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DCP Looks to Cash in on Mopologetics (Again...)

Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 9:36 pm
by _Mister Scratch
I recently received the following very interesting tidbit from an anonymous informant. Perhaps the recent conversation on payment and Mopologetics has made The Good Professor feel a bit more bold in openly promoting his stuff:

Agent Y wrote:Although I personally don't much care about how much DCP gets for his apologetic activities, I do believe he's wordsmithing a bit to deny your claims. And that annoys me. He should just own up to it and move on. With that being said, here's a little thing he posted on MAD:

http://www.mormonapologetics.org/index. ... opic=35886

The CD he refers to is, of course, his own, available for the silly sum of $15.95: http://www.covenant-lds.com/osb2/itemde ... fm?ID=2213 . It's a bit shameless for him to plug his stuff on MAD, but nonetheless that's what he does.

I would suppose that since marketing and creating a CD in today's market (especially when it's simply a recorded lecture) would eat up maybe $2-3 bucks, leaving a large pie to be divided. Where do you s'pose it goes?

Of course, if it were truly of interest to church members, you'd think it would be made available at cost, but that's just my take on it.


Hmm, yes. Very interesting. I noted elsewhere that he does seem to be drawing a "supplemental income" from his Mopologetic activities, and this appears to help bolster that particular argument. Of course, this doesn't really prove that "The Church" is paying him to do Mopologetics. Rather, it seems that he is using his position and status within both the Church and BYU in order to promote (and thus cash in on) his apologetic works. There is something very "snake oil salesman"-esque to all of this.

By the way, the CDs in question are described thusly:

For better or worse, hardly a week goes by without the Church being mentioned in the news. Along with this increased level of visibility comes an increase in the amount of criticism directed toward the Church. In this two-CD set of engaging fireside talks, gospel scholar Daniel C. Peterson addresses some of the most common criticisms and helps members know best how to respond to each. Some of the issues he discusses include:

• The DNA question
• Nature of the Godhead
• Deification
• So-called “errors” in the Book of Mormon
• Book of Mormon geography
• The claim that Latter-day Saints aren’t Christians
• Works vs. grace

Drawing on his background as a scholar and a long-time defender of the Church, Brother Peterson builds faith by showing that many of the questions can be answered. But he also reminds his listeners that “There will always be issues. We walk by faith. We don’t know everything, and we don’t have answers to everything. But the answers will come on the Lord’s schedule.” With its rich source of information, Defending the Faith will be an important resource in every LDS home.
(emphasis added)

Well, if enough people buy the CDs, I guess the "source" will get very rich indeed!

Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 10:03 pm
by _cinepro
If I were an authority on a subject, and people would actually pay money for a CD of my thoughts on the matter (and if I thought that hearing my thoughts might actually help people or make the world a better place), why would it be a bad thing to actually make and sell such a CD?

Granted, $16 might be a little high, and I've downloaded dozens of presentations from Sunstone for $4 a pop. But who in their right mind would pursue LDS apologetics for the money? I mean, it's not exactly "The Purpose Driven Life" or "A New Earth".

Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 10:46 pm
by _antishock8
cinepro wrote:If I were an authority on a subject, and people would actually pay money for a CD of my thoughts on the matter (and if I thought that hearing my thoughts might actually help people or make the world a better place), why would it be a bad thing to actually make and sell such a CD?

Granted, $16 might be a little high, and I've downloaded dozens of presentations from Sunstone for $4 a pop. But who in their right mind would pursue LDS apologetics for the money? I mean, it's not exactly "The Purpose Driven Life" or "A New Earth".


I don't think there's anything wrong with it. I hope he makes a lot of money off his endeavors.

Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 11:56 pm
by _Trevor
cinepro wrote:If I were an authority on a subject, and people would actually pay money for a CD of my thoughts on the matter (and if I thought that hearing my thoughts might actually help people or make the world a better place), why would it be a bad thing to actually make and sell such a CD?

Granted, $16 might be a little high, and I've downloaded dozens of presentations from Sunstone for $4 a pop. But who in their right mind would pursue LDS apologetics for the money? I mean, it's not exactly "The Purpose Driven Life" or "A New Earth".


I don't begrudge him his pittance. I only find it odd that he so strenuously avoids admitting he receives it for this apologetic work.

Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 11:58 pm
by _skippy the dead
Trevor wrote:I don't begrudge him his pittance. I only find it odd that he so strenuously avoids admitting he receives it for this apologetic work.


Exactly.

Posted: Fri May 30, 2008 3:30 am
by _bcspace
I don't begrudge him his pittance. I only find it odd that he so strenuously avoids admitting he receives it for this apologetic work.

Exactly.


Except that wasn't it you guy's problem in the first place was that the Church itself might be paying out? I could put my apologetic answers and thoughts in a book and sell it without any qualms at all. I might title it "How To Talk To An AntiMormon (If You Must)"

Posted: Fri May 30, 2008 3:44 am
by _skippy the dead
bcspace wrote:Except that wasn't it you guy's problem in the first place was that the Church itself might be paying out? I could put my apologetic answers and thoughts in a book and sell it without any qualms at all. I might title it "How To Talk To An AntiMormon (If You Must)"


Upon reflection, I think part of the issue may be that the arguments from either side were both just off-center enough that the true crux of the issue was lost, if that makes sense. DCP has been perceived as saying "I don't get paid for my apologetic work", when really he meant that his BYU salary was not enhanced for his apologetic work, when in reality he received and continues to receive remuneration for some of his apologetic efforts.

But I'm now officially uninterested. Although I've said that before.

Posted: Fri May 30, 2008 3:47 am
by _Yong Xi
Trevor wrote:
cinepro wrote:If I were an authority on a subject, and people would actually pay money for a CD of my thoughts on the matter (and if I thought that hearing my thoughts might actually help people or make the world a better place), why would it be a bad thing to actually make and sell such a CD?

Granted, $16 might be a little high, and I've downloaded dozens of presentations from Sunstone for $4 a pop. But who in their right mind would pursue LDS apologetics for the money? I mean, it's not exactly "The Purpose Driven Life" or "A New Earth".


I don't begrudge him his pittance. I only find it odd that he so strenuously avoids admitting he receives it for this apologetic work.


If you were a world famous scholar and only making 50 bucks for articles you wrote, who would you tell?

Posted: Fri May 30, 2008 4:39 am
by _LifeOnaPlate
I think it odd that the amount of money DCP makes from things like this is evidently more important to you than him.

Posted: Fri May 30, 2008 5:09 am
by _Mister Scratch
LifeOnaPlate wrote:I think it odd that the amount of money DCP makes from things like this is evidently more important to you than him.


If this were the case, why would he be engaging in self-promotion on the MAD board?