FAIR

Apostasy

Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Doctrine and Covenants 111–112, 114–115, 117–120 – Mike Parker

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End of the Kirtland period; revelations in Missouri, 1838

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 111–112, 114–115, 117–120 – Mike Parker

Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Doctrine and Covenants 49–50 – Autumn Dickson

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Avoiding Confusion

by Autumn Dickson

Leman Copely was a convert to the church who wanted the gospel preached to his former congregants – the Shakers. The Shakers held some beliefs that were different from our’s. Here is some of what the Lord said regarding that: [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Doctrine and Covenants 49–50 – Autumn Dickson

Are you a personal revelation weirdo?

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by Meagan Kohler

The doctrine of personal revelation is elevating and powerful. When I first joined the church I received profound spiritual witnesses through the Spirit that God was aware of me and loves me, that the Book of Mormon is true, and that modern prophets speak for him. These experiences left me with deep impressions about how God feels about me, his church, and his children. Less dramatic whisperings of the Spirit have guided me to others in need, helped me parent better, and pointed me to things I can do better to draw closer to God.

But sometimes I encounter church members whose relationship to personal revelation is just weird. It’s weird in the sense that something seems off but it’s difficult to describe at first. The way they talk about the Holy Ghost, for example, makes it sound more like an intrusive thought than a sacred witness of truth. We’ve all been in testimony meetings where people chuckle at the mic about how they just had an argument with the Holy Ghost in their head telling them to get up and bear their testimony. I’ve felt the Spirit nudge me to bear my testimony, too, but these jokes make it sound like the gift of the Holy Ghost is akin to having multiple personality disorder. Imagine what it sounds like to someone outside of church culture who hears you say you are arguing with God in your head. [Read more…] about Are you a personal revelation weirdo?

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 – Ether 6–11 – Autumn Dickson

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A Tiny Hinge

by Autumn Dickson

In the chapters of Ether this week, we watch kingdoms rise and fall with few details. There were plenty of general patterns of righteousness and wickedness, and we likely missed a great many details in the abridged version. On the flip side, there were certain stories that Moroni chose to include. Recognizing which stories and details he prioritized can help us understand the gravity of certain principles. [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Ether 6–11 – Autumn Dickson

Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Alma 30-35 – Mike Parker

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Alma contended with Korihor & led a mission to reclaim the Zoramites

(Alma 30–35)

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. This post will cover the content for the next two weeks.)

Class Notes [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Alma 30-35 – Mike Parker

Letter For My Wife Rebuttal, Part 24: Blood Atonement

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Hey, guys. Long time, no see! This week should hopefully mark the return of weekly segments of this blog series. My life has been insane this summer, and I apologize for being so absent. My dad was dying of pulmonary fibrosis, and then miraculously, got a new set of lungs a few weeks ago that saved his life. He just came home from the hospital a week ago, and is still very weak. During that same time period, I also had to move, and there were two FAIR conferences, work and family obligations, and boy drama to wade through. Some of you have asked why I’m still single—it’s because I’m a magnet for Crazy. Things do appear to finally be settling back down, though, thankfully.

Speaking of the two FAIR conferences, the digital one on the Book of Mormon was a lot of fun. The talks from that one will be put into a book which should be coming out soon. The videos are being released on the FAIR YouTube channel every other Wednesday, alternating with the talks from the main conference this past August.

We’ve already begun planning next year’s main conference, and it’s shaping up to be a great conference. We’re talking about changing things up a bit with some interesting new ideas, and I will be presenting for the first time. I think I’ll be speaking on ways to navigate a faith crisis, or helping loved ones work through theirs. This will probably include subtopics like responding to anti-LDS material, studying with the Spirit, evaluating sources, and reputable resources you can turn to help you find answers to your questions. It’s a topic I’m passionate about, and unfortunately, it needs to be addressed often. It’s still very much up-in-the-air, though, as I’m still praying about what to say. I hope all of you can either come to the conference in person or catch it online afterward, because there are always some excellent talks at those conferences.

[Read more…] about Letter For My Wife Rebuttal, Part 24: Blood Atonement

A Mortal Davidic Servant?

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Some Old Testament scriptures tell about a latter-day “Davidic King,” “Davidic Servant,” or “Marred Servant.” The consensus of mainstream scholarship and teaching from leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that this refers to Jesus Christ, when He rules the earth after His Second Coming. But some claim the “Servant” will be a mortal man who may or may not be a regularly-ordained Church leader. Because of the name “David,” some speculate Apostle David Bednar will be the Servant, and the same was said decades ago about the prophet David O. McKay.

Many who are not Apostles or Church leaders have claimed to be the “Davidic Servant.” Recently it was reported a woman and her brother kidnapped her teenage son because they believed him to be the “Davidic Servant.” The belief in a “Davidic Servant” is controversial and has been associated with criminal and tragic outcomes. To an unstable individual who feels entitled to power or special spiritual gifts, the “Davidic Servant” belief can be used to justify immoral and unscriptural actions. To an ordinary member of the Church, belief in a coming “Davidic Servant” can cause frustration with actual Church leaders, a feeling of spiritual superiority to them, and an eventual loss of faith in the restored gospel altogether.

A Mortal Davidic Servant: Refuting the Arguments

Believers in a coming mortal “Davidic Servant” use several arguments to support their claim. Most are completely wrong.

Continued Here

“Beware lest ye are deceived”

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While traveling to western Missouri in the fall of 1830, Oliver Cowdery, Parley P. Pratt, Peter Whitmer Jr., and Ziba Peterson made a stop in Kirtland, Ohio to preach the gospel to some of Parley’s friends and former religious associates. While there, they taught and baptized more than a hundred individuals! They then ordained some of the men as Elders and placed them in charge of the affairs of the Church in that area. The missionaries then continued on to their assigned mission in Missouri.

Left to their limited understanding of the restored gospel, which included a renewal of the gift of the Holy Ghost and spiritual gifts, a few of these newly ordained Elders and members began experiencing unusual spiritual phenomena during their worship services. These included ecstatically jumping up and down, swinging from ceiling joists, falling into trances and unconsciousness, seeing visions of parchments with written messages from heaven, crawling around like snakes on the floor, preaching in tongues to invisible congregations of Lamanites, wielding invisible swords of Laban, and so forth.

Of course, these practices drew the ridicule of outsiders in the community, including in the local press, and gave plenty of fodder for the first anti-Mormon book, Mormonism Unvailed.

Come, Follow Me with FAIR: Faithful Answers to New Testament Questions – 1 and 2 Thessalonians

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Evangelical Questions: What Apostasy?

by Jennifer Roach, MDiv, LMHC

Welcome back to Come Follow Me with FAIR: Faithful Answers to New Testament Questions. My name is Jennifer Roach and today we’re going to talk about The Great Apostasy. As you know we’re going through the Come Follow Me readings and addressing common questions that Evangelicals ask about our faith as we go along. Our purpose here is not to fuel debate but to help you understand where your Evangelical friends and family are coming from so that you can have better conversations with them, and perhaps even be able to offer them a bit of our faith in a way they can understand. [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me with FAIR: Faithful Answers to New Testament Questions – 1 and 2 Thessalonians