Here’s one perspective:   http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mette-ivie-harrison/do-mormons-believe-in-hell_b_9140202.html   How would you answer the question?   Posted from Kaanapali, Maui, Hawaii     Read more

    In today’s reading, 2 Nephi 25, the prophet Nephi returns to speaking in his own voice — and it’s a voice very distinct from Isaiah’s.   Four brief observations:   1.   In verses 1-7, Nephi explicitly contrasts his own approach with that of Isaiah, indicating that there was an Old World Jewish method of understanding prophecy — a typological approach, perhaps, or a particular style of poetic analysis? — that he had intentionally decided not to pass on... Read more

    “When you seek truth, you seek God whether you know it or not.” Edith Stein Posted from Kaanapali, Maui, Hawaii     Read more

    This is a nice bit of overdue but well deserved recognition:   https://news.byu.edu/news/byu’s-first-physics-grad-earns-posthumous-grammy-award   Posted from Salt Lake City, Utah     Read more

    Mona Charen’s interesting take on the results of the most recent New Hampshire primary:   http://townhall.com/columnists/monacharen/2016/02/11/day-of-the-demagogues-n2117706     Read more

    In this reading, 2 Nephi 24 (= Isaiah 14), Isaiah prophesies the eventual fall of the Babylonian Empire.   Israel, Isaiah says, will be returned to its homeland, and they will take captive those who had held them captive.   This is the chapter that contains the famous reference to the fall of Lucifer from heaven.  But we make the chapter much more difficult and obscure than it needs to be if we choose to interpret verses 12-14 as referring, in... Read more

    Thanks to Chrystine Heward Reynolds for bringing these absolutely wonderful — and stunningly impressive — sixteen minutes to my attention:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YB-j_pvidq4   When The Donald and Bolshie Bernie and Clinton Inc. begin to bring me down, it’s nice to remember that there are whole worlds out there beyond politics.   And may they ever remain so.   But this particular case also reminds me that far too many human lives and far too many remarkable talents have been,... Read more

    Ron Barney delivered this presentation at the August 2009 FAIR conference.  The topic is one of those most frequently raised by disaffected members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:   http://www.fairmormon.org/perspectives/fair-conferences/2009-fair-conference/2009-the-reliability-of-mormon-history-produced-by-the-lds-church     Read more

    Thanks to Jeff Chadwick for bringing this item to my notice:   http://www.timesofisrael.com/rivlin-welcomes-israels-new-sharia-judges-in-jerusalem-ceremony/   It’s interesting from several angles.  I’ll mention two:   *  Many in the United States are worried, or claim to be worried, about the possible imposition of shari‘a upon non-Muslims in America.  In striking contrast, Israel, which has a proportionally  much larger Muslim population than the United States and which experiences considerable friction with Muslim communities both foreign and domestic, doesn’t seem to be... Read more

    Just a couple of days before he speaks to Interpreter’s science and religion conference:   https://cpms.byu.edu/calendar/?event=30823     Read more