He deserves his own thread. Tim Ballard is a wanker.

[MartyFunkhouser]

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine...idemic/620845/

The guy is a scam artist.

[BigPiney]

he is a charlatan

[Moliere]

I haven’t r was the article and don’t know a ton about him but from what I’ve seen the whole thing seems icky. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that this whole thing really took off during the BLM protests around George Floyd as it provided right wing conservatives a replacement cause to be concerned about so they could avoid supporting BLM.

[Jeff Lebowski]

In addition to his save-the-kids scam, he is a complete fraud and huckster as a historian with his dumb ___ Hypothesis series of books. Ardis Parshall (a great LDS historian) takes him down here:

http://www.keepapitchinin.org/2017/0...-deseret-book/

Ben Park takes him down here:

https://bycommonconsent.com/2016/04/...he-mormon-god/

Amen to these concluding paragraphs:

To say these “hypotheses” lack credibility would be an understatement. They frankly misinterpret sources and evidences, ignore literally centuries of scholarship, and make a mush of the historian’s craft. What’s especially egregious is that Washington and Lincoln have probably received more attention than anyone else in American history, and to think that a hobbyist found evidence that not only everyone else overlooked, but evidence that completely contradicts everything else that has been written and is available, is more than a tad jejune. As a historian, this kind of thing makes me cringe. These types of books severely hurt Deseret Book’s credibility and stagnate the development of the Mormon community’s historical consciousness.

But more important than being offended as a historian, I’m offended as a Mormon. More than just a mistaken jaunt into historical malfeasance, these books embody a certain strain of cultural parochialism that still plagues certain spheres of my faith tradition: we are unable to recognize good done outside of the Mormon faith. We’ve been so entrenched on the belief that we have a monopoly on truth and goodness, that progress is only achieved through our form of divine assistance and revelation, that the accomplishments of other individuals, whether contemporary or antecedent to the restoration, pose a profound theological problem. Sure, we talk about the “light of Christ” tinging all of humanity, but then follow that up by reaffirming that such is not enough. When we posit our faith as the pinnacle of civilization, we must find ways to maintain that civilizational chain of being. So we make these figures Mormon, both through our proxy rituals and our mental gymnastics. And more than just retaining a form of spiritual adolescence, this mindset has practical implications: it precludes our ability to look externally for assistance and inspiration.

Our community needs to learn how to appreciate historical actors without first having to baptize them.

[falafel]

In addition to his save-the-kids scam, he is a complete fraud and huckster as a historian with his dumb ___ Hypothesis series of books. Ardis Parshall (a great LDS historian) takes him down here:

http://www.keepapitchinin.org/2017/0...-deseret-book/

Ben Park takes him down here:

https://bycommonconsent.com/2016/04/...he-mormon-god/

Amen to these concluding paragraphs:

This quote in the BCC article is funny given the current context:

But is there something uniquely “Mormon” about this? Perhaps the apex of this tradition is found in two recent books published by Deseret Book and written by Timothy Ballard. (BTW: Ballard seems like a tremendous person, and his Operation Underground Railroad project looks terrific. So he has achieved far more than enough good elsewhere to overshadow the flaws in these books that I’m discussing.)

[Jeff Lebowski]

This quote in the BCC article is funny given the current context:

He has no redeeming virtues.

[Clark Addison]

So... who wants to post the article to cb?

[Jeff Lebowski]

So... who wants to post the article to cb?

Oh, please do. And share a link.

[MartyFunkhouser]

He has no redeeming virtues.

Agreed. Not a single one.

[Clark Addison]

Oh, please do. And share a link.

I'm about to hop in a car for 4 hours. If no one has yet, I will post tonight or tomorrow.

[MartyFunkhouser]

In addition to his save-the-kids scam, he is a complete fraud and huckster as a historian with his dumb ___ Hypothesis series of books. Ardis Parshall (a great LDS historian) takes him down here:

http://www.keepapitchinin.org/2017/0...-deseret-book/

Ben Park takes him down here:

https://bycommonconsent.com/2016/04/...he-mormon-god/

Amen to these concluding paragraphs:

Wait a minute? These "hypothesis" books aren't just stupid works of historical fiction, he is actually arguing there is some basis to the bullshit he is writing?

I just lost more respect for Tim Ballard, which I didn't think was possible.

[MartyFunkhouser]

Another fun one on Ballard.
https://slate.com/human-interest/202...-railroad.html

[Eddie]

I just posted it on CB for fun. Here's the link for anyone who wants to follow:

https://www.cougarboard.com/board/me...ml?id=27643415

[Pelado]

I just posted it on CB for fun. Here's the link for anyone who wants to follow:

https://www.cougarboard.com/board/me...ml?id=27643415

Is it in a donor-only category?

[Eddie]

Is it in a donor-only category?

It's in the politics category - which might be donor only. I have no idea. They get pretty uptight about categories over there.