Matthew 27:24-26 Mark 15:15 Luke 23:24-25 John 19:16   These passages — and, most particularly, Matthew’s account of Pilate’s washing his hands of responsibility for the death of Jesus while the Jews say “His blood be on us and on our children!” — have served for centuries as a powerful basis (or pretext) for Christian anti-Semitism.     Read more

    Contrast this story with this story.   Which one involves Mormons?  Which one involves Evangelicals?   I don’t want to overgeneralize, but . . . well, there exists no Latter-day Saint equivalent to the countercult ministries, websites, seminars, newsletters, radio programs, Sunday school classes, television shows, pamphlets, picket lines, magazines, book genres, lecture series, mini-courses, and so forth that flourish in such rank profusion among certain conservative Protestant populations.     Read more

    A somewhat lengthy and very infuriating article:   “It’s All About ‘Muscle’: Understanding the Campus Unrest”   And an astonishing — that is, horrifying — 2.5-minute video:   Yale students sign petition to repeal First Amendment   Jonah Goldberg’s 2008 book Liberal Fascism is becoming urgently relevant.     Read more

    http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865643851/Josephs-perspective-depicted-in-new-Mormon-Channel-video.html?pg=all     Read more

    I often really like Pentatonix.  In this case, though, I like the version by The Piano Guys much more:   http://www.christianpost.com/buzzvine/pentatonix-vs-the-piano-guys-in-an-angels-we-have-heard-on-high-showdown-watch-videos-vote-here-111390/   What do you think?     Read more

    “Love is one of the chief characteristics of Deity, and ought to be manifested by those who aspire to be the sons of God. A man filled with the love of God, is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race.” Joseph Smith (History of the Church, 4:227; from a letter to the Twelve, 15 December 1840, Nauvoo, Illinois, published in Times and Seasons, 1 January 1841, page 258)  ... Read more

    Do you hold them?  More than a few physicians and scientists do, or have:   http://www.nature.com/news/the-science-myths-that-will-not-die-1.19022     Read more

    John 19:1-15 Compare Matthew 27:26-28; Mark 15:15, 17-20   When the chief priests answer Pilate by saying “We have no king but Caesar!” the echo of 1 Samuel 8:4-7 is impossible to miss:   So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.” But when they said, “Give us... Read more

    http://www.christianpost.com/news/trump-kill-innocent-family-isis-gop-debate-152612/   The laws of war — yes, there are such things — have long banned the deliberate targeting of women and children.  (See here, for example.)   But Donald Trump proposes doing precisely that, in direct violation of (among many other things) the Fourth Geneva Convention.   I was shocked and dismayed to see him repeat that proposal in last night’s debate and double down on it during an interview with Bill O’Reilly, which he did from Mesa,... Read more

    I asked my Havana-born daughter-in-law to recommend a Cuban Christmas carol.  That gave her pause.  It seems that, for some reason, the Castro brothers haven’t been major patrons of Christmas music.   So she recommended two general Hispanic Christmas songs, and I got a kick out of the suggestions:   First, the familiar Feliz Navidad, by Jose Feliciano.   Second, Mi burrito sabanero:   Con mi burrito sabanero voy camino de Belén Con mi burrito sabanero voy camino de Belén... Read more