Posted in China Communism Family history work Temple The Church

God Bless China and the New Shanghai Temple

Update, April 29, 2020: Plans for a temple in Shanghai have hit an unfortunate snag, as was just reported today. See my post, “A Bump in the Road for the…

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Posted in Art Leadership The Church

Love the New Symbol of the Church!

  President Russell M. Nelson introduced members tonight to a beautiful new symbol for the Church. It places the familiar logo of the Church within a box that represents the…

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COVID-19
Posted in COVID Evidence government health Media Policies Provident Living Scholarship Science Social Issues Society Surviving

Coping with the Corona Virus: A New Report on Glucosamine and Other Nutriceuticals, and an Update on Masks

I irritated some readers (as I often do) in February when I shared some thoughts from another reader about the possible importance of glucosamine in helping pneumonia patients survive. I’m…

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Posted in COVID Leadership Policies The Church

COVID-19 Repsonse: Church Gatherings Suspended for Now, Worldwide

Today the Church announces that Church gatherings are temporarily suspended worldwide. China led the way in having members adapt to cancelled Church meetings, building swiftly on our experience with the…

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Posted in COVID health Policies The Church

Skip Church if You Are Ill and Other Tips for Coping with COVID-19 and the Corona Virus (SARS-CoV-2)

In my previous posts warning about the need to prepare for the Corona virus, my greatest concern has not been the risk of getting ill, but the risk of a…

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Posted in Family Leadership Policies The Church

A Church Prepared for Crisis: The Timeliness of the Church’s Emphasis on Home-Centered Worship

When the Church announced in 2018 that it was shifting to less Sunday time in Church buildings and a greater emphasis on learning and worship at home, the reasons for…

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Posted in Business Critics Leadership Policies Provident Living The Church Tithing

The “Hoarding” Church

Hordes of critics are wringing their hands, often gleefully, about the uncharitable “hoarding” of the Church, based on shocking claims that the Church has been saving some of the money…

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Posted in Ancient Near East Book of Abraham Critics Egyptian Evidence history Origins Scholarship Translation

The Willard Richards Book of Abraham Manuscript 2: Live Dictation of Abraham 3 in 1842, or Copying Existing Text?

In an important publication from the Joseph Smith Papers Project, The Joseph Smith Papers, Revelations and Translations, Volume 4: Book of Abraham and Related Manuscripts, eds. Robin Scott Jensen and…

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Posted in Book of Abraham Books Doctrine Evidence history Prophets Scholarship Scripture Translation

Is the Book of Abraham Translation Dependent on the Kirtland Egyptian Papers? Revisiting The Pearl of Greatest Price

A potentially troublesome flaw in the discussion of the Book of Abraham in the generally good book by Terryl Givens (with Brian Hauglid), The Pearl of Greatest Price, is its…

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Posted in Book of Mormon Books Evidence history Origins Scholarship Scripture

A Breakthrough in Understanding the Book of Mormon: Don Bradley’s Brilliant Sleuthing on the Lost 116 Pages (or Lost 400 Pages!)

Don Bradley’s new book, The Lost 116 Pages: Reconstructing the Book of Mormon’s Missing Stories (Draper, UT: Greg Kofford Books, 2019), is something I’ve been looking forward to for many…

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