It has just been announced that archaeologists believe they have found the tomb of St Philip, one of the first apostles of Christ, in modern day Turkey.  He died around 80 AD, possibly by beheading or upside down crucifixion.  It is expected to become a major pilgrimage site.

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/07/27/tomb-st-philip-apostle-discovered-in-turkey/

Meanwhile Mormons have made pilgrimages twice a year for more than a century to visit General Conference, where they can not only see the grave of a dead apostle, but see and hear living apostles speak.  Of course, the lazy ones can make the pilgrimage over the Internet.  I wonder how many of us Mormons still have an awe when we think of how lucky we are to having several St Philips in our midst.

Lesson 31 is now online at my blog.  It discusses Paul’s travels, his discourse on Mar’s Hill, and 1 & 2 Thessalonians.

http://joelsmonastery.blogspot.com/2011/07/new-testament-gospel-doctrine-lesson-31.html

Read it there, comment here!

Listening to the news these days is like spending too much time around Jim Carrey at the beginning of the movie “Liar, Liar.” Mucho mendacity.

How are we being deceived (by both political parties and by just about everybody in Washington)? Oh, let me count the ways.

1)We will default on Aug. 2 unless Congress raises the debt ceiling, and such a move would be unprecedented.

A)Not to make you cynical or anything, but the Treasury magically found another week’s worth of money, and the default date is now Aug. 10.

B)The U.S. government takes in anywhere between $170 billion and $210 billion, depending on the month. The debt interest payments are about $20 billion. $20 billion is less than $170 billion. We could pay off our creditors and not default. Default should never have been mentioned by anybody. The issue is: the U.S. government does not have enough money to pay all of its current obligations unless the debt ceiling is raised. But most people already knew that.

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I’m currently at a seminar run by the Institute for Humane Studies, which is basically a libertarian think-tank designed to shepherd classical liberal thinkers into schools and positions of influence. I just had a conversation with a non-religious libertarian who discovered that I was Mormon. Here’s how the conversation went:

Him: “You’re Mormon? Awesome! I have a question for you: What do you think about the Book of Mormon?”

Me: “I believe it is scripture, and the word of God.”

Him: “No, I mean the musical!” Continue reading →