Oxymoron - "a group of Mormon scholars"

You've got that correct. These are nothing but spin doctors who are trying to hide the truth about mormon faith, history and practices. Remember: polygamy is part of the D&C, which has not been rescinded. That's just ONE example. I'll be happy to give more if requested.

Surely you both perceive the lack of credibility found in your mindlessly zealous and uninformed rant of prejudice.

You speak from offense, not knowledge.

Once again, we have posters who rip at another's faith, speak from half truths, and think they know more than the members of the church.

FAIRLDS.ORG wouldn't be necessary if we didn't have so many who love to batter other people and their faith.

try

FAIR would not be necessary if there wasn't so much baloney being spewed and passed off as truth.

The Truth just IS. It does not need to be defended. FAIR is trying to put lipstick on a pig. If the LDS Church had the beauty of Truth, it would not need to be dressed up to cover its ugliness.

Truth is beautiful, not ugly. LDS doctrine and history are ugly. FAIR is engaged in deceptive dressing up to make something ugly appear beautiful.

Boy, you guys really outdid yourselves in the classic well thought out debate of Mormonism. No wonder FAIR continues to run rings around you if this is all you can offer. No open minds in you universes.

"Truth is beatiful, not ugly. LDS doctrine and history are ugly."

According to your logic LDS doctrine and history are not true because they are ugly. My seventh generation grandfather was slaughtered at Hauns Mill for being a Mormon but according to your logic that didn't really happen because that history is ugly. What about the killing of Joseph Smith Jr and his brother, did that not happen either because it too was ugly?

All history, religious or not, is filled with ugliness but that doesn't mean its not TRUE. We cant' rewrite the history books because we think it's too ugly to deal with. I dare you to go up to any African American and tell them that slavery didn't happen because it was ugly or tell the Jews that the holocaust was just a story because that too was ugly. What about the destruction of the WTC on 9/11?

You don't like the Mormon doctorine FINE that's you opinion but don't you dare say that the history of the Church is false just because it is ugly.

I bet there is ugliness in your history as well does that mean that you are not true?

Hey mr mous...just go read the Bible and see what is relevant today and what has changed before bashing Mormon scripture. I guess you believe divorce is only for adulterers and women can't speak in church as well. See the writings of Paul and just cringe at your logic on "rescission". Many many more than you'll ever find in the D&C or BOM. Get over it...it's the fruits that need to be judged and always will be. Show me where the LDS are ruining humanity and then maybe you�ll have an audience.

My heart has heard enough. You bring up so many valid points. I don't understand how you know so much more than so many members of the church. I bet anyone who knows what you know will/has left the church. Thanks for clarifying the facade for me.

Wahrheit,
Your comment "Surely you both perceive the lack of credibility found in your mindlessly zealous and uninformed rant of prejudice. You speak from offense, not knowledge" can also be seen the same way, just from the opposite side. The comment doesn't seek to positively assert FAIR does superior, intelligent work which is viewed as acceptable mainstream scholarship. It only serves as a negative argument -- bring down your enemies by negating them with more ad hominem attacks (FAIR game of course). If they're wrong YOU are by default right, right?

You seem to separate the offense from the knowledge. What do these 2 know that you don't? Why would they feel offended? If you 'knew' someone was deceiving you or your community would you feel offended? If an organization which you belong to, asserts that its history goes 'a-e-i-o-u' and carefully micromanaged your correlated history so that you'd only see vowels, but one day you stumbled upon the rest of the alphabet, How would you feel? Would your feelings affect the existence of the consonants? Would you pretend they didn't exist or apologize around them (suggest that consonants are useless without vowels and your side has the monopoly?)?

ShellBell
"Once again, we have posters who rip at another's faith, speak from half truths, and think they know more than the members of the church.". Wow. Have you read 1 Nephi 14? *LDS is the church of Jesus and everything else is of the Devil*. Do you think that 50k+ Missionaries telling members of other faiths that their religion is false and they must join LDS or go to hell is somehow not bashing their faiths? Okay, these 2 at the top could have put more love in their statements because they come across as attacking both Mormonism as well as Mormons.

"FAIRLDS.ORG wouldn't be necessary if we didn't have so many who love to batter other people and their faith.". On one hand I can accept that LDS needs an orgainization to deal with integrating Mormon studies with the real world, but FAIR's logic is very flawed -- prima facie they begin with the truth claim that real Hebrews-in-america called Nephites& Lamanites writing in 'reformed egyptian' really existed. They then set up any contrived argument to *make* that real (strawmen,ad hoc,strained arguments,etc). FAIR's only purpose though is to placate the true believers. Nobody else buys their arguments.

Mormons are a very unique group of people. To dismiss them entirely because you view the Bible or Christianity different than them is unwise and unchristian.

According to Barna Research Organization: Mormons read the Bible more than almost any other group in the US, and are the most active in their religion. According to another recent book, their teens are the least likely to participate in risky behavior, yet they know the most about their religion of any religious group. They often lead the nation in giving, time or money, to charitable causes. Their health and lifespan lead the nation as well.

I could go on, but my point is this: anytime you simply dismiss a group of people, out of hand, you are practicing bigotry. More importantly, you ignore some of the most fundamental Christian beliefs. Not bearing false witness against your neighbor. Loving your neighbor. The goldern rule, and so on.

FAIR is very nice in their approach. A baptist pastor in my neighborhood went last year. He had a great time. If you want to disagree with Mormons, no problem. But honor and integrity require that you accurately portray them before you do so.