Category: The Church
More on the Meaning of the Kirtland Egyptian Papers: Recent Explorations Based on Comments at Interpreter
One of the best things about finally having a reply from the Joseph Smith Papers Project on the issue of alleged flaws in scholarship in their volume on the Book…
Word of Wisdom Update: Be Cautious with Green Tea Extract
For some past research, I once obtained some pure green tea extract that was 98% EGCG, the widely touted “catechin” from green tea, epigallocathechin-gallate, and used it in a few…
Viva Dialog! The JSP Team Responds to My Complaints About Their Volume on the Book of Abraham
A few of you may have noticed that the Joseph Smith Papers team has publicly responded to my unfortunate complaints about bias and flawed scholarship in their volume on the…
Review of Terryl Givens and Brian Hauglid, The Pearl of Greatest Price: Mormonism’s Most Controversial Scripture
A new book related to the Pearl of Great Price has just been published by two well-known LDS scholars, Dr. Terryl Givens and Dr. Brian Hauglid, both currently associated with…
Caffeine Update: Prenatal Risks
Many members of the Church interpret the Word of Wisdom’s prohibitions on tea and coffee as a hint that caffeine itself should be treated cautiously. But many feel that drinking…
Puzzling Statement from Joseph Smith III May Raise a Book of Abraham Question: Could More of the Original Papyri Have Survived?
After a long trip from Shanghai to Amsterdam via Dubai yesterday, I awoke this morning with an intriguing question sent from Ryan Larsen, a fellow member of the Church and…
Great New Temple Recommend Questions
The Church has announced a revision in the temple recommend questions. These are the questions that priesthood leaders are instructed to be ask members seeking recommends to participate in Temple…
President Nelson Shares Some Background Information for Recent Policy Adjustments
While some within and without the Church will disagree with the Church’s position regarding same-sex marriage, President Nelson’s comments this week at BYU help give some insight into the motivations…
Rethinking Enemies
One of the challenges for me as I gradually prepare to return to the United States, after my eight years in China, is the animosity here. Too many people treat…
The Twin BOA Manuscripts: A Window into Creation of the Grammar and Alphabet of the Egyptian Language?
While I believe there is significant evidence showing that the twin manuscripts (Manuscript A and Manuscript B) of the Book of Abraham do not represent live dictation from Joseph Smith…
