New Testament scholar Larry Hurtado discusses at his blog the concept that what we view as “monotheism” today is very different than how ancient Jews and Christians did. He therefore coins some new phrases for us: “ancient Jewish monotheism” and “ancient Christian monotheism.”
These do not deny the existence of other gods, but only that the ancient Jews and Christians focused their worship only on God (or God and Christ in the case of Christians). Continue reading
One chart says it all:
It is emotionally satisfying for various liberal hacks and politicians to blame ideology and pressure groups for the failure of gun control in the Senate. But the reality is that Americans increasingly feel safe with a gun in the home and see it as a viable means of self-defense. Gun control bills are seen as potentially threatening that freedom. In addition, it is worth pointing out as I did in this post that crime is way, way down overall despite the increase in guns, so any attempt to limit law-abiding people from buying guns will not be popular.
And by the way, the claim that 90 percent of people favor background checks is highly misleading. As in every poll, it depends on how you ask the question, and it is also worth pointing out that the vast majority of legal gun sales already involve background checks.
Let me start this post by saying I sell internet fiber for a living. Mostly international fiber on undersea cables. So, anytime people are getting faster internet links, I think, “ka-ching” (you know, the cash register sound).
Big-time ka-ching every time Google expands somewhere, which is what is going on in Provo.
Google announced that Provo would be the third city to become a “Google Fiber City.”
What this means in practice is that people in Provo will get (according to Google):
if the deal is approved and the acquisition closes, we’d offer our Free Internet service (5 Mbps speeds) to every home along the existing Provo network, for a $30 activation fee and no monthly charge for at least seven years. We would also offer Google Fiber Gigabit Internet—up to 100x faster Internet than today’s average broadband speeds—and the option for Google Fiber TV service with hundreds of your favorite channels. We’d also provide free Gigabit Internet service to 25 local public institutions like schools, hospitals and libraries.
Title: Standing on the Promises, Book One: One More River to Cross
Author: Margaret Blair Young and Darius Aidan Gray
Publisher: Zarahemla Press
Genre: Historical Fiction
By Kathryn Skaggs
I don’t recall ever feeling to cherish a General Conference more than this latest one, because this one caused an epiphany beyond former realizations as to the dire necessity of our need to have prophets upon the earth; that they should speak and we must act.
That they did their part was glorious to me and tremendously faith reaffirming; giving me such a renewal of strength which, although I knew I was in need of going into conference, as we all generally feel, but when the injection came, it overwhelmed me in such a way that the strength of its force took me off guard; in that only after the fact did I realized just how deficient I had become; yet amazed that in discovering myself in such a weakened stated, even so I had miraculously, and unbeknownst, been sustained by His strong and mighty Hands; a humbling revelation.
Breaking away from past conference reporting…
Rather, as the dust of last weekend’s excitement has settled down a bit, I am grateful to now sit back and reflect on the importance of what was taught by living prophets during the April 2013 General Conference, and how that will affect my life, in personal application — because for me, it was a profound and extremely meaningful moment in time, as a member of the LDS Church — and specifically, as a Mormon woman.
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