Although I’m reliably informed (by anonymous internet commentators who don’t know me) that I hate, fear, and despise all non-Mormons, I was very pleased to read about this:   http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/mormon-interfaith-christmas-jubilee-los-angeles     Read more

    I’m not sure how convinced I am that a Mormon is responsible for these parallels, but they’re interesting:   http://www.ldsliving.com/How-Star-Wars-was-Influenced-by-a-Mormon/s/80835?utm_source=ldsliving&utm_medium=email   Brought to my attention by Blake Ostler.     Read more

    John 19:31-37   The gospel of John is here citing Psalm 34:20, where it is said of the Lord that “He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.”   It was important to the understanding of Jesus as the perfect illustration of the Passover lamb that no bone in his body be broken.   Among the instructions given for the Passover meal is this, from Exodus 12:46:  “In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not... Read more

    I appreciate Jabra Ghneim’s bringing this to my notice:   http://forward.com/opinion/327453/a-muslim-a-jew-and-a-christian-walk-into-a-texas-mosque/#ixzz3ucdsMQlP   Just one quibble about an article and an event of which I otherwise heartily approve:   Rafiza Chowdhury, a hijab-wearing member of the Islamic Center of Irving, is quoted in the piece as acknowledging that many of her non-Muslim neighbors are “scared,” that they’re “frightened of the sinister image of the ‘Muslim next door’ being propagated in the media.” But, alas, the fear doesn’t come only because... Read more

    Well, the future is upon us:   http://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/court-catholic-school-must-hire-gay-man/   I can’t imagine that it will be long before Brigham Young University and other church-related institutions are under similar legal pressures.   All institutions must become the same.  Diversity demands it.   (Thanks — I guess — to Charles Steinman for alerting me to this item.)     Read more

    My 2011 Christmas column for the Deseret News appeared on 22 December of that year:   http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700209032/Pure-love-led-Christ-to-descend-the-courts-of-glory.html     Read more

    In some notes on my computer, I find this important historical observation, evidently from something published by the famed scholar Dave Berry in 2014:   “In the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians called it ‘Christmas’ and went to church; the Jews called it ‘Hanukkah’ and went to synagogue; the atheists went to parties and drank. People passing each other on the street would say ‘Merry Christmas!’ or ‘Happy Hanukkah!’ or (to the... Read more

    Matthew 27:55-56 Mark 15:40-41L Luke 23:49 Compare John 19:25-27   I suspect that one of the reasons the women were so visible at the crucifixion of Jesus is that they were at less risk of arrest by the authorities, who may well have had the crowd under surveillance, looking for the apostolic “ringleaders” of the Christian movement.     Read more

    In the United States, at least, the end of each year is an important time for giving to charities, causes, and non-profit organizations.  Not merely because, at Christmas time, giving is in the air, but because of the tax laws.   There are innumerable worthy causes.   In response to absolutely no public demand whatever, though, here are three tax-exempt organizations (beyond the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its various funds) in which my wife... Read more

    The Dale Warland Singers, a Minnesota-based ensemble founded in 1972 and disbanded in 2004, were one of America’s great choirs.  Here, they perform the traditional Catalan carol Fum, fum, fum!   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=126M_eR_Wpc   Incidentally, there’s plenty of speculation about what Fum, fum, fum! might signify, but nobody really seems to know:   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fum,_Fum,_Fum     Read more