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Asking Big Questions: How Can I Find Answers to Gospel Questions on the Internet?

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By Maddie Christensen

The “Asking Big Questions” series is made in cooperation with the Wilford Woodruff Papers Project.

In today’s digital age, the Internet has become an indispensable tool for accessing information on any topic imaginable. With just a few keystrokes and a click of a button, one can easily find answers to any question that comes to mind. Googling questions has become a ubiquitous activity that many of us engage in on a daily basis. [Read more…] about Asking Big Questions: How Can I Find Answers to Gospel Questions on the Internet?

Letter For My Wife Rebuttal, Part 19: The Early Church – Polygamy [D]

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One of the Church history topics I find the most fascinating is that of the Nauvoo Expositor and the lead-up to and aftermath of the martyrdom.

My first real exposure to the story of the Expositor was as a sophomore in high school in Utah. An anti-LDS substitute math teacher decided to take it upon himself to lecture us on the evil censorship of the church many of us in the class belonged to. Looking back now, I can see how wildly inappropriate it was for a substitute teacher to bring this up in order to harass and criticize the religious beliefs of a bunch of teenagers who were just trying to learn pre-calculus. But unfortunately, at the time it wasn’t that unusual for us to have teachers who didn’t like the church. It didn’t occur to us that these teachers were crossing way over the line by actually vocalizing that dislike in class.

[Read more…] about Letter For My Wife Rebuttal, Part 19: The Early Church – Polygamy [D]

Come, Follow Me with FAIR: Faithful Answers to New Testament Questions – Luke 22; John 18

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Evangelical Questions: The Garden or the Cross?

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 Gethsemane and the crucifixion. 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 – Luke 22; John 18

John 14–17 – Faithful Resources for Come, Follow Me 2023 Week 24

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“Continue Ye in My Love”

JUNE 5–11

FAIR temple circle

FAIR Faithful Resources for Come, Follow Me 2023 June 5–11. John 14–17: “Continue Ye in My Love.” Find answers to difficult questions to help you in your learning and teaching. Here is a collection of reliable resources to supplement your study of John 14–17. FAIR Resources link to relevant questions which have been answered on the FAIR website. Under Church Resources you’ll find links to the different Come, Follow Me manuals, as well as other helpful links as applicable. Other Resources link to resources outside of FAIR that are trustworthy and helpful.

Main points to ponder

An if/then statement is a logical statement that expresses a conditional relationship between two parts: the “if” clause and the “then” clause. It’s a way of describing a cause-and-effect relationship or a condition and its consequence. Consider some of the if/then statements the Savior uses in this week’s reading:

  • “If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also” (John 14:7)
  • “If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” (John 7:14)
  • “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15)
  • “If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father.” (John 14:28)
  • “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” (John 15:7)
  • “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.” (John 15:10)
  • “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.” (John 15:14)

What can these statements teach us about our relationship with Christ? What do they teach us about his love?

Continued here…

Cornerstone: A FAIR Temple Preparation Podcast – Episode 4: The Endowment with Nathan Richardson

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On this episode, Nathan Richardson joins for a discussion about the temple Endowment and Initiatory ordinances.

Nathan Richardson is a speech-language pathologist who has published research articles in academic journals. He is also a book designer and has worked for multiple publishing houses, including the BYU Religious Studies Center and BYU Studies, as well as owned his own document design business. He is a frequent speaker at BYU-I Education Week. He received a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in communication disorders from BYU and works for a private family in the Middle East. He designs gospel study aids and a study edition of the scriptures on his website NathanRichardson.com.

Jacob Crapo was born and now resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. He served his mission in Upstate New York and was an ordinance worker in the Las Vegas Temple. One of Jacob’s dreams is to help build a temple. He is an electrician by trade but his real passion is helping others access the powers of heaven.

Letter For My Wife Rebuttal, Part 18: The Early Church – Polygamy [C]

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Sorry for taking so long to get this posted! I’ve been putting in more than 60 hours a week at work lately, and I just didn’t have time to properly research this post until now.

This week, the topic under discussion is Joseph’s wives and the way that he personally practiced plural marriage. It’s true that some of the circumstances a little unusual compared to how later members practiced it, and it’s also true that sealing practices in general were unusual compared to how we practice them today. The world was also very different in the 1840s than it is today in the 2020s.

All of that means that it can be very difficult for us to understand what was going on and why. I’m going to do my best to break this all down so that it makes sense, but just remember, it’s okay if it makes you uncomfortable. It’s okay if you don’t like the idea of plural marriage. It’s okay if you don’t ever want to practice it. I don’t, either.

[Read more…] about Letter For My Wife Rebuttal, Part 18: The Early Church – Polygamy [C]

Come, Follow Me with FAIR: Faithful Answers to New Testament Questions – John 14–17

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Evangelical Questions: Grace and Works

by Jennifer Roach, MDiv, LMHC

If ye love me, keep my commandments. (John 14:15)

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 Grace and Works. 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 – John 14–17

By Study and Faith – Episode 1: What is Critical Thinking?

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by Zachary Wright

Have you ever wanted to problem-solve better? Not just the daily issues we deal with, but the massive world-changing problems we deal with constantly? What about wanting to be more effective in your study? Have you ever wanted to learn to differentiate between what’s true and what’s not? Maybe you’re not as ambitious, but you want to be a better disciple of Jesus Christ and learn more about Him and His gospel. All these skills, and more, apply at least some form of critical thinking skills, and I’m here to help you learn how to be a more effective critical thinker. [Read more…] about By Study and Faith – Episode 1: What is Critical Thinking?

Beyond the Rainbow: Supporting LGBT+ Saints Faithfully

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by Skyler Sorensen

Note: Skyler’s new book “Exclude Not Thyself: Thriving as a Covenant-keeping, Gay Latter-day Saint” will be available June 12. Pre-order now from the FAIR Bookstore!

When choosing to associate with a group, you have to consider the implications and effects the group has as a whole. In recent years our prophets and apostles have implored us to seek to understand the experience of our LGBT+ brothers and sisters. At a BYU devotional in 2017, and in regard to members of the Church with an experience under the LGBT+ acronym,  Elder Ballard said, “We must do better than we have done in the past so that all members feel they have a spiritual home where their brothers and sisters love them and where they have a place to worship and serve the Lord.” 

At the same time, pride celebrations are advertised by many as the best way to show LGBT+ people love and support. This juxtaposition has led some to the conclusion that the brethren are instructing us to use pride celebrations as the catalyst for showing “support” for LGBT+ people. But what message are we sending when we support such a movement? [Read more…] about Beyond the Rainbow: Supporting LGBT+ Saints Faithfully

The Joseph Smith Papers, Documents, Volume 14: 1 January–15 May 1844

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The volume editors – Spencer W. McBride, Adam H. Petty, Jessica M. Nelson, and Alex D. Smith

I recently had the opportunity to meet with the editors of this latest volume and see some of the included documents firsthand. The volume covers the first four and a half months of 1844, ending just 43 days before Joseph Smith’s death. There will be one more volume published after this, and then the series will be finished. There are 99 documents, including letters to (mostly) and from Joseph Smith, discourses, a short revelation, and a poem he wrote in an autograph book. During the time period covered, Joseph started the Council of Fifty, announced his presidential campaign, dealt with increasing hostility from various sources including former church members, and brought forth new doctrine, among other things. [Read more…] about The Joseph Smith Papers, Documents, Volume 14: 1 January–15 May 1844