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2002 FAIR Conference Proceedings (10 WMV Presentations on 5 Discs)

10 Windows Media Video Presentations on 5 discs at a group discount:

1) Royal Skousen, "The Critical Text Project and Changes in the Book of Mormon," Mesa, Arizona: The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research (FAIR), 2002, Windows Media Video (WMV), 57 minutes.

No one knows more about the Book of Mormon manuscripts than Dr. Royal Skousen. He has carefully studied the original and printers manuscripts as well as a number of printed editions of the Book of Mormon and has found some surprising things. His presentation will discuss the various changes in the book of Mormon, what they really are, and what they really mean. Are there really 4,000 changes in the Book of Mormon? Is that an issue we need to be concerned about? Dr. Skousen can take you to a whole new level of understanding of the Book of Mormon and its manuscripts.

"One of the true highlights of the conference was the presentation of Dr. Royal Skousen. Dr. Skousen has been the editor of the Book of Mormon Critical Text for the last 13 years. He knows more about the manuscripts and linguistics in the Book of Mormon than probably anyone in the world.

Dr. Skousen presented some of his findings (as many as could be presented in an hour) and commented that the most significant were his discoveries that the process of translation was so systematic and consistent. He has concluded that everything he has learned only adds to the fact that the Book of Mormon was the result of a divine translation process." --Cooper Johnson, excerpt from Meridian Magazine

2) Tim Heaton, "LDS Family Statistics" (Dealing with Demographics,) Mesa, Arizona: The Foundation for Apologetic Information & Research (FAIR), 2002 FAIR Conference, Windows Media Video (WMV), 45 minutes.

Many times anti-Mormons or even local newspapers print some new and surprising things about the LDS Church members that cast us in a negative light. Dr. Heaton, a sociologist and demographer, will be discussing what the facts really are. What demographic data should we pay attention to and what should we ignore? What are the current demographic facts about the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? This talk will help you judge the fruits of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the misrepresentations of those who oppose it.

3) Renee Olson, "Dispelling the Black Myth" (Blacks and the Priesthood), Mesa, Arizona: The Foundation for Apologetic Information & Research (FAIR), 2002 FAIR Conference, Windows Media Video (WMV), 50 minutes.

Renee Olson used to be a practicing anti-Mormon who focused her attacks towards the relationship of blacks to the LDS Church. She now brings a unique perspective to this issue. She discusses anti-Mormon arguments and many of the myths that members of the Church currently hold on to. You will learn many of the myths and truths surrounding this important issue.

"The biggest splash made at the conference was the presentation by Renee Olson. Renee ... was certified by the Southern Baptist Convention in "Mormonism," at one time. She is now a faithful member of the Church and spoke on the issue of blacks and the priesthood, in addition to racism in the church, in general." --Cooper Johnson, excerpt from Meridian Magazine

"It was, by far, the best thing on the race issue IÆve ever experienced." --Kevin L. Barney

4) John Tvedtnes, "Mistakes of Men: Can the Scriptures be Error Free?" Mesa, Arizona: The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research (FAIR), 2002 FAIR Conference, Windows Media Video (WMV), 46 minutes.

John Tvedtnes kicked off the conference on the topic of biblical inerrancy and the changing position of Evangelical scholars, in addition to other very recent movements and findings at the scholarly level on this subject.

John Tvedtnes is associate director of research at the BYU Institute for the Study and Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts. He earned a BA in anthropology, a graduate certificate in Middle East area studies, an MA in linguistics, and an MA in Hebrew at the University of Utah and did postgraduate work at the University of California (Berkeley) and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He taught for seventeen years at the University of Utah and the Salt Lake and Jerusalem centers of Brigham Young University. He has published eight books and more than 200 articles and is associate editor of the ISPART/FARMS Ancient Texts and Mormon Studies series. While many of his writings have appeared in books, magazines, and journals for a Latter-day Saint audience, some of his works have been published by the University of Utah, the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, the Pontifical Biblical Institute, and the Journal of Near Eastern Studies. He is a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and has served in numerous positions, including a full-time mission in France and Switzerland and stake and district missions in Utah and Israel.

5) Brant Gardner, "Gadianton Robbers in Mormon's Theological History: Their Structural Role and Plausible Identification, The" Mesa, Arizona: The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research (FAIR), 2002 FAIR Conference, Windows Media Video (WMV), 49 minutes.

Brant Gardner is always a conference favorite, exploring the various internal evidences of the Book of Mormon dealing with Mesoamerica. Brant has a way of relating the book of Mormon to what scholars know about Mesoamerica and making the book come alive for us. Brant is familiar with the various anti-Mormon arguments about the book of Mormon and is very effective in dealing with those issues. This year he will be discussing the issues related to the Gadianton Band in the Book of Mormon.

6) Roger Cook, "Early Christian Theosis," Mesa, Arizona: The Foundation for Apologetic Information & Research (FAIR), 2002 FAIR Conference, Windows Media Video (WMV), 50 minutes.

For years the Church has been criticized for not conforming to mainstream Christian views. We are told we are not Christian as we do not hold the Classical doctrines of the Trinity, the ontological otherness of God, and a philosophic monotheism which makes God the necessary and only possible ground of existence. Perhaps the most vocal criticism has been aimed at the belief that the faithful are to be exalted and become as God as part of the process of salvation. Indeed, a belief that one can become like God denies each of these mainstream Christian beliefs as the ontological differences between God and man essentially disappear. This presentation will stress the theosis found in Early Judeao/Christian thought, with New Testament Christianity believing that Christ was the firstfruits of theosis just as he was the firstfruits of the resurrection.

7) Michael R. Ash, "The Impact of Mormon Critics on LDS Scholarship," Mesa, Arizona: The Foundation for Apologetic Information & Research (FAIR), 2002 FAIR Conference, Windows Media Video (WMV), 53 minutes.

Brother Ash believes we should be thankful for anti-Mormons. In his presentation he explores the many things that LDS scholars have researched and learned from studying the issues raised by LDS critics. Instead of fighting against the critics, maybe we should be thanking them.

8) Daniel C. Peterson, "The Protean Joseph Smith," Mesa, Arizona: The Foundation for Apologetic Information & Research (FAIR), 2002 FAIR Conference, Windows Media Video (WMV), 40 minutes.

"Dr. Daniel Peterson took his familiar position as keynote speaker to end the conference and presented an absolute delightful view of the failure of the critics to find a sound, naturalistic explanation for the origins of the Book of Mormon. From the days of the early church, 170 years ago, to today, Dr. Peterson demonstrated the absolute failure, time and time again, of anyone to present an alternative explanation to the divine origins of the Book of Mormon and the prophetic call of Joseph Smith. There is nothing left, but the divine, to explain it." --Cooper Johnson, excerpt from Meridian Magazine

9) Russell Y. Anderson, "The 1826 Trial of Joseph Smith," Mesa, Arizona: The Foundation for Apologetic Information & Research (FAIR), 2002 FAIR Conference, Windows Media Video (WMV), 42 minutes.

Anti-Mormons often portray Joseph Smith in the most damaging way possible. Every effort is used to try to impugn his character, damage his reputation and show him to be a fraud and a charlatan. But in 1826 a warrant really was issued for the arrest and trial of Joseph Smith for being a disorderly person and an imposter. The anti-Mormons have pounced on this as evidence of his chicanery. What are the facts surrounding this examination? Was he guilty of being a fraud? Have the critics really found the issue that proves Joseph Smith was a false prophet?

Brother Anderson explores these issues and gives the background of Joseph's early 19th Century environment where dowsing, the ability to use seer stones and treasure or money-digging were often considered spiritual gifts. He reviews common thinking in Joseph's day in conjunction with magical thinking in the Bible. He also explores the sort of newspaper articles written in Palmyra during Joseph's era about such activities and what sort of people engaged in them.

Various documents, accounts, witnesses and testimony from Joseph's 1828 examination are discussed.

10) Kathryn M. Daynes, "Polygamy," Mesa, Arizona: The Foundation for Apologetic Information & Research (FAIR), 2002 FAIR Conference, Windows Media Video (WMV), 54 minutes.

Kathryn Daynes, author of More Wives than One, is an accredited genealogist who tackles the taboo subject of plural marriage. What was it all about? Who practiced it and who didnÆt? What were the social elements shaping these marriages? Were there difference between early and later Utah plural marriage?

Because Dr. DaynesÆ Ph.D. studies have focused specifically on the practice of plural marriage, she is uniquely qualified to give a whole new insight into this little-discussed segment of Mormon history. She gives a clear view of the factors shaping the practice and gives new perspectives to a very old and controversial topic.

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Note: An AutoStart Windows Media Video (WMV) is a CD disk that you simply insert into a computer with a CD drive and Windows Media Player to watch video presentations. Free versions of the necessary software can be downloaded from this site: Windows Media Download Center

Title: 2002 FAIR Conference Proceedings (10 WMV Presentations on 5 Discs)

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