Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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87 of 97 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Crisply logical, competent, respectfully presented, January 25, 2004
Pristinely logical, soundly scientific, honest and heartfelt, this is a superlative and very DIFFERENT sort of examination of the claims of Mormonism, a subject the author knows in depth of detail, having been born and raised in the faith. Unlike many religions, Mormonism makes numerous very specific statements that can be scientifically tested. Anderson's chapters walk through a highly competent examination of astronomical, biological, archeological, geological, etc., claims, asking the reader to decide whether Mormonism's claims in these subject areas square with what is now scientifically known, staying with what has been demonstrated with near-conclusiveness or exceptionally high probability.Anderson's geology chapter explains why since, in the creation story of the Mormon scriptures, the "absolute time scales are wrong, and the relative time scales are wrong, and the order of events is wrong, then everything is wrong that can be wrong." His astronomy chapter states, "It's hard to imagine two ways of looking at the cosmos more different than modern cosmology and LDS doctrine. ... More massive stars tend to rotate faster ... This is the opposite of what we see in Joseph Smith's cosmology where the greatest star in the universe rotates ... only once every thousand years. ... According to LDS theology, the sun and other stars get their light from Kolob ... [but] the sun's source of energy is internal, and not external; it does not get its light from any other star." His archeology chapter states that the claims of the Book of Mormon "disagree in almost every detail with the scientific evidence." Anderson's final chapter poignantly describes the difficult adjustment of lifelong Mormons attempting to come to terms with their realization that so many acknowledged scientific facts are not sensibly reconcilable with LDS doctrines.
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175 of 202 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
From the author, January 29, 2004
Having been raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and active for most of my life, I grew up accepting the teachings of my elders, comfortable in the belief that the doctrines of the Church were sound. Indeed, I was assured that science had all but proven the validity of key LDS theology, and that Mormons are the most scientific people on earth. Imagine my surprise upon finding out they were wrong. This is a story of discovery and of finding the freedom to think for one's self. It's my story. I'm the author, and I wrote it for two reasons. First, I wrote it as a way of validating the greatest life decision I've ever made - the decision to leave Mormonism. Mormonism is far more than a religion. It's a fraternity, too, where loyalty is prized and disloyalty punished. By leaving I'm now branded a "son of perdition," and the label has cost me some of my dearest friendships. Secondly, I've written for other Mormons (or investigators) who may be puzzling over the same questions that plagued me. There is a simple solution to the intellectual conundrum, but it isn't what the "brethren" tell you. I hope these pages can give you some comfort in knowing your concerns are not the product of faithlessness, but that of an inquiring mind. Because this is such an emotionally charged subject, I've described my personal experience growing up in the LDS Church, which is the subject of the entire first chapter. After introducing you to my background I next discuss a little LDS history and a lot more about what constitutes Mormon doctrine. I've looked especially at how members of the church arrive at collective doctrines, how they perceive public preaching by their leaders, and church views on prophecy, authority, and revelation. Even though our culture couldn't exist without the benefits of science, many people are unfamiliar with the way science works and its philosophical underpinnings. Since my book is about the ways in which Mormonism conflicts with science, I've also included a chapter on the subject of science, describing what it is, what is isn't, and illustrating how it works with a few simple examples. The real meat of the book starts after I've described my personal background (and unavoidable biases) and the chapters on "What is Mormonism" and "What is science." I begin with the most spectacularly successful scientific theory in history - quantum mechanics. Though many Mormons are probably unaware of the issues here, quantum mechanics holds real problems for Joseph Smith's unique doctrine that God is a resurrected, glorified, and physical man, and that he also knows everything - past, present, and future. To help make the subject more tractable I begin with a section that clearly delineates Mormon doctrine on the subject, followed by a second section describing the relevant science. The chapter ends by comparing and contrasting the two. I've used this general outline throughout the other chapters, too, and I hope the result is a book that's not only a helpful reference guide on Mormonism, but interesting reading regarding many aspects of modern science as well. One of the things I hope you learn from reading my book is the impressive scope of scientific theories that are in direct conflict with Mormon doctrine. In the remaining chapters I describe conflicts between Mormonism and geology, astronomy, physics, and anthropology. These conflicts arise in such diverse LDS doctrines as the notion that earth once orbited near a distant star named Kolob, and only recently took up its place in the solar system after Adam fell. Other problematic LDS doctrines include the universal flood (which, of course, isn't limited to just Mormonism), anti-evolution scriptures and prophetic proclamations, and the notion that the ancient Americans are Hebrews who arrived from the Old World a scant 2600 years ago. I've also included some material in the appendix that I hope you find interesting and useful. For example, there's a short analysis of the statistical distribution of month-dates in the Book of Mormon that strongly suggest it's a fabrication. And there's a decent index that'll hopefully help you look up subjects long after you've read it. In writing my book I not only wanted to make clear the existence of conflicts between Mormonism and science, I wanted to express my feeling regarding why these problems are significant and what might be done about them. That's the subject of my last chapter, which describes the importance of not allowing a religion's myths to become so important that they drown out the ethical and moral aspects that really should be the primary focus. Best regards, Duwayne Anderson
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29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Up from Literalism, October 15, 2005
I met Duwayne Anderson many years ago, at a conference on fiber optics. I was therefore intrigued recently when I heard from him again and received a copy of his book.
As Mr. Anderson told me and as he relates in the book, he was raised a Mormon, went on a mission when he was 19, attended Brigham Young University at the urging of his parents, graduated with a degree in physics, married in the church, and led an active life in the church.
As he put it, he "managed to keep [his] religious ideas compartmentalized," but eventually he began to ask questions. I have no interest in the Mormon church, but I read the early chapters and the "Final Thoughts" with keen interest.
When Mr. Anderson began to have doubts about the conflicts between what he knew as a scientist and was told to believe as a Mormon, he first went to his church elders for guidance. It is telling that he received no guidance whatsoever and was left to work out his conflicts by himself. Indeed, Mr. Anderson begins his book with a touching story about a relative, Duwayne M. Anderson, as opposed to Duwayne R., who had broken with the church and was written off by his family. Mr. Anderson made contact with his namesake, found the support he needed, and continued his intellectual journey away from the literalist teachings of the church. Unhappily, the relative died before the completion of the book, which Mr. Anderson dedicates to him.
I read Mr. Anderson's chapter, "What Is Science?" That chapter explains in simple, concrete terms how science works. Particularly pertinently today, Mr. Anderson explains the meaning of "theory" in science and concludes that it has a meaning very different from the colloquial meaning, "rough guess." He goes on to explain how theories are always in flux and may be subsumed by other theories; science, unlike Mormonism, "has no sacred principles that cannot be questioned."
I skipped many pages and came to the "Final Thoughts," which I interpreted as a plea to abandon the literalist interpretation of the Mormon scriptures but retain the ethical and spiritual aspects of the culture. The pressures on people who adopt Mr. Anderson's position are, frankly, chilling, and I am not optimistic that his way of thinking will triumph in the near future.
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