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Journal – June 2005

June 2005

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

  • MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT. President Scott Gordon takes a look at matters of interest to FAIR at large. In this month’s message, Scott examines the upcoming FAIR Conference, hotel accommodations for the Conference, and the lawsuit filed by the Tanners (Utah Lighthouse Ministry) against FAIR and others.
  • NEW ON THE WEBSITE: “Steel in the Book of Mormon.” William Hamblin responds to the frequent anti-Mormon complain about references to steel in the Book of Mormon.
  • ASK THE APOLOGIST. Got a question you are dying to ask? Here’s how. This month features a response by Allen Wyatt to a reader who asks how to integrate apologetics into his family and church relationships.
  • FAIR TOPICAL GUIDE. The Topical Guide on the FAIR Web site is one of the most popular resources offered. Learn what is available and help us expand our references. Listed below are some new links in FAIR’s Topical Guide.
  • FAIR LDS BOOKSTORE. Take a look at the four specials available this month from the FAIR Bookstore.
  • 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.
  • FAIR JOURNAL ARCHIVES.

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

It is time to register for the FAIR conference on August 4 and 5 in Sandy, Utah, at the South Towne Exposition Center. The conference is open to all,and you won’t want to miss it. Some of the speakers are fresh from giving presentations at the Library of Congress Joseph Smith event. We have Richard Bushman, a top historian from Columbia University speaking about Joseph Smith and some of the criticisms of Joseph. Also fresh from the Library of Congress event, Dr. John Clark, the director of the New World Archaeological Foundation will be addressing archeology and the Book of Mormon. Now is your chance to hear a respected archeologist speak on this topic.

If that was all we had, it would be worth attending this conference. But there is more. Dr. Ryan Parr is flying in from Canada to speak on DNA and the Book of Mormon. Dr. Parr is an international expert in human genetics working on the recovery and sequencing of mtDNA extracted from the skeletal remains of ancient Egyptian populations, and he recently used mtDNA to identify unclaimed victims from the 1912 RMS Titanic disaster.

Boyd Peterson, the man who wrote the biography on Hugh Nibley and husband of Zina Nibley Peterson, will be speaking about Brother Nibley and some of the recent controversy surrounding him.

Do you have Book of Abraham Questions? John Tvedtnes will be speaking about some of the Book of Abraham discoveries that show Joseph Smith got it right.

What about the relationship between Masonry and Mormonism? Master Mason Greg Kearney will be speaking on this topic.

Wondering about cognitive dissonance, blacks in the LDS church, historical perspectives or new directions in anti-Mormonism or even a philosophical perspective? We have Dr. Wendy Ulrich, Dr. Davis Bitton, Darius Grey, Marvin Perkins, Dr. Dan Peterson, and Blake Ostler who will address these topics.

Sign up now and tell your friends. You won’t want to miss this event.

The FAIR Web site has been updated with the latest information about the conference, including the speakers’ schedule and hotel special:

2005 FAIR Conference

To register, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the registration button or link. With the purchase of a two day ticket, the cost is approximately $30 per day and lunch is included each day. After you register, print out a copy of your receipt as your ticket. We will also keep a list of people who signed up at the conference registration table.

Since this is a private event, we do reserve the right to ask people to leave.

HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS

FAIR has received several inquiries about recommended hotel accommodations for the upcoming Apologetics Conference. We are pleased to announce that we have secured a group rate at the Best Western Cottontree, just minutes away from the South Towne Exposition Center.

Best Western Cottontree 10695 S Auto Mall Dr Sandy, UT 84070 801-523-8484 Map

Rooms are available for only $69 per night, which includes a room upgrade to a room with a balcony and microwave(as available), high-speed wireless Internet access; a great breakfast of eggs, hash browns, waffles, French toast, and more; plus free shuttle service to the conference.

To make your reservations with the special price and room upgrade, contact the hotel at 800-662-6886. Tell them you want a FAIR Conference room, or use the confirmation number 901001.

LAWSUIT NEWS

As you may or may not know, FAIR has recently been sued by Utah Lighthouse Ministry for a Web site that parodied the UTLM Web site. I was also personally listed as a defendant on the lawsuit as was Allen Wyatt and Discovery Computing. For the record, neither FAIR nor the FAIR president (me) was involved in this Web site and we would have been happy to inform the Tanners of this had they but asked. They decided to file suit instead, without any advance notification whatsoever.

For those interested, both FAIR and DCI filed motions with the court related to this lawsuit.

– Scott Gordon President, FAIR

FAIR relies on your kind donations to remain in business. Now is the time to make a donation. FAIR is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, so if you are in the United States, your donation is tax deductible.

Donate to FAIR

Steel in the Book of Mormon

by William Hamblin

Anyone who has spent much time reading anti-Mormon attacks on the Book of Mormon is familiar with the accusation that anachronisms permeate the text. Critics complain about flora, fauna, technologies, literary references, demographics, societal structures, and nearly every other aspect of the book. One Book of Mormon reference is particularly the object of ridicule: steel.

In his article, Hamblin looks at the various ways that critics misread and misinterpret the actual text of the Book of Mormon– attacking their 21st century interpretation of a text that even nonbelievers must grant has a minimum of two linguistic layers and where believers identify at least seven layers. This inability of anti-Mormons to respond to what the text actually claims instead of what they want it to say is the reason the tired arguments against the word “steel” in the Book of Mormon are resurrected in nearly each new anti-Mormon book and on virtually every anti-Mormon web site.

Hamblin notes, “anti-Mormons insist that the Book of Mormon must be evaluated on the basis of modern metallurgical terminology and science, which has categories and distinctions completely foreign to ancient peoples.”

Read the article:

Their “Little Corner of Cyberspace” by William Hamblin

ASK THE APOLOGIST

FAIR invites the public to submit questions relating to LDS beliefs, practices, and history. Some questions are asked sincerely by members and investigators, others are clearly hostile questions challenging the veracity of the Church and its teachings. Many of these responses may end up on the Web site as a FAIR paper or brochure. If you have a question, simply mail it to our Questions address. Email sent to this address will be shared with members of FAIR, so it is not uncommon to receive several responses that approach the issue from different angles.

This month we feature a response by Allen Wyatt to the question:

“Apologists deal with a lot of anti-Mormon material, and surely must receive questions from their families as to why they do what they do. Has anyone at FAIR had to deal with these types of issues in their families? What is the best way to deal with your interest in apologetics when it comes to your spouse or other close family member?”

Wyatt gives his seven rules on appropriately integrating apologetic interests into a balanced spiritual life.

Read the article:

Ask the Apologist: Families and Anti-Mormon Issues

FAIR TOPICAL GUIDE

The Topical Guide is one of the most important LDS apologetic resources available. If you aren’t familiar with this part of FAIR’s Web site, check it out at

FAIR Topical Guide

Among this month’s TG additions are the following. Note that several of these are free MP3 files.

HTML Files

PDF Files

MP3 Files

FAIR LDS BOOKSTORE

With the FAIR Conference just a month away, it is time to prepare for an exciting and thought-provoking experience with many LDS scholars, researchers, and authors. The FAIR Bookstore is discounting several books that will make excellent additions to any LDS library. The new scripture CD is a great study aid for any serious student of the scriptures.

A Different Jesus?: The Christ of the Latter-day Saints

This recent publication by Robert L. Millet has generated significant controversy, particularly since it was published by Eerdmans, a mainstream and respected Christian publishing company. Millet argues that both traditional and LDS Christians do, in fact, worship the same Jesus, and that Latter-day Saints can legitimate claim the designation of Christian. This book has just been made available through the FAIR Bookstore and has been discounted 20% to $12.80.

Stand by My Servant Joseph: The Story of the Joseph Knight Family and the Restoration

In this volume, historian William G. Hartley tells the extraordinary story of the Joseph Knight family. He explores the family’s intimate role in obtaining the gold plates, the translation of the Book of Mormon, the experiences of the Colesville Branch, the gathering to Kirtland, the sufferings in Jackson County, the building of Nauvoo, and the journey to the Great Salt Lake Valley. Father Joseph Knight, acquainted with Joseph Smith before he received the plates, stood by the Prophet through every circumstance. This fascinating account is drawn from important original documents that detail mobbings and losses, spiritual experiences, miraculous healings, and contacts with Joseph Smith. These writings are given context and corroboration by other early documents, contemporary records, and the best scholarship about Mormonism’s early years. This volume is available for a limited time from the FAIR Bookstore for 18.95, a 50% discount!

Mormonism for Dummies: Your plain-English guide to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

This recent addition to the “Dummies” series presents the teachings and practices of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in an easy-to-understand form. This is available from the FAIR Bookstore for $17.60, a 20% discount from its list price.

The Scriptures: CD-ROM Edition 1.1 (12 Languages + Hebrew & Greek)

This CD-ROM contains both the Standard 1.1 and Resource 1.1 versions. Standard includes the full English text of the Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price. It also includes the following scripture study aids: Bible Dictionary, Topical Guide, chapter headings and footnotes, Guide to the Scriptures, selections from the Joseph Smith Translation, cross-references to the standard works, and maps and photographs. In addition to the Hebrew and Greek scriptures, the Standard Works are presented in 12 languages. The cost for this tremendous study aid is $9.95.

– The FAIR Bookstore Staff

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:

FAIR Editorial Style Guide

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 FAIR Publications 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 Join FAIR link to join this list.

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 Web site (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.