I had a message in mind this month, but as I put together the FAIR Journal, I saw the high number of excellent articles and podcasts. Rather than add to the list, i encourage you to look at what we have. Here are my highlights:

1) Register for the FAIR Conference, or for the FAIR Conference streaming. Internet registrations will end soon and tickets will cost more at the door.

2) Check out the list of speakers. If you keep track of the apologetics community, we have one or two names that might surprise you. The list has been updated since last week.

3) Make a donation to FAIR.

4) Note that Shaken Faith Syndrome is now in e-book format for your kindle, tablet, phone, or nook.

5) Read the review of the website Future Missionary.com along with the review of the Letter to a CES director.

6) Take a look at the specials in our bookstore.

7) We have lots of articles, podcasts, videos, study-aids, and other information this month.

8) Be sure to check out the book review on “Visions of Glory.” This has become a very popular book and almost has a cult following in our Wards. For those of you who like the book, take a deep breath before you read the review.

Scott Gordon
FAIR President

The FAIR Conference is fast approaching. It will be in Provo, Utah on August 1 & 2. Tickets are available online until July 28! (They will cost more to purchase at the door.) Purchasing lunch at the conference helps us defray the rental costs of the building. Click here for more information:
http://www.fairlds.org/fair-conferences/2013-fair-conference/conf13a
View our video ad:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqZPVTVI7H0 (Preview)
This year’s speakers include: Mike Ash, Ron Barney, Neylan McBain, Valerie Hudson, Wendy Ulrich, Kris Fredrickson, Ralph Hancock, Morris Thurston, Seth Payne, Robert Kirby, Lynne Wilson, Rosalynde Welch, Don Bradley, Mark Alan Wright, Maxine Hanks, Don Bradley, Janet L. Eyring, Bill Reel, and Dan Peterson.Their presentations are on leaving and returning to the faith, Mormon feminism, Joseph Smith’s history and  visions, the Book of Mormon Geography, and Mormon apologetics.
The full schedule and presentation listing can be viewed here:
http://www.fairlds.org/fair-conferences/2013-fair-conference/conf13a

FAIR survives on donations. Without your donation, we would not be here. We are an all volunteer group. Please donate $500, $300, $100, or $25. You can also set up a monthly donation amount.
Thank you for your support.
http://www.fairblog.org/donate-to-fair/

Last month, thanks to the efforts of one donor,  FAIR visited Darmstadt Germany, Milan Italy, and Rome Italy.  Here are some of the comments from that trip: (Note, the translations are mine, so hopefully I faithfully represent what was intended.)

I am grateful for everything you have done and sacrificed today in order that we might be edified by each of you. It was very nice, very interesting and inspiring: every single speech, graphical representation and each explanation.

Thank you for bringing FAIR in Italy to those who like me understand English too little to be able to study all those things.

It was very informative and, from my point of view, will have a considerable cultural impact.

Thank you for the wonderful event that you organized. It was uplifting as well as very instructive.

Thank you! It really was the highlight of my year to be able to hear such qualified speakers!

It’s great to get to hear sound research results and findings, characterized by courage to say the truth as well as a love of the Gospel.

Issues are coming at last to our language that would otherwise remain largely ignored.

As a non-Mormon, and as a religious scholar, my perspective may be different from that of your church members. I was pleased with the high scholastic level of the conference, their willingness to tackle the “hot potato” issues but also clearly stand up for their faith.

I think it is a good thing to have an in-depth discussion of these topics. I see a need for a genuine, competent deeper exploration of these church issues that are sometimes sensitive. Thank you for the program.

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.
http://en.fairmormon.org/Criticism_of_Mormonism/Websites/FutureMissionary.com

You can also respond to this on the FAIR Blog here:
http://www.fairblog.org/2013/06/20/fair-responds-to-futuremissionary-com/

A new Facebook page has been started in the FAIR universe that is devoted to disseminating educational and inspiring articles on the scriptures. It is somewhat of an outgrowth of the FAIR Study Aids project. Like the page and you can get updates of new publications as well as older articles that are being looked at.

https://www.facebook.com/FairLdsScriptureStudyAids

We have recently posted several videos that will be of interest to our readers. Several years ago, FAIR produced a video responding to the criticism that DNA proved The Book of Mormon to be false. We interviewed geneticists, linguists, and other scholars asking them about the validity of this argument. Just as with most criticism of the Church, it was found greatly wanting. This video highlights the problems with this argument and also provides some little known evidences for The Book of Mormon. We have re-edited the video to make it more appealing and have posted this video in its entirety online. You can watch this video on our Youtube page here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SStDH3SCj4Q (Preview)

We have also posted portions of our most recent video on evidences, answers and insights to the book of Abraham online as well.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EHKY1NUmcg (Preview)

Egyptology, and evolving field:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuGQTyC4hrQ (Preview)

The Egyptian endowment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab-hUFq2d70

Did the Egyptians know about Abraham?  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMpSIMeKN_M (Preview)

Biblical characters associated with Osiris:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmRe9Rt6CN8 (Preview)

What is the book of Breathings?  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xjV87F8aQ4 (Preview)

The missing portion of the Joseph Smith papyri:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtjT7YQz3mI(Preview)

We also have posted an excellent lecture given by Dr. John Lund on Joseph Smiths beliefs on Book of Mormon geography. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_MIfG6pCV8 (Preview)

Anyone who owns a pendulum powered clock-such as many grandfather or wall hanging clocks-knows that the regulation of the pendulum needs to be tweaked in order for the clock to keep accurate time. On the bottom of the pendulum is an adjusting nut that raises and lowers the “bob” (the disc-shaped weight that makes the pendulum swing from side to side).

If the bob is raised too high, the swing-angle of the pendulum will be too narrow and the clock will run too fast. If the bob is lowered too far, the swing-angle will be too wide and the clock will run too slowly. With a bit of experience, some tweaking, and another timepiece for comparison, the adjusting nut can correctly set the swing to ensure reasonably accurate time.

Our approach to the scriptures should also find a balance between how literally we accept what was recorded by past generations and how modern scholarship understands those past generation in light of history and science. Without balance, our spiritual growth may be stifled or our testimonies could even be put at potential risk.

http://www.fairblog.org/2013/05/16/balancing-secular-and-faith-based-scripture-study/

Visions of Glory is written by John Pontius and recounts several visions and spiritual manifestations. Their recipient is an anonymous informant called “Spencer” in the book. It includes an account of visions of the spirit world, a series of vignettes of apocalyptic last-days scenarios, and describes Spencer’s foretold role in preparing the world for the second coming of Christ. It concludes with an appendix containing other visions which may provide parallels or points of comparison to Spencer’s claims.

The Saints should always be seeking for further light and knowledge. Experience has shown, however, that an anxious interest in such light and knowledge can lead to being deceived, misled, and manipulated if we are not sufficiently grounded in true principles relating to revelation and learning. Prior to teaching the endowment, Joseph Smith warned the Saints: “Let us be faithful and silent, brethren, and if God gives you a manifestation, keep it to yourselves.” Of this remark, Elder Dallin H. Oaks wrote:

By and large, Latter-day Saints observe this direction. They do not speak publicly of their most sacred experiences. They seldom mention miracles in bearing their testimonies, and they rarely preach from the pulpit about signs that the gospel is true. They usually affirm their testimony of the truthfulness of the restored gospel by asserting the conclusion, not by giving details on how it was obtained.

The purpose of this review is not to cast doubt on the sincerity of those who have believed these visionary accounts. It is important, however, to take note of several factors:

1. Visions of Glory’s portrayal of Jesus Christ and His method of interacting with the Saints is not consistent with scripture.
2. Visions of Glory teaches doctrines that contradict LDS scripture and prophets.
3. Prophets and apostles have repeatedly taught that it is inappropriate for members to publicize such material without permission from the President of the Church.
4. Spencer claims he will receive authority independent of the Church and its leaders.
5. Anonymous accounts cannot be verified.

Readers of Visions of Glory may wish to compare LDS teachings and doctrines that differ from the book’s teachings.

http://www.fairblog.org/2013/05/31/greg-smith-reviews-john-pontius-book-visions-of-glory/

With the exception of some sections from the Doctrine and Covenants, we do not have the original manuscripts for any of our scriptures. All original documents for the Old and New Testaments are gone. What we have are copies (and usually copies of copies) or interpretations of copies. Likewise, Moroni’s golden plates are no longer in our possession. Even the original Book of Mormon translation manuscript (only 28% of which has survived) is a “translation” of the ancient Nephite book and not the original document.

No document was present when Joseph Smith received the Book of Moses by revelation. Section 7 of the D&C was given as revelation wherein Joseph saw a translation from the “parchment” which was “written and hid up by” the Apostle John. Finally, when it comes to the Book Abraham, the text we have in our scriptures is a “translation” of information that was either contained on some portion of the Joseph Smith Papyri that has been lost or, like the Book of Moses and text from the Apostle John, was given by direct revelation without the presence of the original source document.

Without the original “autographs” we can never be positive that we have the precise and pristine words penned by the original prophets and scriptural authors.
http://www.fairblog.org/2013/06/03/the-difficulty-of-translating-scripture/

In his 1916 book, The Birth of Mormonism, John Quincy Adams provided this rather colorful description of the Book of Mormon translation method.

The process of translating the “reformed Egyptian” plates was simple though peculiar. It was all done with the Urim and Thummim spectacles, but it was instant death for any one but Joe to use them. Even when he put them on, the light became so dazzling that he was obliged to look through his hat. Moreover, when so engaged, no profane eyes were allowed to see him or the hat. Alone, behind a blanket stretched across the room, Joe looked into his hat and read the mystic words.[1]

Any Latter-day Saint will immediately be able to sort the familiar from the unfamiliar elements of this story. We see the Urim and Thummim and the blanket shielding the translator from others in the room, but what is all of this talk about a hat?

As an active Latter-day Saint, I cannot remember a time when I was not familiar with the story of the translation of the Book of Mormon. The story with which we are quite familiar from Sunday School and Seminary describes Joseph using the Urim and Thummim (the Nephite interpreters) to look at the gold plates while screened from his scribe by a curtain. Joseph dictated the entire text of the Book of Mormon to his scribe, picking up the next day right where he had left off the day before, and the text was written without any punctuation. Joseph never required that any of the previous text be re-read when the translation started again the next day. The bulk of the translation was accomplished within a roughly three-month period, and the resulting text is remarkably consistent not only with itself, but with the Bible. The circumstances surrounding the translation and production of the Book of Mormon can only be considered miraculous when considered by a believing member of the Church.

There is, however, another story with which many have become familiar in recent years.
http://www.fairblog.org/2013/06/14/the-spectacles-the-stone-the-hat-and-the-book-a-twenty-first-century-believers-view-of-the-book-of-mormon-translation/

In his account of his encounter with Laban, an important official in Jerusalem around 600 B.C. Nephi states, “I beheld his sword, and I drew it forth from the sheath thereof; and the hilt thereof was of pure gold, and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine, and I saw that the blade thereof was of the most precious steel” (1 Nephi 4:9). Nephi’s description of this weapon was long considered anachronistic:

“This is the earliest account of steel to be found in history.” E. D. Howe, Mormonism Unvailed (1834), 25-26.

“Laban’s sword was steel, when it is a notorious fact that the Israelites knew nothing of steel for hundreds of years afterwards. Who but as ignorant s person as Rigdon would have perpetrated all these blunders?” Clark Braden in Public Discussion, 1884, 109.

“Laban is represented as killed by one Nephi, some six hundred years before Christ, with a sword `of the most precious steel,’ hundreds of years before steel was known to man!” Daniel Bartlett, The Mormons or, Latter-day Saints(1911), 15.

“[The Book of Mormon] speaks of the most `precious steel,’ before the commonest had been dreamt of.” C. Sheridan Jones, The Truth about the Mormons(1920), 4-5.

“Nephi . . . wielded a sword `of the most precious steel.’ But steel was not known to man in those days.” Stuart Martin, The Mystery of Mormonism (1920), 44.

“Laban had a steel sword long before steel came into use.” George Arbaugh, Revelation in Mormonism (1932), 55.

“Every commentator on the Book of Mormon has pointed out the many cultural and historical anachronisms, such as the steel sword of Laban in 600 B.C.” Thomas O’Dea, The Mormons (1957), 39.

“No one believes that steel was available to Laban or anyone else in 592 B.C.” William Whalen, The Latter-day Saints in the Modern World (1964), 48.

Today, the cutting remarks of  past critics notwithstanding, it is increasingly apparent that the practice of hardening iron through deliberate carburization, quenching and tempering was well known to the ancient world from which Nephi came “It seems evident” notes one recent authority, “that by the beginning of the tenth century B.C. blacksmiths were intentionally steeling iron.”  (Robert Maddin, James D. Muhly and Tamara S. Wheeler, “How the Iron Age Began,” Scientific American 237/4 [October 1977]:127).
http://www.fairblog.org/2013/06/17/labans-sword-of-most-precious-steel-howlers-5-2/

As we sit in church and hear many of the same ideas and stories repeated again and again, we can begin to lose sight of the significance and beauty of these ideas and stories as they become overly-familiar. Fantasy and science fiction can sometimes help us to appreciate timeless truths for which we have lost appreciation through frequent repetition. C.S. Lewis expressed the idea in this way: “The value of myth is that it takes all the things you know and restores to them the rich significance which has been hidden by the veil of familiarity.”

I saw the new Superman movie over the weekend, Man of Steel, and found it to be one of those stories through which we are reminded of greater truths than those which are literally represented in the movie itself. While Man of Steel was not a perfect movie, I enjoyed the way in which the producers unapologetically drew parallels between Superman and Christ.
http://www.fairblog.org/2013/06/18/superman-and-the-myth-of-the-dying-god/

Book of Mormon Onomasticon Project Launched Online

The Book of Mormon Onomasticon project, which has long been in the works, has finally been launched online. Although it is still under development, there is plenty of great information and research available already on every single name in the Book of Mormon. Many of the entries provide convenient summaries of the research that has gone into a Book of Mormon name. Some brief time browsing the entries will quickly make it apparent which names have received the most attention from scholars and which names need more work. In any event, it is a great new tool for Book of Mormon study.

Understanding the meaning of a name can shed light on the meaning of scripture, especially since scriptural names can be metonymic. That is, names more relevant to the actions or role of a person in a narrative may be substituted for that actual person’s name. Even in cases where a metonymic name is not in play, authors aware of the meaning of the name may have used it in some way to enhance the narrative. Such word plays on proper nouns are common in ancient Near Eastern literature.

Zoram: From “Servant of Laban” to “Rock of Nephi”

Consider the name Zoram. I chose this name because it has received very little attention from scholars. It was one of the first I looked up in the Book of Mormon Onomasticon (BMO) because, as the only name in the 1 Nephi narrative that has not been attested in ancient sources, I was interested in seeing what they had come up with.
http://www.fairblog.org/2013/06/18/names-and-meaning-zoram-as-a-case-study/

I just returned from a couple of weeks in Europe where I presented at FAIR conferences in Darmstadt, Germany and Milan and Rome, Italy, on the Book of Abraham.  (Other presentations included topics like the Book of Mormon, race issues, polygamy, and Joseph Smith’s visions.)  This was my first trip to Europe and I had a great time.  Now that I’m back, I thought I would post my remarks on the BoA here for your interest and so that I can conveniently refer people to them in the future.

The Book of Abraham  –   Kevin L. Barney

When Napoleon invaded Egypt in 1798, he brought with him a small army of scientists and artists, whose published reports of the wonders of Egypt in the many volumes of the French series “Description of Egypt” published between 1809 and 1813 soon fueled a wave of Egyptomania among Europeans.  This intense interest in all things Egyptian spurred a demand for Egyptian antiquities, which men like Antonio Lebolo, the excavator of the Joseph Smith Papyri, were all too willing to meet.

http://www.fairblog.org/2013/06/27/the-book-of-abraham/

How did Joseph Smith translate the Book of Mormon? Joseph didn’t share many details of the translation process other than the fact that he received the translation by the gift and power of God. In order to develop any theories on how it was done we must to turn to clues from those who witnessed the events. When we examine those details we quickly discover that the translation process may not have been like what many members have envisioned.

As I began to write this article (based on my promise in the last installment) a friend of mine coincidentally published a detailed discussion of this topic in the new Interpreter on-line journal so I’ll provide a link at the end of this article for those who want more depth on this fascinating subject.

The average member’s mental image of Joseph translating the plates is generally formed from artwork in Church magazines and comments from Sunday school teachers rather than from a critical examination of the historical evidence.

Unfortunately most artists are not historians and may produce beautiful drawings and paintings that are based on misassumptions. 
http://www.fairblog.org/2013/06/27/translating-the-book-of-mormon/

As pointed out in the last installment, Joseph Smith was not a “translator” in the Academic sense. He couldn’t read ancient languages. Somehow, through the power of God, he was able to convert the Nephite writings into the scriptural English of his day.

According to witnesses who were close enough to Joseph to get a feel for the translation process, Joseph would “see” the English translation of the Nephite text when he put is face into the hat with the seer stone. Anyone who tries to copy this process-with or without a hat-will quickly discover that you cannot see (let alone read) any text so close to your face. In the darkness of the hat it seems likely that the English text which Joseph saw was in his “mind’s eye.” Technically vision occurs in the brain. Yes, our eyes send the data to the brain, but the brain converts the signals to form the things we see.
http://www.fairblog.org/2013/07/11/how-to-read-ancient-nephite/

All the rivers and valleys he makes Lehi name with new names.
John Hyde Jr., Mormonism: Its Leaders and Designs (1857), 223.From Hugh Nibley, Lehi in the Desert (1988), 75-76.By what right do these people rename streams and valleys to suit themselves? No westerner would tolerate such arrogance. But Lehi is not interested in western taste; he is following a good old Oriental custom. Among the laws “which no Bedouin would dream of transgressing,” the first, according to Jennings-Bramley, is that “any water you may discover, either in your own territory or in the territory of another tribe, is named after you.” So it happens that in Arabia a great wady (valley) will have different names at different points along its course, a respectable number of names being “all used for one and the same valley.
http://www.fairblog.org/2013/07/12/naming-in-the-desert-howlers-13/

In this episode of Religion Today, which originally aired on KSL Radio on October 14, 2012, Martin Tanner discusses our pursuit of truth and the way in which science and religion both help us in this pursuit.
http://www.fairblog.org/2013/05/08/mormon-fair-cast-146-science-and-religion/

What did it mean in the Book of Commandments to say that Oliver Cowdery had the gift of working with the “rod of nature.” What is the “gift of Aaron?” Are there other examples of physical objects being used to receive revelation? In this episode of Religion Today, which originally aired on KSL Radio on January 13, 2013, Martin Tanner responds to this question and discusses many of the anti-Mormon attacks.
http://www.fairblog.org/2013/05/15/mormon-fair-cast-147-using-objects-to-receive-revelation/

Most of the eleven official witnesses to the gold plates later left the Church. Is this evidence that the Church is not true? Or do these circumstances actually help strengthen the claim that the gold plates actually existed? In this episode of Religion Today, which originally aired on KSL Radio on March 20, 2013, Martin Tanner addresses these and other questions.
http://www.fairblog.org/2013/06/12/mormon-fair-cast-150-the-apostasy-of-the-witnesses/

One of the primary reasons evangelicals give when they say that Mormons are not Christians is that Mormons believe in “a different Jesus.” They claim that the Jesus of Mormonism is not Biblical. In this episode of Religion Today, which originally aired on KSL Radio on April 14, 2013, Martin Tanner discusses the physical and spiritual natures of God.
http://www.fairblog.org/2013/06/19/mormon-fair-cast-151-god-is-a-spirit/

Was Jesus really resurrected? Or was his resurrection merely a trick, an illusion or the result of an incorrect conclusion drawn by followers who looked in the wrong tomb? In this episode of Religion Today, which originally aired on KSL Radio on March 31, 2013, Martin Tanner discusses evidence for the resurrection and the nature of the resurrection.
http://www.fairblog.org/2013/06/26/mormon-fair-cast-152-evidences-of-the-resurrection/

Why are there so many similarities between the rituals and symbols of Freemasonry and the symbols and rituals found in Mormon temples? In this address from the 2005 FAIR Conference, Greg Kearney, a master mason, discusses the involvement of Joseph Smith and early members of the Church in Freemasony and gives his opinions as to why there are so many parallels between Freemasonry and Mormon Temple rituals.
http://www.fairblog.org/2013/07/03/best-of-fair-14-the-message-and-the-messenger-latter-day-saints-and-freemasonry/

Aside from what Joseph Smith taught, is there evidence that modern temples represent a restoration of ancient practices and beliefs? In this address from the 2009 FAIR Conference, Dr. Daniel Peterson discusses ascension motifs from around the world and talks about the temple as a place of ascent to God, as a model of reality, and as a reality of things to come.
http://www.fairblog.org/2013/07/10/best-of-fair-15-the-temple-as-a-place-of-ascent-to-god/

Throughout the history of mankind we have endeavored to explain the world in which we live in through a variety of media.  Rather than pointing to something and saying ugh, ugh,  over time we invented language and the written word to communicate more effectively with each other.  In this podcast we will look at how the true meaning or original intent of a text can or has changed from generation to generation, and from an original source language to translations in other languages to express ideas, concepts, and principles.
http://www.fairblog.org/2013/05/24/4th_watch_6presentism-idiomsm-homonyms-and-other-scams/

From the earliest days of the United States of America the right to free speech has been a hallmark of our country.  The ability to express various political and religious views without government intervention was pioneered in what we call the Bill of Rights, encompassed in the first ten  amendments to our Constitution.
http://www.fairblog.org/2013/07/04/4th_watch_8bullies-r-us-freedom-of-speech/

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.

http://bookstore.fairlds.org/

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.
http://bookstore.fairlds.org/category.php?id_category=19

Clearance Special:

► Joseph Smith Papers, Revelations and Translations, Facsimile Edition
Limited to stock on hand

Robin Scott Jensen, Robert J. Woodford, Steven C. Harper (Volume Editors). Salt Lake City, Utah: The Church Historian’s Press, 2009. Hardbound, 9.25 x 12.25″, 752 pgs. 

The facsimile edition of Manuscript Revelation Books opens a new series of the Joseph Smith Papers that will provide transcripts of many of the earliest manuscripts of Joseph Smith’s written revelations and translation, together with reproductions of editions of these documents that were published during his lifetime. Though editorial introductions will place these documents in their historical settings, the focus in this series is on the texts themselves, the raw materials that scholars and others can use in studying the composition and history of these foundational documents.

Retail Price: $99.95
Special FAIR Price: $29.99 (70% Discount)

► Third Nephi: The Fifth Gospel
 Limited to stock on hand.

Andrew C. Skinner.  Springville, Utah:  Cedar Fort, Inc., 2012.  Hardbound, 6.25×9.25″, 127 pages.

Third Nephi stands as an independent witness of the “linchpin” doctrine of the entire Christian faith – the literal, bodily resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. This small volume illustrates these ideas to help all of us understand why Third Nephi may justly be called the Fifth Gospel, and why it is so valuable to the world. Grow your testimony and your love for the Savior with this inspiring book.

Retail Price: $14.99
Special FAIR Price: $9.74 (35% Discount)


► Joseph Smith Jr. A Prophet’s Journal, His Own Story in His Own Words
 Limited to stock on hand.

Lee Nelson. Springville, Utah: Council Press, an imprint of Cedar Fort, 1979. Softbound, 9×6″, 255 pages.

This book is exactly what it says it is – the personal journal or history of Joseph Smith Jr.  It does not contain the usual interpretations and opinions of scholars, theologians, and historians, but Joseph’s own account of his revelations, persecutions, disappointments, accomplishments, and day-to-day happenings.

Retail Price: $16.99
Special FAIR Price: $8.50 (50% Discount)
Monthly Specials:

http://bookstore.fairlds.org/category.php?id_category=50

► Exploring the Connection Between Mormons and Masons (CD)

Matthew B. Brown. American Fork, Utah: Covenant Communications, 2009. 3 CDs, approx. 305 hours.

The subject of Joseph Smith and Freemasonry sparks a wide range of responses among Latter-day Saints, from curiosity to suspicion to outright excitement.  In this helpful guide, trusted LDS scholar Matthew B. Brown clearly and skillfully addresses the subject’s history, theology, traditional understandings, and myths.  Readers will consider provocative questions as well as meaningful scriptural patterns and interfaith connections.  With research ranging from the particular to the panoramic, this volume offers engaging, edifying exploration of the relationship between Freemasonry and the blessings of the House of the Lord, and early Christianity and the practices of biblical times.

Retail Price: $19.95
Special FAIR Price: $14.96 (25% Discount)

► Fire on the Horizon: A Meditation on the Endowment and Love of the Atonement

Blake T. Ostler.  Salt Lake City, Utah: Greg Kofford Books, 2013.  Softbound, 5.5×8.5″, 134 pages.

Blake Ostler, author of the groundbreaking Exploring Mormon Thought series, explores two of the most important and central aspects of Mormon theology and practice: the Atonement and the temple endowment. Utilizing observations from Søren Kierkegaard, Martin Buber, and others, Ostler offers further insights on what it means to become alienated from God and to once again have at-one-ment with Him..

Retail Price: $17.95
Special FAIR Price: $14.36  (20% Discount)

► Banishing the Cross: The Emergence of a Mormon Taboo

Michael G. Reed.  Independence, Missouri: John Whitmer Books, Inc., 2012.  Softbound, 6×9″, 185 pages.

“Michael Reed’s invaluable study shines new light on Mormons’ complex and ambiguous relationship with the cross. Reed’s research, the most exhaustive ever undertaken on this subject, should help other Christians understand the historic, cultural and religious context out of which Latter-day Saint attitudes toward the cross emerged-and it should help Latter-day Saints find greater spiritual meaning in this most poignant and profound of Christian symbols.”
Robert A. Rees
Author of The Reader’s Book of Mormon

Retail Price: $19.95
Special FAIR Price: $15.96 (20% Discount)

► Suit Up
John Bytheway, Laurel Christensen, John Hilton III, Jennifer Brinkerhoff Platt, Hank Smith, Anthony Sweat, Brad Wilcox.  Salt Lake City Utah:  Deseret Book Company, 2013.  Paperback, 4×6″, 144 pages.

The Lord needs more missionaries and He needs better prepared missionaries. He needs YOU!
From the bestselling authors that brought you  Armor Up! this unique little book is intended to help teens get ready for all they will encounter as they embark on the unique adventure of missionary work. There has never been a more exciting time to be alive-and there has never been a more exciting time to be a missionary.
In Suit Up, several of your favorite youth speakers share lessons about preparing for a mission based on the scriptural advice contained in Doctrine and Covenants 4. If you’re thinking about a mission, if you’ve already started preparing, or if you’ve got your call, you’ll benefit from the messages and advice in Suit Up. 
Contents
“The Lord’s Marvelous Work” by Hank Smith
“Give it Everything You’ve Got” by John Bytheway
“I’ll Be What You Want Me to Be” by Jennifer Platt
“Thrusting in our Sickle” by Brad Wilcox
“The Essential Credentials” by Anthony Sweat
“I’m Trying to Be like Jesus” by Laurel Christensen
“Ask and Ye Shall Receive” by John Hilton III

Filled with quotable quotes, it’s the perfect book for those who are ready to Suit Up!

Retail Price: $11.99
Special FAIR Price: $10.19 (15% Discount)

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