A strange but remarkable story that’s included in John Burke, Imagine Heaven: Near-Death Experiences, God’s Promises, and the Exhilarating Future That Awaits You (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2015):   Eleven-year-old Jennifer was in a severe car accident and left her body.  She saw her “limp and lifeless body” below.  The voice of a spiritual being told her she needed to help the unconscious driver.  “His nose is cut off his face; you will need to go back and help... Read more

    “Marijuana may change the decision-making part of teen brains: A new rat study hints at damage during adolescence”   I’ve described myself on innumerable occasions here on this blog as a conservative who leans libertarian with respect to many issues.  Part of the point of that self-description is to indicate that I’m not a full-blown libertarian.  (I have . . . umm, reservations.)  And I’m certainly not a capital-L Libertarian.   I’m a strongly free-market guy.  And I’m... Read more

    The real question is not whether Joseph Smith knew Egyptian—no one has claimed that he did; or whether the book of Abraham is translated from the Book of Breathings—that, by universal admission, is impossible; or whether Joseph Smith was interested in producing an Egyptian grammar—he emphatically says that he was; or that the Alphabet and Grammar came to nothing—the men of Kirtland found it useless almost immediately and forgot it; or who is an Egyptologist and who is... Read more

    I was pleased to see this item in the Deseret News:   “‘Peace for a Palestinian’ tells story of Latter-day Saint woman’s faith amid war”   It reminded me of these two reviews of the book, which appeared in Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture:   “Dehumanization and Peace”   “Peace in the Holy Land”   ***   When I was a young man, Latter-day Saints were far more reflexively and uncritically pro-Israeli than they are today.  I... Read more

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    Some further useful notes from John L. Esposito and Dalia Mogahed, Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think (New York: Gallup Press, 2007), illustrating the diversity that is to be found across the Islamic world:   The majority of the world’s Muslims live in Asia and Africa, not the Arab world.  Only about one in five of the world’s Muslims are Arabs.  The largest Muslim communities are in Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, and Nigeria rather than Saudi... Read more

    That the Democrats regained control of the House of Representatives is unfortunate, from my point of view, but scarcely unexpected.  In fact, of course, it surprised very few.  The party out of power typically does well in off-year elections.   Was it a referendum on Mr. Donald J. Trump?  My sense is that, by and large, it was not.  (And I say that as someone who is scarcely a fan of Mr. Trump.)   Will we see Nancy... Read more

    In miscellaneous science news:   “Why the world should remember this forgotten Danish physicist: The little-known physicist Ludvig Lorenz ought to be better known, for he truly stands alongside the great figures in international science.”   “Discovery of ancient ramp may solve Egyptian pyramids mystery”   I found this article quite intriguing:   “The Hidden Coastal Culture of the Ancient Maya: For thousands of years, ancient Maya kings ruled a vast inland empire in Mexico and Belize. But just... Read more

    I will go forward. . . .  I will smile at the rage of the tempest, and ride fearlessly and triumphantly across the boisterous ocean of circumstance. . . .  And the ‘testimony of Jesus’ will light up a lamp that will guide my vision through the portals of immortality, and communicate to my understanding the glories of the Celestial kingdom.  (Eliza R. Snow, 1804-1887)    One of the greatest lights in the first generations of the Church... Read more

    While hosting me for my little fireside up in American Fork last Saturday, Ben Pack kindly gave me (among other things) a copy of David Hammer, comp., The Pamphlets of Orson Pratt: The Complete Collection (Salt Lake City: Eborn Publishing, 2017)   One of the essays contained in the volume is “Evidences of the Book of Mormon and Bible Compared,” which was published as Number 4 in the series Divine Authenticity of the Book of Mormon.  This particular... Read more