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The FAIR JournalThe FAIR Journal is published monthly. It contains information about new apologetic information at the FAIR Web site. If you would like to sign up to receive the FAIR Journal automatically, click here. To return to the index of past FAIR Journal issues, click here.
THE FAIR JOURNAL March 2004
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The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research
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Apologetics: The branch of theology that is concerned with
defending or proving the truth of Christian doctrines. (The
American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth
Edition, 2000.)
INSIDE THE JOURNAL
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* MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT. More information is available on the
upcoming FAIR conference, and FAIR's president gives a "thumbs
up" for several new books. There is still time in March to buy
your discounted ticket for the 2004 FAIR Conference!
* NEW ON THE WEBSITE: HARD QUESTIONS AND KEEPING THE FAITH. Michael
Ash presents an excellent summary of why it can be important to
respond to critics of the Church and how to do so.
* NEW ON THE WEBSITE: PROBLEMS WITH "ONE NATION UNDER GODS" CHAPTER
9. Michele Ladouceur analyzes another misuse of source material
in Abanes' anti-Mormon book "One Nation Under Gods."
* NEW ON THE WEBSITE: DISPELLING THE BLACK MYTH. Renee Olson's 2002
FAIR Conference presentation is now transcribed and available on
the FAIR website.
* NEW ON THE WEBSITE: ASK THE APOLOGIST. Ben McGuire responds to
the charge that Joseph Smith lacked inspiration when he used the
purportedly post-Biblical association of Lucifer with Satan.
* FAIR ONLINE BOOKSTORE. Check out the monthly specials available
in the FAIR LDS Bookstore, including a brand-new release from
FARMS.
* NEW FAIR WEBSITE FEATURE. Our FAIR Webmaster has added a new
feature to help visitors track down papers and articles.
* ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS. Interested in writing for FAIR? Learn how
you can have your apologetics work published.
* PUBLISHING NOTES. Learn how you can become more involved in FAIR
and how you can reuse the material we publish.
* FAIR JOURNAL ARCHIVES.
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MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
It's General Conference time again and we can be sure that protestors
will be out in force. This time they promise to be even more
outlandish in their behavior. The City of Salt Lake has responded by
moving the protest areas further from the conference goers. We hope
that the members of the church respond appropriately to the protestors
by completely ignoring them. Once again, we will have our FAIR
reporters on hand to bring you pictures, so you won't miss a thing.
--The FAIR Conference
The FAIR Conference on August 5th and 6th is starting to take shape.
We have a fabulous line up of speakers. I can hardly wait!
This year's speakers include Robert Millet, Roger Keller, Dan
Peterson, Davis Bitton, Richard Lloyd Anderson, David Paulsen, Brant
Gardner, and Andrea Radke.
Topics will include discussions on women in the LDS church, the
apostasy, the Book of Mormon witnesses, reaching out to those in other
faiths, Book of Mormon historicity and many other exciting topics.
Our bookstore staff will also be there in force where you can purchase
books authored by the speakers and have them signed.
We will have a fund raising auction so plan on bringing books to
auction off.
Schedule your time now. I will be there and hope to see you there as
well.
Order your tickets here
http://store.fairlds.org
Don't forget to order your ticket in March and get a $10 discount!
If you wait until April to buy your conference ticket, you'll miss out
on the March discount, but you'll receive a $5 coupon for use at the
conference bookstore.
--President's Book Recommendations
I just finished reading The FARMS Review, Vol. 15, No. 2. It has some
really excellent articles on the Mountain Meadows, DNA, and on Grant
Palmer's book. I would call it a "must read" for LDS apologists. I
also recently read the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies Vol. 12, No.
1. It has some great articles on DNA and the Book of Mormon that help
clarify the issues. I highly recommend these two books.
You can purchase The FARMS Review at
http://store.fairlds.org
You can purchase the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies at
http://store.fairlds.org
For the history buffs, I recently read "Plates of Gold" by Matthew
Brown and really enjoyed it. In this book, Brother Brown takes the
various historical sources and puts them into a chronological
narrative that is really enjoyable reading. It brings to light
witnesses to the coming forward of the Book of Mormon that aren't part
of the eleven we usually read about. Understanding this book will help
refute many of the anti Mormon claims that continue to come up on this
topic. I recommend this book.
You can purchase "Plates of Gold" at
http://www.fairlds.org/cgi-bin/site.pl?s112
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Hard Questions and Keeping the Faith
by Michael R. Ash
Most people associated with FAIR have had the experience of responding
to anti-Mormon literature and arguments that have been presented to
family, friends, and ward members. Sometimes we are asked if a
response to attacks on the Church should ever be made--or rather we
should ignore the material and move on with other things. In his
article, Ash gives an excellent explanation for why such responses are
needed, and when and how such responses should be made. In addition to
providing the rationale for apologetics, Ash gives some excellent "how
tos" and points to resources available to people needed to search out
or create intelligent responses to our critics.
Read the article: http://www.fairlds.org/pubs/HardQuestions.pdf
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PROBLEMS WITH "ONE NATION UNDER GODS" CHAPTER 9
by Michele Ladouceur
When Richard Abanes released his anti-Mormon book, "One Nation Under
Gods," it became immediately apparent that there were numerous,
serious problems with the references and footnotes. In her article,
Michele points out that Abanes' use of a 1961 quote from Elder Levi
Edgar Young was taken out of context and blatantly misused. Elder
Young did not pray "that thousands would turn not to God, but to
Joseph [Smith]." When read in context, it is clear that Elder Young is
commenting on a proposed book dealing with Joseph Smith and his hope
was that Joseph's life and work would be widely publicized.
Read the article: http://www.fairlds.org/apol/onug/pg175c.html
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DISPELLING THE BLACK MYTH
by Renee Olson
As a black Latter-day Saint and former anti-Mormon, Olson has a unique
perspective on the issues relating to black members of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In her humor-laced, 2002 FAIR
Conference presentation, Olson educated attendees on the history of
the priesthood ban, race issues that still exist in the Church, and
ideas of how and where we should go from here. Previously available
only as audio, this excellent presentation has been transcribed and is
available on the FAIR website.
Read the article: http://www.fairlds.org/FAIR_Conferences/2002_Dispelling_the_Black_Myth.html
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ASK THE APOLOGIST
FAIR invites the public to submit questions relating to LDS beliefs,
practices, and history. Some questions are asked sincerely by members
and investigators, others are clearly hostile questions challenging
the veracity of the Church and its teachings. Many of these responses
may end up on the website as a FAIR paper or brochure. If you have a
question, simply send it to the Questions address on our contact page.
A website visitor recently challenged Joseph Smith's prophetic calling
by claiming that the association of Lucifer with Satan was a post-
Biblical development. The charge was made that Joseph Smith
incorrectly interpretted Bible scriptures relating to Lucifer and that
he was fooled into creating a theology based on this incorrect
reading. The visitor pointed to a website that claims that the
Lucifer-Satan connection began around around the time of Jerome in the
fourth century.
Ben McGuire responded by showing that the association of Lucifer with
Satan is found in the writings of the early Church fathers, several
centuries before Jerome's usage. In addition, the scholarly community
almost universally rejects the being in Isaiah 14 as being the king of
Babylon directly. Finally, McGuire discusses Lucifer-Satan traditions
from multiple cultures. Joseph Smith did not err in his usage of the
name Lucifer nor in his interpretation of Isaiah 14.
Read the article: http://www.fairlds.org/Bible/Lucifer_and_Satan.html
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FAIR ONLINE BOOKSTORE
Looking to impress your friends with your esoteric knowledge? Enjoy
the blank looks on their faces when you tell them your latest read?
This is one way to achieve it and much cheaper than going for that
doctorate in ancient Aramaic. Seriously, FARMS Occasional Papers are a
great resource for anyone. FAIR is introducing you to the latest of
the FARMS collection: "Who Controls the Water? Yahweh vs. Baal -- and
-- Justice and Mercy in the Book of Deuteronomy (OP4)." This triad of
papers (includes "Garment of Joseph: An Update") is available at only
$7.95, a 20% savings over retail. Check it out at
http://www.fairlds.org/cgi-bin/site.pl?s113
and be sure and take the time to take a look at OP1-OP3, at 10-20%
discounts as well.
A bestseller as always, the latest FARMS Review (Vol 15, No 2) is out
and already is being discussed across the Internet. With multiple
reviews of Grant Palmer's "An Insider's View of Mormon Origins," the
highly controversial interpretation of the history of the Restoration,
plus a legion of other insightful and detailed articles on subjects
ranging from DNA in the Book of Mormon to Open Theism, this is a great
way to not only pick up ideas for that next book purchase but also to
keep up on the latest "hot topics" around apologetic circles. You
can't beat the price: $8.75, a 20%+ savings.
http://www.fairlds.org/cgi-bin/site.pl?s110
--Bookstore Information
EVEN BETTER THAN BEFORE: Sharon, our bookstore powerhouse, has been
keeping busy this past month with slashing prices all over our
bookstore web pages. There are hundreds of items, so be sure to check
out your "I'll get that next paycheck" list because this may be your
time to go for it.
BIG NEWS: We've hooked up with LDS Church Distribution in our efforts
to become your "top of the list, first stop, only stop" bookstore
(non-fluff only, of course) and will be adding many items from their
line. If there's something you think we need, let us know. Our goal is
top quality AND ultimate convenience.
NEW BOOKSTORE FEATURE--RATING AND REVIEWS: With all our effort for
you, we'd like a little something in return. Nope, not money this time
around--just a little effort and insight (though we'll take the money
too!). We've recently added a great feature to our listings to add
major value for our customers. You can now review and rate to aid
others in their search for just the right book, CD-ROM, or audio
product. Please, if you have ever read any of our books or used other
products, take a little time (or a lot if you are willing) and add
some very much needed details to our pages. Don't be shy; we will not
be rating writing skills, though we do reserve the right to correct
spelling.
If you would like to sign up to receive the FAIR Journal automatically, click here. To return to the index of past FAIR Journal issues, click here.
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FAIR is not owned, controlled by or affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. All research and opinions provided on this site are the sole responsibility of FAIR, and should not be interpreted as official statements of LDS doctrine, belief or practice. If you like what FAIR does and you agree with our mission, we invite you to support FAIR in any way you are able. You can make a donation, or visit our Membership page for additional support ideas. FAIR only succeeds through the efforts of our gracious volunteers.
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