Featured articles...
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Critics on the Web...
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Summary: The website FutureMissionary.com is designed to shake the faith of prospective missionaries by blindsiding them with troubling issues related to Church history. The site's anonymous authors claim to be returned missionaries, and write as though they are "believing" members who naively accept and promote controversial statements and ideas without question. The most prominent and detailed page on the website is "A Letter to a CES Director: Why I Lost My Testimony." The authors claim that such blatant materials will help to prepare missionaries for questions and challenges they will face. In reality, the letter and other material on the site only introduce attacks on the church without discussing crucial context and explanations that would help readers fully understand the material. The approach and tone of the FutureMissionary site resembles that of MormonThink.com before MormonThink became openly antagonistic toward the Church in late 2012.
Summary: The website mormonthink.com is designed to lead Church members into questioning their beliefs in a non-threatening manner by claiming to be "objective" and "balanced." The site claims to be run by active members of the Church. MormonThink's current managing editor notes, "It is amazing to me that we are perceived as 'angry' for speaking against the lies of the church and the way in which we are maligned by them. Yet, Jeff Holland can huff and puff, shout and scream, dribble from his mouth and pound the pulpit while he tells blatant lies, and he is considered so 'spiritual'. The mind boggles at how dumb (or brainwashed) TBMs [True Believing Mormons] can be." The website portrays Church leaders as liars, Joseph Smith as a fraud and con-man, and the Church as "an oppressive empire building corporation." The site includes links to FAIR as a way of demonstrating their claimed "balance." Each page on MormonThink.com typically includes quotes from Church sources, large amounts of block text copied from websites critical of the Church, a few references to LDS apologetics that are followed by mocking refutations by critics, and editorial conclusions which generally agrees with the critics. The bottom of each page contains links to critical sites, believer's sites and to some sites which they consider neutral. MormonThink has had a series of managing editors, all of whom retained membership in the Church during their tenure while simultaneously mocking the Church's truth claims in online ex-Mormon forums. The transfer of the editorial position appears to be triggered by the resignation from the Church of the previous editor.
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Analysis of LDS-related Wikipedia Articles
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- Mormonism and Wikipedia. FAIR regularly receives queries about specific LDS-themed Wikipedia articles with requests that we somehow "fix" them. Although some individual members of FAIR may choose to edit Wikipedia articles, FAIR as an organization does not. Controversial Wikipedia articles require constant maintenance and a significant amount of time. FAIR prefers to respond to claims in the FAIR Wiki rather than fight the ongoing battle that LDS Wikipedia articles sometimes invite. From FAIR’s perspective, assertions made in LDS-themed Wikipedia articles are therefore treated just like any other critical (or, if one prefers, "anti-Mormon") work.
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Old Favorites...
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Responses to anti-Mormon questions...
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Lists of questions from anti-Mormon ministries
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Countercult ministries love to have people ask questions about us. Rather than being sincere attempts to understand Latter-day Saints, these questions are designed to provoke a response. Here are FAIR's responses to some of the more popular lists.
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Critical Media...
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A FAIR Response to Critical Films and Videos
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- Search for the Truth DVD—Although the producers of this video state that it was produced out of love, the numerous mischaracterizations, misrepresentations, errors, and outright falsehoods found on the DVD make it difficult for believing Latter-day Saints to see that expression of love as sincere. But that didn't stop the purveyors of this "love" from leaving a copy on your doorknob...
- September Dawn—"When an independent film company produced a grossly distorted version of the Mountain Meadows Massacre two years ago, the Church ignored it. Perhaps partly as a result of that refusal to engender the controversy that the producers hoped for, the movie flopped at the box office and lost millions." (The Publicity Dilemma, LDS Newsroom, March 9, 2009.)
- The God Makers—This classic 1982 film represents an appeal to ridicule, by taking beliefs or doctrines of the church and presenting them in a manner which makes them appear so strange and bizarre that nobody could possibly accept them...unless, of course, you really do aspire to become an "eternally pregnant goddess." Notable for one of the cheesiest cartoon sequences ever viewed on YouTube.
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A FAIR Analysis of Critical Works
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Is a particular book "anti-Mormon"? FAIR analyzes and responds to critical works that attack the Church. Our current featured analysis is:
- An Insider's View of Mormon Origins by Grant Palmer. The book, written by a former CES instructor, attempts to explain many otherwise clearly described events of the restoration by reinterpreting them as spiritual rather than physical events. The book has become very popular among critics of the Church, since it concludes that Joseph Smith deliberately enhanced and added fabricated detail to his later accounts of events such as the First Vision, the Priesthood restoration, the Three and Eight Witnesses and the visit of the angel Moroni. Although the stated purpose of the book is to "increase faith," it is clearly intended to demonstrate the Joseph Smith employed dishonesty in order to secure his position as head of the church. See our detailed claim-by-claim examination of this book to find out more.
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A FAIR Analysis of "Faith Promoting" Works
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Occasionally "faith promoting" works attempt to defend the faith on the basis of faulty arguments. FAIR analyzes and responds to cases of "friendly fire."
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Special features...
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- FAIR Study Aids—Resources for Latter-day Saints interested in an apologetic and/or scholarly perspective on the Sunday School curriculum.
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New articles and videos...
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New articles are added to the FAIR Wiki each week. Some of our recent additions and updates:
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About FAIR
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- Sign up for the FAIR Journal—Receive our free monthly e-mail newsletter for defenders of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. You can unsubscribe at any time.
- Join & Support FAIR—FAIR is a volunteer organization. People become involved with FAIR because they want to. There are six ways you can join FAIR: Pick the level of involvement that is right for you.
- Ask the Apologist—Have a question? This is the place to ask. One or more of our FAIR volunteers will respond. You may even find your answer added to the FAIR Wiki.
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Who are we?
The Foundation for Apologetic Information & Research (FAIR) was formed in late 1997 by a group of Mormons in an attempt to defend their faith from detractors who frequented online message boards. Incorporated as a non-profit organization in November 1997, FAIR put up its first Web site in March 1998 and the FAIR Wiki in 2006.
FAIR is staffed completely by volunteers. It is not owned, controlled by, or affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. All research and opinions provided on this site are the sole responsibility of FAIR and should not be interpreted as official statements of LDS doctrine, belief, or practice.
If you would like to be a part of FAIR, we invite you to support FAIR in any way you are able. FAIR only succeeds through the efforts of our gracious volunteers. For more information about FAIR, visit the FAIR Web site.
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FAIR Editors
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FAIR Wiki Languages
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