FAIRMormon conference kicks off with DCP’s Festschrift and lifetime achievement award

[Doctor Scratch]

There is certainly some hilarious material in this chapter. It would seem that the journal was a ramshackle affair: much more like the Harvard Lampoon that like a serious academic journal. In the past, we here have characterized the Mopologists as acting like a bunch of frat guys, sitting around cracking jokes, and were told by the Afore and others that we didn't know what we were talking about, and yet look at this! Shirley Ricks has confirmed, in writing, everything that we said! She even helped us out with the visual by letting us know that the table was "oval-shaped"!

Everybody Wang Chung has already covered some of the most uproariously funny tidbits. *Of course* the journal was, physically, a threadbare piece of crap that would fall apart if you so much as breathed on it wrong. LOL! Are the physical Interpreter publications the same way?

A few other amusing tidbits include Midgley getting down on his knees and begging DCP to allow him to write a review of one of Vogel's books, and I also had to laugh when Ricks admitted that the Editorial Board *actually prayed* for a DNA expert to show up! And what do you know? One actually did!

I personally found the information under "Personnel" to be especially interesting. Ricks lists off all the people who served as "Chair of FARMS." According to tax records, this was a paid position: DCP repeatedly threatened lawsuits after this information came to light, since it proved that he had been lying for years when he denied ever receiving "one dime" for apologetics. In actuality, the records show that, in one year at least, he was paid over $20,000 to be the Chair of FARMS. Who else benefitted from this financial "windfall"? John Sorenson, for one. (No wonder they backed his theories so staunchly?) And later, Gerald Bradford. But it's quite interesting that they were getting paid to run an operation which, in Ricks's own description, had a boisterous, "locker room" quality to it.

Also interesting is the fact that their 4-star rating system seemed to privilege "in-house" authors such as Jack Welch, Sorenson, and Brant Gardner. LOL. "Peer reviewed" indeed!

Finally, given more recent events and Mopologetic investments, I found it interested to read one of the Editor in Chief's old quotes, where he compares anti-Mormonism to.... well, see for yourself:

For years, I have marveled at the luxuriant, even rank, growth that is anti-Mormonism. The imaginative richness, the aggressive hostility, the fractured reason, the historical illiteracy, the sheer oddity of many of the loudest anti-Mormons is for me a thing of wonder. Their endless stream of tracts offers some of the exoticism of a journey through the uncharted jungles of nineteenth-century Africa

Africa? Such as the Democratic Republic of Congo? Now, why would he compare Africa, where the Interpreter Foundation has a vested interest, to "the luxuriant, even rank, growth that is anti-Mormonism"? Is that why he refuses to visit the country himself? Does "anti-Mormonism," in his view, not exist by "bread alone"?

In any case, an interesting piece from Ricks here. Nothing especially earth-shattering, but always nice to see validation that ones suspicions were right all along.

[Gadianton]

I'm only qualified to address a few points here. Definitely in the tradition of celebrating oneself without introspection. A total hit for the twenty people still alive who were part of the club and an eye-roller for anyone else who stumbles upon it.

Daniel envisioned a series of quick reviews, similar to the Penguin Guide to Recorded Classical Music

lol @ "classical music". This is how they see themselves. Drumdude's description says it all. But did Dan succeed? Arguably he did succeed with the first edition. The first edition was about as objective as anything ever published by active members of the Church. A few of the reviews were by Sunstone types of Nibley and other in-group authors. But after that, it certainly failed to meet Dan's stated objective.

He wanted potential purchasers or readers to be able to examine the recommendations so they could sift the good from the bad

I guess some classical music could be bad, right?

Especially in the early years of the FARMS Review, reviewers often tackled material that would be classified as “anti-Mormon".

The editors are of the opinion that the extensive reviews of such books and articles did ultimately help diminish the tide of materials written against the Church—we had mounted a defense

The FARMS Review, however, did not review merely critical publications. Many important books that strengthen the faith claims and support the doctrines, scriptures, and history of the Church received laudatory reviews.

So is that how the Penguin guide to classical music worked, Dan? It toed the line for the establishment as propaganda rather than provide unbiased reviews of the material? FARMS poisoned the well by calling anything non-complimentary "anti-Mormon." It lauded certain "safe" books that toed the line for the Brethren? FARMS was entirely political. A hatchet shop. And this isn't my own personal accusation, this is what their own historian is actually admitting to. Did the Penguin guide ever stop certain selections of music from being sold due to "mounting a defense" against those recordings?

Midgley and Mitton before welcoming “these two friends and colleagues to formal involvement with the FARMS Review of Books

Well of course, don't bring anybody on who is capable of thinking for themselves; who isn't personally committed to the Afore.

The preferred title became The FARMS Review in 2003 in a nod to The Yale Review

Yale, how scholarly! We're just like them now. I'm sure Yale felt the same way back.

The rather unimaginative initial cover design of monochromatic stripes with different colors for each issue readily identified the journal with previous FARMS publications such as the Collected Works of Hugh Nibley.

What do they consider imaginative? The cover of Mike Ash's book, Shaken Faith Syndrome which used about 6 different font types? The design was solid. It made the consumer feel like they were purchasing reference material. An Encyclopedia. The buyer would want the full collection and not leave anything out. That was a strong decision.

In a small home just south of campus that had been acquired by FARMS,39 we four met around an oval table just steps from my office. In a congenial atmosphere, we gathered to assess our progress and make plans

Right. Out of the gate the real plans became clear. Buy up real estate and become a financial fortress for the benefit of the staff. Shortly thereafter, they planned to build a ziggurat complete with a swimming pool and a Chinese restaurant. The brethren had to shoot that down. At least we now know after revelations from recent days whose idea the pool was.

[Doctor Scratch]

The FARMS Review, however, did not review merely critical publications. Many important books that strengthen the faith claims and support the doctrines, scriptures, and history of the Church received laudatory reviews.

So is that how the Penguin guide to classical music worked, Dan? It toed the line for the establishment as propaganda rather than provide unbiased reviews of the material? FARMS poisoned the well by calling anything non-complimentary "anti-Mormon." It lauded certain "safe" books that toed the line for the Brethren? FARMS was entirely political. A hatchet shop. And this isn't my own personal accusation, this is what their own historian is actually admitting to. Did the Penguin guide ever stop certain selections of music from being sold due to "mounting a defense" against those recordings?

Yeah, gee…. Wasn’t Vivaldi an anti-Mormon? And wasn’t Stravinsky a homosexual?

[Everybody Wang Chung]

Shortly thereafter, they planned to build a ziggurat complete with a swimming pool and a Chinese restaurant. The brethren had to shoot that down. At least we now know after revelations from recent days whose idea the pool was.

Wait.....The Afore's plan also included a swimming pool and a Panda Express?

[Philo Sofee]

I had all my FARMS Reviews spiral ring bound. I got to trade out the cost for a wood art portrait of Joseph Smith I used to do with my scrollsaw. Ah! The good ole days!