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Mormons Believe ... What?! Fact and Fiction about a Rising Religion
A lively analysis of the facts and fictions surrounding Mormonism – a religion mysterious to some, misunderstood by many, and maligned by more than a few. Sprinkling each chapter with results from his national polls, Lawrence produces the go-to guidebook for the person who wants to understand “just enough” about this increasingly visible religion.
- GenresLds
225 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 28, 2011
My father in law had a signed copy of this book and I became intrigued and stole it for a few days during our Christmas visit.
The author runs a firm that performs polling for various organizations. He has performed various polls about the views that Americans have concerning members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
This book is a very fascinating answer to some of those polls. The primary audience would be people in the United States who are members of other faiths. The book is a series of answers to questions and criticisms that have been leveled against the church. Though, as a member of the church, I was not the primary audience, it was still very interesting to me for two reasons.
The first reason is that I really enjoyed reading the results of his various polls. The information ranged from questions about whether people think we practice polygamy to questions about whether people could vote for a Mormon president.
The second reason I found this book interesting was that I enjoyed reading how he answers the various criticisms. He does a good job of breaking the issues down to the basics and answering them in easy to understand ways. The information was not new to me but a few of the perspectives he presented were. That was something I really enjoyed.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning what Mormons really believe. The information presented here is precise and accurate.
I'll conclude by sharing a quote from the book. He was talking about a poll he took where he asked what people would do if Christ himself came down and said that the LDS Church was the only true church. Only 30% said they would join. He then turned the question on himself, and asked himself what he would do if Christ said that the LDS church was incorrect. This was his answer, that I absolutely agreed with:
"I am a follower of Jesus Christ. If He asked me to sit under a Bodhisattva tree and become a Buddhist, I would do it. Or join the Presbyterians. Or the Baptists. Or hand out Hare Krishna flyers at Los Angeles airport. I would follow his directions.
We are seeking to visit with those 30% who share this same mindset."
The author runs a firm that performs polling for various organizations. He has performed various polls about the views that Americans have concerning members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
This book is a very fascinating answer to some of those polls. The primary audience would be people in the United States who are members of other faiths. The book is a series of answers to questions and criticisms that have been leveled against the church. Though, as a member of the church, I was not the primary audience, it was still very interesting to me for two reasons.
The first reason is that I really enjoyed reading the results of his various polls. The information ranged from questions about whether people think we practice polygamy to questions about whether people could vote for a Mormon president.
The second reason I found this book interesting was that I enjoyed reading how he answers the various criticisms. He does a good job of breaking the issues down to the basics and answering them in easy to understand ways. The information was not new to me but a few of the perspectives he presented were. That was something I really enjoyed.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning what Mormons really believe. The information presented here is precise and accurate.
I'll conclude by sharing a quote from the book. He was talking about a poll he took where he asked what people would do if Christ himself came down and said that the LDS Church was the only true church. Only 30% said they would join. He then turned the question on himself, and asked himself what he would do if Christ said that the LDS church was incorrect. This was his answer, that I absolutely agreed with:
"I am a follower of Jesus Christ. If He asked me to sit under a Bodhisattva tree and become a Buddhist, I would do it. Or join the Presbyterians. Or the Baptists. Or hand out Hare Krishna flyers at Los Angeles airport. I would follow his directions.
We are seeking to visit with those 30% who share this same mindset."
February 5, 2012
The author addresses beliefs that non-Mormons have about Mormons - beliefs such as Mormons Aren't Christians, Mormons Don't Believe the Bible, Mormons Believe They are the Only True Church, Mormons Believe they Can have their own Planet. I found the book and the authors comments very interesting and thought-provoking. The author also included poll results as he is a pollster.
I like his axiom: "People have a right to their own opinions about Mormonism, but they do not have a right to their own facts."
I like his axiom: "People have a right to their own opinions about Mormonism, but they do not have a right to their own facts."
January 19, 2012
Fun book and was a nice easy read. Gary Lawrence is very open on some of the major beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He even put in some humor that was nice to lighten up some of the heavier topics. I would recommend this book to anyone that is friends with non-members. It is always nice to bear testimony and this book has given me a couple more tactics to share my beliefs.
November 10, 2013
The author compares learning about someone else's religion to attending someone else's family reunion--a bit awkward, but interesting and revealing.
Easy to read, fact-based view into the ins and outs of the LDS tradition. For those who want straight forward answers to basic doctrinal or cultural questions--this is a great read.
Easy to read, fact-based view into the ins and outs of the LDS tradition. For those who want straight forward answers to basic doctrinal or cultural questions--this is a great read.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews