Master Timeline of Mopologetics, Third Edition

[Kishkumen]

1903
23-24 May Book of Mormon convention held at Brigham Young Academy. President Joseph F. Smith attends. According to the Deseret News, "President Smith . . . expressed the idea that the question of the city (of Zarahemla) was one of interest certainly, but if it could not be located the matter was not of vital importance, and if there were differences of opinion on the question it would not affect the salvation of the people, and he advised against students considering it of such vital importance as the principles of the Gospel." See https://www.deseret.com/2010/5/27/20117 ... -geography
1943
Bookcraft publishes John A. Widstoe’s Evidences and Reconciliations.
1968
January LDS attorney and Book of Mormon researcher Thomas Ferguson receives the first translations from the Joseph Smith Papyri, which he had commissioned from Egyptologists at his alma mater, UC Berkeley. The translations show that Book of Abraham was not translated from the papyri, leading Ferguson to lose his faith.
1969
Fall John W. Welch's first research on chiasmus in the Book of Mormon is published in BYU Studies, vol. 10.1.
1972
Meso-American archaeologist Michael Coe states that "The bare facts of the matter are that nothing, absolutely nothing, has ever shown up in any New World excavation which would suggest to a dispassionate observer that the Book of Mormon, as claimed by Joseph Smith, is a historical document relating to the history of early migrants to our hemisphere."
1974
20 April Reed C. Durham, president of the Mormon History Association, delivers his presidential address, "Is There No Help for the Widow's Son?", which concerns the connections between Mormonism and Freemasonry.
1979
8 November FARMS is incorporated. Its founder is John W. Welch. He is joined by Lew Cramer (now head of Coldwell Bankers' Salt Lake City commercial real estate office) and Clark Waddoups (now Senior United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Utah), the first board members. As Welch would later reminisce, "It was exactly a quarter of a century ago that three lawyers (Lew Cramer, Clark Waddoups, and I) were driving up Sixth Street in Los Angeles to get on the Harbor Freeway on our way home. I was practicing tax law at the time, and in retrospect I think it no accident that I had developed some expertise in organizing and advising tax exempt organizations. I was about to file the articles for a new foundation that could make Book of Mormon research available to people all over the world and that could facilitate the good work of promising Latter-day Saint scholars. Well, all we needed was a name. As we pulled onto the freeway, the name "FARMS" was hatched. It got a good laugh at first, but none of us could forget it, nor has the general public." See Insights, vol. 24, no. 3 (2004) p. 4.
1980
FARMS moves to Provo, UT when John W. Welch joins the faculty at BYU.
November FARMS publishes a newsletter.
1981
Chiasmus in Antiquity is in galley proofs and is due out in the Fall.
Lavina Fielding Anderson becomes the editor of the FARMS newsletter.
July First issue of Insights, the FARMS newsletter, is published.
In the July issue, p. 5, Brant Gardner is described as a "Ph.D. candidate at SUNY Albany, emphasizing Mesoamerican ethnohistory in the anthropology department."
Fall John L. Sorenson teaches a course on Book of Mormon archaeology at BYU.
November In Insights vol. 1, no. 2, p. 1, it is announced that Paul Y. Hoskisson and Stephen D. Ricks have joined the Ancient Near East/Old World research committee of FARMS; Gary Gillum is serving as the chairman of the FARMS Book of Mormon/New Testament committee. Janet Twigg is the mail clerk and bookkeeper.
John W. Welch publishes Chiasmus in Antiquity.
1982
FARMS supplies Robert F. Smith with materials needed to complete a critical text of the Book of Mormon.
John W. Welch and Robert Crockett, Welch's former law student, work on episodes of "silencing an opponent in debate" in the Bible and the Book of Mormon.
Ph.D. candidate William J. Hamblin works with Matt Hilton on military matters in the Book of Mormon.
Ed Ashment shares with FARMS over 1,600 notecards with word studies of possible Egyptian and Hebrew equivalents for Book of Mormon phrases.
Gary Gillum and David Whittaker take charge of the FARMS Book of Mormon Bibliography Project.
April FARMS announces a project to produce a Book of Mormon Encyclopedia. The projected date for publication is 1989. Projected cost is 1 million dollars.
Six-person advisory council for the Book of Mormon Encyclopedia is organized at FARMS: Hugh Nibley, Merrill J. Bateman, Blaine T. Hudson, Charles D. Tate, Robert K. Thomas, and Jay M. Todd.
24-27 August FARMS hosts an exhibit of Book of Mormon research in the Garden Court of the Wilkinson Center during BYU Campus Education Week.
FARMS moves to the basement of the J. Reuben Clark Law School.
9 October Australian Book of Mormon symposium.
1983
An 1830 first edition of the Book of Mormon is donated to FARMS. First owned by James Gilruth in 1831, the book was handed down within the family to Louis Edward Hills (1897), who served in the RLDS Quorum of the Seventy until his release in 1923.
Brian Stubbs completes and submits a 93-page report entitled, "Observations in Uto-Aztecan."
V. Garth Norman presents a paper examining the claims that San Lorenzo is the Jaredite city of Lib (Ether 10:30).
Paul R. Cheesman, Truman G. Madsen, and Noel B. Reynolds join the advisory council for the Book of Mormon Encyclopedia.
8 September Susan Roylance joins the board at FARMS. She assumes responsibility for public relations, promotion, and fund raising for FARMS.
October 1983 Insights, the FARMS newsletter, reports that there are 100 regional delegates of FARMS around the world. It also reports that there are 6500 names and addresses on the FARMS mailing list.
1984
Darlene Clarke becomes executive secretary of FARMS.
Spring FARMS moves from "our basement quarters into three rooms on the third floor of the Amanda Knight Hall, at the corner of 800 North and University Avenue in Provo. Room 315 serves as the main office.
Ken Porter, former head of Church Educational Development, joins FARMS to assist in building up the foundation.
June FARMS Tour to Guatemala and Mexico.
1985
28 April Church News publishes the contents of the infamous forgery called the “Salamander Letter.”
B. H. Roberts’ Studies of the Book of Mormon is published for the first time.
Sue Bergin joins FARMS as Coordinator of Public Relations.
FARMS forges an agreement with World Group, an LDS owned travel organization headquartered in Simi Valley, California.
John L. Sorenson's An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon is published by Deseret Book and FARMS.
1986
The first volume of the Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, Old Testament and Related Studies, is published.
Sculptor Stan Johnson of Mapleton, UT donates "a significant bronze statue of a Moqui Indian dancer" to FARMS.
3 April Hugh Nibley offers a presentation and takes questions at the FARMS Night at the Ramses II Exhibit. 200 tickets advertised at $4 each.
The second volume of the Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, Enoch the Prophet, is published.
1987
John Sorenson becomes Chairman of the Advisory Board at FARMS. Three standing committees are formed: Research Committee, Evaluation Committee, Production Committee.
February An informal working group begins meeting on Wednesday at noon in 919 SWKT for lunch and to discuss Book of Mormon research in progress.
Brenda Kay Miles becomes full-time secretary for FARMS.
Richard Olsen replaces Greg McMurdie in shipping and inventory.
Assisting editors of Insights are Mari Miles, Shannon Moore, Robert Eaton, Willa Murphy, Sheryl Cragun, and Mindy Suttner.
Summer Vol. 7, no. 2 of Insights (p. 4) announces that FARMS materials are received in 39 countries across six continents with the help of "twenty-two faithful volunteers."
August Robert F. Smith finishes his typescript draft of "Oracles & Talismans, Forgery & Pansophia: Joseph Smith, Jr., as a Renaissance Magus."
1988
Spring FARMS announces an "Annual Review of Books on the Book of Mormon." Daniel C. Peterson agrees to serve as editor of the series. "Peterson hopes the reviews will inform many readers of the strengths and weaknesses of books being published about the Book of Mormon. See Insights, vol. 8, no. 1, p. 3.
FARMS membership stands at 13,500.
Lori Rogers is hired as Mailist Coordinator.
2 March Richard L. Anderson delivers First Annual Book of Mormon Lecture. The title is "Religion Validity: The Sacramental Covenants in 3 Nephi."
10 May John W. Welch gives a BYU Devotional address entitled, "Study, Faith, and the Book of Mormon."
Fall Membership drive results in an increase of 2,600 members.
Fall Stephen D. Ricks becomes the new president of FARMS. He succeeds John W. Welch.
Hugh Nibley receives Deseret Book's Excellence in Writing Award.
Kent Jackson criticizes Nibley for "selectively including what suits his presuppositions and ignoring what does not," and for seeing "things in the sources that simply don't seem to be there." See his "Review of Hugh Nibley, Old Testament and Related Studies (The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, vol. I; ed. by John W. Welch, Gary P. Gillum, and Don E. Norton; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book/FARMS, 1986," BYU Studies 28.4: 115-117.
1989
Tenth Anniversary of FARMS
Volume 1 of Review of Books on the Book of Mormon is published. Daniel C. Peterson, Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies and Arabic at BYU, is editor.
Curtis Wright has been assisted in compiling and organizing a definitive collection of ancient examples of writing on metal plates. See Insights, vol. 9, no. 4, p. 2.
24-25 March FARMS-sponsored symposium at BYU on Warfare in the Book of Mormon. The resulting volume will be edited by William J. Hamblin.
Summer Vol. 9, no. 2 of Insights (p. 1) announces new tiered membership schema: Regular Members-$9 per year; Gold Members-$60; Liahona Club-$500; Limited Membership-$5 per year (for low-income families and students).
Brenda Miles replaces Janet Twigg as Office Manager.
Don Parry, University of Utah Ph.D. candidate in Hebrew, begins full-time work as the new Office and Research Manager.
Summer Vol. 9, no. 2 of Insights (p. 2) lists donors who have donated between $500 and $5000 so far that year.
Lois Richardson begins part-time work as office coordinator.
8 November FARMS marks the 10th anniversary of its incorporation.
1990
Volume 2 of Review of Books on the Book of Mormon is published. Daniel C. Peterson, Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies and Arabic at BYU, is editor.
27 February Professor Richard D. Rust (UNC English) delivers the annual Book of Mormon lecture, entitled, "The Book of Mormon, Designed for Our Day."
16 October F. Michael Watson, then the ordained and set-apart Secretary to the First Presidency, sent a letter to Bishop Darrel L. Brooks, Moore Ward in Oklahoma, with instruction to answer congregant Ronnie Sparks' question about the location of the Hill Cumorah mentioned in the Book of Mormon. Letter unequivocally locates Book of Mormon’s Hill Cumorah at traditional Mormon site in New York.
Margaret Merrill Toscano and Paul Toscano's Strangers in Paradox: explorations in Mormon theology is published by Signature Books.
1991
Don Parry resigns as Office Manager so he can focus on his Ph.D. dissertation. He continues to be the FARMS Research Manager.
Brent Hall becomes Office Manager, a duty he adds to his responsibilities as Director of Development.
Volume 3 of Review of Books on the Book of Mormon is published. Daniel C. Peterson, Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies and Arabic at BYU, is editor.
27 February Allen J. Christenson presents, "The Mayan Festival of Resurrection and the Book of Mormon," as the fourth annual FARMS Book of Mormon Lecture.
Infobases, Inc. puts the first ten volumes of the Collected Works of Hugh Nibley on computer disk.
July Volume 11.4 of Insights contains the following clarification on page 6: "Also, in Review of Books on the Book of Mormon, volume 3, statements are made that could be construed as calling unspecified contributors to The Word of God: Essays on Mormon Scripture and Signature Books, Inc., "dishonesties" and "hard-core anti-Latter-day Saints." These statements were the reviewer's interpretation of the portions of the book, and no personal connotation was intended."
20 August Hugh Nibley signs copies of his books at FARMS Open House during Education Week.
27 September Elder Neal A. Maxwell was the feature speaker at the annual FARMS banquet.
John L. Sorenson retires from FARMS Board.
26 October Annual Sperry Symposium.
November Noel Reynolds becomes the third president of FARMS.
November Encyclopedia of Mormonism is published by MacMillan.
5 November FARMS tour of lands of the Book of Mormon in Mexico and Guatemala.
14 December FARMS symposium on Zenos' Allegory in Jacob 5.
1992
5 January BYUTV begins broadcasting Hugh Nibley's Book of Mormon class.
January FARMS newsletter Insight reports the formation of Mormon-L listserv. Interested parties should contact J. Michael Allen, William J. Hamblin, or David C. Wright.
4 February FARMS tour of lands of the Book of Mormon in Mexico and Guatemala.
Inaugural issue of the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies.
NuSkin International donates money for the making of video introduction to FARMS.
17 October Hugh Nibley addresses annual FARMS banquet on the topic of his current research.
21 March Annual FARMS Book of Mormon Lecture.
20 November Stephen D. Ricks and Hugh Nibley appear in nationally-televised Interfaith Conference, "Unraveling the Mystery of the Dead Sea Scrolls."
FARMS announces the creation of the list serve MORM-ANT (Mormonism and Antiquity). Interested persons are directed to contact William J. Hamblin via email.
FARMS expedition to Wadi Says is postponed by the Omani government and rescheduled for January 1993.
1993
Ed Ashment publishes his criticism of John Gee's arguments about Abraham in Egyptian magical papyri. See http://www.mormonthink.com/backup/edwar ... _part1.htm
Michael D. Rhodes, former professor of physics at the Air Force Academy, joins the FARMS Board as he pursues a PhD at BYU.
23 April William J. Hamblin and Daniel C. Peterson, relying on a fax from Carla Ogden, claim that the First Presidency walked back the position on the Hill Cumorah laid down in the Watson letter.
In his article, "Basic Methodological Problems with the Anti-Mormon Approach to the Geography and Archaeology of the Book of Mormon," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 2/1 (1993): 161–197, fn 70, William J. Hamblin explicitly attributes the Ogden fax to Michael Watson, Secretary to the First Presidency. See http://mormondiscussions.com/viewtopic ... 9#p1170799
Brent Lee Metcalfe's (ed.) New Approaches to the Book of Mormon: exploration in critical methodology is published by Signature Books.
1994
William J. Hamblin inserts an acrostic reading, "Metcalfe is Butthead" in issue 6.1 of Review of Books on the Book of Mormon. The incident was reported in Deseret News on March 22/23.
Brian M. Hauglid reviews Margaret and Paul Toscano's Strangers in Paradox in vol. 6.2 of Review of Books on the Book of Mormon. He characterizes the book as "theological musings" and finds fault with it for "finding fault with those who do not see things in the same way . . . especially the leaders of the Church."
According to Kevin Christensen ("Kevin Christensen on Margaret Barker: Part I; See https://bycommonconsent.com/2008/09/26/ ... et-barker/) by 1994 "a few LDS scholars started quoting passages from [Barker's] fourth book, The Great Angel: A Study of Israel's Second God, which was published in 1992.
13 October Elder Henry B. Eyring is the featured speaker of the annual FARMS banquet.
1995
June: Insights announces appointment of Gerald Bradford as FARMS Director of Research. See https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org ... e_1995.pdf (p. 6).
14 September Elder L. Tom Perry speaks at the annual FARMS banquet, where it is announced that a new FARMS building will be constructed adjacent to the south end of BYU campus. See https://www.thechurchnews.com/archives/ ... pel-135815
1996
Louis C. Midgley retires from BYU.
1997
February SHIELDS (shields-research.org) is established.
25 April Carl Mosser and Paul Owen praise the scholarship of FARMS at the Far West Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society.
FARMS is invited onto BYU campus.
19 December The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research, Inc., or FAIR, is incorporated as a non-profit organization in the state of New York.
1998
January Elder Merrill J. Bateman, president of BYU, announces that FARMS has accepted the invitation to become part of the university.
FAIR put up its first website.
1999
According to Kevin Christensen ("Kevin Christensen on Margaret Barker: Part I; See https://bycommonconsent.com/2008/09/26/ ... et-barker/), in 1999, "a member contacted [Margaret Barker] and introduced her to the world of LDS scholarship.
24 January TV program, LDS Perspectives on the Dead Sea Scrolls, airs on KBYU-TV. The program features FARMS scholars.
6 February FARMS symposium featuring John W. Welch, who delivers his paper, "The Sermon on the Mount as a Temple Text."
17 March John Gee, assistant research professor at FARMS, presents paper, "Ancient Owners of the Joseph Smith Papyri."
24 March Michael Lyon, independent illustrator and researcher, presents paper, "Appreciating Hypocephali." (note: Lyon was actually the artist who produced many of the drawings included in FARMS' Nibley series; he wanted a regular job at FARMS, but he was repeatedly turned down. The description of him as an "independent artist" is pointed and deliberate.)
31 March Hugh Nibley, emeritus professor of Ancient Scripture at BYU, will discuss his forthcoming book One Eternal Round.
17-19 June FAIR conference in Lomond, California. Four FARMS scholars speak: Daniel C. Peterson, John A. Tvedtnes, John Gee, Matthew Roper.
5 November FARMS Annual Banquet celebrating 20th anniversary. Featured speaker: Truman G. Madsen.
4 December FARMS conference at BYU, "Temples through the Ages."
2000
John Gee's A Guide to the Joseph Smith Papyri is published.
Robert K. Ritner, Gee’s former teacher, repudiates Gee’s apologetic scholarship.
April Kristian Heal (Oxford) joins ISPART.
September Zion Lighthouse Message Board (ZLMB) established.
2001
BYU grafts FARMS onto the Center for the Preservation of Ancient Texts (CPART) and the Middle Eastern Texts Initiative (METI) to form the Institute for the Study and Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts (ISPART).
Merrill J. Bateman, president of BYU, appoints Dr. Gary R. Hooper, a plant pathologist, as a member of the FARMS Board of Trustees. "As a board member he will bring experience in seeking external funding support for FARMS projects. He will also continue in his role as liaison to the academic vice president's office. See vol. 21, no. 1 (January 2001), p. 4 of Insights.
"'Paradigms Regained': A Survey of Margaret Barker's Scholarship and its Significance for Mormon Studies," edited by Kevin Christensen and William J. Hamblin is published by FARMS.
10 January John L. Sorenson brown bag lecture on Book of Mormon research.
27 January Yahoo Group Loyal Liberal Mormons is founded. https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Loy ... rmons/information
24 February FARMS-sponsored conference on Hebrew Law in the Book of Mormon held at BYU.
20 April John F. Hall, BYU Professor of Classics, chairs a special panel at the BYU meeting of the Classical Association of the Middle West and South. The panel is entitled, "Early Christianity in the Roman Empire," and features papers by S. Kent Brown (BYU), John Gee (Maxwell Institute), John F. Hall (BYU), Noel B. Reynolds (BYU), and John W. Welch (BYU law).
May Don L. Brugger is appointed Associate Director of Publications. he will assist the Director, V. P. Coutts.
17-18 August FAIR conference: John Gee, Daniel Peterson, Matthew Roper, and John Tvedtnes speak.
29 August Daniel Peterson claims that Elder F. Michael Watson, then secretary to the Office of the First Presidency, "said that he had simply dashed the [1990 First Watson] letter off without really giving the issue much thought, simply because he had never really considered the matter and didn't think there was much dispute about it." See https://www.mormondialogue.org/topic/46 ... 1208774849. This claim will be contradicted by Elder Watson himself in a January 2022 statement. See below.
20 October FARMS symposium, "The Original Text of the Book of Mormon: Findings of the Critical Text Project." Royal Skousen is among the participants.
Louis C. Midgley's piece, "No Middle Ground: The Debate over the Authenticity of the Book of Mormon," is published, wherein he writes: "There is nothing in the Book of Mormon . . . that suggests that it should be read as anything other than historical fact." See https://rsc.BYU.edu/historicity-latter- ... ook-Mormon
12 December Louis Midgley and Matthew Roper review their progress on Recovery of the Book of Mormon: A FARMS Sourcebook of Historical Documents, which is intended to replace Francis W. Kirkham's A New Witness for Christ in America.
2002
26 January FARMS symposium at BYU titled, "Traditions of the Early Life of Abraham," featuring John Tvedtnes, Brian Hauglid, and John Gee.
Oxford University Press publishes Terryl Givens' By the Hand of Mormon, which praises FARMS' "high standard of scholarly sophistication and a healthy dose of cautiousness" (p. 125). Givens comments, "Whether evangelicals will find the will or the means to engage in scholarly refutation of Nibley, Sorenson, and the scholar of FARMS remains to be seen" (p. 144).
20 October John L. Clark, emeritus instructor in the Church Educational System, delivers brown bag lecture entitled, "Painting Out the Messiah: Theologies of Dissidents," at BYU.
13 November John F. Hall, BYU professor of classics and ancient history, speaks about his new book, New Testament Witnesses of Christ: Peter, John, James, and Paul, at a FARMS brown bag.
2003
FARMS Review of Books is renamed FARMS Review
Noel B. Reynolds has been appointed director of the Institute for the Study and Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts.
Thomas B. Griffith delivers brown bag lecture on "at-one-ment."
29 January Dr. Michael F. Whiting, professor of biology, presents paper entitled, "Does DNA Evidence Refute the Authenticity of the Book of Mormon? Responding to the Critics," at the Harold B. Lee Library Auditorium.
27-29 March conference in New Haven, Connecticut, hosted by the Divinity School of Yale University, entitled, "God, Humanity, and Revelation: Perspectives from Mormon Philosophy and History."
5-9 May Margaret Barker visits BYU.
7-8 August FAIR Conference, during which D. Jeffrey Meldrum (Anatomy, ISU) delivers paper entitled, "The Children of Lehi: DNA and the Book of Mormon."
29 October John E. Clark, BYU anthropology, reports on the progress of the New World Archaeology Foundation in an Institute-sponsored brown bag lecture.
2004
25th Anniversary of FARMS
Margaret Barker's 2004 book An Extraordinary Gathering of Angels closes with an interview with John W. Welch on the LDS view of angels.
In the Introduction of vol. 15, no. 2 of FARMS Review, Daniel C. Peterson pits the DNA arguments of Thomas Murphy against those of BYU's Michael Whiting. Four reviews are devoted to critiquing Grant Palmer's An Insider's View of Mormon Origins.
Simon G. Southerton's Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church is published by Signature Books.
March Thomas Murphy delivers presentation on Native Americans and the Book of Mormon at Utah Valley University. This inspires the famous "More on Disingenuous Murphy" thread--a.k.a. "The Transcript Thread"--at ZLMB which led to its destruction.
19 March Noel B. Reynolds, executive director of the Institute, gave a 2-hour presentation of the work of FARMS and the Institute for BYU president Cecil O. Samuelson and 200 members of the President's Leadership Council. Daniel C. Peterson and Kristian Heal participated.
19 March John W. Welch delivers a dinner speech delivered to the FARMS Development Council. Here is a poignant excerpt: "As it has always been, the purpose of FARMS in its next 25 years is not to take the place of spiritual testimony, but to create a helpful, confirmatory atmosphere in which the spirit of truth may breathe. Where will the Lord take this work in the next 25 years?" . . . "If the next 25 yers are anything close to the first, it promises to be an extremely interesting, valuable, and gratifying time."
26-27 March Rocky Mountain-Great Plains regional meeting of the AAR/SBL is held in Provo, UT, with several sessions on BYU campus.
May John-Charles Duffy's article, "Defending the Kingdom, Rethinking the Faith: How Apologetics is Reshaping Mormon Orthodoxy," is published in Sunstone.
2005
24 February Hugh W. Nibley passes away.
6-7 May The Worlds of Joseph Smith Conference is held at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. See https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.or ... conference Margaret Barker attends and speaks on the Book of Mormon. See https://bycommonconsent.com/2008/09/26/ ... et-barker/
June: Andrew Skinner appointed as executive director and Gerald Bradford as associate executive director of ISPART. See Insights, vol. 25, No. 5 (2005), https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org ... s_25-5.pdf (pp. 1, 7).
24 July Don Bradley resigns from the LDS Church.
5-6 August FairMormon Conference in which Daniel C. Peterson delivers "Reflections on Secular Anti-Mormonism." A whole section of the talk is devoted to RfM. See https://www.fairmormon.org/conference/a ... -Mormonism
Richard Bushman's Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling is published by Alfred A. Knopf.
2006
ISPART renamed the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship.
6 April The Wall Street Journal reports that ASU denied D. Michael Quinn an academic position possibly out of fear of alienating Mormons and offending wealthy land developer Ira A. Fulton, who reportedly called Quinn "a nothing person." See https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB114428981892818486
23 October MormonDiscussions.com is founded by Dr. Shades.
28 October Kevin Graham posts for the first time on MDB. See http://www.mormondiscussions.com/viewto ... p=379#p379
4 November Tal Bachman posts at MDB for the first time. See http://www.mormondiscussions.com/viewto ... p=953#p953
2007
PBS airs "The Mormons"
M. Gerald Bradford's article, "The Study of Mormonism: A Growing Interest in Academia," is published in volume 19.1 of Review of Books on the Book of Mormon. Peterson will quote this article in his 2012 Fair conference presentation.
Kevin Graham crosses over to the critics' side.
Daniel Peterson named a Utah Academy Fellow and a lifetime member of the Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters.
January BYU Studies is to join the Maxwell Institute. John W. Welch is the editor in chief. Ultimately the journal does not join the Maxwell Institute. See https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/stu ... s?lang=eng
5 January John Dehlin posts on MDB as "mormonstories" for the first time: http://www.mormondiscussions.com/viewto ... 273#p12273
15 January Benjamin McGuire posts for the first time on MDB. See http://www.mormondiscussions.com/viewto ... 975#p13975
5 February Dan Vogel posts on MDB for the first time. See http://www.mormondiscussions.com/viewto ... 655#p16655
7 February Uncle Dale, Dale R. Broadhurst, posts for the first time on MDB. See http://www.mormondiscussions.com/viewto ... 012#p17012
16 February Brent Metcalfe posts for the first time on MDB. See http://www.mormondiscussions.com/viewto ... 446#p19446
7 April Mike Reed posts on MDB for the first time. See http://www.mormondiscussions.com/viewto ... 872#p31872
29 May Don Bradley posts for the first time on MDB under his own name. See http://www.mormondiscussions.com/viewto ... 140#p42140. Odd fact: he posts exactly 12 hours to the minute after his first post.
June John Gee issues his Egyptology challenge in response to Chris Smith’s criticism of his arguments about the Joseph Smith Papyri.
5 July Daniel Peterson first posts on MDB.
7 July John Larsen first posts on MDB. See http://www.mormondiscussions.com/viewto ... 886#p51886
11 July Mister Scratch (now Doctor) starts thread explaining ZLMB's "The Transcript Thread," which led to ZLMB's destruction. http://mormondiscussions.com/viewtopic. ... 352#p52352
11 July Daniel Peterson acknowledges having posted as "Freethinker" on ZLMB. See http://mormondiscussions.com/viewtopic. ... 400#p52400
31 August Blair Hodges posts on MDB for the first time.
9 November Blogger TT publishes on Faith-Promoting Rumor criticism of LDS scholars' use of Margaret Barker's "Temple Theology" to support unique LDS claims. See https://faithpromotingrumor.wordpress.c ... xperience/
17-20 November SBL Meeting in Boston; Margaret Barker speaks on Melchizedek traditions in an LDS focus session. See https://bycommonconsent.com/2008/09/26/ ... et-barker/
Rodney Meldrum releases his DVD DNA Evidence for Book of Mormon Geography: New scientific support for the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon; Correlation and Verification through DNA, Prophetic, Scriptural, Historical, Climatological, Archaeological, Social, and Cultural Evidence. This video seminar is based on an earlier fireside presentation.
2008
Massacre at Mountain Meadows by Walker, Turley, and Leonard is published.
29 January Bryce Haymond starts posting on a new apologetic blog, Temple Study: Sustaining and Defending the LDS Temple. See https://www.templestudy.com/2008/01/
May Ron V. Huggins, associate professor Theological and Historical Studies at the Salt Lake Theological Seminary, publishes, "Hugh Nibley's Footnotes," in vol. 110 of the Salt Lake City Messenger.
June: Gerald Bradford appointed as executive director of the Maxwell Institute. See Insights, vol. 28, No. 2 (2008), https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org ... s_28-2.pdf (p. 5).
24 August Scott Lloyd posts at MDB for the first time. See http://www.mormondiscussions.com/viewto ... 26#p184226
2009
2 September FAIR's David Keller solicits Kishkumen's Sunstone speaker notes. Kishkumen sends them to him.
7 September David Keller tells Kishkumen he will let other reviewers at FAIR look at Kishkumen's speaker notes. He passes the notes on to Kevin Barney and William Schryver.
15 September David Keller emails Barney's and Schryver's reviews to Kishkumen. Barney recommends publication after revisions. Schryver rejects the notes, claiming to rely on insider knowledge concerning Brian Hauglid's work on the Book of Abraham.
29 September KSL.com reports that prosecutors intend to call Daniel C. Peterson as an expert witness in the hearing to determine Brian David Mitchell's competency to stand trial. See https://www.ksl.com/article/8111025
30 November-11 December competency hearing for Brian David Mitchell. Daniel C. Peterson appears as expert witness. KSL.com story on the setting of the date for the hearing: https://www.ksl.com/article/7748131/com ... smart-case
02 December Greg Smith reports the discovery of the Ogden fax among the files of John L. Sorenson. See http://www.mormondiscussions.com/viewto ... 81#p279281 For a scan of the Ogden fax, see https://www.fairmormon.org/answers/Book ... etter_scan
23 December Daniel C. Peterson receives an email from William Hamblin in which the latter claims that the Second Watson Letter was received by him before 1985 when he was in graduate school. On the following day, Brent Metcalfe asks Peterson why this letter was not included in Hamblin's Spring 1993 article on Book of Mormon geography, wherein Hamblin quotes the Carla Ogden fax. See https://www.mormondialogue.org/topic/46 ... 1208776115
December Mormon Scholars Testify publishes its first testimonies.
Bruce H. Porter and Rodney Meldrum publish their book Prophecies & Promises: the Book of Mormon and the United States of America, which lays out the Heartland model of Book of Mormon geography.
2010
5 May Brant Gardner posts on MDB for the first time. See http://www.mormondiscussions.com/viewto ... 97#p316597
27 May Deseret News publishes article on the growing fight between Heartlanders and LGTers over Book of Mormon geography. See https://www.deseret.com/2010/5/27/20117 ... -geography
11 July Don Bradley is rebaptized into the LDS Church.
5/6 August Will Schryver presents on "The Meaning of the Kirtland Egyptian Papers" at the annual FAIR conference.
Daniel Peterson renames the FARMS Review the Mormon Studies Review.
28 November An emergency fireside is held in Stockholm, Sweden by Elder Marlin K. Jensen and Elder Richard Turley, known as the "Swedish Rescue." Ca. 25 Swedes attend. For the audio and transcript, see https://mormonstories.org/podcast/swedish-rescue-audio/
2011
18 March Anonymous Source alleges that MDB poster 'Simon Belmont' is on the Skinny list, is a close associate of DCP, and has worked with the SCMC.
12 April Simon Southerton first posts on MDB. See http://www.mormondiscussions.com/viewto ... 78#p441178
1 May MsJack posts the game-changing thread documenting Will Schryver’s shameless misogyny, thereby scuttling his hopes of publishing through Maxwell Institute. See http://mormondiscussions.com/viewtopic ... 69#p449269
August Mormon Defense League is founded. https://www.deseret.com/platform/amp/20 ... e-launched
LDS apologists swamp comments section on TIME Lightbox photo essay.
6 September Daniel Peterson posts for the last time on MDB.
23 September Joe Geisner posts for the first time on MDB. See http://www.mormondiscussions.com/viewto ... 05#p502005
5 October Steve Benson posts for the first time at MDB. See http://www.mormondiscussions.com/viewto ... 37#p505537
5 October Matthew B. Brown, author, historian, and apologist, passes away after suffering heart failure on 23 September and lapsing into a coma. See http://www.templestudy.com/2011/10/05/m ... wn-passed/
19 November Mormon Defense League renamed Mormon Voices.
16 December William J. Hamblin submits first post at his new Patheos blog, Enigmatic Mirror. See https://www.patheos.com/blogs/enigmatic ... scripture/
2012
Blair Hodges, Religious Studies, Georgetown University, is a Nibley Fellow.
08 February Sic et Non goes live.
26 March Morgan Davis emails Daniel C. Peterson and Louis C. Midgley to express his disapproval of Greg Smith's hit-piece on John Dehlin. See http://mormondiscussions.com/viewtopic. ... 7#p1210987
30 March Morgan Davis emails John Dehlin, forwarding his email to Peterson and Midgley. He informs Dehlin that he also shared the email with Jim Faulconer, who then wrote a letter to M. Gerald Bradford, "urging that something be done." See http://mormondiscussions.com/viewtopic. ... 7#p1210987
14 June Daniel Peterson is removed from the editorship of the FARMS Review.
14 June Daniel Peterson resigns as Director of Advancement at the Maxwell Institute.
2/3 August Daniel Peterson delivers paper, "Of 'Mormon Studies' and Apologetics," at FAIR conference.
24 August Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship is founded by the Interpreter Foundation.
28 October John Gee begins to blog at Forn Sp?ll Fira. See http://fornspollfira.blogspot.com/2012/ ... -fira.html
7 December Robert F. Smith posts for the first time on MDB. See http://www.mormondiscussions.com/viewto ... 96#p664196
2013
23 February Greg Smith's hit piece on John Dehlin is published on Interpreter. A companion piece about the suppression of its publication in the Mormon Studies Review is also posted. See https://interpreterfoundation.org/news- ... n-stories/
March J. Spencer Fluhman is named the new editor of the Mormon Studies Review.
BYU Department of History refuses to count Hamblin's Mopologetic writings as scholarship.
7 March Rollo Tomasi's epic review of Greg Smith's Dehlin hit piece drops at MDB. See http://www.mormondiscussions.com/viewto ... 82#p689282
2 August Daniel Peterson announces The World Table at FAIR conference. See https://www.fairmormon.org/conference/a ... pologetics
2 August The World Table is advertised on MDD. See https://www.mormondialogue.org/topic/61 ... rld-table/
September Daniel Peterson resigns as editor-in-chief of METI.
October Chris Johnson and Duane Johnson conduct data analysis comparing The Late War by Gilbert J. Hunt and the Book of Mormon, finding significant echoes of the former in the text of the latter. See http://wordtree.org/thelatewar/
26 October Tom Phillips posts on MDB for the first time. See http://www.mormondiscussions.com/viewto ... 86#p765586
November The LDS Church posts an online apologetic essay entitled, "First Vision Accounts," at LDS.org.
8 December The LDS Church posts an online apologetic essay entitled, "Race and the Priesthood," at LDS.org.
17 December The LDS Church posts an online apologetic essay entitled, "Plural Marriage and Families," at LDS.org.
28 December Stephen Smoot begins blogging at Ploni Almoni.
30 December The LDS Church posts an online apologetic essay entitled, "Book of Mormon Translation," at LDS.org.
FAIR changes its name to FairMormon.
2014
January Interpreter establishes the Ruth M. Stephens Award for articles submitted by women. (Stephens is DCP's mother-in-law.)
The LDS Church posts an online apologetic essay entitled, "Becoming Like God," on LDS.org.
January The LDS Church posts an online apologetic essay entitled, "Are Mormons Christian?" at LDS.org.
11 January Chris Johnson and Duane Johnson place their research on Hunt's The Late War online. See http://wordtree.org/thelatewar/
31 January The LDS Church posts an online apologetic essay entitled, "Book of Mormon and DNA Studies," at LDS.org.
12 May The LDS Church posts an online apologetic essay entitled, "Peace and Violence among 19th-century Latter-day Saints," at LDS.org.
8 July The LDS Church posts an online apologetic essay entitled, "Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham," at LDS.org.
1 August Ed Goble posts for the first time on MDB. See http://www.mormondiscussions.com/viewto ... 59#p836359
7-8 August Heated exchange between Blair Hodges of the Maxwell Institute and Daniel Peterson, in which Blair Hodges allegedly calls Peterson a coward and Peterson allegedly tells Hodges to "go to hell."
22 October The LDS Church posts an online apologetic essay entitled, "Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo," at LDS.org.
22 October The LDS Church posts an online apologetic essay entitled, "The Manifesto and the End of Plural Marriage," at LDS.org.
2015
10 February John Dehlin announces that he has been excommunicated from the LDS Church.
William J. Hamblin retires from BYU.
5 May Salt Lake Tribune reports that Brian Dawson was removed from his Sunday School teaching calling for using the LDS Church's online apologetic essay, "Race and the Priesthood," to answer a question about the same topic.
17 May Historian Philip Jenkins (Baylor) posts his first blog entry on the topic of Mormonism and pseudo-history entitled, "Mormons and New World History," as the first installment of a series that fatally undermines any illusion of Book of Mormon historicity. Jenkins mentions FARMS' "literal-minded" scholarship in particular. The one post receives 409 comments. See https://www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiousbe ... d-history/
10 June William J. Hamblin teases responding to Phil Jenkins' criticism of the Book of Mormon as pseudo-history.
13 June Elder Oaks speaks on the topic of false prophets at a fireside in Boise, ID, an even subsequently dubbed “The Boise Rescue.” The event seems to have been a response to the Denver Snuffer phenomenon.
1 August Phil Jenkins calls an end to the debate upon realizing that Hamblin has abandoned the field (Hamblin's final response at blog Enigmatic Mirror is dated 23 July: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/enigmatic ... therefore/).
8 September William J. Hamblin posts his last entry at his blog Enigmatic Mirror. See https://www.patheos.com/blogs/enigmatic ... -all-that/
23 October The LDS Church posts an online apologetic essay entitled, "Mother in Heaven," at LDS.org.
23 October The LDS Church posts an online apologetic essay entitled, "Joseph Smith's Teachings about Priesthood, Temple, and Women," at LDS.org.
2016
6 January Daniel Peterson announces the launching of Book of Mormon Central (bookofmormoncentral.com) at Deseret News' online edition. See https://www.deseret.com/2016/1/6/205799 ... -of-Mormon
3 November John Gee writes about his upcoming book An Introduction to the Book of Abraham on his blog. See http://fornspollfira.blogspot.com/2016/ ... -book.html Gee will later claim (5 May 2020) that there was a concerted effort to suppress the publication of this book.
2017
John Gee's An Introduction to the Book of Abraham is published.
26 October Bryce Haymond posts on Mormonism and Evolution at his blog Thy Mind, O Human. See https://www.thymindoman.com/if-evolutio ... -is-false/. This post reflects things he learned that led him and his wife to "step away from the church." See https://www.thymindoman.com/about/
27 November Lavina Fielding Anderson, former editor at Greg Kofford Books, alleges that Louis C. Midgley's review of Marjorie Newton's books seems to have been "a manifestation of his own agenda, which has, for years, been an attempt to defend Mormon truth claims . . . . He seems to be attacking Marjorie for not having written the books that he wants . . . . " See http://mormondiscussions.com/viewtopic. ... 1#p1218411
1 December Shulem/Paul Osborne discovers that the nose of Anubis is missing nose on one of the Book of Abraham facsimiles. Fellow MDB members helped with details of that discovery.
2018
14 January First broadcast of Interpreter Radio with host Martin Tanner. Steve Densely and Allen Wyatt are the guests. The original live broadcast was heard from 7 to 8 pm MST on K-TALK, AM 1640. See https://interpreterfoundation.org/inter ... y-14-2018/
30 January Robert Crockett claims he knows of two gay GAs. See https://www.mormondialogue.org/topic/7 ... 1209791529
March MormonVoices becomes a fundraising coordinator for Book of Mormon Central, FAIRMormon, and Interpreter Foundation.
3 June John A. Tvedtnes passes away.
2019
The Mopologists' appropriation of LGT from RLDS author Louise E. Hills is revealed.
Remembrance and Return — Papers in Honor of Louis C. Midgley, edited by Ted Vaggalis and Daniel C. Peterson, is published by Eborn Books. Some readers noted the volume suffered on account of poor copyediting.
6 February Apologist and Conan O’Brien guest Stephen Smoot publishes his inaugural post at Neville-Neville Land, where he indulges his obsession with Jonathan Neville and writes against the Heartland Theory of Book of Mormon geography. See https://www.nevillenevilleland.com/2019 ... o.html?m=1
5 March Mormon scholar and defender Yahoo Bot argues that the provenance of both the Watson letter and Ogden fax are “dubious.” See http://mormondiscussions.com/viewtopic ... 4#p1171014
May John Gee leaves the Maxwell Institute and joins the Department of Asian and Near Eastern Languages.
Cruise Lady's sponsorship of Interpreter Radio comes to light.
3 May Bruce and Brian Dale, Joseph Smith: World's Greatest Guesser (A Bayesian Statistical Analysis of Positive and Negative Correspondences between the Book of Mormon and The Maya).
4 August Daniel Peterson posts a link to an image of an unflattering tweet of a PhD student in history at the University of Utah who was also a 2018 Summer Fellow of the Maxwell Institute.https://www.patheos.com/blogs/danpeters ... qus_thread
5 August Doctor Scratch discovers the "John Dehlin Rumors" Twitter account.
23 August SHIELDS site last updated.
6 September David Clark Goble passed away. Requiescat in pace. See https://usobit.com/obituaries-2019/09/d ... er-6-2019/
10 December William J. Hamblin passes away.
2020
4 January Doctor Scratch unpacks Morgan Davis' letter to Daniel C. Peterson and Louis C. Midgley wherein he expresses his disapproval for Greg Smith's hit piece on John Dehlin. The original email is dated 26 March, 2012 and it was published on MDB by Rosebud. A further email of 30 March from Davis to Dehlin is also included in the publication. See http://mormondiscussions.com/viewtopic. ... 7#p1210987
29 January Daniel C. Peterson reports on his blog Sic et Non that the activity of Mormon Voices "has effectively been suspended" after "an initial flurry of activity." See https://www.patheos.com/blogs/danpeters ... rabia.html
9 April Virtual Expo of FIRM Foundation begins, featuring presentations by Dr. Craig J. Ostler (BYU), Chris Cannon (former US rep), Burgess Owens (Super Bowl winner), Avraham Gileadi, Amber Nelson (BYU athletics), David Hocking (Meldrum's co-author on Annotated Edition of the Book of Mormon), James Prout (author of The Last Days Timeline), et alii. See https://firmfoundationexpo.org.
22 April M. Gerald Bradford, the architect of the Maxwell "coup," passes away.
1 May Radio Free Mormon reveals the principles of prestidigitation that Joseph Smith may have used during his translation of the Book of Mormon.
5 May John Gee announces his book Saving Faith: How Families Protect, Sustain, and Encourage Faith, and at the same time alleges that three and one-half years ago there was an effort to try to have his book An Introduction to the Book of Abraham suppressed. See http://fornspollfira.blogspot.com/2020/ ... h.html?m=1
16 July John Gee's Four Idolatrous Gods in the Book of Abraham is published by Interpreter.
August BYU Religious Studies Center pulls John Gee’s Saving Faith: How Families Protect, Sustain, and Encourage Faith because of its statements about homosexuality and child sexual abuse. See https://religionnews.com/2020/09/08/con ... -john-gee/.
2021
23-24 April Interpreter Conference, "Tracing Ancient Threads in the Book of Moses."
4 June Witnesses, a historical drama-apologetic film about the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, debuts at the box office. With a budget of over 1 million dollars, raised by the Interpreter Foundation, the film was slickly produced but performed poorly, bringing in only 853K.
30 June Kyler Rasmussen's math porn project, Estimating the Evidence, appears as a special weekly Interpreter blog series.
1 July Daniel C. Peterson, Professor of Islamic Studies, founder of METI, and longtime editor of the FARMS Review, retires from Brigham Young University.
25 July Prof. Robert K. Ritner, Egyptologist, passes away. Prof. Ritner was a fierce and formidable critic of Prof. John Gee’s apologetics defending the Book of Abraham. A prolific and highly esteemed scholar, he published on the Joseph Smith Papyri, confirming that the papyri are common Egyptian funerary texts, not an autobiographical record of the Hebrew patriarch Abraham.
2022
The World Table, a forum designed with the aim of producing quality discussion of contentious issues such as Mormon truth claims, closes. Participants in the World Table were graded by their peers for the quality of their contributions. Some have noted that Mopologists fared very poorly in their own forum. Announced in August of 2013, the World Table, which was supposed to be "a platform for a new apologetics" (DCP, 2 August, 2013) lasted less than a decade.
20 January Elder F. Michael Watson, formerly Secretary to the Office of the First Presidency, releases a statement refuting the existence of a Second Watson Letter and revealing that a staff person at FARMS, Brent Hall, attempted to pressure the FP to revoke or revise the October 1990 letter from the First Presidency affirming the location of the Hill Cumorah in its traditional location in New York state. See https://www.mobom.org/1990-letter-on-cumorah
4 March Undaunted: Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, the documentary made to accompany the historical drama-apologetic film Witnesses, is released on DVD. Friend of the board, historian Don Bradley, appears in the film.
19 March Robert D. Crockett, longtime contributor at MDB and beloved frenemy of the board, passed away. He posted as Yahoo Bot and earlier as rcrockett. In addition to his professional work as an attorney, he was an LDS apologist, scholar of Mormon history, and a donor to the Maxwell Institute.
24 August Interpreter Foundation marks its tenth anniversary. See https://youtu.be/fhYXimcu-tM
4-5 November The Temple on Mount Zion Conference, with keynote speakers Margaret Barker, C. Wilfred Griggs, and Samuel Zinner.

[MsJack]

1985 -- FARMS publishes "Why Might a Person in 1830 Connect an Angel with a Salamander?," in defense of Mark Hofmann's Salamander Letter, then believed to be authentic.

[Gadianton]

This is a masterful work, Reverend.

[Dr Exiled]

It's good that someone of our Reverend's caliber is doing this work. He is more than qualified. It's needed for posterity, at least to explain what we dealt with during our sojourn here.

[Philo Sofee]

It is entirely missing FAIR on the Internet however... Yes, of course, being one of the founders, I would notice that. Also the conferences, books, etc. and who has since fallen out with them and have changed sides... I shall get with you about those details...

[drumdude]

May 2023: Mike Parker's website Neville Neville-Land goes defunct.

[Dr. Shades]

Masterful work, Kishkumen!

[Kishkumen]

1985 -- FARMS publishes "Why Might a Person in 1830 Connect an Angel with a Salamander?," in defense of Mark Hofmann's Salamander Letter, then believed to be authentic.

Thank you, MsJack! I will hunt down more details about the publication date. I have added the publication of the contents of the Salamander Letter in Church News.

[Kishkumen]

This is a masterful work, Reverend.

High praise from the Dean! Thank you.

[Kishkumen]

It's good that someone of our Reverend's caliber is doing this work. He is more than qualified. It's needed for posterity, at least to explain what we dealt with during our sojourn here.

Thank you, Dr Exiled.