The FAIR conference...

[_jon]

...what influence will it have on the Church?

When all the presentations have been made, the networking concluded. Once the sound of backs being appreciatively slapped and the polite guffaws have died away. What? What will have been the point to it all?

My question really is about FAIR's credibility - does the Church hold FAIR in a positive light?

I guess this will be shown by how much of the 'game changing' information presented finds it's way onto LDS.org and into the teaching manuals and conference talks and Ensigns of the future.

As a starting point, what has been influenced so far by the contents of previous FAIR conferences?

[_DaniteMason]

...what influence will it have on the Church?

My question really is about FAIR's credibility - does the Church hold FAIR in a positive light?

As a starting point, what has been influenced so far by the contents of previous FAIR conferences?

Scott Lloyd of the Church-owned Deseret News had mentioned the likelihood that three or four reporters would be covering the conference.

In my own experience, most Latter-day Saints are not all that interested in apologetics, and Mormon Studies in general. Their understanding of early Mormon history is limited - usually to Primary-level correlated materials and Gerald Lund novels. As an organization, the Church has done very little with FAIR. Though writers like Mike Ash and Dan Peterson are given a voice in church-sponsored publications, this should not be understood as a formal endorsement of FAIR by the Church. That is not to say however, that the LDS Church holds FAIR in a negative light either.

I don't think it is the goal of FAIR to influence the Church, but rather find ways to sustain belief against criticisms of it. Church employees have in the past, and continue to speak at FAIR Conferences. Presenters on FAIR topics regularly publish in LDS Church-related presses and their books are readily accessible at any LDS bookstore.

Church historians in particular, maintain good relationships with many FAIR participants and have even participated themselves. LDS apostles have published material through the Maxwell Institute and will likely continue to do so. The amicable relationship between the NAMI and FAIR is unmistakeable, though neither share formal connections with each other.

I would venture to say that the Church is much more open to discussing historical issues at least in part because of work done by FAIR contributors and the rise of the New Mormon History. More church members know about FAIR than they ever have in the past. FAIR presenters regularly conduct firesides at LDS podiums (something not afforded to Rodney Meldrum after it was discovered he was selling his books in foyers). The recent German FAIR Conference was conducted in an LDS Chapel with the consent of local leaders who were happy to see Mormon scholars engaging relatively controversial and troubling issues for Church members there. Discussions by Gene Sessions and Rick Turley have led to Mormons being much more open about the Mountain Meadows Massacre.

Etc...etc...etc.

This year's conference will feature two individuals who have in the past, been openly vocal about their opposition to LDS apologetic approaches to Church History - Don Bradley and Newell Bringhurst.

[_Simon Belmont]

...what influence will it have on the Church?

When all the presentations have been made, the networking concluded. Once the sound of backs being appreciatively slapped and the polite guffaws have died away. What? What will have been the point to it all?

Well, gee, with that we shouldn't endeavor to do anything -- what's the point of it all? What's the point of you posting here? What effect will it have on the Church?

[_jon]

...what influence will it have on the Church?

When all the presentations have been made, the networking concluded. Once the sound of backs being appreciatively slapped and the polite guffaws have died away. What? What will have been the point to it all?

Well, gee, with that we shouldn't endeavor to do anything -- what's the point of it all? What's the point of you posting here? What effect will it have on the Church?

Yes Simon, those were the questions I was asking, well parroted.
Now go and get yourself some milk and a cookie whilst the grown ups answer them...

[_DaniteMason]

...what influence will it have on the Church?
My question really is about FAIR's credibility - does the Church hold FAIR in a positive light?

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — With the Mormon church increasingly in the national spotlight, including a hit Mormon-themed Broadway musical and two members seeking the White House, a nonprofit group is seeking to set the record straight about the faith's beliefs.

The group has launched the Mormon Defense League in an effort to help journalists, political operatives and others who comment on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints better understand the religion.

The goal is to dispel myths and explain the history, theology and other aspects of the church, co-founder Scott Gordon said.

The idea for the league grew out of what Gordon said were volumes of misinformation about the church that circulated in 2008 when Mormon Mitt Romney sought the GOP presidential nomination.

"What we've seen is that as the church becomes more and more in the limelight, people say and report things that are often bigoted or false," Gordon said. "We wanted to provide an organization that could assist journalists and others get the story right and offer some gentle correction when they didn't."

The all-volunteer organization is an extension the Foundation for Apologetic Information & Research, or FAIR, which defends Mormon beliefs to critics. Gordon, FAIR's president since 2001, announced plans for the league Thursday during the opening session of FAIR's 13th annual conference in Sandy.

In recent years, the Utah-based church, which has more than 14 million members worldwide, has been increasingly in the spotlight. Romney is again seeking the GOP presidential nomination, as is former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman. Broadway is home to the Tony Award-winning "Book of Mormon" musical, and the church played a central role in a 2008 political battle over gay marriage in California.

Misinformation or misperceptions about Mormonism — including that faithful Latter-day Saints wear "magic underwear" or still practice polygamy — stem from a lack of understanding of the church's history, doctrine and culture, Gordon said.

He said a team of Mormon Defense League volunteers will post articles and explainers to the organization's website, MLD.org; will answer questions through email exchanges or interviews; and will monitor news about the church to watch for missteps.

"If you come out with an article that says Mormons believe Jesus and Satan are brothers, we're going to say, 'OK, this is why you'll find Mormons objecting to that characterization,''" said Gordon, who explains that such statements are considered code for suggesting Mormons are not Christians.

"The problem is that you can take any religion or beliefs and look at the doctrine and find ways to make them look silly," he said. "We're going to try and fill in the context and the gaps."

As explained on the league's website, Mormons believe Satan was also one of God's children but was cast out for rebelling against God's teachings.

Neither FAIR nor the Mormon Defense League are affiliated with or sanctioned by the Mormon church, although church spokesman Eric Hawkins told The Associated Press the faith favors "sincere efforts to correct misconceptions and inaccuracies."

Nothing about the Mormon Defense League is intended to replace the work of the church's paid public relations staff, Gordon said. But league contributors aren't hampered by an institutional process.

"Sometimes we might be able to say things that public affairs can't," Gordon said.

___

Online:

Mormon Defense League, http://mdl.org/

Foundation for Apologetic Information & Research, http://www.fairlds.org/

[_jon]

Danite,

So it's the Mormon's proselytising equivalent of 'Black Ops'?
Get it done but ensure we have deniability.

Have all MDL members removed their dog tags?

[_Simon Belmont]

Yes Simon, those were the questions I was asking, well parroted.
Now go and get yourself some milk and a cookie whilst the grown ups answer them...

You need to work on your reading and writing comprehension (hint: proper nouns are capitalized).

I, in fact, asked you a question:

What's the point of you posting here? What effect will it have on the Church?

[_jon]

Yes Simon, those were the questions I was asking, well parroted.
Now go and get yourself some milk and a cookie whilst the grown ups answer them...

I, in fact, asked you a question:

What's the point of you posting here? What effect will it have on the Church?

I'm looking back to where you answered my OP questions, guess what........

[_DaniteMason]

Danite,

So it's the Mormon's proselytising equivalent of 'Black Ops'?
Get it done but ensure we have deniability.

Have all MDL members removed their dog tags?

I think that's likely a stretch of what "Black Ops" entails.

Actually, I think a better comparison would be what the Anti-Defamation League is to various Jewish organizations. As much as you'd like it, the Church doesn't loathe FAIR. As mentioned before, FAIR can reach a different audience and ultimately has a different purpose than the LDS missionary program.

Mormon missionaries invite others to come unto Christ through faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.

FAIR's purpose is to correct misconceptions and answer criticisms of the Church its history, and doctrines. Yes, there can be a bit of crossover between the two, but FAIR is not a proselytizing organization. People come to FAIR - FAIR doesn't come to you. There's nothing sinister or conspiratorial about it. It simply is what it is.

No one wears dog tags, but it may be a good idea! I'll see what I can do to pull some strings - maybe it'll be free for joining the FAIR Apologetics List OR for one-time donors of $60 and up.

We'll need a good metal forge ... wait, I know a guy with a really nice backyard barbeque pit that might do the trick! I'll have to sort through all of my father's old "tools," which he buried one day and for one reason or another, never used again. Plenty of chisels, hammers, fullers, and anvils - among other things.

[_Buffalo]

FAIR scholars hard at work defending the faith: