It is with profound sorrow that we share the passing of Sarah Allen, a beloved contributor to FAIR and a devoted defender of faith in Jesus Christ and His restored gospel. Sarah passed away suddenly this weekend, and those of us who knew her are devastated by her loss.
After earlier professional work, Sarah devoted her full energies to helping others navigate difficult questions about Church history, doctrine, and belief. She served with Scripture Central, with FAIR, and in many informal but meaningful spaces where faithful answers were urgently needed. She gave a significant amount of her personal time supporting missionaries and helping them answer questions and defend the faith.
Sarah had a rare gift. She could take complex, emotionally charged claims against the Church and walk others through them step by step until truth became visible again. She demonstrated no fear in using her voice to answer questions and defend truth. Through her kindness, humor and knowledge, she truly blessed all our lives.
We mourn Sarah for what she did, but still more for who she was: a loving and faithful friend who was there for anyone who needed her, at literally any time of the day or night. She had a gift to meet people where they were and give love and support no matter what. Her friendship and testimony of Christ and His gospel have strengthened us all in countless ways.
Our prayers are with her family, her friends, and all who loved her. We are grateful for her life, her witness, and her enduring contribution to the work of faith.
If you would like to donate to help her family with expenses, a fundraiser has been set up here.
Her CES Letter response series, which is what got her involved with FAIR, is available here.
About the Author
Sarah, you were a good one. We argued a lot over the years but the community has truly lost a treasure. I will truly miss you.
Sarah helped me through a “shelf” item. I really appreciate her words and her work.
Rest in Peace Sarah. She did amazing working in the LDS community on reddit, she will be missed.
I’m grateful for Sarah’s friendship, kindness, and stalwart defense of Truth.
God Be With You Till We Meet Again
Sarah is the reason I found the gospel and an amazing friend. I will miss her.
Any updates on cause of death?
I’m so sad to hear of the passing of Sarah Allen. I worked with her helping to grow the Church online. She was always a voice of kindness and reason. Her expertise and ability to communicate blessed many.
This is terrible News
Sarah was so faithful and good at bringing clarity and understanding of the Anti Mormon claims in CES Letter and Letter For My Wife.
I relied heavily on her work to understand when my wife lost her Testimony.
Condolences to her family. Her work saved many souls.
Such an incredible person. I’m heartbroken for her loss. God bless and keep you Sarah. You were a force for good.
Sarah was a true disciple of Jesus Christ, an incredible advocate of the restored gospel. I cherish the many conversations I had with her; she was just as kind as she was brilliant. As many have noted, she could take the most abstruse idea and express it in plain English in a way anyone could easily understand. She feared nothing and no one. In fact, I had the impression that the very powers of hell shook when she began to write, or took the mic. The world and the Church have lost a truly great soul. Our hearts go out to her family and all who know her.
Thank you, Sarah, for your contribution to our faith. We love you and send our love to your family.
So saddened by Sarah’s passing. Her contributions to building and defending the kingdom will be felt for generations. She was a true warrior for the Lord. May the angels of God be greeting her with great trumpets of victory and joy!
This is Sarah’s dad. Her mom and I would like to express our appreciation to all those who have left messages here and in other forums. We have been amazed at the number of people who have reached out to us since her death.
In response to a question above; no we do not have any updates on the cause of her death. It may be several weeks before we get a report from the medical examiner’s office.
I’m just shocked and grieved. It seems like this life is so fragile and can take such different and unexpected turns. I felt like I was having an out of body experience when my husband told me the news. There have been such beautiful tributes to her, by all kinds of researchers and missionaries and friends and those who have been blessed by her input and contributions. I just just wish she could hear these things. I wish I would’ve told her sooner.
She is an intelligent, articulate, and stalwart defender of Jesus Christ and His Gospel and Church. She had to go through all that crap, for lack of a better word, with Scripture Central and their Ex-President. I’m sorry she had to go through that but so glad that FAIR scooped her up when they did.
FAIR conferences will never be the same without her there. I will miss her podcasts, at lunch, etc. The last podcast she did, she had a T-shirt with the hypocephalus and I have one too. I will always think of her when I wear it. I sincerely hope that Terry and Paula Allen can know how much we love her and support them during this trying time. Just think, she probably gets to meet Joseph Smith way before I get to. That’s not fair lol. Actually it is fair. She deserves it.
There was a time in my life when I felt Sarah was my only friend. She and the ladasa community put up with a lot from me, but I always felt like she saw something good in me and wanted to help me. This is really heartbreaking. The online mormon community has lost a pillar in Sarah. I hope she knew how great her influence truly was.
Sarah’s passing was a shock, and it represents a devastating loss — not only to her family and her friends, but to the cause of defending the Restoration.