Forty Years in Mormonism

I received my CDs from last week’s Boise talk. It took a day or two more to get to me in California. I know some already had theirs Saturday. I haven’t listened to it yet. I plan to rip the CD and put it on my iPhone. I’ll listen to it to and from work tomorrow if I can wait that long. I’ve read good reviews already: http://goo.gl/TslGw4

Update: The full transcript is now available here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/168908635/Boise-Transcript-Be-of-Good-Cheer-Be-of-Good-Courage

Excommunicated Forty Years Later

Denver delivered this lecture last Tuesday evening having received word that very morning he had been excommunicated from the church forty years to the day he had been baptized. How ironic. Those who attended reported he said nothing of the disciplinary action, but was upbeat, cheerful, positive and spoke with confidence.

Spoke for Over Two Hours

One observer said he rarely looked at notes, but simply spoke from the heart. I suppose years of preparation from being a lawyer and teaching the gospel helped but that does seem a bit amazing. Even after many years as a High Councilor, I think I could speak for thirty or forty minutes before I would have to sit down.

First in a Series of Lectures

This is only the first part of a series of lectures. From what I have read, he stopped after two hours and twenty minutes, inviting everyone to the next lecture to be held in Idaho Falls on Saturday, September 28th and the next night in Logan on the 29th. If you want to pre-order your CDs go to Doug Mendenhall’s PublishingHope.info.

Denver is Blogging More Frequently

Denver seems to have gone back to posting something on his blog most every day. Today he wrote about “Evil Speaking of the Lord’s Anointed.” I’m not sure who is accusing him of that but the blog post provides links to where he has answered that question previously. You can’t fault Denver for not giving us enough information.

Read Before You Leave Comments

Too many people are forming or have formed their opinions without reading his books or listening to his lectures. You can tell almost immediately when you read the comments in this and other blogs about Denver who hasn’t done any reading. It’s sad really. I would be embarrassed to express an opinion without any facts.

Hundreds of Recent Comments

This will be a short post tonight. I have many private emails to answer and want to get the CDs ripped and loaded up onto my iPhone. But there are a few things I would like to make clear. I have read hundreds of your comments over the past few weeks as I have written almost exclusively about the Denver Snuffer episode.

Strong Feelings About Denver Snuffer

The comments seem to be equally pro and con. I like that. It makes for good dialog. Thank you to all who have left comments and especially to those who had ongoing running conversations over a period of days. I have learned a lot from you. Mostly I learned you feel strongly about the subject. That is a good thing.

Leave Links Back to Your Blog

There are some really smart people who have left great comments here. If you blog regularly somewhere else, take advantage of the open forum where you can leave your web address in the comments. Readers will click on your blog link to get to know you better. I like to know more about my readers, so don’t be anonymous.

Backup Up Your Comments

Second, don’t be afraid to state your position, but please be prepared to back it up with intelligent reasons. I don’t know about you but I dislike reading comments that state, “Denver is an apostate who deserved what he got. Anybody who reads his stuff should not be allowed to have a temple recommend.” Really? Why is that?

Provide Your Sources

And please stop repeating lies, innuendoes, false accusations and other falsehoods. If you have a source for what you are sharing, please let us know what it is so we can look it up for ourselves. Opinions are great, but what caused you to form such an opinion, either pro or con? Give examples from Denver’s books or blog entries.

Please Be Civil and Considerate

For all I know, Denver could possibly open his blog up again for comments. He said he closed comments at the request of his stake president. I can see why. Some of the comments on my Facebook threads where I announce my blog posts have been downright rude, vicious and mean. Most people prefer civil blog comments.

This is an Open Blog

Some of you may be wondering, “Who made you the spot to write about all things relating to Denver Snuffer?” I’m not. Trust me, there are other places you can go to discuss this issue like the LDS Freedom Forum or Google Groups. However, I think I am one of the few that is open to the public. Can you point me to others?

This Blog May Suddenly Disappear

Two final thoughts: 1) If my bishop or stake president asked me to stop writing about or bringing attention to Denver Snuffer, I would do so in a heartbeat. They may feel that what is discussed is too detrimental to those who have already fragile testimonies of the concepts that we discuss here, especially about church authority.

Respect the Privacy of the Man

2) If Denver asked me to stop writing about him or bringing attention to his blog or his lectures, I would do so at a moment’s notice. I in no way want to impose upon his privacy, although that’s pretty hard to do since he has made himself a public figure. I have a lot of respect for what he is doing but I could not follow his path.

My Position – I Love This Church

I have no intention of ever leaving this church. Denver has always advocated we remain true and faithful to the church by attending our meetings, partaking of the sacrament weekly and attending the temple regularly. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: I love this church and love to serve my brothers and sisters in this church.

I Want to Know the Lord Better

I hope you can tell I’m excited about receiving these CDs. I have few passions in life: one is computers – helping other people use them, two is books – collecting and reading them and three is the gospel of Jesus Christ as taught in the LDS Church. I should have reversed that order – my love of the Lord comes first.

Boise Lecture Review is Coming Up

God bless you all. I hope to have my review of the Boise talk posted sometime within the next few days. Review is probably not the right word. A blog post containing my impressions of what Denver said and what I felt as he said would be more appropriate. Thank you for visiting, for reading my blog and for commenting.