by Allen Wyatt on November 24th, 2008
One of the perennial debates that springs is how much control the Church exercises over its members. Ever since the early days of the Church, critics have charged that the Church exercises an inordinate amount of control over its members in their daily lives. Even today we hear resurgent claims that “when the prophet has spoken, the thinking is done” (which sentiment has been roundly denounced by—of all things—a prophet over 60 years ago) and the concept that Mormons are somehow brainwashed. (This last charge is particularly prevalent among those who need, for whatever reason, to classify Mormonism as a cult.)
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Posted in General, News stories | 35 Comments »
by Scott Gordon on November 19th, 2008
The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research (FAIR) launched a new webpage about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) and California Proposition 8. The passage of California Proposition 8 during the November 2008 election has generated a number of criticisms of the LDS Church regarding a variety of issues including the separation of church and state, accusations of bigotry, and the rights of a non-profit organization to participate in the democratic process. This page documents the events leading up to and resulting from the effort to pass California Proposition 8 as they relate to Latter-day Saints. Your comments on the webpage are welcome.
Posted in News from FAIR, Politics | 68 Comments »
by Scott Gordon on November 8th, 2008
It is interesting to see the reaction against Mormons now that the election is over. There are protests at the Temples, a chapel in Orangevale was vandalized, and a boycott on Utah has been called.
During the election, there was even an anti-Mormon commercial that shows Mormon Missionaries invading a home and pawing through women’s underwear to find a marriage certificate to tear up.
Some have commented that the ex-Mormon community has used the cover of the election to strike some blows against the Church.
On the positive side, Church Leaders in other faiths have come out in our defense.
I thought one of the more interesting ant-Mormon rants came from actress-comedian Rosanne Barr.
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Posted in Anti-Mormon critics, News stories, Politics | 83 Comments »
by Scott Gordon on November 3rd, 2008
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THE FAIR JOURNAL October 2008
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The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research
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Apologetics: The branch of theology that is concerned with
defending or proving the truth of Christian doctrines. (The
American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth
Edition, 2000.)
INSIDE THE JOURNAL
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* MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT. Scott Gordon comments on Califonia's
Proposition 8, which deals with the issue of same sex marriage.
* FAIR FUNDRAISING. If you would like to help FAIR in its work to
provide "well-documented answers to criticisms of LDS (Mormon)
doctrine, belief and practice," we encourage you to contribute
through the FAIR web site.
* NEW ON THE WEBSITE: FAIR has added responses to additional
sections of the "DNA Evidence for Book of Mormon Geography" DVD.
* NEW ON THE WEBSITE: "Mormon's Editorial Method and Meta-Message."
Brant Gardner's 2008 FAIR Conference presentation is now available
on the FAIR website.
* RESOURCES ON THE WEB: "A letter to a friend: Joseph Smith
polygamy." J. Stapley blogged on helping people understand
difficult historical issues.
* ASK THE APOLOGIST. Got a question you are dying to ask? Here's
how.
* FAIR TOPICAL GUIDE. The Topical Guide on the FAIR Web site is one
of the most popular resources offered. Learn what is available and
help us expand our references.
* FAIR WIKI. The FAIR Wiki is an excellent resource for someone
looking for a summary of an issue and for pointers to more
detailed information. Links to many new and changed articles are
included in this issue.
* FAIR YOUTUBE VIDEOS. FAIR has had a presence on youtube.com for
several months and new video clips are added frequently.
* FAIR LDS BOOKSTORE. Check out the FAIR Bookstore's monthly
specials.
* ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS. Interested in writing for FAIR? Learn how you
can have your apologetics work published.
* PUBLISHING NOTES. Learn how you can become more involved in FAIR
and how you can reuse the material we publish.
* FAIR JOURNAL ARCHIVES. All of the FAIR Journal issues since
October 2001 are on the FAIR web site.
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Posted in News from FAIR | Comments Off
by Steven Danderson on November 2nd, 2008
Earlier, I had written a post titled, “I will not quit my post until properly relieved.” I wish to thank those of you who commented–even if you disagree.
The point of my original post was that we should follow the Brethren when they act ex officio, even if it means certain defeat. I would like to comment more along those lines. Now, what should you do if you’re a government official, and the Brethren advocate policy X, which is extremely unpopular, and, in your best judgement wrong, and perhaps illegal or perhaps unconstitutional? Then your oath as a government official may supercede the Brethren’s counsel. The late Rex Lee stated in his confirmation hearing as US Solicitor General that if the Brethren advocated something in contravention with the Constitution and laws of the United States, then his duty was to side with the law. Indeed, all Latter-day Saints (at least the ones in the USA) are expected to “befriend” the constitutional law of the land [D&C 98:5-6]. Even Dallin Oaks opposed the Brethren’s take on a public issue (school prayer).
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Posted in Uncategorized | 32 Comments »
