Customer Reviews

Line upon Line: Essays on Mormon Doctrine (Essays on Mormonism Series)

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This was my first exploration into Mormon though and is one of my favorite books of Mormon Theology. It opens up topics like the Holy Chost, the Elohim/Jehovah debates and the concept of a Mother in Heaven in a way that strengthened my faith rather than diminished it. I was able to read and explore Mormon theological development and gain an understanding that God works through human beings that have their own opinions as well. This may be a difficult book for those that feel that every word a prophet speaks is divinely inspired, but it also holds the door open that many of the "true" concepts in current LDS thought have developed over time in-spite of human error.

The editor writes in the Introduction to this 1989 collection of essays from Signature Books (publisher of many parhbreaking books dealing with the LDS/Mormon church), "Each of the sixteen essays selected for inclusion ... addresses a particular doctrinal or theological topic--usually one upon which different views and opinions exist. The authors ... hope to foster greater reflection and generate responsible discussion ... and to suggest that differences of opinion, far from implying unorthodoxy, can indicate the presence of a genuine and sincere faith."

Here are some quotations from the book:

"This (definition of monotheism), however, redefines monotheism and does not account for the fact that Mormonism teaches the existence of gods who are not the Father, Son, or Holy Ghost." (Pg. 9)
"This veil lecture, dictated by Brigham Young in 1877, clearly implied that Adam was God the Father by explaining that prior to coming to this earth, Adam and Eve had been resurrected and exalted on a former world." (Pg. 43)
"This argument (that Brigham Young had never really taught the Adam-God theory as popularly presented) was effective, but it obviously would not suffice for church members who had heard Young publicly preach the Adam-God doctrine..." (Pg. 45)
"One reason why little theology was developed about a heavenly mother is that the scriptural basis for the doctrine was slim." (Pg. 107)
"The difficulty of harmonizing Joseph Smith's teaching that spirits have no beginning with the contemporary Mormon belief that spirits some into existence through a spirit birth has been resolved in two different ways." (Pg. 122)

You may find some of these essays interesting because of the historical material (i.e., quotes from GA's and other church teachings and historical details), but, in general, the essays cover topics far too obtuse to be of interest to the general reader. However, if you are interested in 'deep theological questions,' you may find the discusssions interesting.

I looked up this book with full intent of buying a copy. There are two main reasons I will not purchase it: 1. I could not look inside the book. I guess the publishers are very ashamed of it and hope to sell it sight unseen. 2. From what I have read I don't think this author knows what is theology and what is personal opinion or speculation. It is not uncommon for Mormon bashers to take personal opinion out of the Journal of Discourses, or aother literature, and portray it as doctrine.

I don't know if this author does this or not. If the publisher were not so afraid to let us see inside, I may have known the answer and purchased the book. Of course, I may have given the book a bad review. Maybe that's why the publisher keeps it inaccesible.