Question: How does FAIR respond to criticism?

FAIR Answers—back to home page

Learn more about apologetics and defending the faith
Key sources
  • Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, “The Maxwell Legacy in the 21st Century,” on pages 8-21 of the “2018 Annual Report” of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship off-site Youtube
  • Daniel C. Peterson, "The Interpreter Foundation and an Apostolic Charge," Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 30/0 (28 December 2018). [vii–xviii] link
  • Daniel C. Peterson, "Elder Neal A. Maxwell on Consecration, Scholarship, and the Defense of the Kingdom," Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 7/0 (8 November 2013). [vii–xx] link
  • Michael R. Otterson, "On the Record," Proceedings of the 2015 FAIR Conference (August 2015). link
  • Elder Kevin W. Pearson, "A Sacred and Imperative Duty," Proceedings of the 2018 FAIR Conference (August 2018). link
FAIR links
  • Apologetics—defending the faith
  • Mentions of FAIR in various media
  • If FAIR is not officially representing the church, why not?
  • FAIR FAQ
  • Wayne Arnett, "Apologetics 101," Proceedings of the 2006 FAIR Conference (August 2006). link
  • Michael Ash, "Shaken Faith Syndrome," Proceedings of the 2008 FAIR Conference (August 2008). link
  • Michael R. Ash, "'Shaken Faith Syndrome, Part Deux'," Proceedings of the 2013 FAIR Conference (August 2013). link
  • Michael Ash and Kevin Barney, "LDS Apologetics 101," Proceedings of the 2003 FAIR Conference (August 2003). link
  • Roger Ekins, "Defending Zion," Proceedings of the 2003 FAIR Conference (August 2003). link
  • Scott Gordon, "Survey Says!," Proceedings of the 2000 FAIR Conference (August 2000). link
  • Grant Hardy, "More Effective Apologetics," Proceedings of the 2016 FAIR Conference (August 2016). link
  • Roger Keller, "The Grace of Apologetics," Proceedings of the 2003 FAIR Conference (August 2003). link
  • John Lynch, "'Uh oh!' to 'Ah ha!' in Apologetics: 20/20 Foresight for a Faithful Future in Defending the Church," Proceedings of the 2009 FAIR Conference (August 2009). link
  • David Paulsen, "'The God of Abraham, Isaac and Joseph Smith: Defending the Faith'," Proceedings of the 2004 FAIR Conference (August 2004). link
  • Daniel Peterson, "'Apologetics: What, Why and How?'," Proceedings of the 2018 FAIR Conference (August 2018). link
  • Daniel C. Peterson, "Humble Apologetics," Proceedings of the 2008 FAIR Conference (August 2008). link
  • Dan Peterson, "Of ‘Mormon Studies’ and Apologetics," Proceedings of the 2012 FAIR Conference (August 2012). link
  • Dan Peterson, "Random Reflections on the Passing Scene," Proceedings of the 2003 FAIR Conference (August 2003). link
  • Dan Peterson, "'The Logic-Tree of Life, or, Why I Can’t Manage to Disbelieve'," Proceedings of the 2016 FAIR Conference (August 2016). link
  • Daniel Peterson, "The Obligation to Do Apologetics," Proceedings of the 2010 FAIR Conference (August 2010). link
  • Dan Peterson, "The Reasonable Leap into Light: A Barebones Secular Argument for the Gospel," Proceedings of the 2015 FAIR Conference (August 2015). link
  • Dan Peterson, "Toward a More Effective Apologetics," Proceedings of the 2013 FAIR Conference (August 2013). link
  • Daniel Peterson, "What Difference Does It Make?," Proceedings of the 2017 FAIR Conference (August 2017). link
  • Ed Pinegar, "How to help young Latter-day Saints deal with criticisms against the Church and the doubts they cause while remaining faithful," Proceedings of the 2015 FAIR Conference (August 2015). link
  • Robert White, "'On Being an Apologist: Imperatives, Predicaments, Perils and Blessings'," Proceedings of the 2009 FAIR Conference (August 2009). link
  • Hartt Wixam, "Perception and Reality: Then and Now," Proceedings of the 2012 FAIR Conference (August 2012). link
  • FAIR FAQ FAIR link
  • Wayne Arnett, "Apologetics 101," FAIR Conference 2006. FAIR link
Online
  • Gary Bowler, "What is FAIR, and Why Are You Apologizing?" PDF link
  • Gilbert W. Scharffs, "Some people say it is best to leave alone materials that claim to 'expose' the Church and its teachings. What counsel has been given on this? How do we respond when a friend comes to us with questions found in such materials?," Ensign (January 1995), 60 (scroll half-way down).off-site
  • Rick Anderson, "Addressing Prickly Issues," Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 23/10 (27 January 2017). [253–262] link
  • Steven T. Densley, Jr., "Should We Apologize for Apologetics?," Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 27/7 (20 October 2017). [107–142] link}
  • Terryl L. Givens, "Letter to a Doubter," Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 4/6 (5 April 2013). [131–146] link
  • Louis C. Midgley, "Defending the King and His Kingdom," Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 2/9 (30 November 2012). [127–144] link
  • Daniel C. Peterson, "An Exhortation to Study God's Two 'Books'," Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 13/0 (2 January 2015). [vii–xvi] link
  • Daniel C. Peterson, "Charity in Defending the Kingdom," Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 1/0 (28 September 2012). [i–xvi] link
  • Daniel C. Peterson, "Credo," Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 57/0 (4 August 2023). [vii–xiv] link
  • Daniel C. Peterson, "How Things Look from Here," Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 55/0 (31 March 2023). [vii–xiv] link
  • Daniel C. Peterson, "'In This Batter'd Caravanserai'," Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 56/0 (26 May 2023). [vii–xxviii] link}
  • Daniel C. Peterson, "Introduction, Volume 6: The Modest But Important End of Apologetics," Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 6/0 (6 September 2013). [vii–xxvi] link
  • Daniel C. Peterson, "Is Faith Compatible with Reason?," Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 29/0 (24 August 2018). [vii–xvi] link
  • Daniel C. Peterson, "Making Visible the Beauty and Goodness of the Gospel," Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 17/0 (4 December 2015). [vii–xxii] link
  • Daniel C. Peterson, "On Being a Tool," Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 19/0 (6 May 2016). [vii–xvi] link
  • Daniel C. Peterson, "Questioning: The Divine Plan," Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 15/0 (19 June 2015). [vii–xvi] link
  • Daniel C. Peterson, "Reflections on the Mission of The Interpreter Foundation," Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 9/0 (11 April 2014). [vii–xx] link
  • Daniel C. Peterson, "Some Notes on Faith and Reason," Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 10/0 (27 June 2014). [vii–xx] link
  • Daniel C. Peterson, "Standing on the Shoulders of Giants," Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 4/0 (10 May 2013). [vii–xiv] link
  • Daniel C. Peterson, "The Power is In Them," Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 26/0 (8 September 2017). [vii–xii] link
  • Daniel C. Peterson, "The Role of Apologetics in Mormon Studies," Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 2/0 (14 December 2012). [vii–xlii] link
  • Daniel C. Peterson, "The Word and the Kingdom," Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 28/0 (4 May 2018). [vii–xiv] link
  • Daniel C. Peterson, "Three Degrees of Gospel Understanding," Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 21/0 (9 September 2016). [vii–xii] link
  • Paul C. Peterson, "To Be Learned Is Good, If One Stays on the Rails," Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 30/7 (5 October 2018). [77–90] link [To be Learned Is Good – bad book]
  • Daniel C. Peterson, "Toward Ever More Intelligent Discipleship," Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 16/0 (11 September 2015). [vii–xvi] link
  • Stephen O. Smoot, "Shaken Faith Syndrome and the Case for Faith," Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 2/8 (23 November 2012). [105–126] link
  • Daniel C. Peterson, "Editor's Introduction—The Witchcraft Paradigm: On Claims to 'Second Sight' by People Who Say It Doesn't Exist," FARMS Review 18/2 (2006). [ix–lxiv] link
  • Marianne Holman Prescott, "Be Faithful Disciple-Scholars Even in Difficulty, Elder Holland Says at Maxwell Institute," Church News (13 November 2018), off-site
Video
  • Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, "The Maxwell Legacy in the 21st Century" (2018 Neal A. Maxwell Lecture), Provo, Utah, 10 November 2018. Youtube
Print
  • Neal A. Maxwell, “The Disciple-Scholar,” in Henry B. Eyring, ed., On Becoming a Disciple-Scholar: Lectures Presented at the Brigham Young University Honors Program Discipline and Discipleship Lecture Series (Salt Lake City, Bookcraft: 1995), 1–23.
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Question: How does FAIR respond to criticism?

The objective of apologetics is to provide answers to critical questions by searching for criticism to answer, surfacing sources, evaluating logic/hidden assumptions, and forming a coherent, well-researched response to those questions

Everyone is an apologist sometimes—whenever you give a logical reason for what you believe (in religion, in politics, in science), you are providing "an apology" in this sense.

There are generally two approaches for apologetics, as there is for any reasoned argument:

  • the apologist can answer the objections which others raise (sometimes called "negative" apologetics in that it seeks to "negate" the arguments someone has made against the Church);
  • the apologist can provide affirmative reasons which support their argument (sometimes called "positive" apologetics, because it "adds" to the evidence in favor of one's position.

As you can see, we all do this, all the time. Apologetics usually involves doing a mix of both of the above.

To prepare it's material, FAIR:

  1. Seeks out criticism—volunteers stay familiar with critical websites, critical researchers.
  2. Studies the evidence and claims being offered
  3. Considers mistakes in reasoning, biases that are unaccounted for, and evidence that the criticism seems not to have considered
  4. Prepares easy-to-read and well-documented summaries of their findings, with links for those who want to learn more.

Logical fallacies: how to reason well

In order to provide a well-reasoned response, all need to understand the language of debate. Errors in reasoning are sometimes called logical fallacies.

FAIR has provided an introduction to logical fallacies on this page. Watching out for these errors in our own thinking or the thinking of those with whom we debate religion, politics, or scholarship helps us identify sloppy thinking.

FAIR strives to update its materials

Scholarship, history, science, and knowledge never stand still—there is always more to learn, and new things to learn. As more information becomes available, FAIR volunteers may add to or correct arguments that have been made before.

If you find an error or think we've overlooked an important source, argument, or area of investigation, let us know. Much of our material has been developed because of questions from readers.

Conclusion

The Lord’s church doesn’t have to worry about criticism. It owns the world’s largest library of anti-Mormon literature under divine mandate. The Lord promises us:

Wherefore, confound your enemies; call upon them to meet you both in public and in private; and inasmuch as ye are faithful their shame shall be made manifest. Wherefore, let them bring forth their strong reasons against the Lord. Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you—there is no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper; And if any man lift his voice against you he shall be confounded in mine own due time.


Notes

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