Mormon Doctrine [Hardcover]

Bruce R. McConkie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1966

This work on Mormon Doctrine is designed to help persons seeking salvation to gain that knowledge of God and his laws without which they cannot hope for an inheritance in the celestial city.

Since it is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance of God and his laws, and since man is saved no faster than he gains knowledge of Jesus Christ and the plan of salvation, it follows that men are obligated at their peril to learn and apply the true doctrines of the gospel.

This gospel compendium will enable men, more effectively, to "teach one another the doctrine of the kingdom"; to "be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient" for them "to understand." (D. & C. 88:77-78.)

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 856 pages
• Publisher: Deseret; 2nd edition (1966)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0884940624
• ISBN-13: 978-0884940623
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.3 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #340,011 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

74 of 85 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, concise resource, April 9, 2001

By 

Chris in Maine (Portland, ME United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mormon Doctrine (Hardcover)

First of all, let me start out by identifying myself as a devout Catholic evangelist. Over the past year, the study of comparative religion has interested me greatly, and at first, my approach to study was marred by the use of unreliable and biased resources. I made the mistake of trying to learn about Mormons by reading anti-Mormon literature. However, what I found there (in books such as The God Makers, Kingdom of the Cults, etc) was not only appalingly uncharible and vindictive, but also appalingly deceitful and false! Unimpressed with their rhetoric and straw men tactics, I decided instead to do what I should have done in the first place; ask the Mormons what they believe.

Aside from the BOM and D & C, this is the first resource I purchased. The layout was impressive - very easy to use, concise, and well cross referenced. I was at first dismayed at the lack of an index, but that became a moot point since the book is so well laid out. Furthermore, although I know this is of course not scripture any more than the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas are to Catholics, it does present a good yet fallible summary of, well, Mormon Doctrine. My only complaint is that McConkie is a bit too brief in covering some points, and doesn't always give references to relevant sections in the canonized books of the Mormon Church. Because of this, further study is not always easy to persue. On the pro side of that, this book can rightfully be considered a "primary source" when citing, by and large.

While I still disagree with many aspects of Mormon theology, at least now I can be confident that what I am stating on a particular point is actually what the LDS church believes. Persuing Mormon literature (and conversations with Mormons) prevented me from going down the fiery path of polemics and hatred for Mormons. As a Catholic, I know all too well what it is like to be on the receiving end of hatred and bigotry which roots itself in misunderstanding. As someone who is oftentimes on the receiving end of counter apologetics, I know well the difference between mere theological disagreement and outright bigotry. The distinction makes all the difference in the world when it comes to dialogue.

Persual of literature such as this will require some extra effort, yes, but it will also help you obey the commandment not to bear false witness. There is no excuse for lazy research.

Anyway - I fear that this book review had turned into an admonishment for my fellow apologists to be honest. However, since I think it needs to be said, and it does tie into this book in a sense, I'm keeping it here. In any case, if you want to learn about Mormonism, don't listen to idiots like Dave Hunt. Rather, you do well to start here for a good, reliable primer and a lasting resource.

20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Resource, June 8, 2002

By 

Rondall Reynoso (Louisiana) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mormon Doctrine (Hardcover)

I grew up with several Mormon friends and my brother has converted to Mormonism. As a result I have had quite a few dialogs with Mormons. I found that I was woefully unprepared. So I began to study the Mormon religion. When I asked Mormons such as my brother about their beliefs I would get responses that were couched in terminology I as an "mainstream" Christian would find palatable. It was hard to find out what Mormon's really believed. I had other resources that were produced by "mainstream" Christians. However, these resources dealt with archaine theologies that while they are historically accurate are different from what most LDS believe today. MORMON DOCTRINES is an invaluable resourse to understand the current beliefs of the LDS Church.

The first step in being able to talk to someone about their faith is understanding their faith. This is especially important in being able to bridge the language gap between Mormonism and "Mainstream" Christianity. MORMON DOCTRINE is especially good for this due to its encyclopedic format. Common terms such as Salvation, God, The Holy Ghost and Heaven can clearly be examined.

While I strongly disagree with the doctrine promoted in MORMON DOCTRINE it is an indispensible resource for understanding what Mormons believe.

20 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Book That Says It All..., June 15, 2002

By 

M. Summers "Shakjula" (Keyser, WV USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mormon Doctrine (Hardcover)

The unusual thing about McConkie's Mormon Doctrine is that it has little to do with the loving, gentle image presented by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in its advertisements. Bruce McConkie's approach may be disconcerting to many non-LDS, but his candor makes Mormon Doctrine well worth the time.

I seriously recommend this volume to all those persons who are investigating the theology of the LDS simply because it addresses so many issues which will probably not be discussed during investigator classes and missionary meetings. In other words, practically all of the Gospel Doctrines of the Restored Church are presented in alphabetical order, with reference sources clearly noted. I personally feel that Mormon Doctrine is a wealth of information concerning one of the fastest growing Faiths in the world. So, if you are interested in learning more about "Intelligences", "Heavenly Parents", "Eternal Progression" and the "Father of God", Mormon Doctrine is the superb resource. Elder McConkie pulls no punches, and the clarity of his expositions on his Faith make his work understandable on all levels.

The style of Mormon Doctrine is very forthright, clear, and authoritative. Although at the very beginning of the book there is the caveat that Mormon Doctrine does not necessarily represent the views of the Church, and thus represents only the views of the author, the book is clearly one of the standard references in official Church publications, with references being made to it frequently in Sunday School manuals and other publications.

At this point, I must state that Elder McConkie's references to non-LDS Churches (and especially Roman Catholicism) tend to be rather harsh, so please keep that in mind when reading Mormon Doctrine.