Thanks to the generous efforts of Tom Pittman and Russ Richins, the postprandial remarks made to donors and volunteers at the seventh annual Interpreter Foundation birthday dinner are now available (as usual, at no charge) to anybody who might be interested in hearing and seeing the speakers:   “The Interpreter Foundation 7th Annual Dinner and Fireside”   The breakdown is as follows:   Agenda: 00:00 Dan Peterson: Welcome 00:30 Russ Richins: Witnesses film production update 03:35 Dan Peterson:... Read more

    “And We have sent the Book down to you in truth, confirming what you already have of the Book and as a criterion for it. So judge between them by what God has sent down and do not follow their inclinations away from what has come to you of the truth. To each of you We prescribed a law and a method. Had God willed, He would have made you one faith-community, but [He intended] to test you in what He has given you;... Read more

    Sam LeFevre, who sometimes looks in on this unworthy blog, has kindly called my attention to an article that some of you might find interesting:   “Is Faith Delusion?”   I was unaware of the essay, but it reminded me of a column about the book that apparently grew out of it.  I published that column in the Deseret News back on 8 June 2017:   Until his retirement, Andrew Sims, former president of the United Kingdom’s Royal... Read more

    It’s a balmy and very still evening here in St. George.  As I sit typing on our balcony, I’m looking across an illuminated pool and a number of palm trees at a clearly visible full moon.  Frankly, it reminds me of evenings in the Middle East.   ***   Here are some resources from the Interpreter Foundation for those who teach Gospel Doctrine classes, those who attend them, and those who cannot attend them but would like to... Read more

    My wife and I attended a performance of Every Brilliant Thing this afternoon up in Cedar City.  It’s a funny (though occasionally touching) and fast-paced one-man play by Duncan Macmillan (with Johnny Donohoe) about . . . depression and suicide.  Michael Doherty did extremely well with it, and it obviously had an emotional impact on more than a few in the audience.  Afterwards, as Doherty stood in the foyer of the theater, I saw several people come up... Read more

    It has just been pointed out to me that, on one of his blogs — I don’t follow them myself — Mr. Jonathan Neville, perhaps the most vocal proponent of the so-called “Heartland model” of Book of Mormon geography, has again mentioned me.  And, as usual, he does so negatively.  So I will again mention Mr. Jonathan Neville.   In this latest blog entry, Mr. Neville has declared himself in favor of recognizing and respecting “other opinions” and... Read more

    Few Americans pay any attention to what’s going on in Africa, and especially in what we might call interior Africa.  Of course, we’re not overly good at noticing what goes on beyond our borders in general.  “War,” Ambrose Bierce once commented, “is God’s way of teaching Americans geography.”   Unfortunately, with regard to Africa I don’t do any better myself, most of the time.  I’m not sure what the reasons for that neglect are.  It’s a depressing area,... Read more

    I published the column below in the 22 March 2018 issue of the Deseret News:   The great Harvard philosopher and psychologist William James (1842-1910) took a very positive view of the effects of religious belief. “We and God have business with each other,” he wrote, “and in opening ourselves to his influence our deepest destiny is fulfilled. The universe … takes a turn genuinely for the worse or the better in proportion as each one of us... Read more

    We’re just back from a performance of Macbeth in Cedar City.  I regret to say that, although (with my wife) I’m a dedicated fan of the Utah Shakespeare Festival, I did not care for this performance very much.  We’ve been coming faithfully every year for more than three decades, never missing a play during the regular season, seldom missing any of the fall plays, and this may have been the weakest performance that I’ve seen here.  Which is particularly... Read more

  My wife and I had a pleasant lunch earlier today at the Centro Woodfired Pizzeria in Cedar City with Royal Skousen and Will Schryver and their wives.  (One wife each.  Not to be named here because they don’t deserve the abuse that some of my readers are inclined to sling about.)  There are few things more pleasant than good conversation, with friends, over good food.  Our waiter was from Italy, so Will and his wife enjoyed talking with him... Read more