Customer Reviews

The Facts on the Mormon Church (Anker Series)

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This book is titled "The Facts About Mormons" but all the facts don't seem to be a high priority for this author. This book is full of half truths and spin. If all you want is fodder to attack someones religious beliefs then this is the book for you. It won't challange you or cause you to think, but then open mindedness is probably not an important trait of yours.

If, however, you are truly trying to understand Mormonism and all that it entails, their are a number of books that are far superior to this one. I would recomend "No Man Knows My History" by Fawn Brodie or any book by D. Michale Quinn. Both authors are ex-Mormons but at least they try to take a more honost aproach to the subject.

Mormonism is no doubt one of the most successful religions on earth. As Joesph Smith boasted that he led the early mormons even better than Paul, Moses and Jesus (HC 6:408-412). I believe this to be quite true. Yet, even if you ask the mormon missionaries, members or bishops they don't know about the Adam-God theory, Different accounts of the First Vision, Endowment similarities with the Free Masonary or the completely pagan Book of Abraham, etc. These things you will not learn at BYU, missionary sessions, Sunday school, or seminary. Most LDS don't even know about these stuff. The best way to judge for yourself is to read mormon and anti-mormon books then judge for yourself if The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is as good as the name sounds or is just another religion.

A simple book to keep a person updated on the history of the Mormon church. Mr. Ankerberg is another writer who puts the facts out for anyone to learn the hidden side of cults. This book serves as a current guide for people trying to not be swayed with the plagarized works of Joseph Smith. It's a great book to keep handy in case a young Mormon missionary is trying to persuade people who don't know the truth of the Mormon church and they certainly won't tell you. ie. blood atonement and secret handshakes, and slitting of the throat gestures in the obediant temples. I would recommend the book to anyone simply trying to avoid being told what the Mormons believe at this current time. It serves as a historical reference of how many changes the "prophets", always life-long Mormons, have covered up and changed.

Though not a member of the LDS Church, I am fascinated by Mormonism and have spent time studying it. It's definitely difficult for outsiders to understand the Mormon experience but this book sheds no light and does a disservice to it. This is an unfair and biased representation of the Mormon religion. In 48 pages, one can hardly delve into a religion and culture very deeply or accurately. On top of that, it's obvious the author has an agenda of his own and it doesn't have anything to do with presenting the truth. For a very interesting and fair look at the Mormon Church and culture, I highly recommend Mormon America by Richard N. Osting & Joan K. Ostling. Don't waste your money on this tripe.

John Ankerberg (born 1945) is an ordained minister as well as producer and host of the nationally televised cable program, "The John Ankerberg Show." He is also the author or co-author of numerous publications, such as

Fast Facts® on Islam: What You Need to Know Now, Protestants & Catholics: Do They Now Agree?, Secret Teachings of the Masonic Lodge, The Facts on Near-Death Experiences (Ankerberg, John, Anker Series.), etc. John Weldon is also an author/coauthor of many books, such as Astrology Weldon John, What Do Mormons Really Believe?: What the Ads Don't Tell You, The Facts on the Occult (Anker Series), etc.

Here are some quotations from this 64-page 1991 booklet:

"Nevertheless, because Mormonism teaches that its gods are localized and physical, it is not unexpected that they can have sexual intercourse. Mormonism teaches that the gods are sexually active." (Pg. 21)

"In Mormonism, Jesus is also seen as the brother of Satan. Since Satan was also a preexistent spirit creation of the male and female earth gods, Christ must, therefore, be his relation." (Pg. 25)

"(A)lthough the Church denies it, there is little doubt that, given Smith's claims, the Book of Mormon was translated by occult means." (Pg. 37)

"The Book of Mormon even contains King James Bible TRANSLATION ERRORS. For example, in 2 Nephi 14:5 (Isaiah 4:5) the correct translation of the Hebrew 'chupaah' is 'canopy,' not 'defense.' In 2 Nephi 15:25 (Isaiah 5:25) the correct translation of the Hebrew 'suchah' is 'refuse,' not 'torn.'" (Pg. 38)

Highly recommended. There is far, far more than can be said about Mormonism, but Ankerberg and Weldon do a laudable job of covering this subject in the limited space that their booklet provides. As with all of their writings, this book is well-researched and written with a spirit of compassion. There is much that one can learn from this brief text.

Please check it out. Let us not assume that the young missionaries at your door can provide the information we need about Mormonism -- or that the most reliable source of information will be your friendly neighborhood Mormon. This book is definitely worth a look-see.

If you are interested in finding out facts about the Mormon Church that you can't hear from any Mormon then this book is good for you. It focuses mainly on comparing Mormonism to Christianity in order to prove that the Mormon church is not Christian. It's all backed up by other sources of literature, so as far as I can tell it seems like a pretty legitimate writing. It's short and has some pretty interesting information. Plus, it's handy to keep around in order to scare off any unwanted visitors. Good buy all in all.

I happened upon this little book and, after glancing through it, decided to purchase it. I was extremely impressed with the ability of the authors to provide a well-referenced facts about the cult using their own sources (i.e., the Book of moron, Doctrine & Covenants, moron Doctrine by cult member Bruce McConkie, etc., etc.) I have to laugh at the cult members who whine about this book spewing the same old tired nonsense - if they spent even a fraction of their time reading their own bogus "scriptures" written by their false "prophets," they would see just how vile their cult really is. Obviously, they're too brainwashed to recognize reality.

Like a previous reviewer, I have to agree that the reference to FARMs is absurd - that's analogous to asking the KKK if they're a bunch of bigots. The authors provide succinct, but well-sourced, answers to many of the cult's claims (no, the cult is not a Christian religion); yes, they think they'll become gods of their own planets; yes, mormonism is based upon the occult practices of their false prophets; etc. Again, the authors used many of the cult's own "scriptures" and other drivel to demonstrate just how evil moronism is.

This book should be very helpful to those who want to know the truth about the cult. Pick up a copy today, take out copies of some of false mormon "scriptures" (get free copies from the cult), and highlight all the references to the shocking facts discussed - could come in very helpful the next time a brainwashed bicycle rider knocks at your front door!

Did you think that the Mormon Church was just another Protestant Christian Evangelical denomination? This book will explain the difference in plain English. It is written in a question and answer formate. This small 44 page book lists several clear differences in the Mormon Church and the Bible. If you believe the Bible and are interested in spending an hour or so aquiring an understanding of this groups mis-claims as a Christian Religion then this little book is a must read!

From other comments I read, I wish to respond to them, while also addressing some of the same issues brought up from those comments, as well as other points I wish to address myself.

1.) Anybody who critiques another's way of believing/point of view will tend to become defensive. IT IS NOTHING PERSONAL! It is not directed at any individual. The critique is simply stating the facts that the overall Mormon church believes. If the Mormon church can't handle their faith being layed out for other to read, I personally think there is something wrong there; that, and it would almost go against their mission to "lead others to the truth." How can one lead another to believe their message if they stand in judgement and reject those different than they?

2.) There is nothing wrong to critique another's religion. As it says in the book, somone (can't remember who) who is held in high esteem by the Mormon church invited the faith to be examined. Why is it, then, that Mormons tend to try to negate the proof - which is valid and verifiable and even moreso from their religious texts and words spoken by their leaders - which disproves something that they have believed for so long. Just because one does not agree with the fact that the text contradicts itself, or that something was proven wrong by a source does not automatically make the source wrong. For example, I could believe with all my heart that the grass is blue. But those that believe the grass is green can have valid proof that it is green and show me, but that doesn't mean that proof is no good because I [still] don't believe the grass is green. (This book is NOT anit-Mormon as some say. Again: it is a critique, and I hope that others will stop taking it as a personal attack/taking it persoanlly against them or anything. It is simply a critique and comparison. There is NO anti-Mormonism sentiment in this book.) One must have an open mind and acceptance of what is proven, or disproven. Opinion of whether one thinks the source or the proving/disproving has nothing to do with the issue, nor does opinion validate as evidence/a good source. Opinions don't equate to proof.

3.) Anybody whose faith is being critiqued will become defensive...it's a natural reaction. However, if something is proven wrong, as much as we humans hate to admit it, the best thing is to just take that bite of humble pie and admit we were wrong, then move on with life, thus, striving to do what is right. Additionally, there is NO crime to compare two religions to show any differences and to prove they are not the same. For example, if people (for some reason,) thought that Mormonism and Islam were the same, one would have every right to write in a book that 1.) this is an overall view on the Islamic faith, 2.) based on this information, we can conclude that..., 3.) Islam is NOT the same as Mormonism because a...b...c... and based of these other prinicpals/ideas/etc. This is all this book does: state [very briefly, for there are books and books written about what the Mormon faith is, in full] the overall Mormon faith, critiques the faith, compares it to Chrisitainy and then states/concludes (with reasons and other evidence) that Mormonism is not the same as Chrisianity.

This book is intended to be brief, and in 75 pages, I feel it does a good job of BRIEFLY explaining and touching on those three points just listed above. I purchased it to get an overall idea about the Mormon faith, for, I myself have Mormon friends, but they have never truly shared with me what they "exactly" believe, so I have been left to guessing. I read this and now have a better understanding and more full picture of their faith, what they mean when they use certain vocabulary I have heard before, and just feel it is a good book for exposure to Mormonism. This isn't a DEEP theological, super complex critique of the Mormon church, but rather an OVERALL view. I think that is what most people need to understand.

There is no agenda. There is no purpose to "convert" people. At the end, yes I can see how others might view that. However, what people fail to realize is that is NOT the point of the whole book. The end is an invitation for Mormon and non-Mormon (or so I feel) alike to re-examine the Mormon faith, to re-examine the individual's heart (who is reading,) and just simply praying that prayer (or something similar to that....doesn't have to be exact, word-for-word.) The idea is that there is a sincere prayer that is said with the hopes of pure motive that each individual may find for themselves "the truth," and that they may continue in that path. Not based off of what they have believed or have been told to believe all their lives. Not what they (as a human) think they should do/what is right, but truly surrendering their thoughts/desires to be shown what it is that is wrong with their herts (whether it be motive or a misunderstanding of faith or whatever.) There is no agenda to convert, only an invitation to evaluate one's heart.