We were up very early this morning for the first day of this year’s Israel tour, driving through ancient Jaffa/Joppa/Yafo, and then up to Caesarea Maritima, where, among other things, we walked around in the ancient theater, Herod’s palace, the hippodrome, and the more recent Muslim section.  Then we visited the Roman aqueduct that provided fresh water to the city, and drove up to the traditional location of the prophet Elijah’s contest with the priests of Baal.  After... Read more

    It turns out that our reddish friend — no, not that one — is distinctly weird   But why?   Here’s a suggestion:   https://www.sciencenews.org/article/mars-may-not-have-been-born-alongside-other-rocky-planets?tgt=nr   Posted from Tiberias, Israel     Read more

    Book of Mormon Central offers an interesting answer to that question:   https://knowhy.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/what-does-the-book-of-mormon-teach-about-the-temple   Posted from Tiberias, Israel     Read more

    “We should be too big to take offense and too noble to give it.”  Abraham Lincoln     Posted from Tiberias, Israel     Read more

    A review of a book that, if its argument is sound, is truly revolutionary:   http://www.mormoninterpreter.com/exploring-semitic-and-egyptian-in-uto-aztecan-languages/#more-10398   Posted from Tiberias, Israel     Read more

    http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865678578/The-Bible-1-helpful-but-not-read-much.html   Many homes will have a copy of the Bible that is utterly pristine, because it’s too sacred to actually be read.  (I saw this often on my mission in Switzerland, but it’s certainly true in America and elsewhere, as well.)  In such cases, the Bible functions rather like a talisman.  I recall one exceptionally bright Catholic gentleman of my father’s generation whom I knew well (and liked) from my earliest years.  Whenever a religious question came up —... Read more

    I’m grateful to Robert Boylan for reminding me of a wonderful article by the wonderful David L. Paulsen:  “Divine Embodiment: The Earliest Christian Understanding of God.”   I recommend it enthusiastically.   Posted from Tel Aviv, Israel     Read more

    An interesting phrase.  But we know what he means:   https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2017/05/03/pope-francis-says-egypt-trip-promoted-healthy-secularism/   Posted from Tel Aviv, Israel     Read more

    A clear and interesting little article on a tool and a topic that I find profoundly useful and important:   https://cosmosmagazine.com/mathematics/bayes-theorem-the-maths-tool-we-probably-use-every-day-but-what-is-it   Posted from Tel Aviv, Israel     Read more

    It’s just my usual mean-spirited lying.  There’s no need to look at it:   http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865679224/Did-ancient-Israel-have-a-real-history.html   Posted from Tel Aviv, Israel     Read more