My first day without employment

My first day without employment July 1, 2021

 

David Baird's plates
The replica of the Book of Mormon plates, created by Dave Baird, that was used in the Interpreter Foundation’s “Witnesses” film project (still photograph by James Jordan)

 

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Brigham Young University’s College of Humanities can scarcely conceal its giddy joy at my long-awaited retirement from the active faculty:

 

“Retiring BYU Professor Closes Teaching Chapter and Opens New Doors with “Witnesses” Film: Professor Daniel Peterson (Asian and Near Eastern Languages) is wrapping up his time at BYU, but his work continues as “Witnesses” hits theaters.”

 

And, speaking of Witnesses, you can meet Camrey Bagley Fox, who played Emma Smith, at the 6:35 PM screenings of the film at The District Megaplex Theaters in South Jordan, Utah, this Friday evening and this Saturday evening.

 

On Friday evening (2 July), Mark Goodman, who directed Witnesses, will be at the Thanksgiving Point Megaplex Theaters for the 4:15 PM showing of the film.  Come and talk with him.  Ask him really, really, really hard questions about filmmaking and directing and about Witnesses itself.  He’ll love you for it!

 

On this coming Saturday, Joel Bishop, who portrayed Joseph Smith Sr. in Witnesses — that is, not only the father of the Prophet Joseph Smith Jr. but also (as will appear in the two-part documentary that we’re readying for release in very late summer or, more likely, in very early fall) one of the Eight Witnesses to the Book of Mormon — will be at the Thanksgiving Point Megaplex Theaters for the 4:15 PM showing.  Come and meet him!

 

A friend of many decades (starting way back when my wife and I were newlyweds just arrived in Cairo) has shared her reaction to the Witnesses film with us:

 

I want to thank all those involved in making this film and the actors who did an amazing job bringing these men to life.  This was truly a labor of love and as the ending credits were rolling, tears of gratitude stared to flow for getting to know these men and all they had sacrificed.  It was if the veil had opened for a moment, and I could feel their joy at their story being told, Joseph’s joy, and the Lord’s seal of approval.

 

Such comments mean a very great deal to me.

 

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The kind folks at Patheos have fixed a problem that I’ve had for the past two or three days, and I was finally able to add my wife’s photograph to yesterday’s blog entry.  Photos without me in them are obviously more beautiful but, well, it seemed a fitting day on which to make an exception to my general No Me in Photographs rule.

 

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I want to emphasize again how pleased and excited I am to see the beginning of Dr. Kyler Rasmussen’s series of Bayesian blog posts on the Interpreter Foundation website:

 

“Estimating the Evidence Episode 0: On Quantifying Skepticism”

 

I expect the series to be quite thought-provoking.  And I note that it’s already drawing attacks and derision at the Peterson Obsession Board (and very possibly elsewhere), so that’s . . . well, something.

 

I would also like to thank Dr. Kyle Pratt for his generous efforts in reviewing these posts prior to their publication.

 

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Three other new items have appeared on the website of the Interpreter Foundation:

 

Audio Roundtable: Come, Follow Me Doctrine and Covenants Lesson 28 “Great Shall Be Their Reward and Eternal Shall Be Their Glory”: D&C 76

The Interpreter Radio Roundtable for Come, Follow Me Doctrine and Covenants Lesson 28, “Great Shall Be Their Reward and Eternal Shall Be Their Glory,” on D&C 76, featured Martin Tanner, Dan Peterson, and Terry Hutchinson as discussants. This roundtable was extracted from the 30 May 2021 broadcast of the Interpreter Radio Show. The complete show may be heard at https://interpreterfoundation.org/interpreter-radio-show-may-30-2021/. The Interpreter Radio Show can be heard live each Sunday eveningsfrom 7 to 9 PM (MDT), on K-TALK, AM 1640, or you can listen live on the Internet at ktalkmedia.com.

 

Interpreter Radio Show — June 13, 2021

The hosts for the 13 June 2021 iteration of the Interpreter Radio Show were Terry Hutchinson, John Gee and Kevin Christensen. In this episode, they interviewed the Canadian author, historian, and recently retired BYU professor Richard E. Bennett — who, with his wife, currently directs the Church’s historic site at Winter Quarters, Nebraska — about his important new book 1820: Dawn of the Restoration. The first portion of the show was a roundtable discussing the upcoming Come Follow Me lesson #30 (D&C 81-83). The Interpreter Radio Show is broadcast on Sunday evenings from 7 to 9 PM (MDT), on K-TALK, AM 1640, or you can listen live on the Internet at ktalkmedia.com

 

Interpreter Radio Show — June 20, 2021

Kris Frederickson and Martin Tanner were the discussants for the 20 June 2021 broadcast of the Interpreter Radio Show.  In this installment, they discussed Fathers’s Day and the importance of the traditional family. The second portion of the show was devoted to a roundtable discussing the upcoming Come Follow Me lesson #31 (D&C 84). The Interpreter Radio Show can be heard Sunday evenings from 7 to 9 PM (MDT), on K-TALK, AM 1640, or you can listen live from virtually anywhere on the Internet at ktalkmedia.com.

 

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We went over to Yellowstone National Park’s Lamar Valley today.  There and en route to and from the Valley we saw uncounted bison, some in isolation and many in large herds.  We saw large herds of elk cows and calves, and two young-buck bad boys relaxing on a lawn in Mammoth Hot Springs.  At the foot of the fascinating basaltic lava Sheepeater Cliffs, a yellow-bellied marmot entertained us by adopting various poses (e.g., half-comatose leisure, hide-and-seek,  heroic profile, and flashing rear-end) during a lengthy photo shoot at very short range.  Along a trail at the spectacular Norris Geyser Basin, my wife and I played a game of chicken with a red fox who was loping along in the opposite direction.  He won.

 

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Finally, like the vast magma chamber below Yellowstone National Park, the Christopher Hitchens Memorial “How Religion Poisons Everything” File© has to let things out fairly frequently lest, otherwise, it should violently explode.  So here’s something from the File:

 

“‘If we can’t get along, it’s downright sinful’: The partnership between Catholics and Latter-day Saints”

 

Posted from West Yellowstone, Montana

 

 


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