“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.  That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”  The Declaration of Independence   Please note that, according to the Founders, human rights are neither gifts from a generous State nor arbitrary expressions of passing... Read more

    When Angelina Jolie brought the remarkable book Unbroken to the screen, I feared and predicted that, in typical modern-Hollywood fashion, she would slight (if not altogether ignore) the deeply powerful religious aspect of Louis Zamperini’s already stunning story.   Unfortunately, the film lived down to my expectations.   (Please read the book.  It’s stunning.)   The same fear was realized when Les Misérables was turned into a movie.  It’s a good film.  I’ve enjoyed it more than once.... Read more

    There’s much more to Iran than a theocratic regime with which America has been at odds since the revolution of 1977.  This is a fun little item:   http://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/destinations/asia/iran/bam-iran-ancient-mud-city-unesco/   In my Humanities 242, we read (a substantial part of) Firdawsi’s Shahnameh in English translation, including the story alluded to in the linked article.   Posted from Boston, Massachusetts     Read more

      The background of these two apostle-scientists may be well known to everybody out there.  Or maybe not.  In either case, this short article might be of interest to some:   http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705371651/LDS-apostles-sought-truth-in-science-and-religion.html   Posted from Boston, Massachusetts     Read more

    FairMormon will be putting on its annual conference this year on Thursday and Friday, 3-4 August, in the Utah Valley Convention Center.   Incredibly, that’s only about a month away.   With the exception of one individual, the roster of speakers looks pretty good:   https://www.fairmormon.org/conference/august-2017   Make an effort to be there!  Plan on it.   Posted from Boston, Massachusetts   Read more

    A controversy has been swirling of late about a Conservative (or “Tory”) member of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from Scotland.  It seems that he is also a prominent Latter-day Saint leader, and that has upset some advocates of gay rights.   The writer of this letter in response to that controversy is obviously a very hateful person, like me:   http://www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/15384865.Tolerate_Mormons_too/   Perhaps, as a measure of our toleration and our love of diversity, he should... Read more

    If you want a place where the sun shines all day every day, you’ll probably get a desert.   Many years ago, an uncle came through Switzerland for a day or two.  He visited Lucerne/Luzern.   Afterwards, he told me that he thought the Alps pretty, but not really as impressive as he had expected.   I happened to know that it had been raining and foggy the whole time he was in the country.  And Luzern, while a... Read more

    “Everything that irritates us about others can lead to an understanding of ourselves.” C. G. Jung (d. 1961), Swiss psychiatrist Posted from Grindelwald, Switzerland     Read more

    If you haven’t had a chance to watch this thirty-year-old television interview with Dieter F. Uchtdorf, who was then serving as a stake president in Germany, I think you’ll enjoy it.  It’s roughly nine minutes long:   http://www.ldsliving.com/President-Uchtdorf-on-TV/s/85741?utm_source=ldsliving&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=popular&utm_content=pop2170701   Posted from Grindelwald, Switzerland     Read more

      Coming on the evening of Wednesday, 16 August 2017.   Mark the date!   https://bookofmormoncentral.org/events/chiasmus-day-2017   Posted from Grindelwald, Switzerland     Read more