Customer Reviews

Out of Mormonism: A Woman's True Story

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

I feel like I have a very legitimate perspective from which to post this review. I was born a Mormon woman to extremely orthodox and true believing Mormon parents. The Mormon church was my life. I married in a Mormon temple, bore children very quickly and participated in every way a Mormon woman can. I held almost as high a position in the Mormon church that a woman can.

I related to this book so much. It helped me re-examine my life as a Mormon woman and the feelings of inadequacy I had. I felt controlled, put down, patronized, etc. However, I kept smiling and playing the game. I eventually began to study and see things for what they really were. I made a very hard and gut-wrenching decision to leave the church. I lost my family. I lost my friends. But as I made the transition, the light started to come on. The sun came out. The beauty of life that I'd missed for 40 years came through.

I've seen it from both sides, a place most of the reviewers of this book have never been. I remember the persecution complexes I had when I perceived people as "bashing" the Mormon church who were only trying to point people in the right direction.

Please read this book if you are really interested in what it is like to be a Mormon woman.

This is an interesting personal story of a woman's experience entering and then leaving the Church of Latter-Day Saints. It is not hate-filled or anti-Mormon, though I suppose some Saints will inevitably view it this way. I would say the tone is more one of sadness, as Robinson has become an evangelical Christian who believes that the LDS Church is seriously wrong. Some readers will find Robinson's current religious beliefs unnecessarily intrusive or "preachy," though they play an important role in her personal journey.

Other authors do a better job talking about Mormon history or theology, so I wouldn't read this book as an "expose" or as an analysis of LDS doctrine. Instead, read it as a valuable first-person account of an experience with the church and its members. Robinson is only one person, so her experience may or may not be typical.

First, Robinson provides a very interesting narrative of how she was attracted to Mormonism in the first place. It's interesting to see a first-hand account of how the LDS Church moves in on people who express interest in their faith, and who share the kind of family values that the church emphasizes.

Second, Robinson provides an interesting introduction to the LDS Church as experienced by a new member. One of her legitimate frustrations, and the start of her doubt, was the extensive use of secret rites. As a result, she felt that she was subject to social pressure to go along with beliefs that were first presented as part of a "public" (in the temple) rite. She also describes some Mormon rites that I found theologically shocking; some of these rites have since been changed, though it's not clear from this book whether the underlying doctrines have been changed.*

Third, she tells us how she and her husband left Mormonism, and the hostility that this produced in their former friends. It would be nice if the LDS church could reflect on its attitude toward those who feel they must leave the church, it would reduce the bitterness that many ex-Mormons feel. Again, Robinson's account is valuable and it does not seem that unusual.

In short, this is a good personal account of a journey into, through, and out of Mormonism. I think both insiders and outsiders will find it interesting and worthy of reflection.

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*Addendum in January 2008: I was coy in the original review, but one of these secret rites includes a play in which Jesus and Satan are presented as brothers, an issue that Mike Huckabee raised in the presidential race. Perhaps some LDS members can tell us whether this is (or was) part of the baptismal ceremony, as Robertson reports.

OUT OF MORMONISM tells the autobiographical story of Judy Robertson's experience in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The book exists to lend a personal face to the plethora of Mormonism resources that are out there.

Robertson's story is worth reading. She grew up in the (orthodox) Christian church but because of a lack of Biblical grounding she found herself drawn into Mormonism with her family, thanks to the LDS's emphasis on family and morals. At first it was a blissful life, but things began to sour when some of the deeper truths about Mormon doctrine were learned, and when her and her husband were sealed in the temple ceremony (an experience that shocked her to her core). Eventually she became so disillusioned with the discrepancies between Mormon doctrine and the Bible that she found the courage to leave the church, and she now runs and outreach to Mormons with her husband.

If you know someone who is struggling with some of Mormonism's teachings, this might be a good resource to give them. It's pretty even-handed and not antagonistic (unlike some other books on this church). The only issues I take with it are literary. Robertson isn't the best writer and as a result her story, which should've been profoundly moving, seems a little forced and impersonal. It's a powerful testimony, but it could've been told better if a different writer would've handled it. A similar book, BEYOND MORMONISM, by James Spencer, I found to be much more effective, personal, and moving. I would look for BEYOND MORMONISM first, if pursuing a book of this nature, but OUT OF MORMONISM is not a bad choice by any means. It speaks the truth and does so in a straight-foreword and loving manner, and hopefully it will be a powerful tool to reach the lost for Christ. THREE 1/2 STARS.

I picked this book up last night, and was not able to put it back down until I had read it cover to cover.

I was raised Mormon, and my mother before me was raised Mormon, too. Her parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents were raised Mormon as well. So it was with piqued interest that I opened this book, with the intention of a casual glance, not reading the whole thing in one sitting. The accounts of Judy Robertson's life in the Mormon church were hauntingly familiar to me though, and I found myself reliving my childhood as I read the common, cookie-cutter phrases that all Mormons hear on a regular basis.

I am closer to the ages of the author's children, so I can't quite identify with all of her personal experiences, but I can empathize with the viewpoint of her kids, and I saw my parents go through a lot of the same trials and tribulations when they started asking questions.

This book is an easy read, and doesn't delve into every aspect of Mormonism, yet it provides enough information to be considered 'dangerous' by those church leaders who don't want the blinders removed from their members' eyes. If you want a true depiction of life in the Mormon church, and the reality of how 'questions' are handled, I highly recommend you read this book.

I am a mormon that left the church and all that is said in this book is very true and factual. Momonism is a cult wether they want to believe it or not. The rest of the reviews are by Mormons not liking this book cause it speaks the truth and they are not ready to hear it. If you are thinking about bieng a mormon or leaving the cult this is an excellent book!!!

Judy shares a lot of inner thoughts and practices of the mormon church. Her emotion is apparent in the book about how the church affected her life. I think it gives great insight as to how she discovered the truth and she provides biblical references. This may not be a book to buy your female mormon friends unless they have recently opened up as she suggests in her book. She shares about the temple ceremony, why mormon women have so many babies, how the mormon religion twists words & fails to teach individual thinking, a woman's relationship and role in the mormon church and how to witness to mormons.

This book truly describes a woman's perspective of the Mormon church and it's misleading teachings. Mrs. Robertson describes
The Temple ceremony in great detail, which most Mormon's fear to even discuss with close family members. It made me feel sick to my stomach to read what goes on in these secret ceremonies, because I was starting to accept Mormonism as a Christian religion, instead of the cult it TRULY is. I live in a huge Mormon community, and I see how unhappy most of my mormon woman friends are, now I know why. This book was extremely helpful to me.
Several of my friends who have left the church, and felt the persecution of this action have found this book an inspiration.

Ths exposes the secret Mormon teachings which the neatly--dressed Brighamite missionaries will not tell you about. They're instructed "meat before milk" so, they won't tell you the surreal teachings, which diverge wildly from traditional Christianity, such as (1)the idea that a man may become Exalted and get to be a God ruling his own planet, while he and his wife or wives get to crank out Spirit Children to inhabit the human bodies on the planet. Nor (2)the idea that God was once such a man. (This (2) is in direct contradiction to Bible passages such as: "the Father of lights, with whom there is no alteration or shadow caused by change." --James 1:17 (NAB))

The book documents each unusual teaching it exposes with authoritative references to books by Brighamite LDS "Church" officials. such as "Apostle" Bruce R. McConkie's Mormon Doctrine, and the collected sermons of Church President Joseph Fielding Smith: Doctrines of Salvation: Sermons and Writings. Another good reference is Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith

It was fascinating; I couldn't put it down.

It has inspired me to do Bible reading more frequently. Thank you, Judy.

As an ex-mo, I thought the book was average. There are much better exposes of the LDS church ("No Man Knows My History" by F. Brodie, "Secret Ceremonies" by D. Laake, and "One Nation Under Gods: A History of the Mormon Church" by R. Abanes.)

The best part of this book is the chapter concerning the Temple ceremonies, which is very descriptive. Otherwise, I thought the book glossed over a lot of things, and was rather preachy. ("Get to a Christian church as soon as possible, before Satan grabs you!!") The argument about Mormonism not being a Christian faith is also flawed. The Church may have some different doctrine than a lot of other Christian denominations, but they do preach Jesus' life, example and teachings. The problem is a lot of the other stuff they throw in as well, which was not my personal cup of Mormon-forbidden tea.

You want a balanced view? Read as much about the Church from as many different sources as possible (including LDS, but particularly non-LDS literature), taking note of all personal biases and motives. There are better places to start than this book though. (See above)

This is not a good book if you're looking for theology, history, or exploration of deep doctrine. However, if you want to read the personal story of a woman who went in and out of the LDS church in nice clean prose, with expressive but not overbearing emotion, then this is for you. Thankfully, it's not some bitter diatribe despite its title. Orthodox Mormons will take offense at the detailed and accurate descriptions of the pre-1990 temple ceremony. I would not call this a feminist work, however, because the Robertsons' objections seem to be on strictly scriptural matters. There are some brief moments that touch on the way women can feel within Mormonism-- particularly poignant and telling is a moment where she describes a branch president's wife confessing that she has no friends, despite knowing everyone in the branch. The bulk of the book deals with the Robertsons' post-Mormon experience as evangelical Christians. If you have left Mormonism and want a gentle, personal account to help pick up your spirits, this could be good for you.