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“Ripped from the Headlines….”

April 22, 2008 by Steven Danderson

Imagine this dispatch from the New Yuck Times:

“Tumbleweed, NV, April 21st: Government officials raided an offshoot Baptist compound yesterday following an alleged 911 call from a 16-year-old girl claiming that her husband had beat her with a one-inch-thick stick. In all, 500 women and children were evacuated.

“Said Mustangranch County Sheriff Darius Dust, ‘We had to move. The founder was already convicted of statutory rape and incest. We just couldn’t afford to have any more abused kids.’

“Dust was referring to the founder/pastor of the First Redneck Baptist Church, Reverend Jerry Lee Lulu, convicted last month of marrying his 13-year-old first cousin. Lulu founded the Church because he was concerned that the Redneck traditions of the Old South in Appalachia was becoming lost in the rapidly-modernizing world. Lulu’s group fled their original settlement in Lorettalynn, WV, after local authorities announced a probe of illegal activities. In addition to allegations of statutory rape and spousal and child abuse, Coaldust County, WV District Attorney John B. Goode claimed that there were credible charges of “moonshining,” or making illegal alcohol. However, the group fled the jurisdiction before charges could be filed, and Goode declined to press the matter further. ‘I just figured that it was now Nevada’s problem,’ Goode explained.

“At the request of state authorities, the Tumbleweed Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints assisted in the evacuation by providing a caravan of busses and cars, and housing the evacuees in their Mustangranch Nevada Stake Center. Said Bishop Harry Dingy, of the Tumbleweed Ward, ‘What a wonderful opportunity to minister and show hospitality to our non-LDS neighbors!'”

If the details of the above story disturb you, maybe you can see why this article disturbs me.

“This does not compute!”

April 20, 2008 by Steven Danderson

In a display of total disconnect that would put Canadian lawyer Bob McCue to shame, along comes “Aleksandr Zinkovsky, head of the department of psychiatry at the Tver State Medical Academy,” who says that Latter-day Saints “have a low level of intelligence” because “they practice inbreeding.”

While this slur might impress neo-Communists in Tver, Russia, it is entirely unconvincing to better-educated people, like the readers of the Financial Times, which in 2006 rated the business programme at LDS flagship Brigham Young University as the 45th best–in the world.

Every Member an Apologist

April 17, 2008 by Keller

Mormon Times has become an instant sensation on the internet and a regular stop in my surfing patterns. I have enjoyed working with FAIR volunteers and editor Joe Walker to help provide some content for their web page. Today I found a news report about Elder Ballard admonishing BYU-Idaho graduates to use their knowledge to help combat the growing tide of internet anti-Mormonism. The article summarizes and quotes Elder Ballard as follows: [Read more…] about Every Member an Apologist

DCP at Olivewood on olive trees and evidences

April 12, 2008 by Keller

The Olivewood Bookstore in Provo has done it again! After February’s fireside featuring John Sorenson, for an encore they brought in another prolific Mawell Institute scholar, Daniel C. Peterson. Dr. Peterson did not disappoint, but if you missed it, don’t fret as it was captured on video and I have updated this blog now that it has been made available on YouTube. The event was well attended. John Clark and John Sorenson were in the audience. Bill Hamblin arrived late, but seeing that no anti-Mormon contingent had materialized to disrupt the event as they had threatened, did not stay long. I met a few personalities who I originally became aware of over the internet, but I don’t know if they wanted to be outed in this space.

Lindsay on Clark on Book of Mormon archeology

April 3, 2008 by Mike Parker

Blogger and apologist extraordinaire Jeff Lindsay discusses John Clark’s 2005 FAIR Conference presentation, “Debating the Foundations of Mormonism: The Book of Mormon and Archaeology.”

http://mormanity.blogspot.com/2008/04/where-we-stand-archaeology-and-book-of.html

Jeff, as usual, injects some good humor into his writing:

For this post, I’m not interested in getting dozens of the standard uninformed comments about how there is “no evidence for anything in the Book of Mormon.” And yes, I already know that there are serious questions about the evidence for horses, silk, metals, and iPods in the Book of Mormon.

I don’t know about iPods, but there is conclusive evidence that there are handheld electronic devices in the celestial kingdom. (See Revelation 7:9.)

An Interesting Quote

April 2, 2008 by Greg Kearney

I offer up this quote for your collective consideration:

“Because of their Masonic characters the ceremonies of the temple are sacred and not for the public.”

October 15, 1911; Messages of First Presidency, 4: 250.

The Bainbridge Conspiracy

March 27, 2008 by Keller

Prior to assuming the mantle of a prophet, the young Joseph Smith developed a reputation as a village seer, one who was sought after to locate stray animals or optimal locations to dig for well water or treasure [1-2]. In October of 1825, Josiah Stowell (1770-1844) visited his son Simpson in Palmyra [3-4] and upon learning of Joseph’s abilities, pressured Joseph to join him on a treasure searching expedition. A short while later a company was formed and a profit-sharing pact was signed on November 1st [5]. Among those mentioned in the pact were Josiah, Calvin, Elijah, and Isaiah Stowell. William R. Hines added that another Stowell, Asa, contributed financially to the venture [6].

A FAIR “Ask the Apologist” case study: Evolution

March 25, 2008 by Mike Parker

First, a little background: FAIR is an all-volunteer organization. One of the things we do is answer questions submitted through the FAIR web site. These questions are forwarded to a group of about 100 volunteers, any and all of whom are likely to reply to the questioner. We try to answer every question. Some questions generate only one response; others spur several volunteers to reply.

The questions we get run the gamut, from criticisms of LDS beliefs, to questions about Church history, to help dealing with critical family members.

Sometimes we receive comments critical of FAIR itself. Most often these are from non-Mormons. Occasionally, however, they’re from Latter-day Saints who disagree with something published by FAIR.

“…but of you it is required to forgive all men.”

March 21, 2008 by Mike Parker

The San Luis, Colorado Catholic Parish council has decided not to press charges against the LDS missionaries who mocked the Catholic church and allegedly vandalized a holy shrine. According to the Salt Lake Tribune

This recommendation came after Bishop Arthur Tafoya of the Pueblo diocese issued an Easter letter on Tuesday asking Catholics to forgive.

What a moving example of the pure love of Christ, one well worthy of emulation by all people who profess Jesus as their Lord.

To sustain or not to sustain….

March 21, 2008 by Steven Danderson

PREFACE: I have a confession to make: In an earlier blog, I intentionally used harsher language than normal in describing wrongful acts by erstwhile LDS missionaries. The reasons are threefold:

1. I wanted to emphasize the serious damage done to LDS-Catholic relations, LDS missionary efforts in that area and as a whole, and to the reputation of the Church.

2. I wanted to spur discussion (as I do in my courses–usually successfully). I appear to have succeeded–perhaps in ways that I did not intend. I wanted to take the most rigorous position consistent with Gospel principles, that is the “Hammer them, then take them by the hand and help them back” approach. Obviously, I didn’t entirely succeed here–to miscalculations on my part. I repeat my apologies.

3. I wanted a lead-in for this Gospel-related entry. NoS was quite right in his comment that the essence of the Gospel was repentance and forgiveness. However, as he and others were a little slow on the uptake on my first reason for the harsh language (no doubt because of my miscalculations mentioned in the second reason–I’m sorry for this, NoS!), I didn’t want to give away the game before I had fully developed this entry (I’m sorry for this, too, NoS!).

Now, for the blog entry itself: