Attending the FAIR 2023 conference in person can be an incredible experience for individuals interested in Latter-day Saint scholarship and apologetics – and just navigating these crazy times with faith intact! Let’s have a conversation about some of the main reasons why you are going to want to be there in person. [Read more…] about Come to the 2023 FAIR Conference!
Newsletter
The Gospel Brings Life and Immortality to Light
by Jennifer Ann Mackley
Willing to Sacrifice
On August 7, 1839, a very ill Wilford Woodruff prepared to leave his pregnant wife, Phebe, and his one-year-old daughter, Sarah Emma, to serve a mission with other members of the Quorum of the Twelve in the British Isles. He wrote, “I make a sacrifice of my all for Christ’s sake to do his work. It is no small trial of faith.”
In November 1839, he was still recovering from his illness and preaching the gospel in New York while awaiting the departure of their ship to England. Over the course of three weeks, he recorded three dreams about his wife and child. On November 8, he wrote, “I saw Mrs. Woodruff in deep affliction in a dream at Montrose. I did not see Sarah Emma.” Three days later he noted, “I had a dream during the night and had an interview with Mrs. Woodruff, but did not see Sarah Emma.” [Read more…] about The Gospel Brings Life and Immortality to Light
History Came to Life in First Ever Wilford Woodruff Papers Foundation Conference
by Maddie Christensen and Kristy Wheelwright Taylor
Wilford Woodruff kept a journal from the time of his baptism at the close of 1833 until his death in 1898, saying, “I have ever been impressed . . . of the deep importance of keeping a journal and record of the dealings of God with his people.”1 His sixty-plus years of records comprise over 115,000 written pages (26,000 of which have been located), left to us as journals, letters, discourses, autobiographies, and personal papers. These records document a large part of the early Restoration of the gospel. Three years ago, Jennifer Mackley and Don Parry created the Wilford Woodruff Papers Foundation, whose mission is to digitally preserve and publish Wilford Woodruff’s eyewitness account of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It seeks to make Wilford Woodruff’s records universally accessible to inspire all people, especially the rising generation, to study and to increase their faith in Jesus Christ. In celebration of these newly published documents, the Foundation hosted its first conference, Building Latter-day Faith. The conference was held at the Hinckley Center on the campus of Brigham Young University on Saturday, March 4, 2023, with over 350 people in attendance. [Read more…] about History Came to Life in First Ever Wilford Woodruff Papers Foundation Conference
Wind & Trees: Remaining Steadfast and Immovable in the Storms of Life
by Amber Johnson
When I returned from my mission in late 2015, all eight of my siblings, as well as the strong majority of my friends and co-workers, were active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Over the past seven years, more than forty of my friends and family have left the Church – some very visibly, others more quietly, but nearly all without any intention to return. [Read more…] about Wind & Trees: Remaining Steadfast and Immovable in the Storms of Life
2022 FAIR Conference is Only a Month Away
2022 FAIR Conference is Only a Month Away
One month from right now, where will you be? Will you be settling in to hear Dan Peterson speaking about Reflections of a Latter-day Saint Movie Maker as the 2022 FAIR Conference draws to a close?
We would love to have you join us at the FAIR Conference this year! We have some exciting speakers lined up that will be talking about a variety of topics such as:
[Read more…] about 2022 FAIR Conference is Only a Month Away
Under the Banner of Heaven: Fact vs Fiction
Friends,
Today a new television series has been released titled Under the Banner of Heaven. It is based on a best-selling book by that same name, published in 2003, written by Jon Krakauer.
The book, and now the television series, talks about the 1984 horrific murders of Brenda Lafferty, and her 15-month-old daughter Erica, by Dan and Ron Lafferty in American Fork Utah. The theme of Jon Krakauer’s book is that Dan and Ron’s religious upbringing in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the underlying cause for what they did. Krakauer, an atheist, believes that since bad things are sometimes done in the name of religion, religion breeds violence.
This series will likely lead to questions from your friends and family members. We’ve created a page of resources. Here are a few things to be aware of: [Read more…] about Under the Banner of Heaven: Fact vs Fiction
“Was that a revelation?” General Conference and Agents of the Divine
for FAIR Newsletter 7 2022
by Steve Densley
Over time, I have come to look forward to General Conference more and more. It seems that now, more than ever, we need the wisdom and guidance that comes from those who have been set apart by God to instruct us.
Of course, I do not always hear what I want to hear. I am often challenged by the words of our leaders and can feel that I will need to stretch, sometimes with some pain, to accomplish what is expected. So I understand when I hear people wonder aloud, “Was that a revelation?” as if to say, “Do I really need to do that?” Or, “Is that really true?” [Read more…] about “Was that a revelation?” General Conference and Agents of the Divine
Answers to a Few Questions for Black History Month
for FAIR Newsletter – Black History Month Edition 4 2022
I am a white male. Well, I really have more of a ruddy complexion that looks red most of the time, but that still counts as “white.” I have found no one in my family history who owned slaves. One family line came from Scotland after the Civil war, and the other family line was simply too poor to be participating in anything like that. So why am I writing about black history? The Church is often criticized for having a “racist past” because of the priesthood ban, plus I think that we currently participate in a lot of unconscious racism and dismissive behavior that doesn’t help welcome our brothers and sisters into the Church.
So, let’s step away from the political rhetoric, tightly held positions, and defensiveness just for a moment. Let’s agree that black lives matter (of course they do – we aren’t talking about the political group), and we aren’t going to talk about Critical Race Theory (CRT) in this article. Let’s breathe deeply and step into this. [Read more…] about Answers to a Few Questions for Black History Month
Inspiration, Intellect, and Rethinking Revelation
by Michael R. Ash
Inspiration and Intellect are two sides of the same coin in how Latter-day Saints believe that God communicates with His children. We know that the Spirit testifies to eternal truths, but we often forget (or neglect) the role that intellect plays in uncovering truth. The late Apostle Hugh B. Brown said, “revelation does not come only through the prophet of God nor only directly from heaven in visions or dreams. Revelation may come in the laboratory, out of the test tube, out of the thinking mind and the inquiring soul, out of search and research and prayer and inspiration.”[i] Likewise, the Lord instructed the Saints to “seek learning… by study and also by faith” (D&C 88:118). This counsel was repeated several more times in modern revelations (see D&C 11:22, 90:15, 93:53; and 109: 7, 14), and the admonition led Joseph to establish the “School of the Prophets” (D&C 88:127).
The dual-nature or dual-sources for discovering truth presents some challenges, however. The first challenge is that neither source—neither inspiration nor intellect—can provide infallible and inerrant data.
The Challenge of Inspiration [Read more…] about Inspiration, Intellect, and Rethinking Revelation
“How to respond to a loved one” – German version for FAIR Newsletter 2021 0220
by René A. Krywult
Nach meinem Vortrag bei der FairMormon Konferenz 2019 haben mich viele Hörer das Gleiche gefragt: “Wie soll ich damit umgehen, wenn jemand, den ich lieb habe, von Antimormonismus beeinträchtigt ist und sich von der Kirche abwendet?”
Man kann den Fragestellern ansehen, wie sie die Entfremdung ihrer Freunde und Familie verletzt.
Es hat mich stutzig gemacht, zu sehen, wie die unterschiedlichen Meinungen zur COVID-19 Pandemie und die dazugehörigen Interaktionen ganz ähnlich waren, und wie viel Schmerz daraus kommt.
Auch politische Wahlen, wie zum Beispiel die US Präsidentenwahl, haben das Potential, Verwandte und Freunde gegeneinander aufzubringen. Manche drücken ihre Meinung sehr laut aus, und ihre persönlichen Beziehungen werden in Mitleidenschaft gezogen. [Read more…] about “How to respond to a loved one” – German version for FAIR Newsletter 2021 0220
