Three weeks into my mission in the late 70's an investigator (who was a Professor at the local University) told me and my senior companion about Joseph Smith using a rock in a hat to come up with the Book of Mormon. As I recall I believe he had read Fawn Brodie's NMKMH or read it somewhere else.

NEVER in my sheltered born in the covenant 19-years of my Mormon life up to that point had I ever heard of such a thing.

Over the next 6 months meeting with and having PPI's with my MP and our Mission Regional Reps Hartmann Rector Jr & Charles A. Didier and asking them about the rock in the hat scenario they ALL denied it and I was told in NO UNCERTAIN TERMS by these guys to teach the discussions as they are written and NOTHING more.

Either they were ALL liars or they didn't even know about it themselves.

Why would these guys then be called General Authorities if they didn't have a clue?

Hartmann Rector Jr was a very nice down to earth guy.

Charles A. Didier was exactly what the "A" in his middle name stands for. Take a guess.

Hartman Rector, Jr. was booted from the 70 for running a pyramid scheme. I wouldn't trust his integrity. He also supports Rod Meldrum, who is full of spin, and his FIRM Foundation.

I would guess that they didn't know. Only because the church didn't acknowledge it. Why should they? Not like today when they have to.

Hartman Rector even lied about football.

http://exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,1935354,1935450#msg-1935450

I'm guessing that the middle initial for the dearly beloved Charles A. Didier, who was a great holy man of God, is something like Awesome, Amazing, or Angel? I certainly can't think of any negative ideas about Didier because he was one of the Brethren and that could cause me to have a Doubt form in my heart or mind if I were to do so.

And boy do I keep up my defense shields strong when it comes to Doubts because Heavenly Father is so loving in having a very super sophisticated Celestial quality loving surveillance program where thousands of angels watch every thought and action we do on a 24/7 basis so they can properly prepare their prosecution of me and anyone at Judgment Day. Some people think that NSA may be able to listen in on some of our phone calls or read our emails. But that is nothing in comparison to what our loving Father and Big Brother Jesus can do through such a wondrous surveillance program full of blessings. Thus I'm well-programmed to have my brain/heart in constant reminder and fear of Judgment day in all I do on a 24/7 basis.

I see at the beginning you wrote something about you claiming that some of the Brethren were liars. Well obviously the opposite must be true because anytime someone criticizes the Brethren then I've already made up my mind, thanks to the amazing Correlation program, that anything written by someone criticizing the Brethren is the words of the Devil. Thus you can rest assured that any dialogue with me (or anyone with this marvelous TBM mindset) is going to be glorious in our Latter-day Saint peculiar way. Doesn't that sound so fulfilling and awesome?

Just a reminder that when you read what I write and think "gosh this Honest TBM person makes such awesome sense and I want to get back to returning to the most honest, truthful, transparent, and knowledgable Church ever in the history of the world" then you may some day be re-assimilated into the wondrous gospel. Just remember that when you go back that you need to pull along all your co-workers, friends, neighbors, and relatives as the Mission of the Church includes getting everyone fully assimilated into this glorious peculiar beacon of complete honesty/transparency we call the true Church.