{"id":114931,"date":"2026-02-18T20:13:44","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T03:13:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?p=114931"},"modified":"2026-02-18T22:34:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T05:34:14","slug":"ramadan-kareem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2026\/02\/ramadan-kareem.html","title":{"rendered":"Ramadan Kareem!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Minarets<\/a>
I hope that my Egyptian friend Elhamy Naguib won\u2019t mind my borrowing this image of his for the celebration of Ramadan. (For further information about Elhamy and his work, please see https:\/\/elhamynaguib.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

First of all, I want to wish a Ramadan Kareem<\/em> to any Muslim readers that I might have.\u00a0 The holy month of Ramadan \u2014 a period of fasting, scripture-reading, and reflection \u2014 began last evening (Tuesday evening) and will continue through 19 March.<\/p>\n

It also happens, this year, that the forty-day period of Lent (also a time for reflection and of at least some abstinence) commences today <\/em>and continues until 2 April, so that Lent and Ramadan roughly coincide. \u00a0(That\u2019s why yesterday was Mardi Gras<\/em> (\u201cFat Tuesday\u201d) \u2014 marking the last day of indulgence before the solemn Christian fasting season of Lent begins on . . . \u00a0well, Ash Wednesday \u2014 which was today<\/em>.)<\/p>\n

And, while I\u2019m thinking of Muslims, let me say that \u2014 unless there\u2019s something about this Washington Post<\/em> story that I don\u2019t know \u2014 this is disgusting: \u00a0\u201cGOP congressman who says he supports dogs over Muslims faces calls to resign:\u00a0House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) said Tuesday that Rep. Randy Fine (R-Florida) is \u201can Islamophobic, disgusting and unrepentant bigot.\u201d\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Wikimedia<\/a>
Dedicated in 1877, the St. George Utah Temple is the only temple completed in Utah during the lifetime of Brigham Young. \u00a0(Wikimedia Commons public domain photograph)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Have you been wondering where to catch all four of the currently available episodes of Becoming Brigham<\/em>? \u00a0Wonder no more! \u00a0They\u2019re all accessible at becomingbrighan.com<\/a>. \u00a0Moreover, just in case your pain threshold is unusually high: I\u00a0blathered on and on for about twenty-two minutes for this interview with BYU-Idaho Radio: \u00a0\u201cDan Peterson shares details on new Brigham Young documentary series\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

Incidentally, the fourth installment of Becoming Brigham<\/em><\/a> features Matt Grow, the managing director of the Church History Department in Salt Lake City. \u00a0Here is a recent Deseret News<\/em> article that also<\/em> showcases him: \u00a0\u201cWhat this historian has learned from writing President Holland\u2019s biography:\u00a0Vulnerability and hope in Jesus Christ defined the late Apostle\u2019s life, says biographer Matt Grow after two and a half years of interviews\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\"John's<\/a>
St. John on the Isle of Patmos, from th\u00e9 \u201cTr\u00e8s Riches Heures du duc de Berry\u201d (ca. 1411-1416). \u00a0Wikimedia Commons public domain image)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This previously published article went up online today as part of the Interpreter Foundation\u2019s \u201cchapter reprint series,\u201d which means, contrary to the uneasy suspicions of at least one unfortunate critic of the Foundation, that we are not attempting, by making it available at no charge online, to pretend that it hasn\u2019t already been published. \u00a0He should sit down, use his smelling salts, and try to relax: \u00a0Steadfast in Defense of Faith<\/em>: \u201cThe Seven Seals in the Apocalypse of John,\u201d<\/a> written by John W. Welch<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Part of our book chapter reprint series, this article originally appeared in Steadfast in Defense of Faith: Essays in Honor of Daniel C. Peterson<\/em>, edited by Shirley Ricks, Stephen D. Ricks, and Louis Midgley. For more information, go to https:\/\/interpreterfoundation.org\/books\/steadfast-in-defense-of-faith\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll who have traveled or worked closely with Dan and Debbie Peterson\u2014which my wife, Jeannie, and I have been fortunate to do on several occasions\u2014know well of the great joy Dan experiences and radiates as he expounds on some new discovery, especially some new bit of information that validates or elucidates some significant point of religious history, some scriptural insight, or some treasured gospel truth. His confident grin and inviting gestures animate that joy especially when that new bit of knowledge corrects some popular but wrong-headed idea. In honoring and welcoming Dan to the ranks of the retired (but not yet the tired), I am personally thankful for the opportunity to advance some new ideas to the understanding of the mysterious book mentioned and used symbolically at the beginning of chapter 5 in the last book of the New Testament, the Revelation of John.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Timpanogos<\/a>
The Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints<\/a> \u2014 shown here at sunset \u2014 is located in the city of American Fork, Utah (LDS.org)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/blockquote>\n

A curious Sunday-night tradition among teenagers and young adults has unexpectedly developed around the grounds of the Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple. \u00a0I had never heard of it before, but it has now even drawn the attention of a non-Latter-day Saint publication: \u00a0\u201cRites And Wrongs\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s been snowing outside. \u00a0And I\u2019m old enough to know that this isn\u2019t the first<\/em> time that it\u2019s snowed here in Orem. \u00a0(No. \u00a0Really. \u00a0It\u2019s true<\/em>.)<\/p>\n

\"London's<\/a>
Westminster Cathedral is the mother church of all Catholics in England and Wales and the seat of the (Catholic) Archbishop of London or, more accurately, the Archbishop of Westminster and the (Catholic) Primate of England and Wales. (Wikimedia Commons public domain photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I\u2019m beginning to think about the Interpreter Foundation tour of Latter-day Saint and more generally Christian England that Kristine Frederickson and I will be leading this coming May<\/a>. \u00a0As part of that, I intend to watch the videotaped lectures that we sponsored before last<\/em> year\u2019s tour of England. \u00a0So, tonight, I\u2019ve just finished watching the lecture that was given on 26 March 2025 by Jamie Horrocks (Ph.D., Indiana University), who teaches British literature at Brigham Young University: \u00a0\u201cTruth Will Prevail!: Victorian Britain in the First Missionary Moment\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

Her presentation is very, very good, weaving the socio-economic background with the religious climate and the literature of the period. \u00a0I heartily recommend it to you, even if, for manifestly inadequate reasons, you\u2019ve chosen not to go with us this coming May.<\/p>\n

\"Women<\/a>
One principal focus of Latter-day Saint humanitarian work is providing accessible and clean water in third-world countries. \u00a0Ick! \u00a0(LDS Media Library)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Here\u2019s yet another horror from the Christopher Hitchens Memorial \u201cHow Religion Poisons Everything\u201d File<\/em>\u2122: \u00a0\u201cCreative Ways Church Members Are Using Talents to Serve Their Communities: From crocheted wigs to quilts, see how members are using crafting talents to bless others\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

On one level, I regret being obliged to impose these oppressive accounts on you. \u00a0However, if you\u2019re going to claim (at least, with any real degree of plausibility) that you\u2019re a member of the \u201creality-based community\u201d (as some anti-theists actually do<\/em>) you need to face the cold, hard facts head on.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0 First of all, I want to wish a Ramadan Kareem to any Muslim readers that I might have.\u00a0 The holy month of Ramadan \u2014 a period of fasting, scripture-reading, and reflection \u2014 began last evening (Tuesday evening) and will continue through 19 March. It also happens, this year, that the forty-day period of Lent […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":36508,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2905,39652,39655,788,5379,39658],"class_list":["post-114931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-latter-day-saint","tag-lent","tag-mardi-gras","tag-mormon","tag-ramadan","tag-seven-seals"],"yoast_head":"\nRamadan Kareem!<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"  First of all, I want to wish a Ramadan Kareem to any Muslim readers that I might have.\u00a0 The holy month of Ramadan -- a period of fasting,\" \/>\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\/2026\/02\/ramadan-kareem.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ramadan Kareem!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"  First of all, I want to wish a Ramadan Kareem to any Muslim readers that I might have.\u00a0 The holy month of Ramadan -- a period of fasting,\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2026\/02\/ramadan-kareem.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sic et Non\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-19T03:13:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-19T05:34:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/186\/2016\/09\/Cairo_mosques.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"637\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"436\" \/>\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\/2026\/02\/ramadan-kareem.html\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2026\/02\/ramadan-kareem.html\",\"name\":\"Ramadan Kareem!\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-19T03:13:44+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-19T05:34:14+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/77113e9b09701bd1599fa272c4f65045\"},\"description\":\"  First of all, I want to wish a Ramadan Kareem to any Muslim readers that I might have.\u00a0 The holy month of Ramadan -- a period of fasting,\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2026\/02\/ramadan-kareem.html#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2026\/02\/ramadan-kareem.html\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2026\/02\/ramadan-kareem.html#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Ramadan Kareem!\"}]},{\"@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":"Ramadan Kareem!","description":"  First of all, I want to wish a Ramadan Kareem to any Muslim readers that I might have.\u00a0 The holy month of Ramadan -- a period of fasting,","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\/2026\/02\/ramadan-kareem.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Ramadan Kareem!","og_description":"  First of all, I want to wish a Ramadan Kareem to any Muslim readers that I might have.\u00a0 The holy month of Ramadan -- a period of fasting,","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2026\/02\/ramadan-kareem.html","og_site_name":"Sic et Non","article_published_time":"2026-02-19T03:13:44+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-02-19T05:34:14+00:00","og_image":[{"width":637,"height":436,"url":"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/186\/2016\/09\/Cairo_mosques.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\/2026\/02\/ramadan-kareem.html","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2026\/02\/ramadan-kareem.html","name":"Ramadan Kareem!","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-02-19T03:13:44+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-19T05:34:14+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/77113e9b09701bd1599fa272c4f65045"},"description":"  First of all, I want to wish a Ramadan Kareem to any Muslim readers that I might have.\u00a0 The holy month of Ramadan -- a period of fasting,","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2026\/02\/ramadan-kareem.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2026\/02\/ramadan-kareem.html"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2026\/02\/ramadan-kareem.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Ramadan Kareem!"}]},{"@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\/114931","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=114931"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114931\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=114931"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=114931"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=114931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}