• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

FAIR

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Come, Follow Me Old Testament Resources

  • Find Answers
  • Blog
  • Media & Apps
  • Conference
  • Bookstore
  • Archive
  • About
  • Get Involved
  • Search

LDS History

The CES Letter Rebuttal — Part 59

May 18, 2022 by Jeff Markham Leave a Comment

Part 59: CES Letter Other Concerns/Questions [Section A]

by Sarah Allen

 

We’re starting the last section of the CES Letter besides the conclusion, so it’s just a few more weeks of this series. This particular section is a hodgepodge of all of the different things Jeremy could think of that didn’t quite fit in the other sections, as well as other questions that revisit some of the ones already asked.

Jeremy begins with a quote taken from Richard Bushman, noted historian and author of Rough Stone Rolling, that was given during an informal fireside at someone’s home, filmed, clipped into a short, 2-minute video, then handed over to various critics to pass around: [Read more…] about The CES Letter Rebuttal — Part 59

Filed Under: Anti-Mormon critics, Apologetics, CES Letter, Faith Crisis, Joseph Smith, LDS History

Under the Banner of Heaven: Fact vs Fiction

April 28, 2022 by Scott Gordon

Under the Banner of Heaven movie posterFriends,

Today a new television series has been released titled Under the Banner of Heaven. It is based on a best-selling book by that same name, published in 2003, written by Jon Krakauer.

The book, and now the television series, talks about the 1984 horrific murders of Brenda Lafferty, and her 15-month-old daughter Erica, by Dan and Ron Lafferty in American Fork Utah. The theme of Jon Krakauer’s book is that Dan and Ron’s religious upbringing in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the underlying cause for what they did. Krakauer, an atheist, believes that since bad things are sometimes done in the name of religion, religion breeds violence.

This series will likely lead to questions from your friends and family members. We’ve created a page of resources. Here are a few things to be aware of: [Read more…] about Under the Banner of Heaven: Fact vs Fiction

Filed Under: Anti-Mormon critics, Apologetics, Apostasy, Book reviews, Faith Crisis, LDS Culture, LDS History, Media, News from FAIR, News stories, Newsletter, Polygamy, Prophets, Questions, Resources, Temples

The CES Letter Rebuttal — Part 58

April 20, 2022 by Jeff Markham 1 Comment

Part 58: CES Letter Science Questions

by Sarah Allen

 

In this life, there are a lot of questions for which we don’t have answers, or only have partial answers. There is much still yet to be revealed, and one of the big lessons we need to learn in this life is that of having patience and trusting in the Lord to reveal things according to His timeline, not ours.

When I’m praying over some of these questions, two scriptures often come to mind as my answer. The most common one is D&C 58:3, which says, in part:

Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things…

The scripture verse that occasionally follows it up if I’m not satisfied by that answer and I get a little salty or frustrated over it is D&C 25:4, which reads:

Murmur not because of the things which thou hast not seen, for they are withheld from thee and from the world, which is wisdom in me in a time to come.

Sometimes, we’re just not ready for the answers yet, and we need to learn how to be okay with that. It’s not an easy lesson to learn, but it’s a pretty important one.

In this particular section of questions in the CES Letter, we’ll be discussing things that don’t have full, definitive answers yet. A lot of it is speculative, and a lot of Jeremy’s questions and comments are based on assumptions, not revealed doctrine. We’re mostly going to be talking about theories today.

I’m okay with not having explicit answers to these questions yet. Some of you won’t be, and that’s okay, too. Everyone has unanswered questions, and some of those questions can really bother us until we come to an answer that satisfies us. There’s nothing “wrong” or shameful about that. This church was restored because of Joseph Smith trying to get answers to his unanswered questions.

There are two things in particular that I think President Nelson excels at, and I think we’re very blessed to have a leader who does excel at those things. First, he is very good at separating the necessary from the extraneous, both in doctrine and practice. Under his leadership, the Church has streamlined various programs and taken steps to make things more simple and clear for us. He has shown that he’s open-minded and willing to change certain things to make our lives easier. He’s also told us that other things will not change, because they’re necessary for our salvation.

The second thing he’s really great at is closely related to the first, and that’s his ability to adapt to new information. When he’s informed that something isn’t working for many people, he seeks out ways to change it. When he learns new historical information, he adjusts his assumptions accordingly.

[Read more…] about The CES Letter Rebuttal — Part 58

Filed Under: Anti-Mormon critics, Apologetics, Book of Mormon, CES Letter, Faith Crisis, Joseph Smith, LDS History

The CES Letter Rebuttal — Part 57

April 13, 2022 by Jeff Markham Leave a Comment

Part 57: CES Letter Temples & Freemasonry Questions [Section C]

by Sarah Allen

 

While Eastern societies and cultures are often well-versed in allegory and symbolism, Western societies and cultures are typically much more literal-minded, especially in the modern day. This can make studying the Gospel, particularly the temple, more challenging than it needs to be. So much of what happens inside the temple is symbolic. It can be difficult for us to fully understand what is being taught to us, and Jeremy Runnells takes that to extremes here in this portion of his CES Letter. [Read more…] about The CES Letter Rebuttal — Part 57

Filed Under: Anti-Mormon critics, Apologetics, CES Letter, Faith Crisis, Joseph Smith, LDS History

The CES Letter Rebuttal — Part 56

April 6, 2022 by Jeff Markham Leave a Comment

Part 56: CES Letter Temples & Freemasonry Questions [Section B]

by Sarah Allen

 

Before picking back up with this week’s post, I just wanted to take a moment to thank Jeffrey Bradshaw and Brandon Cole for providing additional resources and information in the comments of last week’s posts, as well as Trevor Holyoak for pointing me toward a helpful eBook. It was very generous, and I learned a lot this week. I appreciate you guys.

I’m a lot less appreciative of Jeremy and the spin he puts on things. The word games he favors come out in full force in this section, where he conflates different concepts, makes broad assumptions, and gives dishonest readings of quotes. He seems like a smart guy with decent reading comprehension, so I have to believe that he’s doing it on purpose. An honest reading of these quotes in context more than answers his supposed questions, and yet, he avoids doing that on topic after topic. [Read more…] about The CES Letter Rebuttal — Part 56

Filed Under: Anti-Mormon critics, Apologetics, CES Letter, Faith Crisis, Joseph Smith, LDS History

“Under the Banner of Heaven” Redux

April 2, 2022 by Trevor Holyoak 2 Comments

(Updated 4/28/2022 – Please see our new post at https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/blog/2022/04/28/under-the-banner-of-heaven-fact-vs-fiction)

“Under the Banner of Heaven” is not only a slap in the face of modern Latter-day Saints but also a misrepresentation of religion in general. – Robert L. Millet

This book is not history, and Krakauer is no historian. He is a storyteller who cuts corners to make the story sound good. – Mike Otterson

Although the book may appeal to gullible persons who rise to such bait like trout to a fly hook, serious readers who want to understand Latter-day Saints and their history need not waste their time on it. – Richard E. Turley Jr.

[H]is obvious biases against both religion in general and the Church of Jesus Christ in particular have made the book nothing more than a flawed, sensationalistic work… – Craig L. Foster 

A book called Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer was published in 2003. It has now been made into a miniseries that will be available for streaming from Hulu later this month. Here are some resources available regarding the claims made in the book:

  • FAIR Response to Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith
  • Church Response to Jon Krakauer’s Under the Banner of Heaven
  • The Krakauer Journal by Allen Wyatt
  • Faulty History: A Review of Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Richard E. Turley
  • Reflections on Mountain Meadows by Richard E. Turley, given at the 2007 FAIR Conference

The Deseret News now has an article on the series:

  • Perspective: Under the Banner of Hollywood

Have a question? Contact us here.

Filed Under: Anti-Mormon critics, Book reviews, LDS History, News stories, Polygamy, Questions, Temples

Come Listen to a Prophet’s Voice

March 31, 2022 by Trevor Holyoak 1 Comment

by Robert Hill

Every six months, dating back to 1840, Latter-day Saints gather as a worldwide congregation to worship, sing and learn at the feet of leaders we consider living prophets. It’s a wonderful time full of the Spirit of God. But recently, I can’t help feeling I miss the way General Conference used to be. I don’t mean the recent changes in whether we get a male priesthood session or the socially-distanced broadcasts necessitated by the pandemic. I mean the feeling of sitting down for it. It wasn’t so very long ago that I looked forward with unalloyed eagerness to gathering with family and food for a joyful weekend of spiritual edification. [Read more…] about Come Listen to a Prophet’s Voice

Filed Under: Anti-Mormon critics, Apostasy, Conversion, Doctrine and Covenants, Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith, LDS History, New Testament, News stories, Old Testament, Prophets, Questions, Revelation, Temples, Testimonies

The CES Letter Rebuttal — Part 55

March 30, 2022 by Jeff Markham Leave a Comment

Part 55: CES Letter Temples & Freemasonry Questions [Section A]

by Sarah Allen

 

The next “problematic” topic the CES Letter discusses is the apparent link between the temple ceremony and Freemasonry. Admittedly, this isn’t a topic I know as much about as some of the others we’ve gone over. I’ve just never had many questions about Freemasonry, so I’ve never studied the topic much in the past. I love learning new things, though, so I’ve been looking forward to this section. It’s a difficult one to talk about because it’s so heavily centered on the endowment and, due to its sacred nature, that’s not something we talk about openly. [Read more…] about The CES Letter Rebuttal — Part 55

Filed Under: Anti-Mormon critics, Apologetics, CES Letter, Faith Crisis, Joseph Smith, LDS History

FAIR Conference Podcast #79 – Derek Sainsbury, “We mean to elect him”: Electioneer Experiences during Joseph Smith’s 1844 presidential campaign

March 25, 2022 by Trevor Holyoak Leave a Comment

https://media.blubrry.com/mormonfaircast/p/www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Derek-Sainsbury.mp3

Podcast: Download (11.1MB)

Subscribe: RSS

This podcast series features past FAIR Conference presentations. This presentation is from our 2021 conference. If you would like to watch all the presentations from that conference, you can still purchase the video streaming.

Derek Sainsbury, “We mean to elect him”: Electioneer Experiences during Joseph Smith’s 1844 presidential campaign

Derek’s book, Storming the Nation: The Unknown Contributions of Joseph Smith’s Political Missionaries, is available from the FAIR Bookstore.

Derek R. Sainsbury has worked for 26 years in the Seminaries and Institutes of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Currently, he is an instructor in the Church History and Doctrine department at Brigham Young University. He holds a PhD in American History from the University of Utah. He is the author of “Storming the Nation: The Unknown Contributions of Joseph Smith’s Political Missionaries,” the award-nominated first book-length treatment of Joseph Smith’s presidential campaign. He has also authored other academic articles and conference papers. He volunteers for Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants Central. He resides in Bountiful, Utah with his wife Meredith and their three sons and three dogs.

Filed Under: Doctrine, FAIR Conference, Joseph Smith, LDS History, Podcast, Politics, Priesthood, Prophets, Racial Issues, Revelation

The CES Letter Rebuttal — Part 54

March 24, 2022 by Jeff Markham

Part 54: CES Letter Witnesses Questions [Section J]

by Sarah Allen

 

With the exception of Hyrum Smith, the stories of the three witnesses are much more recognizable to us as a whole than those of the eight witnesses. Today, I wanted to focus on the seven we aren’t as familiar with. Their contributions to early Latter-day Saint history deserve to be celebrated. [Read more…] about The CES Letter Rebuttal — Part 54

Filed Under: Anti-Mormon critics, Apologetics, CES Letter, Faith Crisis, Joseph Smith, LDS History

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 28
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to Blog

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner


RSS-Icon RSS Feed (all posts)

Subscribe to Podcast

Podcast icon
Subscribe to podcast in iTunes
Subscribe to podcast elsewhere
Listen with FAIR app
Android app on Google Play

Pages

  • Blog Guidelines

FAIR Latest

  • Come, Follow Me Week 22 – Joshua 1–8; 23–24
  • The CES Letter Rebuttal — Part 59
  • Come, Follow Me Week 21 – Deuteronomy 6-8; 15; 18; 29-30; 34
  • Come, Follow Me Week 20 – Numbers 11-14; 20-24
  • Come, Follow Me Week 19 – Exodus 35–40; Leviticus 1; 16; 19

Blog Categories

Recent Comments

  • N. Anderson on “Under the Banner of Heaven” Redux
  • Alice on Come, Follow Me Week 20 – Numbers 11-14; 20-24
  • Trevor Holyoak on Come, Follow Me Week 19 – Exodus 35–40; Leviticus 1; 16; 19
  • Ana on Come, Follow Me Week 19 – Exodus 35–40; Leviticus 1; 16; 19
  • Kelli on Come, Follow Me Week 18 – Exodus 24; 31-34

Archives

Footer

FairMormon Logo

FAIR is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of the doctrine, practice, and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Our Friends

  • BYU Religious Studies Center
  • BYU Studies
  • Book of Mormon Central
  • TheFamilyProclamation.org
  • Interpreter Foundation
  • Pearl of Great Price Central

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • iTunes
  • YouTube

Donate to FAIR

We are a volunteer organization. We invite you to give back.

Donate Now

Donate to us by shopping at Amazon at no extra cost to you. Learn how →

Site Footer

Copyright © 1997-2022 by The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

No portion of this site may be reproduced without the express written consent of The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research, Inc.

Any opinions expressed, implied, or included in or with the goods and services offered by FAIR are solely those of FAIR and not those of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research (FAIR) Logo

FAIR is controlled and operated by the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research (FAIR)