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by Scott Gordon at the 2025 FAIR Conference
History of FAIR
In 1997, I logged in to America Online Mormonism message board 1 expecting to find friends. Instead, I found critics. I was quickly surprised by the sheer volume of vitriol and criticism of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Common claims included:
- You can’t add to the Bible (referencing, of course, the Book of Revelation)
- You preach a different gospel (quoting from Galatians),
- You believe Jesus is the brother of Satan (I’m not sure where that comes from in the scriptures, but it was there)
- You’re getting your own planets; and
- Mormon women will be eternally pregnant.
Even baptism was weaponized, declaring that it was a work that can’t save you.
These arguments, of course, were unfair, misrepresentative, or flat out wrong. And yet, this year, some seminary students in my ward in Redding, California, reported hearing these same arguments at school.
August 2019
Scott Gordon serves as President of FAIR (Faithful Answers, Informed Response) which can be found online at www.fairlatterdaysaints.org. FAIR is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping members deal with issues raised by critics of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He has an MBA and a BA from Brigham Young University. He is currently an instructor of business at Shasta College in Redding, California and teaches business classes online at BYUI. Scott has held many positions in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints including serving as a bishop, ward mission leader, seminary teacher, and member of the elder’s quorum presidency. He is married, has five children and 14 grandchildren.
