{"id":77016,"date":"2019-08-12T15:32:55","date_gmt":"2019-08-12T21:32:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?p=77016"},"modified":"2019-08-12T15:32:55","modified_gmt":"2019-08-12T21:32:55","slug":"there-is-a-god-even-in-las-vegas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2019\/08\/there-is-a-god-even-in-las-vegas.html","title":{"rendered":"There is a God, even in Las Vegas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Not<\/a>
FreedomFest 2019 was held at the Paris Resort Hotel and Casino. It\u2019s not my usual haunt, altough this was at least my fourth FreedomFest. They\u2019re always in Las Vegas, and they\u2019re always both stimulating and entertaining.
(Wikimedia Commons public domain image)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Last year, at FreedomFest 2018 in Las Vegas, I debated the outspoken atheist Dr. Michael Shermer, who was, at the time, a regular columnist for Scientific American<\/em>. \u00a0Our topic was \u201cIs Faith Compatible with Reason?\u201d and our debate was recorded by \u2014 and is accessible through \u2014 the cable network C-SPAN:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIs Faith Compatible with Reason?\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

This year, I landed briefly in Las Vegas for a single FreedomFest presentation on the role of the Latter-day Saints in the settlement of the American West. \u00a0And, also this year, Dr. Shermer debated Hyrum Lewis, a professor of history at Brigham Young University\u2019s Idaho campus and author of the book There <\/em>Is a God: How to Respond to Atheism in the Last Days<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"H.<\/a>
Image from the website of Amazon.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the Lewis\/Shermer debate, as I had to leave the country the next day (or something of that sort). \u00a0Even more unfortunately, C-SPAN failed to record it. \u00a0However, Professor Lewis has sent me the link to an interview that he did with C-SPAN on 18 July 2019 there in Las Vegas. \u00a0It\u2019s not quite half an hour long. \u00a0I\u2019ve watched it, and I enjoyed it very, very much. \u00a0Dr. Lewis is obviously very bright and well informed, and he speaks with energy. \u00a0I strongly commend it to your attention:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Interview with Hyrum Lewis<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

You might find this list amusing, or something:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Top 100 Sexiest Colleges\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Frankly, I don\u2019t know whether the administration of Brigham Young University will be happy about my manifest contribution to BYU\u2019s ranking here, or upset by it. \u00a0They could go either way. \u00a0Frankly, I myself am not sure quite what to make of it.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sigh. \u00a0Here\u2019s another item about perhaps the most vocal current advocate of the so-called \u201cHeartland model\u201d of the geography of the Book of Mormon:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cNeville misrepresents speakers at the FairMormon conference\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

***<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Mr.<\/a>
Danny Trejo (Wikimedia Commons public domain photograph)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

But let\u2019s conclude with a much more upbeat piece about the actor Danny Trejo, who doesn\u2019t exactly have the image of a cuddly teddybear on film:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cListen to Actor Danny Trejo Describe How He Helped Rescue Special Needs Boy From Overturned Car\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

My attention was caught by this story because there\u2019s a small episode involving Danny Trejo in my own extended-family history that also<\/em> belies his image as a tough guy: \u00a0One of my nephews was out to dinner some years ago in California with his wife and children. \u00a0Seated near them, as it happened, was Danny Trejo, who was much smitten with their (admittedly very cute) little daughter. \u00a0They got a good photo with him (and her). \u00a0I won\u2019t share it here, though, because I have a small following of pathological individuals and will not willingly subject members of my family to their potentially vicious attention.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0 \u00a0 Last year, at FreedomFest 2018 in Las Vegas, I debated the outspoken atheist Dr. Michael Shermer, who was, at the time, a regular columnist for Scientific American. \u00a0Our topic was \u201cIs Faith Compatible with Reason?\u201d and our debate was recorded by \u2014 and is accessible through \u2014 the cable network C-SPAN: \u00a0 \u201cIs […]<\/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":[],"class_list":["post-77016","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nThere is a God, even in Las Vegas<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"    Last year, at FreedomFest 2018 in Las Vegas, I debated the outspoken atheist Dr. Michael Shermer, who was, at the time, a regular columnist\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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