Papers by Daniel Peterson
Interpreter: A journal of Mormon scripture, 2017
Interpreter: A journal of Mormon scripture, 2016
Loss, pain, and suffering are too often, it seems, co-sojourners through our lives. To one degree... more Loss, pain, and suffering are too often, it seems, co-sojourners through our lives. To one degree or another, we all become familiar with these elements of a life lived in an imperfect world. It is inevitable-and virtually universal-that such companions foster questions about the meaning of life and whether there is a God who is the author, director, and finisher of that meaning. For those who conclude that God is real and has part in our lives, suffering can have or acquire eternal significance, enhanced by the personal realization that God, too, suffers and has suffered. In the Christian paradigm, God shares our suffering and we, in turn, share in His. In the depths of our sorrow we have, literally, a "co-sufferer" sharing our journey. As Christians, we are called upon to take upon ourselves the name of Christ. This act not only gives us a new name, but may require us to bear loss, pain, and suffering as did Christ-to acquire the "marks of Jesus" in our own lives. Indeed, for some, such bearing may be a key part of becoming what God plans for us to become. On the day following our return, I learned that the still relatively young daughter of a friend, neighbor, and member of our ward had suddenly and unexpectedly died while we were gone. And, later that same day, another friend was horrified to find his even younger daughter dead in her apartment. These two shocking stories led me to turn to a book that had long been on my list of must-reads.
Mormons and Muslims
Oxford University Press eBooks, Nov 1, 2015
The Refiner's Fire: The Making of Mormon Cosmology 1644-1844 by John L. Brooke
BYU Studies Quarterly, 1994
A legal defence to blasphemy
Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1989–2011, 1993
BYU Studies Quarterly, 1997
This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at BYU ScholarsArchiv... more This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in BYU Studies Quarterly by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact
Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1989–2011, 1990
Reviewed by Daniel C. Peterson Many of the contributors to the recently published F estschrift ho... more Reviewed by Daniel C. Peterson Many of the contributors to the recently published F estschrift honoring Hugh Nibley took the opportunity of paying explicit tribute to him at the commencement of their articles. I For no better reason than sheer inattentiveness, I did not, and I would like to remedy that defect, at least partially, here. I am only one of a number of scholars and amateurs in the Church who owe their interest in antiquity and comparative religions, and much of their approach to these vast subjects, to the example set by Hugh Nibley. He has always been an inspiration, even if his brilliance has not infrequently also been an intimidation. And although few of us still suspect that he has transcended human limitations, most of us-myself emphatically included-have found in the course of our own researches that his general orientation and indeed many of his particular insights have continued to hold up remarkably well. The lengthy collection of Nibley's essays published as The Prophetic Book of Mormon gathers together in one convenient place pieces which had previously either been scattered in a multitude of different publications of varying accessibility or (in the cases of "Freemen and King-Men in the Book of Mormon," "The Book of Mormon: Forty Years After," and the title essay) not published at all. The essay called "The Book of Mormon: True or False?" features an important new addendum, based on remarks delivered in Portland, Oregon. These are interesting pieces, and the volume might perhaps serve as a good introduction to his thought on the Book of Mormon, since it spans virtually his entire publishing career-the first article appeared originally in 1953-and furnishes bite-sized samples of almost the whole range of his thought on the subject. "New Approaches to Book of Mormon Study" (pp. 54-126) is
Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1989–2011, 1995
I predict that it will be the definiti ve work on Mormonism for the next generation. I Ed Decker ... more I predict that it will be the definiti ve work on Mormonism for the next generation. I Ed Decker This is not, as one wou ld have expected, an indescribabl y horrid book. It is merely a very, very bad one, and the credit for ilS improveme nt must surely belong to the ed itorial staff at Harvest House. 2 The dedicated anti-Mormons Jerald and Sandra Tanner have noted "Ed Decker's ability to make up stories ," "his ability 10 fabri cate evidence to support hi s own opin ions," and hi s choice of "the path of sensationalism in hi s work on Mormoni s m."3 They are not alone. Decker' s activities as a professional oppo nent of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Sai nts have been Ed Decker. in Saifl/s Alive in Jesus Newsleller (Marc h-May 1995): 3. 2 Perhaps Decker's admirer Hank Hanegraaff. of the Christian Research Institute. deserves some of the credit as well. His brand of anti-Mormonism is usually more mainstream than that foste red by Decker. Hanegraaff was the au thor of the foreword for Decker's Handbook. 3 Jerald and Sandra Tanner, Serious Charges against the Tanners: Are the Tann ers Demonized Agenrs of rhe Mormon Church? (Salt Lake City: Utah Lighthouse Ministry. 1991). 32. 29. The Tanners' relati vely short book offers a remarkable and eye-openi ng look at the behavior of &I Decker and some of his associates. (Issue No. 67 11988J of the Tanners' newsletler. the SaIl Lake Cil), Messenger. is also interesting in this regard.) Gi lbert W. Seharffs. The TRUTH abow "The God Makers" (Sail Lake City: Publi~he r~ Press, 1986), supplies a calml y annotated catalog of many of the errors in Decker's earlier work. Robert L. Brown and Rosemary Brown, They Ue in Wait /0 Deceive. vol. 4 (Mesa: Brownswort h, 1995), is a recently published crit ical look at Decker and a few or his cronies from The God Makers. 8 For a discussion of th is "prophecy." with refere nces. see Tanner and Tanner. The wciler-God Doc/rifle [B/, 16-17. Ironically. in his Saints Alive in Jesus News/eller (May-June 1994): I. Decker harshly criticizes severa l of his fellow Protestants for giving false prophecy (on an unrelated subject). 9 Unfortun ately, I was un able to locate this priceless allegation in print. However. at leaS t three other dedicated Decker-watchers besides myself remember having seen or heard the claim. And a friend's July 1995 call to Decker headquarters in Washington State. though it failed 10 locate a specific written reference, did gel a genera l, im plicit repetition of the claim. In a 9 August 1995 telephone call with the same frie nd. Decker himself den ied th e notion of a "fullscale replica." but did confirm that Latter-day Saint leaders will role the United Stales from the Washington D.C. Temple. 10 Once again. even the full-time anti-Morm ons Jerald and Sandra Tanner could not stomach Decker's perform ance. See their Problemx in The Godmakers II (Salt Lake City : Utah Lighthouse Ministry. 1993). 1 I See Tanner and Tanne r. Serious Charges agm'nsl the Tannerx.
Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1989–2011, 2001
Interpreter: A journal of Mormon scripture, 2015
The temporarily rather comfortable "fit" between the Restored Gospel and American civic religion ... more The temporarily rather comfortable "fit" between the Restored Gospel and American civic religion is a thing of the past, and we contemporary Latter-day Saints seem to find ourselves in a more and more marginalized position, theologically and socially. This was where our predecessors, both earlier in this dispensation and among the first Christians, were located, and it may not be an altogether bad thing. It will, for instance, force us to take our beliefs more seriously, less casually. And it may well drive us back to the unique resources provided by the Restoration, which have much to offer. There are as-yet unplumbed depths in the Restored Gospel that might well-as one Catholic theologian has recently argued-make it uniquely able to respond to the challenges of modern thought. One of the reasons for the existence of the Interpreter Foundation is to foster the kinds of scholarship and reflection that will enable us to identify those depths and to lay them out for the benefit of both Latter-day Saints and honest and open-minded outsiders, to give us important tools for doing the Lord's work in an ever-changing intellectual and cultural environment. Growing up in the fifties and sixties, it was easy to assume that American society respected Latterday Saints. We might be out on the theological fringe, regarded as a bit quirky, but American civic religion was at least theoretically pretty much on our side. For example, Americans seemed to honor ideals of faithful, heterosexual marriage, with fathers taking the lead and mothers caring for children. Society was, in other words, largely in sync with, and supportive of, fundamental, practical Mormon values. In fact, Mormons seemed quintessentially American-which, in the postwar era of the Pax Americana, benefited our church not only in the United States but in Europe and Japan.
Interpreter: A journal of Mormon scripture, 2018
Revelation, Reason, and Faith: Essays in Honor of Truman G. Madsen
BYU Studies Quarterly, 2004
Interpreter: A journal of Mormon scripture, 2017
Interpreter: A journal of Mormon scripture, 2016
BYU Studies Quarterly, Oct 1, 2001
The Role of Apologetics in Mormon Studies
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Papers by Daniel Peterson