The Mormon Conspiracy [Paperback]

Charles L. Wood (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2001

"The Mormon Conspiracy is a very comprehensive volume dealing with issues that most others, who have written about the Mormon Church, have left untouched, namely the political ambitions of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and how they have become successful in this goal unnoticed by the majority of Americans. He has captured the "spirit of Mormonism" and understood the internal structure amazingly well without ever having been a Mormon. Dr. Wood's research and conclusions show originality and give helpful conclusions which open the reader's mind to see the true nature and plan of the Mormon Church for America-and the world.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Charles L. Wood received his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa and was a professor at the University of Akron. In addition, he held positions as teacher and administrator in elementary, secondary and higher education. He has traveled extensively through-out the world and lived for several years in France and Germany. He authored two books on Education prior to writing "The Mormon Conspiracy." He also was editor of the national journal, "American Secondary Education."

Product Details

• Paperback: 289 pages
• Publisher: Black Forest Pr (November 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158275067X
• ISBN-13: 978-1582750675
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,230,062 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

70 of 90 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Go To The Original Sources, November 7, 2007

By 

Boston Bluestocking (Cambridge, Mass.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mormon Conspiracy (Paperback)

First, the disclaimer: I am neither a Mormon nor a Mormon apologist. I am a historical reader with a background in U.S. Western history and a particular interest in Mormon history.

This book is indefensible on many fronts. As an historian, this book offends me for its complete reliance on secondary sources. Whole passages are paraphrased or outright quotes from better source material. The author then ties the virtual plagarism together with a few disjointed and/or redundant sentences. It does not even masquerade as history but is instead an opinionated, paranoid diatribe, which I suspected to be the case just from the title but hoped for better (anything with "Conspiracy" in the title is hard to take seriously).

Obviously, the Protestant author has an axe to grind, but the book is far from a balanced discussion of doctrinal differences. The book seems to take as its model any number of prejudiced attacks on a "different" culture or religion. It reminds me of the sort of "literature" spawned by anti-semitic fanatics of the early 20th Century who believed in The Protocols of The Elders of Zion. Wood actually had a valid point to make about theocracy, societal control by religion and fundamentalism, but any balanced reader should be turned off by the author's own extremism.

As a book, it is appallingly written -- from syntactical errors in sentences to an overall narrative inconsistency. Wood repeats himself as if the reader suffered from attention deficit disorder, then refers inadequately to people and events not previously introduced. Apparently, there was no editor involved in the process.

I don't demand that the LDS church and culture be treated with kid gloves -- I greatly enjoyed "The Mormon Murders," and "Under The Banner of Heaven," neither of which is kind to the Mormon faith, its underpinnings, leadership or history. But they were excellently researched and brilliantly written works. I would recommend those books to readers wanting an expose without extremism. For more historical background, "No Man Knows My History" and "The Mountain Meadows Massacre" also bring keen analytical insights to the life of Joseph Smith and the most heinous event in LDS history. I was looking for more of the same quality here, but was sadly disappointed.

379 of 560 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Perspective I have sought for years, August 23, 2004

By 

Baughn - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mormon Conspiracy (Paperback)

From a Utah reader: "The Mormon Conspiracy" provides the reader with many cogent facts about the organization and history of the Mormon Church. I was born into a Salt Lake Mormon family in 1924. Prior to volunteering for the Army in 1943, our family lived for the Church and spent many hours listening to speakers' versions of salvation. The Army assigned me to a combat tank battalion, which gave support to an infantry division. This infantry division spearheaded many of the battles in the European Theatre of War. Spiritually. I believed there was a God over us. This gave me comfort even though there were no church meetings, no singing, no praying, no voices of eternal damnation if you did not worship the LDS way, no studying of the hard to understand book of Mormon and no testimony recitations about the Joseph Smith story. In France and on into Germany with combat forces, I experienced a spirituality that trusted in Christ and his teachings. That spirituality is what I cherish today. When I got back to Salt Lake, I found returning to the insipid routine of Mormonism frustrating and confusing, What ever moral guilt or sorrow I felt for having served in WWII was never addressed in the LDS Church. When my wife died in 1969, I got a temple recommend to have her posthumously married to me and my three minor children sealed to us for eternity, as prescribed by Mormonism. The temple ceremony was one of my life's greatest shocks. Not only was it an obvious cult ritual but also was personally abhorrent. Since this ritual, I have not been active in the Church. However, I have struggled emotionally with vague feelings, thoughts and troubled by the incongruities I have experienced in mentally questioning the Church's claim of legitimacy. In my view, "The Mormon Conspiracy" has pulled together historical and other data that reveals the true Mormon Church. Prior to reading this book, I read a few of the books and articles quoted in the endnotes. These did not give me all the information I sought. This book has helped me answer questions "Why is the official Church history told to members different from its historical truth? Why is the Church so overzealous in excommunicating members who research and publish their research about the Church's true history? Why does the hierarchy, "the brethren" continue to hide the true facts from its congregation? I believe the answers to my questions are found in the control of money and the power "the brethren" have in their appointed positions. I believe if the brethren communicated and educated "True Believing Mormons" about its true history, its organization and wealth, there would be a vast defection and flight from Mormonism. The evidence is overwhelming that the Book of Mormon and gospel is a fraud promulgated by Joseph Smith and the hierarchy who followed him. By giving a true history, the brethren, the power seekers, would lose the power and political pursuits for which they lust. They would lose control of people and money. They would fail to gain the imagined afterlife they seek in the "celestial kingdom" as taught by the Church. The control of money, the control of people and the imagined power in the afterlife are impregnable motives to hide the true history, wealth and worldwide aims of the Mormon Church. I recommend this book "The Mormon Conspiracy" to everyone. It is a must reading for all Americans and an exposé for anyone lost in Mormonism. Hopefully, this book, as it becomes well known, will help stop the Mormon Church's insidious growth. I am thankful, that this book has been written since it has given me the perspective I have sought for years.

62 of 96 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Too many words to express just a few ideas..., April 1, 2006

By 

P. Hardy "Patti" (San Francisco Bay Area) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mormon Conspiracy (Paperback)

A friend of mine was approached by Mormon missionaries shortly after experiencing both the sudden death of her husband & being diagnosed with cancer herself and was definitely "ripe for the picking"! Though we live 600 miles apart, we talk on the phone almost daily, so she really caught me off guard when she announced her sudden decision to be baptized a Mormon. As a friend I want to support her in all decisions she makes, but I was very uneasy with her choice. I since have made it a point to do all of the reading I can on LDS, including this book. While I feel that the author made and validated many points, I feel that he took far too many pages to repeat his same claims over and over (and over!) I find it hard to believe his claim that Mormons are trying to take over the government of the United States. Having been raised a Catholic, I am well aware that many people believe that the Catholic church and the pope are hoping to do the same. I have 4 other books that I am planning to read to try to get other viewpoints. I would recommend this book to others trying to get a better understanding of LDS, but I might suggest skimming over the repetitious areas.