An addendum regarding METI

Last updated on: August 3, 2016 at 4:15 pm by Dan Peterson

An addendum regarding METI 2016-08-03T16:15:03-06:00 Dan Peterson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

One of the METI titles published while I was still involved.
(Amazon.com)

Thus far, two people have written to me in the light of the 2013 statement that I reposted here earlier today, seeking to know how and why, given the spiritual confirmation that I seem to claim for my Middle Eastern Texts Initiative, I eventually resigned from it.

As a matter of fact, I’ve answered that question already in my reposted statement:

Last month, amidst the continuing aftereffects and fallout of the events that took place within the Maxwell Institute in the middle of June 2012, seeing literally no alternative and no way to function, I finally resigned as editor-in-chief of the Middle Eastern Texts Initiative.

But, since the question has been asked at least twice today and several times previously, I’ll be somewhat more explicit:

I quit because I could no longer fulfill my role. I had no choice. Over the course of many months following the June 2012 purge, I tried to meet with Maxwell Institute staff to further the work of the Middle Eastern Texts Initiative (METI). But meeting after meeting after meeting fell through. And my office in the Maxwell Institute building was taken away. Finally, there were explicit refusals to meet with me.

Recognizing that I couldn’t be even remotely effective under such conditions, I met with John Rosenberg, who was then the dean of my home academic unit, BYU’s College of Humanities. I told him that I saw no way forward for my work on the Middle Eastern Texts Initiative.

He agreed with me. And he negotiated my formal withdrawal from METI, insisting, on my behalf, on two conditions: 1) I would receive two complimentary copies of each new METI publication, in perpetuity. 2) My name would always appear in METI publications, identifying me as the founding editor. This may seem petty egomania, but I found the idea of being altogether erased from the history of the project (becoming an “unperson,” as in Orwell’s 1984 or in the manner of an old Soviet encyclopedia) deeply offensive as a matter of principle. It was something that I simply would not, and could not, permit.

I conceived the idea entirely independent of anybody else, raised the money for it, hired its staff, led the project for years, represented it at meetings and in speeches and in events on five continents. But I know how these things go. Some time back, I saw an article recounting the history of METI that altogether failed to mention my involvement with it. And, roughly three years ago, I ran into my friend Father Sidney Griffith of the Catholic University of America, who contributed one of the translations that METI published. He told me that he had recently been interviewed for a Maxwell Institute fundraising video. He had, he laughingly told me, “praised me to the skies.” I didn’t have the heart to tell him that such praise virtually guaranteed that all or most of his interview would end up on the cutting room floor.

If I could have continued my involvement with the Middle Eastern Texts Initiative, I would have.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

August 3, 2016

"Australian Sex Survey Asks about Your Gender" -- and There Are 33 Answer Options

Next Post

August 3, 2016 "Warfare and the Book of Mormon: A Bibliography"

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 March 2014 August 2013 February 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What book tells about the creation of the world?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Psalms Acts Genesis Revelation