"Kirtland Safety Society," FAIR Wiki (City Unknown: FAIR) This FAIR Wiki article examines Joseph's Smith's involvement with the Kirtland Safety Society, why it failed, and the critical charges related to Joseph's involement.
Russell Anderson, "The 1826 Trial of Joseph Smith," (2002 FAIR Conference presentation.) Was Joseph Smith convicted of being a fraud and glass looker?
Russell Anderson, "The 1826 Trial of Joseph Smith," (Mesa, Arizona: FAIR, August 2002) In his 2002 FAIR Conference presentation, Russell Anderson responds to critics who attempt to use the 1826 "trial" to impugn the reputation and character of Joseph Smith.
Kevin L. Barney, "A Tale of Two Restorations," (1999 FAIR Conference presentation.) A comparison of the LDS restoration movement and the Alexander Campbell restoration movement.
Davis Bitton, "George Q. Cannon and the Apostates," (Mesa, Arizona: FAIR, December 2005) Davis Bitton summarizes President George Q. Cannon's statements on why people apostatize and how apostates should be viewed.
Davis Bitton, "I Don't Have A Testimony of the History of the Church," 2004 FAIR Conference presentation. 2004 FAIR Conference presentation. Some of the most knowledgeable historians of LDS history, are believing Latter-day Saints. Bitton explains why accurate history is not a threat to one's testimony.
Matthew B. Brown, "Historical or Hysterical. Anti-Mormons and Documentary Sources," (Mesa, Arizona: FAIR, April 2005) At the 2004 FAIR Conference, Matthew Brown presented a presentation that examined many of the claims made by anti-Mormons about Joseph Smith's character and his account of the events of the Restoration. Anti-Mormon literature is filled with many accusations against Joseph Smith: he was of low moral character, he was not spiritually-minded as a youth, the "true" accounts of his behavior and personality have been nefariously suppresed by the Church, and that historical records show that Joseph Smith's accounting of the Restoration evolved into the story that is told today. Brown brings up evidence showing that these anti-Mormon claims are unsupported and contradicted by the evidence. This article includes the slide presentation used by Brown, and shows point by point how anti-Mormon accusations really are more hysteria than history.
David Ferguson, "Miraculous Events in Early Church History," (Mesa, Arizona: FAIR, July 2005) David Ferguson recounts a number of miracles, fulfilled prophecies, and "marvelous events" in LDS Church history.
Louis Midgley, "Naturalistic Terms: Some Reflections on a Motto and Type of Historical Explanation," (2001 FAIR Conference presentation.) A look at the "New Mormon History" and its naturalistic approach to the origin of the restored Church.
Louis C. Midgley, "Naturalistic Terms: Some Reflections on a Motto and Type of Historical Explanation," (Mesa, Arizona: FAIR, April 2003) Originally presented at the 2001 FAIR Conference, this article by Louis Midgley examines the roots of the "New Mormon History" movement.
Margaret Blair Young, "Black Latter-day Saints: A Faith-FULL History," (Mesa, Arizona: FAIR, 2003 FAIR Conference) In her 2003 FAIR Conference presentation, Margaret Blair Young shares stories of faithful black Latter-day Saints from the early days of the Church.
Now, that LOOKS impressive. One problem is that only one of those links is valid. The one about a Faith-FULL history of Black Latter-Day Saints. It mentions that one of the Saints in Missouri was Black, and that one of the Saints who travelled to Utah was Black. Somehow, it never gets around to mentioning Brigham Young's teachings on Blacks not being able to receive the priesthood or on the Church's following that teaching for years. But the articles a FULL teaching . . . if you're applying the "faith-promoting" history standard.
Another problem is that two of the links are to articles written by Louis C. Midgley, who said in 1981:
"It is depressing to see some historians now struggling to get on the stage to act out the role of the mature, honest historian committed to something called 'objective history,' and, at the same time, the role of faithful Saint.
So FAIRLDS's pages look like they are chock-full of research. And they are. If you count stub links, 404 links, links to faith-promoting history that leaves out Brigham Young's teachings, links to similar articles written by FAIR members that cite stub links and faith-promoting history, and articles that contain a dozen cites in a four-paragraph analysis (with all of those cites being - if you click on them - to the same stub or same short article written by another FAIR member who has relied upon the article that relies upon him).
“I have a hard time with historians... because they idolize the truth. The truth is not uplifting; it destroys. Historians should tell only that part of the truth that is inspiring and uplifting.”
--LDS Apostle Boyd K. Packer, at a talk delivered at Sunstone Symposium, Salt Lake City, August 19, 1994.
"No Latter-day Saint who is true and faithful in all things will ever pursue a course, or espouse a cause, or publish an article or book that weakens or destroys faith.”
--LDS Apostle Bruce R. McConkie, LDS Conference Report, October 1984, p. 104.
“Many things have been intentionally ignored and sometimes concealed or have been taken to have religious meanings or implications which, in my opinion, have no religious connections whatsoever. I believe that the Church has intentionally distorted its own history by dealing fast and loose with historical data and imposing theological and religious interpretations on the data that are entirely unwarranted.”
--Sterling McMurrin, Mormon scholar, “7EP Interview: Sterling M. McMurrin,” by Blake Ostler, Seventh East Press, January 11, 1983, p. 1.
Are you beginning to see why LDS members are blindsided, dumbfounded, and doubtful of objective LDS history? And why there has to be a group of apologists like fairlds.org and Paragon Defender to battle those who dare shine a light on history that is not "faith-promoting"?
“I have a hard time with historians... because they idolize the truth. The truth is not uplifting; it destroys. Historians should tell only that part of the truth that is inspiring and uplifting.”
--LDS Apostle Boyd K. Packer, at a talk delivered at Sunstone Symposium, Salt Lake City, August 19, 1994.
"No Latter-day Saint who is true and faithful in all things will ever pursue a course, or espouse a cause, or publish an article or book that weakens or destroys faith.”
--LDS Apostle Bruce R. McConkie, LDS Conference Report, October 1984, p. 104.
“Many things have been intentionally ignored and sometimes concealed or have been taken to have religious meanings or implications which, in my opinion, have no religious connections whatsoever. I believe that the Church has intentionally distorted its own history by dealing fast and loose with historical data and imposing theological and religious interpretations on the data that are entirely unwarranted.”
--Sterling McMurrin, Mormon scholar, “7EP Interview: Sterling M. McMurrin,” by Blake Ostler, Seventh East Press, January 11, 1983, p. 1.
Are you beginning to see why LDS members are blindsided, dumbfounded, and doubtful of objective LDS history? And why there has to be a group of apologists like fairlds.org and Paragon Defender to battle those who dare shine a light on history that is not "faith-promoting"?
A tip o’the hat to ol’ PD; for bumping one of his links.
What I mean is that ALL of the other links will take you to a "404" page, saying that the article you are looking for isn't found. Which might be excusable if FAIR was linking to thousands of outside journal articles, but these are all links to FAIR presentations and none of the links work.
They look like links to references but they are links to dead air.
Even if they worked, they aren't links to articles by LDS or non-LDS historians. They're links to LDS apologists who've specifically stated that their goal is to defend the church, not to provide objective history.