 at 5:57 pm By Dan Peterson

Four new links have appeared on the website of the Interpreter Foundation over roughly the past twenty-four hours. I hope that you enjoy them: “Nibley Lectures: Time Vindicates the Prophets — Prophets and Miracles” Between 7 March 1954 and 17 October 1954, Hugh Nibley delivered a series of thirty weekly lectures on KSL Radio that were also published as pamphlets. The series, which was called “Time Vindicates the Prophets,” was given in answer to those who were challenging... Read more

“How inexpressibly sad are all holidays.”

Last updated on: December 1, 2022 at 6:02 pm By Dan Peterson

As I write, there are only twenty-five shopping days remaining until Christmas. But I hope that, amidst all of the frenetic activity that precedes the biggest holiday of the year, we’ll all be able to find at least a little bit of time for reflection. Here is something that I wrote for Christmas 2012. It hadn’t been a good year for me. In fact, it was the worst year of my life. Among other things, suddenly and... Read more

It’s the most generous time of the year

Last updated on: December 1, 2022 at 6:11 pm By Dan Peterson

For various reasons — some probably having to do with the emotions and sentiments of the holiday season and others no doubt connected with American tax policy and the Internal Revenue Service — a disproportionate percentage of annual charitable donations are made during the final quarter of the year, at least in the United States of America. More specifically, the highest number of such donations arrives between Thanksgiving Day and 31 December. As you may have noticed, we’ve... Read more

A story, briefly heard when I was still in my teens, that has stayed with me ever since

Last updated on: December 1, 2022 at 7:12 pm By Dan Peterson

Slightly more than four years ago, I posted two back-to-back blog entries about an experience that made a deep impression on me and that, consequently, has remained with me for many decades, well into my current state of advanced geezerly old age. It was that important to me. I reproduce the two blog entries here, unchanged: Many, many years ago, before my mission, somewhere around 1970-1971 when I was a freshman at BYU, I began to attend... Read more

To Be a Witness

Last updated on: December 1, 2022 at 6:07 pm By Dan Peterson

A newly available video is up online from the Interpreter Foundation: “Witnesses of the Book of Mormon — Insights Episode 32: To Be a Witness” The need to stand as a witness is not just something from historical times, but just as necessary today. President of the Interpreter Foundation, Dan Peterson, shares his witness of the witnesses, and of the Book of Mormon. This is the thirty-second in a series compiled from the many interviews conducted during the... Read more

“Rethinking the Encounter between Jacob and Sherem”

Last updated on: November 29, 2022 at 6:10 am By Dan Peterson

Two new articles have just gone up in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship: “Rethinking the Encounter between Jacob and Sherem,” written by Loren Blake Spendlove Abstract: The Book of Mormon story of Jacob and Sherem has been evaluated and interpreted from many different viewpoints over the years. In his retelling of the story, Jacob crafted a cautionary tale of religious hubris and self-importance that can serve as an important lesson for members of the church today. In... Read more

Two final thoughts on Thanksgiving

Last updated on: November 25, 2022 at 8:51 pm By Dan Peterson

I wrote these two columns in 2016 and 2017: It’s not insignificant that the verbs “to think” and “to thank” (compare German “denken” and “danken”) share the same linguistic root. The scriptures are replete with exhortations to “remember,” to reflect, to thank: “O give thanks unto the Lord,” says the psalmist (105:1-5), “call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works. ... Read more

For Thanksgiving Day

Last updated on: November 29, 2022 at 6:15 am By Dan Peterson

Happy Thanksgiving! I hesitated just a bit before deciding to call your attention to a new piece that has appeared on the blog of the Interpreter Foundation, where it will remain for the next several weeks. Today is an important holiday here in the United States, and I don’t want to mar or distract from the spirit of the day, which I hope will be a wonderful one for all who observe it. But this item has... Read more

Who predicted the fall of Tyre?