Difference between revisions of "User:GregSmith"

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== Question: Why do apologetics? ==
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* Blake T. Ostler, "Spiritual Experiences as the Basis for Belief and Commitment," (2007 FAIR Conference Presentation). {{fairlink|url=http://www.fairlds.org/FAIR_Conferences/2007_Spiritual_Experiences.html}}
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* Wendy Ulrich, "'Believest thou...?': Faith, Cognitive Dissonance, and the Psychology of Religious Experience," {{fairlink|url=http://www.fairlds.org/pubs/conf/2005UlrW.html}}
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=== Apologists participate for a variety of reasons ===
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* Richard E. Turley, ''Victims: The LDS Church and the Mark Hofmann Case'' (Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1992). ISBN 0252018850.  
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* [[Logical fallacies#Ad hominem | Ad hominem]]
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Apologists participate for a variety of reasons. They may:
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* [[Logical fallacies#Appeal to ridicule | Appeal to ridicule]]
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* [[Logical fallacies#Begging the question | Begging the question]]
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* have an interest in Church history and doctrine
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* [[Logical fallacies#False premise | False premise]]
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* [[Logical fallacies#Faulty generalization | Faulty generalization]]
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* have a background in the study of ancient languages or other religions which give a useful perspective on the restored gospel
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* [[Logical fallacies#Judgemental language | Judgemental language]]
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* [[Logical fallacies#Negative proof | Negative proof]]
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* experience frustration with anti-Mormon authors who ignore the totality of LDS doctrine and thought
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* [[Logical fallacies#Poisoning the well | Poisoning the well]]
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* [[Logical fallacies#Red herring| Red herring]]
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* wish to protect others from poorly-reasoned criticisms, thus preventing others from enduring the suffering which anti-Mormon attacks have caused in the apologist's own life, or the lives of friends or family
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* [[Logical fallacies#Shifting the burden of proof | Shifting the burden of proof]]
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* [[Logical fallacies#Special pleading | Special pleading]]
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* want to enhance their own knowledge of Church doctrine or history
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* [[Logical fallacies#Wrong direction | Wrong direction fallacy]]
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* George Throckmorton and Steve Mayfield, "Salamander Letters" (2006 FAIR Conference presentation) {{fairlink|url=http://www.fairmormon.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/2006-Steve-Mayfield-and-George-Throckmorton.pdf}}
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* need information to improve their ability to share the gospel with others who have sincere questions or misunderstandings
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* Roger Keller, "The Apostasy," FAIR 2004 conference. {{fairlink|url=http://www.fairmormon.org/perspectives/fair-conferences/2004-fair-conference/2004-the-apostasy}}{{an|Dr. Keller is a former Presbyterian minister.}}
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* Clark Goble, "Cognitive Dissonance and Confirmation Bias," Mormon Metaphysics blog post, (20 July 2007), ''libertypages.com''. {{link|url=http://www.libertypages.com/clark/11001.html}}
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* enjoy the company of other like-minded Church members, who are interested in the same sorts of issues
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* Cognitive dissonance - multiple links {{link|url=http://www.intractableconflict.org/m/cognitive_dissonance.jsp}}
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* Critique of Cognitive Dissonance Theory {{link|url=http://www.ciadvertising.org/sa/fall_03/adv382J/mbabbott/critique.htm}}
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* serve in Church leadership positions which require them to address questions
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* {{Ensign1|author=Dallin H. Oaks|article=Recent Events Involving Church History and Forged Documents|date=October 1987|start=63}}{{link|url=https://www.lds.org/ensign/1987/10/news-of-the-church?lang=eng}}
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* Daniel C. Peterson and William J. Hamblin, "Is Spirituality All in Your Head?," ''MeridianMagazine.com'' {{link|url=http://www.meridianmagazine.com/ideas/040216neurotheology.html}}
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=== Is it appropriate for a Church member to be involved in apologetics? ===
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* {{Jibson:Imagine Review Of The End Of Faith Religion:FARMS Review:2006}}
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* {{Peterson:Reflections On Secular Anti-mormonism:FARMS Review:2005}}
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C.S. Lewis pointed out that since enemies have invoked 'science' or 'reason' to attack faith, it may now be necessary that someone respond in the same vein:
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* {{Ensign|author=Richard Lloyd Anderson|article=The Alvin Smith Story: Fact and Fiction|date=August 1987|start=58}}{{link|url=https://www.lds.org/ensign/1987/08/the-alvin-smith-story-fact-and-fiction?lang=eng}}
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* Utah History Encyclopedia, "Mark Hofmann" {{link|url=http://www.media.utah.edu/UHE/h/HOFMAN,MARK.html}}
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<blockquote>
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* {{Williams:The Spirit Of Prophecy And The Spirit Of:FARMS Review:2000}}
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* {{Video:Ulrich:2005:Cognitive Dissonance}}
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To be ignorant and simple now&mdash;not to be able to meet the enemies on their own ground&mdash;would be to throw down our weapons, and to betray our uneducated brethren who have, under God, no defense but us against the intellectual attacks of the heathen. Good philosophy must exist, if for no other reason, because bad philosophy needs to be answered. <ref>C. S. Lewis, "Learning in War-Time," in ''The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses'' (New York: Macmillan, 1965), 27-28; cited by James S. Jardine, “Consecration and Learning,” in ''On Becoming a Disciple-Scholar'', edited by Henry B. Eying (Bookcraft, Salt Lake, 1995), 77.</ref>
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* Leon Festinger, ''A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance'' (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1957). ISBN 0804701318
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* Leon Festinger, Henry W. Riecken, and Stanley Schachter, ''When Prophecy Fails: a Social and Psychological Study of a Modern Group That Predicted the Destruction of the World'', (Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press, 1956).
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</blockquote>
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* Linda Sillitoe and Allen Roberts, ''Salamander: The Story of the Mormon Forgery Murders,'' 2nd. ed., (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1989). ISBN 0941214877
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* {{FallacyBegin}}
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Indeed, the great risk which apologetics seeks to counter is that those unfamiliar with anti-Mormon arguments will assume that there are no good answers to the critics.  Elder Neal A. Maxwell warned of the consequences of such a situation:
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* {{FallacyEnd}}
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* {{LyingWiki}}
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<blockquote>
 
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Let us be articulate for while our defense of the kingdom may not stir all hearers, the absence of thoughtful response may cause fledglings among the faithful to falter. What we assert may not be accepted, but unasserted convictions soon become deserted convictions. <ref>Neal A. Maxwell, "'All Hell Is Moved," in ''1977 Devotional Speeches of the Year'' (Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Press, 1977), 179.</ref>
 
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</blockquote>
 
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=== Since you can't "prove" religion, is apologetics a waste of time? ===
 
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Dallin H. Oaks spoke to this concern:
 
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<blockquote>
 
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The lack of decisive scientific proofs of scriptural truths does not preclude gospel defenders from counterarguments of that nature. When opponents attack the Church or its doctrines with so-called proofs, loyal defenders will counter with material of a comparable nature to defend. <ref>Dallin H. Oaks, ''The Lord’s Way'', (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1991), 92.</ref>
 
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</blockquote>
 
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And, Neal A. Maxwell noted that God would provide fascinating additions to our understanding:
 
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There will be a convergence of discoveries (never enough, mind you, to remove the need for faith) to make plain and plausible what the modern prophets have been saying all along…[I] do not expect incontrovertible proof to come in this way…, but neither will the Church be outdone by hostile or pseudo-scholars. <ref>Neal A. Maxwell, ''Deposition of a Disciple'' (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1976), 49.</ref>
 
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</blockquote>
 
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=== Apologetics does not aim to "create belief": It aims only to dispense with the poor reasons given by critics for disbelief ===
 
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Austen Farrar said, of C.S. Lewis:
 
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<blockquote>
 
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Though argument does not create conviction, lack of it destroys belief. What seems to be proved may not be embraced; but what no one shows the ability to defend is quickly abandoned. Rational argument does not create belief, but it maintains a climate in which belief may flourish. <ref>Cited by {{BYUS|author=Neal A. Maxwell|article=Discipleship and Scholarship|vol=32|num=3|date=1992|start=5}}{{pdflink|url=http://byustudies.byu.edu/Products/MoreInfoPage/MoreInfo.aspx?Type=7&ProdID=1166}}</ref>
 
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</blockquote>
 
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Apologetics does not aim to "create belief"&mdash;it aims only to dispense with the poor reasons given by critics for disbelief. As Elder Maxwell put it, the critics ought not to be permitted "uncontested slam-dunks." <ref>Neal A. Maxwell, cited in {{Ensign1|author=Gilbert W. Scharffs|article=Some people say it is best to leave alone materials that claim to 'expose' the Church and its teachings. What counsel has been given on this? How do we respond when a friend comes to us with questions found in such materials?|date=January 1995|start=60 (scroll half-way down)}}{{link|url=http://www.lds.org/ensign/1995/01/i-have-a-question?lang=eng}}</ref>
 
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In the same way, providing evidence that a belief is ''true'' is not intended to create belief, but it may give a sincere seeker additional reason(s) to obtain a spiritual and experiential witness of that belief.
 
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</onlyinclude>
 
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{{endnotes sources}}
 
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[[Category:Questions]]
 

Revision as of 19:12, 15 April 2024

  • Blake T. Ostler, "Spiritual Experiences as the Basis for Belief and Commitment," (2007 FAIR Conference Presentation). FAIR link
  • Wendy Ulrich, "'Believest thou...?': Faith, Cognitive Dissonance, and the Psychology of Religious Experience," FAIR link
  • Richard E. Turley, Victims: The LDS Church and the Mark Hofmann Case (Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1992). ISBN 0252018850.
  • Ad hominem
  • Appeal to ridicule
  • Begging the question
  • False premise
  • Faulty generalization
  • Judgemental language
  • Negative proof
  • Poisoning the well
  • Red herring
  • Shifting the burden of proof
  • Special pleading
  • Wrong direction fallacy
  • George Throckmorton and Steve Mayfield, "Salamander Letters" (2006 FAIR Conference presentation) FAIR link
  • Roger Keller, "The Apostasy," FAIR 2004 conference. FAIR link
    Dr. Keller is a former Presbyterian minister.
  • Clark Goble, "Cognitive Dissonance and Confirmation Bias," Mormon Metaphysics blog post, (20 July 2007), libertypages.com. off-site
  • Cognitive dissonance - multiple links off-site
  • Critique of Cognitive Dissonance Theory off-site
  • Dallin H. Oaks, "Recent Events Involving Church History and Forged Documents," Ensign (October 1987): 63.off-site
  • Daniel C. Peterson and William J. Hamblin, "Is Spirituality All in Your Head?," MeridianMagazine.com off-site
  • Michael D. Jibson, "'Imagine: Review of The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason by Sam Harris'," FARMS Review 18/1 (2006). [233–264] link
  • Daniel C. Peterson, "Reflections on Secular Anti-Mormonism," FARMS Review 17/2 (2005). [423–450] link
  • Richard Lloyd Anderson, "The Alvin Smith Story: Fact and Fiction," Ensign (August 1987): 58.off-site
  • Utah History Encyclopedia, "Mark Hofmann" off-site
  • Richard N. Williams, "The Spirit of Prophecy and the Spirit of Psychiatry: Restoration or Dissociation? (Review of The Sword of Laban: Joseph Smith Jr. and the Dissociated Mind)," FARMS Review (2000). [435–444] link
  • "Believest thou?" Faith, Cognitive Dissonance, & Psychology of Religious Experience, Wendy Ulrich (Psychologist), 2005 FAIR Conference
  • Part 1: Cognitive Dissonance
  • Part 2: Cognitive Dissonance
  • Part 3: Cognitive Dissonance
  • Part 4: Cognitive Dissonance
  • Part 5: Cognitive Dissonance
  • Part 6: Cognitive Dissonance
  • Leon Festinger, A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1957). ISBN 0804701318
  • Leon Festinger, Henry W. Riecken, and Stanley Schachter, When Prophecy Fails: a Social and Psychological Study of a Modern Group That Predicted the Destruction of the World, (Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press, 1956).
  • Linda Sillitoe and Allen Roberts, Salamander: The Story of the Mormon Forgery Murders, 2nd. ed., (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1989). ISBN 0941214877
Logical Fallacies
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