Chronology: the Richard Nygren Affair

[Tom]

2/12/19 Book of Mormon Central posts video of Steve Smoot interviewing a rare book dealer: Video: What did prophets think about Book of Mormon geography? Their old books may give clues. Video: What did prophets think about Book of Mormon geography? Their old books may give clues.

[Will someone please confirm that this is Smoot?]

Yes, Stephen Smoot appears in this video: https://bookofmormoncentral.org/blog/vi ... give-clues

[Res Ipsa]

9/4/15 Neal Rappleye publishes "Book of Mormon Geography in Neville-Nevilleland" at the Book of Mormon Archaeological Forum. http://www.bmaf.org/node/591

Hat tip to Marcus

Thanks Tom and Marcus. Added.

[Res Ipsa]

2/12/19 Book of Mormon Central posts video of Steve Smoot interviewing a rare book dealer: Video: What did prophets think about Book of Mormon geography? Their old books may give clues. Video: What did prophets think about Book of Mormon geography? Their old books may give clues.

[Will someone please confirm that this is Smoot?]

Yes, Stephen Smoot appears in this video: https://bookofmormoncentral.org/blog/vi ... give-clues

Thanks, Tom.

[drumdude]

August 14, 2019:

I don’t know who the bloggers are at Neville-Neville Land, but I think that they would agree with me when I say that I really don’t care where Mr. Jonathan Neville thinks Cumorah was located. What I do care about is Mr. Neville’s continuing vilification of those (including myself) who fail to share his view.

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/danpeters ... artel.html


July 23, 2022

I hate to break to the good Doctor, but I’m not Stephen Smoot. I’m not Daniel Peterson either, but we’ve been over that many times on this blog. And, since we’re on this subject, I’ll freely admit that I’m also not Spencer Kraus.

For over a decade-and-a-half, “Doctor Scratch” has been posting to online message boards supposedly inside information about Latter-day Saint apologetics. That he would go through all the effort to reveal my true identity and yet get it completely wrong demonstrates how reliable his other claims must have been.

https://www.nevillenevilleland.com/2022 ... whard.html


July 25, 2022:

Over the past week or two, there has been a flurry of interest among the small group of usual suspects concerning who is behind the very useful Neville-Neville Land blog. They think that it’s Steve Smoot — who is something of an obsession with my very obsessive anonymous Malevolent Stalker — or that it’s Dan Peterson, or that it’s Steve Smoot at the direction of Dan Peterson. Actually, it’s none of those. (I myself learned only a few months ago who it is, because s/he told me; until then I was almost as much in the dark on the subject as my Stalker is.)

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/danpeters ... curse.html

March 6, 2023:

here is virtual certainty over at the Peterson Obsession Board that Stephen Smoot, going by the pseudonym of “Peter Pan,” is the author and proprietor of the invaluable Neville-Neville Land blog.

But I know for a fact that he is not. Up until about two years ago (or thereabouts) I myself was unaware of the identity of the blog’s proprietor, although I suspected that it was someone in my circle of acquaintances. At that point, “Peter Pan” identified Panself to me and, sure enough, it was somebody that I knew.

Over at the Obsession Board, though, a few of the folks are claiming that I claim that the actual person behind “Peter Pan” isn’t Stephen Smoot but, rather, a black Latter-day Saint in Alabama by the name of “Richard Nygren.”

I had never heard of any “Richard Nygren” until this allegation was first leveled, and I still know nothing about any such person. Until this blog entry, I have never mentioned the name on this blog nor, to the best of my recollection, uttered it anywhere else. If such a person exists, I know nothing about him except that he is definitely not the author or proprietor of Neville-Neville Land. (His Scandinavian purported name, Richard Nygren, sounds about as likely to me for a black man in Alabama as Nordberg, the name that, presumably for slightly comic effect, was given to O. J. Simpson in The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!)

Inspired, somehow, by my two recent blog entries about anti-Semitism on the FIRM Foundation blog (see here and here), the denizens of the Peterson Obsession Board have been whooping it up about the vast and devastating Smoot-Nygren Scandal. (They apparently couldn’t care less about anti-Semitism.)

But the “scandal” seems to be entirely of their own making.

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/danpeters ... place.html

[drumdude]

July 15, 2019:

The site to which I’ve been linking is “Neville-Neville Land,” which represents the work of two anonymous writers whose identity I don’t know. I encourage anybody who is interested in the relevant questions to take a good look at it. They raise very legitimate issues

...

Please remember that, as Mr. Neville says, “None of this is personal.”

It’s striking to see Mr. Neville join with John Dehlin and other critics of the Church in their hostile reading of the events that occurred at the Maxwell Institute in 2012. And it’s not exactly reassuring to see it.

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/danpeters ... tacks.html


July 25, 2022:

tn: "How long before Doctor Scratch claims Ideeho is Peter Pan?"

My Malevolent Stalker is almost always wrong, but never in doubt. So it may take a while for him to cycle around to a new position on the matter.

He'll probably continue amassing pseudo-evidence in support of his notion, and then he'll drop it and move on to some new malicious pastime.

Maybe the Doctor can do a stylometric analysis of the blog to uncover its true author! I hear Matthew L. Jockers, Daniela M. Witten, and Craig S. Criddle might be available to help in this endeavor.

P.S., my understanding from listening to Robert Boylan's interview with Spencer Kraus is that "Peter Pan" is some fellow down in Alabama named Richard Nygren. But whoever this Mr. Nygren may be I cannot say. I have never met him, nor have I ever corresponded with him online.

Stephen Smoot: "P.S., my understanding from listening to Robert Boylan's interview with Spencer Kraus is that "Peter Pan" is some fellow down in Alabama named Richard Nygren. But whoever this Mr. Nygren may be I cannot say. I have never met him, nor have I ever corresponded with him online."

I've never so much as heard of him. I briefly looked for him online, but found nothing. I'd like to think that he exists, though.

My bet is that he's one of my multiple personalities, just as you are.

I learned just the other day, incidentally, that Public Square Magazine (https://publicsquaremag.org/) is yet another of my clandestine operations. We are Legion!

It’s been a source of much amusement for me the last few days to watch “Doctor Scratch” and his cohorts flail about aimlessly trying to determine my true identity and coming nowhere near the mark. Scratch is so convinced that I’m Stephen Smoot that every little piece of evidence, no matter how wrong, simply confirms his predetermined bias.

Peter Pan: "It’s been a source of much amusement for me the last few days to watch “Doctor Scratch” and his cohorts flail about aimlessly trying to determine my true identity and coming nowhere near the mark. Scratch is so convinced that I’m Stephen Smoot that every little piece of evidence, no matter how wrong, simply confirms his predetermined bias."

I agree. It's been really funny to watch.

But then, of course, I would agree, because

I am he as you are he as you are me
And we are all together . . .
I am the egg man.
They are the egg men.
I am the walrus.
Goo goo g'joob!

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/danpeters ... curse.html

[drumdude]

July 15, 2019:

Dr. OMG: Do you think that having Dan post your blogs about Neville fans the fire or intensifies the personal attacks from both sides?

Peter Pan: I have not asked Dr. Peterson to post anything for me. Other than a few comments I’ve left on his blog, I’ve had no communication with him about Jonathan Neville, ever.

Does where the Book of Mormon allegedly took place matter at all?

Not especially, no. That’s why I’ve been so critical of Jonathan Neville’s blogging, because he believes that it matters and that those who don’t agree with him are “rejecting the prophets.”

Does a belief in a historical Book of Mormon matter?

Not especially, no. Although I think it’s irrational to believe that the Book of Mormon is ahistorical. (I happen to agree with Dallin Oaks and Stephen Smoot on this issue.)

Would one's time, talents and money be better served?

Perhaps. Although I do think there is merit in warning unsuspecting Latter-day Saints away from Jonathan Neville’s way of thinking, which is likely to lead to a splinter faction breaking away from the Church because they believe its leaders are not inspired enough on this subject.

I tend to agree with Grant Hardy that it's not a necessary requirement to even believe the Book of Mormon is historical for exaltation.

For exaltation? No. But, then, many people who believe in illogical things will be exalted, I suspect.

When I look at all the infighting, personal attacks and hurt feelings, I not only endorse Grant Hardy's position, but a good case can be made that these types of geographical debates are actually harmful to the Church.

I agree. Which is why I’m trying to demonstrate to Jonathan Neville that his name-calling, his accusations of unfaithfulness, and his misrepresentation of the beliefs and arguments of those with whom he disagrees is causing conflict and leading people to reject the authority of living prophets.

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/danpeters ... qus_thread

[Res Ipsa]

drumdude, thanks for all the cites. I'm going to finish my review of the Book of Mormon Central site and then probably call it a day. Please keep posting relevant cites and I'll integrate them into the chronology.

[Rivendale]

Between this one and Rosebud I have no idea why this is even important. When the apologists starting encoding Beavis and Butthead to discredit Brent Metcalfe I realized that hiding behind pseudonyms and fake personas was the equivalent of families forming a circle at lagoon to drink their Sprite out of Coke cups. Avoiding the appearance of evil is always in the back of their minds.

[Res Ipsa]

Between this one and Rosebud I have no idea why this is even important. When the apologists starting encoding Beavis and Butthead to discredit Brent Metcalfe I realized that hiding behind pseudonyms and fake personas was the equivalent of families forming a circle at lagoon to drink their Sprite out of Coke cups. Avoiding the appearance of evil is always in the back of their minds.

Maybe it's not important at all. I enjoy trying to figure things out by ferreting out the evidence. It's fun for me.

[malkie]

March 6, 2023:

here is virtual certainty over at the Peterson Obsession Board that Stephen Smoot, going by the pseudonym of “Peter Pan,” is the author and proprietor of the invaluable Neville-Neville Land blog.

But I know for a fact that he is not. Up until about two years ago (or thereabouts) I myself was unaware of the identity of the blog’s proprietor, although I suspected that it was someone in my circle of acquaintances. At that point, “Peter Pan” identified Panself to me and, sure enough, it was somebody that I knew.

Over at the Obsession Board, though, a few of the folks are claiming that I claim that the actual person behind “Peter Pan” isn’t Stephen Smoot but, rather, a black Latter-day Saint in Alabama by the name of “Richard Nygren.”

I had never heard of any “Richard Nygren” until this allegation was first leveled, and I still know nothing about any such person. Until this blog entry, I have never mentioned the name on this blog nor, to the best of my recollection, uttered it anywhere else. If such a person exists, I know nothing about him except that he is definitely not the author or proprietor of Neville-Neville Land. (His Scandinavian purported name, Richard Nygren, sounds about as likely to me for a black man in Alabama as Nordberg, the name that, presumably for slightly comic effect, was given to O. J. Simpson in The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!)

Inspired, somehow, by my two recent blog entries about anti-Semitism on the FIRM Foundation blog (see here and here), the denizens of the Peterson Obsession Board have been whooping it up about the vast and devastating Smoot-Nygren Scandal. (They apparently couldn’t care less about anti-Semitism.)

But the “scandal” seems to be entirely of their own making.

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/danpeters ... place.html

Is Prof P just out of date here, or is Smoot now thought, to a "virtual certainty", to be the author of Neville-Neville? Perhaps I've missed something (not by any means impossible, or even improbable).