{"id":69421,"date":"2019-01-20T20:53:30","date_gmt":"2019-01-21T03:53:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?p=69421"},"modified":"2019-01-20T23:00:49","modified_gmt":"2019-01-21T06:00:49","slug":"thoughts-on-the-passing-scene","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2019\/01\/thoughts-on-the-passing-scene.html","title":{"rendered":"Thoughts on the passing scene"},"content":{"rendered":"<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><head><meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\"><meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\"><\/head><body><p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_42187\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-42187\" style=\"width: 597px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/186\/2017\/05\/Sunset_in_Luxor-Egypt.jpg\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-42187\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/186\/2017\/05\/Sunset_in_Luxor-Egypt.jpg\" alt=\"Luxor sunset\" width=\"597\" height=\"448\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-42187\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sunset in Luxor, Egypt (Wikimedia Commons)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>First off: \u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeanddate.com\/eclipse\/lunar\/2019-january-21?fbclid=IwAR2d2Rw65cACaS1D7DzT_wSGWhS9fVP6c791qG5MBfoDVx2DP-SX_Z4npNw\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\u201cJanuary 20\u201321, 2019 Total Lunar Eclipse (Blood Moon)\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>You might perhaps be able to see it tonight. \u00a0I should be able to do so quite well here in Utah Valley. \u00a0Conditions are very clear at the moment, and the eclipse has already plainly commenced.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #993300;\">***<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>From <a href=\"https:\/\/bookofmormoncentral.org\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Book of Mormon Central<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bookofmormoncentral.org\/node\/62929\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\u201cWhen was Jesus Christ really born? The Book of Mormon can help\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #993300;\"><strong>***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Life is sometimes very hard. \u00a0Even for prophets and apostles:<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thechurchnews.com\/leaders-and-ministry\/2019-01-19\/tears-of-sorrow-will-turn-to-tears-of-anticipation-says-president-nelson-at-his-daughters-funeral-48833\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\u201c\u2018A fulness of joy\u2019: President Nelson shares message of eternal life at his daughter\u2019s funeral\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #993300;\"><strong>***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As I write, a dear friend whom my wife and I have known since very shortly after our wedding, who served as our branch president in Cairo and then became a colleague at BYU, is in the hospital in Salt Lake City in very serious condition, largely unresponsive. \u00a0Our prayers are with him and with his wife and family.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #993300;\"><strong>***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I received notice this afternoon from Royal Skousen that <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Robert_J._Woodford\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Robert J. Woodford<\/a> passed away on Saturday morning. \u00a0There will be a viewing on Friday evening, followed by the funeral on Saturday morning. \u00a0I don\u2019t yet have the times. \u00a0Details will be available later.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<div>As Royal writes, Brother Woodford \u201cdid some wonderful critical text work on the Doctrine and Covenants, at a time when it was very difficult to do such work. It took great courage and perseverance on his part. We owe him a lot.\u201d<\/div>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Here are a couple of pieces that Dr. Woodford wrote for the <em>Ensign<\/em>:<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>August 1978: \u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lds.org\/ensign\/1978\/08\/book-of-mormon-personalities-known-by-joseph-smith?lang=eng\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\u201cBook of Mormon Personalities Known by Joseph Smith\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>December 1984: \u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lds.org\/ensign\/1984\/12\/the-story-of-the-doctrine-and-covenants?lang=eng\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\u201cThe Story of the Doctrine and Covenants\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #993300;\"><strong>***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>More than a few of you, I think, will be interested in this piece, although you\u2019ll need to overlook its brief but breezily inaccurate account of Joseph Smith:<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>From <em>The Daily Beast<\/em>: \u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/warren-jeffs-polygamist-cult-once-controlled-this-town-now-its-starting-democracy-from-scratch\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\u201cIn God We Trusted: Warren Jeffs\u2019 Polygamist Cult Once Controlled This Town. \u00a0Now It\u2019s Launching a Democracy From Scratch:\u00a0Hildale has a new mayor\u2014an apostate and, even more shocking, a woman.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #993300;\">***<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mormonnewsroom.org\/article\/public-open-house-dedication-dates-announced-haiti-temple\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\u201cPublic Open House and Dedication Dates Announced for the Haiti Temple\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #993300;\">***<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>There are few human attributes that I dislike more than cynicism.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I hate it when people sneer at sincere expressions of faith, idealism, and\/or love, and, in some cases, seem to deride even goodness itself. \u00a0I hate it when some sorts appear to deny the very <em>possibility<\/em> of goodness, or of selflessness and sincerity.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Such attitudes are particularly common on the Web, on message boards and in newspaper and other such comments. \u00a0Anonymous and pseudonymous cynics abound.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The word <em>cynicism<\/em> comes from a Greek term meaning \u201cdog-like.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But this is grossly unjust to dogs. \u00a0They\u2019re never cynical. \u00a0Cynicism is uniquely human, and remarkably unattractive.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #993300;\"><strong>***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Finally, here\u2019s a simple recipe for a pretty good life:<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #993300;\">\u201cKeep good company, read good books, love good things and cultivate soul and body as faithfully as you can.\u201d \u00a0(Louisa May Alcott)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00a0 \u00a0 First off: \u00a0\u201cJanuary 20\u201321, 2019 Total Lunar Eclipse (Blood Moon)\u201d \u00a0 You might perhaps be able to see it tonight. \u00a0I should be able to do so quite well here in Utah Valley. \u00a0Conditions are very clear at the moment, and the eclipse has already plainly commenced. \u00a0 *** \u00a0 From Book of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[56,1534,2827,2824,2046,2394],"class_list":["post-69421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-book-of-mormon","tag-cynicism","tag-doctrine-and-covenants","tag-robert-woodford","tag-royal-skousen","tag-textual-criticism"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Thoughts on the passing scene<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"&nbsp; 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