FAIR Partners with the Valiant Conference: Has a New Mopologetic Organization Emerged?

[Gadianton]

...I just don't feel obliged to like him or revere him beyond his role in settling the Latter-day Saints in the West

Hence his need to respond.

[Kishkumen]

Hence his need to respond.

LOL! I suppose my views represent something of the range of BY criticism. Any criticism that does not include great reverence for BY’s role as a prophet is bound to provoke an apologetic response of some kind.

[Philo Sofee]

Hence his need to respond.

LOL! I suppose my views represent something of the range of BY criticism. Any criticism that does not include great reverence for BY’s role as a prophet is bound to provoke an apologetic response of some kind.

I see him now as more of a pioneer organizer, not a prophet. What did he prophesy? He held and taught false doctrines and incorporated them directly into the endowment for crying out loud. Prophet? No. A guy who kept a large group of people alive in the desert? Yes. But that doesn't make one a prophet.

[High Spy]

Congrats, Reverend. A direct response to you personally.

I doubt it is a response to me personally. After all, I believe in giving Brother Brigham his due. I just don't feel obliged to like him or revere him beyond his role in settling the Latter-day Saints in the West. I can recognize a person's good points without feeling obliged to avoid acknowledging their faults. I remain very grateful not to have lived in Brigham's Deseret.

Without Brigham we wouldn’t be where we are now. The USPTO records Brigham Apartment number thirteen as my residence at the time I received my Patriarchal Blessing on the then sitting prophet’s birthday, shortly after sharing sacrament with him. The captured image serves as a second witness, incorporating 38 in unimaginable ways. 38 represents Christ and phonetic equivalents thereof, which assures us that it is not of evil origin.

More here.

Said record here.

[Moksha]

But that doesn't make one a prophet.

Oh yeah? He was able to keep all the Saint's money in his own pocketbook. Who other than a prophet can do that?
The Deseret Nazis regard all his racial teachings as sacred and even carry their own Brigham Young Bowie knife.

Kerry, have you ever considered for old time's sake showing up and doing video interviews at the FAIR Conference? I would be keenly interested if this new Valiant contingent has brought any scrumptious peach cobbler recipes to the table.

[Tom]

I am pleased to announce that at least a portion of the schedule and speaker list for the 2024 FAIR Conference has been released.

FAIR acolytes will notice that this year's conference will be held over two days rather than three, and some presentations will be held simultaneously, requiring attendees to decide whether to attend an Insight Forum (IF) or follow the Covenant Inspire Path (IP). FAIR acolytes will also notice that several of the conference speakers have been given a decidedly brief amount of time to apologize. For example, the Proprietor will be forced to limit his soft-pedaling of Brigham Young to a mere 25 minutes. Finally, streaming is not free this year.

August 8

Session 1: Emily Snyder, "Your Unique Influence: Women's Leadership" (9:00 - 9:45 AM)

Session 3: Daniel Peterson, "Appreciating Brother Brigham" (10:29 - 10:54 AM)

Session 4B (IP): Empowering Voices: Digital Advocacy & Sacred Family Bonds (11:05 AM -12:05 PM)
Becky Squires: "Using Your Voice to #ShareGoodnessOnline"
Emma Ellis: "Kids, Covenants, and the Temple"

Session 5A (IF): LaJean Carruth, "Brigham Young on Brigham Young: His Life, Conversion, and Faith, in his Own Words" (1:30 – 2:30 PM)

Session 5B (IP): Panel Discussion: Fortifying Faith in Teens and Young Adults: Seminary and Institute Instructor Panel Discussion (1:30 - 2:30 PM)
Sean Dixon
Rob Dixon
Michael Preece
Chelsea Chipman

Session 6A (IF): Sarah Allen, "Spiritual Vaccination: Inoculating Yourself Against a Faith Crisis" (2:30 – 3:30 PM)

Session 6B (IP): Skyler Sorensen, "Removing Barriers to LGBTQ Belonging" (2:30 – 3:30 PM)

Session 8: Brent Andrewsen, Topic not announced (4:29-4:49 PM)

August 9

Session 9: Parker Wallbeck, "Navigating Media Sensationalism: Our Critical Thinking Crisis" (9:20 – 9:45 AM)

Session 11: Hayley Clark, "Why the Garment?" (10:29 – 10:49 AM)

Session 12: Josh Coates, "Moral Foundations of Current and Former Latter-day Saints" (11:07 – 11:37 AM) (see a related Deserted News piece here)

Session 13: Steven Harper, "CES Letters" (11:39 AM – 12:09 PM) (see here for the apparent source of the topic)

Session 14A (IF): Matt McBride, "Lessons Learned from the Joseph Smith Papers" (1:30 – 2:30 PM)

Session 14B (IP): Sacred Perspectives: Navigating Culture & Christ-Centered Confidence (1:30 – 2:30 PM)
Mandy Davis, "Viewing Today’s Culture Through the Lens of the Gospel"
Sonrisa Hasselbach, "Finding your confidence in today's world: A Christ centered perspective that can change everything"

Session 15A (IF): Aaron Miller: "Church Finances in Context: An Overview of History, Law, and Recent Controversies" (2:30 - 3:30 PM)

Session 15B (IP): Lynnette Sheppard, "We Do Not Doubt Our Mothers Knew It" (2:30 – 3:30 PM)

Session 16: Priscilla Davis, "Becoming Spiritually and Emotionally Resilient in Christ" (4:02 – 4:22 PM)

Session 17: Carol Rice, Topic not announced (4:24 – 4:44 PM)

I hope that Brother Miller will address the recent report on the Widow's Mite Report website regarding Ensign Peak's 13G reporting.

A few more speakers have been announced for the conference. (I'm not sure why FAIR hasn't posted a schedule on one page; I created the schedule above.)

August 8

Jennifer Roach Lees, Topic not announced (11:30 AM - 12:00 PM)

Matthew Christiansen, Topic not announced (12:00 - 12:30 PM)

August 9

Jeffrey Thayne, "The Gospel Lens: Making Christ the Center of Our Worldview" (9:50 - 10:15 AM). Description: "What we treasure most determines what we see. As we explore four distinct worldviews—the expressive, prosperity, therapeutic, and redemptive gospels—we will discover the subtle ways in which our core values shape our perceptions of God's love and other core Gospel principles. When worldly values such as self-expression, material comfort, professional success, or personal fulfillment are treated as the reason for living the Gospel of Jesus Christ, they can become gospel counterfeits that can subtly distort our understanding of faith, discipleship, and the purpose of life. This presentation emphasizes the importance of reclaiming the transformative power of the redemptive Gospel, which promises reconciliation with God and personal transformation through Christ's grace, even amidst life's disappointments and challenges."

[Kishkumen]

I see him now as more of a pioneer organizer, not a prophet. What did he prophesy? He held and taught false doctrines and incorporated them directly into the endowment for crying out loud. Prophet? No. A guy who kept a large group of people alive in the desert? Yes. But that doesn't make one a prophet.

It was some time after Smith's assassination that Young shifted from presenting himself as the leader of the caretakers of the Church to its prophet. That tells me all I need to know. He became prophet not because Smith designated Young his successor but because later it was decided that such a shift was necessary. Young succeeded Smith as president of an offshoot of what was the Church Smith organized. He was certainly a successor in the sense of one who presided and held the right keys, having gone through the requisite ordinances, including the second anointing.

None of that makes him Joseph Smith's successor in being THE prophet, however.

[Tom]

More than a month has passed since the 2024 FAIR-Valiant Conference was held. For some reason, though, I haven’t seen any recaps or videos of presentations. Was the joint conference a success? Were any speakers heckled? Who won the John Taylor Defender of the Faith award? Did Scott Gordon receive a lifetime achievement award? Was anyone honored with a festschrift? Will there be a joint conference next year?

I should note that Elder Ahmad Corbitt of the Seventy spoke at the conference. According to the FAIR website, his keynote address, titled “Prophets of the Past, Faithfulness in the Present,” “explore[d] whether we are justified in accusing our brethren of the past of racism, even if the accusations are true.” I am not making this up.

[Doctor Scratch]

More than a month has passed since the 2024 FAIR-Valiant Conference was held. For some reason, though, I haven’t seen any recaps or videos of presentations. Was the joint conference a success? Were any speakers heckled? Who won the John Taylor Defender of the Faith award? Did Scott Gordon receive a lifetime achievement award? Was anyone honored with a festschrift? Will there be a joint conference next year?

I should note that Elder Ahmad Corbitt of the Seventy spoke at the conference. According to the FAIR website, his keynote address, titled “Prophets of the Past, Faithfulness in the Present,” “explore[d] whether we are justified in accusing our brethren of the past of racism, even if the accusations are true.” I am not making this up.

All excellent questions, Tom. I have noted elsewhere that there seems to be something of an internecine "power struggle" going on between the major Mopologetic outlets. Could it be, for example, that FAIR is forbidden from posting any of the Interpreter-related material due to copyright reasons?