Meldrum's response to FAIR on the FAIR blog

[_Trevor]

Hello, this is Rod Meldrum. I have prepared a 16 page statement and will addressing this review/article for its..

1. Blatant and inflammatory Lies — such as the FAIR false claim that I said in my DVD that the church leadership was ‘wasting’ money, which never occurred. FAIR has continuously attempted to put words into my mouth that are blatently not there to deliberately misrepresent my statements.

2. Conjecture — such as Midgley’s assessment of my knowledge of the subjects based on a harassing phone call over a year ago which is utter conjecture and here-say non-sense on his and FAIR’s part.

3. Innuendo (such as the false claims that I “avoid scholarly dialogue by claiming that [my] ideas are approved by God” which aside from being patently untrue, are based on where they think others (or themselves) might be lead if they follow their path of reasoning to its utmost conclusions. It is pure and total conjecture on their part, for I have said no such thing.

Unlike FAIR, I am submitting my response in private to them for their review prior to my determining if it will be posted. FAIR has agreed to post my response along side their review so as to be FAIR. We will all see if they are good to their word or not.

Fair board members Scott Gordan, John Lynch, Bob White, and Greg Smith (and possibly Allen Wyatt) and I had a phone conversation on Tuesday, July 1st from 7-8:30 AM from which I initiated a dialoge with them to address any issues they might have with my research. We determined to work together to correct any flaws that they saw were needed. This was what was understood from the conversation. Then less than 48 hours later this scathing review (which must have been already prepared in advance of our conversation) appeared on their website, completely blind-siding me and our agreement to work together because they wanted to ‘help a brother’ in the gospel. Lies, conjecture and innuendo are not generally accepted as the way to help someone. More to come… much, much more to come. Stay tuned. This review was to egregious to overlook, it must be addressed.

The Gold mine in Joseph Smith’s section #3 is Joseph’s Smith’s own claims to revelation on the matter in the Wentworth letter, the American Revivalist Account, the Zelph Account and his letter to his wife. I think Greg Smith is confusing Joseph’s quotes with what I say, along with throwing in a massive amount of conjecture, as I have never claimed to have received revelation on this matter as he claims more than 16 times in the un-named authors ‘extensive’ review that I have. This incredibly ill-produced and un-scholarly review may be removed once the board of FAIR has had the chance to review my response. Then again, they may choose to post my written response for a ‘FAIR and balanced’ review for their readership. I am fine with it either way. It will be their choice. I have nothing to hide, the DVD is out there for anyone to see and determine for themselves if it is right.

Most of FAIR’s assessment derives from an UNAUTHORIZED personal email sent to specific individuals who were being invited to participate in a meeting to discuss the new FIRM foundation. Someone of that group betrayed that trust and sent an unauthorized copy to FAIR. The board at FAIR knows that this was a personal and confidential email as I personally told the board members this during our phone conversation, yet they have chosen to publicly distribute portions of it on their website out of context and without an opportunity for explanation on my part. There is nothing that I am ashamed of having said, but there were very personal experiences that I was sharing with supporters that were not meant to be public knowledge. Yet, contrary to good intention, decency and decorum, they published it anyway with complete and utter disregard to my wishes and request. In my response I include the entirety of the email so that the readership of FAIR can see the entire document in context and with further explanation to clarify the intent. Again, there is nothing to hide, it was just very personal, spiritual things that now FAIR has determined to flaunt to the public in their vicious attack.

Be it known that any use of my personal, private email by FAIR is being done without my concent or authorization. I have requested that they hereby cease and desist in their continued use of that document voluntarily. We will see if they will honor that request, which would, of necessity, remove 90% of their attack article as thus far that has been the thrust of their personal character assasination against me.

[_Boaz & Lidia]

Sweet mother of Joseph!

Does mo'pologetics get better than this!

Fair just Scratched themselves!

[_Trevor]

This is what Allen Wyatt has the nerve to say in his response to Meldrum:

Welcome to the world of academic review, Rod. Sometimes it is not a pleasant place when others–even others who are brothers and sisters in the gospel–take strong exception to what we have published and what we are promoting.

Did I miss something here? When exactly did FAIR become an organ of the Academy, and not a collection of well-meaning amateurs who promote LDS apologia? Now he claims that their hatchet job of a review constitutes "academic review"? Unbelievable.

[_Trevor]

Wyatt has the chutzpah to compare Meldrum's use of Joseph Smith's letters for historical evidence with their use of Medlrum's letter to discredit Meldrum:

Interesting that you can use a private letter from Joseph Smith to Emma to bolster your case, but you don’t want a letter to your supporters to be used to evaluate your case. You complain that your words in your letter are being used out of context to support a position with which you disagree, yet you use Joseph’s words to Emma–out of context–to support a position on which he took no official stand.

I have a hard time believing that anyone buys a word this jackass writes, if this is a representative sample of his reasoning skills.

[_Boaz & Lidia]

One word comes to mind concerning Allen:

PWNED!!!!

Time for him to pull his bottom garmies up and go home.

[_cksalmon]

FAIR steps in its own mess, again.

The more I see from FAIR (recall, for instance, the quickly deepsixed attack on Bob McCue from a few months ago), the more the organization comes across as a collective bumbling idiot.

Welcome to the world of "academic review," indeed.

[_Trevor]

Welcome to the world of "academic review," indeed.

Yeah, my understanding of academic review is that it ordinarily doesn't involve calling up a scholar in the pretense of "helping out a brother in the Lord" and then publicly condemning him for arrogating to himself illicit authority through sharing personal revelation from a Holy Ghost.

[_Gadianton]

This is "Skinny-L" - style academic review. Now I understand why FAIR and FARMS get so angry over critics telling them they don't do peer review. This entire time they've simply thought that "peer review" means to single out a "peer", sometimes pretending to be his friends, and then proceed with a lynch-mob style beating that constitutes his "review". No, it ain't pretty, the academic process as understood by FAIR and FARMS.

And if Meldrum isn't silenced by the first round of intimidation? What will be next? Will his stake president begin to receive calls from FAIR? Will someone look for the key to the AR cabinet?

I wonder, was the mob at Carthage performing what they thought was an academic review of Joseph Smith?

[_The Nehor]

Welcome to the world of "academic review," indeed.

Yeah, my understanding of academic review is that it ordinarily doesn't involve calling up a scholar in the pretense of "helping out a brother in the Lord" and then publicly condemning him for arrogating to himself illicit authority through sharing personal revelation from a Holy Ghost.

You must not have gone to a fun college.

[_Trevor]

You must not have gone to a fun college.

LOL!!!

Well, actually, I went to one of the few universities that produces people who might take this to be a legitimate form of academic review: Brigham Young University. Sure, not much fun by many people's standards, but I enjoyed it. I do not regret, however, failing to pick up the nasty habit of mistaking faith wars for academic review.