From another site, I was referred to look at the front page LDS website. It was an interview of Dusty talking with the Relief Society President. Dusty was talking about how BoM was published etc. Folks I grew up in the Church and I never heard some of the stuff he talked about. As a teenager we already went to Palmyra for pageant for years. We visited all the Church sites. This was not the way that the restoration or the translation was presented. Dusty is older than me so he would have been taught the same things I was taught. Listening to him in this interview I can't help believe he is lying or being dishonest or is confused. Even the stuff about Oliver Cowdrey I had never heard before.

The best part was when he was showing the hat that Joseph used to put his head in. Then he compared the stone JS used to modern phone and how people can not see what you see on phone, just like no one could see what JS saw looking in the hat.

Rusty you are forgetting a couple of important items. The phone has millions and millions of electronic circuits. The stone is just made out of crystal materials. You have the stone so why are you not using it now to demonstrate how it was used back then? That would be a testimony builder.

I guess I am left with more questions than answers after watching this interview. Why was this stuff not taught when I was a true blue believing teenager? Why did the adults around me not know this information?

The WOW factor was "I do not think after watching this that Dusty really wanted to do this interview." And the reason is I think it conflicts with his internal life long learnings. Look at his lack of eye movement as he talks about the process? If you have ever taken a basic course in NLP technology then you know his eye pattern indicates he is talking devoid of any internal feelings or emotions. At least that is my read.

In the sixties the Priest's teacher for Priesthood meeting was studying to be an Institute Teacher. I'm still not sure what that was, but he told us all the crazy stuff he was learning about the early church. Sounds similar to what Russ may have been relating in this interview. This is some ways makes me realize why it doesn't sound whacko to Russ even if he obviously knows it will sound that way to others. Thus the reluctance you saw.

What should have been "wait just a minute" information to receive at the time actually inoculated me more. Because...magic. God had magic powers and he could do anything he wanted by any means he wanted. So why not a rock? A hat. A flaming sworded angel? And, I was taught that it was part of God's plan to let men do things the way they did them, figure things out for themselves and do the heavy lifting to get God's true church restored.

The most important thing was to believe no matter what you heard.

I was BIC to the max back then.

One of the Priest Teacher's stories was about the early leaders being attacked by Satan and thrown around a room. This caused horrific devil nightmares in me that lasted most of my life with Satan attacking me and being unable to lift my arm and command him to go away in the name of Christ as I was taught to do.

I was so damn gullible. And they took advantage of that.

I saw the teacher at a funeral recently. Really nice guy. Still so into it all. Isn't going to give up what he is good at, where his talent lies. That is true for many. So the blinders stay on.

early 60's mission and we did not have a magic rock and hat flannel board piece for the lessons.

Many years one would have been called out for apostacy if you were teaching that stuff.

Now? No one knows what is actually taught.

My flannel board (franelografo) ALWAYS got perfect reception!

I was taught Joseph used the Urim and Thummin found with the gold plates. I never heard the rock in the hat bit until the internet became a thing.

The narrative always changes. Rusty is a strange one. Some of the stuff he talked about at Roots Tech was right out of the Twilight Zone.

If it’s not giant arks full of animals, walking on water, translating ancient writings with rocks, it’s going to be UFO’s and star children.

People makes shit up and gullible people eat it up. The best story tellers and sales people get rich and get laid a lot.