Founding of FAIR and FARMS

[_Jersey Girl]

Who started these organizations, when and why?

Yup. That's all I want to know.

[_zeezrom]

FAIR: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_for_Apologetic_Information_&_Research

"It was founded in November 1997 by a group of Mormons who wanted to defend their faith."

FARMS: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_for_Ancient_Research_and_Mormon_Studies

"FARMS was organized in 1979 as a private not-for-profit organization... [as] an informal collaboration of academics devoted to Mormon historical scholarship."

[_Jersey Girl]

I want names.

[_zeezrom]

I got you dates. You are quite the task master!

:)

[_Manfred]

I want names.

Both organizations have contact information on their websites. I suggest you start there. Betcha anything they'll answer you if you ask politely.

[_Gadianton]

I want names.

Both organizations have contact information on their websites. I suggest you start there. Betcha anything they'll answer you if you ask politely.

Well, Manfred, this is a good way to get one opinion, but by no means will the receptionists give all the juicy details. There are three main influences that all kind of came together for FARMS. John Welch started it all, and the main purpose was to publish Hugh Nibley stuff. Then there was sort of a drive with the Review to get a balance between TBM and Dialogue perspectives on various books published about Mormonism. This lasted for a single volume. By far the dominate force within FARMS was Lou Midgley and with his pals backing him up, he drew off of the work that Stan Barker had done for Shields and turned FARMS into primarily a polemics shop focused on combating EVs with the gloves off and to a lesser extent critics, and finally Chapel Mormons.