36 ways to leave your lov...er write an anti Mormon book

[_bcspace]

I'd Rather Be Fishing

First, let's deal with the elephant in the room: If Martha Beck's allegations of sexual abuse against her father are true, he deserved every punch she threw in her newest book, and she deserves our sympathy. Abuse of any kind practiced on child or adult is offensive to both God and humanity.

That said, I don't think her allegations are true. In fact, given the many distortions, misrepresentations, and outright absurdities in her book—about facts that we can check—I see no reason to believe her side of her alleged "she said/he said" incidents. None. Thus, my sympathies are with her recently deceased father and with her family—all of whom deny the abuse ever took place.[3] As I provide evidence to back up my contention, I hope I can walk the fine line between love and humor, concern and fact—a line her father walked quite well.

When I first decided to review Martha Nibley[4] Beck's new book, Leaving the Saints, I was certain that I wanted to use her father's humorous handbook for aspiring anti-Mormon writers as a guide. After all, I had discovered, her book is not much more than an anti-Mormon book, masquerading as a journey from abuse to newfound faith and freedom. However, as I assessed the poor quality of her evidence, I was often pulled in other directions. At one point, I drifted toward the courtroom model, where I could employ the cross-examination skills of a trial attorney to shine a bright light on the many contradictions in her book, much like her father did with nineteenth-century anti-Mormon writers in his book The Myth Makers.[5] At another point, frustrated by Martha's apparent unfailing ability to read minds, hands, and facial tics in ways that always supported the case against her father or the church, Nibley's pamphlet No, Ma'am, That's Not History,[6] a response to Fawn Brodie's psychobiography of Joseph Smith, seemed like the better model. In the end, I decided to see how closely Martha followed her father's thirty-six rules for beginning anti-Mormon writers. The circumstantial evidence indicates that she must own at least one copy of his handbook.

How Martha Wrote an Anti-Mormon Book (Using Her Father's Handbook as Her Guide?)

[_Sethbag]

I haven't studied this in-depth, but I've read some material on recovered memories such as what Martha Beck claims to have discovered as an adult, and what I've read has left me deeply, almost insurmountably skeptical of the whole phenomenon. Unless some hard evidence is forthcoming, I assume that Martha Beck's claims are as manufactured (even if not intentionally by her) and groundless as the others in this genre.

I think her case is just another sad example of the bogus recovered memory phenomenon, and does not bear in the slightest on whether the church is true or not. It just happens to involve a mopologist, but that is tangential to the whole issue of the recovered memories.

[_Shiloh]

I haven't studied this in-depth, but I've read some material on recovered memories such as what Martha Beck claims to have discovered as an adult, and what I've read has left me deeply, almost insurmountably skeptical of the whole phenomenon. Unless some hard evidence is forthcoming, I assume that Martha Beck's claims are as manufactured (even if not intentionally by her) and groundless as the others in this genre.

I think her case is just another sad example of the bogus recovered memory phenomenon, and does not bear in the slightest on whether the church is true or not. It just happens to involve a mopologist, but that is tangential to the whole issue of the recovered memories.

There is one simple reason I don't believe Martha Beck.

I don't believe that aliens are abducting and probing human beings.

Both bits of information come from the same source which leads me to believe the source is bogus.

I am not, however, an expert in the field and am open to hearing why my assessment is flawed.

[_Racer]

There are always a few "anti Mormons" who will run with loons like Martha Beck and Ed Decker, but the majority of us evil apostates prefer to get our anti Mormonism talking points from the actual JoD, Mormon Scriptural discrepancies, and accurate factual historical accounts.

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actual JoD

Not doctrinal.

accurate factual historical accounts

I've never seen an anti Mormon of any stripe stick to that. They might throw out a tidbit or two to look respectable but that's just one of the 36 ways.

[_moksha]

I don't believe that aliens are abducting and probing human beings.

Think really hard and then recollection of this event might return. Do you remember whether the aliens were playing Kurt Bestor music in the background? Were there any Reformed Egyptian caractors on the speculum? Did you smell wheat germ?

Details help.

[_Eric]

I haven't studied this in-depth, but I've read some material on recovered memories such as what Martha Beck claims to have discovered as an adult, and what I've read has left me deeply, almost insurmountably skeptical of the whole phenomenon.

This is a horrible lie.

It has been reported that I claim the memories of the abuse were recovered in therapy sessions. This is categorically untrue.

http://www.leavingthesaints.com/settingrecord.htm

[_Chap]

I haven't studied this in-depth, but I've read some material on recovered memories such as what Martha Beck claims to have discovered as an adult, and what I've read has left me deeply, almost insurmountably skeptical of the whole phenomenon.

This is a horrible lie.

It has been reported that I claim the memories of the abuse were recovered in therapy sessions. This is categorically untrue.

http://www.leavingthesaints.com/settingrecord.htm

I have to admit that the account she gives in that reference sounds perfectly sane and reasonable. So where do the stories come from that suggest that it all comes from therapy sessions with a 'recovered memory' enthusiast?

While that does not mean it is true in every respect, or in any respect, reading the text linked above somewhat changes the odds I would give for a bet about her account of sexual abuse suffered when she was aged 5 being true.

[_Eric]

I have to admit that the account she gives in that reference sounds perfectly sane and reasonable. So where do the stories come from that suggest that it all comes from therapy sessions with a 'recovered memory' enthusiast?

I've been looking for the origin of this rumor since I first read Martha's response to it. I still don't know. My guess is it originated with one of her many book "reviewers" after Leaving the Saints.

[_LDS truthseeker]

I haven't studied this in-depth, but I've read some material on recovered memories such as what Martha Beck claims to have discovered as an adult, and what I've read has left me deeply, almost insurmountably skeptical of the whole phenomenon. Unless some hard evidence is forthcoming, I assume that Martha Beck's claims are as manufactured (even if not intentionally by her) and groundless as the others in this genre.

I think her case is just another sad example of the bogus recovered memory phenomenon, and does not bear in the slightest on whether the church is true or not. It just happens to involve a mopologist, but that is tangential to the whole issue of the recovered memories.

I totally agree. Many of us who question the church's version of history will not merely jump on the bandwagon of anyone with supposed damaging information against the church or one of its bigwigs. We want the truth - that's all and I don't see it from Martha Beck.