Calling Foul on FAIR

[_Kishkumen]

The following letter was posted on Facebook:

Dear "friends, including some who work in the LDS Church Office Building"*:

I'm writing you in regards to a supposed "member" of the church, who professes to be in "good standing". Scott Gordon is the editor of a website that you may be familiar with called FAIR LDS. This site purports to help people "deal with issues related to anti-Mormonism", however I believe that once you review the site you will see that "Brother" Gordon is really trying to "shake the faith of members"* he meets there.

For example, a recent contribution to the site by John Gee states: "It will probably come as a surprise to many that I do not have a testimony of the Book of Abraham.", and "(Some say) Joseph Smith translated the Book of Abraham from the papyri that we have. Almost no one really believes this." It is obvious that FAIR is trying to discredit an important book of scripture and the prophetic work of Joseph Smith.

Or consider this line from the same conference, also posted on the site: "There is a tremendous amount of pain among our women regarding how they can or cannot contribute to the governance of our ecclesiastical organization". How is this possible, given how regularly the prophets and apostles talk about how much women are loved? How they are like delicate flowers to be put on pedestals, and are special helpmeets for worthy priesthood holders? Obviously FAIR is trying to foment discord among women and deny the wonderful joy our fair sisters feel in the sacred Plan of Happiness.

I would suggest that you forward this offensive material to "Brother" Gordon's stake president. It may be necessary to take action against this obvious apostate before he succeeds in destroying any more testimonies.

With deepest love, sincerity, and a great deal of saccharin sentimentality,

XXXXXXXXXX

[_Tchild]

"How they are like delicate flowers to be put on pedestals, and are special helpmeets for worthy priesthood holders?"

What joy and comfort this must provide to LDS women worldwide.

[_sock puppet]

"How they are like delicate flowers to be put on pedestals, and are special helpmeets for worthy priesthood holders?"

What joy and comfort this must provide to LDS women worldwide.

Comedian Steve Martin once said he believed in putting women on a pedestal, so high that he could see up their skirts. It seems JSJr did too.

[_Pahoran]

The following letter was posted on Facebook:

Dear "friends, including some who work in the LDS Church Office Building"*

<Snip insincere tripe.>

I love the discreetly passive "was posted." It almost makes the unwary forget that someone -- with an agenda -- posted it.

Was it you?

Regards,
Pahoran

[_Pahoran]

"How they are like delicate flowers to be put on pedestals, and are special helpmeets for worthy priesthood holders?"

What joy and comfort this must provide to LDS women worldwide.

Since that pile of Dreck was not written by anyone even vaguely resembling a Latter-day Saint, it really shouldn't bother them. It doesn't represent an authentic LDS view.

Regards,
Pahoran

[_Chap]

I love the discreetly passive "was posted." It almost makes the unwary forget that someone -- with an agenda -- posted it.

Was it you?

Regards,
Pahoran

Well, it would take somebody of incredible naïveté to imagine that a clearly satirical parody that concludes

With deepest love, sincerity, and a great deal of saccharin sentimentality,

was not posted by someone who wished to achieve certain effects on his readers by causing them to regard certain LDS less favorably. Similarly no-one could read Pahoran's posts without thinking that he wanted to cause his readers to regard certain critics of his religion less favorably.

If you want to describe the poster of the letter and Pahoran as 'having an agenda' in what they write, go ahead. I can't think what such a description adds to our understanding, except perhaps that people who say "X has an agenda" usually wish to indicate that they find X's views and the intentions behind them objectionable.

[_Pahoran]

Well, it would take somebody of incredible naïveté to imagine that a clearly satirical parody that concludes

With deepest love, sincerity, and a great deal of saccharin sentimentality,

was not posted by someone who wished to achieve certain effects on his readers by causing them to regard certain LDS less favorably.

And yet Tchild seemed to think it represented authentic LDS thought. Incredible naïveté isn't necessarily as rare as you'd like to think.

Regards,
Pahoran

[_Chap]

Well, it would take somebody of incredible naïveté to imagine that a clearly satirical parody that concludes

With deepest love, sincerity, and a great deal of saccharin sentimentality,

was not posted by someone who wished to achieve certain effects on his readers by causing them to regard certain LDS less favorably.

And yet Tchild seemed to think it represented authentic LDS thought. Incredible naïveté isn't necessarily as rare as you'd like to think.

Regards,
Pahoran

TChild posted:

"How they are like delicate flowers to be put on pedestals, and are special helpmeets for worthy priesthood holders?"

What joy and comfort this must provide to LDS women worldwide.

Pahoran seems to find irony difficult to recognize, I conclude.

[_sock puppet]

Chap,

Spotting irony requires one not take words at face value. Pahoran is a Mormon defender. He takes everything at face value.

[_Pahoran]

And yet Tchild seemed to think it represented authentic LDS thought. Incredible naïveté isn't necessarily as rare as you'd like to think.

Regards,
Pahoran

TChild posted:

What joy and comfort this must provide to LDS women worldwide.

Pahoran seems to find irony difficult to recognize, I conclude.

You conclude wrongly; the sarcasm was obvious. He said "joy and comfort" but he meant "annoyance." But in order for it to have any bite, the underlying assumption would have to be that the "delicate flower" description was authentic. Otherwise, how could that possibly be of any concern to "LDS women worldwide?"

Regards,
Pahoran