DCP Claims that "Witnesses" Helped Rescue a Norwegian's Testimony

[Doctor Scratch]

As Witnesses continues to lurch towards the end of its theatrical run, you have to wonder what's next for the "Mormon Interpreter" team. It seems unlikely that they'll be able to finance another film--at least, not any time soon. But what if the movie helps save somebody's faith? As we all know, there have been a lot of challenges to Latter-day Saint faith these past several years. LGBTQ+ issues; problems with money/financing; the allure of atheism; and so on. And I'm sure that many here recall the various tidbits that leaked out from Church authorities: e.g., Marlin Jensen saying that the exodus from the Church was unlike anything "since Kirtland." Or the Swedish Rescue. Remember the Swedish Rescue?

I bring it up, because it turns out the folks in Norway were apparently in need of a "rescue," too. Check it out:

Hello Mr Peterson. I have no idea if you will get this email or not I had to look it up online because I wanted to reach out to you. My name is NN, and by the way I'm Norwegian as well

I just want to let you know that you played a huge part in my testimony if that's what you would call it? I was really going through it lately questioning the whole Joseph Smith thing and listening to you on the all-in podcast completely changed my life which made me in turn go see your movie today and it was awesome. I would love to sit down and talk to you for hours about it but I know that will never happen but I just want to let you know what an impact you made on my life today. I wish you well and thank you for what you do.

Stay safe and god bless !

Boy, that's nice, isn't it? Except that there's something very....peculiar about this message. Normally, when DCP gets an email or message of some kind that's positive, he names the author--he takes the time to go and get permission to identify the person sending the message. That way, you can verify the message's authenticity, and can't accuse anyone of making things up. Here, though, all we get is "NN," which sort of makes you wonder, doesn't it?

In fact, I can't help but wonder if DCP made up this message himself. I mean, it seems almost inevitable at this point that "Witnesses" will exit theaters as an official "box office flop," and I'm sure that Professor Peterson is awfully bummed out about that. Is it possible that he's been so despondent that he'd resort to wholesale fabrication of this bogus "testimony saving" message from "NN" as a means of making himself feel better? I certainly wouldn't rule out the possibility. And there are multiple red flags. For example, what's the bit about being "Norwegian"? What does that have to do with anything? And why would a member of the Church not know what a "testimony" is ("if that's what you would call it")? Further, is the idea here that this is a Norwegian person living in the US? (I didn't think that "Witnesses" was showing outside of the US...) And how plausible is it that someone would want to talk "for hours" about "Witnesses"?

I have to say, I'm very skeptical that this is an authentic message. I don't doubt that there are actual people out there that DCP has helped, but for the time being--and without further verification--I'm afraid that I'm going to have to call "BS" on this particular testimonial.

[Everybody Wang Chung]

Very interesting. I could be mistaken but I don’t think the Witnesses is playing in Norway. Did this NN illegally download or stream the movie?

If I recall correctly, DCP harshly condemned illegally watching his film. I guess that doesn’t apply if they thought the film was awesome.

[Philo Sofee]

Ah The mysterious ways of God on full display. Sure today some possible 1,000 (literally) have stopped believing, but here we get a single Norwegian, a person troubled in spirit, wondering, doubting, and wala! A testimony is rekindled, just one, but hey, who's counting? And so, now apologists can go to "Witnesses" and proclaim in victorious proclamation the film saved a testimony! Isn't one soul worth a mere $1,000,000? If you will please send us $2,000,000 this next month, we'll do a film on archaeology and the Book of Mormon! We can save 2 more!!! 2 ENTIRE MORE TESTIMONIES! Think of the Celestial Godhood awards we are going to receive!

In other words, yeah, I am down in recognizing BS when I see it. This is no more desperation than apologists have ever demonstrated with Kwaku on FAIR. RFM's podcast on Kwaku and his ridiculousness on the Book of Abraham is truly pure gold!

Apologists have truly become a sad lot of chumps. They gotta come up with something...anything... PLEASE, to save Mormonism.

[Dr Exiled]

I noticed DCP calls it a "theatrical film" again. That name definitely connotes transformative entertainment of the highest quality. One could call it simply a movie or flick, but "theatrical film" brings it to a more elevated place. Glad to see he is back given the tepid response to the propaganda movie. Maybe our mysterious Norwegian gave DCP the mojo back that reading boxofficemojo took away? Hopefully "hollywood accounting" allows the insiders to profit, at least.

My money is on fabrication. By the way, I'm an american.

[Gadianton]

I agree, Dr. Scratch, that there are some serious caution flags on this testimony.

Hello Mr Peterson. I have no idea if you will get this email or not I had to look it up online because I wanted to reach out to you.

I wonder if DCP would be willing to divulge the IP address to Dr. Moore in a good-faith gesture of authentication? This could be that same "troll" who gives him a hard time, playing him. It's not "brother Peterson" or "Doctor Peterson" but the ever hated "Mr." without even a period. And why wouldn't he think DCP would "get the email" since he had to look it up "online"? Would there have been any other way to look it up? This is a fabricated preamble.

My name is NN, and by the way I'm Norwegian as well

Right, he's Norwegian, and his first and last name also starts with an "N". Didn't two recent hecklers also have double "n"s in their name?

I just want to let you know that you played a huge part in my testimony if that's what you would call it? I was really going through it lately questioning the whole Joseph Smith thing and listening to you on the all-in podcast completely changed my life

Dr. Scratch already mentioned overplaying his simplicity and ignorance by not being sure about the word "testimony". But notice, DCP himself on the "all-in" podcast completely changed his life.

which made me in turn go see your movie today and it was awesome.

In other words, the Witnesses film didn't do crap. It was DCP's magic on the "all-in" podcast? Has anybody seen this podcast?

[Doctor Scratch]

Very interesting. I could be mistaken but I don’t think the Witnesses is playing in Norway. Did this NN illegally download or stream the movie?

If I recall correctly, DCP harshly condemned illegally watching his film. I guess that doesn’t apply if they thought the film was awesome.

Oh, wow--I hadn't thought of that. There are layers of meaning here, each one getting sadder than the last one. First, there is the idea that someone might have watched the movie illegally. It's like, come on: this isn't Black Widow or something. It's not a for-sure moneymaker or anything like that. It's this small little niche religious movie. Nobody is going to be illegally watching it because they really want to see it. They're doing it out of spite.

But then there is the possibility that someone *did* watch it illegally, but did so for what are arguably positive reasons. If NN's testimony was strengthened--is that worth the price of the ticket that he didn't pay for? Is his act made more innocent by the fact that he found his way to the movie via Dr. Peterson's interview on the podcast?

Then there is the notion that this person was a troll, but Dr. Peterson sincerely fell for it, and that really is kind of heartbreaking. Imagine: to be so desperate for some kind of sign that the movie is "good" in some way that you'd fall for something like that! Or, that you'd invent the thing, just to "show" all the critics: "See! Here's someone whose *life* it changed!!!"

I really can't decide which of these ideas is the saddest. Gosh--I even feel sort of bad for saying that I would laugh when "Witnesses" failed.

[Moksha]

Since when have the Saints made things up, and even if it was made up, you can't prove that Dr. Peterson did it. Where are your Witnesses?

[drumdude]

"Made me go see your movie" sounds like it was just playing at his local theater and he happened to buy tickets to that showing.

Except it's very, very unlikely that a theater in Norway was running an obscure LDS film when most cities in the United States aren't.

This NN fellow must have reserved an auditorium, put in a special request for Witnesses film to be sent to his local cinema, waited for his local cinema to download the film and get the KDMs to unlock the encryption, and finally paid the high fee to see Witnesses by himself in a reserved cinema auditorium.



Yes that all sounds completely plausible!

[Doctor CamNC4Me]

I mean. There are Norwegians here in the US. There are even a few here in Utah:

http://www.utah17mai.com/program.html

However, since I’m Danish-English I strongly suspect this Norwegian is up to no good, and is simply tricking Mr. Peterson for some nefarious reason.

- Doc

[Moksha]

I strongly suspect this Norwegian is up to no good,
- Doc

Is he a Quisling and perhaps a false-lutefisk (made with Swedish gummy worms) eater? Is it in accordance with the Trumpian plan to trade Puerto Rico for Denmark's Greenland and then have it towed to the equator?