Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture published two items today.  Here’s a link to the second:   http://www.mormoninterpreter.com/a-pilgrims-faith/#more-8741   Posted from Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina     Read more

    A few days ago, certain critics of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were hyperventilating with excitement because the leaked “Panama Papers,” which have revealed offshore tax-haven banking by many prominent people and organizations, had just been discovered to include evidence against the Church and its leaders — evidence suggesting unethical behavior and possible corruption.   Alas, though, it seems that this excitement represented mere wishful thinking rather than actual fact:   http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865654182/Erroneous-reports-tie-LDS-Church-to-Panama-Papers.html?pg=all   How sad.  ... Read more

    Brian Hales, one of the foremost experts on early Mormon plural marriage, offers useful analysis in this new article from Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture:   http://www.mormoninterpreter.com/dating-joseph-smiths-first-nauvoo-sealings/   Posted from Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina     Read more

    Still a very relevant topic for discussion:   http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865644380/Is-Islam-a-religion-of-peace.html   Posted from Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina     Read more

    My latest Thursday Deseret News article is up.   I’m late, I know, but I’ve been a bit busy, and with only intermittent access to the internet:   http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865654071/Living-in-a-world-with-many-different-religious-views.html   Posted from Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina   Read more

    If there is no God, then all that exists is time and chance acting on matter.  If this is true then the difference between your thoughts and mine correspond to the difference between shaking up a bottle of Mountain Dew and a bottle of Dr. Pepper.  You simply fizz atheistically and I fizz theistically.  This means that you do not hold to atheism because it is true , but rather because of a series of chemical reactions. .... Read more

    This is an extremely interesting article from Fortune magazine — scarcely a leftist, anti-capitalist rag — that I highly recommend for a view of how Mr. Donald Trump would likely govern the United States were we foolish enough to elect him.  It goes nicely with my previous post about his legendary business prowess.   Here are the five salient characteristics of his business career that Fortune identifies:    He always comes first.  He wants you to know how... Read more

    “The New Strongman of Manila”   “Trump’s Miss Universe Foreign Policy”   Posted from Venice, Italy     Read more

    A thoughtful comment from the Latter-day Saint philosopher Adam Miller:   “Faith is more like being faithful to your husband or wife than it is like believing in magic.  Fidelity is key.  You may fall in love with someone because of how well they complement your story, but you’ll prove yourself faithful to them only when you care more for the flawed, difficult, and unplotted life you end up sharing with them.  Faith isn’t the opposite of knowledge.... Read more

    Two insightful writers, both with formal training in Mesoamerican studies, examine an important aspect of the Book of Mormon in this article from late 2012’s very first volume of Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture:   http://www.mormoninterpreter.com/the-cultural-context-of-nephite-apostasy/   Posted from Venice, Italy     Read more