Category: Media
A Simple Example from the Book of Mormon Showing Why Scholarship Is Needed
Many Latter-day Saints seem unaware of the great body of scholarship that can strengthen faith and understanding for members of the Church and those exploring it. Such scholarship can be…
Can We Have an Honest Chat About Abortion and Race? Not With ChatGPT
Curious about the knowledge of the impressive new Artificial Intelligence tool, ChatGPT, I started my day with a question about abortion and race. This tool, now owned by…
An Overlooked Example of the Book of Mormon’s Surprising Use of Book of Moses Material
While Noel Reynolds and I felt like we had pretty well mined all the relevant connections between the Book of Moses and the Book of Mormon when we published our list of nearly 100 connections, there’s an important one that we missed. Missing the connection may have been easy to do since the related Book of Mormon verse uses different wording that succinctly summarizes a longer Book of Moses passage, and at first glance appears to just be referring to a familiar story from Genesis. This connection involves Satan’s influencing Cain to slay Abel in Helaman 6:27 and Moses 5:25.
A Key Book to Understand Nahom and Bountiful is Now Free Online: Warren Aston’s Lehi and Sariah in Arabia
A thorough and valuable book on Lehi’s Trail and the Arabian Peninsula evidence for the Book of Mormon is now available free online, thanks to the generosity of the author,…
Joshua Berman’s Ani Maamin: An Orthodox Jewish Scholar Provides Help in Keeping the Faith in the Face of Secular Bible Scholarship
During a recent trip to Atlanta, my wife and I connected two of our Latter-day Saint friends with dear Jewish friends there. Among the many topics of the evening, we…
A Catholic Family Gets a Visit From the FBI: A Time to Carefully Follow Stories on Threats to Religious Freedom
The opening talk of the October 2022 General Conference, “Caring for the Poor and Distressed” by Elder Dallin H. Oaks, asked us to not only do more to help to…
A Tough Question: What’s the Single Most Impressive Evidence for the Book of Mormon?
A critic recently asked me a tough question: what’s the single most impressive piece of evidence for the Book of Mormon? I think he wasn’t looking for evidence that might change open his mind, but perhaps was looking to simplify his goal of attacking the Book of Mormon. But for those who really want to understand more, what evidence is most important and impressive? Here I offer a few thoughts and several possibilities for the “one best” issue to consider.
AP’s Narrative-Based Reporting on the Church’s Handling of an Abuse Case in Arizona
The Associated Press recently published an article about a case of abuse in Arizona that sharply criticized the Church. In “Seven years of sex abuse: How Mormon officials let it…
China Has More to Offer Than Fireworks When It Comes to Celebrating Liberty
The story of China’s economic revolution is barely known in the West, but has some vitally important lessons for all of us. Here I report on my trek to the small village in Anhui Province where that revolution began, and tell the story desperation and courage among a small group of farmers who risked their lives in 1978 to defy collectivism. Instead of being punished, their incredible success inspired Deng Xiao Ping and helped bring the blessings of increased economic liberty and prosperity to many millions in China. It was a quiet revolution that became a thunder sweeping China. The lessons from that revolution are now needed in the West.
Preparing for War: The Folly of Trust
Some of my more painful experiences in life have come from trusting people in authority, ranging from the promises of a business to the assurances of a medical authority or other persons I respected. While I continue to be an optimistic and trusting person, I increasingly recognize the reality that people often cannot be trusted, especially when there is an opportunity for personal gain at the expense of their personal integrity. I’ve also learned that there are red flags I should have heeded more in my life, such as the words “you’ll just have to trust me” when claiming that an agreement could not yet be put in writing…. Can we trust what we are being told about Ukraine?
