This will be my last post on Mormonism for a while. I honestly never intended for this blog to center around Mormonism, but it’s a hard subject for me to avoid given my background and the concern I have for my friends and family.
The purpose of this post is to ask an honest question. I’m trying to learn all I can about Mormonism. In my statements here and elsewhere I’d like to portray LDS doctrine as accurately as I can without resorting to ad hominem or straw man arguments. To that end, I’m asking the LDS folks who read this blog to please recommend some positive reading material. I’m interested in reading the classics I never read before—preferably books that most Mormons would recognize and trust.
Since so many commenters claim that I don’t understand the Mormon concept of forgiveness, I’m currently reading The Miracle of Forgiveness by Spencer W. Kimball1.
Other books on my list include:
- Mormon Doctrine by Bruce R. McConkie
- Answers to Gospel Questions by Joseph Fielding Smith
- Believing Christ by Stephen E. Robinson
- Following Christ by Stephen E. Robinson
- The Plan of Salvation by Matthew B. Brown
Are there any classics I’m leaving out2? Any on the list above I should avoid? Especially any on the list above you’ve never heard of or know little about?
Thanks are offered in advance for any counsel provided.
- Being such an old book, I was worried that it may have fallen out of popularity, but I was encouraged by the clerk at Seagull Book & Tape. When I brought it to the counter she told me she had just purchased herself a copy and was really enjoying it. [↩]
- In case anyone wants to recommend The Book of Mormon, I should mention that I’ve read a few times already and am currently a fourth of the way through it again. [↩]
Joey,
Might I recommend, if you seriously want to study Mormon doctrine, the following books also:
* Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual (Religion 324 and 325) — One of the best on official Mormon doctrine.
* Gospel Principles — You probably have read this one, but is a basic manual on doctrine.
* Duties and Blessings of the Priesthood A — A must!
* Teachings of the Living Prophets (Religion 333) — Good teaching about supremacy of the living Prophet (not Jesus).
* I obtained several years ago GospeLink 2001. I’m sure they have updated it since, but it contains almost all Mormon literature on it. A great study tool on CD!
* I also recommend History of the Church by Joseph Smith. Some of the sayings by Smith will utterly astound you.
Try to stay with official literature, as the prophets and apostles know more about Mormon doctrine than any other Mormon inidividual (bishops, professors, etc.) so stay with official Church interpretation of Mormon doctrine. I have found through experience as I live among my Mormon friends (great friends!), that they almost inevitably have their own interpretations of Mormon doctrines. I’m not sure why? Of course, the greatest book I recommend spending the most time in, proven by prophecy, history, archeology, and science would be the Bible. Happy reading, Joey!
Terry
Thanks for the suggestions, Terry. A few notes and questions:
I’ve been wanting to buy the complete 7 volume History of the Church by Smith for quite a while now. I’m not sure why I forgot to put it on my list above. It’s close to $50 at Seagull Book & Tape, so I’ll have to save my pennies.
I do have a copy of Gospel Principles, but I honestly can’t say I’ve read it.
How do you obtain the various official church manuals? Do they sell them directly from the distribution center? I had assumed the church would keep tight reigns on that kind of stuff.
If you read many of the books already mentioned, you will be well on your way to learning about Mormonism. Personally, I think the best resources are the scriptures, official Church publications, and words of modern prophets.
Scriptures
You indicated that you are currently reading the Book of Mormon. Of course, the five standard works are the definitive sources of Mormon doctrine. I suggest that all your studies involve at least one of them (preferably the Book of Mormon) and sincere prayer.
Official Church Publications
Additionally, I second Terry’s suggestion that you “stay with official literature,” including actual Church publications. (See D&C 107:21–32 for a description of how “official Church policies and doctrines” come about.)
Words of Modern Prophets
Books written by prophets and apostles are also good. Note that they sometimes contain a disclaimer that they represent the opinions of the author (which are usually pretty good) and not the Church. In every case, remember that men write books (see the last few clauses of the second paragraph of the Book of Mormon title page).
Additionally, to better understand Mormon doctrine, tune into General Conference this weekend. Living prophets and apostles will proclaim doctrine and give us the words of Christ.
Joey said:
If you follow my suggestion to read scriptures, official publications, and the words of prophets, you’ll probably skip the books by Robinson and Brown. You might add a few others to your list, however:
* Any book from the Missionary Reference Library
* Selections from Doctrines of Salvation by Joseph Fielding Smith (I am currently reading this; I love it.)
* Holy Temple by Boyd K. Packer
* Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley
Joey said:
If you can’t get them at the distribution center, try the textbook section in the BYU Bookstore. Online, select a semester, then the Religion Department, then any course and teacher to see the location and price of the book.
Terry said:
Just so the reader understands, the words of a living prophet are “supreme” because they are the words of Jesus today. If Jesus were on earth to guide us, surely his words would supercede any prophet’s (if they ever conflicted). However, while he is not on earth, he guides us through his living prophets and the Holy Ghost. Jesus has said that whether he speaks by his own voice or the voice of his servants, it is the same (see D&C 1:38).
Terry said:
Everyone has his own interpretation of his religious doctrine. As fallible humans, we see the world and our religion from our own reference point and not always exactly as it is. How many different ways do mainstream Christians interpret the bible?
Steve said:
Yeah, I started reading it a while ago and sortof slacked off. I picked it up the other day to get back in the swing of things. I’m in the middle of Mosiah.
Steve said:
I usually work on Saturdays. I hope to catch the Saturday morning session and the Sunday afternoon session. I don’t think I’ll be able to catch the other two. I do have an Ensign subscription, and I intend to read as many of the talks as time permits when I receive my conference issue.
Steve said:
I did actually find most of them at the “distribution center”:http://www.ldscatalog.com.
Thanks for your other suggestions, Steve. I will certainly take them into consideration.
I’m misunderstood when I mentioned LDS prophet with “Jesus” in parenthesis in my last comment. Jesus is the living prophet of the church today (Heb. 1:1-2). He speaks directly to individuals, who make up the body of Christ. That was all I was referring to, but let’s not take this any further, I was just referring to Jesus as the living prophet, no spite intended. I agree with Steve, stay away from Robinson and BYU professors, although sometimes interesting, they can be very opinionated.
Terry
Thank you for clarifying, Terry.
“One of the most fallacious doctrines originated by Satan and propounded by man is that man is saved alone by the grace of God; that belief in Jesus Christ alone is all that is needed for salvation” —Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness, p. 206
A great source I just thought of is the JST of Romans 4:5. This is important because of the link Paul draws between justification in vs. 1-5 and forgiveness in vs. 6-8.
Aaron, while I appreciate all the comments I can get on this rather unknown little blog, I’m not sure what you’re getting at with either of yours above.
First of all, neither of them is on topic. I was specifically asking for positive reading material, as in books. I would prefer these recommendations come from currently practicing Mormons or from folks who’ve done the kind of research I would like to do. You’ve given me two rather pointed statements with absolutely no context, and it’s clear to me from these statements and a few previous ones that you don’t know much about LDS culture and have probably had little contact with the Mormon people.
Have you ever read The Miracle of Forgiveness? Did you get that quote out of an actual copy of the book, or did that come from your favorite anti-Mormon source? How can you be sure the quote is even accurate, let alone what context it was originally written in?
Do you have a copy of the LDS edition of the Holy Bible? Where did you learn about the Joseph Smith translation of Romans 4:5? Have you studied the LDS doctrine of justification in any depth?
To be perfectly honest with you Aaron, your comments above are more likely to alienate (or at least annoy) what few LDS readers I have here, rather than convince them of anything.
On the topic of suggested reading material, allow me to suggest a few books for you:
* Speaking the Truth in Love to Mormons by Mark J. Cares
* I Love Mormons: A New Way To Share Christ With Latter-day Saints by David L. Rowe
Both these books (the second one won’t be available until August) provide powerful insights into Mormon culture and how Christians can appreciate Mormonism’s strengths while not compromising their own position. They will teach you to love and listen to your Mormon neighbors and avoid Bible-bashing.
If you live anywhere near Salt Lake City, I would also highly recommend that you come down for a weekend and enroll in the Bridges program at Salt Lake Theological Seminary. It’s usually offered as a one day seminar (roughly 8am-5pm on a Saturday) four or five times throughout the year. You can find an up-to-date schedule on the website. If you email the seminary I’m sure they can provide information on where the program may be offered closer to your area.
Aaron, I pointed this post out to a Mormon friend to see how he would react to your comments. Turns out he wasn’t alienated or annoyed at all. He assumed you were a Mormon trying to defend Mormonism! You really should be more careful to provide context in the future.
(For those who aren’t aware, Aaron is the proprietor of the Theopedia and also has an evangelical Christian weblog, Grace and peace to you.)
Hey Joey, cut me some slack, I’m your brother!
Afford me some benefit of doubt. I understand your desire not to step on toes, but don’t go so far with that that you suppress passion or proclamation, or start treating your brothers like me with embarrassment.
I’ve been witnessing to and interacting with Mormons for quite some time. The JST revision of Romans 4:5 is widely available (see lds.org, of course). I have affections for both the we’re-friends-relational and us-vs-them-confrontational approaches to evangelism/truth-proclamation. To speak lowly of either would contradict the spirit of a lot of scripture (see especially 1 John; Acts 14, 17; Galatians).
I read a good portion of Kimball’s book when I was flirting with Mormonism, and it was the most discouraging book on grace I’ve ever read. I’m glad kept me alive since then. After bouts of sexual immorality, I was driven to ask myself, “Have I done all that I can do?” No one ever has. Or ever will. And Kimball’s definition of repentance is damning to any honest person. It certainly didn’t provide me with any realistic, certain route to eternal life and comprehensive forgiveness.
Romans 4:5 is what converted me to Christ. It’s the starkest NT passage on justification of the ungodly by faith, and like I said, given vs. 4:6-8, justification ties directly into forgiveness. This is a VERY important core source that speaks to what Mormonism teaches about forgiveness. Go to the most precious verse in the Bible on forgiveness for Romans-7-struggling sinners like us, and see what Smith did to it. In the economy of God’s grace, you can only be a beneficiary if you’re on welfare (“to the one who does not work”). If you insist on working for it, you can’t be justified.
It is oh-so-beautiful and ironic to me that the only sin that can be successfully battled is forgiven sin.
Grace and peace in Christ!
Aaron
Btw, I posted #11 w/o seeing #10
I was just as worried about offending you as I was about your comments offending Mormons, believe me. I even asked my LDS friend if he thought my reply sounded angry or resentful. I apologize if it did. I was not trying to embarrass you.
I do feel very passionate about the “we’re-friends-relational” model (as you called it) for evangelism, mostly because I really am friends with many Mormons.
Without context, I had no idea what you were trying to say. I do appreciate your elaboration. Now I feel like you are dialoguing instead of shooting arrows.
Except that you were still way off topic, Aaron.
Although comments on this site don’t always stay on topic, at least they wander logically. Please, “wander logically” with us.
Yikes! Joey, all that stuff noted above is pretty heavy reading, and frankly a lot of it doesn’t do a very good job explaining LDS doctrine or belief.
For early history, read Robert Remini’s short biography of Joseph Smith. He’s a distinguished and talented non-LDS historian who did as good a job as could be done writing a short and “objective” bio of JS.
Try the new “Mormonism for Dummies.” No joke — it is written for a general audience and it’s up to date. If you just can’t get over the title and light-hearted tone, you can probably find “Mormon America” by Richard Ostling at the local library, which is much better than most of the LDS material I’ve seen noted above because it stresses understanding the modern LDS Church’s beliefs and practices. Ostling is a non-LDS journalist and the book is an easy but very interesting read.
Interesting suggestions, Dave.
Dave said:
I hope my comment won’t seem argumentative. I am just wondering…how is it that Remini and Ostling manage to “explain LDS doctrine” better than the actual sources of LDS doctrine (scriptures, Church publications, modern prophets, and apostles)?
Or, were you referring only to the books mentioned in Joey’s original post when you said “all that stuff noted above…doesn’t do a very good job”?
Dave said:
I’ve heard of Mormonism For Dummies and was planning on picking up a copy. I wasn’t aware it was available, yet. Thanks for letting me know it is.
As for Mormon America, I’ve already read it.
I do appreciate your suggestions.
As a wise man once said: “…Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh.” (Ecclesiastes 12:12)
What does that mean? Are we really told not to study books? Does that verse need a little context?
I think the “wise man” had just said, “be warned, my son, of anything in addition to [the words of the wise].”
And who are “the wise”?
I suggest “the wise” are men who “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” (See Ecclesiastes 12:11-14, or read the entire chapter.)
Thanks for the context, Steve, but I have a sneaking suspicion Terry quoted that verse purely in jest. I’m not sure he meant anything by it other than there are a lot of books listed above and it’s going to wear me out if I really want to study all of them.
But then that’s my impression. I’ll leave it up to him to explain what he really meant.
Ah. If that is the case, I’m sorry for appearing confrontational. I’m honestly trying to be better at giving people the benefit of the doubt.
PS Joey, please give me a call before 12:30 or after 3:30. I can’t reach you…I’ve called five different numbers a couple times each. You can delete this paragraph after reading it.
I have realized from reading this Blog how personal and private my path to salvation is. So many good ideas, theologies, questions, opinions.
With so many books, ideas and opinions one would have to ask themselves eventually who is right?
A testimony comes from a simple question, not a library of books. When God answers the knock, who can deny the answer given or turn away? What book could prove otherwise? Oh, but you need to read this; you should look at that; but if you only knew about this you wouldn’t… Just because someone has the ability to put on paper what is in their head, it doesn’t do much to prove their opinions right or wrong. I think the Apostasy proves that point.
So, Day, you are reading the Book of Mormon again—good for you. What I have read and felt on your site leads me to believe that you read it to find fault and not because you have a testimony. I thought you would have had your fill of that in Kentucky (that was a subtle rip on you and all of the wonderful Mormon bashers in KY, only because I care).
Miracle of Forgiveness is a great book to read if you want to realize how impure and unholy you really are. It is a good wake up call; like a good friend smacking you in the face or throwing you down the stairs. Your friends would do it if they really loved you.
“I asked a Mormon friend…” uhhmm, Day you are Mormon. I have seen you as a Mormon and served with you as a Mormon. You’re crazy! JK, I would still shine your shoes any day. I hope you are still creating music; you have a great talent for that despite what others say (I make myself laugh; come on Day you know you are good).
If you are looking for some good material to read open up your journal entries from your mission. Now that was a time of “young lions roaring”!