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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.
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THE FAIR JOURNAL March 2008
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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 discusses how LDS beliefs
are misrepresented by critics, some of whom may be acting with
good intentions.
* FAIR CONFERENCE SPEAKERS. FAIR has announced some of the speakers
and topics that will be part of this year's FAIR Conference.
* CHANGES TO THE BLACK MORMON WEBSITE. Several changes have been
made to blacklds.org that make the website an even better
resources for members.
* NEW ON THE WEBSITE. Blake Ostler's 2007 FAIR Conference
presentation on "Spiritual Experiences as the Basis for Belief and
Commitment" is now online.
* RESOURCES ON THE WEB. FAIR has continued to extend its video
library on YouTube.
* RESOURCES ON THE WEB. Meridian Magazine has a collection of FAIR
responses to critics' questions.
* RESOURCES ON THE WEB. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints has announced a new website and Elder Russel M. Nelson has
a YouTube video introducing and explaining this new resource.
* RESOURCES ON THE WEB. The Deseret Morning News has announced a new
website that includes a FAIR-sponsored question and answer
section.
* 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. Links to many new and changed articles are
included in this issue.
* FAIR LDS BOOKSTORE.
* 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.
------------------------------
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Spreading Bigotry with Good Intentions
Let me start by saying that not everyone who doesn't believe in the
teachings of the Mormon faith is anti-Mormon. When we discuss
anti-Mormon bigotry, we are really talking about those who actively
proclaim false teachings and promote religious bigotry. Typically they
are easily recognizable as they make no attempt to try to understand
our beliefs, but instead try to impose on us what our belief system is
supposed to be. They sometimes take our sacred and divine teachings
and paint them using language that is only marginally recognizable by
the practicing member. We hear about the extra-terrestrial humanoid
God, the God who is only a man, the pantheon of Mormon Gods, the Jesus
who is only "a god" and not "God," how we wear "magic underwear," as
well as how Mormons believe we are saved by our works and not by Jesus
Christ.
Of course, this is akin to describing the Holy Communion as
"ritualistic cannibalism," or even as one person recently posted on an
Internet message board, describing brushing your teeth with
fluoridated toothpaste as rubbing toxic waste in your mouth and
forcing your children to do the same. Clearly these over-the-top
communications should be rejected out of hand, but unfortunately they
often are not.
I was listening to a class on Mormonism taught by Pastor John Krieger
of South Carolina, and I learned that we believe that "Bible doctrine
is corrupt." I learned that we also believe "the deity of Jesus
Christ, the blood atonement of Christ, and salvation by grace through
faith is wrong. In fact it is an abomination." I can understand why
Pastor Krieger would be upset by those teachings. I would be too if I
actually believed them. The problem is that I don't, and I am a
practicing Mormon.
The anticipated response to this is that I am either "not high enough
up in the Mormon Church," as one writer claimed of me, or I am not
really knowledgeable about Mormon doctrine. This fits the only-non-
Mormons-and-ex-Mormons-are-knowledgeable model. Nobody who is actually
a believer knows about his beliefs. If one thinks about that idea for
30 seconds or more, he or she will quickly realize the silliness of
that position.
As Latter-day Saints have become more vocal in trying to refute these
false claims, there are some like Pastor Krieger who are saying that,
"For the past few years there has been a drive going on in the Mormon
Church that they are Christian." And that we are now trying to "be
accepted as a mainline Christian denomination."
First, let me assure Pastor Krieger and others that we don't want to
be a mainline Protestant-like Christian denomination. But, let me also
state unequivocally that we are Christian. If you have doubts on this,
try reading the Book of Mormon Title page
http://scriptures.lds.org/en/bm/ttlpg
or 2 Nephi chapter 2, especially verses 6 through 9
http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/2
and 2 Nephi Chapter 25, especially verses 19 through 29
http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/25
There are many more scriptures I could cite, but those would be a good
start. These are what we believe and what we have always believed.
I'm not suggesting that Pastor Krieger is anything but a good and
well-intentioned man. But he has chosen the wrong sources to learn
about Mormonism. He suggests that if we want to learn more we should
check out "Kingdom of the Cults" and "The Godmakers," both books which
distort, malign, an inaccurately portray my faith. Whether he intends
to or not, he is spreading religious bigotry.
I hope that we at FAIR, and others like us, can provide good solid
resources to people who have serious questions about Mormonism. But we
can only do that with the support and help of many volunteers as well
as financial donors. Maybe one day when people talk about Mormonism
they will be able to accept or reject it based on accurate information
instead of misinformation, distortion, and bigotry, however well
intentioned it may be.
--Scott Gordon
President
------------------------------
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.
FAIR
P.O. Box 491677
Redding, CA 96049-1677
------------------------------
Fair Conference Speakers
We are excited to invite you to our upcoming FAIR conference. We have
a lineup that combines some of our favorite speakers from past
conferences as well as some newcomers. Some of our speakers and topics
this year include:
* Mike Ash: Author of the new book "Shaken Faith Syndrome."
* Brian Birch: Director, Religious Studies Program and Associate
Professor of Philosophy at UVSC.
* Matthew Brown: Author of "Symbols in Stone" and many other books.
He will speak on Temple Worship among the Ancient Hebrews and
Early Christians.
* Brant Gardner: Author of the new, very popular "Second Witness,
Analytical & Contextual Commentary on the Book of Mormon."
* Darius Gray and Margaret Young: Producers of the just released
documentary "Nobody Knows" examining the struggles, trials, and
joys of black Latter-day Saints.
* Brian Hauglid: Addressing issues related to the Book of Abraham.
* Vicky Pahnky Taylor: A favorite EFY speaker.
* Ugo A. Perego: The Director of Operations and Study Research
Coordinator for the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation. He
will be speaking on "Joseph Smith's DNA Revealed: New clues from
the Prophet's genes."
* Dan Peterson: Professor of Islamic Studies and Arabic, co-author
of "Offenders for a Word" and an annual speaker at the conference.
* Larry Poulson: Researcher on Book of Mormon geography.
* Mark Wright: Mark will take a break from leading his MesoAmerican
tours with Liahona Tours and fly up to speak at our conference. We
want to thank Liahona tours for letting us steal Mark for a couple
of days.
* Blake Ostler: LDS philosopher will be participating in a roundtable
about LDS philosophy.
* David Paulsen: LDS philosopher will participating in the roundtable
with Blake Ostler.
We will also have a speaker on the new Joseph Smith Papers. And there
will be more. We will announce them as soon as we have their travel
plans firmed up.
Order your tickets now. Last year, we filled to capacity. Make sure
you reserve your spot here:
http://store.fairlds.org/prod/pConR2.html
------------------------------
Changes to the Black Mormon Website
The Black Mormon Website at www.blacklds.org has put together a new
management team. We are working hard to update the Website and make it
a resource for news and events that may be of interest. If you have an
upcoming event, or if you have had news or an event, or if you have
pictures of interest, please submit them to the Website at
http://www.blacklds.org/about
To make the Website more interactive and community focused, we have
also added a place for comments to the news events. Additionally, one
of the most actively visited areas of the Website is the testimony
page. If you are black and LDS, please send us your photo plus a copy
of your testimony. We will post it up on the Website so other members
can be strengthened by your testimony.
------------------------------
Spiritual Experiences as the Basis for Belief and Commitment
by Blake T. Ostler
In his 2007 FAIR Conference presentation, Blake Ostler dealt with the
critical topic of the role of experience in our search for truth. This
presentation is not an overview of epistemology, nor does Ostler
address all the philosophical issues that surround this topic. But
this is important for Latter-day Saints not only for their personal
spiritual growth and an understanding of how spiritual experiences can
and should form the basis of our knowledge of the truth, but also for
answering the criticisms commonly raised by anti-Mormons who reject
all experiential evidence for truth in favor biblical exegesis.
Ostler argues that experience is fundamental to and a partner with
reason when it comes to finding truth and understanding God. Emotional
and spiritual experiences can be analyzed and compared with other
experiences to test for validity and there is no need to dismiss such
experiences as faulty or wholly naturallistic even if there are
biological manifestations that directly correspond to them.
Ostler reminds us that this approach to truth is truely biblical. "Why
is it that for the Hebrews the heart is the place where thinking
occurs, it's the place where human decisions are made, and for us it's
all up here in the head? It's because they were in touch with
something that we've lost in our culture."
Read the article:
http://www.fairlds.org/cgi-bin/site.pl?s321
------------------------------
RESOURCES ON THE WEB: FAIR VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE
FAIR has continued to post videos on YouTube that explain and defend
the beliefs and practices of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints. As of this final editing of this issue of the FAIR Journal
there were 111 videos posted on YouTube by FAIR. Some of these videos
are entire presentations from FAIR Conferences and are a great
opportunity for those who attended the past conferences to review what
they have seen and for those who missed a conference to see these
great presentations for the first time.
Check out the available videos:
http://www.fairlds.org/cgi-bin/site.pl?s315
------------------------------
RESOURCES ON THE WEB: MERIDIAN MAGAZINE "ANSWERING THE CRITICS"
FAIR has been working with Meridian Magazine to provide condensed
responses to common criticisms of the Church. These articles provide
an overview of the responses that can be given with the issues are
raised. For readers who want a more in-depth response, including
references and pointers to source material, the Meridian articles
include links to the appropriate articles in the FAIR Wiki or on the
FAIR website.
Some of the articles to date include:
* Was it Nephi or Moroni who Appeared to Joseph Smith?
* Joseph Smith and Polygamy
* Are all Amerindians Descendants of Lehi?
* Does the Bible Say that No Man has Seen God?
* How Should We React?
* Using the Articles of Faith to Respond to Anti-Mormon Criticisms
* Was David Pattons Call to Serve a Mission a Failed Prophecy?
* Did Joseph Smith Admit to being the Author of the Book of Mormon?
* Why are there Different Versions of the Articles of Faith?
* Does it Matter if the Book of Mormon Events Really Happened?
* Answers to 50 Anti-Mormon Questions
Visit the index page:
http://www.fairlds.org/cgi-bin/site.pl?s322
------------------------------
RESOURCES ON THE WEB: NEW CHURCH WEBSITE
The Church of Jesus Christ has announced a new website devoted
entirely to the Savior.
See the Church's new website on Jesus Christ:
http://jesuschrist.lds.org
The Church has also released a 3-minute video on YouTube in which
Elder Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve explains the purpose and
benefits of this new website. In his remarks, Elder Nelson speaks of
the importance of the Internet as a medium to spread the Restored
Gospel of Jesus Christ. He also indirectly addresses the "other Jesus"
anti-Mormon attack by saying, "There is only one Jesus Christ and our
understanding of Him is very rich."
See the YouTube video:
http://www.fairlds.org/cgi-bin/site.pl?s319
------------------------------
RESOURCES ON THE WEB: MORMONTIMES.COM AND FAIR
On March 6, 2008, the Deseret Morning News announced a new website:
mormontimes.com. This website includes news, feature articles, and
other resources for Latter-day Saints. One item on the site is a
"Mormon Q&A" section where visitors can read common answers to
questions about the Church and where people can submit questions to be
answered. Observant readers will note that the structure and articles
being offered are the structure and articles available from the FAIR
Topical Guide. FAIR is pleased to be able to help provide answers to
members and investigators who may have difficult questions about the
doctrine, historical events, or practices of Latter-day Saints.
Visit the mormontimes.com Mormon Q&A page:
http://www.fairlds.org/cgi-bin/site.pl?s320
------------------------------
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.
------------------------------
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.
* David E. Bokovoy
Review: Bible vs. Book of Mormon
Reviews > Media
http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai186.html#media
* Richard Sherlock
"Mormonism and Intelligent Design"
Richard Sherlock examines the evidence in favor of Intelligent
Design in an LDS context.
Science and Religion > Evolution
http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai093.html
* Mark Ashurst-McGee
"Moroni as Angel or Treasure Guardian"
Mark Ashurst-McGee the sources and context in which Joseph Smith
would have understood the Angel Moroni as a treasure guardian
while still maintaining a belief that Moroni was an angel from God
sent to bring forth new scripture.
Smith, Joseph > Treasure Digging
http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai249.html
* Matthew Brown
"The Mythical 'Manuscript Found'"
Matthew Brown methodically debunks the anti-Mormon claim that the
Book of Mormon borrowed material from Solomon Spalding.
Book of Mormon > Environmental Influences > Spalding Theory
http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai115.html
------------------------------
FAIR WIKI
The FAIR wiki project was started in 2006 to provide a more flexible
and searchable resource for Latter-day Saints and allow 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.fairmormon.org
This month the FAIR wiki focuses attention on wiki articles that have
been updated. Each month hundreds of changes are made in the wiki as
new information is incorporated, errors are found and corrected, and
new topics are added. The following are only a few of the many wiki
entries that have been modified this month.
* Book of Mormon geography:New World:Great Lakes geography
One of the most discussed aspects of the Book of Mormon is the
lack of a specific New World setting for its narrative. Critics
frequently use this as evidence for the work being a 19th century
fiction. Believers point to the fact that the Book of Mormon's
miraculous restoration predictably divorces it from its natural
setting and that difficulties in positioning Book of Mormon
landmarks in the Western Hemisphere is to be expected. Over the
years a number of geographic models have been suggested, including
the idea that the Book of Mormon events took place in the Great
Lakes region of the United States. This model is favored by some
Latter-day Saints, though most LDS scholars see a limited, Central
American location as the most likely.
http://www.fairlds.org/cgi-bin/site.pl?s316
* Book_of_Mormon_and_DNA_evidence:Geography_issues:Haplotype_X2a
Proponents of the Great Lakes geography model have used the
presence of haplotype X2a as evidence that Near East settlers
populated the Great Lakes region. Problems with this view are
discussed in the Wiki article.
http://www.fairlds.org/cgi-bin/site.pl?s317
* Book of Mormon geography:New World:LGT:Plates to New York
One criticism of the Limited Geography Theory with a Mesoaamerican
location involves the presence of the plates in the hill near
Joseph Smith's home in New York. Some members and critics have
misread the Book of Mormon as describing the plates being buried
in the Hill Cumorah near to where the final Book of Mormon battle
took place. This Wiki article explains how the plates could
reasonably have been transported from the location of the
Mesoamerican battle to the hill in New York.
http://www.fairlds.org/cgi-bin/site.pl?s318
------------------------------
FAIR LDS BOOKSTORE
This past month the bookstore has been extremely busy. We thank all
those who support the FAIR LDS Bookstore. We are very excited about
this month's specials and feel that these books will be a great
addition to your personal library.
==> "Second Witness: Analytical & Contextual Commentary on the Book
of Mormon," by Brant A. Gardner (Greg Kofford Books, 2007-2008,
hardback, six volumes, ISBN: 1-5895-8047-8)
We finally have all six volumes of this amazing commentary available,
so we are offering a special on the entire set. This commentary,
compiling the latest in scholarship and Mormon thought, brings to bear
the insights of multiple disciplines and multiple scholars into a
single location where the concentration of information at the point of
the text may assist us in understanding a particular passage, and from
the individual passages, the greater message of the Book of Mormon.
The volumes make the Book of Mormon come alive, as the product of real
people in a real place. This set deserves a place on the shelf of any
serious scriptural student.
The regular retail price of all six volumes totals $249.70, but you
can get the full set for 20% off this price: only $199.76.
http://store.fairlds.org/prod/p1589580478.html
==> "Exploring Mormon Thought: Of God and Gods," by Blake T. Ostler
(Greg Kofford Books, 2008, hardback, ISBN: 978-1-58958-107-4)
The third in the acclaimed "Exploring Mormon Thought" series, this
volume has been eagerly awaited by fans of Ostler's clear, concise,
and thorough examination of LDS theology. The wait is over; the volume
is now available!
You can purchase this book for $27.96, 20% off its retail price. It is
regularly $34.95.
http://store.fairlds.org/prod/p9781589581074.html
==> "Critiquing the Critics of Joseph Smith," by Hartt Wixom (Cedar
Fort, 2005, paperback, 223 pages, ISBN: 1-555-17834-0)
This book is exactly what it purports to be: an answer to those who
challenge the authenticity of Joseph's prophetic call. Wixom closely
examines the claims of anti-Mormon writers, with special attention to
the claims of Fawn Brodie. He scrutinizes the historical validity of
the critics' arguments by measuring their assertions against internal
and external cohesiveness, common sense, and intellectual inquiry.
Readers will see for themselves that the critics have often been
strangers to the truth.
You can purchase this book for $11.99, 25% off its retail price. It is
regularly $15.99.
http://store.fairlds.org/prod/p1555178340.html
Thank you for your support of the FAIR bookstore!
--FAIR Bookstore Volunteers
------------------------------
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.
------------------------------
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) 2008 by The Foundation for Apologetic Information and
Research (FAIR). All rights reserved.
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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