Customer Reviews

The Miracle of Forgiveness

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(21)

 

 

It's entertaining to read the reviews for this book; they're incredibly varied. What you get out of this book will largely depend on where your heart is when you read it.

The title of this book is "The Miracle of Forgiveness". That alone should tell you some of the topics the book is to cover: sin, repentance, and finally, forgiveness through Christ and His Atonement.

Yes, this book spends a lot of time discussing sin and the various ways in which one may commit sin (although the discussion is by no means exhaustive). Much of it comes from the author's experience of many years as an ecclesiastical leader. Will this discussion make you feel guilty? Probably. It should. One of the aims of the book is to urge the reader to improve him or herself. Keep in mind, guilt isn't a bad thing. If you don't feel guilty about something you're not likely to change it. Will this discussion offend you? Possibly. If you're the sort that doesn't like to hear that what you're doing is wrong, then yes, you'll find parts of the book to be a hard read.

The author of the book is LDS. As such, there is an LDS focus to the writing, but honest-hearted, non-LDS believers in Christ will also find the book to be of value. While there is extensive quoting of LDS scripture in addition to the Bible, and LDS-related experiences, the bottom line is universal to believers in Christ: sin (any sin) makes us unworthy to return to Heaven, and it is the miracle of Christ's Atonement that enables us to become clean and return.

Read this book with a humble heart, and a desire to learn and improve yourself, and you'll discover many ways in which you need to improve yourself. You'll also have a better understanding of and appreciation for the Lord Jesus and what He has done for you.

Read this book with a skeptical attitude, and you'll probably find plenty of things that offend you, and will dismiss the book, as other reviewers have done.

Personally, I found the book to be of great benefit. Sure, it's not easy reading and feeling guilty because of what you read, but with a better understanding of what I am doing wrong, I'm in a better position to change and improve. That's why I read it in the first place.

This book is inspirational! Spencer W. Kimball tells it like it is -- in a very biblical way. His approach to recognizing and dealing with mistakes is sorely needed into today's society. There isn't even a hint of moral relativism or spiritual dilution in his words. I for one am weary of the watered-down "feel good" philosophies one often finds occupying the bestsellers rack at the supermarket. Not everything one does is right! Christ taught that. It shouldn't be a shock to reasonable people that humans are imperfect. Sometimes we have to admit that we are wrongdoers and change. That's called repentance. Most Christians understand this. In fact, the changing of hearts is exactly why Christ had to suffer and die.

I would guess that the bitter words of criticism aimed at this book were most likely born out of the rejection of the concept of personal accountability. Once one accepts the fact that one is more often an actor in this life than an unfortunate victim (or pre-programmed automaton) then one can make progress towards real peace and perfection. Thankfully, God is the ultimate judge of what lies within His childrens' hearts, not authors or reviewers. I applaud Amazon.com's generosity in allowing all voices to be heard. I would suggest to those reviewers (especially those who profess to be Christian) who seek to tear down others' beliefs to examine their motivations.

For those that are suffering emotionally for any reason, Kimball gives encouragement and guidance in finding peace and healing through the atonement and teachings of Jesus Christ.

We all make mistakes. Kimball acknowledges that. Some people make mistakes so huge that it seems impossible to them to have any peace or happiness thereafter. Happily, Kimball uses whole chapters to give hope & guidance about how to allow Christ to help. A major message of this book is that it is never too late for change, healing and peace.

When you consider that this book tells doting Mormons that masturbation eventually leads to bestiality, is it any wonder male youth suicide is so rampant in societies heavily populated by Mormons?

This book is valuable in that the more copies that are sold, the less easy it will be for the Mormon church to deny such absurdities were ever written (they are inclined to do) by a so-called "inspired Prophet of God".

Buy this book and keep it for future reference. I'm sure LDS authorities would love to see it out of print.

This classic book is very well written, and should have an appeal to individuals both within and without the LDS community.

The things in this book are amazing and true, and you should definitely read it!! It will hep you refine your life. Must read f'sho.

If you're humble and reading this book in order to change your life... this is the book for you. It's going to rock your foundations if your heart is open to change. If you're too hardened for humility, well, I wouldn't waste your time. I give president Kimball and the Lord 5 stars.

But watch out, the eBook version has mega typo's and I have also found entire paragraphs omitted. I believe that this may be the fault of the publisher. I have verified this since I own both the hard-cover version and the eBook Kindle version. Some of the text in the Kindle eBook version simply did not make any sense (yes, I have great comprehension skills when reading), and so I said "HUH???" which caused me to look it up in the original book. Sure enough, the eBook is missing paragraphs. Truly only worthy of 1 star for the horrible mess in publishing the Kindle version.

All in all, the Kindle version is still readable, but you may be confused in chapter 19 a bit (paragraphs missing!) This is minor... but annoying. Other paragraphs are also missing, but tolerable... and there are typo's throughout the Kindle version... but who cares? (I hate spelling police don't you?) Typos? Who Cares. Missing paragraphs? CARE!! Therefore I can only give it 3-stars.

This book is beautifully written. By reading it you will understand how forgiving our Heavenly Father is and how to incorporate that same forgiveness into your own life. It will strengthen your testimony of the Savior and our loving Father in Heaven, as well as broaden your love for your fellow man.

This is a wonderful book written by a great and knowledgable man. It all comes down to personal humility. Remember what is taught here and refer back to it. Reflect on what is taught and apply the principles and you will notice a change.

Sometimes an author's intent doesn't translate well into writing. "The Miracle of Forgiveness" is just such a book.

Spencer W. Kimball spent many years working with Latter-day Saint individuals whose lives were a spiritual mess. He organized all of his counsel to them into this book.

His advice to people in deep sin who are justifying their behavior is good, but his book fails in two important areas:

First, his attitude is one of using shame instead of hope. For people struggling with serious sins, that sometimes may be the right approach. But your average Latter-day Saint is going to find his method unnecessarily harsh, one that takes all the joy out of repentance and living the gospel.

Second, his book contains questionable anecdotes and claims. He repeats the late, third-hand account of David W. Patten's encounter with a traveler who claimed to be Cain (p. 127-28), a highly doubtful story that should have been laid to rest, but the myth continues because it's included in this book. He also claims that masturbation "often" leads to homosexuality (p. 77-78), which is completely ludicrous.

I love President Kimball. I love most of his teachings. But I can't love this book.