FAIR

Anti-Mormon critics

Classic FAIR – I Don’t Have a Testimony of the History of the Church – Davis Bitton, 2004

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“I Don’t Have a Testimony of the History of the Church” by Davis Bitton at the 2004 FAIR Conference

I don’t have a testimony of the history of the Church. That is why I can be a historian and also a believing Latter-day Saint. I will expand on this idea, but first let me address some related questions.

Do all well-informed historians become anti-Mormons?

The critics would have you believe that they are disinterested pursuers of the truth. There they were, minding their own business, going about their conscientious study of Church history and–shock and dismay!–they came across this, whatever this is, that blew them away. As hurtful as it is for them, they can no longer believe in the Church and, out of love for you, they now want to help you see the light of day.

Let’s get one thing clear: There is nothing in Church history that leads inevitably to the conclusion that the Church is false. There is nothing that requires the conclusion that Joseph Smith was a fraud. How can I say this with such confidence? For the simple reason that the historians who know most about our Church history have been and are faithful, committed members of the Church. Or, to restate the situation more precisely, there are faithful Latter-day Saint historians who know as much about this subject as any anti-Mormon or as anyone who writes on the subject from an outside perspective. With few exceptions, they know much, much more. They have not been blown away. They have not gnashed their teeth and abandoned their faith. To repeat, they have found nothing that forces the extreme conclusion our enemies like to promote.

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Classic FAIR – Defending the Faith – David L. Paulsen, 2004

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“The God of Abraham, Isaac and Joseph Smith: Defending the Faith” by David L. Paulsen at the 2004 FAIR Conference

Scott asked me if I would share with you some of my work defending our LDS understanding of God and to that end I have prepared a bibliography. There’s two sets of materials being passed out, one is a packet. There is a copy of the bibliography in that packet and then there’s two individual sheets and you should either get the packet or the pair of two separate sheets and you’ll find the bibliography in one of them. I’ve also copied a few reprints of articles.

As time permits, I want to look at two or three of these articles but before I launch into a consideration of those, I’d like to provide just a little personal background if you will indulge me that will perhaps explain how I developed a passion for apologetics and also put apologetics in a proper perspective.

Growing up in Ephraim in Sanpete County I was acquainted, and then only casually, with four non-Mormons–two of whom subsequently converted. There must’ve been some in my community who openly challenged Mormon beliefs, but somehow I never encountered them. My first exposure to such challenges occurred after my sophomore year of college when I began my tour of active duty with the United States Army Reserve.

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Classic FAIR – The Fallacy of Fundamentalist Assumptions – Blake Ostler, 2005

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“The Fallacy of Fundamentalist Assumptions” by Blake T. Ostler at the 2005 FAIR Conference

I’d like to begin my presentation (there should have been an outline that was handed out that you have in front of you). But I want to begin a bit off outline. I was amused- I was reading this morning that we have (and Chris Buttars is a good friend of mine) and he’s wondering whether he should introduce intelligent design into Utah schools. And I was thinking intelligent design? Chris is a Mormon and he probably doesn’t even realize what he would be teaching isn’t Mormon cosmology.

And I was reading another article—as a matter of fact just last night—about how the Big Bang proved this story of Genesis and I was thinking, apparently the people who read- who know all about the Big Bang have never read Genesis. (Laughter)

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Me, My Shelf, & I – How Latter-day Saints and Evangelicals understand the Bible differently

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In this special episode, Sarah Allen, Jennifer Roach Lees, and Zachary Wright host a panel discussion on the topic “How Latter-day Saints and Evangelicals understand the Bible differently.”

Panel participants: [Read more…] about Me, My Shelf, & I – How Latter-day Saints and Evangelicals understand the Bible differently

Examining “Heaven’s Helpline”: Claims, Context, and the Truth About Abuse in the Church

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Jennifer Roach Lees has recorded a 10 part series responding to claims made in a recent New Zealand podcast about abuse in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The latest episode will show in the embedded playlist below; click the icon in the upper right corner to choose other episodes, or click on “Watch on YouTube” in the bottom left corner.

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

Aufgewärmte Fragen, bereitstehende Antworten: Sich mit Radzik und seinen 13 Thesen auseinandersetzen

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[English]

Diese Liste von verfügbaren Ressourcen wurde erstellt, um die Fehlinformationen in der kürzlich veröffentlichten Abhandlung von Francois Radzik mit dem Titel „13 Thesen: Die Irreführung durch die Kirche Jesu Christi der Heiligen der Letzten Tage, die Mormonen“ besser einordnen und klarstellen zu können. Leser, die mit den von der Kirche bereits veröffentlichten korrekten Informationen sowie mit den üblichen Taktiken der Fehlinformation vertraut sind, werden die Verzerrungen in dieser Abhandlung erkennen. Wie bei den meisten Angriffen auf die Kirche heutzutage ist das einzig Neue die Verpackung.

Nützliche Informationsquellen

von Keith Erekson

1) Wissen über Gott wird Zeile um Zeile offenbart

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Rehashed Questions, Ready Answers: Addressing Radzik and His 13 Theses

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[Deutsch]

This list of existing resources was compiled to provide a more complete and accurate context for the misinformation in a paper recently published in German by Francois Radzik called “13 Theses: The deception of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mormons.” Readers who are familiar with correct information already published by the Church, as well as with common tactics of misinformation, will discern the distortions in this paper. As with most attacks on the Church today, the only thing new is the packaging.

Helpful Sources of Information

by Keith Erekson

1) Knowledge of God Revealed Line Upon Line

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Letter For My Wife Rebuttal, Part 26: DNA

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I know I literally just said I was going to be better at making these posts a weekly feature again and then missed a few weeks, so I apologize for that. My dad was back in the hospital for a bit and there was holiday business. I also filmed an episode of the Come Back podcast, which should be out this coming weekend. And I was actually doing a lot of work a few weeks ago on another project for FAIR that I am very excited about. I am starting a new, investigative podcast series with two other FAIR faces you may be familiar with, Jennifer Roach and Zachary Wright. It’s going to be a podcast composed of multiple miniseries on different controversial topics in Church history and culture.

I admire and adore both of my co-hosts, and we’re already having such a great time working together. We met up before Christmas and laughed and planned and ate and filmed a few trailers, which should be out soon. We’re doing a bunch of filming this weekend, in fact. Our first miniseries should launch in early-to-mid February, and will consist of six episodes. I’ll have more to say on this soon, but we’re all very excited. The entire crew working on this project is amazing, and I couldn’t ask for a better group of people to work with.

[Read more…] about Letter For My Wife Rebuttal, Part 26: DNA

By Study and By Faith – Episode 10: Response to “The Gospel for Mormons”

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by Zachary Wright

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we often run into people who criticize us for our beliefs.  I served my mission in a place where the Church was often criticized by General Christians who wanted me to abandon my faith and accept what they believed to be “the true Jesus”.  While they may seem confusing at first, it’s a common phenomenon for many Christians to believe that we, as members of the church, aren’t true Christians, and that we consequently, will be going to Hell.  However, in my experience, I’ve found that many Christian antagonists of the church often bring a number of ideas that have questionable reality.  This is what I want to focus on today. [Read more…] about By Study and By Faith – Episode 10: Response to “The Gospel for Mormons”