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This will go down worse than the pickle talk. At least people didn’t die from following his lead on that one. Utah is in for a bad go. Most of the problem stems from the Trump lead, unfortunately Bednar joined. I agree this piece will not age well. It's use by date may be in the next few weeks if U...

I have thought long about what motivated Bednar. I don't think it's religious freedom at all. Consider how humiliating it has been for the leaders of the church to be told by health experts you can't hold church gatherings. For years and years the church has run Utah. They call all the shots. Then a...

I have many LDS and former LDS family members and friends, many of whom live in Utah. For many weeks I was openly praising the actions of the LDS Church. While they took too long to close temples, where many of the oldest members regularly attend, they were ahead of the curve with their unilateral d...

The hat below is probably more representative of the type of hat he had. It was described as an old hat so it was probably a bit worn. One writer described it as "battered". The frame for these hats was made by casting cheesecloth soaked in shellac (transparent resin) on a hat shaped wooden block. T...

I am puzzled by the sense that some of this discussion is being undertaken with the view that indoors in the 1820 there was lots of light to penetrate a hat for reading the interior. I will point out that there were no 100 watt bulbs or 40 watt bulbs. There was either a window or an oil type lamp o...

Hi Dan, Thanks for your responses. I don't understand this comment at all. The stone and the hat were both essential elements of the trick. Everyone back then believed the stone was the magical element. It was the diversion, an essential part of the trick. The hat was essential, because it convince...

I understand RFM’s logic about the hat being unnecessary because it is an unnecessary element in the trick. If a magician could really cut a person in half, he/she wouldn’t need a box. I don't understand this comment at all. The stone and the hat were both essential elements of the trick. Everyone ...

Brodie's book is essential reading even now. For those just diving into the field of Mormon history it should be the first thing they read. It remains the gold standard of biographies on Joseph Smith and is the base on which people like Bushman, Vogel, Hill, Quinn and many other built their own wor...

Starting today I am reading No Man Knows My History again. I want to see if anything pops out again. The other reason is that I haven't studied church history closely. So my claim that I believed Joseph Smith acted alone was based on gut instinct, not knowledge. So it's an opinion that deserves to ...

Starting today I am reading No Man Knows My History again. I want to see if anything pops out again. The other reason is that I haven't studied church history closely. So my claim that I believed Joseph Smith acted alone was based on gut instinct, not knowledge. So it's an opinion that deserves to b...