Subscribe Feed (RSS)Why Mormon Apologetics and How to Broaden the Field
August 13th, 2008 by Richard K Miller | Filed under Apologetics, Events, Ideas, Mormon, Online missionary work.If you're new here, read more about the More Good Foundation. We help members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormon church) share their beliefs on the Internet. Learn more about what Mormons believe or talk with Mormons at LDS.net.
Last week we attended the FAIR Conference. Among my favorite talks were the conference opener by Mike Ash and the conference closer by Dan Peterson.
Mike Ash presented concepts from his new book, Shaken Faith Syndrome. He explained the idea of “inoculation” — introducing members to doctrinal or historical points that might be unsettling if received from unfaithful sources which intend to shock or confuse. For example, we might better inoculate Church members by linking to the relevant FAIR Wiki article on Joseph Smith and polygamy when discussing Joseph Smith or polygamy.
Dan Peterson spoke of softening and broadening the field of apologetics. Apologetics is meant to provide plausibility for faith, not prove anything. We need not debate. If our faith is rational, or based in things we consider plausible, the Spirit can testify of truths. Apologetics can help provide this plausibility, for those who want it, by clearing the thorns so the seeds of faith can grow.
Dan’s vision for broadened apologetics is making the Gospel more “attractive” (or more remarkable) by sharing our experiences, telling our stories, and encouraging others to experiment for themselves. This kind of sharing of beliefs is central to the mission of the More Good Foundation and seems to be what Elder Ballard has asked for.
Earlier this year, Dave Keller suggested that Church members who participate on the Internet should engage in a “vigorous self study program” so they’re prepared to discuss any issue that might arise online. Here I see an interesting convergence: Dan and Dave seem to be implying, respectively, that the apologist and the online member missionary ought to be more like each other.
See also: Dan Peterson on Humble Apologetics at MormonTimes.com.
Richard I think what you have posted here is exactly on the target. The concept of innoculation is going to become crucial as more and more members use the Internet and run into the avalanche of anti-Mormon material, much of it based on part truths, that can side swipe both new and older members.
In many ways the problem we face is NOT the actual doctrines of the Church but the “myths” and “common understandings” of topics that float through the Church. So for example it is still very common for members to think that the events of the Book of Mormon spanned at least most of the North American continent if not South America also but a careful reading of the book itself clearly shows a much more restricted geography. The restricted geography (the favored site is still somewhere in Central America) helps to explain why for example we are not going to find Hebrew DNA in all of the First Nations peoples in Canada and the United States. Simply put, there were simply too few Nephites to leave a lasting trace in a continental population.