THE FAIR JOURNAL
January 2011
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
- Donating to FAIR
- New on the Website
- FAIR Blog
- FAIR YouTube
- FAIR Wiki
- Off-Site Articles
- FAIR Bookstore
- FAIR’s ‘Front Page’
- Ask the Apologist
- Copyright Notice and Disclaimer
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
When most members of the Church think of anti-Mormonism, they immediately flash on sign-carrying protestors outside of Temple Square, or they visualize a debate on whether faith or works leads to salvation. The problem with those visualizations is that those types of protests and discussions aren’t the kind of anti-Mormonism that has any real impact on members of the church. Some are lulled into a false sense of security believing that their testimonies are unshakable. It is with that attitude they venture onto the Internet to read what others have to say about our beliefs. They may soon discover that the Church and its history is often conveyed in a fashion that is totally foreign to what they have learned.
Emails to FAIR have included phrases such as, “I recently became aware of some things from church history I have never heard before, “or “Joseph Smith doesn’t appear to be the person I learned he was in Primary.”
There are things written in books and on the Internet that sound very damaging to Joseph Smith and others in Church history. Some members get very upset when they read it and realize they have not heard it before. They sometimes come to believe that the items have been hidden from them through some grand conspiracy of deception and find their testimony shaken.
The truth is that many of the allegations are taken out of context, are presented with a negative spin, come from less reliable sources, or are simply false. While some feel they “should’ know about it, there really should be no expectation for the Church to teach things about Joseph Smith that aren’t true, simply so people are familiar with those claims. False allegations remain false, even if they are from a long time ago.
For example, perhaps you will read the common claim that there was no record of the First Vision prior to 1870. The claim is usually made with absolute certainty and bravado. The average reader doesn’t know that there are over 62 recorded instances of the First Vision stretching from 1840 to 1870.
Seldom mentioned in LDS publications before 1877 (short version—Critics charge, “Before the death of Brigham Young in 1877 the first vision was seldom mentioned in Mormon publications.” This evidence implies that the general membership of the LDS Church was not familiar with the First Vision story until late in the nineteenth century. (Link)
Perhaps you may read that Brigham Young said that he lives “above the law.” What the average reader doesn’t know is that Brigham was talking about living better than the law, not escaping from it.
Quote mining/Journal of Discourses/JoD 1:361:Analysis
There are numerous other examples that can be cited. But, know that the arguments and negative treatment put forward by the various books and anti-Mormon websites have been examined and found to be unconvincing and often dishonest. FAIR exists to continue to expose those dishonest claims and to help members of the Church find answers without having to become research specialists.
I hope that you continue to support us in our efforts by spreading the word about FAIR and letting people know where they can find the truth about disturbing claims they may hear.
–Scott Gordon President of FAIR
DONATING TO FAIR
FAIR is labor of love. We are a group of volunteers who spend many hours trying to research and publish information to help members respond to critics. We try to price our conferences to be accessible to as many as possible. But, providing this information does cost money. In all of your charitable giving, please consider donating to FAIR. It is only through your donations that we are able to stay in operation.
If you can donate $10, or $10,000, every dollar helps us.
You can also mail a check to our PO Box
FAIR PO Box 491677 Redding, CA 96049-1677
NEW ON THE WEBSITE
Restoring the Original Text of the Book of Mormon
by Royal Skousen
While we often have articles simply responding to criticisms of the church, we also have articles of pure research that shed new light on the Book of Mormon. In his 2010 FAIR Conference presentation, Royal Skousen, linguist and editor of the Book of Mormon Critical Text Project, reviews the scholarship of the Book of Mormon’s text.
Restoring the Original Text of the Book of Mormon by Royal Skousen
If you find that article interesting, you can also read his 2002 talk on Changes in the Book of Mormon.
Changes in the Book of Mormon by Royal Skousen
His books are also on special at the FAIR Bookstore this month.
FAIR BLOG
There are several interesting entries on the FAIR Blog you might want to check including a review of season two of the Joseph Smith Papers DVD.
FAIR YOUTUBE
Our YouTube site has now posted the entire 1 hour 18 minute rebuttal to the anti-Mormon video “Bible vs. The Book of Mormon.” We interviewed several scholars and asked them about the accusations brought up in this critical video. We uncover the truth about their criticisms and provide evidence for The Book of Mormon. This video covers Horses, Temples, geography, coins, Hebraisms, and more.
LDS scholars review The Bible vs The Book of Mormon
We also have posted a video that looks into the population of the Hopewell Indians, who lived around the Great Lakes region of the U.S., during Book of Mormon times to see if they can be considered a candidate for Book of Mormon peoples. As we learn, the population of the Hopewell is so small and so spread out, that they would not have the numbers to comprise the smallest numbers mentioned in The Book of Mormon. Therefore, cannot be Book of Mormon people.
Indians of the Great Lakes region and The Book of Mormon
FAIR WIKI
The FAIR Wiki addresses a number of criticisms that deal with the subject of Mormonism and its relationship with history.
Mormonism and history (Summary article)
Accuracy of Church Art Critics charge that the Church knowingly “lies” or distorts the historical record in its artwork in order to whitewash the past, or for propaganda purposes. A commonly used example is the inaccuracy of any Church art representing the translation process of the Book of Mormon.
Accuracy of Church art—Critics charge that the Church knowingly “lies” or distorts the historical record in its artwork in order to whitewash the past, or for propaganda purposes. A commonly used example is the inaccuracy of any Church art representing the translation process of the Book of Mormon. (Link)
“Some Things that are True are not Very Useful”
Elder Packer gave an address to religious educators called “The Mantle is Far, Far Greater Than the Intellect.” The following quote is a favorite of critics who wish to demonstrate that the Church wishes to suppress its history and independent thought: “There is a temptation for the writer or the teacher of Church history to want to tell everything, whether it is worthy or faith promoting or not. Some things that are true are not very useful.”
“Some things that are true are not very useful.”—Elder Packer gave an address to religious educators called “The Mantle is Far, Far Greater Than the Intellect.” The following quote is a favorite of critics who wish to demonstrate that the Church wishes to suppress its history and independent thought: “There is a temptation for the writer or the teacher of Church history to want to tell everything, whether it is worthy or faith promoting or not. Some things that are true are not very useful.” (Link)
“I Have a Hard Time with Historians because They Idolize the Truth”
There is much that critics do not reveal about this quote or its context, which is attributed to Elder Packer. The source of this quote is the now excommunicated D. Michael Quinn, who wrote in a footnote that, “When Elder Packer interviewed me as a prospective member of Brigham Young University’s faculty in 1976, he explained: ‘I have a hard time with historians because they idolize the truth.'” This quote is not from any recorded address by Elder Packer, nor is it in any of his writings.
Boyd K. Packer on the truth—441 (Link)
Censorship and Revision
Critics claim that the church has “whitewashed” some of the information about its origins to appear more palatable to members and investigators. Some feel that this is done intentionally to hide negative aspects of church history. Others feel that it is done to focus on the good, but that it causes problems for believing members when they encounter these issues outside of church curriculum.
Censorship and revision—Critics claim that the church has “whitewashed” some of the information about its origins to appear more palatable to members and investigators. Some feel that this is done intentionally to hide negative aspects of church history. Others feel that it is done to focus on the good, but that it causes problems for believing members when they encounter these issues outside of church curriculum. (Link)
LDS Histories Over Many Years Omit Plural Marriage
LDS histories over many years omit plural marriage—Some critics charge that LDS histories have a long history of omitting mention of plural marriage as a cause for the Saints’ troubles in Illinois. (Link)
Sidney Rigdon Trial in Times and Seasons versus History of the Church
Sidney Rigdon trial in Times and Seasons versus History of the Church—Critics charge that the account of Sidney Rigdon’s ‘trial’ recorded in the Times and Seasons differs markedly from the version available in the History of the Church. They claim that this demonstrates the Church’s tendency to “rewrite” history after the fact. (Link)
Wilford Woodruff Criticizes Publication of Polygamists
Wilford Woodruff criticizes publication of polygamists—Some critics charge that the Church’s desire to hide its historical plural marriage is exemplified by Wilford Woodruff’s criticism of assistant Church Historian Andrew Jenson’s decision to publish the names of those who were married to Joseph Smith. (Link)
Hiding the Facts in Plain Sight Using Church Publications
Hiding the facts in plain sight using Church publications—Quite a few items that critics claim were hidden by the Church were actually published in Church magazines such as the New Era, the Ensign and the Friend. (Link)
Orson Hyde’s Blessing Altered in the History of the Church?
Orson Hyde’s blessing altered in the History of the Church?—Critics claim that the ordination blessing given to Orson Hyde is an example of false prophecy. They also claim that Hyde’s blessing was altered in the History of the Church for propaganda reasons. (Link)
Church Discipline of Scholars: The “September Six”
Church discipline of scholars—Critics claim that the Church excommunicates or disfellowships scholars who publish historical information that is embarrassing to Church leaders. It is often claimed, despite the fact that these disciplinary actions are carried out by local leaders, that they are in reality instigated by general authorities. Critics also claim that the Church is silencing honest people for telling the truth. (Link)
OFF-SITE ARTICLES
In 2008 the Oxford University Press journal Literary and Linguistic Computing published a statistical argument that resurrected the claim that Samuel Spalding was the author of Book of Mormon. A reply to that paper is now available on-line.
G. Bruce Schaalje, Paul J. Fields, Matthew Roper, and Gregory L. Snow, “Extended Nearest Shrunken Centroid Classification: A New Method for Open-Set Authorship Attribution of Texts of Varying Sizes,” Literary and Linguistic Computing.
Matthew Roper, in the FARMS Review: Volume – 22, Issue – 2, Pages: 15-85 reviews the book “Prophecies and Promises: The Book of Mormon and the United States of America” by Bruce H. Porter and Rod L. Meldrum.
In Prophecies and Promises, Bruce H. Porter and Rod L. Meldrum set forth their case for situating Book of Mormon events in the central and eastern United States. Porter and Meldrum claim their view is supported by prophetic statements of Joseph Smith. Matthew Roper writes a review of the book here:
FAIR BOOKSTORE
Come to the FAIR Bookstore to find the Internet’s best selection of materials for LDS apologetics. Whether you are looking for books, study aids, DVDs, or audio products, the FAIR Bookstore has what you need. You can begin your browsing by going to our main site.
Be sure to check out the Clearance Section. We have many older books and some new books with slightly damaged covers that offer great deals to buyers.
Clearance Special:
Rebuilding Zion: The Religious Reconstruction of the South, 1863-1877 (Limited to stock on hand)
Daniel W. Stowell. New York, New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. Softbound, 6×9″ 278 pgs.
During the Civil War and its aftermath, Southern evangelicals remained convinced that their cause was both Christian and just. This position became more entrenched as Northern evangelicals entered the South after the war, aiming to save freedmen. Author Daniel Stowell plots the conflict that resulted from these competing visions of the religious reconstruction of the South. By demonstrating how the Southern vision eventually came to predominate, he shows how the Southern Churches became one of the principal bulwarks in the creation of the myth of the “Lost Cause,” Southern honor, and curious moral righteousness of the South’s treatment of both slave and freedman.
- Retail Price: $24.00
- Special FAIR Price: $12.00 (50% Discount)
The Japanese Missionary Journals of Elder Alma O. Taylor 1901-1910 (Limited to stock on hand)
Reid L. Neilson, Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Press, 2001, Dissertations in Latter-day Saint History series, 8.5×11″ softbound, 472 pages. ISBN: 0842524959
Alma O. Taylor, called to the Japan Mission at age eighteen, and his parents would have been shocked had they known his mission would last nearly nine years. Alma, the eighteen-year-old lad, would return a twenty-seven-year-old man, having served one of the longest continuous missions in Church history.
For eight and a half years (August 1901–January 1910), Alma worked with intense fervor, keeping a detailed journal of his experiences and impressions. Alma’s journal recaptures early Mormonism in Japan through the eyes of a young missionary. The body of this book is devoted to making his writings available for the first time to all those interested in the foundational events of the Church in Japan.
Alma’s many accomplishments included learning both the spoken and written Japanese word; assisting in the translation of missionary tracts, Church hymns, and the Book of Mormon; serving as president of the Japan Mission from his early to late twenties; opening new proselyting areas throughout Japan; and finding, teaching, converting, and strengthening many of the early Japanese Saints.
Shortly before Alma left his mission, he recorded his feelings about his final year in Japan: “During the year I have had many experiences some the most pleasant in life and some the most bitter that humans are called upon to experience. . . . Great is the debt of gratitude I owe to the Lord for His many blessings.”
- Retail Price: $23.95
- Special FAIR Price: $11.97 (50% Discount)
January Specials:
FAIR Bookstore – Monthly Specials
Restoring the Original Text of the Book of Mormon (2010 FAIR Conference MP3)
Royal Skousen, The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research 2010 Presentation from the 2010 FAIR Apologetics Conference, in MP3 format.
Once purchased, the mp3 will be automatically sent your email account. You will have 7 days to download.
- Retail Price: $4.95
- Special FAIR Price: $4.47 (10% Discount)
The Book of Mormon: The Earliest Text
Edited by Royal Skousen. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2009. Hardbound, 7.75×9.5″, 837 pgs.
Over the past twenty-one years, editor Royal Skousen has pored over Joseph Smith’s original manuscripts and identified more than 2.000 textual errors in the 1830 edition of the Book of Mormon. Although most of these discrepancies stem from inadvertent errors in copying and typesetting the text, the Yale edition contains about 600 corrections that have never appeared in any standard edition of the Book of Mormon, and about 250 of them affect the text’s meaning.
Citing the earliest sources available, Skousen corrects the text in a work of remarkable dedication that will be a landmark in American religious scholarship.
- Retail Price: $35.00
- Special FAIR Price: $28.00 (20% Discount)
The Original Manuscript of the Book of Mormon
Royal Skousen (Editor), Provo, Utah: Foundation for Ancient Research & Mormon Studies (FARMS) and Brigham Young University, 2001, 10×13″ hardbound, 553 pages.
A stray ink drop and a quirk of nineteenth-century script make the difference between “retain that wrong” and “repair that wrong”. More than a decade of meticulous research revealed such insights as Royal Skousen prepared transcripts of the original and printer’s manuscripts of the Book of Mormon for publication.
Now published for the first time ever, the manuscripts help you discover the original phrasing of the Book of Mormon (including Hebrew-like expressions), provide surprising evidence on the process by which Joseph Smith translated, and show how editors and printers have modified the wording to make it conform to the expectations of contemporary English readers.
The original manuscript is the text written down by scribes as Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon. Most of this manuscript was destroyed by mold and water seepage. Only 28 percent of the original is extant. The printer’s manuscript is the handwritten copy that was made to take to the printer for typesetting. It is virtually 100 percent extant.
The book features:
- Typographic facsimiles of each manuscript (an exact reproduction of the text in typescript)
- A fragment showing what is considered the oldest existing sample of Joseph Smith’s handwriting
- Color and ultraviolet photographs of select parts of the manuscripts
- A history and physical description of the manuscripts
- Photographs of select parts of the manuscripts
- A history and physical description of the manuscripts.
- Retail Price: $49.95
- Special FAIR Price: $39.96 (20% Discount)
The Printer’s Manuscript of the Book of Mormon (2 Volume Set)
Royal Skousen (Editor), Provo, Utah: Foundation for Ancient Research & Mormon Studies (FARMS) and Brigham Young University, 2001, 2 hardbound volumes, 979 pages. ISBN: 0934893063
A stray ink drop and a quirk of nineteenth-century script make the difference between “retain that wrong” and “repair that wrong”. More than a decade of meticulous research revealed such insights as Royal Skousen prepared transcripts of the original and printer’s manuscripts of the Book of Mormon for publication.
Now published for the first time ever, the manuscripts help you discover the original phrasing of the Book of Mormon (including Hebrew-like expressions), provide surprising evidence on the process by which Joseph Smith translated, and show how editors and printers have modified the wording to make it conform to the expectations of contemporary English readers.
The original manuscript is the text written down by scribes as Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon. Most of this manuscript was destroyed by mold and water seepage. Only 28 percent of the original is extant. The printer’s manuscript is the handwritten copy that was made to take to the printer for typesetting. It is virtually 100 percent extant.
The books feature:
- Typographic facsimiles of each manuscript (an exact reproduction of the text in typescript)
- A fragment showing what is considered the oldest existing sample of Joseph Smith’s handwriting
- Color and ultraviolet photographs of select parts of the manuscripts
- A history and physical description of the manuscript’s writing
- Color and ultraviolet photographs of select parts of the manuscripts
- A history and physical description of the manuscripts
- Retail Price: $99.95
- Special FAIR Price: $79.96 (20% Discount)
Analysis of Textual Variants of The Book of Mormon, Volumes 1-6
Royal Skousen, Provo, Utah: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS), 2004-2009, 9×12.25″, hardbound.
Vol. 1: Analysis of Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon is a beautiful book and the fourth part in Professor Royal Skousen’s ongoing Book of Mormon critical text project. This book considers every significant change that has occurred in the English Book of Mormon over the 175 years since Joseph Smith first dictated it to his scribes; it also considers a number of conjectured revisions for specific passages. Volume 1 commences with the Title Page and the Witness statements, and then proceeds from 1 Nephi 1 through 2 Nephi 10. It thus represents approximately one seventh of the Book of Mormon as we have it.
Vol. 2: Analysis of Textual Variants represents the central task of the Book of Mormon critical text project – namely, the attempt to recover the original English-language text of the Book of Mormon. When completed, this series will analyze the entire text of the Book of Mormon, from the title page to the end of Moroni and will consider every significant variant in the text as well as many potential variants.
Volume 2 includes a definitive treatment of the one passage that has caused more debate than any other in the history of the Book of Mormon text – namely, should 2 Nephi 30:6 read “a white and a delightsome people” or “a pure and a delightsome people”? In addition, Volume 2 provides striking evidence that the vocabulary of the original text of the Book of Mormon actually dates from the 1500s and 1600s, not from the 1800s. See, for instance, the discussion regarding the phrase “the pleasing bar of God” (in Jacob 6:13) and the use of the verb require in Enos 1:18 (“thy fathers have also required of me this thing”).
Vol. 3: Analysis of Textual Variants represents the central task of the Book of Mormon critical text project – namely, the attempt to recover the original English-language text of the Book of Mormon. When completed, this series will analyze the entire text of the Book of Mormon, from the title page to the end of Moroni and will consider every significant variant in the text as well as many potential variants.
Volume 3 includes a definitive treatment the chapters beginning in the middle of Mosiah and proceeding through Alma 20.
Vol. 4: Analysis of Textual Variants represents the central task of the Book of Mormon critical text project – namely, the attempt to recover the original English-language text of the Book of Mormon. When completed, this series will analyze the entire text of the Book of Mormon, from the title page to the end of Moroni and will consider every significant variant in the text as well as many potential variants.
Volume 4 includes a definitive treatment the chapters 21-55 of Alma.
Vol. 5: Analysis of Textual Variants represents the central task of the Book of Mormon critical text project – namely, the attempt to recover the original English-language text of the Book of Mormon. When completed, this series will analyze the entire text of the Book of Mormon, from the title page to the end of Moroni and will consider every significant variant in the text as well as many potential variants.
Volume 5 includes a definitive treatment of Alma 56–3Nephi 18.
Vol. 6: Analysis of Textual Variants represents the central task of the Book of Mormon critical text project – namely, the attempt to recover the original English-language text of the Book of Mormon. When completed, this series will analyze the entire text of the Book of Mormon, from the title page to the end of Moroni and will consider every significant variant in the text as well as many potential variants.
Volume 6 includes a definitive treatment of 3 Nephi 19-Moroni 10
- Retail: $49.95 per volume
- Special FAIR Price: $39.96 per volume (20% Discount)
Pressing Forward with the Book of Mormon
John W. Welch and Melvin J. Thorne (Editors). Provo, Utah: Foundation for Ancient Research & Mormon Studies (FARMS), 1999. The FARMS Research Updates of the 1990s, plus some similar short notes from the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, in a new collection.
Aimed at a general audience, these Updates are brief, easy-to-understand reports of new research on the Book of Mormon. They tell of intriguing ideas and developments that have emerged from exploring the Book of Mormon from many perspectives. Pressing Forward will interest all people who want to know what’s new in Book of Mormon research.
“Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the father: Ye shall have eternal life.” (2 Nephi 31:20)
Most people who work with the Book of Mormon feel that they have barely scratched the surface. The richness and complexity of that book offer an inexhaustible wealth of understanding.
The ultimate goal of this effort is to help all the students of the scriptures to “press forward. Feasting upon the words of Christ.”
- Retail: $14.95
- Special FAIR Price: $11.96 (20% Discount)
Thank you for using the FAIR bookstore!
FAIR’S ‘FRONT PAGE’
FAIR’s ‘Front Page’ is a free news clipping service and the recipient can unsubscribe at any time. It is not sent in any official Church or other capacity. It is for those who are interested in keeping abreast with what is being said around the world about the LDS Church and its members. Sometimes media portrayal of the LDS Church, its members and of other religions is not positive or accurate. The responsibility for the interpretation and use of this information lies with the reader. As all information comes from other news sources and has not been independently verified, FAIR cannot guarantee or be responsible for the security of links in the clipping service. FAIR will attempt to exclude news articles containing strongly offensive language but cannot guarantee that some will not slip through. Some links may also lead to offensive images. To receive this service click on the link below, enter your email address in the white box, and push the “Sign-Up” button.
ASK THE APOLOGIST
The public is invited to submit questions related to LDS *apologetic* issues to “Ask the Apologist.” This feature can be accessed by clicking on the following link:
Mark the box labeled “Questions (for the FAIR apologists).” Then fill in accurate information in the five white boxes and push the “Send Comments” button. All inquiries will be shared with members of the FAIR List and the questioner may receive multiple responses from FAIR volunteers. All responses reflect the opinions of the respondents only and not the official position of FAIR or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
