Excerpts of FAIR changes Mormon defenders website name by Joseph Walker, Deseret News
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"The Mormon Defense League" is out. "MormonVoices" is in.
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"The Mormon Defense League" is out. "MormonVoices" is in.
That change became official ..., when the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research announced a name change for its website aimed at defending the teachings and practices of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
FAIR is a non-profit organization that, according to a press release, is operated by "self-motivated Mormons who seek to improve the public understanding about the church" through conferences, workshops and scholarly articles posted on the organization's websites. While it is dedicated to "providing well-documented answers to criticisms of the doctrine, beliefs and practices" of the LDS Church, it is not owned, controlled by or affiliated with the church.
The name change for the "Defense" website "better reflects our desire to help Mormons become involved in online discussions where positive representation of the church is needed to offset offensive stereotypes and misinformation," said FAIR president Scott Gordon.
The Mormon Defense League was a new FAIR project announced during FAIR's annual conference last August. At the time Gordon indicated the effort was intended to be "a resource for journalists" who find themselves writing about Mormonism in political, sports or other news contexts.
The new website was launched as part of an effort to monitor news reports in search of errors and misrepresentation. "If somebody writes something — whether a journalist or even a politician — that is egregiously bad, we will correct them," Gordon said in August.
According to Gordon, anyone can go to the new website to get "accurate information about issues regarding The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." The site will feature "corrections regarding common misconceptions are provided, along with a 'FactCheck' service for writers and others who want to verify the accuracy of information regarding the Church, its doctrines, teachings or history."
