“‘Hard’ Evidence of Ancient American Horses’ (Part 5)”

Last updated on: January 26, 2020 at 11:10 pm By Dan Peterson

In “‘Hard’ Evidence of Ancient American Horses’ (Part 1),” I began to extract notes from an article about Pre-Columbian horses in the Americas that appeared in 2015, surveying the state of the question at that time: Daniel Johnson, “‘Hard’ Evidence of Ancient American Horses,” BYU Studies Quarterly 54/3 (2015). I continue with that project, thinking that some might find my notes of interest: Growing up near Los Angeles, I often saw the fossils of the Western Horse (Equus occidentalis) that had... Read more

“All at once a light came down from above us”

Last updated on: January 26, 2020 at 11:14 pm By Dan Peterson

I’m in the process of extracting notes from a reading of Susan Easton Black and Larry C. Porter, Martin Harris: Uncompromising Witness of the Book of Mormon (Provo: BYU Studies, 2018). Below, I offer a reminiscence from David Whitmer that is cited by Black and Porter (on their page 143). David Whitmer was, with Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris, one of the so-called “Three Witnesses” to the Book of Mormon. This is what David Whitmer had to... Read more

We’re trying to help.

Last updated on: January 26, 2020 at 11:16 pm By Dan Peterson

Are you aware of the range of materials that the Interpreter Foundation produces in support of teachers and students in the Gospel Doctrine classes of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and, even more importantly, to support scripture study in the home? Here are some examples. All of this is available at no charge: Come, Follow Me Book of Mormon Lesson 4: January 20–26 “Armed with Righteousness and with the Power of God” 1 Nephi 11-15 Audio Roundtable: Come,... Read more

“Another Temple in Judah!” and another victory for the Book of Mormon

Last updated on: January 26, 2020 at 11:18 pm By Dan Peterson

One of the criticisms often leveled against the Book of Mormon is that no Jew would have built a temple outside of Jerusalem. Yet Nephi does just that, sometime in the early sixth century before Christ: “And I, Nephi, did build a temple; and I did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solomon save it were not built of so many precious things; for they were not to be found upon the land, wherefore,... Read more

In quest of the “real” but sadly invisible Planet Vulcan

Last updated on: January 26, 2020 at 11:21 pm By Dan Peterson

Yesterday, in a post entitled “Day breaks over Mercury in a white heat,” I quoted a passage from Dava Sobel, The Planets (New York: Penguin, 2006), 41, rxplaining how the “discovery” of the planet Neptune by means of calculations and predictions based on “perturbed” behavior of other astronomical objects took place a full year or so before Neptune itself was spotted through a telescope. And I commented that discovery by inference, as it might be termed, is fairly common... Read more

“Day breaks over Mercury in a white heat.”

Last updated on: January 26, 2020 at 11:25 pm By Dan Peterson

Notes from Dava Sobel, The Planets (New York: Penguin, 2006): “I know that I am mortal by nature, and ephemeral,” says an epigraph opening Ptolemy’s great astronomical treatise, the Almagest, “but when I trace at my pleasure the windings to and fro of the heavenly bodies I no longer touch earth with my feet: I stand in the presence of Zeus himself and take my fill of ambrosia, food of the gods.” (33-34) There is an... Read more

The Palestinians: An Invented People?

Last updated on: January 26, 2020 at 11:29 pm By Dan Peterson

Newt Gingrich is no longer a presidential candidate, of course. And, Donald Trump having sucked all of the oxygen out of the Republican room, he will never be again. But this response that I wrote to something that he said years ago when he was a candidate — a response that I published in the Deseret News on 14 December 2011 — may still be relevant, since the issue arises from time to time: Newt Gingrich presents... Read more

“Rethinking Alma 36,” and remembering Clayton Christensen

Last updated on: January 26, 2020 at 11:31 pm By Dan Peterson

I’m saddened to learn of the passing of Clayton Christensen: “Clayton Christensen, guru of disruptive innovation and Latter-day Saint leader, dies at 67: Apple’s Steve Jobs, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Netflix’s Reed Hastings and Intel’s Andy Grove looked to influential management thinker” “Clark Gilbert: How will you measure your life? A tribute to the life of Clay Christensen” I first met Clay when we were freshman dormitory neighbors at Brigham Young University. His roommate was the late... Read more

How I stopped being addicted to political news

Last updated on: January 24, 2020 at 10:55 am By Dan Peterson

For almost all of my life, I’ve been a news addict. Whenever I was putting on a shirt or tying my shoes, the television was on, tuned to an all-news channel. First, when it was essentially the only game in town, to CNN. Later, to Fox. One of the things that I can say about Donald Trump is that he has largely cured me of my addiction. I’m so very sick of hearing from him and about... Read more

Ice Cream, Babies, and the Pre-Mortal World

Last updated on: January 24, 2020 at 9:49 am By Dan Peterson

I came across this item earlier this morning, from CNN: “Baby eats ice cream for first time. See reaction that went viral.” It immediately reminded me of an experience from many years ago with my firstborn son. And when I showed it to my wife, she instantly thought of exactly the same thing. Our eldest son was born in a clinic on an island in the Nile River during the last year that we lived... Read more