Here are some of my final notes from Bart J. Kowallis, “In the Thirty and Fourth Year: A Geologist’s View of the Great Destruction in 3 Nephi,” BYU Studies 37/3 (1997-1998): The most detailed accounts of “thick darkness” accompanying an explosive volcanic eruption come from the vicinity of Krakatoa, in August 1883. This passage, for instance, comes from a report from the first officer of the ship W. H. Besse regarding 26 August of that year: [T]he sky was... Read more
President Russell M. Nelson of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has recorded a three-minute video message for members of the Church: “President Nelson Shares Message of Hope during Coronavirus Outbreak” *** A little bit earlier this evening, I received the following call for papers from my long-time friend and colleague (and former companion in the Switzerland Zürich Mission) Professor Stephen D. Ricks. If you’re interested in presenting, we would enjoy receiving... Read more
And then behold, there was darkness upon the face of the land. And it came to pass that there was thick darkness upon all the face of the land, insomuch that the inhabitants thereof who had not fallen could feel the vapor of darkness; And there could be no light, because of the darkness, neither candles, neither torches; neither could there be fire kindled with their fine and exceedingly dry wood, so that there could not be any... Read more
In the midst of a global pandemic during which public religious services are being heavily reduced and even canceled, wouldn’t it be great to be affiliated with a religious movement in which, although supported by the church, devotional and instructional life was actually centered on the home? A movement that has invested enormously in electronic media, including films and the like? Media that can be safely used without any need to emerge from the safe confines of one’s... Read more
I received the item below as an email from the California Islamic University, an innovative attempt to provide an Islamic higher education with a distinctly American or at least Western flavor. Its campus is located in Fullerton, California — not too terribly far from my own native stomping grounds in southern California. I’m very much in sympathy with what I think they’re trying to do, and I wish them success. With their kind permission, I reproduce below... Read more
Occasionally, when I’m reading online comments from some of the more embittered, alienated, cynical, and angry critics of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I’m powerfully reminded of a passage from near the conclusion of The Last Battle, which is, itself, the final volume in C.S. Lewis’s wonderful series “The Chronicles of Narnia”: Aslan raised his head and shook his mane. Instantly a glorious feast appeared on the Dwarfs’ knees: pies and tongues and pigeons and trifles... Read more
A new article in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship has just been posted for your enjoyment. As always, thanks to the wonderful generosity of donors and volunteers, it is accessible to you free of charge. To modify slightly the words of Herodotus that have often served as something of any unofficial motto for the United States Postal Service, “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night nor the coronavirus stays these couriers... Read more
Responding to my blog entry of Thursday entitled “Medicine Versus the Priesthood?” a reader of this blog who calls himself “The Last Danite” has provided a very useful quotation from Dallin H. Oaks, who is currently serving as first counselor in the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “The Last Danite” took the passage from a 2010 General Conference address by then-Elder Oaks that can be found here. As usual President Oaks... Read more
Particularly in the wake of announcements about — to choose some prominent examples — the coronavirus-driven withdrawal of missionaries from certain areas, the closing of the Conference Center to the public for the approaching annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the suspension of classroom teaching at Brigham Young University, and the temporary cancellation of all Church meetings, I’ve been seeing a raft of genuinely juvenile comments by embittered and disaffected former believers.... Read more
I have to admit that I’m not surprised, in view of the announcement from Utah Governor Gary Herbert (“Utah governor limits mass gatherings in state to 100 people: Multiple universities announce move to online classes”): March 12 Situation Update Consistent with the CES guidelines issued last night, BYU has made the following decisions. Classes: Classes on March 13, 16 and 17 are cancelled. All courses at BYU, including its Salt Lake Center, will resume March 18 through remote... Read more
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