One of the things that I like most about the place that we stay when we’re here is that it’s only a few minutes away from the Newport Beach Temple. We attended a session there last night (with a friend, her daughter, and her son-in-law), and so this article caught my particular attention when I saw it this morning: “A Deeper Look into the Power of Latter-day Saint Temples: Why do others see Latter-day Saints as so good? Delve... Read more
My remarks at the 2023 FAIR LDS conference (“Understanding History Backwards”) are now available via YouTube. I am so surprised that Yevgeny Prigozhin appears to have died in the catastrophic crash of a private jet. (One of its wings apparently fell off in mid-flight, at about 26,000 feet.) Could anybody possibly have seen this coming? (Out of the clear blue sky, as it were.) But I’m reassured by the fact that a Russian government investigative committee... Read more
My wife and I spent a significant portion of the day visiting the graves of my parents in Rose Hills Memorial Park and, in San Gabriel Cemetery adjacent to the Episcopal Church of Our Saviour, the grave of my brother and the as-yet unmarked and recent grave of his widow. Their youngest daughter, Melissa, has now been reinterred there with them. When she was born, the umbilical cord became wrapped around her neck, and the medical personnel were... Read more
The following is based upon my reading of Michael J. Behe, “Fearfully, Wonderfully, Deliberately: The Grandeur of God Reflected in the Molecular Foundation of Life,” in Ann Gauger, ed., God’s Grandeur: The Catholic Case for Intelligent Design (Manchester, NH: Sophia Institute Press, 2023), 60-70 (and particularly pages 60-62. The author of multiple books and over forty technical scientific publications and the center of considerable controversy, not to say acrimony, Michael Behe (Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania) is a professor... Read more
“Opinion: Christian conservatives betray their values in criticizing Ramaswamy’s faith” “[N]o religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.” — The Constitution of the United States of America I have a confession to make: I’ve been lying to you. I actually do still have political opinions. In fact, I have very strong political opinions. I’ve been extremely interested in politics since I was about ten,... Read more
For whatever little it may be worth, a video recording of the talk that I recently delivered at the 2023 FAIR LDS conference — under the title of “Understanding History Backwards” — is now available online under the title of, well, “Understanding History Backwards.” Watch the video at your own risk. Also: Paul Wuthrich, who plays Joseph Smith in the Interpreter Foundation’s theatrical film Witnesses and who is the host and narrator for the Foundation’s docudrama Undaunted: Witnesses... Read more
The following note has now gone out to members of the Friendswood Texas Stake — Friendswood is in the greater Houston area, and is situated in the northwest corner of Galveston County — and I’ve been given permission to share it here. All are welcome and invited to attend: Dear Sisters and Brothers, All members of the Friendswood Stake are cordially invited to a special Stake Fireside on Saturday, September 9, 2023, at 6 PM at the Stake... Read more
My wife and I left Cedar City fairly early this morning, Friday morning, and headed for the town of Monroe, Utah — not far from Richfield — to attend the funeral of her remarkable 91-year-old aunt, who lost a brief battle with cancer after a very active life. We were representing my wife’s father and her siblings. It was good to be there, and to gather with many members of my wife’s extended family at the graveside service... Read more
We were rained upon Wednesday night, during the first portion of Romeo and Juliet. However, the weather apps that we consulted had assured us that there was no chance of rain yesterday. And who am I going to trust? The experts? Or my lying eyes? Nevertheless, we retreated for a little while to a covered area of the open air theater in which the Capulets and the Montagues were shortly to do their thing. Finally, though, the no-rain... Read more
I would like to say a word about the Interpreter Foundation’s Not by Bread Alone film project, for which a website has now gone up that includes a preview video. Quite predictably, I’ve been accused by one of the Usual Suspects of profiteering off of the backs of impoverished Congolese Latter-day Saints (and, it seems, of using my ill-gotten gains in order to finance my trip down here to Cedar City, where I’m selfishly immersing myself in Shakespearean... Read more
Select your answer to see how you score.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In