The 2022 Sampson Avard Golden Scepter Award

[Doctor Scratch]

[MODERATOR NOTE: This award has since been rescinded and given to Mike Parker instead because it was discovered that Mike Parker was doing the work described below, not Stephen Smoot.]

Happy October, Friends and Colleagues! Out here in the surrounding environs of Cassius University, it seems like the local retailers have been getting into the Halloween spirit even earlier than usual this year. That is all fine and dandy as far as I'm concerned. It helps to set the mood for this year's prestigious Sampson Avard Golden Scepter Award.

As you may know, the Dean of Cassius, Dr. Gadianton P. Robbers, established the Avard Award over a decade ago as a means of recognizing someone "whose role in the course and/or study of Mopologetics has had an enormous and undeniable impact on the field." This year's honoree marks a first in the awards history--this will be the first time that someone is receiving this high honor for a second time. With his tenacity and persistence, his cunning aggression and his relentless assaults on fellow Latter-day Saints, there can be no doubt that the Award this year must go to Stephen O. Smoot!



Smoot, of course, was also the recipient of the 2017 Award, which was bestowed on him after he openly slammed the Brethren's dictates concerning non-white shirts and other "shibboleths." At the time, Smoot posed the following piece of advice:

Before we cast judgement on others because they don’t properly articulate our preferred shibboleths, we should ask ourselves if the outrage has any actual moral foundation in the first place.

How ironic! Of course, Smoot is almost universally believed to be behind the "Neville-Neville Land" blog which has spent the past 3+ years attacking fellow Latter-day Saint Jonathan Neville over his support for the so-called "Heartland Model." In a recent posting, though, Smoot/Peter Pan has admitted that this 3+ year vendetta is becoming "so tiresome"--an opinion which seems to be validated by the slowing rate of posting on "Neville-Neville Land," and a renewed uptick in posts on the blog that Smoot operates under his real name--"Ploni Almoni."

But there is another twist in the whole sordid affair: both Smoot and "Peter Pan" have denied being one and the same, and instead, claims have been floated that "Neville-Neville Land" is operated by a Black Latter-day Saint named "Richard Nygren." DCP has said openly on "Sic et Non" that he personally knows the person who runs "Neville-Neville Land." So, does Dr. Peterson know a Black Latter-day Saint named Richard Nygren? A person who, obviously, has a very deep personal hatred for Jonathan Neville? Or, instead, is Smoot a liar--and one who engages in Mopologetic "minstrelsy," no less?

Perhaps the better Disney avatar for Smoot would be Pinocchio, whose protuberant and tumescent nose can function both as a symbol for Smoot's shameful and dishonest behavior, and as a reminder of the sorts of things that make him and the other Mopologists very uncomfortable. Do "J-Lo" and "Pitbull" ring a bell, anyone?



Regardless, I hope you'll join me in extending a very hearty congratulations to Mr. Smoot. This is a high honor indeed!

[drumdude]

I would have sworn his middle name started with a B.

This should be sorted out before he is a general authority. Stephen B Smooth has a much more authoritative ring to it.

[Everybody Wang Chung]

Congrats Stephen Smoot on being the only 2 time winner of this award!

But there is another twist in the whole sordid affair: both Smoot and "Peter Pan" have denied being one and the same, and instead, claims have been floated that "Neville-Neville Land" is operated by a Black Latter-day Saint named "Richard Nygren." DCP has said openly on "Sic et Non" that he personally knows the person who runs "Neville-Neville Land." So, does Dr. Peterson know a Black Latter-day Saint named Richard Nygren? A person who, obviously, has a very deep personal hatred for Jonathan Neville? Or, instead, is Smoot a liar--and one who engages in Mopologetic "minstrelsy," no less?

Interesting post Dr. Scratch. It sure seems like Mopology and racism go hand in hand. "Blame The Black Man" is an age-old racist trick that has perpetrated systemic racism, suffering, persecution and plight of black people. I thought Stephen Smoot was a better man than that. I was wrong.

[DrStakhanovite]

Congratulations young Mr.Smoot! This will be a worthy inclusion on your C.V.; a two time Samson Avard winner is surely nothing to sneeze at. I hope this only encourages future mopologetic endeavors and please, we’d love to have you for a guest lecture at some point. Consider this an open invitation to tour our campus and have a luncheon with staff and faculty, you’d be an honored guest!

Keep up the good work.

[Kishkumen]

With Smoot’s ever-growing CV and increasing media footprint, when will we be treated to a Young Smoot Show? Forget Midnight Mormons. Let’s see what Young Smoot brings to the world of Mopologetic Infotainment.

It’s about time, don’t you think?

After all, he is the *only* multiple Sampson Avard Golden Scepter Award recipient.

Doctor Scratch has an eye for talent, and others would do well to follow his lead on this.

[Dr. Shades]

. . . whose protuberant and tumescent nose can function both as a symbol . . .Do "J-Lo" and "Pitbull" ring a bell, anyone?

I see what you did there.

[dastardly stem]

I hate to question the inimitable Dr Scratch here, but it feels we’re rewarding someone with this great honor largely because he may or may not be the author of an anti-heartlander blog. If the author is someone else should not this honor go to that person?

I just read for the first time a blog post (linked in Scratch’s post) on Neville Neville land and am unimpressed—Neville is bad because he demonizes those who accept joe smith used a rock in the hat? Aren’t apologists all about demonizing critical nonbelievers? Hence the terms anti-Mormon, heathen, apostate etc? Hmmm…why would an apologist as sharp as Smoot author a post that ultimate condemns his own measures? Alright, quite possible. But it feels as likely it’s someone else. Or what if Peter Pan is many people?

[Gadianton]

If the author is someone else should not this honor go to that person?

Absolutely, and if the committee finds out he's accepted this prestigious award fraudulently, it will be a scandal.

Smoot receives high marks in all the areas Dr. Scratch has pointed out and let's face it, the competition just isn't as stiff as it used to be. Only a handful of weirdos are left to defend the indefensible. Smoot is weak in that he's built layers upon layers of self-protection, to prevent anyone from being able to respond to him and hurt his feelings. As a very young apologist, possibly the youngest in history, he interacted with critics extensively over at MAAD (I think). That got him 50% or more of where he's at today.

He should look at DCP as an example here. Sure, you can say that he's cracked down and silenced the opposition on his blog lately, but overall, over the course of his career, he's kept the fire going by his confrontational nature. He's the guy to take a stick to the hornet's nest and then cry victim. But he doesn't just break the nest and run, he gets stung a hundred times, runs, flails his hands swatting and puts on a show. One the one hand, he says he believes strongly in free speech, which I believe 73%. But on the other, he must know, at least instinctively, that it's the clashes with critics that drives interest in apologetics. The FAIR board also goes through its cycles. I haven't peeked over there in a couple years, but it used to be the case they'd let certain critics survive a while before banning them because otherwise, there's no interest in the board. However, in-fighting between conservative and liberal apologists may substitute for wars with critics. It's a stagnant field all around.

To take the reigns from DCP, Smoot could do things like, publicly go the rounds with Heartlanders, including JN. If Smoot showed up on SeN proviking Neville, and Neville took the bait and went the rounds, and DCP allowed the fight to persist, that would be a huge boon to Mopologetics.

[drumdude]

The last time Mormons debated a critic was the RFM/Kwaku debate. Which was really not productive.

I can’t see them wanting to repeat that.

[Doctor CamNC4Me]

I hate to question the inimitable Dr Scratch here, but it feels we’re rewarding someone with this great honor largely because he may or may not be the author of an anti-heartlander blog. If the author is someone else should not this honor go to that person?

I just read for the first time a blog post (linked in Scratch’s post) on Neville Neville land and am unimpressed—Neville is bad because he demonizes those who accept joe smith used a rock in the hat? Aren’t apologists all about demonizing critical nonbelievers? Hence the terms anti-Mormon, heathen, apostate etc? Hmmm…why would an apologist as sharp as Smoot author a post that ultimate condemns his own measures? Alright, quite possible. But it feels as likely it’s someone else. Or what if Peter Pan is many people?

It’s Smoot. He might have some collaborators, but it’s his syntax.

eta: For example:

It requires either a massive amount of chutzpah or a total lack of self-awareness to plead for respect and charity while simultaneously resorting to name-calling and misrepresenting one’s ideological opponents.

…Jonathan Neville is allowing himself to become more and more convinced that Church leaders are going to come crawling to him, telling him that he’s been right about everything and pleading with him to come cast out the evil historians and save us all with his brilliance.

I mean, the chutzpah and lack of self-awareness is definitely on full display. -_-

- Doc