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THE FAIR JOURNAL                                             July 2007
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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 looks at recent attacks 
      on the LDS faith by anti-Mormon Bill Keller and looks to their 
      source.

    * 2007 FAIR CONFERENCE. The 2007 Annual FAIR Conference is only 
      days away. Demand for conference seating is high, so sign up 
      today to attend!

    * NEW ON THE WEBSITE. Dr. Dean Byrd reviews "No More Goodbyes" by 
      Carol Lynn Pearson and examines its views on homosexuality from 
      his professional vantage point.

    * RESOURCES ON THE WEB. In recent weeks there has been an ongoing 
      debate between Orson Scott Card and Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr, 
      president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

    * RESOURCES ON THE WEB. Historian Richard Turley has written an 
      article on the Church's website about the Mountain Meadows 
      Massacre.
      
    * 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 WIKI. The FAIR Wiki is an excellent resource for someone
      looking for a summary of an issue and for pointers to more
      detailed information.

    * FAIR LDS BOOKSTORE. Coming to the FAIR Conference? You'll
      want to pay heed to this month's bookstore special.

    * 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

Anti-Mormon bigotry is alive and well.

First, let me say that there are wonderful Christian and non-Christian 
people who work hard to improve their lives, be good examples, and 
follow God. But there is a small group of theological extremists who 
do their best to spread their bigotry to others. They build Websites, 
send out newsletters, are quoted in press articles, and appear on 
national radio and television. As much as I dislike giving them any 
credit, this small group of people seem to have an impact in shaping 
the beliefs of those around us, or at least in shaping the dialogue 
related to Mormonism.

Recently I had the privilege of being a guest on the Alan Colmes radio 
show along with the Reverend Bill Keller. Mr. Keller made a number of 
statements about my beliefs that were wrong as well as statements that 
portrayed members in a negative light. Normally I would simply write 
Reverend Keller off as an irrelevant figure. But he claims to operate 
the largest interactive Christian Website, to send his e-mails to 2.4 
million people, to receive 40,000 emails per day, and to receive over 
$2 million last year in donations. So he seems to have reach and 
impact.

Here are a few of the comments he made on that show and on his 
subsequent television show broadcast on Thursday, June 21. (These

are actual quotes, transcribed as best I could.) He did his television

show while wearing temple garments on the outside of his clothing.

* "LDS is a satanic cult."

* "There are no black bishops in the Mormon cult."

* "Mormons believe that non-Mormons are abominations."

* "One of the problems with the Mormon cult is that they are liars."

* "Like the inspiration of this satanic cult, Satan himself, they're 
  liars."

* "Mormons are people who have been inspired by Satan--literally."

* "They're just unconscionable liars."

* "When you challenge a Mormon on their beliefs, they will flat out 
  lie to you."

* "Mr. Romney, like all members of his satanic cult, is a liar. A 
  liar!"

One might get the idea that Mr. Keller doesn't trust Mormons and 
doesn't want other people to trust them either. Mr. Keller also had 
some things to say about the garments he was wearing on the outside of 
his clothes.

* "If you talk to a Mormon about their temple garments, their magical 
  underwear, they will tell you they don't exist. Well guess what 
  people, they do exist. I've got 'em on."

* "Where I got this set--I wouldn't tell you because the person who 
  they would be traced back to would be literally, literally his life 
  would be in danger."

* "They have this fantasy that when they wear this satanic underwear 
  that they are invincible."

* "For the temple Mormon who may be watching tonight, I don't think I 
  could do anything as egregious in his eyes, including slitting the 
  throat of his child in front of his eyes, than to do what I am doing 
  tonight and exposing the satanic temple garments of the Mormon cult 
  to the world."

The Reverend Keller isn't the only one with negative and inaccurate 
views about Mormons and Mormonism. The so-called Street Preachers who 
carry signs and shout outside of the conference center every six 
months during General Conference, as well as during the various LDS 
pageants, make similar claims. There are reports of some of them 
calling brides "Mormon whores" as they have exited the temple on their 
wedding day. The validity of those reports was brought home to me when 
a woman I know was called a "Mormon whore" by one of those good 
Christian Street Preachers as she exited a particularly uplifting 
conference session. One sign they have carried claims "Mormonism is 
worse than child molesting homosexuals." You can see a photo of this 
sign at

    http://www.fairlds.org/graphics/alw26.jpg

But, where do people get their false ideas about Mormonism? When asked 
this question Bill Keller stated, "I've got a theological education 
from Liberty University. We studied the cults of the world."

A survey done by FAIR seven years ago showed that 65% of clergy 
surveyed sponsored classes or firesides that discussed Mormonism, but 
that less than 4% of those actually invited a Mormon in to discuss 
their beliefs. You can see a summary of the survey results at

    http://www.fairlds.org/Survey1.html

When I visit our local Christian bookstore, shelves are filled with 
books and videos on Mormonism. Usually filed under the category of 
"cults" or "comparative religions," these products are filled with 
mischaracterizations of what Mormons believe. Most of these books and 
videos are done by professional anti-Mormons.

The irony of the situation is that some of the Christian denominations 
that seem to support this campaign of misinformation suffered from 
persecution, discrimination, or racism in their own past. For 
instance, it wasn't long ago that break-away Protestant religions were 
vilified, discriminated against, and persecuted by those religions 
from which they were breaking away. Yet now those previously
persecuted religions seem to be practicing what they once suffered at
the hands of others.

Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr, president of Southern Baptist Theological 
Seminary, is currently engaged in an online debate with Orson Scott 
Card as to whether or not Mormons are Christian. I would suspect that 
at least part of his preparation came from reading books filled with 
inaccuracies written by people like the Reverend Bill Keller. (Or, at 
the least, Reverend Keller and Dr. Mohler were "informed" about 
Mormonism by reading the same books--after all, both individuals were 
theologically trained in seminaries that provide classes on various 
cults.) Indeed, in the survey of Christian clergy conducted by FAIR, 
it was the anti-Mormon books that were suggested as the best place to 
learn about Mormonism. How can one even engage in a conversation about 
Mormonism when the source information is mostly an inaccurate 
representation of our beliefs and a disdain for our members?

My hope is that my Christian brothers and sisters in other 
denominations will stop supporting bigotry and become more discerning 
about the company they keep and the books that they read. I also hope 
that the journalists who write about Mormonism will begin to recognize 
bigotry for what it is and expose it as such in the national 
conversation about Mormonism.

--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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2007 FAIR Conference

You won't want to miss this FAIR conference. We will be discussing 
Solomon's temple, Mountain Meadows, The Book of Abraham, Oliver 
Cowdery, Book of Mormon research, receiving a spiritual witness and 
much more. The speakers are all topnotch. Many of them are the 
authors of the books and articles that interest you.

Come to the conference to meet and talk with the speakers and maybe 
even pick up a signed copy of their books. If you haven't signed up 
yet, hurry and do it now while there are still available seats.

This year during the Thursday session of the conference we will also 
be showing a special video "Nobody Knows: The Untold Story of Black 
Mormons." Also being shown at the conference will be a video on DNA in 
the New World and a video response to "The Bible vs the Book of 
Mormon" video from Living Hope Ministries.

Read more about the conference and register to attend at

    http://www.fairlds.org/conf07a.html


------------------------------
Review of "No More Goodbyes"
by A. Dean Byrd

The issue of homosexuality is a sensitive and nearly always devisive 
topic. Frequently people on both sides of the debate have strong 
feelings about whether homosexuality is morally wrong, whether sexual 
orientation is an individual choice, whether people can or should be 
"cured" from homosexuality, how homosexual relationships should be 
explained to children and youth, and whether society should be 
accepting of homosexual relationships as a valid and protected 
lifestyle.

In his reveiew of Carol Lynn Pearson's "No More Goodbyes: Circling the 
Wagons Around Our Gay Loved Ones," Dr. Dean Byrd looks at its approach 
to this important issue. Byrd points out that in both approach and 
content, the book suffers from some significant problems.

Relating to his first reading of the book, Byrd states, "Well written, 
a plea for compassion for those who suffer, but woefully biased 
against those who have successfully made their way out of 
homosexuality." His second reading of the book, however, left a 
different impression.  He says, "A second reading of Pearson's book 
was like reading an entirely different manuscript and was quite 
disturbing." Byrd goes on to note, "Sadness themes were overpowered by 
frustration and anger themes. Scientific findings were misinterpreted 
time and time again. The dissension from Church doctrine and the 
attacks on Church leaders were not few."

For those for planning to read Pearson's book, this review will 
provides an interesting and important backdrop for the work, 
regardless of one's personal opinions about homosexuality.

Read the article:

    http://www.fairlds.org/Reviews/Rvw200701.html


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RESOURCES ON THE WEB: CARD/MOHLER DEBATE

Debates between Latter-day Saints and their critics is nothing new. 
Such confrontations began in the very earliest days of the Restoration 
and have continued for nearly two centuries. Some debates have been 
civil and respectful, others have been less so, and some have been 
little more than verbal brawls. In recent years a new venue has 
appeared in which these debates can appear: the Internet blog.

Orson Scott Card has been having an ongoing exchange and debate with 
Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr, president of Southern Baptist Theological 
Seminary.  This is taking place on the beliefnet "blogalogue" site. 
The postings of Card and Mohler are on separate pages, but you can 
move through the chain of postings beginning at any point.

Read Card's "Who Gets to Define 'Christian'?" post:

    http://www.fairlds.org/cgi-bin/site.pl?s229

Read the debate from the beginning:

    http://blog.beliefnet.com/blogalogue/mormondebate


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RESOURCES ON THE WEB: TURLEY WRITES ON THE MOUNTAIN MEADOWS MASSACRE

The Mountain Meadows Massacre was a tragic event in LDS history. 
Critics have long used Mountain Meadows as a argument against the 
truth claims of the Church and as evidence that Brigham Young was 
neither a prophet nor a godly man.

Richard Turley, a respected historian and Managing Director of the 
Family and Church History Department, has written a brief summary of 
the massacre. The Church has added this new article by Turley to its 
Web site. It gives a clear explanation of the Mountain Meadows 
Massacre and the events leading up to it.

Read the article.

    http://www.fairlds.org/cgi-bin/site.pl?s230

You should note that Brother Turley will be a speaker at this year's 
FAIR Conference and will be speaking on the Mountain Meadows Massacre. 
This is another excellent reason to be sure to register to reserve a 
place at the conference!


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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


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FAIR WIKI

The FAIR Wiki project was started in 2006 to provide a more flexible
and searchable resource for Latter-day Saints and others to get
answers to Gospel questions. The Wiki is by design always a "work in
progress," with many editors at FAIR contributing to articles on a
daily basis. You can access the FAIR Wiki at:

    http://www.fairwiki.org/index.php/Main_Page


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FAIR LDS BOOKSTORE

The FAIR LDS Bookstore staff is preparing for annual book sale 
associated with the FAIR Conference. The massive inventory of high 
quality LDS books that are available (and discounted!) at the 
Conference is something that you won't want to miss. Be sure to 
register for the FAIR Conference and come prepared to meet the 
speakers and authors and to take home a copy of their books. Don't 
forget to have the authors sign their books for you!

If you want to browse online, you can use the following link to jump 
directly to our Bookstore index.

    http://store.fairlds.org

If you are coming to the FAIR Conference, we hope you'll make time
to stop by the bookstore. If you print out this issue of the FAIR
Journal and bring this particular page with you, you can get an
additional 10% off of any single bookstore item. (This offer is good
for in-store purchases at the FAIR Conference only. It is not good
for online purchases.)

We look forward to seeing you at the FAIR Conference!

--FAIR Bookstore Volunteers
  http://store.fairlds.org


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ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS

We welcome article submissions for the FAIR Journal and Web site. 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,
by going to

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

An appropriate article would be one that affirms the truthfulness of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

While LDS apologetics involves refuting critics of the Church, its
doctrines, and its leaders, articles don't necessarily have to deal
with anti-Mormonism. FAIR will consider articles that deal with new
evidence of the Book of Mormon, scriptural passages that involve a
unique LDS interpretation, a viewpoint or quote from the early
Christian Fathers or other historical figures, an inspiring missionary
story, Church history, a view on a current event related to the
Church, or a piece from an 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 Web site (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 by going to

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

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).


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

For past issues of the FAIR Journal, go to

     http://www.fairlds.org/pubs/journal

--------------------------------
Copyright (c) 2007 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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Last Updated July 16, 2007
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