Fair not fair

Fair is a non-profit organization dedicated to provide well-documented answers to criticisms of LDS doctrine, belief and practice.(1) Although their claims seem well balanced and flawless to the untrained reader, Fair has done a fantastic job of dodging the bullet. Philosophical fallacies being made in many of their arguments, but one stood much higher above the rest.

In an article called "Answers to 50 Anti-Mormon Questions" Fair tries to answer this question: "Since the time when Brigham Young taught that both the moon and the sun were inhabited by people, has the Mormon church ever found scientific evidence of that to be true? (Journal of Discourses )1870), 13:271)"

Fair answers: "Brigham and others were most likely repeating what had been told to them by the science of the day." Fair continues: "Lots of Biblical prophets talked about the earth being flat, the sky being a dome, etc. - it is inconsistent for conservative Protestants to complain that a false belief about the physical world shared by others in their culture condemns Brigham and Joseph, but does not condemn Bible prophets."

Has Fair really answered the question or simply thrown mud at those who threaten the validity of their early prophets? The question asks if the church has found any scientific evidence and the answer is virtually invisible. If they were truly prophets of God, wouldn't they be discerning of the truth rather then following common beliefs of the day? As Fair attempts to mirror a fault found in Brigham Young and Joseph Smith with faults they perceive in the Bible, they fail to give any specific Bible verses that talk about the earth being "flat." Through personal research the only verses in the New King James Bible that contain the word "flat" are Leviticus 21:18, Numbers 22:31, Joshua 6:5 and Joshua 6:20 -- none of them refer to the earth. Fair could be referring to the numerous verses that say "four corners of the earth" or "ends of the earth." (2)

With a greater understanding of Hebrew this "problem" may resolve itself. In the phrase "four corners of the earth," the word "corner" is the Hebrew word "kanaph." Kanaph means extremity. " It is translated “borders” in Numbers 15:38. In Ezekiel 7:2 it is translated as “four corners” and again in Isaiah 11:12 as “four corners.” Job 37:3 and 38:13 as “ends."

"The Greek equivalent in Revelation 7:1 is "gonia." The Greek meaning is perhaps more closely related to our modern divisions known as quadrants. Gonia literally means angles, or divisions. It is customary to divide a map into quadrants as shown by the four directions." (3)

So does the Bible actually teach that the earth is flat? A Spherical shaped earth is described in Isaiah 40:22 "the circle of the earth." Not only has Fair blatantly misinformed readers about verses in the bible but has ignored important ones such as Isaiah 40:22.

So is Fair being fair about the information they provide? Have they provided "well-documented answers" as they so boldly claim? Or have they ignored important facts and details while highlighting their own ideas and biases? Have they attempted to bypass the question altogether by shifting the focus to the Bible?

(1) www.Fairlds.org

(2) Isaiah 11:12, Revelation 7:1, Job 38:13, Jeremiah 16:19, Daniel 4:11, Matthew 4:8.

(3) http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-c017.html

Thank you Erin Vidovich for your insight and help.

The Culture Surrounding Joseph Smith

By taking a glance at Joseph Smith Jr.'s genealogical history we can find much religious confusion, showing an aura of faiths, superstitions, and philosophical ideas. Asael Smith, Joseph's Grandfather was a Christian Universalist, with his unorthodox ideas, and relativistic train of thought he passed down a belief void of any spiritual significance. In a letter written to his children he writes, "I would not wish to point any particular form to you; but first I would wish you to search the Scriptures and consult sound reason..." (1)

Solomon Mack, Joseph's maternal grandfather, was converted to Christianity much later in his life. After his conversion Solomon wrote a book called "A Narrative of the Life of Solomon Mack." In this he speaks about his visions and voices he had been hearing, these were the events leading up to his conversion. Smith's Uncle, Jason Mack was a "seer" and started his own religious quasi-communistic society, leading thirty families, directing them economically and spiritually. (2) Along with Joseph's rich folk-religious genealogy we discover both Joseph Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith having several accounts of visions. Some would say that this is the perfect recipe for disaster.

Joseph Smith Jr. was a natural born leader and many recognized he had a very creative imagination from a very early age. As Joseph's family moved from town to town due to their financial instability, the Smith's found themselves in Palmyra, New York, in the heart of the "Burned-Over District" and only miles from the epicenter of the Second Great Awakening. (3) The term "Burned-Over" comes from the idea that this area was so heavily evangelized to that there was no "fuel" left to "burn." Religious revival and debate was thick in the air in Palmyra, where young Joseph would find himself engaged in the hype.

At this same time numerous farmers and townspeople were confused about oddly shaped mounds they had been finding on their farms, fields, and properties. Farmers all over were trying to explain these mounds and their origin. What they didn't know is that these mounds were burial and ceremonial structures formed by early Native Americans. Farmers who were unhappy with their virtually useless rocky land began fantasizing about buried treasure found in these mounds that would compensate them for their losses due to the lack of crops. This trend grew quickly and farmers where buying into this get-rich-quick idea, so much so that they were willing to use supernatural powers to find riches. Both upset with their rocky farm, Joseph Sr. and Joseph Jr. were not an exception to the treasure digging craze. A Palmyra newspaper in 1821 reported that diggers on the Erie Canal had unearthed "several brass plates" along with skeletons and fragments of pottery." (4) This being several years before Joseph's claim of unearthing plates. Some local newspapers were circulating the idea that these were pyramids of the Americas and that those buried in them were Egyptian, or of Jewish decent. This would explain Joseph's interest in "translating" the Book of Abraham, and the Book of Mormon. One record claimed to be written in "Reformed Egyptian" and the other written in Hebrew.

A brew of religious perplexity among ancestry, society and self, Smith sought to answer not only those questions, but also the questions of the mound builders. Smith is known most for influencing the culture around him, but it could be said that the culture really influenced him. "For the book [of Mormon] can best be explained, not by Joseph's ignorance nor by his delusions, but by his responsiveness to the provincial opinions of his time." - Fawn M. Brodie (5)

(1) This letter was dated April 10, 1799 See Topsfield Historical Society Colections, Vol. 8 pp. 92-4.

(2) Lucy Smith: Biography Sketches of Joseph Smith the Prophet and His Progenitors for Many Generations (Livingpool, England, 1853), pp. 21,52.

(3) "The Enduring Vision" 6th Edition Vol. 1 Boyer, Clark, Kett, Salisbury, Sitkoff, Woloch. p. 309

(4) Fawn M. Brodie "No Man Knows My History" the life of Joseph Smith p. 35

(5) Fawn M. Brodie "No Man Knows My History" the life of Joseph Smith p. 69