FAIR

Trevor Holyoak

Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Doctrine and Covenants 3–5 – Autumn Dickson

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Joseph’s Repentance

by Autumn Dickson

This week we find Joseph in an early difficult lesson. Martin Harris had faced mounting pressure from his family to abandon Joseph, and Martin wanted to show the early manuscript to his family to gain support. Joseph asked the Lord multiple times despite receiving no’s, and the Lord finally told him to do what he wanted. Martin took the manuscript and lost it. Joseph was devastated and experienced a season of repentance. [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Doctrine and Covenants 3–5 – Autumn Dickson

The Cause for Christ Episode 1: “Uncovering the Truth About Grace” by Ryan Sorensen ft. Brent Schmidt

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We are pleased to introduce a new podcast series that will be hosted by Ryan Sorensen. In this first episode, he talks with Brent Schmidt about “Uncovering the Truth About Grace.”

Brent’s book may be downloaded here.

Brent J. Schmidt earned degrees in history and classics from the University of Utah and a Ph.D. in classics from the University of Colorado-Boulder. He teaches in the religion and humanities departments at BYU-Idaho. He specialized in Greek and Latin moralistic literature and he wrote and later published his dissertation on ancient utopian communities. He has published works on Biblical subjects including word studies about grace and faith. He is an author and editor of the BYU New Testament Commentary series. He enjoys reading, especially the Book of Mormon and Bible, gardening, collecting ancient coins, world travel, skiing and learning ancient and modern languages. For fifteen years now he has read at least one academic book a day. He and his wife, Judith, are the parents of one son.

Ryan Sorensen is a native of Cache Valley, Utah. He earned his Bachelor’s degree at BYU-Idaho and is currently pursuing a Master of Divinity at Abilene Christian University, with plans to become a chaplain after graduation. Ryan previously hosted a podcast called The Whom Shall We Go? Podcast. In his spare time, he enjoys being involved in interfaith work, reading about Latter-day Saint theology and history, training for triathlons, and spending time with friends and family.

Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Doctrine and Covenants 2; Joseph Smith—History 1:27–65 – Autumn Dickson

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What is Required of Us

by Autumn Dickson

Like last week, I’d like to dive into Joseph’s story and find parallels to our own stories. We were not given the responsibility to restore the church in the last days, but we do have responsibilities given to us by the Lord. Every single one of us will hold callings, but even beyond that, every single one of us has more to give. When I speak of responsibilities given by the Lord, I am expanding that definition beyond formal church service. There are other labors you have been given to perform in this life. Some of those labors may include things like career choices and hobbies. We all have gifts to give. [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Doctrine and Covenants 2; Joseph Smith—History 1:27–65 – Autumn Dickson

Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Joseph Smith—History – Mike Parker

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Joseph Smith’s childhood; the First Vision; Moroni, & the gold plates

(Joseph Smith—History)

by Mike Parker

(Mike Parker is a long-time FAIR member who has graciously allowed us to use materials he originally prepared for the Hurricane Utah Adult Religion Class. The scripture passages covered in his lessons don’t conform exactly to the Come, Follow Me reading schedule, so they will be shared here where they fit best.)

Class Notes [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Joseph Smith—History – Mike Parker

Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Joseph Smith—History 1:1–26 – Autumn Dickson

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Turn to God

by Autumn Dickson

For this week, we read the account of the First Vision of Joseph Smith. It is nearly impossible to overestimate the gravity of this event in the backdrop of the history of mankind, and we have it readily available to read and learn about it. When we read about what Joseph learned through this experience, we can learn a lot of direct truths that had been lost over time. There were doctrines that were explicitly laid out. [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Joseph Smith—History 1:1–26 – Autumn Dickson

The Credibility of Modern Critics

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by Ron C. Rhodes

Critics of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints aggressively publish negative information about the Church in large volumes.  This article explores the facts to determine if the critics of our faith are coming from a place of honesty and integrity, without disparaging individuals.  The goal of the paper is to help members become better inoculated against misinformation, and to use faithful resources such as those found on FAIR to answer their questions about the Church.

Modern LDS Critics – Credibility or Contempt?

In a court of law, witnesses matter.  A witness’s testimony can hold the power to either convict or exonerate an individual.  There are instances, however, when a witness’s testimony is not credible.  Perhaps they have lied under oath previously, or perhaps they have an ax to grind against the defendant.  In such cases, a skilled attorney will seek to expose these vulnerabilities, helping the jury or the court disregard unreliable testimony. [Read more…] about The Credibility of Modern Critics

Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Doctrine and Covenants 1 – Mike Parker

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Introduction; reception, editing & publication of Joseph Smith’s revelations

(D&C Section 1)

by Mike Parker

(Mike Parker is a long-time FAIR member who has graciously allowed us to use materials he originally prepared for the Hurricane Utah Adult Religion Class. The scripture passages covered in his lessons don’t conform exactly to the Come, Follow Me reading schedule, so they will be shared here where they fit best.)

Class Notes [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Doctrine and Covenants 1 – Mike Parker

Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Doctrine and Covenants 1 – Autumn Dickson

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He Cannot Allow Sin

by Autumn Dickson

By the time Doctrine and Covenants 1 was written, Joseph had already written 60 revelations. In my mind, I imagine Joseph receiving communication from the Lord and writing it down so that he could try and follow and teach it. As time went on and more and more were received, it became clear that the Lord had plenty to say and that these sacred revelations should be made available to others. It hadn’t been originally considered that these words could be considered scripture; it wasn’t until later that the revelations were recognized for what they were. Joseph Smith and other church leaders decided to put them together in a book; this was obviously an inspired decision because the Lord stood ready to write the preface to His own book. This preface is Doctrine and Covenants 1. [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Doctrine and Covenants 1 – Autumn Dickson

Apostate Patterns Show Our Need for Prophetic Proclamations

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by Matthew Sailors

Introduction

Church history provides many cautionary tales of people who apostatized for various reasons. Today in the Church, the adversary is stirring up apostate movements similar to their historical predecessors, threatening the spiritual lives of some Church members.  Yet God has not left us defenseless against the adversary’s counterfeits, such as the philosophies of men mingled with scripture.1 By learning from Church history and nurturing our testimonies of the restored truths contained in official Church proclamations, we can avoid deception and lay a firm foundation for our faith on the “rock” of Jesus Christ (see Helaman 5:12).

I take my definition of “apostasy” from the Church’s General Handbook: [Read more…] about Apostate Patterns Show Our Need for Prophetic Proclamations

Come, Follow Me with FAIR – The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ

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Joseph Trusted

by Autumn Dickson

This week, we are studying the bicentennial proclamation called, “The Restoration.” It has been approximately 200 years since the beginning of what we call the Restoration in which the Lord once again actively taught His gospel to a prophet on the earth. With the clarified doctrine came the priesthood authority to bind us to the Savior in a way that He could save us. [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me with FAIR – The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ