My Column in the "Mormon Times"

[_Daniel Peterson]

Absolutely shameless.

I want people to read things that I write. That's a principal reason for my writing them.

Of course. You wrote the article. But reading quotes like the one I posted above make it seem like the principal reason for writing that article was to get people to read FAIR and FARMS material.

Yes, I would like people to read the things I recommended. That's why I recommended them.

Incidentally, of the five books I recommended, only one (I think) was (co-)published by the Maxwell Institute (formerly known as FARMS). None was published by FAIR. Grant Hardy's Understanding the Book of Mormon was published by Oxford University Press.

[_Daniel Peterson]

Why do so many people who leave the LDS Church become Atheist (or at least Agnostic)?

I think most who leave simply drift away, retaining some degree or another of Mormon or vaguely Christian or weakly theistic faith.

Atheists and agnostics are certainly heavily represented here, but I'm not sure that this (or RfM) yields a representative sample.

Latter-day Saints are, however, acutely aware of what they see as weaknesses in the mainstream Christian tradition, so it's perhaps not surprising that many of them, if they lose their own faith, don't see mainstream Christianity as a viable option.

by the way: If it has happened already, I hope your son's wedding went well!

Not until 22 April, in a distant state. Trouble is, my wife and I will leave two days later, the morning after their wedding reception, for slightly more than a month in the Middle East, and will only come back a few days before their (very late) Utah reception. And we'll be in Europe briefly about three weeks before the wedding, and in California the week before the wedding (for my nephew's wedding). So we're having to plan things now. And there are some other specific stressors that are making things slightly difficult.

[_Aristotle Smith]

Latter-day Saints are, however, acutely aware of what they see as weaknesses in the mainstream Christian tradition, so it's perhaps not surprising that many of them, if they lose their own faith, don't see mainstream Christianity as a viable option.

This is unfortunately probably true. It's also irrational. LDS perceive mainstream Christianity as flawed based on arguments and suppositions that only hold with an LDS worldview. The irrational part is to then fail to realize that once that LDS faith is lost, those arguments, based on LDS suppositions, no longer logically hold. There are of course other reasons one might give for not subscribing to mainstream Christianity, but I don't often see those reasons explored nor given by ex-LDS.

[_Eric]

Yes, I would like people to read the things I recommended. That's why I recommended them.

Do you write for the prestigious and unrivaled publication Mormon Times so that you can recommend things? Is that your compensation for churning out... that column? Free reign to plug FARMS and the ironically named FAIR website?

That makes sense.

[_Daniel Peterson]

Do you write for the prestigious and unrivaled publication Mormon Times

Look, I understand that the Deseret News is just a middle-market regional paper, scarcely worthy to be mentioned in the same breath with the venues in which you routinely appear -- which, it seems, must surely include such outlets as the Wall Street Journal, the Frankfurter Allgemeine, Le Monde, The Economist, and the Times of London. But you really don't need to rub it in. Besides, although I've actually appeared in at least two of them, I suspect that I'm not the only one here who seldom if ever writes for those papers.

so that you can recommend things? Is that your compensation for churning out... that column? Free reign to plug FARMS and the ironically named FAIR website?

That makes sense.

Yes, one of the gratifying aspects of writing for Mormon Times is that it allows me free rein -- note the proper spelling of rein -- to opine on whatever I wish, and to recommend (to a substantial regional audience and a growing national and even international on-line readership) books and articles that I think people ought to read.

Writing a regular newspaper column has never been high on my list of priorities, and, even now, isn't a major focus of my work. But I enjoy it, and it does provide me with a platform from which to reach several score thousand people.

[_Eric]

Mormon Times is a website and newspaper insert
...

I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself with the "regular newspaper column" business, but that's just me.

Yes, one of the gratifying aspects of writing for Mormon Times is that it allows me free rein -- note the proper spelling of rein -- to opine on whatever I wish, and to recommend (to a substantial regional audience and a growing national and even international on-line readership) books and articles that I think people ought to read.

You get to opine on "whatever you wish", but you don't get to chose your titles?

I think it's great that you just so happen to be involved with or responsible for so many of the books and articles you think other people should read. What a wonderful coincidence.

[_Daniel Peterson]

Mormon Times is a website and newspaper insert
...

I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself with the "regular newspaper column" business, but that's just me.

I don't know how you or the anonymous Wikipedia writer define newspaper insert. I suppose that you intend your use of the term to denigrate my weekly column -- which, I've already freely granted, is not syndicated (as yours evidently is) in the Manchester Guardian, the Asahi Shimbun, Die Zeit, and La Stampa.

The Mormon Times is printed on newsprint that is uniform with the rest of the Deseret News, is under precisely the same management and ultimate editorial control as the rest of the Deseret News, is delivered with (and within) the Deseret News every Thursday morning, is purchased from the newsstands with (and within) the rest of the Deseret News every Thursday, appears outwardly to be simply another section of the Deseret News, and is accessible (like every other part of the Deseret News) on the Deseret News Website.

If you want to insist that the Mormon Times isn't a section of a newspaper, though, feel free. Your objection seems more than a little bit niggling to me, if it even has any merit at all.

From February through December of last year, I wrote a column for the Mormon Times every second week. Since the beginning of January 2011, I've written a column for it every week . That looks fairly "regular" to me.

If it's regular, and it's in a newspaper, and it's a column, it seems to be a "regular newspaper column."

You get to opine on "whatever you wish", but you don't get to chose your titles?

I get to opine on anything I want and, since I typically haven't cared much, have never bothered to formulate my own titles.

The paper doesn't seem to care, either. We've never mentioned the subject.

I suppose, if it mattered to me, that I could ask to be able to do so. Do you write the titles for your columns in the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune? Please advise. If you do, knowing that will give me possible leverage when and if I ever care enough to raise the matter with my editor. I don't know that he would resist, but maybe he might.

I think it's great that you just so happen to be involved with or responsible for so many of the books and articles you think other people should read. What a wonderful coincidence.

Don't seriously tell me that you aren't eager to have people read all of the books that you've published.

But I'm puzzled by your comment above.

I recommended five books.

I had nothing to do with writing or editing Jack Welch's Oliver Cowdery, and only purely nominal involvement with publishing it.

I had nothing whatever to do with writing, editing, or publishing Richard Lloyd Anderson's Investigating the Book of Mormon Witnesses.

I had nothing whatever to do with writing, editing, or publishing Grant Hardy's Understanding the Book of Mormon.

I had nothing whatever to do with writing, editing, or publishing Jack Welch's Opening the Heavens.

I had nothing whatever to do with writing, editing, or publishing Mark McConkie's Remembering Joseph.

Is there a "wonderful coincidence" there? I don't see it.

[_Eric]

I think you write advertisements for FAIR and FARMS that appear in a Deseret News newspaper insert and on a blog.

I suppose, if it mattered to me, that I could ask to be able to do so. Do you write the titles for your columns in the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune?

Comparing your Mormon Times blog to the New York Times? LOL!

You are how old, Bro. Peterson? You're in the sunset of your life, you've been reduced to blogging shameless plugs for FARMS and the ironically named FAIR blog, and you want to criticize me for not writing junk in newspapers (that you don't write for either)? Please. I sold my first screenplay when I was 23 years old. I have many more wonderful projects going on. Nothing I do requires my plugging nonsense to an audience of people I've spent years consistently expressing contempt for.

Why is it that you have to advertise your column here? On this specific message board? After retiring a dozen or so times. I think that is a question worth exploring.

I recommended five books.

I was referring to you recommending FARMS and the ironically named FAIR website.

[_Daniel Peterson]

You write advertisements [sic] for FAIR and FARMS that appear in a Deseret News newspaper insert [sic] and on a blog [sic].

That's the spirit! Repeating your mantra again and again will make it much more convincing.

Comparing your Mormon Times blog [sic] to the New York Times? LOL!

Good grief no! I would never dream of comparing my piddling attempts at writing to the Stratfordian heights that you've evidently attained.

Sigh. I thought I'd made it perfectly clear that I wasn't trying to put myself in your rarified league.

You are how old, Bro. Peterson? You're in the sunset of your life,

LOL. The undertaker's already measured me, and my wife has bought the flowers. She's counting the minutes now.

you've been reduced to blogging [sic] shameless plugs for FARMS and the ironically named FAIR blog [sic],

Yes, I've fallen precisely that far. Except in the respects that you've gotten wrong.

and you want to criticize me for not writing junk in newspapers (that you don't write for either)?

If I haven't named precisely the right newspapers in which your column appears, I apologize. Your Olympian disdain for my pathetic columns in the miserable little regional newspaper The Deseret News signals unmistakably that your own writing appears in more exalted venues. There's not a chance that I could be mistaken about this. Please name the newspapers in which your column appears!

Please. I sold my first screenplay when I was 23 years old.

To whom did you sell it? Where can we see the film that resulted?

And what of the numerous screenplays that you've sold since then? Who produced them? Are the films that were based on them available on DVD?

I've never doubted your eminence as a writer. You've assured us of it a number of times, and I have absolutely no reason to disbelieve you.

My wife's cousin is a screenwriter, too. We like him a lot, and often spend time with him when we're in California. One of his films was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Screenplay and Best Picture, and actually won Best Actor and Best Actress. It was also nominated for several Golden Globes, including Best Screenplay, and won Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Film (Musical or Comedy). Are you the guy that beat him out that year??? If so, I can hardly wait to tell him of our acquaintance.

I have many more wonderful projects going on.

No doubt! Things beyond my wildest imaginings, I'm sure. Soon-to-be-recognized classics of literature and the cinema.

Nothing I do requires my plugging nonsense to an audience of people I've spent years consistently expressing contempt for.

I guess that, by those you say you've spent years consistently expressing your contempt for, you mean theists in general and Mormons and particular? (A little unclear, that.)

No, I'll readily grant that your work isn't well known among theists and Mormons, though I have no doubt that it's very famous among others, somewhere.

Why is it that you have to advertise your column here? On this specific message board?

Because it is, as it boasts, a free-speech zone. Free and largely effortless advertising. Not only for my column, but for various books and articles that I want to recommend.

Would you like to have me muzzled?

I do it elsewhere, too. Not just here.

After retiring a dozen or so times.

I think you're rounding up a bit. Like, quite a bit.

Anyway, the last time I left the board -- which lasted about a year or so -- I didn't say I was "retiring" or leaving. I didn't say anything. I simply stopped posting.

And then I decided to post again, largely for advertising purposes, and only in the Celestial Forum. Which has, I might add, developed a much more brisk traffic since I showed up -- though, alas, that's largely because some of those most obsessed with attacking me have brought their Terrestrial Forum approaches into the Celestial Forum.

I think that is a question worth exploring.

Explore away!

Perhaps you can get yet another bestselling publication or award-winning film out of it. (You're welcome, in advance.)

[_Eric]

Should the word 'blog' be capitalized?

Oh my. You're quite upset. Should I let you cool down a little before I respond?