Pictured: an authentic ancient portrait of Aseneth dated to the New Kingdom (circa 1400 BCE). Today I taught lesson 12 in Sunday School on Joseph in Egypt. One verse I highlighted was Genesis 41:45. Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-paneah; and he gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, as his wife. Thus … Read more
The new issue of the Student Review has been printed. For this issue I interviewed none other than Terryl Givens on his thoughts concerning the academic discipline of Mormon Studies cropping up at a number of institutes of higher education. You can read it on pages 8 and 10. Also, this is really embarrassing, but … Read more
You may have seen various “Hitler Reacts” videos on YouTube. They’re made from a clip taken from the 2004 German film Der Untergang (one of my favorite films, incidentally). In this scene, Hitler goes bonkers when he’s informed that Obergruppenführer Felix Steiner was not able to amass enough troops to break the Soviet stronghold on Berlin. … Read more
From the BBC. You can read the court decision here. From Judge Howard Riddle. “It is obvious that this proposed prosecution attacks the doctrine and beliefs of the Mormon Church. . . . I am satisfied that the process of the court is being manipulated to provide a high-profile forum to attack the religious beliefs … Read more
My friend Colby Townsend has an excellent post on the Old Testament apocrypha and pseudepigrapha at Rational Faiths. You should check it out! If you’re looking for good translations of the very exciting texts mentioned by Colby, I’d recommend these volumes.
“He doesn’t seem to take a hint, this guy.” – Jango Fett (left) to his son/clone Boba (right) after trying to destroy a pursuing Obi-Wan Kenobi with seismic charges. The Church has released an official statement on the efforts of Ordain Women to seek entrance into the upcoming Priesthood Session of General Conference. The letter … Read more
A portrait of Esarhaddon on a stele. You can never tell what neat little things you’ll find lying around in ancient archives. For example, the archives of the Assyrian king Esarhaddon (who reigned from 681–669 BC) contains a text (Simo Parpola calls it a “Meal of Covenant”) that reads as follows. The word of Ištar of … Read more
Elder John A. Widtsoe (1872–1952). Elder Widtsoe, an Apostle and a scientist, is a personal hero of mine for his example of one who could commingle faith and reason in a remarkable way. [I wrote this paper for my history class as part of having recently read Milton Steinberg’s excellent novel As a Driven Leaf. … Read more
Don’t do it! As explained by the Encyclopedia of Mormonism, the concept of “eternal progression” is central to the Mormon conception of deification. Here’s the succinct explanation given by the recent Gospel Topics essay. Latter-day Saints see all people as children of God in a full and complete sense; they consider every person divine in origin, nature, … Read more
“In the beginning was the . . . “ The scene in which Faust first meets Mephistopheles takes place in Faust’s own Studierzimmer. After a long conversation with his buddy Wagner, Faust retires with the black poodle he encountered on the street (and which is actually Mephistopheles in disguise). Something I found positively fascinating about … Read more
The temple of Edfu, completed in 57 BC. Latter-day Saints since Primary are taught that reverence for God (especially in sacred space such as the temple) includes a softness of voice. Rev’rently, quietly, lovingly we think of thee; Rev’rently, quietly, softly sing our melody. Rev’rently, quietly, humbly now we pray, Let thy Holy Spirit dwell … Read more
I’ve heard, on many occasions, liberal or progressive Mormons* repeat the scriptural mantra “all are alike unto God” (2 Nephi 26:33) in their activism for feminist or LGBT issues. Take this image below, for example, or this website promoting more inclusive gender roles in the Church. Notice the sign second from the right. Without passing … Read more
Elder Dallin H. Oaks (b. 1932). Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles recently gave a devotional at Brigham Young University–Idaho on the subject of atheism and secular humanism. Elder Oaks’ comments are topical, as many recent polls have noted growing trends of irreligion (especially among those of my own generation) … Read more