Category Archives: Personalities

Heaven and Hell

Posted on 08-May-2011 by

Evangelical Pastor Rob Bell has been generating buzz by questioning a “fire and brimstone” version of hell.  He expounds his views in a best-seller titled:  Love Wins:  A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived.  And … Continue reading →

Posted in mormonism, Religion, widtsoe | 1 Comment

LDS Conference Talks

Posted on 10-April-2011 by

I have often wondered why they don’t open up LDS conference talks to a wider range of speakers?  There are many members who have excellent speaking abilities and have important things to say.  Instead, we listen to the same group … Continue reading →

Posted in mormonism, Personalities | 2 Comments

Widtsoe on Biblical Translations

Posted on 20-February-2011 by

Latter-day Saints have not always been exclusively devoted to the King James Version as they are today.  Apostle John A. Widtsoe commented: It should be remarked that the translation of the Bible into several modern languages has helped us to understand the … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, mormonism, Religion, widtsoe | 1 Comment

Paul Crutzen and the Anthropocene Epoch

Posted on 16-February-2011 by

The following is from an article by Elizabeth Kolbert in NG (Mar 2011): The word “Anthropocene” was coined by Dutch chemist Paul Crutzen about a decade ago.  One day Crutzen, who shared a Nobel Prize for discovering the effects of … Continue reading →

Posted in Creation, Environment, geoengineering, Personalities, transhumanism, Vocabulary | 2 Comments

Ray Kurzweil’s Vision of the Future

Posted on 15-February-2011 by

According to Lev Grossman writing in Time magazine (21 Feb 2011): In (Ray) Kurzweil’s (futurist, technologist, and transhumanist) future (after the singularity or moment when technological change becomes so rapid it represents a rupture in the fabric of human history, … Continue reading →

Posted in Personalities, Religion, Technology, transhumanism | 1 Comment

Michael Kelsey . . .

Posted on 28-January-2011 by

When by twin sons were growing up in the late ’80s, we enjoyed Michael Kelsey guidebooks.  They were a great source of information about hiking on the Colorado River Plateau, particularly in the region’s celestial slots. We learned early that Kelsey was in … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Personalities, Travel | 1 Comment

Toward a Better Understanding of God

Posted on 23-January-2011 by

Religion needs a more evolved perception of God.  The Old Testament tyrant was outmoded by the New Testament.  The more mellow New Testament model also needs updating in light of today’s dynamic scientific achievements.  And this was Joseph Smith’s and Brigham … Continue reading →

Posted in atheism, mormonism, Religion, Technology, transhumanism, widtsoe | 3 Comments

A.J. Walker’s Tragic Day

Posted on 14-January-2011 by

The followng was written by Jeremy Pugh and was published in Salt Lake (Feb. 2011): On Feb 12, 2007 Jeff, 53, and A.J. Walker, then 16, were about to head home.  The father and son had been in Trolley Square … Continue reading →

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One of Stephen Taggart’s Lasting Legacies

Posted on 22-December-2010 by

Growing up in East Lansing, Michigan, Stephen Taggart was a couple of years older than I.  He was tall, goodlooking, and very bright.  He served a Mormon mission to England.  On his return to the United States, he attended the … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, mormonism, Organizational Dynamics, Personalities, Social Justice | Leave a comment

An Interview on Nutrition With My Father

Posted on 22-December-2010 by

The following Q&A was published in the New Era, Sep 1972 in an article titled:  “A Conversation with Gaurth Hansen on Diet, Foods, and Nutrition”: How can we follow the Word of Wisdom advice concerning eating meat sparingly and still get … Continue reading →

Posted in mormonism, my family | Leave a comment