Posted in Doctrine and Covenants Evidence health Industry Scholarship Science Secret Combinations Word of Wisdom

The Word of Wisdom is Coming Back into Style: Conspiring Men and the Myth of Healthy Alcohol Consumption

Did you catch the recent reports in the New York Times of a major National Institutes of Health study on the benefits of moderate alcohol consumption? It’s a great story…

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Posted in Book of Mormon Evidence Gospel of Jesus Christ International Miracles MIssionary work Prayer Service Stories

“Here, Take My Camera”: Responding to the Miraculous Message and Convincing Power of the Book of Mormon

The Shanghai International District Conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was held March 17 and 18, 2018, in Shanghai. The highlight by far was the musical…

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Posted in Asia China Communism freedom history Industry

Freedom to Be Thankful For: My Pilgrimage to Xiaogang, Birthplace of China’s Latest Revolution

One of the most touching and courageous moments in China’s recent history is depicted in the painting below of a secret meeting of farmers in a tiny village that few…

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Posted in Ancient Near East Book of Abraham Egyptian Evidence history language Scholarship Scripture Translation

John Gee’s Introduction to the Book of Abraham: A Lifetime of Book of Abraham Scholarship Distilled into a Valuable Book for a Broad Audience

It was a pleasure to read John Gee’s recently published An Introduction to the Book of Abraham (Salt Lake City and Provo, UT: Deseret Book and BYU Religious Studies Center,…

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Posted in Books Christianity history International Society The Church

Canadian Mormons by Roy and Carma Prete: Interview with the Authors by Erin Gazdik

A valuable new contribution to the history of the Latter-day Saints will be published this month. Canadian Mormons: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Canada edited by…

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Posted in Book of Mormon Evidence history Mesoamerica Scholarship

Evidence At Last: The Many Aspects of John Lloyd Stephens’ Work That Strengthened Mormons in the 1840s

A delightful trend in modern Book of Mormon criticism today is to scour books, articles, and maps for information that hypothetically could have aided Joseph Smith in fabricating many of…

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Posted in Book of Mormon Evidence history Mesoamerica Problems Scholarship

In Defense of Dr. John E. Clark’s “Ludicrous” Assessment of Early Criticism of the Book of Mormon

Dr. John E. Clark’s presentation on archaeology and the Book of Mormon, the subject of a recent post here, has been taken to task by one of our critics for…

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Posted in Ancient Near East Antiquity Book of Abraham Evidence history Origins

The Egyptian Context for the Book of Abraham: Why Hor, Priest of Thebes, Might Want an Abraham Text

One of the important but often overlooked issues in the debate over the origins of the Book of Abraham is why the ancient Egyptian owner of the Joseph Smith papyri…

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Posted in Africa Asia BYU Family Friends health Scholarship Service The Church Travel

A Mormon Scholar and His Students Changing the World for Good: Dr. Gene Cole at BYU

One of the blessings of travel is the opportunity to meet new people and learn from them. These past 3 weeks of non-stop travel have been no exception. Part of…

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Posted in abortion freedom health politics Social Issues Society The Church

Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Worship, and Freedom of Religious Belief: The Differences Matter

Extremist feet (size 13) in even more extreme shoes. Photo taken at the Holland display in Royal Park Rajapruek, Chiang Mai, Thailand, 2015. Three years ago, Wesley J. Smith writing…

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