An interesting perspective:   https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/13/opinion/sunday/do-muslims-have-to-be-democrats-now.html?_r=0   Personally, I think that conservatives should and could make a play for the Muslim vote.  But I doubt that it will happen any time soon.   Posted from somewhat to the north of Esna, Egypt     Read more

    We sailed early this morning from Aswan, stopping first at Kom Ombo, where we walked directly from the quay into the double temple there of Sobek and Horus.  Then, a short cruise took us to Edfu, where we rode to the remarkably well preserved temple of Horus at Edfu.   Back onboard our boat, the Amwaj Livingstone, the group gathered for a few Egypt- and Islam-oriented comments from me (and some Q&A).  We then went, in small groups,... Read more

    After our visits to the temples of Kom Ombo and Edfu today, I spoke for a few minutes to our group aboard ship.  Some (but not nearly all) of what I talked about can be found in this article from way back in 1994:   https://www.lds.org/ensign/1994/01/news-from-antiquity?lang=eng   Posted from somewhere to the north of Esna, Egypt     Read more

    “It is childish to assume that science began in Greece; the Greek ‘miracle’ was prepared by millenia of work in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and possibly in other regions. Greek science was less an invention than a revival.”  (George Sarton) The Belgian chemist George Sarton (d. 1956), who spent most of his academic career at Harvard, is generally considered the founder of the discipline of the history of science.   Posted from somewhere north of Esna, Egypt     Read more

    From time to time, it’s claimed that nineteenth-century Mormon leaders advocated, or even practiced, the murder (“blood atonement”) of apostates, adulterers, and other such folks.   Is there any truth to this accusation?   The estimable blog of Robert Boylan calls attention to two good treatments of the subject:   “Response to claims made in ‘Chapter 20: Blood Atonement'”   “‘Dead Men Tell No Tales!’ The Blood Atonement Balance Sheet”   Posted from Esna, Egypt     Read more

    “Anyone who wishes to understand the mind of the sacred writers must first cleanse his own life, and approach the saints by copying their deeds.” St. Athanasius of Alexandria (AD 296-373)   Posted from just north of Edfu, Egypt     Read more

    I’m more than a week late in posting this.  But then, I’ve been rather busy.  And, anyway, isn’t it amazing that I’m blogging — literally — while cruising in air conditioned comfort down the Nile, watching as the reeds and the green fields pass by?  The pharaohs and the Caesars could never have even dreamed of such a thing.   http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/relief-society-general-presidency-shares-insights-byu-womens-conference   Posted from somewhere just north of Kom Ombo, Egypt       Read more

    Book of Mormon Central has just posted a new 45-minute video (from a recent conference presentation):   “Covenant Patterns in the Old Testament and the Book of Mormon”   And, fairly recently, Dr. Dr. Halverson also published “Deuteronomy 17:14–20 as Criteria for Book of Mormon Kingship” in Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture.   Posted from Kom Ombo, Egypt     Read more

    Some of you certainly won’t approve of some of his imagery and illustrations, but here’s a conservative take on the latest Trumpisms:   http://www.nationalreview.com/g-file/447594/donald-trump-james-comey-debacle-fbi-director-fired-certified-letter   Curiously, the Egyptians with whom I’ve spoken about Mr. Trump seem to like him.  It’s scarcely a scientific sample — I’m talking about three or four men, max — and they’re not exactly representatives of the political elite or deeply informed.  But these have been real, non-English-speaking people, selected more or less at... Read more

    Today, 15 May, marks the anniversary of the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood.  Where did that event happen?   As this well-done five-minute video demonstrates, misconceptions about it have been cleared up in recent years:     Posted from Aswan, Egypt     Read more