Sound advice. The Latter-day Saint historian and theologian Philip Barlow has what he calls his “Ten Commandments for LDS students attempting to balance faith and learning while at college.” They are: 1. “Seek truth, seek good, and bind them together” 2. “Do not disparage the intellect” 3. “Understand that reason is not the only avenue … Read more
Dale Morgan, 1914-1971. Lowell Dale Morgan (who commonly went by simply Dale Morgan) was an American historian (and former Mormon) who influenced such authors as Juanita Brooks and Fawn Brodie. Morgan left behind an interesting collection of personal letters and correspondences that has been published by Signature Books. In reading through his letters, I was struck … Read more
Caspar David Friedrich, Der Mönch am Meer (1807). The sea is calm tonight. The tide is full, the moon lies fair Upon the straits; on the French coast the light Gleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand, Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay. Come to the window, sweet is the night-air! … Read more
This quote from Andrew Steane is insightful. Atheists fear that theism is oppressive because it sets an all-powerful judge over us. Obviously, all good things can be abused, but theism is not oppressive when it connects God profoundly to weakness, not power when it comes to personal relationships. It does include judgement, because caring about … Read more
I continue to enjoy Andrew Steane’s new book Faithful to Science: The Role of Science in Religion. Below is another part of his book that I found particularly insightful. Faith is also central to science. This is not only in the obvious (and important) sense that scientists have to talk to and trust one another, but … Read more
Here is a collection of more quotes from Andrew Steane’s excellent book Faithful to Science. (See also here and here.) Miracles are events that break the rules, but not in an arbitrary way–––they are pointers to a larger set of rules (p. 95). Compare this with these remarks from the LDS Bible Dictionary. Miracles should … Read more
The British physicist Andrew Steane has this to say about questions. Questions should not be dismissed or discouraged, but sometimes answers have to be postponed, because the student has to first acquire the necessary conceptual apparatus in order to understand the very language of the answer. . . . [O]ne wants the student to . … Read more
The Deseret News has published the touching story of Rich Millar, a man who lost his faith in the Church and then regained it. It’s worth a few minutes of your time to read Rich’s story and watch the accompanying video. Here are the lessons Rich shared with his readers. Lesson No. 1: Cynicism creates a … 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
Richard Lyman Bushman (b. 1931). Craig A. Evans is an evangelical New Testament scholar whose book Fabricating Jesus: How Modern Scholars Distort the Gospels I received as a Christmas gift. In his book, Evans stresses the importance of using rational argument to sustain Christian faith, particularly Christian faith in the historical authenticity of the New … Read more
If you are now or have ever gone through a crisis of faith, I would recommend these three recent sermons by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf and Elders Jeffrey R. Holland and D. Todd Christofferson. Come, Join with Us You can read the address online here. Lord, I Believe You can read the address online here. … Read more