This is a thoughtful and very interesting essay on the influence of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in this year’s presidential race:   https://thinkprogress.org/inside-donald-trumps-tremendous-problem-in-utah-25087b54968c   I commend it to you.     Read more

    “People with small hearts will minimize and belittle all that you do; people with large hearts will encourage and find good in all that you do.” Yasir Qadhi     Read more

    “Mom of jailed American to Venezuelan president: ‘Don’t just let him lay there and die'”   “Congresswoman urges release of Utah man jailed in Venezuela prison”   I wonder if a few dozen — or a few hundred — emails to the Venezuelan embassy in Washington DC might help.   Just in case, here’s the email address of that embassy:   [email protected]   I’ve sent them a note expressing my concern about the case.     Read more

    http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/07/politics/hillary-clinton-donald-trump-presidential-forum/index.html   Sigh.   “Trump and Clinton — Unfit to Be Commander-in-Chief”     Read more

    If you’re looking for a basic introductory article on Islam, this little essay, which I published back in 2002, is probably not the absolutely worst piece that you could choose:   https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/selected-articles/understanding-islam     Read more

    I haven’t taken a stand on the question of anthropogenic global warming.  I simply haven’t studied the debate enough to feel confident in doing so.  And I have friends (including superbly scientific friends) on both sides of the issue.  But this is really interesting:   http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2425775/Climate-scientists-told-cover-fact-Earths-temperature-risen-15-years.html   Thanks to Bruce Webster for bringing it to my attention.     Read more

    Those silly Mormons are always saying things like “If you want to learn about Toyotas, you don’t go first to a Nissan dealership.  If you’re interested in hearing more about Apple products, you don’t ask a Hewlett-Packard computer salesman.  So why do you go to its critics to ask about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?”   Ridiculous.   Only a Mormon would say such a desperate and shallow thing.   But here’s that same argument,... Read more

    My column for the Deseret News today is an unusually heartfelt one, as (with many others) I mourn the loss of a very dear friend and neighbor:   http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865661924/Rejoicing-in-the-communion-of-the-saints.html     Read more

    “A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything, and the value of nothing.”  Oscar Wilde       Read more

    This is interesting, and the obituary itself is, in its simple way, quite beautiful:   http://news.byu.edu/news/byu-professor-translates-jewish-woman’s-1700-year-old-obituary     Read more