The Reliability of Mormon History Produced by the LDS Church
Just how thorough and open is Mormon history produced by the LDS Church?
by Ron Barney

Mormon Apologetics Conference Aug. 6-7
The Eleventh Annual Mormon Apologetics Conference will be held at the South Towne Exposition Center in Sandy Utah, on August 6-7, 2009.

LDS Defenders of the Faith to Hold Annual Conference
The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research, more popularly known as FAIR, will hold its eleventh annual conference on Thursday and Friday, 6-7 August, at the South Towne Exposition Center in Sandy, Utah. Come see all the details.
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Revelation after Joseph Smith
Critics ask why, if every President of the Church is a prophet, seer, and revelator,, have so few revelations after Joseph Smith been added to the Doctrine and Covenants?
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Nephi's Killing of Laban: Could Satan Deceive Nephi?
Critics charge that the story of Nephi being told by God to slay Laban (found in 1Ne. 4:5-18 ) is problematic because the angel which came to Nephi could have been a demonic “angel of light” or he could have been deluded.
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

LDS Population in Utah
Are more people leaving the Church in Utah than are joining, as critics claim?
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Burning in the Bosom
Are spiritual experiences just “warm fuzzies” as critics suggest?
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Hypocrisy in Church Practices?
Critics claim that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as a corporate entity, has an interest in businesse, such as tobacco or  alcoholic beverage companies, that are not consistent with its stated purposes.
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Authoritarianism and Church Leaders
Critics charge that the Church teaches that we should not exercise independent thought.
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Does the Book of Mormon Contain “the Fulness of the Gospel”?
Critics claim that the Book of Mormon cannot contain "the fulness of the gospel"  because we need additional scripture.
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

The Only True Church
The Apostle Boyd K Packer in a conference of the Church, speaking of other churches said: "Now we do not say they are wrong so much as we say they are incomplete. The fullness of the gospel has been restored.”
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

50 Questions—Is Joseph Smith a Failed Prophet?
Critics claim that Joseph Smith fails to meet the standard of 100% accuracy, which the Bible demands of God's prophets.
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

50 questions: Adam-God Theory
Did Brigham Young teach that Adam and Heavenly Father are the same being?
An anti-Mormon ministry tries to sow seeds of doubt in members by finding obscure and ambiguous statements by early Church leaders about basic doctrine.
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Answers to 50 Anti-Mormon Questions
One anti-Mormon ministry suggests 50 questions as a way to deceive Latter-day Saints. These questions feign an interest in learning more about our religion.  The real intent is to introduce anti-Mormon material intended to “de-convert” LDS.
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Is it Church doctrine that the Garden of Eden was in Missouri?
Critics often ridicule the common Mormon belief that the original Garden of Eden was located in Missouri instead of a more traditional Old World location.
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Was it Nephi or Moroni Who Appeared to Joseph Smith?
Critics claim that some Church sources say Nephi was the heavenly messenger who directed Joseph Smith to the gold plates. They offer this as proof that Joseph was “making it up as he went along.”
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Is There an Unforgivable Sin?
Criticism: LDS apostle, Bruce R. McConkie  contradicted the Bible when he wrote that a man may commit a sin so grievous that it will place him beyond the atoning blood of Christ, when the Bible says that the blood of Christ cleanses us all from all sin.
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Proposition 8 and Member Involvement
Critics claim that Church members were commanded to vote for and work for the passage of Proposition 8 in California.
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

False Claims on Proposition 8 and the Church's Contributions
Here are the answers to the critics false claim that the Church improperly contributed to the success of the campaign to support California Prop 8.
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Kirtland Egyptian Papers
What are the Kirtland Egyptian Papers and how do they relate to the Book of Abraham? Some critics have claimed that these papers are evidence that Joseph Smith made up the Book of Abraham.
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Church over Family
Critics charge that the Church teaches members to put service in the Church (e.g. in Church callings) over the needs of their families). This is not what the prophets say.
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

The Salamander Letter
Did the Church try to suppress the Salamander letter as critics claim?
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Global Flood Discrepancies
Critics claim LDS scriptures require Mormons to believe in a global flood. Since modern scientific knowledge does not support this belief, they say that LDS scripture, doctrine and leaders are wrong about this and other Church doctrine as well.
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Antidepressant Use among Latter-day Saints
Critics charge that the rate of antidepressant use is much higher among Mormons than the general population.  What is the real story?
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

“Forcing” Dead Ancestors to Become Mormons?
Critics complain about LDS proxy ordinance work, saying we are forcing their deceased ancestors to become "Mormons" after they are dead.
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Faith vs. Works—A False Dichotomy
Evangelical Christians claim that salvation comes through "faith alone" and they accuse Latter-day Saints of holding to an un-Biblical belief of "works-based salvation."
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Is Church Art Whitewashed?
One of the strangest attacks on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is an assault—of all things—on the Church's art.
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Did Joseph Smith use local place names in the Book of Mormon?
Critics claim that Joseph Smith is clearly the author of the Book of Mormon because many of the names of cities are “borrowed” from geographic areas in the United States and Canada.
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Does the Church Endorse a Specific Geography for the Book of Mormon?
Critics, and sometimes even enthusiastic members, claim that the Church has officially endorsed a specific geography model of the Book of Mormon and that the leaders of the Church long ago made one view of Book of Mormon geography "official."
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

What is Apologetics?
When first introduced to the work of FAIR (the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research), the question is often asked, “Why are you apologizing for being a member of the Church?”  When the work of FAIR is explained, a second question is, “Why doesn't the leadership of the Church address the attacks made by the critics?”
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Number of Legal Documents in Joseph Smith Papers Surprises Editors
Editors of the Joseph Smith Papers Project had expected about 20 legal documents involving Joseph Smith, and were astounded to find there were over 200 where the Prophet was the plaintiff, defendant or witness.
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Lost Scripture
What are the “lost scripture” and what is their importance to LDS?
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Does the Bible Condemn Genealogy?
Critics charge that the Bible condemns genealogy, and therefore the Latter-day Saint practice of compiling family histories is anti-Biblical, often citing 1 Tim 1:4 or Titus 3:9.
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Lamanites in the Doctrine and Covenants
In the Doctrine and Covenants the Lord refers to American Indians in North America as "Lamanites."  Does this cause problems for the Limited Geography Theory  (LGT) as critics charge?
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Suicide Rate among Mormons
Critics charge that the suicide rate in Utah is higher than the national average, and that this demonstrates that being a Latter-day Saint is psychologically unhealthy. As is often the case, critics don't tell the whole story.
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Were the Gold Plates Pure Gold?
Critics claim that gold plates of the dimensions described by the witnesses would be too heavy (on the order of 200 lbs) to be realistically lifted and carried as Joseph and others described. Thus any account involving gold plates renders the account false.
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Questions Mormons Should Ask Themselves
Anti-Mormon literature tends to recycle common themes. One popular approach over the years is for critics to ask a series of "questions" under the guise of sincerity, but with the ultimate aim of casting doubt upon faith or tripping up members of the Church.
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Why Did Abraham Lie to Pharaoh?
Critics say that the account of Abraham lying to the pharaoh about Sarah shows the Book of Abraham to be false, since God would not tell anyone to disobey the Ten Commandments.
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Religious Revivals in 1820
Critics claim that there were no religious revivals in the Palmyra, New York area in 1820, contrary to Joseph Smith's claim that during that year there was “an unusual excitement on the subject of religion ... indeed the whole district of country seemed affected by it."
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Did Joseph Smith use Local Place Names in the Book of Mormon?
Critics claim that Joseph Smith is clearly the author of the Book of Mormon because many of the names of cities are “borrowed” from geographic areas in the United States and Canada.
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

What is the Source of the Names Cumorah and Moroni?
Comoros is a small nation made up of three islands off the southeast coast of Africa. Its capital city is Moroni.   In an attempt to prove that Joseph Smith (or other contemporaries) wrote the Book of Mormon as a work of fiction, some critics have claimed that the names Cumorah and Moroni were copied from a map of the Comoros islands.
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Were the Gadianton Robbers only Thinly Disguised References to Freemasons?
Critics claim that what they see as anti-Masonic sentiments are the result of the anti-Masonic panic of Joseph Smith's era.
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Where Did Joseph Smith Really Live in 1820?
Critics claim that there are discrepancies in Joseph’s account of his family’s early history that make his 1820 and subsequent revelations impossible.  Specifically, they insist that there is no evidence that the Smith family was in the Palmyra area in 1820 for the religious excitement and First Vision.   
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Jerusalem vs. Bethlehem
Critics point out that Alma 7:10 says Jesus would be born “at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers.”  We all know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. They say this mistake is evidence that Joseph Smith forged the Book of Mormon. 
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Were the Three Witnesses Hypnotized?
Some critics claim the Book of Mormon witnesses may have been sincere in their testimony, but they were actually the victims of “hallucinations” or “hypnosis” induced by Joseph Smith.
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Where Did all Those People Come From?
Critics charge the Lehite colony was too small to account for the populations described in the Book of Mormon. Where did all those people come from?
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Why did Christ not Return in 1891, as Joseph Smith Predicted?
One of the anti-Mormon “Questions Mormons should ask themselves” suggests that Joseph Smith made an incorrect prediction because the Second Coming did not occur in 1891.
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Are all Amerindians Descendants of Lehi?
One of the “50 Questions to Ask Mormons” concerns our beliefs about Amerindians. What do we believe and teach?
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Does the Bible Say that No Man has Seen God?
Critics claim that the Bible teaches that God cannot be seen by mortals, and so claims by Joseph Smith and others to have seen God the Father or Jesus Christ must be false.
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

How Should We React?
There has never been a more favorable time for church members to speak out about who Latter-day Saints are. During the short time this attention and interest will last, we need a way to give our friends a simple yet comprehensive understanding of both what we believe and why we believe it. If we are not careful, we could be distracted by arguments that would only make things worse.
By Walt Scott

Using the Articles of Faith to Respond to Anti-Mormon Criticisms
The most effective way to respond to anti-Mormon criticisms may be as close as your wallet.
By John A. Tvedtnes

Was David Patton’s Call to Serve a Mission a Failed Prophecy?
Critics claim that Joseph Smith is proven a false prophet because David Patten did not serve the mission he was called to serve.
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Did Joseph Smith Admit to being the Author of the Book of Mormon?
Critics charge that Joseph Smith slipped up in listing himself as the “author and proprietor” of the Book of Mormon on the title page of the first edition.
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Why are there Different Versions of the Articles of Faith?
There were different versions of the Articles of Faith, and critics want to know why.
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Does it Matter if the Book of Mormon Events Really Happened?
Critics say there is no scientific proof that the Book of Mormon is a literal account of real people in a real location. There are even some LDS who believe the Book of Mormon may not be literally true.
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Answers to 50 Anti-Mormon Questions
One anti-Mormon ministry suggests 50 questions as a way to deceive Latter-day Saints. These questions feign an interest in learning more about our religion. The real intent is to introduce anti-Mormon material intended to “de-convert” Latter-day Saints.  Here is how to answer those questions.
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research