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It’s Free!

Last updated on: July 21, 2026 at 1:37 am by Dan Peterson

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It’s Free! 2026-07-21T01:37:42-06:00 Dan Peterson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

One of the collateral benefits of the work that we did on the Interpreter Foundation’s Witnesses film project was a relatively brief terrestrial reunion of the Joseph Smith Sr. family, shown here in a still photograph taken on the movie set by James Jordan.

For those who’ve been paying attention to our Becoming Brigham series of mini-documentary videos — and even for those who, for whatever sordid and mysterious reasons, haven’t been paying attention to it — we offer something a bit special this week and, actually (as you will see), for the next thirty days or so: “A Special Episode: The Three Witnesses – Becoming Brigham, Episode 26″

We hope that you’ll take advantage of the opportunity that we’re offering to you over roughly the next month. And, please, call it to the attention of friends, ward members, and relatives. Let them take advantage of it, as well.

A statue of the three Brontë sisters in Haworth, England, in a 2009 Wikimedia Commons public domain photograph by Immanuel Giel

Over the past couple of evenings, my wife and I watched the three-part 2008 British television adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility (1811). My wife had seen it before, but I had not. I believe, though, that I actually prefer it in several respects to the (better known?) 1995 version written by and starring Emma Thompson. And I’m happy to say that yet another adaptation of the novel is slated for delivery later this year.

I enjoy seeing different interpretations of classic novels. Speaking of which, did anybody out there see the recent film version of Wuthering Heights? I haven’t read that 1847 novel by Emily Brontë since it was a reading assignment in my high school English class and, truth be told, I don’t remember it particularly well but do remember not caring for it very much.

By the way, my wife and I have (twice, I think) made our pilgrimage to the Brontë parsonage in Haworth, West Yorkshire — a remarkably depressing place, I found it — and we’re fans of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre (1847), so I’m thinking that maybe I ought to revisit Wuthering Heights. But I’ve read negative reviews of the 2026 movie adaptation of it and have heard disappointed reports about it from the few people I know who’ve seen it. Is anybody out there in a position to testify otherwise and perhaps even to persuade me to give the movie a shot?

And, while I’m at it, has anybody seen Christopher Nolan’s revisioning of The Odyssey? I haven’t read the archaic original Greek of Homer for many years now, but have thought of taking it up again. For who knows what reason, I have read (and enjoyed) three quite different translations of it over the past couple of years — I consider it, in some ways, the world’s oldest novel — and now I’m looking forward to the film. I would be interested in any reports from people who have seen it.

One of the forty-plus large outdoor murals in the small town of Chemainus, British Columbia (Wikimedia Commons public domain image)

We drove up to the towns of Duncan and then Chemainus today. The former is known for its large collection of totem poles, while the latter is distinguished by its numerous outdoor murals.

On the way back to Victoria, we drove as closely as we could to the future location of the small Victoria British Columbia Temple in the suburb of Langton, for which ground will be broken and the site dedicated on Saturday, 22 August. The area is a new development; Mantle Heights Road, on which the temple will stand, isn’t even open yet. Having a temple on Vancouver Island will save the Latter-day Saints here considerable time: The Vancouver British Columbia Temple is a fairly long drive and a major ferry ride and then another fairly long drive away — and that’s even without the return trip home.

Photograph by Rogelio Bernal Andreo of Simeis 147. Also known as the Spaghetti Nebula and cataloged as Sharpless 2-240, this filamentary structure can be found in the constellation Taurus, close to the border of Auriga, in roughly the same line of sight as the star Elnath. Approximately 3000 light years away, the nebula stretches about 150 light years across.
(Wikimedia Commons public domain photo). Simeis 147, or Sharpless 2-240, has no connection whatsoever with “Mom’s Spaghetti.”

By the way, I was asked a couple of days ago whether I’ve banned the occasional commenter here who calls himself “Mom’s Spaghetti.” He appears to be a self-appointed emissary from the Peterson Obsession Board.

I confess that, from time to time, when he’s grown especially confrontational and belligerent, the thought of showing him the door has crossed my mind. (In fact, although I don’t actually recalling doing so, I seem to have banned him about two years ago, or thereabouts. [The data on my control panel appear to tell that story.]. And then, because he’s so determined, he showed up here again almost immediately, albeit this time from a slightly different computer “location.”

Anyway, no, I haven’t banned “Mom’s Spaghetti.” Not this time, in any case. He hasn’t made an appearance here for a while — I suppose that I could check to see when he last commented, but I won’t bother — but it isn’t because I’ve given him the boot. He’s free to show up again when and if he chooses, and I rather expect that, at some point, when his demon drives him, he will.

The main entrance to the enormous Humanitarian Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah (LDS Church photo)

This isn’t a news item, as such, but it comes nonetheless from the Christopher Hitchens Memorial “How Religion Poisons Everything” File™. Accordingly, if you’re serious about keeping tabs on the evil crimes committed against humanity by theism and theists, this is required reading: Humanitarian Center.

But, of course, the Hitchens File is very far from exhausted. Here, for example, is yet another abomination that has been recovered for the sake of feeding your indignation: “How the Church’s humanitarian efforts are changing lives across the Philippines: Efforts have ranged from holding blood drives to donating advanced surgical machinery”

And here’s something else from the Hitchens File that will very likely enrage you: “This program is teaching human rights to children in 23 countries. Here’s how you can participate: The organization is bringing human rights education to children in an expanding number of countries”

Posted from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

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