I found this quite by accident. Although John Dehlin put this up on Mormon Stories this past July, I think that the talk by Q70s Steven Snow dates back to 2014, because of the reference to the Book of Abraham essay having just been released in July (which it was, in July of 2014).

It's a very candid talk and mentions the concern the afossils had for the growing loss of young people. It mentions that the afossils ordered essays on 12 subjects and that once the underlings have one ready, it is submitted to the afossils and they say yea or nay. (Certainly running it by Jesus in the Temple is part of the process, right?)

It's a short talk and it ends with mention that probably 90% of the church doesn't care. Now why would that be?

http://www.mormonstories.org/elder-steven-e-snow-lds-gospel-topics-essays-not-advertisex/

"And I think the long- probably the greatest long-term benefit will be: These are answers that have been vetted by the, reviewed by the Quorum of the Twelve and the First Presidency and they have signed off on these answers. And now curriculum and seminaries and institute can safely weave these essays into a future curriculum to in a sense “inoculate” is a word I use quite a bit for the rising generation. So, they can learn a little bit about these things without being totally shocked when they hear them for the first time."

That paragraph is rich with admissions, both implicit and explicit. I've read the paragraph several times, and each time something else pops out and prompts me to think, "Does he realize what he's admitting to?"

For example:

"So, they can learn a little bit about these things without being totally shocked when they hear them for the first time."

Yeah, we here already know just how little is actually in the essays, and he's implicitly admitted here that there's much more that is known by the church but has chosen not to reveal. And he's not saying that what would be so totally shocking is untrue, only that members need to get it small doses so it can be more easily spun as insignificant.

Very good observations, suprenant.

He has admitted in a Q & A with the same point you are making now. The church is hiding information, has hid it in the past, and planned to continue to hide it until the internet got in the way. http://mi.byu.edu/truth-in-church-history-excerpts-from-the-religious-educators-qa-with-elder-steven-snow/

"So, they can learn a little bit about these things without being totally shocked when they hear them for the first time."

That last sentence is very telling; he, the church, and its leaders know that it will probably be the first time members hear any of this information.

90% doesn't care. Well 70%is inactive so they don't care. Half the remaining church is youth who dont have enough background to care as a generalisation. There enough social Mormons who aren't doctrinally involved to make up the remaining percentage.

Not hard to account for 90%.

Belongers Not Believers, that's what tscc clearly prefers.

EOD, thanks for posting that link. Scaredhusband, thanks for your link too. This admission is incredible on so many levels--already pointed out but I wanted to add my (typed) voice to the dismay that I have with respect to the church leaders. I was raised in the church and if one item stands out in my growing up years, it is that truth mattered. I went on a mission in the Bible Belt in 1975-76 and during the discussions, taught that truth mattered. That is, if JS had seen God and Jesus and had translated the BofM from the golden plates, then this church is the one and only existing church with God's (priesthood) authority, and the only way to return to our HF.

What a load of BS! What a sucker I was to buy it and then try to sell it without much questioning. Polygamy was ALWAYS a sore topic to me. Now the church leaders admit to lying to its members and are now trying to inoculate them against the truth with their apologetic, hard-to-find Essays. I am amazed to read the many accounts here on RFM that disclose Bishops and/or Stake Presidents are unaware of the Essays.

It still stings to acknowledge I was a part of this until 2010.

My own parents have answered this for me. I recently made them aware of the essays. As the most stalwart TBMs they had no idea the essays existed. They weren't interested in the essays themselves but they liked that the church was explaining the issues, defending the issues.

In their minds, the very fact that the essays were presented was automatically bolstering in favor of their church. Details don't matter.

90% of the Mormon Church don't care about the essays because they have testimonies. Testimony trumps everything. There is nothing on the earth that cannot be trumped by Mormon Testimony.
Period. If we could replicate this inpenetrable wall in the Mormon brain we could stop every malicious virus on the planet from entering the body.

My parents recently read the account of Anointed One's second anointing. They had no idea about any of this before. I thought they would be shocked. I thought they would be sad they had not been given the S.A. Especially since the S.A. guaranteed the CK and that the anointed could then nominate each other. What???

The only comment on the S.A. from them was, "I don't think it is necessary. Jesus will decide."

So I said, "Well Brigham Young said no one gets in the CK unless Joseph lets them in." This was irrelevant to them and of no interest.


The true TBM's have their blinders on AND their heads deep in the sand. Light does not enter.

The cult with their essays and speakers like Snow-Job Elder Snow reveal the conniving thought that went into the whole essay episode:

Hey people, the youth are pole-vaulting out taking with them their 10%+ tithing now and future tithing. This is serious. Guess we've got to humor those blankity-blank kids with little bits of some of the information we have kept hidden because they are finding it on the internet and putting two and two together. We are beginning to look stupid. (just beginning???) Why can't they just stick to playing their dang video games?