Menu. Afraid that Brent would go public with the contradictory information, the LDS church terminated him as a member. Please, God, let this podcast inspire someone to produce a talk show called, Hot-tubbing with Mark Hoffman! Has been quite a while since you had a podcast that wasnt left of center. Im not sure why I would have been hesitant to answer the question during the interview since Ive addressed it numerous timesIll have to go back and listen. Brent did a marvelous job of creating a context by which these events took place. In Part 2, Brent describes working for and with Steve Christensen and Mark Hofmann, the Salamander Letter episode, and the bombings that took the lives of Steve and Kathy Sheets. Some suggest that energy-conservation constraints favored our thoughts sliding along low-resistance neural ruts that include simple feel-good narratives. Ultimately, Id say (and I dont know that youd fundamentally disagree here) that its impossible to separate traditions like Catholicism or Mormonism from their fundamental and unique truth claims. Is having spiritual experiences while doing what some may view as critical research on the Book, when you know there may be opposing views to your work, grounds for also having these feelings? None of this means that believing scholars and secular scholars have to treat each other poorly or that we cannot respect (even in the midst of serious disagreement) each others work. And how many. He could have never imagined the true extent of Marks crimes, though. I am quite sure, that film is no longer shown. The Gift of the Mormon Faith Crisis Podcast. Copyright 2005 - 2023 | Mormon Stories. You are hesitant to answer no evil speaking on what you cant say right ;). From your perspective, what are the 3-5 best pieces of evidence for the historicity of the bom? Hope all is good with you. This doesn't mean that Metcalfe has accurately translated that theory into his study of things Mormon. I especially connected with his comments on ADD. Brent, are you still working on a Book of Abraham book? So sorry Maxine! Examples would be projects at the Serpent Mounds in Ohio, linguists studying things like Native Americans singing in a language that seemed close to Hebrew,archaeological digs in latin America that were obviously BOM related, etc. It would have helped me a lot to know I was not alone. I hope to move on some day as well. Well also talk in depth with Brent about how he has been able to construct a healthy and happy life outside of Mormonism. It would yield some satisfaction to me, if my misery can be a cause of happiness to others; but when I came to the place of prayer, had kneeled down, and closed my eyes, with my hands uplifted toward the heavens, I saw Jesus Christ at the right hand of God looking down upon me, and God the Father looking upon him. It seems like in the aftermath of the bombings, combined with his zeal to argue the history of Mormonism, Brent Metcalfe was excommunicated from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Oh, that would be great! What is not to love about Johns revelation of your worthy biceps? Why do you think it is that the church is so fearful of discoveries such as the letters by Mark H ? Im not excited anymore. I heard he had left the church soon after returning home. ), systematically undermining Church teachings on the law of chastity and the . I am waiting patiently for part 3. Brent did Jerald make an official overture to church leadership regarding Hofmann being a fraud? She was in the middle of her frustrations with the MTC (and some of you know the story). Dont know who the nuts are that Church Security referred to, but Jerald Tanner probably expressed the most legitimate concerns. This is the part Im most interested in: how would he suggest young aspiring researchers go about gathering and parsing primary and secondary sources?. 100% CAUCASIAN Our ethnicity data indicates the majority is Caucasian. And you are an example. Brent Metcalf's last collegiate wrestling match was a highly anticipated one. After that day I moved to the back of the class and felt like the only straight A student retard at BYU. Lex, the recommendation by Andrew is a good resource. [9][10] His father was the managing director of the Temple Department for the LDS Church. The time has come to really dig in and discover our true human beginnings without religious bias. Thank you as well for your research, especially your work on New Approaches to the Book of Mormon. Given that, do you think that Joseph Smith deliberately plotted, prepared, researched, drafted, re-drafted the book over several years, or did it flow spontaneously from his subconscious mind in ways even he didnt understand? Why didnt the Lord reveal to the prophet that the documents were forged? That said, I have to wonder what planet hes living on when he says that Catholicism has been reinvigorated in the post Vatican II era. You guys at MS are doing great. For more information, please see our Thats something each person must decide for themselves, but Ive made peace with my own interpretation.. Im pretty sure I was standing next to Maxine. Its great to find all this background information. Hoffman was Laffertys cell mate. Steve Christiansen was my bishop in that centerville ward and I grew up with his children. Im not sure who made this comment, (I think that it was on another thread),But it went something like thisBased upon the bretherns actions regarding the Salamander letter, The LDS leadership thought that Mark Hofmann was telling the truth and that Joseph Smith was the fraud. Unfortunately, much of the middle portion of the interview was lost due to technical issues that were only discovered after we completed the interview. I appreciate the details of Brents experience. Or if you have any thoughts on this John? But Ashment, a fellow member of the church, said he was disgusted with those who publicly protested the church action at a rally for Murphy on Salt Lake City's Main Street plaza Sunday night. This was an important, affecting interview. After returning from Iraq after the 2nd deployment as a citizen soldier, I had the same epiphany as Brent; I learned that we are really on our own, there is no God. And I went through a very long phase of just wishing that I had never been born. Not because it marked the end of the University of Iowa's senior's prestigious and highly . The interview was superb and the insight into this extraordinary life was gifted. Do you attend church anyplace else? This book was way above my reading level at the time and I wonder if that may be the biggest hurdle in reaching standard Mormons about the book and its challenges. She related all this to me and my companion. @BHMetcalf. So glad Brent. John Are you done interviewing faithful members or promoting faithful stories? Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Jerald articulated his concerns in one of his ministrys publications. I happen to believe so. My faith failed me and that led to crisis. John, please interview Mark Hoffman someday if you can! Did you ever suspect there was something not quite right with Mark Hoffman? Categories . going back ten+ years when we first interacted online (message boards), but this interview gave me many more insights. Download . What was the arrangement and the special business relationship Steven had with the Church in this regard? It is better thought of by non-Catholics (generally), but this has not translated into conversions or retention of cradle Catholics. On my mission in England I met a older, wise non LDS woman very knowledgeable on esoteric and metaphysics teachings. The Version table provides details related to the release that this issue/RFE will be addressed. Great interview. Before Mark Hoffman was exposed as a forger, was there anything that made you wonder how he managed to make so many great finds? I think that the Salt Lake LDS church is concerned with becoming the RLDS church, which has changed its narrative to a very noncompelling one, and about 80% of its members have left. Contributions. Brent, Surely, anyone who was even moderately sure of themselves in this case would have responded such as this : We have no idea where this letter came from, theres absolutely no truth in it and we disregard it completely.we maintain Josephs account to be true I have to assume hes simply speaking on the basis of snippets of information here and there without context, because this is clearly untrue. They claim that it occurred here in the USA siting scriptures and other things Joseph smith said. I have heard that Mac Christianson financed the mission of one of Hofmanns sons. We should also mention that he has since been a key speaker at a conference hosted by Ex-Mormon Foundation and has given several interviews where he has detailed his lifes ups and downs. I can hardly wait for the rest! On acquiring a PhD, after a year of university, apart from a lack of finances, I quickly noticed that the degree factory isnt a reflection on ones intelligence. So, considering all that they had been through, when Mark was named a suspect, Brent didnt even think twice before defending his friend on television. After all, he was the one who had introduced him to Steve Christensen, the first of Marks victims. Thanks again Brent for sharing a sketch of your life with us. I would love to hear more about what unfolded after Hoffman, including how you came to be excommunicated, if you care to share that. In Part 1, Brent talks about his early days in the Church and his time working for Church security. 1. Billy Hibbard, for instance, who became a Methodist preacher, recounted: I thought how happy must Jesus Christ have been when he suffered for sinners. [2][3], At first Metcalfe was placed on 30 days probation by the LDS Security department and ordered to "sever yourself from involvement with people, groups, or publications that teach doctrines, privately or publicly, which are contrary to those of the Prophet." Thank you. What do you attribute this decline to? And am I the only one who likes the older music better? At one point John asks you if you think JS was putting together a scam or if you believe that he believed it himself. So, based on Krakauers shared experience, it sounds like the answer is no, Hofmann doesnt do interviews. Visit with the Skabelund family, 9:30-10:30 am,. The October 1985 bombings that killed two individuals and severely injured another was initially assumed to be related to a financial business. Do you know if the church took down the names of all the 7th East Press people? They have shown time and time again that that is all that matters to them. Wouldnt it have been more humorous to wait until *after* the issue was mailed out before bringing the Metcalfe is Butthead acrostic to the attention of FARMS authorities? Also, make sure your second recording matches the first. The insight into the many corners of Mormonism important to us here was delicious. He worked directly for Steven Christensen (son of Mr. Mac), one of Mark Hofmann's victims. This is one of my all-time favorites. Reply. The 7th East Press is one of the great university newspapers; truly the stars aligned when this group got together. Can you offer any insight to this? Joyce Skabelund October 9, 1938 January 10, 2023 Our mother, grandma, and friend, Joyce Roth Skabelund, 84, departed this life on 10 January 2023. Biography [ edit] As a prep wrestler, Metcalf went undefeated with a career record of 228-0, won four consecutive Michigan state titles, and earned six junior national titles.