June 2002
LATIN – apologeticus GREEK – apologetikos Apologetics: “The branch of theology that is concerned with defending or proving the truth of Christian doctrines” (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2009).
JOURNAL CONTENTS
- THE FOURTH ANNUAL FAIR APOLOGETIC CONFERENCE. The latest info on our upcoming annual conference.
- ADVERTISING THE FAIR CONFERENCE. You can help get the word out about the upcoming FAIR Conference with a free poster you can download. .
- FEATURE: ARABIA AND THE BOOK OF MORMON. A review of S. Kent Brown’s 2001 FAIR Conference Presentation, as he discusses the current state of Arabian archaeology and other research that provides valuable insight to Lehi’s travels and validating names and places along the journey. .
- NEW: ASK THE APOLOGIST. As a new feature of the FAIR Journal, we decided to post questions that we receive from a variety of sources. FAIR apologists will answer the questions right here. .
- FROM THE FAIR FILES: Do Latter-day Saints Believe Jesus and Satan Are Brothers? Learn the shocking truth here. .
- MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT, SCOTT GORDON. .
- JOIN THE FAIR APOLOGETICS LIST. The FAIR Journal isn’t the only communication forum available to FAIR members. .
- ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS. Interested in writing for FAIR? Learn how you can have your apologetics work published. .
- PUBLISHING NOTES. Learn how you can become more involved in FAIR and how you can reuse the material we publish.
THE FOURTH ANNUAL FAIR APOLOGETIC CONFERENCE TURNING STUMBLING BLOCKS INTO STEPPING STONES–Responding to Challenging Issues in Mormonism.
Join us for the FAIR conference on August 9th and 10th at UVSC in Orem Utah. We have wonderful speakers scheduled such as Dan Peterson (Chairman of the Board of FARMS), John Tvedtnes (Research Associate with FARMS), Tim Heaton (Sociologist at BYU), Kathryn Daynes (BYU History associate professor and accredited geneologist), Royal Skousen, and many others.
For a full listing and description of the speakers, click here:
The topics covered will include Blacks and the Priesthood, polygamy, the 1826 trial of Joseph Smith, changes in the Book of Mormon and lots more. (All topics are covered from an LDS point of view.)
The Conference price is reasonable, with discounts available for couples and students. Prices include lunch each day:
- Purchase in Advance: $45 per person $75 per couple
- Pay at the door: $65 per person $95 per couple
This year we will sell a single day ticket
- Single Day $27.50 ($37.50 at the door)
We will also offer discounted Student tickets, but you must show a student id at the door. The Student tickets will be:
- Two-day student Purchase in advance $35 per person $55 per couple
- Pay at the door student tickets $55 per person $75 per couple
- Single-day student $22.50 ($32.50 at the door)
For information on the conference (times, dates cost etc.) click here:
ADVERTISING THE FAIR CONFERENCE
FAIR needs your help to advertise our upcoming annual conference. Help us to get the word out. Go to the following page:
Scroll to the very bottom of the page. Under the “Publicity” section there is a link that will give you an 8-1/2 X 11 flyer you can print out and post wherever Latter-day Saints are likely to gather. Maybe your local bookstore will agree to put it up where everyone can see.
Because of its smaller size, the poster also makes a great handout. If you have someone you want to send it to, feel free to do so. Help us continue to offer these fabulous conferences at a discounted rate.
ARABIA AND THE BOOK OF MORMON
by Cooper Johnson
When one considers the archaeological efforts aimed at learning about the people, places and events of the Book of Mormon, it is easy to focus on Mesoamerican studies while forgetting about the origins of the Book of Mormon peoples. Let’s face it, literally 99% of the Book of Mormon, which covers more than a thousand years in time (the book of Ether notwithstanding), takes place in the Americas.
More specifically, less than 10 of the roughly 1021 years covered in the Book of Mormon, from the time of Nephi’s first writings to the last writings of Moroni, take place outside of the Western Hemisphere. So, it’s not surprising for the majority of archaeological energies to be spent in Mesoamerica.
However, turning our attention to that very small amount of time after Lehi and his family departed Jerusalem and traveled in the wilderness and desert of Arabia has proven very fruitful in demonstrating the authenticity of the claims within the Book of Mormon. The research and resulting finds in the Arabian peninsula have provided absolutely incredible insight into the lives of Lehi, his family, and the beginnings of their journey to the promised land.
In addition to providing insight, the findings from Arabian research, in recent years, have provided some of the most valuable archaeological evidences to authenticate the claims of the Book of Mormon. Many significant “direct-hits” have been logged in Arabia. And considering the information about Arabia (i.e. the landscape, terrain, geography, botany, names of places, etc.) that would have been available to Joseph Smith during the 1820s (almost nothing), these findings become even more amazing and increasingly difficult for Book of Mormon critics to face.
Read the full article at:
Arabia and The Book of Mormon by Cooper Johnson
ASK THE APOLOGIST
Welcome to Ask the Apologist, a new FAIR Journal feature. We have decided to post questions that we receive from FAIR Journal subscribers, from the Web site, or from the FAIR Apologetics list. FAIR apologists will answer the questions, and the results reported here and on the Web site.
To kick off this new FAIR Journal feature, and considering the imminent dedication of the Nauvoo Temple, we chose the following question, asked by one of our FAIR Apologetics list members:
Q. While visiting Nauvoo I happened to wander into a Christian bookstore. The proprietor claimed that Joseph Smith couldn’t be a true prophet because he didn’t even know that Nauvoo isn’t a Hebrew word. She said that Joseph Smith just made it up and it is just one more evidence that he was a fraud. Is this true?
Read the answer here:
Is Nauvoo a Hebrew Word? by Kevin Barney
FROM THE FAIR FILES
Do Latter-day Saints Believe Jesus and Satan Are Brothers?
You’ve heard it before–the sensationalistic claim that the LDS believe that Jesus and Satan are brothers. What! How could such a thing be? Oh my goodness; the LDS Church must not be Christian, let alone a Church worth investigating.
At FAIR we have heard this tired old charge so often that we felt it best to write a FAIR Paper on the topic. If you have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your system (most systems do these days), you can review this excellent paper on the topic, written by Michael Hickenbotham:
Do Latter-day Saints Believe Jesus and Satan are Brothers? (PDF) by Michael Hickenbotham
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
by Scott Gordon, President
This is not something I usually like to talk about, but FAIR needs your help. We want to publish the Book “Guess Who Wants to Have You For Lunch.” It is a good book that discusses the tactics used by the “wolves in sheep’s clothing” that are out there in the world. Better still, it is written in plain English and directed at a non-scholarly audience. We published the book once before, and it sold out almost immediately. There continues to be a high demand for the book, but we need the up-front funding to publish it.
FAIR is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation that has no paid staff, and we are all trying to do what we can to counter the lies and distortions spread by the so-called “ministries” whose only goal is to destroy the Church. We know that they won’t succeed in destroying the Church, but we hate to see even one of our brothers and sisters fall victim to their efforts.
We see “Guess Who Wants to Have You For Lunch” as a tool that can be used to counter the lies. In order to publish the book we need to raise about $3,500. If you are able to make a donation to FAIR, we really need your help. If just 100 people donate $35 each, we will meet our goal. Doing the math, it would also work if 35 people each donated $100, or if one contributor made a major tax-deductible donation.
To help with this fundraising we have added two new catagories to the “donations” page in the FAIR online store. You will find these new donation catagories at the bottom of the Web page. Just visit the FAIR Web site and click on the “Store” tab at the top of the main page.
The first new link is for a $35 donation. If you make this donation, we will automatically send you a copy of “Guess Who Wants to Have You For Lunch” as soon as it is printed.
The second new link is for $100. We already had a $100 donation link in the store, but this new one is to donate the money and get a book in return. If you make a $100 donation we will send you the “Lunch” book when it is printed, and a complete set of “They Lie In Wait to Deceive” right now.
I know that not everyone on the list will be able to donate $35. We have some starving students, and others who are just starving for accurate and helpful information. I am hoping that some who are able to pay more will make a larger donation. Any donation of any size would be appreciated.
If you would prefer to mail a check, make it out to FAIR and mail it to:
FAIR PO Box 491677 Redding, CA 96049
If you are not able to donate, I understand completely; it certainly isn’t a requirement to receive the FAIR Journal. However, if we all pull together and do what we can, we can make FAIR a strong organization that can help dispell the misinformation and outright lies that seem so previlant in these last days.
-Scott Gordon FAIR President
JOIN THE FAIR APOLOGETICS LIST
FAIR sponsors two mailing lists. You already subscribe to one of them–this one, which is used to publish the monthly FAIR Journal. It is a great tool for those who want to keep on top of the latest in apologetic efforts here at FAIR.
Our other mailing list, the FAIR Apologetics list, is a different type of beast. It is an unmoderated list in which FAIR members share their thoughts and outlooks on points of doctrine and discuss how to respond to recent and oft-repeated criticisms of the LDS Church. It is a “safe harbor,” so to speak, where those dedicated to defending the restored gospel of Jesus Christ can meet and discuss matters of common interest.
It is also a very busy list, with more than 100 messages per day quite common. Even so, the topics discussed and the viewpoints exchanged are both fascinating and enlightening.
If you want to be part of the FAIR Apologetics list, we invite you to apply. You can do so here:
ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS
We welcome article submissions for the FAIR Web site. If you would like to submit an article, please review the editing guidelines at:
Submit your article to the FAIR Journal Editor. An appropriate article would be one that affirms the truthfulness of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
While LDS apologetics (in the broadest sense) deals with refuting critics of the Church, articles don’t necessarily have to deal with anti-Mormonism, but may deal with some new evidence of the Book of Mormon, some interesting scripture interpretation, a viewpoint or quote from the early Christian Fathers or other historical figure, an interesting lesson idea, an inspiring missionary story, Church history, or your view on a current event related to the Church or a piece from a historical journal.
We may also accept articles from people who are not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that may not necessarily meet the guidelines of supporting the church if it is a topic of general interest to people involved in apologetics.
A submission may range in length from several pages to a single paragraph.
PUBLISHING NOTES
FAIR is not owned, controlled by or affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. All research and opinions provided in the FAIR Journal and on the FAIR Web site (http://www.fairlds.org) are the sole responsibility of FAIR, and should not be interpreted as official statements of LDS doctrine, belief or practice.
If someone has forwarded this e-journal to you and you would like to join you should go to www.fairlds.org and click on the Membership link.
If you are very interested in apologetics and would like to actively participate in FAIR you should consider joining our apologetics e-mail list. Visit www.fairlds.org and click on the Membership link to join this list as well.
If you manage your own e-mail list, and wish to include some of these thoughts or articles on your list, contact us through our Web site, at this page: www.fairlds.org/contact.psp. We have a fairly liberal policy of using our material so long as you contact us first to gain permission and clearly identify that your source was FAIR and by adding a link to the FAIR website (www.fairlds.org).
If you would like to sign up to receive the FAIR Journal automatically, click here.
To return to the index of past FAIR Journal issues, click here.
