The Three Layer Apologetic Model

[Guest]

[_Gadianton]

ok, it's fixed.

[_Gadianton]

Who paid you?

The Church, either directly or through one of the "arms" of the Church?

OR

People who are not associated with the Church in any sense, whatsoever?

Too bad I can't post my graphic on FAIR/MAD, I think it would clear up a lot of confusion. Note that Bill Hamblin has now admitted to receiving qiote a wad of bills on that thread. He receives standard payment for his apologetics that are in line with his professional work as an academic, per him.

[_Daniel Peterson]

Note that Bill Hamblin has now admitted to receiving qiote a wad of bills on that thread. He receives standard payment for his apologetics that are in line with his professional work as an academic, per him.

Could you please quote the precise language in which Professor Hamblin supposedly admits the vast sums that he earns from apologetics?

[_Mister Scratch]

Wow, Gad! This is utter genius, and I think that you are right in many ways. I wonder if there is a way to incorporate into the chart the Church's "hiding" of certain documents, or their limiting of access to Book of Abraham materials, etc?

[_Daniel Peterson]

Wow, Gad! This is utter genius

The standards are pretty low in Scratchworld, where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average.

[_Mister Scratch]

Note that Bill Hamblin has now admitted to receiving qiote a wad of bills on that thread. He receives standard payment for his apologetics that are in line with his professional work as an academic, per him.

Could you please quote the precise language in which Professor Hamblin supposedly admits the vast sums that he earns from apologetics?

I'm not sure what Gadianton means by "a wad of bills," although I suppose that 200 one dollar bills would constitute "a wad." Anyways, Bill Hamblin has admitted that he's gotten paid:

Like Dan, I may have received a few hundred dollars in honorarium but the amount was so trivial that I actually can't remember any specifics.

Huh. Well, here is more evidence that people are getting paid to do apologetics. Later, Prof. H. states that this is "typical":

By the way, receiving a $100 honorarium for publishing an article is not uncommon in academia.

What's interesting about his comments on paid Mopology is that his memory seems very foggy about all of it---i.e., he "can't remember any specifics." How convenient! It also needs to be said that he found it necessary to edit his post. I wonder why? Is it because he slipped up and admitted something he shouldn't have? I guess we'll never know.

Finally, I couldn't help but notice Prof. Hamblin's notorious temper spinning out of control over the topic:

Good grief, the whole idea is idiotic. And that's my final word on the topic.

And:

These people are morons and liars, incapable of understanding plain English. For writing a couple dozen articles and editing several books (totaling nearly 2000 pages) I may have received a few of hundred dollars total, for everything I've done over the course of perhaps twenty years years. This couple hundred dollars is not per article, it is the total, for everything.

Wow! Suddenly his memory is functioning again? And, I have to say: this just doesn't make sense. How was he given an honorarium for "2000 pages" which were "done over the course of perhaps twenty years years [sic]"? Did the person handling MI finances one day come down to Hamblin's office and say, "Hey there, Prof. H. We appreciate your Mopologetic efforts over the course of the past twenty years, so here's $200. Enjoy!"? For some reason, I find this scenario implausible. Instead, I suspect that Bill Hamblin is downplaying the amount of money he has collected.

Now, I don't think, by any means, that he has "gotten rich," a statement which is essentially a straw man crafted by DCP and Hamblin. I *do* think that people are getting compensated, however.

[_Daniel Peterson]

You're a genius, Scratch! What a debacle for Professor Hamblin! A watershed event in the history of Mopologetics! How embarrassing for The Good Professor!

This proves beyond question that Thomas Monson personally hands the gold bullion to Bill Hamblin and the Maxwell Institute. Professor Hamblin has just let the cat out of the bag. The Church is directly paying Mopologists, has turned control of its doctrine over to them, and is microdirecting the day-to-day affairs of FARMS, FAIR, and the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America.

Of course, this leaves us unable to determine exactly what Professor Hamblin said when he squeezed the trigger on the grassy knoll on that fatal day in November 1963, and whether, when Monson shot Jack Ruby, he was acting on instructions from the SCMC.

Fortunately, one of my network of informants (we'll call her Esmeralda) tells me that Louis Midgley may have been in the ballroom of the Ambassador Hotel when RFK went down. Or maybe he wasn't. But it certainly makes you wonder. And now he's a paid professional with the Maxwell Institute, even though they're trying to cover that up.

[_Mister Scratch]

This proves beyond question that Thomas Monson personally hands the gold bullion to Bill Hamblin and the Maxwell Institute.

Hardy-har-har, Prof. P. Can you not read the chart? Can you not offer up a cogent, clear-minded critique of it? Gad's chart shows that there is no "direct" payment, due to the need for plausible deniability---something you and Hamblin are using as a Trump card over on MAD: "Uh, gee, yeah... I may have gotten a couple of bucks here and there, but it was so piddling that I don't even remember!" Yeah. Uh huh.

Professor Hamblin has just let the cat out of the bag. The Church is directly paying Mopologists,

That is neither Gad's nor my contention. We both maintain that the money is essentially "laundered" through LDS Philanthropies, BYU, and other Church-controlled organizations.

has turned control of its doctrine over to them,

No. I think the Brethren continue to "control" doctrine, but that they rely very, very heavily on Mopologists for guidance. There is no self-appointed GA doctrinal "expert," ala Bruce McConkie, so the baton (and the financing!) has been passed along to the Maxwell Institute.

and is microdirecting the day-to-day affairs of FARMS,

I don't think they are "microdirecting" FARMS. I would imagine that you or somebody at the MI gives regular updates to the Brethren, though. Also, one sees FARMS articles turning up in the references of GA talks quite often. Clearly, there is a mutually beneficial relationship at play here.

Fortunately, one of my network of informants (we'll call her Esmeralda) tells me that Louis Midgley may have been in the ballroom of the Ambassador Hotel when RFK went down. Or maybe he wasn't. But it certainly makes you wonder. And now he's a paid professional with the Maxwell Institute, even though they're trying to cover that up.

Really? I thought that Dr. Midgley was actually screaming profanities from his car as he drove by the people attending Lynne Whitesides funeral? Or maybe he was screaming profanities at Sandra Tanner at her place of business?

[_Daniel Peterson]

I would imagine

A nice summary of your method.

I would imagine that you or somebody at the MI gives regular updates to the Brethren, though.

I don't.

Nor am I aware of anybody who does.

And I would be aware if it happened.