The Changing World of Mormonism

Rating:
Summary: Some inaccuracies, wrong assumptions, and just plain lies
Review: Both Tanners like to tout their Mormon lineage to add credibility to their "careers". Both earn their living dissing on the Mormon church whether they want to see it that way or not. They like to point out that the church authorities get a living allowance-(apparently they are supposed to travel, etc for free) as the Tanners rake in the cash by themselves, and for themselves. How hypocritical. The Tanners left the church in their teens. Neither served a mission, were ever endowed in the temple, never served in the church. I guess their Mormon "heritage" is supposed to make up for it. The Tanners are proof that jusr because someone is descended from a prophet, that doesn't make them an authority on Mormons. These people THINK they know more about the Mormon church then most Mormons, but they don't. If Sandra & Jerald don't want to be members of the less-than-mainstram LDS church then fine. But isn't it about time they got real jobs?

Rating:
Summary: Perfect for the Anti-mormon
Review: In a world of suspicion, no medium is safe. It seems that the forum for worldwide dissemination of nonsense known as the Internet to sell Books has provided conspiracy buffs with a chance to spread all of their theories and musings to what could be the largest audience in the world today. Hate and fear have always sold and made big bucks. The same can be said of this book. It reminds me of The Nazi propaganda against the Jews. This book is as useful as reading Klu Klux Klan material on Afro-Americans.
Like other Tanner books this is perhaps the most slanted, biased, and down right mean representation of the Mormon church there is. However, most of the stuff is true (although some of the conclusions and interpretations are a stretch).
The Mormon church and its members aren't nearly as "evil" as the Tanners would have you believe. One must note that the Tanners do have a personal grudge and do make a lot of money with their bigotry.
Another note. Most legitiment universities and historians reject their books they sell as inaccurate and highly negative to the extent of being worthless.
A non-Mormon scholar (Lawrence Foster, associate professor of American history at the Georgia Institute of Technology) who has spent many years on intensive work on Mormonism and its history says of the Tanners:
The Tanners have repeatedly assumed a holier-than-thou stance, refusing to be fair in applying the same debate standard of absolute rectitude which they demand of Mormonism to their own actions, writing, and beliefs. . .
The Tanners seem to be playing a skillful shell game in which the premises for judgment are conveniently shifted so that the conclusion is always the same--negative. (Foster 1984, 45-46, 49)

Lawsuit:
Utah Lighthouse Minisrty (Tanners) Found guilty, The judge based most of the copyright case on the vicious libel(LIES) of the Tanners web site. Tanners settled out of court in an effort to hide the judges decission.

The fact that the Tanner's intent was to attack and criticize the copyright owner carried a weight in determining the decision ...

Rating:
Summary: Perfect for the Anti-mormon
Review: The more that I read the Tanner's work, the more I enjoy their easy to understand writing style. The information given in this book is painstakingly researched as to be clearly written on a basis of fact and truth. The Tanners have been very careful to specify facts and documentation. I appreciate their work and know the involvement that it requires to go beyond and seek the truth. I was born into the mormon church and involved for over 30 years. I understand what is behind the negative responses designed to discredit the author, however I have READ this book and checked many of the questionable references, and they did an excellent job in keeping to documented facts. I think that the Tanner's write for the purpose of simply sharing facts in truth, as to give the investigator a balance of information. If one simply uses information supplied currently by the LDS, it is edited and revised and changed as to be faithbuilding to its members, without reguard to the writings and teachings and history of the past. This history and its past leaders are the foundation upon which the Mormon church stands and I feel they are embarassed by it. To top it off just read some of the reviews from LDS members towards those who simply share the truth backed with facts about the beginnings of this religion. In this book I think the Tanners have done a great service to all in carefully tackling this difficult subject. The Bible played a major part in my conversion from Mormonism to freedom. I feel as if a great weight has been lifted and I am now free to truly worship the Lord anywhere, anytime, and am no longer bound to one specific building. I am no longer bound by all the man made rules, regulations, doctrines, commandments, word of wisdom, articles of faith, covenants, promises, endowments, priesthood, etc. of the Mormon religion. I have given my life to the Lord and am living my life in his will and not my own. My life is in his hands and not my own. I have been set free in Jesus! This I know cause the Word tells me so... This book, "The Changing World of Mormonism," is accurate, informative, well documented, and very useful. I would recommend that anyone read the information in this book. It is an eye opener and a must for any library.

Rating:
Summary: what you don't see in the commercials
Review: This book is helpful for the non-Mormon to understand how Mormonism came into being and has stayed a major part of our American culture. Having lived amoung the Mormons, I got to experience first-hand many of the things that the Tanners mention in the book. Notably, the style of revisionist history that one finds throughout the Mormon dominated culture of Utah is truly astounding, and is partially explained by this book. Its detail and attention to the original documents that form the bedrock of Mormon culture help explain the slightly skewed explanations that surround the foundation of a society. The Tanners' work is thorough and authoratative. Although its not an easy read, it certainly does explain much of what one sees when the hard questions are not answered adequately by the nice missionaries that knock at the door.