Aside from this book, what other books would you recommend I read to have a better grasp on the history of Mormonism/The Church? Or just any book about Mormonism (that isn't 'pro-mo' literature)
Jac's an old friend from way back, and I knew he'd left the church (I e-mailed him a few years ago), but I'm glad to see his exit story has helped others...
Three of mine not mentioned so far:
Nightfall at Nauvoo by Samuel W. Taylor
Orrin Porter Rockwell: Man of God, Son of Thunder by Harold Schindler
Some years back DH and I went to hear JAC and Leann speak and sing at an Evangelical Church in Fullerton. They live in La Habra Heights last I heard. Leann was diagnosed with MS and struggling with her health at that time.
They were inspiring........ I had so many fears as I was leaving TSCC that seeing them and hearing them was just what I needed.
I met the author at exmo conference a few years ago and he signed my book. Nice, nice older gentleman. I read the entire book on my cross-country flight back home.
It is very basic, designed to carefully and methodically deconstruct the Book of Mormon and the LDS religion.
I was a convert of 17 years and no other book that I read (and I read most of them during my exit from the church) explained the history and doctrine of Mormonism as well as that book. Very simple and easy to understand.
It takes time to read them all (unless you are a speed reader).
After following your posts and understanding what you are attempting, I would go with the book, "Keystone to Mormonism" by Arza Evans. It is a fast, easy read and it hits the needed points with great documentation. I think you and your missionary would find it very helpful (If he would read it) in getting on the same page about Mormonism.
Thanks everyone. I really appreciate it! If I'm interested in the topic, I can get through books pretty quickly. IF he comes back, I'm going to try and recommend some of these books to him. I don't see why he wouldn't read them, but we'll see...
Misc - books on "the big picture" that are helpful putting Mormonism in perspective. Some Mormons see the connection to their own religion, some do not.
"The Power of Myth" by Joseph Campbell
"Demon Haunted World" by Carl Sagan
"Why People Believe Weird Things" by Michael Shermer
"The Age of Reason" by Thomas Paine
"The True Believer" by Eric Hoffer
Others listed most of the books on my more complete list, most I own.
Camara Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I recently read The God Makers. Good if you're A) > questioning the church and B)see little imps and > boogie men strummin their thummin. > Otherwise, PU.
Sorry, I read this one too and would NOT recommend it. Please don't buy it. The God Makers is a very UNSCHOLARLY written book full of sensationalism, half-truths, and annoying Bible bashing. Mormons apologists LOVE this book because it is so easy to rip apart and they love to hold it up as an example "anti-Mormon" books.
If you're reading "anti-Mormon" I would stick with Jerald & Sandra Tanners' stuff. They are legit and stick to the facts. I recommend their books. I would go with Mormonism-Shadow or Reality. It's got a TON of info. Is well documented. Hits pretty much every critical aspect of Mormonism and presents it in a very straight forward, well documented style. There's not much to argue with it. This is the book that I read on MY MISSION that made me leave my mission a NON-believer.
I recommend plain old (simple, not-in-your-face, sly, rather indirect) libertarian and progressive magazines like The Nation, The Progressive, The Village Voice, and a newspaper like The New York Times.
Yes, the left can be whacked out just like the right. But the church is so right-wing (John Birch Society, Skousen, Glenn Beck, Republican, completely business oriented, traditionalist to a fault) that a little political enlightenment from alternative perspectives can do wonders. Once a person starts discovering that he or she has sympathies to the left on a given issue or two, or finds that certain libertarian arguments ring the right note, the cog-dis that that will bring with it in the LDS church setting should make for interesting insights, problems, discussions, perceptions.
and here's the reason they are my first choice - besides being the one that got me out.
They have microfilmed and reproduced the actual documents (so now puzzling if their representation is out of contest, a distortion, reproduced in its entirety, etc.)
They have credibility that's well earned. Mark Hofmann, a document forger, was making a living selling embarrassing (fake) historical documents to the church (who was buying them to keep people like you and me from seeing them). He trotted out one which has become famous as the "Salamander Letter" which describe's Smith's initial description of a salamandar rather than an angel which lead him to the hidden Book of Mormon."
OK. The church was already manufacturing excuses which were a stretch, like "the word salamandar in the old days also meant "angel".... They assumed the document was valid.
WHEREAS enter our heroes, the Tanners, who are scrupulously honest Christian researchers on Mormonism. They refused to capitalize on this embarrassing find and add it to their growing pile of truly incriminating evidence that the church was false. The Tanners said that sufficient research had not been done and there were concerns about the document's authenticity.
So, it looks like honesty and scruples trumps the special relationship these hoaxsters claim they have with Jesus.
Either that, or Jesus didn't bother to inspire the GA's in the matter, but let them spend members' tithing money on suppressing truth. Just what I gave up my breakfast for on Fast Sunday.
I liked Bill Hickman's Brigham's Destroying Angel. Whether it's true or not is anybody's guess but it's still fascinating. You can read it for free online. It shouldn't be too hard to find.