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Interpreter's President (the one who couldn't organise a nice dinner for his organisation's volunteers and donors despite living it large whenever on Interpreter duty himself) has lauded his own organisation.

This was Interpreter’s fourteenth birthday party. A very great deal has been accomplished during the years since our founding. And the future, if I may coin a new and completely original phrase, looks very bright. Critics predicted that we would fail within a few months. But, well, we haven’t. And I’m deeply grateful to all who’ve made the Foundation’s successes possible.

But what are those successes? Yes, the Interpreter has churned out a lot of "stuff", but so what? What key things have been delivered? What new understandings? What groundbreaking discovery? How has the Church been helped in its own defence by something that has only happened under the auspices of Interpreter's organisation and leadership?

In all seriousness, I'm asking for the, say, top 3 achievements that Interpreter has delivered (excluding volume as an achievement because it really isn't one).

It's produced some films that nobody wanted to watch.
It started doing something in Africa and then dropped the funding for it.

Is that about it, the sum of 14 years (and how much money)?

They succeeded at funneling millions of donor dollars into Redbrick Filmworks. They made Mark Goodman a very happy man.

They have succeeded in offering literature that is a lot better than the LDS Church's correlated materials. The LDS Church puts out thin gruel. At least Interpreter puts out stuff that is interesting and even, at times, well written.

Other than that, I am not sure what they need to do. There is definitely a need in every faith community for more interesting and thought-provoking reading material. In the case of the LDS Church, that need is critical, because the LDS Church fails miserably at providing such stuff. The official LDS materials are boring beyond belief.

For 14 years, the Interpreter has pumped out poorly edited and unhinged fanfiction. Relying on Olympic level mental gymnastics to defend ridiculous, impossible narratives that even mainstream believers find embarrassing. Congratulations to the Interpreter on cementing its legacy as the absolute gold standard of intellectual dishonesty and the sloppiest "peer-reviewed" rag in the entire Western Hemisphere.

Bond was 100% right. The Interpreter died 14 years ago, but it just forgot to stop typing.

14 years? So what? *This* message board has been around for more than *20* years! The critics here have been kicking the Mopologists’ asses so completely and thoroughly that they: (a) got kicked out of BYU, and (b) had to form a completely new enterprise (founded by David Bokovoy, by the way—a fact the leadership would rather ignore) in the hopes of contesting the endlessly creative, brilliant, and devastating criticism that has consistently emerged from this board for over TWO DECADES!!!

Interpreter wouldn’t exist without this board.

Doctor Scratch wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 10, 2026 12:38 am

14 years? So what? *This* message board has been around for more than *20* years! The critics here have been kicking the Mopologists’ asses so completely and thoroughly that they: (a) got kicked out of BYU, and (b) had to form a completely new enterprise (founded by David Bokovoy, by the way—a fact the leadership would rather ignore) in the hopes of contesting the endlessly creative, brilliant, and devastating criticism that has consistently emerged from this board for over TWO DECADES!!!

Interpreter wouldn’t exist without this board.

Amen, Doctor.

I remember when Shades started Mormon Discussions and as a faithful apologist I migrated over from MAD to try my luck here.

So many good times.

THANK you, Dr. Shades, for keeping your vision alive.

Shulem wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 10, 2026 12:45 am

Doctor Scratch wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 10, 2026 12:38 am

14 years? So what? *This* message board has been around for more than *20* years! The critics here have been kicking the Mopologists’ asses so completely and thoroughly that they: (a) got kicked out of BYU, and (b) had to form a completely new enterprise (founded by David Bokovoy, by the way—a fact the leadership would rather ignore) in the hopes of contesting the endlessly creative, brilliant, and devastating criticism that has consistently emerged from this board for over TWO DECADES!!!

Interpreter wouldn’t exist without this board.

Amen, Doctor.

I remember when Shades started Mormon Discussions and as a faithful apologist I migrated over from MAD to try my luck here.

So many good times.

THANK you, Dr. Shades, for keeping your vision alive.

Absolutely. And there is no need to lamely “celebrate” with stale Oreos, soda, and a lecture by some bureaucrat.

The Interpreter Foundation’s achievements this past year include alienating the Relief Society Sister in Parowan, the Old High Priest in Ogden, and the Little Old Lady from Pasadena Ward—some of the Foundation’s most faithful donors—by slapping together a “simplified and streamlined” birthday party consisting of a poorly advertised “fireside” and “light refreshments” in place of the annual dinner and surrendering its independence by allowing BYU/The Church to dictate speakers at the Foundation’s “small plates of Nephi” conference in May 2026. (The Foundation needs to amend its claim that it is “not owned, controlled by, or officially affiliated with the Church.”) Well done.

drumdude wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 09, 2026 1:57 pm

They succeeded at funneling millions of donor dollars into Redbrick Filmworks. They made Mark Goodman a very happy man.

Yes, that’s the untold story. I am looking forward to the announcement of the Foundation’s third feature film.

I celebrated our success by eating Oreos and drinking a tall, cold glass of whole milk.

Cheers!

Kishkumen wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 09, 2026 2:19 pm

They have succeeded in offering literature that is a lot better than the LDS Church's correlated materials. The LDS Church puts out thin gruel. At least Interpreter puts out stuff that is interesting and even, at times, well written.

Other than that, I am not sure what they need to do. There is definitely a need in every faith community for more interesting and thought-provoking reading material. In the case of the LDS Church, that need is critical, because the LDS Church fails miserably at providing such stuff. The official LDS materials are boring beyond belief.

Well here is what Interpreter claims as its mission:

Founded in 2012, The Interpreter Foundation is an independent organization that supports The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We publish a peer-reviewed academic journal, host conferences, and publish books. We offer a wide array of resources to provide deep insights into scripture, the Restoration, and a wide range of related topics.

Sounds good. But there is an inherent problem. Those deep insights are coming from people who are self-appointed to the role. They’ve not been vetted, they’ve not been called. Unlike the material that comes from the Maxwell Institute.

Let’s make no mistake. The only reason Interpreter exists is because the Church would not give Peterson the keys to the Maxwell Institute. It was born out of a bitter vendetta. And it shows.