From My Informant: Was Bokovoy Blackballed at BYU?

[_Yoda]

Kevin, do you think that if Dan had wanted David to stay, he would have had enough pull to have made it happen?

[_Yoda]

Understand that my biting tone here is my own. David has remained upbeat and positive in the very brief communications I have had with him.

In the brief conversations I have had with David on Facebook, he has been very upbeat as well. That is why this whole thread by Scratch came as somewhat of a shock to me. I was really under the impression that David had left of his own accord to pursue his writing, and that maybe BYU just didn't have the budget to retain him due to the economy.

I will pose the same question to you, Kish, that I posed to Kevin. I know, of course, that this is all speculative, but do you think that if DCP had wanted David to stay, he would have been able to make it happen?

[_RockSlider]

Remember some time back Will and David had a blow out on the MAD board and Will hinted to this exact thing at the time. (i.e. something about his being watched and his career in danger).

What is amazing is the likes of BYU/MI would put their confidences and future in the hands and likes Of Will and dump on one of the most Christ like men I'm seen on the boards.

And Liz, I’m sorry, if nothing more than a sin of omission, a man in Dan’s position, in the know and not having the balls to stand up for a man like David is as guilty as any of them.

Honestly, how can they sleep at night

[_Kishkumen]

Kevin, do you think that if Dan had wanted David to stay, he would have had enough pull to have made it happen?

I know this is not addressed to me, but I will add my small experience here. Rarely does one person from a unit outside of the department or college in which a person is being hired have the kind of pull to override an internal decision like that. Given the nature of BYU's system, it may seem like a greater possibility, but I think it is actually rare that people pull rank by calling in a GA to override the decision of the people closest to the issue. I would be surprised if Daniel Peterson's individual say had much or could have had much influence here.

If I were to imagine a person who would be against David's candidacy, I would guess Stephen E. Robinson.

A wildcard would be Jack Welch.

Now, if the NMI people really lobbied Religion faculty who did have a say, they could have frightened Religion off of hiring David. That would not surprise me in the least.

[_Kishkumen]

Remember some time back Will and David had a blow out on the MAD board and Will hinted to this exact thing at the time. (i.e. something about his being watched and his career in danger).

Will is a real credit to his buddies at the Maxwell Institute.

Neal A. Maxwell must be proud.

[_bcspace]

This informant explained to me that Bokovoy was warned by people at the Maxwell Institute to avoid studying Hebrew Bible; the "Powers that Be" were apparently worried that scholarly study in this field would undermine his testimony. He ignored this advice, though, and went off to Brandeis, where he came under the tutelage of the well-known apostate, David P. Wright.

Obviously, association with an apostate might indeed undermine a testimony. However, I'm curious to know why anyone would think a study of the Hebrew Bible would do it. Of course I always take anything Scratch writes with a HUGE grain of salt and find it much more likely that he's inserting a little color into his fiction.

[_RockSlider]

I know this is not addressed to me, but I will add my small experience here. Rarely does one person from a unit outside of the department or college in which a person is being hired have the kind of pull to override an internal decision like that. Given the nature of BYU's system, it may seem like a greater possibility, but I think it is actually rare that people pull rank by calling in a GA to override the decision of the people closest to the issue. I would be surprised if Daniel Peterson's individual say had much or could have had much influence here.

If I were to imagine a person who would be against David's candidacy, I would guess Stephen E. Robinson.

A wildcard would be Jack Welch.

Now, if the NMI people really lobbied Religion faculty who did have a say, they could have frightened Religion off of hiring David. That would not surprise me in the least.

I think the real question, as far as Dan is concerned … were MI resources used to scrap David’s internet activity and compile the report which the religion department then used in their inquiry of David?

[_Ceeboo]

David Bokovoy is one of the finest LDS people I have encountered on the boards.

Without question, I absolutely agree!

Peace,
Ceeboo

[Guest]

I think the real question, as far as Dan is concerned … were MI resources used to scrap David’s internet activity and compile the report which the religion department then used in their inquiry of David?

My intel is that MI had absolutely nothing to do with this, and I have every reason to believe that this is 100% accurate. As far as I am concerned, the question of MI's involvement or potential involvement is not connected to reality.

David has the very best relationship with Bill Hamblin and Daniel Peterson to this day. They were very disappointed that their friend would not be joining them at BYU.

My most recent "intel" is entirely consistent with communications I had with Daniel Peterson in the past in which Daniel praised David genuinely and warmly. I simply cannot believe that MI was involved in this.

It is also my understanding that they did not know of what was happening, and thus could not have intervened in any way.

Edited to add:

I think it is safe to say that few waters are more treacherous than the political waters at BYU's Religion department. They are extremely touchy about these issues. The first PhD to come out of Dublin's Mormon Studies program was denied employment at BYU Religion partly because he wrote on Adam-God and one of the faculty was particularly negative about that issue.

Given the nature of the beast, it is not that surprising that David did not get the job. I had high hopes, but Religion has always been a real minefield. Nibley didn't care for them. I think the person they hired over David has an Education doctorate, and not a degree in any ancient field. But that is not uncommon over there. Lots of the people in BYU Religion have been doctor teacher types. It is not a big place for scholarship, and it is questionable that David would have fit in all that well, for that very reason.

[_Doctor Scratch]

I know this is not addressed to me, but I will add my small experience here. Rarely does one person from a unit outside of the department or college in which a person is being hired have the kind of pull to override an internal decision like that. Given the nature of BYU's system, it may seem like a greater possibility, but I think it is actually rare that people pull rank by calling in a GA to override the decision of the people closest to the issue. I would be surprised if Daniel Peterson's individual say had much or could have had much influence here.

If I were to imagine a person who would be against David's candidacy, I would guess Stephen E. Robinson.

A wildcard would be Jack Welch.

Now, if the NMI people really lobbied Religion faculty who did have a say, they could have frightened Religion off of hiring David. That would not surprise me in the least.

I think the real question, as far as Dan is concerned … were MI resources used to scrap David’s internet activity and compile the report which the religion department then used in their inquiry of David?

Yes, this is clearly the most disturbing question that's raised by all of this.