FAIR is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of the doctrine, practice, and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Mormonism and prophets/Further Reading
Further reading
FAIR Answers—back to home page
Nature of prophets
Joseph Smith
Prophets don't wrestle
Summary: The History of the Church makes references to Joseph Smith "wrestling." It is claimed that this indicates that Joseph was a violent man. However, these quotes are simply speaking of the recreational sport of wrestling.Prophets don't fight
Summary: It is claimed that references to a struggle involving a "pulling up" motion indicates that Joseph was a violent man. However, this is a description that would, in fact, fit one of Joseph Smith's favorite recreational games: Stick-pulling.Accusations of false prophecies
Summary: Specific accusations of Joseph Smith having uttered "false prophecy" are treated in these subarticles.Latter-day
Latter-day prophets don't prophesy
Summary: Some critics say that Latter-day Saint prophets aren't really "prophets" because they don't prophesy by foretelling unknown events. They commonly issue challenges such as, "If Gordon B. Hinckley is a prophet, tell me one event that he's prophesied." Do LDS prophets "prophesy"?Further reading
FairMormon web site
| Prophecy FairMormon articles on-line |
- John A. Tvedtnes, "The Nature of Prophets and Prophecy." FAIR link
External links
| Prophecy on-line articles |
- "Approaching Mormon Doctrine", news release from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 4 May 2007. off-site
- Alma Allred, "Coin of the Realm: Beware of Specious Specie (Review of: "Scripture," In The Counterfeit Gospel of Mormonism)," FARMS Review of Books 12/1 (2000): 137–174. off-site
- Shirley D. Christensen, "The Clarion Call of Prophets," Ensign (November 2003), 32. off-site
- Jeffrey R. Holland, "Prophets in the Land Again," Ensign (November 2006), 104–107. off-site
- Malin L. Jacobs, "The Alleged Fifty-Six-Year Second-Coming Prophecy of Joseph Smith: An Analysis," (City Unknown: SHIELDS, 13-Jul-97) off-site
- Bruce R. McConkie, "Are the General Authorities Human?", address at the LDS Institute of Religion at the University of Utah, 28 October 1966. PDF link
- Robert L. Millet, "What Is Our Doctrine?" The Religious Educator 4/3 (2003): 15–33. PDF link
- Boyd K. Packer, "On Zion's Hill," Ensign (November 2005), 23. off-site
- Daniel C. Peterson, "Review of Decker's Complete Handbook on Mormonism by Ed Decker," FARMS Review of Books 7/2 (1995): 38–105. off-site
- W. John Walsh, Joseph Fielding McConkie, and Jeff Lindsay, "Are Prophets Infallible?" off-site
Printed material
| Prophecy printed materials |