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FAIR is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of the doctrine, practice, and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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|sumario=Algunos afirman que la iglesia ha "blanqueado" parte de la información sobre sus orígenes a aparecer más aceptable para los miembros e investigadores. Algunos piensan que esto se hace intencionalmente para ocultar los aspectos negativos de la historia de la iglesia. Otros creen que se hace para centrarse en el bien, sino que causa problemas para los miembros creyentes cuando se encuentran con estos temas fuera del plan de estudios de la iglesia. | |sumario=Algunos afirman que la iglesia ha "blanqueado" parte de la información sobre sus orígenes a aparecer más aceptable para los miembros e investigadores. Algunos piensan que esto se hace intencionalmente para ocultar los aspectos negativos de la historia de la iglesia. Otros creen que se hace para centrarse en el bien, sino que causa problemas para los miembros creyentes cuando se encuentran con estos temas fuera del plan de estudios de la iglesia. | ||
}} | }} | ||
− | {{ | + | {{Sumario2 |
− | |enlace=Mormonism and history/ | + | |enlace=Mormonism and history/Accuracy of Church art |
+ | |sujeto= Church art and historical accuracy | ||
+ | |sumario=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. | ||
+ | }} | ||
+ | {{Sumario2 | ||
+ | |enlace=Brigham Young/Polygamy/Hiding history | ||
+ | |sujeto=Brigham Young manual hides the truth about polygamy | ||
+ | |sumario=It is claimed that the Church's manual, ''The Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young'', attempts to "hide history" by portraying Brigham Young (a well-known polygamist) as having only one wife. | ||
+ | }} | ||
+ | {{Sumario2 | ||
+ | |enlace=El Mormonismo y la historia/La censura y la revisión/LDS histories over many years omit plural marriage | ||
|sujeto=LDS histories over many years omit plural marriage | |sujeto=LDS histories over many years omit plural marriage | ||
|sumario=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. | |sumario=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. | ||
}} | }} | ||
− | {{ | + | {{Sumario2 |
− | |enlace= | + | |enlace=El Mormonismo y la historia/La censura y la revisión/Sidney Rigdon trial in Times and Seasons versus History of the Church |
|sujeto=Sidney Rigdon trial in Times and Seasons versus History of the Church | |sujeto=Sidney Rigdon trial in Times and Seasons versus History of the Church | ||
|sumario=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. | |sumario=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. | ||
}} | }} | ||
− | {{ | + | {{Sumario2 |
− | |enlace= | + | |enlace=El Mormonismo y la historia/La censura y la revisión/Wilford Woodruff criticizes publication of polygamists |
|sujeto=Wilford Woodruff criticizes publication of polygamists | |sujeto=Wilford Woodruff criticizes publication of polygamists | ||
|sumario=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. | |sumario=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. | ||
}} | }} | ||
− | {{ | + | {{Sumario2 |
− | |enlace= | + | |enlace=El Mormonismo y la historia/La censura y la revisión/Hiding the facts |
|sujeto=Hiding the facts in plain sight using Church publications | |sujeto=Hiding the facts in plain sight using Church publications | ||
|sumario=Quite a few items that some claim were hidden by the Church were actually published in Church magazines such as the ''New Era'', the ''Ensign'' and the ''Friend''. | |sumario=Quite a few items that some claim were hidden by the Church were actually published in Church magazines such as the ''New Era'', the ''Ensign'' and the ''Friend''. | ||
}} | }} | ||
− | {{ | + | {{Sumario2 |
|enlace=Revelation after Joseph Smith/Oliver Cowdery/Orson Hyde promise | |enlace=Revelation after Joseph Smith/Oliver Cowdery/Orson Hyde promise | ||
|sujeto=Orson Hyde's blessing altered in the ''History of the Church''? | |sujeto=Orson Hyde's blessing altered in the ''History of the Church''? | ||
|sumario=Is the ordination blessing given to Orson Hyde an example of false prophecy? Was Hyde's blessing altered in the ''History of the Church'' for propaganda reasons? | |sumario=Is the ordination blessing given to Orson Hyde an example of false prophecy? Was Hyde's blessing altered in the ''History of the Church'' for propaganda reasons? | ||
}} | }} | ||
+ | {{Sumario2 | ||
+ | |enlace=Lucy Mack Smith/Biography | ||
+ | |sujeto=Brigham Young destroys Lucy Mack Smith's history of Joseph? | ||
+ | |sumario=Did Brigham Young attempt to suppress and destroy all copies of Lucy Mack Smith's Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith because it contained information which would embarrass the Church? It is claimed that Brigham Young inserted the reference to Joseph Smith's First Vision into Lucy's book. Critics also try to prove that the silence of Joseph's mother and siblings in her history prove that the First Vision did not take place, and is a later fabrication by Joseph, and not well known to the early members of the church. | ||
+ | }} | ||
+ | {{Sumario2 | ||
+ | |enlace= Non-existent quotes/Haight: assistance of the moon | ||
+ | |sujeto=Did David B. Haight use astrological ideas about the moon, only to be censored later? | ||
+ | |sumario=It is claimed that Elder David B. Haight "reinvoked the astrological principle that people should 'do nothing without the assistance of the moon'" in a talk that he gave during General Conference in 1998. One critic takes this a step further by claiming that the phrase "do nothing without the assistance of the moon" was deleted from the transcribed version of Elder Haight's talk. This claim has evolved over time due to successive misinterpretation of the original sources. | ||
+ | }} | ||
+ | {{Sumario2 | ||
+ | |enlace= Prophet's_mother_said_First_Vision_was_of_an_"angel"#Not_published_until_late.3F | ||
+ | |sujeto=Lucy Mack Smith letter about First Vision suppressed? | ||
+ | |sumario=The Prophet's mother—Lucy Mack Smith—wrote a letter in 1831 which indicates that her son's First Vision consisted of seeing an "angel" instead of Deity. This documentary evidence demonstrates that the Prophet's story evolved over time; his claim to have seen God was a relatively late addition to his story. | ||
+ | }} | ||
+ | {{Sumario2 | ||
+ | |enlace= One_Nation_Under_Gods/Use_of_sources/Boyd_K._Packer_on_the_truth | ||
+ | |sujeto=President Boyd K. Packer on the truth | ||
+ | |sumario=Boyd K. Packer said: "I have a hard time with historians because they idolize the truth." | ||
+ | }} | ||
+ | {{Sumario2 | ||
+ | |enlace= One_Nation_Under_Gods/Use_of_sources/Boyd_K._Packer_on_the_truth#Part_II:_The_mantle_and_the_intellect | ||
+ | |sujeto=Elder Packer address to CES | ||
+ | |sumario= | ||
+ | }}: "The Mantle is Far, Far Greater than the Intellect" | ||
</onlyinclude> | </onlyinclude> | ||
Plantilla:Designación pregunta
Plantilla:Designación conclusión
Church historians and church hierarchy are fully aware of its history, yet they maintain strong testimonies of the authenticity and authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Problems arise when faithful members can't reconcile a perfect Savior and his church being led by imperfect people. Developing an understanding that all people, even prophets of the Lord make mistakes. Only Jesus Christ himself was perfect.
Usted también puede querer explicar que las múltiples cuentas de la Primera Visión se prepararon en diferentes ocasiones y para diferentes audiencias. En estas cuentas, Joseph Smith hizo hincapié en diferentes aspectos de su experiencia de la Primera Visión, pero las cuentas de todos estar de acuerdo en la verdad esencial de que José Smith era, efectivamente, los cielos se abrieron a él y ver mensajeros divinos, incluyendo a Dios el Padre y del Señor Jesús Cristo. Debido a que la cuenta de 1838 fue parte de la historia y testimonio para el mundo oficial de José Smith, fue incluido en la Perla de Gran Precio como Escritura.
Plantilla:Designación respuesta
Many critics will present a faithful member with some fact of church history and would have them believe that this is a new discovery. The reality is that there are very few new discoveries related to Church history. In fact, most, if not all of these documents have been well known to church historians for many years. Occasionally, a new document will be discovered which sheds additional light on some aspect of Church history. One such example is the discovery of documents that clarify that the Church was actually organized in Fayette rather than Manchester, as some have claimed. Situations such as this are rare, however. When the critic presents a "new" historical fact, you can rest assured that this very same "fact" has been discussed by LDS scholars for many years. There is truly little new information for the critics to draw from.
The critic presents these historical facts in order to shake the member's testimony, hopefully to the point of leaving the church. They attempt to present contradictions, such as "Joseph Smith drank wine at Carthage Jail, and therefore violated the Word of Wisdom." They attempt to catch Church leaders in deceit or portray them as hypocrites. Yet, there are many LDS experts on Church history that remain fully aware, faithful, actively attending church members. There are no facts that unarguably disprove the authenticity of the church. As always it comes down to faith and a personal witness between an individual and the Lord.
Critics routinely accuse the Church of suppressing and hiding uncomfortable facts from its own history. Yet, these very same critics quote Church sources in order to provide proof of their claims. This concern often rests on a misunderstanding. It is true that the Church's teachings are primarily doctrinal and devotional—Church lessons are neither apologetic nor historical in scope or intent.
It is remarkable, however, how many of the issues which critics charge the Church with "suppressing" are discussed in Church publications. Various issues are listed in the subarticle below, with references to Church sources which mention them. So, has the Church been suppressing the truth? You might be surprised to find out where some of these facts are actually hidden. Plantilla:ReadMore
LDS professor Daniel C. Peterson describes different "levels" of knowledge that members may have with respect to Church history.
Many years ago, while a graduate student in California, I heard the late Stanley B. Kimball (a Latter-day Saint scholar who taught at Southern Illinois University and published extensively on both European and Latter-day Saint historical subjects) speak to a small group about what he termed "the three levels of Mormon history."
He called the first of these "level A." This level, he said, is the Junior Sunday School version of church history, in which Mormons always wear the white hats, nobody disagrees, no leader ever makes a mistake, and all is unambiguously clear.
"Level B," he said, is the anti-Mormon version of church history—essentially a mirror image of level A or, alternatively, level A turned on its head. On level B, everything that you thought was good and true is actually false and bad. The Mormons (or, at least, their leaders) always or almost always wear black hats, and, to the extent that everything is unambiguously clear, Mormonism is unambiguously fraudulent, bogus, deceptive, and evil. Much in the level B version of Mormonism is simply false, of course; critics of the church have often failed to distinguish themselves for their honesty or for the care with which they've treated the issues they raise. But, in more than a few instances, level B approaches to Mormonism and its past are based on problems that are more or less real.
The church, Kimball reflected, tends to teach level A history. The trouble with this is that, like someone who has been kept in a germ-free environment and is then exposed to an infectious disease, a person on level A who is exposed to any of the issues that are the fodder for level B will have little resistance and will be likely to fall.
The only hope in such a case, he continued, is to press on to what he termed "level C," which is a version of church history that remains affirmative but which also takes into account any and all legitimate points stressed by level B. Those on level C are largely impervious to infection from level B. Level B formulations simply don't impress them....
Kimball said that he and his fellow historians operate on level C, and that, on the whole, that's where he (as a professional historian) would prefer members to be. He was deeply convinced, he said, that level C was essentially like level A, except that it is more nuanced and somewhat more ambiguous. (He emphatically denied that level A is "false," or that the church "lies" in teaching it.) He acknowledged, though, that, were he himself a high-ranking church leader, he would be hesitant to take the membership as a whole to level C by means of church curriculum and instruction for the obvious reason that moving people from level A to level C entails at least some exposure to some of the elements of level B, and that such exposure will unavoidably lead some to lose their testimonies. Still, he felt that those who make it through to level C are more stable and resilient in their faith than those who remain on level A. [1]
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