★★★★★ 5
The Three (3) Pillars of my bedrock testimony have been destroyed
Format: Paperback
Having been born and reared in the Church, it was not merely a "church," but it was "The Only True Church on the Face of the Earth." It was my identity, I served a misson, Branch President, H.P., Stake Mission President, sending my son on his mission next week, so imagine my sense of betrayal, and the helplessness and confusion I felt after reading this book. My three (3) pillars were: (1) a young man may spawn a lie, for personal motivations, but he can still be a Prophet, and nobody would carry a lie so far as to be killed for it; (2) No man could have written the Book of Mormon; and (3) the Temple Ceremony is so sacred and unusual that it could not have been imagined or contrived. Well, this most carefully documented, carefully written, carefully researched book, has all but destroyed my pillars. Fawn Brodie, Niece of the Prophet, David O. McKay, has done meticulous research and I have searched for but never found or read an official LDS Church response or debunking of it; I've searched the BYU F.A.R.M.S. site hoping for an academic, honest review of her evidence and hoping to find that Ms. Brodie's research was flawed or dishonest. But despite my motivations and wide-spread search, I have never read a criticism of her sources, or documented proof that her research is false, or that her conclusions are false, only that she had an agenda and some of her conclusions are specious and not well supported. Well, that is simply disengenuous criticism. To say that Ms. Brodie can only prove "A, B, C, and D," but "jumps" to a conclusion that "E" exists, is simply blind faith ignorance and dishonest academia. This book constitutes the "mysteries," that the Church teaches its members to stay away from. But it is hardly a mystery. This book explains with a clarity and insight never-before heard by an LDS member, how Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon, how he practiced polygamy before receiving the alleged revelation; why he was tarred and feathered; exactly where the Temple signs and symbols came from; the extent Joseph would go to protect his power and authority, and many more "mysteries." No active member of the Church should read this book lest their eyes be opened. It hurts! Truth is not pleasant sometimes, why should it be. I just wanted it "straight," I didn't want to be lied to any longer. If the Church simply said, "we're a good church, doing good deeds, helping the poor, please give your tithes to help us, I would most certainly go. But the Church says, "we are the only true and living church on the face of the earth." To me, that's a challenge to find out for myself, which I did. Now, I am a "mormon in recovery." My entire belief system, every single word I've ever been taught, is a lie. I am undone. Now I must look to God, for answers that I thought only the LDS Church had.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2006
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