
Polygamy
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – The Articles of Faith and Official Declarations 1 and 2 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson
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If God is so Powerful, Why Didn’t He Just Stop Their Enemies?
by Autumn Dickson
I want to share something from the Official Declaration 1, the declaration that ended the practice of polygamy in the latter-days. This post isn’t specifically about polygamy, but the principle I want to teach is being taught through the polygamy example. [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me with FAIR – The Articles of Faith and Official Declarations 1 and 2 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – The Articles of Faith and Official Declarations 1 and 2 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson
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When Things Feel Unfair, Remember This About Christ’s Atonement
by Autumn Dickson
In the past, I have shied away from talking about the Official Declarations, not because I don’t believe what’s in them, but because I feel that there are an immense number of people who can speak on those subjects with more knowledge, wisdom, and personal experience than I can. That being said, I do my best to simply share what the Lord wants me to share, and if I get some of the details wrong, the principles that I teach are true and I figure the Lord forgives me and is proud of me for making the attempt.
This week, we read about polygamy and race and the priesthood. For many, these are not easy topics. This post is not to try and convince anyone that the Church is true. Rather, I hope that this post can comfort those who still believe that this church holds the fullness of the gospel but simultaneously feel pain when reading these declarations. [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me with FAIR – The Articles of Faith and Official Declarations 1 and 2 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Doctrine and Covenants 135–136 – Mike Parker
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Martyrdom of Joseph & Hyrum Smith; Brigham Young led the Saints west (D&C 135–136)
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 135–136 – Mike Parker
Classic FAIR – Why Did Joseph Smith Practice Polygamy? – Brian Hales, 2010
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“Controversies in Joseph Smith’s Polygamy: New Evidences and New Observations Indicate Fawn Brodie Should Have Done More Research” by Brian C. Hales at the 2010 FAIR Conference
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
Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Doctrine and Covenants 102-105 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson
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Did the Lord Fail?
by Autumn Dickson
To give a bit of content for what we’re reading about this week, the Saints have been driven from their homes in Missouri, and Joseph Smith received a revelation that talked about gathering a group of Saints to go and win back their homes. After marching towards Jackson County, the camp was actually disbanded. [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Doctrine and Covenants 102-105 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson
FAIR Questions: Are William Clayton’s journals and other evidences suggesting Joseph Smith practiced plural marriage just “revised history”?
FAIR has a service where questions can be submitted and they are answered by volunteers. If you have a question, you can submit it at https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/contact. We will occasionally publish answers here for questions that are commonly asked, or are on topics that are receiving a lot of attention.
QUESTION:
My dear friend shared with me some information suggesting Joseph Smith’s involvement in plural marriage was doctored in after the fact by Brigham Young and his associates, especially William Clayton. To support this, they refer to public speeches by Joseph and Hyrum Smith, denying participation in plural marriage. So much of what we know depends on what is in the William Clayton diaries, which they say is possibly “revised history.” I also noted that it was announced that the William Clayton Diaries would be made available a few years back, but haven’t been yet. Do you know of any further information on that?
Asking Big Questions: How Can I Find Answers to Tough Topics in Church History?
The “Asking Big Questions” series is made in cooperation with the Wilford Woodruff Papers Project.
Have you ever had a question about a topic in Church history? Because we were not there, some Church history events and topics can be hard for us to understand. For example, plural marriage, also known as polygamy, is a difficult topic for many members of the Church. So how do we approach questions about topics like plural marriage? Here are three ideas:
Aufgewärmte Fragen, bereitstehende Antworten: Sich mit Radzik und seinen 13 Thesen auseinandersetzen
[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
- Vorträge über Theologie („Vorlesungen über den Glauben“) (Themen im Zusammenhang mit der Geschichte der Kirche)
- King-Follett-Rede (Themen im Zusammenhang mit der Geschichte der Kirche)
- Wie Gott werden (Abhandlungen zu Evangeliumsthemen)
- Veränderung ist in Ordnung (siehe 2 Nephi 28:30; 29:9; Lehre und Bündnisse 61:20; 9. Glaubensartikel)
Rehashed Questions, Ready Answers: Addressing Radzik and His 13 Theses
[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
- Lecture on Theology (“Lectures on Faith”) (Church History Topics)
- King Follett Discourse (Church History Topics)
- Becoming Like God (Gospel Topic Essays)
- Change is okay (see 2 Nephi 28:30; 29:9; Doctrine and Covenants 61:20; Article of Faith 9)
[Read more…] about Rehashed Questions, Ready Answers: Addressing Radzik and His 13 Theses

