Part 3: An Early Lesson in FARMS Polemics

[_Daniel Peterson]

Do you know why Truman Madsen didn't cover Roberts' final manuscript in his biography of Roberts?

No.

Was Madsen prevented from doing so, by the Church, perhaps?

I've never heard anything to suggest that.

I noticed somewhere in browsing through FARMS materials, in a footnote in a piece you authored, you mentioned he was holding on to material that others hadn't had a chance to see. You didn't seem pleased. If my memory is faulty, I apologize in advance.

I don't remember that, but it's certainly possible.

I wouldn't have been pleased. Despite the efforts of some here to portray me as defending the suppression of historical information, etc., I've very consistently held to precisely the opposite position, for many years.

Most everyone in my circles back in the early 80s already had a copy of The Truth, The Way, The Life. It was a little silly to hold it back or to virtually act like it didn't exist, don't you think?

I do.

I, also, for the record, after having read through it, couldn't figure out why it was supposedly so controversial? Did you find anything at all "controversial" in his last manuscript?

No.

Which is simply another illustration of my general principle on such matters, that full disclosure typically does far less harm than attempted non-disclosure does.

[_Buffalo]

[Wesley P.] Lloyd recorded Roberts's remembrance of the reaction of church leaders to his ["Difficulties"] presentation, "In answer, they merely one by one stood up and bore testimony to the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. George Albert Smith, in tears, testified that his faith in the Book of Mormon had not been shaken by the question."

(80)

Well, I guess we can assume that this is the typical way that General Authorities and apologists secretly deal with Book of Mormon criticism: by emotionally testifying to the book's truthfulness, and crying.

It's really all they have.