Tyler Moulton kindly called my attention to the second of the two articles immediately below and then, from it, I found the first of the pair. They’re longish, but they’re really interesting and thought-provoking and I would love to hear responses to them from readers who know more about medicine and public health issues than I do. (Heck, given my notorious hostility toward science — see, for that, the final portion of “Coronavirus presents millennials with a generational... Read more
I’m shocked and dismayed at the number of people who still don’t appear to be taking COVID-19 seriously. For those — and especially for the young and, therefore, the immortal among them — I offer some links. The first, especially, should be rather sobering: “Modeling study suggests 18 months of COVID-19 social distancing, much disruption” “Coronavirus presents millennials with a generational moment” “An open letter to my peers partying on the beach” “CNN’s Tapper... Read more
I’m deeply saddened to say that the tour that I was scheduled to lead to the Passionsspiele Oberammergau, the Wartburg, Mauthausen, Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Berlin, and so forth, has been canceled. Why? Because the Oberammergau Passion Play itself has been canceled. As Shakespeare’s Friar Lawrence says to Juliet, Lady, come from that nest Of death, contagion, and unnatural sleep. A greater power than we can contradict Hath thwarted our intents. (Romeo and Juliet V.iii.163-166) To be... Read more
A new article– this one by Mark J. Johnson — has appeared in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship: “The Lost Prologue: Reading Moses Chapter One as an Ancient Text” Abstract: The character and complexion of the Prophet Joseph Smith’s translation of the Bible (JST) is often a puzzle to students and scholars. One text in particular, the first chapter of the Book of Moses, claims that its very words would be lost and later restored to... Read more
I published this article on 18 October 2018 in the print edition of the Deseret News and online in LDS Living: Let’s assume, for the sake of discussion, that the declarations of the official witnesses to the Book of Mormon are true. (I’m happy to argue for their truth, but that’s not today’s topic.) What, if anything, would they establish? Some critics correctly observe that the testimonies of the witnesses don’t, by themselves, demonstrate that ancient Nephites... Read more
Pestilence and disease? Check. Earthquake? Check. Plague of locusts? Check! Jerusalem Post: “Swarms of locusts expected to plague Africa and Middle East, UN group says: The swarms represent “an unprecedented threat to food security,” according to the Locust Watch website.” “Locust swarm branded ‘scourge of biblical proportions’ by UN as new plague forecast: The locust swarm ravaging East Africa is a “scourge of biblical proportions” according to a statement released by the United... Read more
What would a day be without links to stories about the coronavirus? “The coronavirus pandemic in five powerful charts: From papers published to carbon emissions to confirmed cases, these data reveal an unprecedented viral outbreak and its impacts around the world.” This is potentially positive news: “New study says ‘high temperature and high relative humidity significantly reduce’ spread of COVID-19” “Scientists Can Now Accelerate COVID-19 Testing By Screening Multiple Samples at the Same Time” ... Read more
I hear hints of a premortal existence in the famous “Song of the Flute” from the opening of the Mathnavi, written by the great Persian Sufi poet Jalal al-Din Rumi (1207-1273). Why, Rumi asks, implicitly comparing a reed flute to the human soul, is the sound of the flute so plaintive and sad? Listen to the song of the reed, How it wails with the pain of separation: “Ever since I was taken from my reed bed My woeful... Read more
Many of us are essentially trapped at home these days. Our usual activities — e.g., cockfighting, bear-baiting, chariot races, gladiatorial combat, and rambling through exotic bazaars, gambling halls, saloons, and opium dens — have been closed down. Some of us are even having to work from home. But we’re not left without resources, without things that we can enjoy safely and from within the confines of our domestic castles. Here, for instance, are three new online offerings... Read more
I don’t know that this has any direct relevance to the claims of the Book of Mormon, but it does — at a minimum — illustrate how very much we still have to learn about the peopling of the Western hemisphere and how complex and multifold that process appears to have been: “Paleo-Mexican Skulls Found in Quintana Roo Show Unexpected Diversity: ‘Talking about the settlement of the Americas is like building a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle with only about... Read more
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