The Mormon Missionaries: An Inside Look at Their Real Message and Methods

Rating:
Summary: Excellent, thorough, inside information
Review: Far from sounding like a rebellious, "jack Mormon" (those who have been disfellowshiped or excommunicated are often cruelly referred to by Mormons), Janis's knowledgeable and compassionate approach puts one in the classroom, so to speak, in an easy to understand, comfortable, point-by-point page-turner on the missionary message. Some of what she says will sound extreme
(Mormons will most certainly find it so, as will their poorly-read and ignorant non-Mormon friends), but they aren't her words, they come directly from the LDS faith, and her footnotes are thorough and backed up by more than one source. The reader may want to keep in mind that the extreme nature doesn't negate the deceptives truths of the faith. Janis goes into the European roots upon which Mormonism is based providing more sources. If one is spiritually thirsty and seeking knowledge about God or considering the Mormon Church, this book will have one turning the pages wide-eyed and finally, rejecting the LDS message just as one would a fairy tale. Ultimately, Janis exposes the folly of the entire faith from the foundation up. I wish the many, many Mormons I know would read this book but they are prevented from reading what is considered "anti-Mormon" literature. As the leadership would say, "The thinking has been done for you." They are lovely people and deserve to know the truth about the faith that hooks them with Christian-sounding terminology for which the LDS meaning of the words is hidden. It is meant to convert and convince until one is in too deeply to pull out. Janis speaks candidly about many of those truths that, even with documentation from reputable sources, the church has sought to suppress from the membership. Those delightful missionaries with their commendable lifestyle are indeed keeping many truths from those they would convert. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Rating:
Summary: Not that Great, But Interesting
Review: Hutchinson's book is one that presents a different approach into the Mormon Church. It is written by a former mormon missionary who now contends that Mormonism is not rooted in 'Biblical' or 'Historical' Christianity. One way that this book differs from other critical works of Mormonism is that this book presents a story about two missionaries who enter Hutchinson's bible college campus and Hutchinson is on a 'mission' to make sure that one of her students does not convert to Mormonism. So, this book differs in that it is a "story" rather than a systematic look at each issue in a formal way (that is not to say she doesn't present the issues systematically).

One of the interesting aspects of this book is that it provides you with a laid out model of the psychology of (some) former mormon missionaries. It provides the reasoning about why they have made the switch. Some of the other interesting aspects is that this book mentions Young's plan to run America (and the world for that matter). Even if Young is taken out of context, at least the quotes provided are thought-provoking, to say the least. Also, this book covers the idea of Masonry and Quetzalcoatl. Many other critical works typically pass over these.

On the other hand, this book has some serious problems. For one, it does not provide any exhaustive account of any of the arguments provided. That is, it does not deal with some of the more in depth apologetic responses that Mormon apologists provide. Another problem is that the style of how she chose to write the book severly limits her to the standard missionary answers. No mormon missionary is going to be able to provide a cogent powerful response to a non-LDS Christian theologian or philosopher (Th.D or Ph.D). Not to be repetative, but this leaves Hutchinson limited to what she can respond to. Discussing theology with a BYU professor is certainly a different type of discussion than having one with an eighteen year old or seventeen year old (I am not saying that age determines the falsity of a view or argument). Though Hutchinson's arguments may be enough to counter mormon missionaries, though I do not doubt there are some who can provide meaningful responses to her, the arguments are just not enough to rip apart the top thinkers out of Brigham Young University. Then again, I am being overly uncharitable. The title is "The Mormon Missionaries," not "The Mormon Philosophers and Theologians."

Concluding point: The book isn't that much money, and it is not absolutely horrible. But if you already own books covering the standard issues or issues I mentioned above in great depth, then you shouldn't bother buying this book. I thought the book was interesting, but it does not compare to some of the critical works of Mormonism. I suppose my reasoning for this is that many of her arguments are not decided soley on the biblical basis, but based her conclusion of the failure of evidences for the truth of mormonism. But I do believe that Hutchinson believes the Bible presents her new found position.

Rating:
Summary: Good Introduction for a "Mormon Investigator"
Review: 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

Rating:
Summary: FOOTNOTES ALONE WORTH THE PRICE OF THE BOOK
Review: I have been a member of the LDS church all of my life and have had several periods of my life where I was inactive. I have done my share of searching, questioning and testing other faiths and I always come back to the church. I know and have worked with many Mormon missonaries, they have no hidden agenda. I find all of the quite willing to discuss alternative ideas and get into lengthy discussions regarding doctrine, contradictions etc. It is true that they are not allowed to read "outside" literature...while they are on their mission, their purpose is to study the scriptures, search and pray not be bogged down with things that would detract from their mission. It is a shame that when members leave the church, for whatever reason, that they feel the need to justify their decision by "bashing" the church. A church that comes under so much scrutiny and criticism makes me wonder about the critics motives. The fastest growing church in the world can't be that wrong! These young men and women who put so much on the line for 2 years are sincere and honest. Be sure to always check both sides of any story. I believe that most of our ex-mormon detractors are that way because the church asks for an exacting committment and standard that in todays corrupt world is a higher price than lazy people want to pay. It is much easier to attack the doctrine.

Rating:
Summary: Was Janis another one of those extremist 'jack mormons' ?
Review: Janis seems to be part of the few youth who are brought up in the church, mom and dad want them to succeed, whether or not the youths want to, and will fund them accordingly. They will send them on a mission or threaten financial disaster for the youth. This is not the way things ought to be, but it happens periodically. When the youth are finally on their own they leave their home and their family's beliefs behind and pursue all manners of ideology while never once researching what they were brought up with, unless guided by someone who is against it in the first place. This is a common psychological goal of the average person who wants to be different from thier parents. Janis seems to fit the mold.
None of my friends who are LDS have been able to confirm half of the crap this guy has filled his prized book with, and we've gone into their books, their prophet's teachings, etc. and found nothing of sort. In fact we found the church to be very level headed and smart, for someone trying to acheive the perfect lifestyle, without ever once demanding any extreme measures. No one is banned from the army, no one is asked to walk a certain number of steps, to pray to a statue, to donate blindly, to take any extreme measures or believe in the extremes our author Janis suggests. Few missionaries make it on the field without visiting a Temple and taking classes in it. Whether or not they are green, they have seen most everything there is to see.

This book is purely aimed at the spiritually thirsty individual who seeks knowledge, and stops them at a source of it.
I could read more entertaining literature which states 'The food you eat is killing you' or 'Excercise: Proven bad for the body'.
Extremist books are fun to read but get old after a while. I wish I hadn't purchased this.

Rating:
Summary: the mormon missionaries an inside look at their real message
Review: This author sounds informed but she is not; her calling mormons a cult has gone out of fashion long ago. I presume she has a phd or some sort of degree and she relishes using her advantage over lesser trained people. She does not like Mormons for what ever reason and it is evident in her book. She lacks tolerance for anybody that may disagree with her. Mormon Missionaries are usually young males between the age of 19 and 25, and they pay their own way for 2 years to help the world find its way. They preach tolerance and love, something this author lacks.
If she were up to date she would know that many antimormons do call mormons a cult any longer, only those who are woefully ignorant still refer to mormons as a cult, this author demostrates her ignoanorance.

Rating:
Summary: the mormon missionaries an inside look at their real message
Review: This author sounds informed but she is not; her calling mormons a cult has gone out of fashion long ago. I presume she has a phd or some sort of degree and she relishes using her advantage over lesser trained people. She does not like Mormons for what ever reason and it is evident in her book. She lacks tolerance for anybody that may disagree with her. Mormon Missionaries are usually young males between the age of 19 and 25, and they pay their own way for 2 years to help the world find its way. They preach tolerance and love, something this author lacks.
If she were up to date she would know that many antimormons do call mormons a cult any longer, only those who are woefully ignorant still refer to mormons as a cult, this author demostrates her ignoanorance.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent insight and revelations about Mormonism
Review: When I looked at this book I didn't know what I would get. Maybe a boring story about missionaries or a book of praise for these clean cut kids. But what a surprise!

The Mormon Missionaries may be the best general study of Mormonism that I have ever read . . . and I have read many Mormon-related books.

The author, an ex-Mormon writer, presents a critique of the Mormon missionaries and of the Mormon `church' in a unique way. Describing a class-room presentation on Mormonism that coincides with a visit by two handsome Mormon elders, Hutchinson logically introduces the reader to the beliefs of this false religion.

Reading this heavily researched and documented work is a pleasure. I got caught up in the drama of whether Susan would get sucked up into Mormonism. But beyond the great story line are fantastic insights and revelations about the origins of the Mormon cult. The best parts being the bizarre history of Joseph Smith, and his contradictory stories, false prophecies, and dreams of grandeur. The only slight weakness was the traditional "sacred canopy" view lecture, which I think has a biblical answer, instead of the secular anthropological presumptions.

Of interest to many will be the politics of the Mormon church. The founders wanted to literally rule this planet. Aren't they sufficiently satisfied that they are going to have thousands or millions of wives and their own planets?! The dangerous anti-American views of the early Mormons are clearly documented.

This text cuts through the clever shiny Mormon propaganda seen on tv and other media. It is a refreshing work, a unique book. The fifty pages of footnotes are a researcher's dream. A valuable tool, a must read for every Christian believer. Fascinating! Highly recommended.



Rating:
Summary: WHY
Review: Why is it that people believe the worst in all things, weather there is truth or not. Then migrate toward the negative, without forethought. It would seem this book was written for those who would seek out adversity, rather than formulate proper research. I never served a mission, and always have regreted that fact. I am the father of a missionary that found it in herself to serve the Lord, where I had failed. I am disapointed that the author implies missionaries are informed not to talk about "the proverbial deeper points of the religious theology." The author would have one believe that they are the worlds greatest authority, but it becomes plain that there wasn't a conviction of what was being taught. Why then serve when there is not food for nurishment? Missionaries are taught that they are in the service of the Lord, and not service for themselves. They are rotated often while serving their mission. This then doesn't always allow them to see the results or fruits of their labors, and helps to keep them from getting puffed up. It is not a form af discipline, but allows them to remain humble and benevelent. I don't believe that the author learned this, and continues an attempt to receive self gratification. I rated this nuetral, as those who are against rate it low, and those who dwell in adversity, rate it highly. It is for the reader to decide what is truth and what is false whitness.