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“Israel’s Alternate Altars”

“Israel’s Alternate Altars”

Last updated on: January 28, 2026 at 8:51 pm by Dan Peterson

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“Israel’s Alternate Altars” 2026-01-28T20:51:46-07:00 Dan Peterson

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Oil painting of Hyrum Smith, Willard Richards, Joseph Smith, Orson Pratt, Parley Parker Pratt, Orson Hyde, Heber Chase Kimball, and Brigham Young. Cropped photo of painting. Original canvas at LDS Church History Museum, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

I remind you, once again, of our Becoming Brigham fireside this coming Saturday, 31 January, to be held at 7 PM at the Orem Lakeview Stake Center: 450 West 1800 South, Orem. And, in the meantime, don’t fail to watch the first episode of Becoming Brigham; Episode 2 goes up on Monday. Watch Episode 1 here.

Incidentally, regarding my post yesterday — “How I became a movie star” — is there a gene that allows human brains to perceive irony? A gene that some rare but unfortunate individuals lack? I would have thought the relevant portion of that blog entry so obviously ironic that it was actually a bit embarrassing. But no. Evidently it absolutely sailed over the head of at least one reader, who believes — or, of course, maybe just pretends to believe — that I actually do include myself in the Set of Handsome Leading Men that is populated by Gregory Peck, Paul Newman, Robert Redford, George Clooney, and Brad Pitt, such that, when you rattle those names off, my name (or, perhaps better, my pretty face) is inevitably the next one that will occur to you. Weird!

A Wikimedia Commons public domain view of the ninth-century BC Israelite fortress at Tel Arad

This previously-published article was posted today on the website of the Interpreter Foundation: Steadfast in Defense of Faith: “Israel’s Alternate Altars: Israelite-Jewish Temples, Sanctuaries, and Shrines beyond Jerusalem,” written by Stephen D. Ricks

Part of our book chapter reprint series, this article originally appeared in Steadfast in Defense of Faith: Essays in Honor of Daniel C. Peterson, edited by Shirley Ricks, Stephen D. Ricks, and Louis Midgley. For more information, go to https://interpreterfoundation.org/books/steadfast-in-defense-of-faith/.

“Following the final breach between the Lamanites and Nephites (recorded in 2 Nephi 5), Nephi supervised the construction of the temple in the New World. He wrote, ‘And I, Nephi, did build a temple; and I did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solomon save it were not built of so many precious things; for they were not to be found upon the land, wherefore, it could not be built like unto Solomon’s temple. But the manner of the construction was like unto the temple of Solomon; and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine’ (2 Nephi 5:16). Opponents of the Book of Mormon have mocked the mention of an Israelite temple built outside Jerusalem since a common belief among nineteenth-century readers of the Bible was that the only legitimate Israelite temple was located in Jerusalem.”

Please note that this article — as many others before it have been and presumably as many others after it will be — is explicitly identified as a “reprint” and that it has been posted on a Wednesday. By contrast, our new articles are published in our journal, where they appear on Fridays. Once, a few years ago, a bewildered critic who was confused by the difference between “reprints” from our books, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, new articles in the journal (or, perhaps, between Fridays and other days of the week that aren’t Fridays) became righteously and publicly indignant, alleging that the Interpreter Foundation was wickedly scheming to defraud readers by recycling old articles as new articles. Don’t be that guy.

Judy Collins, back in the late sixties or early seventies (Wikimedia Commons public domain photo)

Every night, as soon as my head hits the pillow, music begins to run insistently and repetitively through my head. It seems to have no connection whatever with what I’ve been doing or thinking or writing during the preceding day. And it starts instantly. One night it will be classical, the next night it will be classic rock, and sometimes it’s Broadway tunes. I don’t know who or what chooses the selections, but I have to fight overnight to still them.

Last night, it was Judy Collins’s rendition of “Someday Soon.” Which is just a bit strange: I’m not sure why, but I was never very enthusiastic about Judy Collins. She sang many songs that I liked, and she sang them well. I really liked, and still really like, what was then commonly called “folk rock,” as well as folk music itself. After all, I’m a child of late-sixties California, and I eventually married a girl from Colorado. Moreover, it didn’t hurt, in my adolescence and early twenties, that Judy Collins was pretty. But, somehow, her voice, which was actually quite good, didn’t seem to me to have enough color or personality. (I felt much the same about Gordon Lightfoot. Although I have to say that I heartily dislike his “Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” which seems to go on and on and on. Monotonously. Forever.) I vastly preferred Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez and Carol King. As a further stream-of-consciousness note: A while ago, I saw Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan and Monica Barbara as Joan Baez in the 2024 film A Complete Unknown. The main result of watching the film is that, to my considerable regret, I came away with a rather strong dislike of Bob Dylan. It’s painful to see the idols of one’s youth crumble.

I wonder what tonight’s music will be.

An artist’s rendering of the Singapore Temple, which is currently under construction. (LDS Media Library)

Finally, here’s an item from the Christopher Hitchens Memorial “How Religion Poisons Everything” File™: “Members of the Singapore Stake unite with local charity to provide essential aid to vulnerable families: Members and community leaders collaborate to provide over 100 ration bags with essential items and groceries to families in need”

But that doesn’t begin to exhaust the horrors of the Hitchens File. Here are two additional discoveries from just today:

History and Religion

Travel and Religion

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January 27, 2026

How I became a movie star

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January 29, 2026 Coming, "a Faith-Fueled Reformed Mormon Horror Nightmare"!

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