28 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
FOOTNOTES ALONE WORTH THE PRICE OF THE BOOK, September 22, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Mormon Missionaries: An Inside Look at Their Real Message (Paperback)
This book would be in my "top five" in the field. Janis gives excellent summaries of some of the latest research. Europeans did not drop their religious thinking in the "Atlantic salt water" on their way to the New World.
Janis Hutchinson boils down the main points of that hefty Tufts University work: REFINERS FIRE. Key Mormon points in their theological outline come from various groups from Europe who settled in America.
Janis' footnotes are worth reading just for the interesting tid-bits.
Hutchinson's bibliography gives superb choices for anyone doing serious research. If you're doing a college paper--this is the book to make your Inter-library Loan request list from. Books from "both sides" are cited.
Written in 'layman's language' this book suggests what books to read at the entry, medium, and advanced levels of research. No other book have I seen has such an open "educator" perspective. Like "wow!"
If you are interested in the Mormon 'occult' connection, here it is. If the Masonry tie fascinates you, here it is. If god's physical appearance in LDS perspective intrigues you, here it is. Where did the idea 'you can be as god' begin? Janis has a well thought out answer.
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29 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Introduction for a "Mormon Investigator", January 31, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Mormon Missionaries: An Inside Look at Their Real Message (Paperback)
I am a recent [and continuing] "investigator" of the Church of Latter-Day Saints who picked up a copy of Hutchinson's book in preparation for my upcoming meetings with Mormon missionaries in Tokyo. After reading it over the course of a weekend, I found it to be a good basic introduction to some of the "anti-Mormon" arguments without the academic rhetoric (and, consequently, without the "proof") found in more academic studies. In short, it's a layperson's introduction to anti-Mormonism from a sympathetic and knowledgable author. Interested readers must realize up front that this is a NOVEL, not an objective exposition of Mormon doctrines. Her story revolves around several students at a small Bible college who are just beginning a unit on Mormonism when two Mormon missionaries suddenly show up on campus to share their faith and bear their testimonies. Encountering these testimonies, they find, is very different than studying scriptural doctrines in class, and several of the students are faced with tough questions about their own faith. In the end, the students work through many of the missionary lessons with the help of their ex-Mormon professor, who presents a convincing unit and some sage advice. Through character dialogues and general narration, a number of viable arguments are presented to help the students "see beyond" the missionary discussions without, in my opinion, degrading the honest faith of those missionaries. As I said, Hutchinson does not present proof, she only plants seeds of doubt by presenting possible alternatives to Mormon interpretations. If anything, she advises an investigator like me to be a careful listener and to make sure I understand, clarify, and follow-up on the context of the missionariy presentations before accepting or rejecting them. Readers who are looking for a more "factual" academic account of LDS faith, however, are advised to look elsewhere
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A WELL-RESEARCHED NOVEL THAT CONTAINS AS MUCH INFORMATION AS A NONFICTION BOOK, April 11, 2011
This review is from: Mormon Missionaries: An Inside Look at Their Real Message (Paperback)
Janis Hutchinson was a Mormon for 34 years who married a former Mormon missionary, and sent a daughter on a full-time mission, before leaving the LDS church and converting to evangelical Christianity.
She writes in the Preface to this 1995 book, "Within the pages of this book you will learn about Mormon missionaries. You will see how they present their lessons and what subjects they cover, and by knowing this, have an edge in witnessing... Furthermore, this book can be used as a witnessing tool. Offer it to individuals who are already taking, or who are considering taking, the Mormon missionary lessons. It will reveal many doctrines the missionaries purposely conceal."
Here are some quotations from the book:
"To (Mormons), the Holy Ghost and the Holy Spirit are two different entities. The Holy GHOST is the third member of the Godhead... The Holy SPIRIT, on the other hand, is a spiritual substance." (Pg. 20)
"The 1830 edition of the Book of Commandments... makes no mention of either the Aaronic or Melchizedek priesthoods." (Pg. 25)
"(A)s the lessons progress, a gradual change is made. When the missionaries cover the section on Jesus Christ, Bible Scriptures are gradually reduced to only TWO, and Mormon scriptures are increased to four. Each lesson subtly diminishes the use of Bible Scripture until, by the sixth and final discussion, Mormon scripture is ALL that is used." (Pg. 76)
(Concerning Joseph Smith's "Civil War Prophecy") "However, rather than being prophetic, Smith simply produced a revelation that matched current thought. South Carolina, at the time of his 'prophecy,' was already rebelling and newspapers were predicting the impending war between the North and the South." (Pg. 103)
"Well, if (Joseph Smith) had any (plates), they couldn't possibly have been gold. With the measurements being 7" x 8" x 6" and with gold weighing one and a half pounds per cubic inch, they would have weighed nearly two hundred pounds if solid... There's no way Joseph... could have tucked them beneath one arm, walked home, jumped over a log and run a mile from would-be-attackers." (Pg. 128)
"If Moses, trained to speak Egyptian, chose to speak and write in Hebrew---as well as the whole nation of Israel after having lived in Egypt for four hundred years---why, then, ... 'should Nephi, who apparently had never lived in Egypt, write in Egyptian?'" (Pg. 148)
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