Genesis 1 versus Science?

Last updated on: September 2, 2023 at 6:33 pm By Dan Peterson

In the fourth chapter of John H. Walton and D. Brent Sandy, The Lost World of Scripture: Ancient Literary Culture and Biblical Authority (Downers Grove IL: IVP Academic, 2013), which is entitled “Proposition 4: the Bible Contains No New Revelation About the Workings and Understanding of the Material World,” the authors reiterate that proposition often enough that even the slowest of their readers will eventually get the point that, in their view, the Bible contains no new revelation... Read more

Was Joseph Smith funny?

Last updated on: September 2, 2023 at 1:21 pm By Dan Peterson

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Confident predictions of its imminent demise notwithstanding, new material constantly appears on the website of the Interpreter Foundation. Here are three of the latest, which are all available to you at your convenience and at no charge (though we hope that some of you, at least, might consider making a donation, whether large or small, so that we can continue to offer such things): Conference Talks: Gentiles in the Temple: Worship and Conversion in the Septuagint of Isaiah,... Read more

My last post on the temple in Cody? Maybe, for a while at least.

Last updated on: September 1, 2023 at 1:10 pm By Dan Peterson

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As a young man, I served a two-year mission (1972-1974) in German-speaking Switzerland, where a temple has been located (in Zollikofen, just outside of the Swiss federal capital of Bern) since its dedication by President David O. McKay in September of 1955. Once, while I was serving in mission headquarters in Zürich at the end of my time there, I browsed through some of the materials relating to the announcement and construction of the temple. There was, as... Read more

“Without form, and void”: Genesis or My Two Talks?

Last updated on: September 2, 2023 at 6:32 pm By Dan Peterson

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As the image above indicates, I’ll be giving an English-language presentation tomorrow, Tuesday, at 8 PM Paris time — which is twelve noon Utah time — to students in Europe who are enrolled in the BYU Pathway program. It should be fun — for me, at least. And then, at 7:00 PM tomorrow, I’ll be up in the Salt Lake Valley speaking to a small group there on the topic of “When the Bishops Took Charge:... Read more

My Last Comment on the Temple in Cody? (Probably Not)

Last updated on: August 29, 2023 at 3:34 pm By Dan Peterson

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Yesterday, Saturday, I received an important communication from one “Jack Anderson” — perhaps it’s his real name, perhaps it’s not — that reads as follows: The Brighamite Mormon church was founded by a sexual predator and is infested with sexual predators. It is perfectly reasonable for the good people of Cody to do whatever possible to drive the groomers out of their town and back to Utah. I’m actually pleased that Jack A. isn’t trying to hide behind... Read more

“Golda” as “whiteness” triumphant

Last updated on: August 26, 2023 at 5:37 pm By Dan Peterson

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I’ve read Noah Berlatsky’s review of the new film Golda (CNN: “Opinion: The Golda Meir movie starring Helen Mirren fails the test of history”). Although written from a Leftist perspective, it manages to make a few points worthy of consideration and discussion. But — I’m sorry –this is flat nonsense, and almost the stuff of self-caricature: Mirren is not Jewish, and she wears heavy makeup to look like the unglamorous, chain-smoking politician. Accordingly, the movie is inevitably fodder... Read more

“A Mystery to the World”

Last updated on: August 25, 2023 at 10:43 pm By Dan Peterson

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““A Mystery to the World”: A New Proposal for Isaiah 22:20-25,” written by Spencer Kraus Abstract: Isaiah’s oracle in Isaiah 22 regarding a man named Eliakim employs significant and unique language regarding a “nail in a sure place.” This language is accompanied by clear connections to the ancient temple, including the bestowal of sacred clothing and authority, offering additional significant context through which to understand this phrase. Additionally, according to early leaders of the Church, this oracle may... Read more

A Note on Reason and our Faith in Science

Last updated on: August 24, 2023 at 3:25 pm By Dan Peterson

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One of the things that I like most about the place that we stay when we’re here is that it’s only a few minutes away from the Newport Beach Temple. We attended a session there last night (with a friend, her daughter, and her son-in-law), and so this article caught my particular attention when I saw it this morning: “A Deeper Look into the Power of Latter-day Saint Temples: Why do others see Latter-day Saints as so good? Delve... Read more

Peggy Brown, Dale Brown, and the Cody Wyoming Temple

Last updated on: August 23, 2023 at 11:17 pm By Dan Peterson

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My remarks at the 2023 FAIR LDS conference (“Understanding History Backwards”) are now available via YouTube. I am so surprised that Yevgeny Prigozhin appears to have died in the catastrophic crash of a private jet. (One of its wings apparently fell off in mid-flight, at about 26,000 feet.) Could anybody possibly have seen this coming? (Out of the clear blue sky, as it were.) But I’m reassured by the fact that a Russian government investigative committee... Read more

A Sentimental Journey

Last updated on: August 26, 2023 at 7:53 pm By Dan Peterson

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My wife and I spent a significant portion of the day visiting the graves of my parents in Rose Hills Memorial Park and, in San Gabriel Cemetery adjacent to the Episcopal Church of Our Saviour, the grave of my brother and the as-yet unmarked and recent grave of his widow. Their youngest daughter, Melissa, has now been reinterred there with them. When she was born, the umbilical cord became wrapped around her neck, and the medical personnel were... Read more