About Me:
Take a gander at me website, if it so please ye: www.markpeterschmitt.com
Research Resources edit
There is a lot of misinformation out there about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and this page contains resources that I believe will assist the reader in discerning between the objective, accurate historical and honest accounts of Latter-day Saint doctrine, history, and practice; and those that use sensationalism, faulty research and half-truth, to create polemic attacks disguised as objective, factual history.
A simpler rule of thumb could be to just avoid books with the words "Cults", "Menace" or "Maze" (or basically anything written by someone whose purpose is to tear down the Latter-day Saint faith) because of the woefully false witness they bear. They do a very good job of presenting themselves as only interested in the objective historical facts of the matter, but then proceed to only acknowledge "facts", often from questionable sources, that support their preconceived conclusions while completely ignoring a plurality of other genuine pieces of evidence that would call those conclusions into question. I understand that there are differences in theology, practice and culture, between the Latter-day Saints and other Christian denominations, but believe that those differences may be discussed civilly and without dissimulation. Many statements have been made by what are often described as Anti-Mormon ministries that are not true at all, or they are taken out of context to make them sound stranger than they really are, or they simply demonstrate an apalling ignorance of who Mormons really are and what they actually believe and practice in their daily lives.
It is my hope that these resources will be of use to you (Mormon and Non-Mormon alike) in being able to understand the similarities and differences between the Latter-day Saints' religion and other branches of Christianity, and that if you cannot embrace these beliefs, that at least you can appreciate the zeal we have for Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father's plan of salvation for his children.
General information about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints edit
Official Church sites (Doctrine): edit
Official Church sites (History): edit
The Complete Canon of Latter-day Saint Scripture (Online Version) edit
- Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price, all available online in a searchable format.
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers to Common Attacks on the Church: edit
- General Questions and Answers to Common Criticisms of the Church:
- Sites That Address the History and State of Race Relations in the Latter-day Saint Community:
- Debunking the common myth that Mormons harbor racist views
- http://www.blacklds.org
- http://www.ldsgenesisgroup.org
- http://www.jefflindsay.com/LDSFAQ/FQRace.shtml
Theology, Belief, and Practice of Latter-Day Saints edit
Jesus the Christ by James E. Talmage ~ Aside from the scriptures, no other book (in my opinion) lays out more clearly and with greater eloquence what Latter-day Saints believe about Jesus Christ and the Godhead than this book by James E. Talmage (who served as an early apostle of the Church). Readers will learn more accurate information about what we actually teach about Jesus here than in all of the Anti-Mormon publications on the subject put together. This book has a depth to it that will draw you in and demonstrate with scriptural evidence the reasonableness (and Biblically verifiable nature) of the LDS perspective on Christ.
Articles of Faith by James E. Talmage ~ Another one by Talmage that lays out a great overview of the basic tennets of the Latter-day Saint faith with characteristic depth and intelligence.
A Marvelous Work and a Wonder by LeGrand Richards ~ Another well written exploration of the basic beliefs of the Church, originally written by LeGrand Richards (also an Apostle) for missionaries to help them explain their religion to those they were teaching.
Our Search for Happiness by M. Russel Ballard ~ A small tome that does a nice job of giving the reader an overview of core Latter-day Saint beliefs. You could probably read it in an evening and come away with a fairly thorough understanding of the basics of Church doctrine, teachings and theology.
Standing for Something: 10 Neglected Virtues That Will Heal Our Hearts and Homes by Gordon B. Hinckley ~ This is a wonderful little book written by Gordon B. Hinckley, the current Prophet and President of the Church. It was a New York Times Best-Seller and was written for members of the Church as well as non-members. In this book, President Hinckley advocates a return to time honored virtues of: Love, Honesty, Morality, Civility, Learning, Forgiveness, Thrift and Industry, Gratitude, Optimism, and Faith.
Early History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints edit
Here are some resources I would recommend for fair, objective perspectives on Early LDS History:
Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling by Richard Lyman Bushman ~ Bushman is a master historian and this comprehensive history of Joseph Smith from a cultural biography standpoint is a great read. Bushman is honest about his LDS background but also committed to telling the whole truth without sidestepping the more controversial aspects of his subject. He spends a large portion of his time and effort on the doctrinal development of Joseph Smith as he grew from simple farm boy to Prophet and President of a new Church with worldwide ambitions.
Joseph Smith: Martyr, Prophet of God by Francis M. Gibbons ~ Slightly more patriotic to his subject matter in his writing than Bushman, Francis M. Gibbons, still provides some excellent objective glimpses into the life of Joseph Smith. It is well written and I've encountered material here that I haven't encountered elsewhere.
Joseph Smith by Robert V. Remini ~ Remini is not a Mormon and has no motivation to persuade the reader one way or the other concerning the authenticity of Joseph Smith or his work. This does not prevent him however from leading his reader to marvel with him at what Joseph Smith was able to accomplish during his 38 short years of life on the Earth. It is a small tome, but Remini does a nice job of placing Joseph Smith in the context of American history during the Second Great Awakening and beyond.
American Prophet: The Story of Joseph Smith by Heidi S. Swinton ~ This companion book to the PBS series by the same title has some excellent material in it and it provides a very thorough treatment of the life of Joseph Smith, calling out the key elements of his life and teachings. I'd also recommend the PBS special itself, which you can probably get on Amazon or some such site.
The Life and Teachings of Joseph Smith and Joseph Smith: The Prophet by Truman G. Madsen ~ I was introduced to these two works as lectures given by Truman G. Madsen that were recorded and published as a series of audio cassettes. They are also available in book form, but I highly recommend the lectures themselves. Mr. Madsen does an excellent job of painting a more personal picture of the Prophet that serves to round out the more academic approaches given in other sources listed here. These lectures were some of the first I heard about the history of Joseph Smith and they really helped me to feel as though I personally knew Joseph Smith. The character of the man comes to life in these lectures.
The Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith compiled by Joseph F. Smith ~ This is a must have for any student of the life of Joseph Smith. It is a chronological arangement of the Prophet's own writings organized by his nephew Joseph F. Smith who also served as President of the Church. Lots of interesting material in here.
The History of Joseph Smith by His Mother: Lucy Mack Smith by Lucy Mack Smith ~ This is an interesting first hand account of the life of Joseph Smith from one of his closest associates: his own mother. Originally receiving a skeptical response from critics as to it's accuracy and objectivity it has since been vindicated on a number of occasions by further research and contains some rare first hand glimpses into the life of the Prophet.
Brigham Young: American Moses by Leonard J. Arrington ~ Hailed by scholars (LDS and non-LDS alike) as the first truly accurate, comprehensive, and objective history of Brigham Young, this book is a very engaging read. Arrington packs this work full of excellent source material, and though he clearly has a respect for his subject (Arrington is LDS), he does not seek to gloss anything over and maintains a notable objectivity throughout.
History of other Christian Traditions and Early Christianity edit
A History of Christianity by Paul Johnson ~ This book is remarkable in the overview of Christian history from the Apostle Paul to the modern era (1970s at the time) that Paul Johnson provides in a single 500 or so page tome. It is the quintessence of the phrase "tour de force" as far as the history of Christianity is concerned. Johnson has a Catholic background and a great deal of emphasis is given to the history of Roman Catholicism, but he does also cover the rise of Protestantism in a thorough enough fashion to give the reader a fully satisfactory overview of hundreds of years of Christian history. Those interested in the topic of the Great Apostasy will also find a lot of interesting material here. I enjoyed reading this book immensely.
The Great Awakening: Documents on the Revival of religion by Richard L. Bushman~ Okay, I finally started reading this and it's awesome! Lots of neat documents written by the greats of this unique period in American Christian history. Many Christians will find reading these sermons, articles and journal entries by and about the great itinerant preachers of the Great Awakening to be very inspiring and enlightening.
Restoring the Ancient Church by Barry Robert Bickmore ~ This book provides some well documented research that demonstrates doctrines and practices which were lost when ancient Christianity fell into apostasy and then restored in our day by the Prophet Joseph Smith. An online version can be read here: Restoring the Ancient Church