- John Mansfield on Latter-day Saints Report Fewer Sexual Partners, Fewer Affairs, and Less STDs: “One factor I wonder how to understand with such surveys is the range of ages. When it is large, such as “adults 18 or older,” then it is grouping together people who left high school three years ago with 67-year-old retirees. How do I sort out the meaning of an aggregate of their cumulative life experiences? If 13% of men say they have had affairs, should I interpret that to mean that another 13% have not yet but will before they die?” Apr 10, 09:37
- on A Review: Welding Another Link: Latter-day Saint Essays on Faith and Intellect: “Oman’s always worth reading, but $20 for a hundred-page paperback is steep.” Apr 10, 07:39
- on The Book of Mormon Witnesses, The Miracle of the Sun, and Other Historically Plausible Miracles: “The three secrets are equally important to the miracle of Fatima. I think, specifically, predicting the end of the world war is as responsible for its lasting impact as the miracle of the sun. The miracle discussed here reminds me of the fulfillment of the prophecies of Samuel in the Book of Mormon, or Brigham Young taking on the appearance of Joseph Smith while preaching.” Apr 9, 17:10
- on The Book of Mormon Witnesses, The Miracle of the Sun, and Other Historically Plausible Miracles: “Stephen C, Thanks for sharing the sun miracle; super fun. My personal favorite with contemporary documentation is Joan of Arc, also told well on Astral Codex Ten: https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/your-review-joan-of-arc. Pushback: You’re arguing that there’s something more rational in our faith’s founding miracles than the aimlessness inherent in others’. This is an interesting aspect of Mormonism: reason is important, to a point; faith is important, to a point; and those limits align nicely with our theology by confirming our own miracles and giving us space to look skeptically on those outside. Why did God let only a handful of people see the gold plates? He in His great wisdom knew this was best. Why would He help someone levitate? Well, He wouldn’t, so… I think you’re gently acknowledging that there’s something ungenerous in this line of thought; but my point is it’s an irony within common Mormon belief—God only does inexplicable things in ways *I* can understand.” Apr 9, 09:19
- on The Book of Mormon Witnesses, The Miracle of the Sun, and Other Historically Plausible Miracles: “Miracles are often the uncomfortable point for faith for educated folks. At times I felt like Jefferson wading through the New Testament wanting it to all fit a rational cohesive idea. Lately I’ve come to appreciate parts of the scriptures that aren’t perfect fits for how we see things now. Like Hazel Motes in Wise Blood, the reality of the weirdness beyond the common calls is to a new reality: “Later he saw Jesus move from tree to tree in the back of his mind, a wild ragged figure motioning him to turn around and come off into the dark where he might be walking on the water and not know it and then suddenly know it and drown.”” Apr 8, 22:12
- on The Book of Mormon Witnesses, The Miracle of the Sun, and Other Historically Plausible Miracles: “@ Jonathan Green: Almost everything in ancient history for one. @Carey F: Well put.” Apr 8, 20:09
- on The Book of Mormon Witnesses, The Miracle of the Sun, and Other Historically Plausible Miracles: “Signs don’t force belief they extend an invitation. They only matter if they point beyond themselves to something meaningful. The clearest evidence isn’t the sign itself but the transformation that follows, which is why signs tend to come after faith rather than before it.” Apr 8, 18:22
- on The Book of Mormon Witnesses, The Miracle of the Sun, and Other Historically Plausible Miracles: “I always assumed that the plates were one of those things people just have to take on faith, but when I read the historical accounts, they’re surprisingly solid. That doesn’t rule out all skeptical explanations, of course, but it does demand an explanation. I haven’t looked at Fatima at all, but solar phenomena are common enough in the stuff I look at that it’s likely the people saw something, although people will disagree about what and how best to explain it. Another fun question is to turn it around: Which basic historical events are less well attested than some of these miracle reports?” Apr 8, 18:00
- on Moving Beyond the KJV: Kent Jackson’s Modern Translation of Genesis: “Jonathan, Thanks for your comments. (1) The seminar mentioned was for PhD students who intended to become professionals in the field. It was assumed that we already had learned Hebrew before we took the course. My word “brutal” is hyperbolic, but it was intense and demanding and required many hours of preparation to master the assigned reading block before we met. Several of the erstwhile PhD students disappeared from the program after the seminar, which was a good thing for them. (2) I felt that the JST was a necessary inclusion with a new Genesis text for Latter-day Saints. I don’t necessarily feel the same way about other biblical books, where there is much less JST, and most of it just provides revised wordings for clarity. But JST Genesis is one of the most important revelations of the Restoration, and it is unlike most of the JST elsewhere. In the book, the Genesis text, the commentary, and the JST readings are nicely segregated typographically. And the translation is not influenced in any way by any source other than the Hebrew text itself, so there is nothing specifically “LDS” about the translation.” Apr 8, 16:55
- on A Review: Welding Another Link: Latter-day Saint Essays on Faith and Intellect: “Yeah. It’s fun to see his name pop up so much, especially this year, with his book with Oxford coming out as well.” Apr 7, 11:22
