I very much like this story, recounted in a Jewish periodical:   http://forward.com/news/longform/361033/the-day-my-mormon-bishop-neighbor-asked-for-a-minyan/   I like the fact that the Mormon bishop in question plainly had no objection to helping to facilitate a Jewish service.  Some Christian clergy might have declined to assist.     Read more

    A series of publications coming out of Harvard University suggests that it does:   Does Religious Participation Contribute to Human Flourishing?     Read more

      “The tragedy of life is what dies inside a man while he lives.” Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965)     Read more

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2017/01/19/christians-say-hollywood-ignores-them-but-they-ignore-great-films-about-faith/?utm_term=.717f338ad8c7   My wife and I and some others from my BYU department went to see Martin Scorsese’s film of Shusaku Endo’s Silence a couple of weeks ago in company with Van Gessel, who was, for many years until Endo’s death, that great Japanese Catholic novelist’s official English translator and who served for three years as a consultant for the film.   I’m disappointed that Silence doesn’t seem to be doing well at the box office.  It’s a... Read more

    Putting a very human face on the horror that is Syria:   http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/27/europe/donald-trump-bana-alabed-letter/index.html     Read more

    This week’s new article in Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture:   http://www.mormoninterpreter.com/addressing-prickly-issues/   Have a wonderful weekend!     Read more

    A brief but interesting theological reflection from my friend James McLachlan, called to my notice by a blog entry from Robert Boylan:   https://uncontrollinglove.com/2017/01/24/the-uncontrolling-love-of-god-a-mormon-approach/     Read more

    What if it weren’t mountain ranges or rivers or politicians wielding an occasionally arbitrary straightedge that created the shapes and outlines of the 48 contiguous United States, but economic relationships?  Our political map might look considerably different:   http://www.realclearscience.com/quick_and_clear_science/2017/01/27/what_if_us_states_were_shaped_according_to_economics.html     Read more

    “Love is a great beautifier.” (Louisa May Alcott, 1832-1888)         Read more

    The comments that typically follow my articles in the Deseret News can sometimes be amusing.  There’s a small group of people, mostly critics, who write in every single week.  And it really doesn’t matter what I say  They never like it.  They never will like it.   In response to today’s column, somebody from St. George, Utah, who calls himself (or herself) “Red Corvette” wrote as follows:   “Dr. Peterson is a continual source of amusement with his pseudo-analytic... Read more