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Why did Joseph Smith practice plural marriage? There are three different places we could go for answers. [Read more…] about Classic FAIR – Why Did Joseph Smith Practice Polygamy? – Brian Hales, 2010
🔍 Dive deep into ancient scripture for modern faith!📜
Join us Oct 9–11 for the FREE FAIR Virtual Old Testament Conference: Ancient Truths for Modern Faith. Hear from scholars like Kerry Muhlestein, Daniel Ellsworth, Jennifer Roach Lees, Stephen Smoot, Spencer Kraus, Allen Hansen, John Gee, Christopher Blythe, Paul Bryner, Jeffrey Bradshaw, Matthew Roper, John Thompson, Tyler Golightly, and Ben Spackman as we “defend the Old Testament” through restoration lenses, covenant themes, temple theology, and prophetic tradition. Don’t miss this unique online opportunity to engage scripture with fresh eyes.
This conference will only be available to stream through the weekend; don’t miss out! (No registration required.)
The streaming will happen on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fairldsorg
The schedule can be viewed here: https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/conference/virt_2025-ot
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This podcast series features past FAIR Conference presentations. This presentation is from our 2024 conference. If you would like to watch all the presentations from our 2025 conference held last month, you can still purchase the video streaming.
This audio podcast version has been made available for convenient listening. If you would like to watch or read the full presentation, it is available here.
Elder Ahmad S. Corbitt was sustained as a General Authority Seventy in April 2023. A former mission president, public affairs director, and trial attorney, he holds a law degree from Rutgers. Currently, he serves the Church with extensive experience in leadership, communication, and global outreach.
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February 24, 2005 was one of those beautiful false-spring days when we all leave our coats at home and venture out in shirt sleeves, despite the fact that we all know that winter will have one final gasp before yielding to spring. The snow had all melted from the valley floor, but the mountains were covered with a brilliant white snow pack that contrasted sharply against the deep blue sky. The temperatures were making their first climb into the seventies, and everyone wanted to be outside. My students and I were all restless as I plodded through another lecture on formatting research papers. Between classes, I stopped by my office to check my e-mail when I got a call from my wife. “He’s gone,” she practically whispered. I immediately knew. Hugh Nibley was no longer with us. We believe that, like the rest of us, Hugh had simply longed to be outside, to leave the hospital bed that had been his home for almost two years and enjoy the beautiful day.
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This podcast series features past FAIR Conference presentations. This presentation is from our 2025 conference held earlier this month. If you would like to watch all the presentations from the conference, you can still purchase the video streaming.
This audio podcast version has been edited to make it easier for listening. If you would like to watch the full presentation, it is available here.
Daniel C. Peterson is the president of the Interpreter Foundation, which publishes the online periodical Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship, produces books, convenes conferences, and sponsors a weekly radio program: https://interpreterfoundation.org. He and his wife were the executive producers of the 2021 theatrical film Witnesses and have served in the same capacity for its 2022 docudrama sequel, Undaunted: Witnesses of the Book of Mormon.
A native of southern California who earned his doctorate at UCLA after study at BYU, in Jerusalem, and in Cairo, he retired on 1 July 2021 as a professor of Islamic studies and Arabic at Brigham Young University, where he had taught since 1985.
Formerly director of research and chairman of the board of the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS), now BYU’s Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, he is also a former president of the Society for Mormon Philosophy and Theology and is currently a member of the board of the Foundation for Religious Diplomacy.
Dr. Peterson served in the Switzerland Zürich Mission (1972-1974), and, for approximately eight years, on the Gospel Doctrine writing committee for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He also presided for a time as the bishop of a singles ward adjacent to Utah Valley University.
He is married to the former Deborah Stephens, of Lakewood, Colorado, and they have three sons and three granddaughters.
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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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by Scott Gordon at the 2025 FAIR Conference
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:
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.
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.
Dear Friends,
What an incredible FAIR Conference we had this year! From thought-provoking presentations to heartfelt conversations, we are so grateful to every sponsor, attendee, speaker, volunteer, donor, and supporter who made this year’s event at Thanksgiving Point one to remember.
[Read more…] about Thank You for Making the 2025 FAIR Conference Unforgettable!
The remaining 2025 FAIR Conference participants have now been finalized, and TODAY is the last day to buy in-person tickets! https://fairlatterdaysaints.org/conference/august-2025-fair-conference
We’re really excited about our complete lineup this year! We hope to see you there! [Read more…] about TODAY is the last day to buy in-person FAIR Conference tickets!
The highlight of our year is here! Join us for the 2025 FAIR Conference on August 6–8 at The Barn at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, Utah. The LAST DAY to get in-person tickets is Thursday, July 31st! After that date only streaming tickets will be available! If you want to come in person, NOW IS THE TIME TO GET YOUR TICKETS! 🙂
🎤 Speakers include:
