FAIR Topical Guide

Guide Home > Doctrinal Issues > Apostasy and Restoration > Apostasy, Personal

Additional Topics

The following are additional topic areas related to Apostasy, Personal. If there is a bracket number after the topic, that number indicates how many actual articles there are related to that subject. If the link for the topic is not live, it simply means the topic is a 'planned area' for future growth.

FAIR Resources

These links are either to Web pages hosted on the FAIR Website, or to FAIR Papers. FAIR Papers are short articles about specific topics or questions, written by members of FAIR. These articles can be downloaded and read in PDF format and are intended to be distributed by e-mail or print for the general use of our patrons. (To read FAIR Papers you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader. It can be downloaded free from the Adobe Web site.) Click on a title below to visit a FAIR Web page or to read the latest version of a FAIR Paper.

Davis Bitton, "George Q. Cannon and the Apostates," (Mesa, Arizona: FAIR, December 2005) Davis Bitton summarizes President George Q. Cannon's statements on why people apostatize and how apostates should be viewed.

Ensign Articles

These articles cited below provide information on the topic of this page. The Ensign is one of the official publications of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When you click on one of the article links below, you are whisked to the article found in the archives of the Church's Web site.

John K. Carmack, "Unity in Diversity," Ensign, March 1991, 7. In a worldwide church, becoming one does not mean becoming the same.

Mark D. Chamberlain, "The Spiritual Hazards of Faultfinding," Ensign, August 1996, 54.

Arnold K. Garr, "Growing with a Living Church," Ensign, October 1996, 25. Change is constant in a church directed by continuing revelation, and our path to spiritual security is the way marked by inspired leaders.

Gerald N. Lund, "Countering Korihor's Philosophy," Ensign, July 1992, 16. What Korihor taught is as contemporary as today's TV shows. Alma's approach is still the right response.

Dallin H. Oaks, "Alternate Voices," Ensign, May 1989, 27.

Dallin H. Oaks, "Criticism," Ensign, February 1987, 68. I am persuaded that many do not understand the Church's teachings about personal criticism, especially the criticism of Church leaders by Church members.

Dallin H. Oaks, "Our Strengths Can Become Our Downfall," Ensign, October 1994, 11.

Boyd K. Packer, "To Be Learned Is Good If...," Ensign, November 1992, 71.

Earl J. Roueche, "Does membership in the Church limit agency?," Ensign, March 1988, 21.

Other Resources

The resources listed below are related items available on the Web that should be of interest. These links are to information not located on the FAIR Web site.

Lynn D. Wardle, "Dissent: Perspectives from the Book of Mormon," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (Provo: FARMS, 1994), 53-73 Most scriptural references to dissent are in the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon teaches that dissension is a cause of evil, suffering, and destruction; some dissenters undergo a hardening, while others may be reclaimed; preaching the gospel is the best way to reclaim dissenters; after patient endurance, compulsion may be necessary to stop dissenters from causing severe harm to the innocent, but compulsion should be avoided when possible; both spiritual and civic responses may be used to quell dissent; responding to dissent is not the task of leaders only; dissent is inevitable in our society and the church; and the Lord blesses the faithful who endure the trials and temptations of dissent.

Recommended Reading

If you are interested in more information about the topic of 'Doctrinal Issues,' you may want to refer to the books listed below. These books are available in the FAIR Bookstore; click on a link to find more information.

Differing Visions: Dissenters in Mormon History, Edited by Roger D. Launius, Linda Thatcher (University of Illinois Press, 1998, 424 pages). A look at nineteen Mormon dissenters from the early 1800s through modern times.

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Last Updated September 28, 2008
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