{"id":93639,"date":"2021-12-22T21:50:52","date_gmt":"2021-12-23T04:50:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?p=93639"},"modified":"2021-12-23T21:41:27","modified_gmt":"2021-12-24T04:41:27","slug":"the-light-of-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2021\/12\/the-light-of-christmas.html","title":{"rendered":"“The Light of Christmas”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"LDS<\/a>
Christmas at the Washington DC Temple (LDS.org).\u00a0 For many years, this was the temple for Virginia.\u00a0 Late next year, though, Richmond will have its own.\u00a0 That will be a great leap forward.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Interpreter Radio Show \u2014 November 28, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n

The 28 November 2021 broadcast of the Interpreter Radio Show, which featured Mark Johnson, Matthew Bowen, and Kerry Muhlestein, has been purified from commercial and other interruptions, archived, and, now, made available to the general public at absolutely no charge. In the first hour of this episode, Brothers Johnson, Bowen, and Muhlestein discussed new books on Abraham, Moses, and Isaiah. The second portion of the show, by contrast, was devoted to a roundtable discussing the upcoming Come Follow Me lesson #2 (Genesis 1-2; Moses 2-3; Abraham 4-5). The Interpreter Radio Show can be heard live each and every Sunday evening from 7 to 9 PM (MDT), on K-TALK, AM 1640.\u00a0 Or, if you don\u2019t live in the Salt Lake Valley, you can listen to it on the Internet at ktalkmedia.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0<\/p>\n

A reader called my attention to the following article, suggesting that it might involve one of my obsessive anonymous internet critics:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cEx-doctor living in Las Vegas accused of threatening Mormon church\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Of course, it probably doesn\u2019t.\u00a0 But, candidly, it wouldn\u2019t really surprise me if it did<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s Christmas, so (of course) you\u2019re already reeling from the seasonal horrors \u2014 the repulsive gift-giving, the fake \u201cjoy,\u201d the treacly \u201ckindness,\u201d the so-called \u201cmusic,\u201d and so forth \u2014 regularly visited upon us by theism and this most repulsive of theistic \u201choly days,\u201d but I really need to share an atrocious specimen with y0u from the seemingly inexhaustible Christopher Hitchens Memorial \u201cHow Religion Poisons Everything\u201d File<\/em>\u00a9:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBuilding People through Job Training: Associates learn work skills at facilities while serving others\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the meantime, here\u2019s an interesting piece in Religion Dispatches<\/em>:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMormon Group Digging for Scriptural City of Zarahemla in Iowa is a Portrait of Religious Nationalism\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

And, while I\u2019m on the subject, I think that I\u2019ll share a relevant entry from the sadly necessary Neville-Neville Land<\/em> blog:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we start wrong, it is a hard matter to get right.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

(Please have a look at the story about Matt Roper<\/a> that is mentioned at the conclusion.\u00a0 I know Matt, of course, but I hadn\u2019t known about that one.)<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s scarcely necessary, I\u2019m guessing, but I want to remind you of this 2021 Christmas message.\u00a0 If you haven\u2019t already listened to it, take a couple of minutes to do so.\u00a0 We\u2019re rapidly approaching the point where the time for shopping will clearly be past.\u00a0 So what is the season really about?<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Light of Christmas\u201d<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Prophet and President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints<\/a> is inviting everyone to transform lives during the Christmas season.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen so many around us are burdened with fear and uncertainty, I invite you to make room in your heart for those around you who may be struggling to see the light of the Savior and to feel His love.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Posted from Williamsburg, Virginia<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0 \u00a0 *** \u00a0 Interpreter Radio Show \u2014 November 28, 2021 The 28 November 2021 broadcast of the Interpreter Radio Show, which featured Mark Johnson, Matthew Bowen, and Kerry Muhlestein, has been purified from commercial and other interruptions, archived, and, now, made available to the general public at absolutely no charge. In the first hour […]<\/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":[2517,1809,5183,21866,22147,16164,2905,1812,1815,7113,2193,788,55,1667,4432,9491],"class_list":["post-93639","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-christmas","tag-church-of-jesus-christ-of-latter-day-saints","tag-heartland","tag-heartlander","tag-heartlanders","tag-iowa","tag-latter-day-saint","tag-latter-day-saints","tag-lds","tag-lds-church","tag-light","tag-mormon","tag-mormonism","tag-mormons","tag-nauvoo","tag-zarahemla"],"yoast_head":"\n"The Light of Christmas"<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"    ***   Interpreter Radio Show \u2014 November 28, 2021 The 28 November 2021 broadcast of the Interpreter Radio Show, which featured Mark\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, 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