JOEL GURVINE RELEASES STATEMENT
Added 2021-08-11 23:18:16 +0000 UTCAn ad free video for our supporters. Joel Gurvine breaks his silence to respond to our interview with Girl on Fire. Let us know your thoughts. Once again, we think there is a lot to discuss here, and Patreon is a great place to really share. We'll share some of our thoughts here as well.
We've also attached his written statement.
Some good news: Lauren had a two and a half hour interview this morning, and we hope to have it edited and released to you very soon!
Comments
I agree Sandra. I’d guess what they are telling themselves now is that they’re just being treated like Job and Joan of Arc and the only reason the earthquakes and Second Coming aren’t meeting their predictions is that the Lord has put them on hold until they are set free to usher in the Second Coming as planned.
Lynette Butler
2021-08-17 05:03:41 +0000 UTCPeople want to think there's a way to have an inside scoop on spiritual things. It gives them an identity and sense purpose. Why deal with a special needs child or a ho hum longterm marriage when you can be omnipotent, create your world the way you want it--and not have to submit to US law or common morality? This group of people is fricking scary. Just watch. Chad and Lori will be labeled martyrs for the cause and claim they're being persecuted for their religious beliefs.
Sandra K.
2021-08-14 08:34:09 +0000 UTCHow will Means pay for experts & testing
Debbie Hersko
2021-08-14 02:44:25 +0000 UTCI just don’t understand why it’s so important for these people to have lived before. I’m not LDS so maybe that’s why. God gives us one life on earth to make the choice of where we spend eternity. That’s it. He loves us very much and wants us to choose him but if we don’t he honors our choice. He doesn’t keep sending us to earth to give us another shot to make the right choice. One and done. Make it right the first time. Choose Jesus the only way.
Lori B
2021-08-13 18:15:27 +0000 UTCWhen I was listening to Lauren read his response I imagined him sitting down with Julie Rowe and writing that response together.
Amy Eglet
2021-08-12 20:57:15 +0000 UTCIt is my understanding that Julie is preaching that the current church is corrupt, that Joseph Smith never practiced polygamy, that the book Saints is a lie, that it was Brigham Young who introduced it. She passed these beliefs on to Joel, as well as the belief in multiple mortal probations/reincarnation. And now he believes these things too, that the church has lied to him, and that's why he's leaving the church.
Saralyn
2021-08-12 17:23:32 +0000 UTCI respect the fact that he doesn’t abdicate responsibility for his poor choices to supernatural influences (either messages from god or magic spells by Julie) but it sounds like he is 100% still on board with the nonsense.
Joanna Mulvaney
2021-08-12 16:05:17 +0000 UTCThanks for being so dedicated to giving us as much information as you can Lauren! Very interesting hearing all of their different perspectives on what they believe and what they think happened. It helps us to understand how they all followed their different paths in this story. And one thing, for sure, this statement shows, is that he definitely is still a Julie follower and supporter, and defender!!!
Melody Chavez
2021-08-12 15:11:50 +0000 UTCLynette Butler, I believe you are correct. You’re both essentially saying the same thing. Erica is just saying it a little differently than you. She’s saying that the church is finally admitting that Joseph was a polygamist in the new Saints book. But I didn’t remember them really every denying that he was, unless I’m just mistaken. We always knew Brigham Young was and a few other leaders, I just think that it wasn’t talked about as much with Joseph, but I don’t remember not knowing that he was. I think the book just gives more details of the early past of the church.
Melody Chavez
2021-08-12 15:08:08 +0000 UTCI may have misunderstood. I thought Joel was angry the Church has always said Joseph Smith WAS a polygamist whereas Joel thinks he wasn’t. Did I get it wrong?
Lynette Butler
2021-08-12 06:19:33 +0000 UTCWe will never get the straight poop from ANY of these people. They are all liars. No one in this case can be seen as a reliable narrator. They all have something to hide.
Erica A. Zwick
2021-08-12 05:25:00 +0000 UTCHe wants to leave the church because it's decided to come clean about Smith's polygamy? It's a pretty well-established fact that Joseph Smith was a polygamist. I came to the same conclusion about this guy as I have with everyone else Lauren has interviewed. Critical thinking skills are not his strong suit. https://josephsmithspolygamy.org/beginnings-mormon-polygamy/
Erica A. Zwick
2021-08-12 05:19:18 +0000 UTCI am finding it so fascinating (and I don’t mean this in a judgy way) to see in each of the compelling interviews you’ve had with people who were part of these groups struggle so mightily and painfully to distance themselves from the horror that turned out to be Chad, while still needing for the sake of sanity to cling to the idea that there was and is something divinely driven in their own experience. It’s so clear that they are just barely emerging from the glass house they now need to throw stones at so as not to be seen as potential murderers. Those of us not connected can easily (and reductivly as Dr John points out) toss around words like “evil” to describe them because it makes us feel safe from whatever trapped them—but for me I feel I am just seeing more clearly how much we all may be vulnerable to any person or idea that may make us feel seen or special. I may not believe any of the interviewed people completely but I do have sympathy for their obvious and very human confusion and struggle and I think they are brave for speaking out. And you do a wonderful job of drawing them out so we can hear their stories.
Lynette Butler
2021-08-12 03:49:19 +0000 UTC“Pride” & “Ego” ….hmmmm reminds me of Chad. Joel could have easily followed the same path. Good for G.I.F. for telling her husband, who squashed that romance. This statement would have been a great time to apologize to them, to his wife and children, instead of blaming the church for false teachings. Missed opportunity. My heart goes out to his wife. And… Joel feeling “uncomfortable” with Chad telling people who they were in past lives, is a 🚩. I’d say he is still a JR follower and did a good job distancing him & Julie from Chad. 😏 Thanks for posting Lauren. I’m not impressed with Joel, in fact- I’m very angry with him, but glad he spoke out.
ShaRee
2021-08-12 02:50:56 +0000 UTC😬 It all sounded like JR to me when he bashed the LDS church for “purposeful misinformation” in the Saints book.
ShaRee
2021-08-12 02:33:35 +0000 UTCMy thoughts exactly when I heard her claim in the interview that hypnosis caused her to have an emotional affair. Rather than admit that she was most likely flattered by this man’s attention and that is what caused her to stray, she blames it on some supernatural mumbo jumbo.
Susan Moreno
2021-08-12 02:10:10 +0000 UTCI believe less than half of what he says to be true.
Tamara Wakeman Sukohl
2021-08-12 01:11:15 +0000 UTCSounds like he’s still dug-in with the fringe beliefs to me. IMO, though, Girl on Fire’s claims of being hypnotized were a silly excuse for being tempted to stray, rather than taking responsibility for her own feelings. At least Joel admits to having an emotional affair, such as it was.
Katie Marlowe
2021-08-12 00:47:57 +0000 UTCIs he still a follower of Julie Rowe? 😬
Edie Miller
2021-08-12 00:35:55 +0000 UTCAnissa and Julie, Exactly! This guy either has his own religion or is still following some break off group of former LDS members. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) DO NOT believe in multiple probations or reincarnation. As a side note I sometimes talk to a friend of one Chad's former followers and they are still going strong and plan to continue their tent city commune. They are high profile names in this case so I won't publicly say their names, but sadly this "group" doesn't intend to stop even though Chad was hauled off to jail.
Sherri Haab
2021-08-12 00:09:52 +0000 UTCSo he's saying he was starting to think polygamy was okay, but Julie Rowe warned him (and Chad?!) to NOT go in that direction? Hm. It's interesting that he's considering leaving the church. That seems like a lonely path to walk...UNLESS, sayyyy, there's an existing community of like-minded people for him to join — who have also left the church, etc. Hm?
Julie Holden
2021-08-11 23:56:31 +0000 UTCIMO he rephrases some of Eric Smiths statement I don’t feel he’s sincere.
Anissa Teree
2021-08-11 23:43:19 +0000 UTC
