Peterson: Still lying, still a coward

[_Joey]

Just saw Provo's response to Metcalf's claim that a second letter from Watson, never existed, according to both Provo and Hamblin.  I remember this so well because I challenged both Provo and Hamblin on the old FAIR board to provide the letter or an explanation of why Watson, acting on behalf of his boss, the Prophet Hinckley, would suddenly to a 180 for the Office of the First Presidency on request from FARMS!  Both Provo and Hamblin swore on the Book of Mormon the letter existed, they both touched it and read it, but just somehow could not find it or remember what happened to it.  It got me banned for challenging the honesty of the two of them.  It was an epic debate on that board which caused much attention.  Peterson and Hamblin could not do enough to claim the existence of the letter that, we now know, never was written.

And now we see this posted by Peterson:

It's been roughly nineteen years, and it wasn't all that dramatic a thing when it happened. But whether it was a letter with Michael Watson's signature on it or a fax sent by Carla Ogden on behalf of her boss, Michael Watson, it was a communication from Michael Watson to Bill Hamblin, in response to an inquiry, as I recall, from Bill Hamblin to Michael Watson. We didn't simply invent or inflate the reference in the article.

The blatant liar!  He knows now he got caught, evidence out and abound, so his story must now change as those in Provo are aware of lack of truth!

What's even more interesting is there is a new poster and apparently recent convert who has seen the 1990 Watson letter and took it to a stake president over the holiday who confirmed it was an official position of the Church and the letter was issued at the request of Hinckley.  When this poster starts to share this information and ask the logical questions about the letter and why it is "bothersome" - Minos/Juliann come to the rescue of Provo and apparently ban him.  Looks like others have got banned on the same thread for challenging the overworked professor! Provo is such a liar and coward on this whole "created letter from Watson"!

But it's good to see him ridiculing and insulting others again - even if he has to do behind the walls of protection at the Fort!

Always a Coward.  Only in Provo.

[_Buffalo]

Hmm, it looks like I gave them too much credit. They're making strides, but they're still protecting certain key apologists. Although I'd hesitate to call Peterson an apologist. All he does now is write puff pieces for Deseret News.

[_Corpsegrinder]

Lemme see if I understand this correctly.

The 1st Watson Letter was written by GBH (or his secretary) in answer to a question regarding the location of the Hill Cumorah, right? The letter, in effect, states the Hill Cumorah as described in the Book of Mormon is the same hill in New York from which Joseph Smith retrieved the Golden Plates…am I still right? But on the other hand, the 2nd Watson Letter (which no one but DCP and a few others claim to have seen) purports to clarify certain regrettable errors contained in the 1st Watson Letter regarding the New York location of the Hill Cumorah.

So…does that about sum up the Watson Letter business? Or am I still missing something?

My thanks in advance for any clarifications and/or additions.

[_Drifting]

Lemme see if I understand this correctly.

The 1st Watson Letter was written by GBH (or his secretary) in answer to a question regarding the location of the Hill Cumorah, right? The letter, in effect, states the Hill Cumorah as described in the Book of Mormon is the same hill in New York from which Joseph Smith retrieved the Golden Plates…am I still right? But on the other hand, the 2nd Watson Letter (which no one but DCP and a few others claim to have seen) purports to clarify certain regrettable errors contained in the 1st Watson Letter regarding the New York location of the Hill Cumorah.

So…does that about sum up the Watson Letter business? Or am I still missing something?

My thanks in advance for any clarifications and/or additions.

That's it corpse, the only thing anyone is missing is the second letter - and that isn't going to appear any time soon, well, anytime ever.

[_Corpsegrinder]

That's it corpse, the only thing anyone is missing is the second letter - and that isn't going to appear any time soon, well, anytime ever.

Thanks, it's nice to know WTF is going on.

[_moksha]

I like Dr. Peterson and I don't think he deserves being insulted for his support of some letter. Even if one feels Dr. Peterson is mistaken, respect and dignity should still be accorded to him.

[_Chap]

I like Dr. Peterson and I don't think he deserves being insulted for his support of some letter. Even if one feels Dr. Peterson is mistaken, respect and dignity should still be accorded to him.

The issue is, I suggest, not whether DCP 'supported some letter', but whether he consistently and triumphantly claimed that a letter of a certain description (official, sent on behalf of the Brethren, signed by Watson, retracting the first Watson letter) existed, and that he had seen it, when in fact it seems that all that ever existed was a fax from a person of lower status, lacking most of the characteristics he had ascribed to the alleged 'second Watson letter'. I think it is quite reasonable (as well as ultimately salutary for DCP) to perform a measure of public deflation under such circumstances.

As for according 'respect and dignity' to those one feels are mistaken, I suggest that it is reasonable to accord the same amount of 'respect and dignity' to DCP as he does to those he feels are mistaken, at least on message boards devoted to Mormon issues. We will be on safe ground, surely, if we follow the example he sets?

[_Dr. Shades]

But on the other hand, the 2nd Watson Letter (which no one but DCP and a few others claim to have seen) purports to clarify certain regrettable errors contained in the 1st Watson Letter regarding the New York location of the Hill Cumorah.

So…does that about sum up the Watson Letter business? Or am I still missing something?

That's it corpse, the only thing anyone is missing is the second letter - and that isn't going to appear any time soon, well, anytime ever.

Here's an update for you both: The "2nd Watson Letter" was rediscovered in late 2009 among the papers of FARMS apologist John Sorenson. Gregory Smith, a FAIR apologist, scanned it in. You can read about this at:

viewtopic.php?p=281660#p281660

Unfortunately, the letter turned out to be nothing more than a fax from one Carla Ogden, an unknown functionary in the Church Office building, not Michael Watson. You can read the fax at:

http://en.fairmormon.org/Book_of_Mormon ... etter_scan

Even more unfortunately, the text of the fax turned out to have been merely copied-and-pasted from the Encyclopedia of Mormonism from an article by Daniel H. Ludlow, a professor at BYU and not connected to the Office of the First Presidency at all. You can read about it at:

viewtopic.php?p=282278#p282278

[_emilysmith]

I like Dr. Peterson and I don't think he deserves being insulted for his support of some letter. Even if one feels Dr. Peterson is mistaken, respect and dignity should still be accorded to him.

He should be accorded the same respect that he accords to others. It's only fair.

[_Joey]

The summary by Shades above is accurate.  When this issue started on the old FAIR board, the context of the time makes the deceit of Peterson and Hamblin even more despicable.

Provo and the boys at FARMS/BYU were so determined to distance themselves from a NY Cumorah location because they knew it puts the Book of Mormon historicity claim right up there with a Harry Potter fiction.  The 1990 letter from the Office of the First Pesidency became so damaging to their works at FARMS - it had to be neutralized.  So Hamblin writes a paper for FARMS which includes a claim that a letter from the secretary to the prophet issued in 1993 is proof of the church's position.  In exchanges of several weeks on the old FAIR board, Peterson and Hamblin, in attempts to refute the obvious suspicions of fact and truthfulness over this supposed and sudden "about face" of the church and the existence of such a letter, claim the letter was lost but they both testify seeing it, it's content and it's authority.  The two of them actually had the nerve to play the martyrs and use the old "are you accusing us of lying" response to get critics banned from the board.  I mean that makes sense right?  Two teachers from BYU lie????

So we now know all they had was a fax, from a receptionist in the same building that Watson works, who cut and pasted a testimonial statement, from a publication (from a fellow FARMS author) that they already had in their possession!


And now that the evidence of their game of deceit is finally out, Provo suddenly "can't recall" the source!!  But Provo is back to his same MO at MDD board - having them ban anyone who brings this up NOW so he won't have to answer for or address his lies.  Good to see he's still living life on message boards again - from behind the safety of the fort's walls.

So is being called a liar and coward too strong?  We report, you decide!