Difference between revisions of "FAIR"

Latest revision as of 11:53, 25 March 2021

FAIR is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of doctrine, belief, and practice aimed at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes erroneously called the Mormon Church.

In March 2021, the organization announced that it would drop "Mormon" from its name and change its URL to reflect that change. The acronym FAIR now means "Faithful Answers, Informed Response."

FAIR President Scott Gordon said the group struggled to determine what to do with its FAIRMormon name after President Russell M. Nelson requested that people stop using the nickname “Mormon” when referring to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“Being faithful members, we wanted to comply, but we struggled to come up with another name that everyone liked,” Gordon wrote in an explanation that included some self-effacing humor. “We really struggled. Remember, we are the same group that came up with the first name that nobody understood.”[1]

The responses will take on a "kinder and gentler" tone because “bickering over some point of doctrine” doesn’t bring people closer to Jesus Christ.[2] “We are fact checkers and clarifiers,” Gordon wrote. “We want to provide fact checking and clear explanations that all parties can trust. We fully understand that not everyone will like our conclusions as we are believing members of the church. However, we want everyone to be able to trust our review of the facts. This means avoiding personal attacks or derogatory language. This does not mean we won’t point out faulty reasoning and misleading claims, or boldly defend our doctrine. Ultimately, we are here to promote the cause of Christ.”[3]

• See "New Name and New Directions"

History

FAIR was the acronym for the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research, and was also known as FAIRMormon since 2013. Apologetics are reasoned arguments that justify a religious doctrine, but the term proved too confusing and FAIR dropped it in 2013, when it adopted the name FAIRMormon. "We thought of ourselves as Mormon, and we want the facts to be covered 'FAIRly.'”[4]

The organization was founded in 1997 by a group of Latter-day Saint defenders of the faith who frequented the America Online Mormonism message boards. In order to reach a wider audience, FAIR was incorporated as a non-profit organization in the state of New York. The fledgling organization put up its first website in March 1998.

FAIR is staffed completely by students of the scriptures, ancient languages, early Christian history, early history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Latter-day Saint doctrine and apologetics. Many of the members are authors of currently available apologetic publications. Members of FAIR are located all over the United States, and in many other countries such as Canada, Finland, Denmark, Austria, Australia, and England.

Some FAIR writers are scholars, while others are simply hobbyists. FAIR has some members who read Greek and Hebrew; others are familiar with early Christian history and early Church history. Still others are just familiar with those antagonistic toward the Church of Jesus Christ in general. As apologists, they defend the restored gospel of Jesus Christ against unfair or uninformed criticism. They respond to questions and issues related to antagonism toward the Church of Jesus Christ that have been brought to their attention. They write articles, review books, and hold a conference once a year; they also print books.

FAIR Links

• FAIR home page
• FAIR facts
• FAIR newsletter
• FAIR blog
• FAIR publications
• FAIR conference