The FAIR Journal

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THE FAIR JOURNAL                                         November 2006
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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 encourages us to focus
       on the good in the Church and in the lives of people rather than
       on the flaws that inevitably exist in an imperfect world.

     * CHANGES COMING TO THE FAIR MESSAGE BOARD. As part of the growth
       of FAIR, the organization has decided to divest itself of the
       FAIR Message Board. Never fear; they will continue on under a
       new name and a new management team.

     * NEW ON THE WEBSITE. "O that my voice could reach the ears of
       those uninformed and misinformed." Suzanne Armitage provides an
       introduction for the proceedings of an 1886 women's conference
       on polygamy.

     * 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.

     * FAIR LDS BOOKSTORE. This month the FAIR Bookstore is offering
       three books at special low prices.

     * 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. All of the FAIR Journal issues since
       October 2001 are on the FAIR web site.


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MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

I had the opportunity of taking a very close look at a mosaic last
week. It was in a floor that dated back to Roman times. The picture in
the floor was put together using various pieces of colored stones. As
I was looking at the many imperfect small stones up close, I was able
to see all of their odd shapes and flaws. But when I stepped back, the
entire beautiful picture came into focus.

Sometimes I think that happens when looking at the church. We can
spend a lot of time focusing on the imperfections in the people, past
or present, instead of stepping back and looking at the miracle that
was achieved.

Gordon B. Hinckley once said:

   "Those who criticize us have lost sight of the glory and wonder of
   this work. They are so busy finding fault with us that they do not
   see the greatness of the Lord's work.From a vast amount of
   information our critics appear to select and write about those
   items which demean and belittle some men and women of the past who
   worked so hard in laying the foundation of this great cause.

   "My plea is that as we continue our search for truth, that we look
   for strength and goodness rather than weakness and failings in
   those who did so great a work in their time.

   "We recognize that our forefathers were human. They doubtless made
   mistakes. Most of them acknowledged making mistakes. But their
   mistakes were minor when compared with the marvelous work that they
   accomplished.

   "There was only one perfect man who ever walked the earth. The Lord
   has used imperfect people in the process of building his perfect
   society. If some of them occasionally stumbled, or if their
   characters may have been slightly flawed in one way or another, the
   wonder is the greater that they accomplished so much."

I continue to be amazed by the scholarship that supports what Joseph
Smith taught. How did a farm boy from upstate New York get anything
right? Yet there are scholars today--even non LDS scholars--who talk
about and debate those principles that were revealed through Joseph
Smith.

I'm sure that all of the church leaders had flaws and even may have
held beliefs that were not accurate. Looking at our current wards, we
all know there are members who have flaws, and I count as one of those
with flaws.

Those of us who are married know that our spouses may have flaws. The
question becomes what we focus on. If we focus on the good things, we
will see them, and it will lead to a long lasting marriage and
happiness. If we focus on the flaws, we will see those, and it will
lead to bitterness and divorce.

While looking at that Roman mosaic, I could choose to focus on those
broken imperfect stones, or I could step back and see the beautiful
picture. It really was my choice. Did I want to look for the beauty or
for the flaws.

--Scott Gordon
  President


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FAIR is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, so if you are in the United
States, your donation is tax deductible. Without your donations, FAIR
would cease to exist. Thank you for your support.

     http://store.fairlds.org/bi071.html

You can also contact FAIR via the U.S. Postal Service using the
following address. (NOTE: This is a new mailing address for FAIR.)

     FAIR
     P.O. Box 491677
     Redding, CA 96049-1677


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CHANGES COMING TO THE FAIR MESSAGE BOARD

As FAIR continues to grow and evolve, we make changes to better meet
our goals. A major change we will be making within the next week is to
divest ourselves of the FAIR Message Board, turning their operation
over to one of the current moderators. The Message Board will continue
with a new name of Mormon Apologetic & Discussion Board, or MA&D. The
URL will be http://www.MormonApologetics.org.

FAIR was born from LDS individuals posting on Internet message boards,
so this is a big step for us. But we believe this change will remove
the confusion from people's minds about whether or not FAIR endorses
the posts on the message boards, allow more freedom for the posters,
and allow FAIR to focus our resources. Message boards are a valuable
discussion medium, but the format does not universally appeal to
people who come to FAIR looking for answers. FAIR will, in turn,
devote our scarce resources to enhancing the FAIR wiki
(http://www.fairwiki.org) and providing more international articles.

At this point all decisions and management have been given over to
the new MAAD management team. In the very near future the old URL
for the message boards (http://www.fairboards.org) will be retired,
and the message boards will have a new look and feel. FAIR will
maintain a hands-off policy and does not endorse the actions nor the
posts on this new message board. Those who currently post on the FAIR
message boards won't need to do anything differently, other than
create a bookmark on their computer to the new URL. For a short time
we will continue to have a pointer from the FAIR Web site, but after
a reasonable amount of time has passed, we will be removing the link.

Given that I am one of those message board junkies, I'm sure that you
will still see me occasionally at the new message board. See ya
there!

--Scott Gordon
  President


------------------------------
NEW ON THE WEBSITE

"O that my voice could reach the ears of those uninformed and
misinformed"
by Suzanne Armitage

The 19th century practice of polygamy has been one of the most
frequently attacked principles of the Restored Gospel. The nature and
extent of the practice has often been misunderstood and misrepresented
both Latter-day Saints and those outside the Church. Early writings
about polygamy tended to be either wildly sensational and highly
polemic or else superficial and defensive.

The late 20th century, however, saw LDS polygamy being examined with
an attempt at understanding polygamy and polygamous relationships from
the point of view of those who participated in it, with particular
consideration of the complex and differing experiences of the LDS
participants.

Armitage has written an introduction for an important historical
document that looks at polygamy from the viewpoint of the Mormon women
who practiced it. The proceedings of an 1886 meeting of LDS women is
available on the FAIR web site, and it is this document that Armitage
summarizes and highlights in her article. Those interested in 19th
century polygamy will find Armitage's article and the proceedings she
references to be enlightening and interesting.

Read the article:

     http://www.fairlds.org/cgi-bin/site.pl?s221


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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, you may submit it through the FAIR web site.

     http://www.fairlds.org/contact.php

Questions sent to FAIR 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

The following are the Topical Guide updates for the month.

* Daniel C. Peterson
   "Nephi and His Asherah"

   Among the ancient Canaanites and Israelites, some believed that
   Asherah was the heaveny consort of the God "El." Peterson shows
   that Nephi's dream of the tree of life convincingly demonstrates a
   knowledge of this Asherah and her association with the tree of
   life, just as the ancients associated Asherah with the sacred
   tree. All of these things, of course, would not have been known to
   Americans in the early nineteenth century.

   Book of Mormon > Old World Context
   Book of Mormon > Authorship & Evidences

* Wm. Revell Phillps
   "Metals in the Book of Mormon"

   Wm. Revell Phillips notes some of the highlights of research done
   in those areas believed to associated with the Lehites' journey in
   Arabia. Phillips notes that, as described in the Book of Mormon,
   ore--for shipbuilding--was avaible in those very locations.

   Book of Mormon > Old World Context
   Book of Mormon > Metal & Metal Plates

* Camille Fronk
   "Desert Epiphany: Sariah and the Women in 1 Nephi"

   While there is not a lot of text dedicated to the women of the
   Lehite party, Camille Fronk examines what we do know of the women,
   what they might have endured, how they might have reacted to
   circumstances, and what we know of women's lives in ancient
   Arabia.

   Book of Mormon > Old World Context

* Noel B. Reynolds
   "Lehi as Moses"

   Our understanding of Lehi's leadership comes through the writings
   of his son Nephi. While it has been previously noted that Nephi
   chose to tell the story of his "reign and ministry" (1 Nephi 10:1)
   in such a way that his readers would see Nephi himself as a second
   Moses, it has not been much observed that it may have been his
   father, Lehi, who first employed this device to persuade his
   descendants of his own divine calling. In this paper Noel Reynolds
   shows that Lehi had used this device in an attempt to persuade his
   descendants to accept his difficult instructions and that in
   portraying himself as a second Moses, Nephi was following a model
   established at least two decades earlier by his own father
   Nephi's small plates were probably written 20 to 30 years after
   Lehi's final teachings were given to his family.

   Book of Mormon > Old World Context

* John L. Sorenson
   "The Problematic Role of DNA Testing in Unraveling Human History"

   What can and can't DNA studies tell us about the ancestry of
   human? And how does this relate to what we find in the Book of
   Mormon?

   Book of Mormon > DNA and the Book of Mormon

* John L. Sorenson
   "Was There Hebrew Language in Ancient America?"

   Dr. Sorenson interviews linguist Brian Stubbs (who specializes in
   Near Eastern and Native American languages) who has found some
   interesting paralles between the Hebrew and Uto-Aztecan languges.

   Book of Mormon > New World Context

* Paul Y. Hoskisson
   "What's in a Name?"

   Paul Hoskisson explores the possible Hebrew roots for the name
   "Nephi."

   Book of Mormon > Old World Context


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FAIR LDS BOOKSTORE

The FAIR LDS Bookstore always tries hard to find the best deals. This
month we have three great books on sale.

--> "Journey of Faith: From Jerusalem to the Promised Land," edited by
     S. Kent Brown and Peter Johnson, FARMS, 2006, hardbound,
     ISBN 0-84252-644-7.

Stark in its appearance grand in its sweep, the Arabian desert rolls
out a carpet of contrasts as far as the eye can see--mountains of
sand, valleys scooped out by the wind, seasonal pools of water brought
to life by brief rains, dark igneous mountains muscling above the
parched soil, spindly plants extending their roots for dozens of
meters in search of moisture, rocks blackened by millennia of blazing
sun.

All of these were the changeless, sleepless companions of Lehi,
Sariah, and their little party of travelers for eight years in the
wilderness. Their passing, it seems, drew only occasional attention--
and the constant eye of God.

The images of Lehi's desert journey, so hauntingly portrayed in the
documentary film "Journey of Faith," are now in print in this
beautiful full-color volume, together with insightful commentary from
the scholars whose years of research culminated in this groundbreaking
documentary. The book includes a free bonus DVD entitled "A Filmmaking
Odyssey: The Making of Journey of Faith."

Now on sale for $20.96. This is 30% off the retail price of $29.95.

     http://store.fairlds.org/prod/p0842526447.html

--> "Joseph Smith: The Man, The Mission, The Message," by Matthew B.
     Brown and Val W. Brinkerhoff (photograper), Covenant
     Communications, 2004, hardbound, 106 pages, ISBN 1-59156-578-2.

Get to know Brother Joseph in this stunning photo-biography that
portrays a multidimensional man: his upbringing, his charismatic
personality, his devotion to family, his humor, his leadership, and
his dedication to his mission and to GodĘs message--even unto
martyrdom.

Using text, photographs, and artwork, Brown and Brinkerhoff glean the
lesser-known details of Joseph's life and place them into the context
of the time to tell of this American Prophet's successes, failures,
tragedies, and triumphs.

Now on sale for $20.96. This is 30% of the retail price of $29.95.

     http://store.fairlds.org/prod/p1591565782.html

--> "Reformed Christians and Mormon Christians: Let's Talk!," by Roger
     R. Keller, Pryor Pettengill, 1986, hardbound, 155 pages, ISBN
     0-93346-206-9.

More than a study in comparative religion, this volume is a scholar's
research of the commitments shared by two Christian traditions:
Reformed and Mormon. It is the author's intention to make known the
aspects of faith shared by all wings of Christendom, in order that
Christen Reformers and Mormons will mutually discover the overlapping
precepts of their convictions. The original roots of these faiths are
juxtaposed to present kinships, with the resultant outflow of a
conciliatory spirit. This study sets forth the view that Christian
Reformers and Mormons cannot disparage one another without
self-contradiction on the basis that each is committed to prayer,
good will, and living love. It is a foundation for unity amidst
diversity.

This is not a new book; it was written in 1986 as Dr. Keller was
converting from Protestantism to the LDS Church. It is not dated,
however, and is a classic in building bridges between faiths.

This is now on sale for $5.90, 80% off the original retail price of
$29.50. At this price you can get a new book for a lower price than a
used copy at most bookstores.

     http://store.fairlds.org/prod/p0933462069.html

To see all of our specials in one place, visit this special page:

     http://store.fairlds.org/specials.html

Thanks for your continued support of 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, clearly
identify that your source was FAIR, and add a link to the FAIR Web
site (www.fairlds.org).


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FAIR JOURNAL ARCHIVES

For past issues of the FAIR Journal, go to

     http://www.fairlds.org/FAIR_Journal

	  
--------------------------------
Copyright (c) 2006 by The Foundation for Apologetic Information and
Research (FAIR). All rights reserved.

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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.

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