{"id":107088,"date":"2024-09-25T22:05:38","date_gmt":"2024-09-26T04:05:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?p=107088"},"modified":"2024-09-25T22:06:31","modified_gmt":"2024-09-26T04:06:31","slug":"in-which-i-confess-my-ability-to-err","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2024\/09\/in-which-i-confess-my-ability-to-err.html","title":{"rendered":"In which I confess my ability to err"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Brigham's<\/a>
Twyla Wilson as Mary Ann Angell, newly married to Brigham Young in a scene from the movie.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Well, I always knew that it would happen someday. \u00a0I knew that I was bound to make a mistake. \u00a0And I did. \u00a0It happened this morning, when John Donovan Wilson (who plays Brigham Young in Six Days in August<\/em>) and I were being interviewed earlier today by Tim Hughes and Amanda Dickson during their Utah\u2019s Morning News<\/em> program on KSL NewsRadio. \u00a0(John and his wife, Twyla, who portrays Mary Ann Angell Young in the film) were on a KSL-TV interview show on Monday.<\/p>\n

I was asked about the \u201csneak peeks\u201d early screening of Six Days in August<\/em> that will take place tomorrow (Thursday) evening at 7 PM. \u00a0In reply I mentioned that nine theaters along the Wasatch Front \u2014 in American Fork, Draper, Farmington, Ogden, Orem, Provo, Ogden, Salt Lake City, and West Jordan. \u00a0But I said that they were Carmike<\/em> theaters, whereas they\u2019re actually Cinemark<\/em> theaters:<\/p>\n

Six Days in August<\/em> \u2014 Early Access<\/a><\/p>\n

And to make things yet worse<\/em>, I think that I\u2019ve probably made this mistake before, as well<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Now, I\u2019ll admit that inerrancy has been fun. \u00a0I\u2019ve enjoyed it for many years, and probably for far longer than I really should have. \u00a0And crashing down so abruptly into the world of ordinary mortals has been a real shock. \u00a0It\u2019s not fun, and I\u2019ll frankly admit that I\u2019ve been reeling all day, ever since. \u00a0Somebody corrected me during the show, and it was kindly done. \u00a0Still, it hurts.<\/p>\n

So please be patient with me as I process my newfound fallibility. \u00a0Try to imagine what it would be like for Superman if, one morning, he woke up and realized that he was now permanently, and inescapably, Clark Kent. \u00a0That\u2019s something of what I\u2019m feeling right now. \u00a0You can help out, however, by thronging those nine Cinemark theaters tomorrow night.<\/p>\n

Incidentally, too: \u00a0I\u2019m informed that signage for Six Days in August<\/em> has now appeared on billboards along I-15 (of the kind that rotate their content) in the corridor between Provo and Bountiful, and at least one in the St. George area, and, possibly, one at University Mall in Utah Valley. \u00a0But I haven\u2019t seen any of them. \u00a0Can anybody out there confirm that they exist?<\/p>\n

Incidentally, from tonight\u2019s big Six Days in August<\/em> fireside at the SCERA Center for the Arts here in Orem. \u00a0We had a good turnout, and I hope that you were among those who were able to make it. \u00a0I had thought that it would be good, but it \u00a0was even better than I had expected it to be.<\/p>\n

\"Young<\/a>
\u201cHurrah for Israel!\u201d Heber C. Kimball (Quinton Kappel) and Brigham Young (John Donovan Wilson), both seriously ill, head off on a mission in a scene from \u201cSix Days in August.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Back in April 2015, the following figures drawn from the previous twenty general conferences of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints<\/a> \u2014 indicating the frequency with which the name Joseph Smith<\/em> was mentioned in those conferences \u2014 drew the attention of certain critics of the Church. \u00a0The numbers, they suggested, demonstrated that the Church was embarrassed by Joseph and that it was attempting to distance itself from the Prophet and, thereby, to go \u201cmainstream.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Conference<\/th>\nFrequency<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Oct 2005<\/td>\n84<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Apr 2006<\/td>\n33<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Oct 2006<\/td>\n21<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Apr 2007<\/td>\n39<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Oct 2007<\/td>\n21<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Apr 2008<\/td>\n41<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Oct 2008<\/td>\n36<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Apr 2009<\/td>\n27<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Oct 2009<\/td>\n40<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Apr 2010<\/td>\n27<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Oct 2010<\/td>\n35<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Apr 2011<\/td>\n21<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Oct 2011<\/td>\n25<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Apr 2012<\/td>\n29<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Oct 2012<\/td>\n24<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Apr 2013<\/td>\n27<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Oct 2013<\/td>\n21<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Apr 2014<\/td>\n32<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Oct 2014<\/td>\n34<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Apr 2015<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Average = 31.05 per conference (29.6 excluding the extremes).<\/p>\n

Median = 28.<\/p>\n

High = 84 in Oct 2005<\/p>\n

Low = 4 in Apr 2015<\/p>\n

I have no idea whether the figures given were accurate or not. \u00a0But, even if they were, there\u2019s an obvious explanation for the very high spike shown October 2005: \u00a0We were approaching the bicentennial of Joseph\u2019s birth. \u00a0And it\u2019s probably not insignificant, that the April 2015 general conference of the Church fell on Easter weekend. \u00a0Jesus tends to be mentioned quite a bit at Easter.<\/p>\n

Moreover, I wonder what the figures since April 2015 have been. \u00a0Does anybody know? \u00a0My guess is that that will typically have ranged from the low twenties to the high thirties, occasionally straying into the low forties \u2014 in other words, just as they were from October 2005 through October 2014. \u00a0In other words, April 2015 was very likely an outlier.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m unaware of even the slightest disposition among believing Latter-day Saints and their leaders to back away from the Prophet. \u00a0I\u2019ve detected not a trace<\/em> of such a retreat.<\/p>\n

In any event, so as to remove any possible doubt about my own<\/em> position, I quote the words of John Taylor, who nearly died with Joseph and Hyrum at the hands of that anti-Mormon mob in Carthage, Illinois, and who eventually succeeded Joseph Smith and Brigham Young as the third president of the Church of Jesus Christ in this dispensation:<\/p>\n

Joseph Smith, the\u00a0Prophet\u00a0and\u00a0Seer\u00a0of the Lord, has done more,\u00a0save\u00a0Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it. . . . \u00a0He lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people; and like most of the Lord\u2019s anointed in ancient times, has sealed his mission and his works with his own\u00a0blood; and so has his brother Hyrum. . . .<\/p>\n

Hyrum Smith was forty-four years old in February, 1844, and Joseph Smith was thirty-eight in December, 1843; and henceforward their names will be classed among the\u00a0martyrs\u00a0of religion; and the reader in every nation will be reminded that the Book of Mormon, and this book of Doctrine and Covenants of the church, cost the best blood of the nineteenth century to bring them forth for the salvation of a ruined world; and that if the fire can scathe a\u00a0green tree\u00a0for the glory of God, how easy it will burn up the dry trees to purify the vineyard of corruption. They lived for glory; they died for glory; and glory is their eternal\u00a0reward. From age to age shall their names go down to posterity as gems for the sanctified.<\/p>\n

They were innocent of any crime, as they had often been proved before, and were only confined in jail by the conspiracy of traitors and wicked men; and their\u00a0innocent blood<\/em>\u00a0on the floor of Carthage jail is a broad seal affixed to \u201cMormonism\u201d that cannot be rejected by any court on earth, and their\u00a0innocent blood<\/em>\u00a0on the escutcheon\u00a0of the State of Illinois, with the broken faith of the State as pledged by the governor, is a witness to the truth of the everlasting gospel that all the world cannot impeach; and their\u00a0innocent blood<\/em>\u00a0on the banner of liberty, and on the\u00a0magna charta<\/span>\u00a0of the United States, is an ambassador for the religion of Jesus Christ, that will touch the hearts of honest men among all nations; and their\u00a0innocent blood,<\/em>\u00a0with the innocent blood of all the martyrs under the\u00a0altar\u00a0that John saw, will cry unto the Lord of Hosts till he avenges that blood on the earth. Amen.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And here are more words from Elder Taylor, some of which, sung by Casey Elliott<\/a>, of Gentri<\/a>, to an arrangement by Rob Gardner, will close Six Days in August<\/em> as the credits roll:<\/p>\n

O give me back my Prophet dear,
\nAnd Patriarch, O give them back;
\nThe Saints of latter days to cheer,
\nAnd lead them in the gospel track.
\nBut ah! they\u2019re gone from my embrace,
\nFrom earthly scenes their spirits fled;
\nThose two, the best of Adam\u2019s race,
\nNow lie entombed among the dead.<\/p>\n

Ye men of wisdom tell me why,
\nWhen guilt nor crime in them were found,
\nWhy now their blood doth loudly cry,
\nFrom prison walls, and Carthage ground
\nYour tongues are mute, but pray attend,
\nThe secret I will now relate,
\nWhy those whom God to earth did lend,
\nHave met the suffering martyr\u2019s fate.<\/p>\n

It is because they strove to gain,
\nBeyond the grave a heaven of bliss;
\nBecause they made the gospel plain,
\nAnd led the Saints in righteousness.
\nIt is because God called them forth,
\nAnd led them by his own right hand
\nChrist\u2019s coming to proclaim on earth,
\nAnd gather Israel to their land.<\/p>\n

It is because the priests of Baal
\nWere desperate their craft to save;
\nAnd when they saw it doomed to fail,
\nThey sent the Prophets to the grave.
\nLike scenes the ancient Prophets saw,
\nLike these, the ancient Prophets fell;
\nAnd till the resurrection dawn,
\nProphet and Patriarch-Fare thee well.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I join my voice with that of John Taylor and millions of others; I\u2019m not backing away from Joseph Smith, the Prophet who opened this last dispensation. \u00a0Not even close.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0 Well, I always knew that it would happen someday. \u00a0I knew that I was bound to make a mistake. \u00a0And I did. \u00a0It happened this morning, when John Donovan Wilson (who plays Brigham Young in Six Days in August) and I were being interviewed earlier today by Tim Hughes and Amanda Dickson during their […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":107091,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[292,114,1426,2905,788,28443],"class_list":["post-107088","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-brigham-young","tag-interpreter-foundation","tag-john-taylor","tag-latter-day-saint","tag-mormon","tag-six-days-in-august"],"yoast_head":"\nIn which I confess my ability to err<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"  Well, I always knew that it would happen someday. \u00a0I knew that I was bound to make a mistake. \u00a0And I did. \u00a0It happened this morning, when John\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2024\/09\/in-which-i-confess-my-ability-to-err.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"In which I confess my ability to err\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"  Well, I always knew that it would happen someday. \u00a0I knew that I was bound to make a mistake. \u00a0And I did. \u00a0It happened this morning, when John\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2024\/09\/in-which-i-confess-my-ability-to-err.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sic et Non\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-09-26T04:05:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-09-26T04:06:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/186\/2024\/09\/Hurrah-for-Israel_Title.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"700\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"700\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dan Peterson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dan Peterson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2024\/09\/in-which-i-confess-my-ability-to-err.html\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2024\/09\/in-which-i-confess-my-ability-to-err.html\",\"name\":\"In which I confess my ability to err\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-09-26T04:05:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-09-26T04:06:31+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/77113e9b09701bd1599fa272c4f65045\"},\"description\":\"  Well, I always knew that it would happen someday. \u00a0I knew that I was bound to make a mistake. \u00a0And I did. \u00a0It happened this morning, when John\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2024\/09\/in-which-i-confess-my-ability-to-err.html#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2024\/09\/in-which-i-confess-my-ability-to-err.html\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2024\/09\/in-which-i-confess-my-ability-to-err.html#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"In which I confess my ability to err\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/\",\"name\":\"Sic et Non\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/77113e9b09701bd1599fa272c4f65045\",\"name\":\"Dan Peterson\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5ed1a72d26805e35a503e3167599df7c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5ed1a72d26805e35a503e3167599df7c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Dan Peterson\"},\"description\":\"\\\"Life was very unsatisfying until I discovered Dan's blog, which gave me a reason to live.\\\" (gemli, 7 November 2019)\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/author\/danpeterson\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"In which I confess my ability to err","description":"  Well, I always knew that it would happen someday. \u00a0I knew that I was bound to make a mistake. \u00a0And I did. \u00a0It happened this morning, when John","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2024\/09\/in-which-i-confess-my-ability-to-err.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"In which I confess my ability to err","og_description":"  Well, I always knew that it would happen someday. \u00a0I knew that I was bound to make a mistake. \u00a0And I did. \u00a0It happened this morning, when John","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2024\/09\/in-which-i-confess-my-ability-to-err.html","og_site_name":"Sic et Non","article_published_time":"2024-09-26T04:05:38+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-09-26T04:06:31+00:00","og_image":[{"width":700,"height":700,"url":"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/186\/2024\/09\/Hurrah-for-Israel_Title.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Dan Peterson","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Dan Peterson","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2024\/09\/in-which-i-confess-my-ability-to-err.html","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2024\/09\/in-which-i-confess-my-ability-to-err.html","name":"In which I confess my ability to err","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#website"},"datePublished":"2024-09-26T04:05:38+00:00","dateModified":"2024-09-26T04:06:31+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/77113e9b09701bd1599fa272c4f65045"},"description":"  Well, I always knew that it would happen someday. \u00a0I knew that I was bound to make a mistake. \u00a0And I did. \u00a0It happened this morning, when John","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2024\/09\/in-which-i-confess-my-ability-to-err.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2024\/09\/in-which-i-confess-my-ability-to-err.html"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2024\/09\/in-which-i-confess-my-ability-to-err.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"In which I confess my ability to err"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/","name":"Sic et Non","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/77113e9b09701bd1599fa272c4f65045","name":"Dan Peterson","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5ed1a72d26805e35a503e3167599df7c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5ed1a72d26805e35a503e3167599df7c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Dan Peterson"},"description":"\"Life was very unsatisfying until I discovered Dan's blog, which gave me a reason to live.\" (gemli, 7 November 2019)","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/author\/danpeterson"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107088","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1019"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=107088"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107088\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/107091"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=107088"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=107088"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=107088"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}