FAIR HOT SPOTS

FAIR Blog
Thoughts and commentary from the apologetic frontlines.

Polygamy Resources
Questions about polygamy and the Mormons? Find your answers here.

Bible vs. the Book of Mormon
A common-sense review of the anti-Mormon video from Living Hope Ministries.

The Truth About "The God Makers"
Classic, line-by-line examination of this anti-Mormon film and book.

DNA and the Book of Mormon
Does DNA evidence disprove the Book of Mormon?

Mormons and Masonry
How did Freemasonry figure into the early development of the Church.

The FAIR Journal

The 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 September 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. Scott Gordon explains the need for
apologetics and the importance of providing answers and responses
to questions and challenges that many members and investigators
will face.

* FAIR EVENT AT BYU BOOKSTORE. If you will be anywhere close to the
BYU Bookstore on October 1 (the Friday before General
Conference), stop by and visit the FAIR table. Several FAIR
authors will be signing books and talking with visitors. See
below for more details!

* FAIR PUBLICATIONS NOW AVAILABLE FROM DESERET BOOK. Deseret Book
has taken over distribution of three FAIR books, making them
available from the Deseret website and at LDS bookstores.

* NEW ON THE WEBSITE: Where Did Book of Mormon Events Take Place?
Michael Ash has added a new brochure to the FAIR library that
summarizes the case in favor of assuming Book of Mormon events
occurred in Mesoamerica.

* NEW ON THE WEBSITE: Were the Lehites Alone in the Americas?
In another FAIR brochure, Michael Ash gives evidence that the
Lehites were a small part of a pre-existing cultural mix.

* NEW ON THE WEBSITE: Who Are the Lamanites? In this FAIR
brochure, Michael Ash looks at how the Book of Mormon term
"Lamanite" is used to describe different groups of non-Nephites.

* NEW ON THE WEBSITE: Is an Historical Book of Mormon Incompatible
with DNA Science? Michael Ash has produced yet another FAIR
brochure, this one summarizing the flaws in claims that recent
DNA evidence shows the Book of Mormon to be non-historical.

* NEW ON THE WEBSITE: A Summary of Five Reviews of Grant Palmer's
"An Insider's View of Mormon Origins'" (with a Few Comments of My
Own). George Cobabe summarizes five reviews from FARMS Review
volumes 15 and 16, each dealing with a different aspect of
Palmer's attack on the divine origins of the restored Gospel.

* ASK THE APOLOGIST. Got a question you are dying to ask? Here's
how.

* FAIR ONLINE BOOKSTORE. Check out the latest FAIR Bookstore
specials, including CD and downloadable MP3 audio recordings of
this summer's FAIR Conference, the latest FARMS Review, and many
others.

* 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

Many people believe there is no need for apologetics. They have no use
for it. According to some, apologists are those who spend their time
discussing things that are unimportant or that should be self-evident.
It has been said that all would be well if we would simply avoid
picking up the books that try to destroy faith.

Or such was the case ten years ago. But the world has changed, the
information age is upon us. We now have the Internet. Identifying
oneself as a Mormon on any Internet message board will bring multiple
anti-Mormon claims and website links to support them. Googling on
the word "Mormon" will produce many faithful, supportive websites,
but it will also produce many anti-Mormon ones.

One faithful young woman's leader in Orem, Utah, preparing for her
Sunday lesson stumbled across an anti-Mormon website, and stumbled in
her testimony.

Several teens have posted on the Internet that they have read
anti-Mormon web information and had testimony difficulties. In one
case, the teen was simply posting a positive LDS message on a message
board and she was overwhelmed by the anti-Mormon response.

One new convert wrote to an anti-Mormon website, thanking them for
providing the "truth" about Mormonism and showing things the
missionaries never told. Unfortunately for that convert, that website
was filled with gross inaccuracies and misrepresentations.

One stake in Illinois did an informal survey of those who didn't
continue on with the missionary lessons. One of the biggest reasons
given for not continuing the lessons was because of information
obtained off the Internet.

Whether it is thousands of people, only a hundred, or just one person
who loses his or her faith because of misinformation, it is too many.
For most people this issue doesn't become important until it is a
family member. Then it becomes a crisis.

While some anti-Mormon Christian ministries believe they are doing a
service by leading people out of Mormonism, they are often blind to
the fact the arguments they use can be slightly modified and used
against Christianity in general. Some of their arguments have already
been used historically against Christianity. Some of the Christian
anti-Mormon websites even adopt the anti-Mormon arguments of secularists,
atheists, and agnostics believing that it will help achieve the goal.
The result is that many who leave the LDS church don't turn to other
Christian denominations but simply leave Christianity completely.
Those ministries have to do some serious soul searching. While they
believe they are acting out of love, they are turning people against
God. What have they really accomplished?

We are pleased that we get e-mails at FAIR every week thanking us for
correcting misinformation and helping people through their crisis of
faith. It is a rewarding endeavor. We also get e-mails from people who
have returned to church because of a strengthening of their faith
through the LDS apologetic work done at FAIR and elsewhere.

People leave the Gospel because their faith has been shattered. The
answer to a lack faith doesn't just lie in apologetics. It doesn't lie
in Book of Mormon evidences, nor in arguing over some obscure fact of
history. Our faith is built through reading the scriptures, turning
to God in prayer, and living the gospel of Jesus Christ. But there is
a place for apologetics. It can help remove stumbling blocks and
obstacles from people who have been shaken in their faith. It can
provide proper answers to those questions that have been raised and
allow us to move forward. It can shine the light of truth on half
truths, rumors, and historical gossip. It can strengthen the faith we
already have.

Apologetics cannot convince someone of the truth, and it cannot
convert. You can't bash someone into believing. You cannot
intellectualize the Spirit. There aren't enough evidences in the world
to convince a nonbeliever. But, there is a proper place for
apologetics as it can correct misinformation. Apologetics will never
replace a witness from God, but it is a necessary endeavor.

We appreciate those who visit our website and contribute to our
cause. We feel our cause is an important one, it has an important
place, and we know it has helped countless people. But we also
encourage you to read your scriptures, live the gospel and develop
your relationship with God. It is through those things that your faith
becomes strengthened.

We at FAIR hope we can continue helping people find answers. If
nothing else, you can feel confident that we have read the anti-Mormon
books, have read the anti-Mormon websites, and have read the many
histories that are given. We know all of those dark, top-secret
scandals that are known and recorded only in the anti-Mormon
literature. But we have also read the other information that the
anti-Mormon ministries and books leave out and don't talk about.

We have read both sides and we have not been shaken in our faith. On
the contrary, our testimonies continue to grow. Jesus is the Christ,
the Savior of the world. It is in Him we find our salvation. Joseph
Smith was a prophet of God. He had the gold plates from which came the
Book of Mormon, a Second Witness of Jesus Christ. Gordon B. Hinckley
is a prophet of God today. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints is the church of God.

Our blessings and prayers go out to you. I pray we can assist you and
your families.

- Scott Gordon
President, FAIR

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FAIR Event at BYU Bookstore

This coming Friday (October 1st - the day before General Conference)
the BYU Bookstore is sponsoring a FAIR author signing event that will
include information and handouts about FAIR and apologetics.
FAIR will have a table set up for most of the day, and will be
passing out some of the handouts that were used at the recent FAIR
conference.

Authors Wayne Arnett and Barry Bickmore will be at the FAIR tabletop
display from 2:30 PM until 4:30 PM for the signing and would love to
say hello to any FAIR Journal subscribers or friends who happen to be
on campus. If you're not going to be on campus, but have a student or
friend at BYU... we would love to have anyone stop by just to say
hello. Attracting traffic to the display and signing will help get
the FAIR word out.

If anyone happens to be near campus Friday afternoon or have students,
etc. who will be on campus... please pass the message on.

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FAIR Publications Now Available from Deseret Book

FAIR announces that Deseret Book has taken over distribution of its
three FAIR titles making them now available wherever LDS Books are
sold. You can also find the titles listed on the Deseret Book website

http://deseretbook.com

along with a partial listing of some of the stores that already have
the titles in stock. As before, the FAIR website bookstore will also
continue to make all three title available as well.

Wayne D. Arnett, "Defending the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints: A Reference Guide"

http://deseretbook.com/store/product?product_id=100101403

Barry R. Bickmore, "Restoring the Ancient Church: Joseph Smith and
Early Christianity"

http://deseretbook.com/store/product?product_id=100010047

Alan Denison & D.L. Barksdale, "Guess Who Wants to Have You for Lunch?
A Missionary Guide to Anti-Mormon Tactics and Strategies"

http://deseretbook.com/store/product?product_id=100101404

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Where Did Book of Mormon Events Take Place?
by Michael R. Ash

For over 170 years, believers in The Book of Mormon have speculated
about where the events of that record actually occurred. Although the
book itself gives many details about cities, rivers, and travel, there
is nothing in the text relating to the New World that mentions a
geographic feature that we can positively identify. In this FAIR
brochure, Ash presents a brief argument in favor of the "Limited
Geography Theory," which is that the Book of Mormon events took place
in a relatively small area rather than in an area including both North
and South America.

Read the article: http://www.fairlds.org/FAIR_Brochures/Where_Did_the_Book_of_Mormon_Take_Place.pdf

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Were the Lehites Alone in the Americas?
by Michael R. Ash

The Book of Mormon text records the Lord's dealings with certain
descendants of Lehi. Since the text does not overtly mention
non-Lehite cultures and civilizations (except for the Mulekites and
the Jaredites), most readers assume that the Book of Mormon peoples
existed in a cultural vacuum, isolated from any other nations.

Recently, however, a number of Book of Mormon scholars have
reconsidered this assumption. Within the text there are a number of
details that are somewhat puzzling if the Lehite-only assumption is
true, but which make perfect sense if the Lehites were in contact with
other peoples. In this FAIR brochure, Ash looks at a few of the
evidences and arguments in support of the idea that the Book of Mormon
events involved peoples and cultures not directly described in the
Book of Mormon.

Read the article: http://www.fairlds.org/FAIR_Brochures/Were_the_Lehites_Alone.pdf

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Who Are the Lamanites?
by Michael R. Ash

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints frequently
use the term "Lamanite" to refer to any Native American, presuming
that any people remaining in the western hemisphere after the close of
the Book of Mormon must be literal, genetic descendants of Lehi's sons
Laman and Lemuel. Although this may be true, the Book of Mormon itself
uses the term "Lamanite" to mean much more than merely a blood
descendant of Lehi's two older sons. In this FAIR brochure, Ash points
to genetic, cultural, religious, and other meanings for the term
"Lamanite" as used by Nephite authors, and Ash considers the impact of
these multiple usages in considering how DNA data could be expected to
relate to the historicity of the Book of Mormon.

Read the article:
http://www.fairlds.org/FAIR_Brochures/Who_Are_the_Lamanites.pdf

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Is an Historical Book of Mormon Incompatible with DNA Science?
by Michael R. Ash

There has been a flurry of articles over the last two years dealing
with the impact of DNA studies on the Book of Mormon claims. In
response, Latter-day Saint experts and scholars have frequently
pointed out numerous flaws in trying to use any existing DNA study to
form a conclusion about the Book of Mormon. Ash has contributed a FAIR
brochure that summarizes the various responses to the DNA arguments
against the Book of Mormon. Ash points out that (1) the Book of Mormon
does not claim to deal with all ancient New World populations, (2) we
can't be sure what Lehi's or any other ancient Israelite's DNA looked
like, and (3) DNA markers can disappear over time.

Read the article: http://www.fairlds.org/FAIR_Brochures/DNA_and_the_Book_of_Mormon.pdf

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A Summary of Five Reviews of Grant Palmer's "An Insider's View of
Mormon Origins'" (with a Few Comments of My Own)
by George E. Cobabe

In 2002 Signature Books published Palmer's "An Insider's View of
Mormon Origins," which purports to explain the origin of The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the restored Gospel in terms of
Joseph Smith's personal experiences and environment. Opponents
of the Church heralded Palmer's book as a scholarly work that
convincingly rebutted Joseph Smith's testimony that he was divinely
commissioned to restore the ancient Church and Gospel.

Since that time, FARMS Review has published five reviews of Palmer's
work, each by a different author or authors and each looking at a
different aspect of "An Insider's View." The reviewers point out that
Palmer's sources are consistently one-sided and often biased, that
Palmer claims parallels that are far-fetched and highly improbable,
and that the evidence and arguments from a believer's point of view
are equally valid and more convincing.

Cobabe summarizes each of the reviews and adds additional arguments to
refute Palmer's interpretation of LDS history. Cobabe concludes that
"this just isn't credible history. Not even close!"

Read the article: http://www.fairlds.org/Book_of_Mormon/Summary_of_Five_Reviews_of_Grant_Palmer.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 mail it to our Questions address.

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FAIR ONLINE BOOKSTORE

If you have not yet purchased your audio recording of this year's FAIR
conference, you now have a choice between getting a CD or downloading
an MP3 file. You can purchase the audio recordings on CD at

http://www.fairlds.org/cgi-bin/site.pl?s130

and can purchase and download the MP3 versions at

http://www.fairlds.org/cgi-bin/site.pl?s131

The greatly anticipated "FARMS Review vol 16, Issue 1 (2004)" is out
and generating vigorous discussion as usual. Books reviewed include
Sally Denton's "American Massacre," Richard Abanes's "One Nation Under
Gods," and "The Book of Mormon: A Reader's Edition." Overviews are
offered of trends in Book of Mormon apologetics as well the Mosiah
First theories. Purchase this month at $8.75 (compare to its retail
price of $10.95). For further details on content, see

http://www.fairlds.org/cgi-bin/site.pl?s132

Winner of the Mormon History Association Best Book Award, "Lost
Legacy: The Mormon Office of Presiding Patriarch" focuses on this
inherited leadership position in the LDS Church. Irene Bates and E.
Gary Smith explore the history of the Presiding Patriarch, including
the tensions created by the conflict between familial authority (the
Patriarch) with official authority (the structured leadership of the
church). Offered by the University of Illinois Press at $19.95, this
month you can get it from FAIR for $15.95.

http://www.fairlds.org/cgi-bin/site.pl?s133

This next book is from one of our popular FAIR Conference speakers,
Roger Keller. Part of the RSC Specialized Monograph Series, "Book of
Mormon Authors: Their Words and Messages" details the characteristics
of the Book of Mormon authors that not only make them great leaders
and prophets, but also distinguish them as individuals with their own
unique perspectives and missions. This makes a significant
contribution to the argument surrounding authorship of the Book of
Mormon, so don't miss it at $11.85, 30% off the retail price.

http://www.fairlds.org/cgi-bin/site.pl?s134

Our non-LDS focused offering of the month is from John Sanders, a well
known and at times controversial theologist. "The God Who Risks" gives
"a profound and often inspiring presentation of relational theism"--an
understanding of providence in which "a personal God enters into
genuine give-and-take relations with his creatures." If you are
interested in the fascinating discussions surrounding the openness
model of God and his interaction with Man, it's well worth the modest
investment of $19.20 (retail $24.00). Reviews at

http://www.fairlds.org/cgi-bin/site.pl?s135

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ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS

We welcome article submissions for the FAIR Journal and website. If
you would like to submit an article, please review the editing
guidelines at:

http://www.fairlds.org/EdStyle.pdf

Submit your article to the FAIR Journal Editor, Paul McNabb
(FAIR contact page). An appropriate article would be one that
affirms the truthfulness of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints.

While LDS apologetics (in the broadest sense) deals with refuting
critics of the Church, articles don't necessarily have to deal with
anti-Mormonism, but may deal with some new evidence of the Book of
Mormon, some interesting scripture interpretation, a viewpoint or
quote from the early Christian Fathers or other historical figures, an
interesting lesson idea, an inspiring missionary story, Church
history, or your view on a current event related to the Church or a
piece from a historical journal.

We may also accept articles from people who are not members of The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that may not necessarily
meet the guidelines of supporting the church if it is a topic of
general interest to people involved in apologetics.

A submission may range in length from several pages to a single
paragraph.

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PUBLISHING NOTES

FAIR is not owned, controlled by or affiliated with The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. All research and opinions provided
in the FAIR Journal and on the FAIR website (http://www.fairlds.org)
are the sole responsibility of FAIR, and should not be interpreted as
official statements of LDS doctrine, belief or practice.

If someone has forwarded this e-journal to you and you would like to
join, you should go to www.fairlds.org and click on the "Join &
Support FAIR" link.

If you are interested in apologetics and would like to participate
actively in FAIR you should consider joining our apologetics e-mail
list. Visit www.fairlds.org and click on the "Join & Support FAIR"
link to join this list as well.

If you manage your own e-mail list, and wish to include some of these
thoughts or articles on your list, contact us at
webmaster. We have a fairly liberal policy of using our
material as long as you contact us first to gain permission and
clearly identify that your source was FAIR and by adding a link to the
FAIR website (www.fairlds.org).

--------------------------------
FAIR JOURNAL ARCHIVES

For past issues of the FAIR Journal, go to

http://www.fairlds.org/FAIR_Journal

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.

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.

Last Updated June 12, 2006
Copyright © 2007 by The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research. All Rights Reserved.
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