The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is often accused by its critics of unseemly interference in political matters. I’ve seldom if ever been impressed by the accusation. But I did, just once, see a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles consciously and expressly seeking to have a political impact that he deemed to be in the interest of the Church. In view of the current dishearteningly toxic partisanship that I’m observing, to my... Read more
From a recent article by the superb conservative commentator Jonah Goldberg: I have criticized—and defended—Mitt Romney many times. But the effort, admittedly mostly from the worst goons, buffoons, and satraps of Trumpism, to describe him as a person of low character in defense of President Trump is one of the ugliest political spectacles I have ever witnessed. Has Romney at times been calculating? Of course. He’s a politician. But the suggestion that he is not an honest... Read more
Here’s a remarkable little essay by the Dutch computer scientist and philosopher Bernardo Kastrup that merits some serious pondering: “Consciousness Cannot Have Evolved: The sooner we acknowledge it, the sooner we’ll solve the hard problem of consciousness” And here’s another provocative essay by Manuel Berdoy, of the Division of Medical Sciences at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom: “Have Humans Evolved Beyond Nature?” This brief article provides a very interesting opportunity for introspection: “Neurodiversity and... Read more
I continue to share passages that I marked while reading a book written by Marvin J. Besteman with the assistance of Lorilee Craker: My Journey to Heaven: What I Saw and How It Changed My Life (Grand Rapids: Revell, 2012). Mr. Besteman, who died (for the last time) in 2012, had a career as a banker in the area of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Here are some further passages describing what he claimed to have seen during his near-death experience,... Read more
Of course, nobody really expected graciousness from President Trump: “Trump Hits Romney as ‘Democrat'” And, quite predictably, many infuriated Trumpists have been denouncing Senator Romney as a “RINO,” a “Repubican in Name Only.” This is flat nonsense. It is either ignorant or dishonest or some blend of the two. My friend and neighbor Tom L. Pittman VII posted a refreshing bit of sanity on Facebook the other day and has kindly given me permission... Read more
Another new article has appeared in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship. It was written by Dr. Stanford Carmack: “Bad Grammar in the Book of Mormon Found in Early English Bibles” Abstract: This study describes ten types of grammatical usage found in early modern Bibles with correlates in the original text of the Book of Mormon. In some cases Joseph Smith’s own language could have produced the matching grammar, but in other cases his own... Read more
Since I’m not a fan of Mr. Donald J. Trump and since I have recently posted and will shortly post some items that have infuriated his partisans, I think it important to offer some context for my position: I’ve been repeatedly denounced as a liberal because of my disinclination to bow the knee to Mr. Trump. One of my personal favorites came from a poster on my Facebook page, who declared how “sad” it is that I’m... Read more
I’ve plainly angered and alienated a number of people over the past day or so because of my belief that Mitt Romney’s principled and courageous vote in the Senate regarding the impeachment of President Trump is worthy of respect, regardlesss of one’s stance on the merits of his vote. So — what the heck! — it occurs to me that I might as well resurrect a blog entry that I posted almost exactly three years ago, on 4... Read more
I published the article below in the Provo Daily Herald on 1 December 1999: The approach of the year 2000 has led to much reflection, speculation, and arrant nonsense. For some it has become an excuse to celebrate the “party of the millennium.” Some fear the economic and social chaos of the Y2K bug. Others expect the apocalypse; hundreds are flocking to Jerusalem to prepare for what they believe to be the imminent return of Christ. Few... Read more
I published this column in the Provo Daily Herald on or around 5 March 2001: Notwithstanding the international outcry that followed their announcement that they intended to destroy two massive ancient statues of the Buddha, the Taliban militia who control 90% of Afghanistan have apparently proceeded with the demolition. “It is not a big issue,” said Taliban minister of information and culture Mawlawi Qudratullah Jamal. “The statues are objects only made of mud or stone.” The two... Read more
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