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

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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.

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THE FAIR JOURNAL August 2005
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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. This year's FAIR Conference was a
great success, and the 2006 conference dates are set.

* NEW ON THE WEBSITE: "What I Learned about Life, the Church,
and the Cosmos from Hugh Nibley." Boyd Petersen shares life's
lessons learned through the life of Hugh Nibley.

* NEW ON THE WEBSITE: "Reflections on Secular Anti-Mormonism."
Daniel Peterson's 2005 FAIR Conference presentation looks at
the new wave of anti-Mormonism that is currently most popular
with antagonist critics.

* NEW ON THE WEBSITE: "'Believest thou...?': Faith, Cognitive
Dissonance, and the Psychology of Religious Experience."
Wendy Ulrich presents a profound look at how we use our
emotional, intellectual, and spiritual experiences to build
our faith in God.

* NEWS ON THE WEB: American Psychological Association Issues
Apology.

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

* FAIR TOPICAL GUIDE. The Topical Guide on the FAIR Web site is
one of the most popular resources offered. Learn what is
available and help us expand our references. Listed below are
some new links in FAIR's Topical Guide.

* FAIR LDS BOOKSTORE. The FAIR Bookstore is one of the best
on-line resources for expanding your Gospel library, and this
year's FAIR Conference presentations will soon be available
in audio format. Six items have been discounted for this
month's Journal.

* 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

We're very pleased to say that we had another successful year at our
FAIR conference in Sandy, Utah. The 300 people who attended were able
to hear wonderful presentations on archaeology and the Book of Mormon,
faith and doubt, DNA and the Book of Mormon, blacks in the LDS Church,
Joseph Smith history, and many other topics. All of the presentations
were faith affirming and uplifting. The speakers all did a wonderful
job, and we appreciate their time and effort.

Hundreds of hours of volunteer time were donated to make this
conference a successful one. Many people don't realize that FAIR does
not have a paid staff. Not only did our workers not get paid for their
labor, but they even had to pay to get into the conference themselves.
They do this so we can keep the cost of our conference at an
affordable level.

The conference gives us an opportunity to discuss topics that have
been raised by critics of the Church that sometimes concern members of
the Church. As usual, our speakers showed that these issues are not
only NOT a concern, but in many cases, looking at a full exploration
of the topic instead of the limited view presented by our critics,
they present a rich and faith-promoting experience.

For the third year in a row, the conference was also covered by many
media outlets including the Church News (August 20 issue). For the
first time, the conference was rebroadcast through www.ldsaudio.com,
which allowed many of our friends overseas to listen in. Audio and
video proceedings from the conference will be available shortly.

Thanks for everyone's help.

Plan your calendar now. The 2006 conference will be on August 3 - 4.

--Scott Gordon
President, FAIR

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FAIR relies on your kind donations to remain in business. Now is the
time to make a donation. FAIR is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, so
if you are in the United States, your donation is tax deductible.

http://www.fairlds.org/cgi-bin/site.pl?s147

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What I Learned about Life, the Church, and the Cosmos from Hugh Nibley
by Boyd Petersen

At this year's FAIR Conference, Boyd Petersen gave insights he had
gained from being associated with Hugh Nibley for so many years. In
this article, which formed much of his presentation at the conference,
Petersen lays out the many lessons taught to him through the life a
great father, scholar, and saint. Nibley became a legend in his own
life, and through Petersen's eyes we see into that life whose
influence is certain to be felt for generations to come.

Read the article: http://www.fairlds.org/FAIR_Conferences/2005_What_I_Learned_about_Life_the_Church_and_the_Cosmos_from_Hugh_Nibley.html

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Reflections on Secular Anti-Mormonism
by Daniel C. Peterson

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been subjected to
a steady stream of hostile criticism and attack since its
organization. In recent years, however, a new form of anti-Mormonism
has appeared, relying not on Biblical proof texting or dredging up
quotes from the Journal of Discourses, but rather on more subtle and
nonreligious arguments. In his 2005 FAIR Conference presentation,
Peterson looks at this new wave of "secular anti-Mormonism" and how
this approach and its adherents attempt to refute LDS claims. Secular
anti-Mormonism appears to be the preferred approach for those who
"leave the Church but can't leave it alone."

Peterson looks at the atheistic and secular basis for this newer brand
of anti-Mormonism and finds it seriously flawed, both in terms of its
assumptions and its ramifications. "Thus, truly consistent secularist
critics of Mormonism may have sawed off the limb on which they were
sitting."

Read the article: http://www.fairlds.org/FAIR_Conferences/2005_Reflections_on_Secular_Anti-Mormonism.html

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"Believest thou...?": Faith, Cognitive Dissonance, and the Psychology
of Religious Experience
by Wendy Ulrich

Over the past several years there has been a flurry of anti-Mormon
activity attempting to explain the reason so many Latter-day Saints
maintain their faith in the face of "obvious, overwhelming evidence"
that the Mormon church and faith is a fraud. One increasingly misused
phrase is "cognitive dissonance," which is pressed into service to
explain the deep mental confusion and stress which, to anti-Mormon
critics, is the only reasonable response to what they see as damning
facts disproving Mormonism.

In her 2005 FAIR Conference presentation, Ulrich looks not only at
"cognitive dissonance" but the whole idea of faith and spiritual
experiences. She notes that "people from many religious traditions
have 'spiritual' experiences--feelings, insights, premonitions, and
encounters which they are left to their own conclusions to decipher."
Human beings must not only deal with these religious experiences, but
they must incorporate them into a life filled with complex, painful,
and often contradictory experiences.

Ulrich looks at how people cope with these complexities and how they
weigh the evidences using emotional, intellectual, and spiritual
tools. "While cognitive dissonance theory says we behave primarily to
justify our beliefs, faith teach us that both commitment and
uncertainty are valuable tools that can be used to clarify our beliefs
and increase our trust in God."

Read the article: http://www.fairlds.org/FAIR_Conferences/2005_Faith_Cognitive_Dissonance_and_the_Psychology_of_Religious_Experience.html

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News on the Web: American Psychological Association Issues Apology

FAIR Journal readers may recall reading about the APA statements about
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This was first
mentioned in the June 2005 FAIR Journal.

http://www.fairlds.org/FAIR_Journal/FJ200506.html

According to the BiasFire website, "The official APA publication
disparaged a religious faith, employing sweeping negative
characterizations including terms such as 'a corporation with no
heart' bent on using 'powerful psychological techniques,' 'mind
control' and 'brainwashing.' The APA ad hoc Committee on Films and
Other Media sponsored a presentation on July 31, 2004 of a
controversial anti-Mormon film."

Since that time the APA has issued a long-awaited apology. You can
read the history of the issue at the BiasFire website at

http://www.biasfire.com

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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 Web site as a FAIR paper or brochure. If you have a
question, simply mail it to our Questions address. Email sent to this
address will be shared with members of FAIR, so it is not uncommon to
receive several responses that approach the issue from different
angles.

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FAIR TOPICAL GUIDE

The Topical Guide is one of the most important LDS apologetic
resources available. If you aren't familiar with this part of FAIR's
Web site, check it out at

http://www.fairlds.org/apol

A number of new links have been added to the Topical Guide this month.
Shown below are the authors and titles of new articles that have been
linked into the Topical Guide, along with the link to the Topical
Guide section where these have been added.

Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, Volume 9, Issue 2 (2000)
Out of the Dust: Finding Things Where Are "Not Supposed to Be"
Science and Religion > Noah's Flood
http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai270.html

Hugh Nibley
Before Adam
Science and Religion > Noah's Flood
http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai270.html
Science and Religion > Evolution
http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai093.html

Duane E. Jefferey
Noah's Flood: Modern Scholarship and Mormon Traditions
Science and Religion > Noah's Flood
http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai270.html

Jerry K. Loveland
Hagoth and the Polynesian Tradition
Book of Mormon > New World Context
http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai113.html

Noel B. Reynolds
The Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon in the Twentieth Century
Book of Mormon > Challenge of the Book of Mormon
http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai117.html

Steven L. Olsen
Cosmic Urban Symbolism in the Book of Mormon
Book of Mormon > New World Context
http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai113.html

Stan Larson
Conjectural Emendation and the Text of the Book of Mormon
Book of Mormon > Translation Process
http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai120.html

Robert J. Matthews
The Doctrine of the Resurrection in the Book of Mormon
Book of Mormon > Witness of Christ
http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai106.html

Russell R. Rich
The Dogberry Papers and the Book of Mormon
Critics > Anti-Mormons
http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai153.html

Noel B. Reynolds
The Gospel of Jesus Christ as Taught by the Nephite Prophets
Book of Mormon > Fullness of the Gospel
http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai278.html

John A. Tvedtnes
Hebraisms in the Book of Mormon: A Preliminary Study
Book of Mormon > Textual Issues > Hebraisms
http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai283.html

Bart J. Kowallis
In the Thirty and Fourth Year: A Geologist's View of the Great
Destruction in 3 Nephi
Book of Mormon > New World Context
http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai113.html

David Clark
Lehi and El Nino: A Method of Migration
Book of Mormon > Old World Context
http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai280.html

Brent Ashworth
Martin Harris's 1873 Letter to Walter Conrad
Book of Mormon > Witnesses
http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai109.html

John L. Sorenson
The "Mulekites"
Book of Mormon
http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai105.html

Ray C. Hilam
The Gadianton Robbers and Protracted War
Book of Mormon > New World Context
http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai113.html
Book of Mormon > Old World Context
http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai280.html

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FAIR LDS BOOKSTORE

This year's FAIR Conference was a tremendous experience for those who
were able to attend. We are working feverishly to make the 2005
presentations available in printed, audio, and video format for our
FAIR members worldwide. Those who were unable to attend the conference
will be able to connect with the speakers and attendees as many
aspects of the Gospel and LDS apologetics are presented.

A few of the presentations have already been transcribed and are on
the FAIR website as described elsewhere in this issue of the Journal.
We expect the audio versions of the conference talks to be available
during September, and we will be sending a notice to our FAIR Journal
subscribers when they appear in the FAIR Bookstore.

The following items are this month's special discounts.

--> Salvation in Christ: Comparative Christian Views (15% off)

http://www.fairlds.org/cgi-bin/site.pl?s191

--> Analysis of Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon: Part Two 2
Nephi 11 - Mosiah 16 (20% off)

http://www.fairlds.org/cgi-bin/site.pl?s192

--> Are We There Yet? (15% off)

http://www.fairlds.org/cgi-bin/site.pl?s193

--> Astronomy, Papyrus, and Covenant (20% off)

http://www.fairlds.org/cgi-bin/site.pl?s194

--> Brigham Young: Images of a Mormon Prophet (70% off)

http://www.fairlds.org/cgi-bin/site.pl?s195

--> Journey of Faith (DVD) (20% off)

http://www.fairlds.org/cgi-bin/site.pl?s196

We hope you keep increasing and expanding your Gospel knowledge
through the many items available at the FAIR Bookstore.

- The FAIR Bookstore Staff

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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
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