{"id":106893,"date":"2024-09-11T21:04:07","date_gmt":"2024-09-12T03:04:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?p=106893"},"modified":"2024-09-11T21:05:35","modified_gmt":"2024-09-12T03:05:35","slug":"the-wonder-of-it-all-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2024\/09\/the-wonder-of-it-all-2.html","title":{"rendered":"The Wonder of It All"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Szekely<\/a>
Sunrise at Dead Horse Point, Utah, by Pedro Szekely. (Wikimedia Commons public domain image). Alas, though, the colors weren\u2019t as vivid this evening because the air was quite hazy, probably (at least in part) as a result of massive fires westward in Nevada and California.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We\u2019re surrounded in this remote area of southeastern Utah by magnificent vistas and fascinating geology. \u00a0And yet, one of the great things here, with the three other couples who have come here with us, as well as elsewhere is time spent simply talking, sharing stories, reflecting on our deepest believes. \u00a0I always think, in such settings, of the familiar song from the late John Denver:<\/p>\n

\n
I have to say it now, it\u2019s been a good life all in all
It\u2019s really fine to have the chance to hang around
And lie there by the fire and watch the evening tire
While all my friends and my old lady
Sit and pass the pipe around<\/div>\n
And talk of poems and prayers and promises
And things that we believe in
How sweet it is to love someone
How right it is to care<\/div>\n
How long it\u2019s been since yesterday
What about tomorrow?
What about our dreams
And all the memories we share?<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
I also think of a hymn lyric from Isaac Watt. \u00a0Now, John Denver and Isaac Watt are odd bedfellows, perhaps, but there you have it. \u00a0My tastes in music, as in many other things, are more than a bit eclectic:<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
Sweet is the work, my God, my King<\/div>\n
To praise thy name, give thanks and sing,<\/div>\n
To show thy love by morning light,
And talk of all thy truths at night.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\"The<\/a>
The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on February 6, 2024. Front row, left to right: President Jeffrey R. Holland, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Elder David A. Bednar, Elder Quentin L. Cook, and Elder D. Todd Christofferson. Back row, left to right: Elder Neil L. Andersen, Elder Ronald A. Rasband, Elder Gary E. Stevenson, Elder Dale G. Renlund, Elder Gerrit W. Gong, Elder Ulisses Soares, and Elder Patrick Kearon. (Fair Use, I hope.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Last week, I recorded an interview with Casey Griffiths<\/a> and Scott Woodward<\/a> for Scripture Central\u2019s Church History Matters<\/em> podcast. \u00a0It\u2019s now up and available online:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat If All the Apostles Died At Once? Succession Q&R with Dr. Daniel C. Peterson\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

In the unlikely event that the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve all died simultaneously, how would that affect succession? In this hypothetical worst-case scenario, would the keys of the kingdom be lost? And, if an apostle came down with a debilitating health problem, is there any precedent for making him an emeritus apostle?<\/p>\n

And speaking of apostles, is there a set procedure in calling them, or does the method vary from Church president to president? Also, sometimes in the Church people speak of a special requirement for a man to become an apostle\u2014the phrase \u201csure\u201d or \u201cspecial\u201d witness of Christ comes up a lot. What\u2019s true? Must a man have personally seen Jesus Christ in order to be fully considered an apostle?<\/p>\n

On this episode of Church History Matters<\/em> Casey and I are joined by a special guest, Dr. Daniel C. Peterson, to help us answer these and other great questions related to succession.<\/p>\n

For show notes and transcript for this and other episodes go to https:\/\/doctrineandcovenantscentral.org\/church-history-matters-podcast\/<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Mesomerican<\/a>
Book of Mormon lands? \u00a0An image from Utto at the English-language Wikipedia.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I\u2019m sorry that I failed to remind you in a timely fashion of tonight\u2019s installment in the Interpreter Foundation\u2019s Mesoamerica Lecture Series<\/a>. \u00a0I just finished watching it, and it was excellent. \u00a0If you\u2019re interested in viewing the lecture, though, don\u2019t despair: \u00a0It was recorded, and a video of it will be posted on the Interpreter website in the near future. \u00a0Here is the description of the lecture that was posted:<\/p>\n

\n

Our tour host, Brant Gardner, will present a\u00a0lecture entitled \u201cMesoamerica and the Book of Mormon Side by Side.\u201d\u00a0One of the reasons that many suggest that there is no archaeological evidence for the Book of Mormon is that they are looking for the wrong things in the wrong places. Rather than looking at the archaeology to see what Old World culture might be there, we should look at the Book of Mormon as a text created in a particular time and place, and find within the text where it reflects the times and places of its origin.\u00a0As we place the Book of Mormon side by side with what we know of Mesoamerican history, we can see how incidents in the text have been developed within the context of a Mesoamerican culture. That cultural context explains why Nephi\u2019s people desired a king so early in Nephite history, and why the Nephite society ended at the time it did\u2013and not before or after. In between, multiple correspondences with culture, time, and space support the idea that the Book of Mormon was written by authors who lived in a very specific, and reasonably known, culture and time.<\/p>\n

Brant\u00a0A. Gardner (M.A. State University of New York Albany) is the author of\u00a0Second Witness: Analytical and Contextual Commentary on the Book of Mormon,\u00a0<\/em>The Gift and Power: Translating the Book of Mormon,<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Traditions of the Fathers: The Book of Mormon as History, each<\/em>\u00a0published through Greg Kofford Books. Both\u00a0The Gift and Power<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Traditions of the Fathers<\/em>\u00a0were awarded best in category by the Association for Mormon Literature.\u00a0He has contributed articles to\u00a0Estudios de Cultura Nahuatl\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0Symbol and Meaning Beyond the Closed Community,\u00a0<\/em>published by the State University of Albany.\u00a0He has published several articles on the Book of Mormon in\u00a0Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture.<\/em>\u00a0He has also presented several papers focused on the Book of Mormon at FAIR conferences.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The remaining schedule for the Interpreter Foundation\u2019s Mesoamerican Lecture Series is as follows:<\/p>\n

18 September<\/strong>: Allen Christenson<\/a>, \u201cPalenque World Tree.\u201d \u00a0(This lecture will not be recorded for future viewing. \u00a0It can only be watched live.)<\/p>\n

25 September<\/strong>: Benjamin Jordan<\/a>, \u201cPotential Volcanic Activity Related to Events in the Book of Mormon.\u201d<\/p>\n

And, by the way, a few spots on this Mesoamerica tour<\/a> came unexpectedly open several days ago. \u00a0I don\u2019t know whether the vacancies still exist but, if you\u2019re interested, it might be worth a phone call.<\/p>\n

Posted from Moab, Utah<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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