Rating: 
Summary: A Good History
Review: An excellent book which was well researched. I was most surprised by the early history of J. Smith which carefully described his homelife and back ground in the eastern United States. Most telling were the tales told by the neighbors of the Smith family. The story behing the story is always the most interesting part of any tale. I will look at B. Young with a new appreciation for the meaning of theocracy. The American taliban was alive and well during the reign of Mr. Young. Separation of church and state is a founding principle of this country. This work easily points out the evil that can ge done in the name of any "true" faith. Abanes provides the information and lets the reader come to their own conclusion.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Unbiased...but Fair
Review: As I've read through the reviews of this book several things have stood out. First, people either love it or hate it. Unfortunately, their opinion of the book seems, with a few exceptions, to be more in line with their world view than the merits of the book.Depending on the reviewer's personal history the book is either labeled as biased or unbiased. The truth is that the book is biased. But, that means nothing. Every piece of literature is biased because of either its agenda or the author's world view. There is both a clear agenda and world view in this book. If there had not been an agenda there would be no purpose for the book. Abanes is cleary trying to uncover what he perceives to be a previously supressed history of the LDS Church. In doing this he also makes no attempt to hide his Evangelical Christian world view. Since all historians and journalists are biased to one degree or another and since a bias does not preclude truth the question then becomes...Is this book fair, honest and true? I submit that it is. There are times when Abanes editorializes and when there are undocumented statements, but never is the tone condecending nor can the book be considered as anything less than meticulously documented (1791 endnotes covering 141 pages). Abanes is a journalist not a historian and as such the book sometimes lacks depth. Since the text already is 467 pages it is appropriate. Further, he makes no claim that ONE NATION UNDER GODS is exhaustive and often refers the reader to sources of additional information. The journalistic style makes the book a good easy read and easily accessable to both the highly educated and the lesser educated. It does indeed read as a novel. One, often cited criticism is that there is nothing new in ONE NATION UNDER GODS. Again this is both true and untrue. Abanes does heavily rely on previous research, which is appropriate for this journalistic document. But, he does not site just secondary documents. Many sitations are given for primary sources most of which come from LDS scriptures, documents and archives. What is new about this book is not the research but the presentation. The book is an excellent, concise and thorough overview of LDS history, which includes simple explainations of LDS theology and how that varies from orthodox Christian theology. In short ONE NATION UNDER GODS is an excellent book. But, just a starting point. It is an overview. If indepth study is wanted the Recommended Resources and 1791 endnotes will provide plenty to dig your teeth into.
Rating:
Summary: Four and a half stars, really.....
Review: Excellent history of the Mormon Church up to the turn of the century or so. I especially admire the author's meticulous documentation of his sources (the endnotes comprise approximately 25% or so of the pages in the volume), and his willingness to expose the lies and deceptions that the LDS Church has foisted both on its members and on the Gentiles. However, once the author gets to recent history of the Church, his conservative Christian agenda gets in the way of his writing, and this section (about the last quarter or so of the text) is much less interesting (unless, perhaps, you are an Evangelical looking for debating points with which to crush Mormon missionaries; I am neither Mormon nor Christian, and the ongoing struggle between the two churches as to which is the "real" Christian religion does not interest me in the least).
Rating: 
Summary: Not Biased?
Review: This book is filled with half-truths and malphorisms (meaning the opposite of a euphemism). If anyone would actually like to learn about the Mormon Church from a non-biased point of view, I'd look for a different book. Perhaps the articles in US News and World Report or Time. Those are some good, non-biased articles and this is nothing like those.
Rating: 
Summary: not unbiased by any means
Review: [Disclaimer: I am not Mormon, Fundamentalist Christian, or a historian -- or any other of the categories of people who have strong feelings about this book.] Anyone who says this book is an unbiased look at the Mormon Church is either kidding themselves or not reading carefully. I don't doubt that most of what is presented in the book is historically true (there are certainly lots of end notes to back things up), but the issue is what ISN'T presented in the book. I don't think there is a single fact or opinion stated in this book that presents the Mormon Church in a positive light. Even on what would otherwise be a "neutral fact", the author's choice of words subtly (or not-so-subtly) shades the impact. I suspect there are at least a COUPLE of Mormons out there who sincerely believe in their faith, and who are not secretly plotting the overthrow of the US Government while juggling their 5 or 6 polygamous wives. All of that said, this is a fairly interesting history book. You just need to keep reminding yourself as you read it that it is presenting only one side of the topic. Every religion has a skeleton or two in its closet that it would prefer to move past. Any religion can be made to look foolish to a non-believer; there's a reason a synonym for "religion" is "faith."
Rating:
Summary: Even lots of footnotes don't hide bigotry and dishonesty.
Review: I was very impressed by the deep research by Richard Abanes; he certainly knows his stuff. However, while I favor objectivity, I don't necessarily object to a person taking a hardline "pro" or "anti" Mormon stance. But I do object to bigotry and dishonesty (either by Pro or anti-Mormons). For instance, after his accurate recounting of the Paul Dunn affair, he concludes (I'm paraphrasing): While Packer was dicsciplined for telling the truth about Dunn, Dunn was "free to continue spreading his lies." The facts are that Dunn was free to continue public speaking, but he hadn't told those war or baseball stories in over 20 years. It was old (although disheartening) news by the time the story broke; but in any case, Dunn did NOT continue spreading those lies as Abanes implies. Many more examples could be cited.
His definition of a "true" Christian is equally narrow, ruling out almost all but evangelicals, who share his specific tenents (Greek Orthodox, for instance, by his definition, would probably not be called Christians). In short, same old stuff, same old half-truths, and condmenation by innuendo, but with a lot more footnotes to make it look scholarly, even though it really adds nothing new to the discussion.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible!
Review: I can see how members of LDS would decry this book as utterly false ~ it shows very clearly the rotten foundation that the 'church' is based on. I'm so glad that I read this book, as well as "The Mormon Murders" (which I also highly recommend), as both books helped me personally not to become a Mormon. Any investigator into the church should read this before joining.
Rating:
Summary: A straight forward, non-LDS account of Mormon History
Review: Richard Abanes has done a wonderful job of being non-biased while presenting the past of the Mormon church. He starts with the life and times of Joseph Smith, the church's founder and works up to present day. This book is so well documented (around 200 pages of endnotes and documentation alone, most of which comes directly from LDS sources) that no rational thinking person can deny the validity or historical accuracy of Mr. Abanes' work. This book is certainly not anti-Mormon, it simply brings to light all of the unpleasantries that Mormon's wished had never happened. Abanes is quick to point out any and every time that the Mormons were actually persecuted, and any time that they have actually been correct or done something good for our society. Abanes very rarely gives his opinion, and he always gives the facts to allow the reader decide. In addition to the almost endless supply of documention, Abanes has also provided us with helpful copies of LDS documents and various other items important to the text. There are people reviewing this book how are obviously Mormon and were obviously offended by it simply because it's not approved by the LDS. And it is true enough that almost all religions have skeletons in their closets, and for this reason, Abanes makes no attempt at saying that simply because the Mormons are no different means that they must be a false religion. Some reviewers seem to be missing that this is an historical account of the Mormon church, not an attack on the Mormon church. However, Abanes covers cover-ups and conspiracies as well in his book which helps the reader understand why Mormons would immediately attack this work instead of taking it for what is was meant to be. I recommend this book to any intellectually honest Mormon who is seeking the truth instead of just what the LDS forces them to believe and to anyone who wishes to better understand the development of the world's wealthiest religion.
Rating: 
Summary: Exposé
Review: The book contains lots of interesting information. In my opinion, the author demonstrated his limited understanding of human nature. The author would do well to broaden his horizons by investigating and writing an expose on the origins of Christianity and then re-write "One Nation Under Gods." I was disappointed that the author ended the book without a chapter containing a summary and conclusions.
Rating:
Summary: An Author You Can Trust
Review: I'm not a Mormon. I'm not a Christian. Heck, I'm not even all that religious. And even I can see this is a great book, contrary to what a number of Mormons on this site are posting. I read with amusement, and a tinge of irritation, all of these 1-star negative ranting and raving reviews by Mormons upset with Abanes for providing to the public such a thorough history that most definitely shows some of the more embarrassing aspects of the LDS church history. Their ire is understandable, but smacks of censorship. One Nation Under Gods is far from being anti-anything, agenda-driven, or lacking facts (this is a partcularly absurd criticism since Abanes provides nearly 2,000 endnots, most from primary sources). The book is a solid piece of research, based on material from dozens of historical sources, and written in a user-friendly manner consistent with modern journalism. Whatever Abanes may be religiously, Christian I think, it doesn't matter as long as his work is reliable. And from what I see here -- it is. The photos are especially fascinating. And Abanes' way of following through the story in strict chronological sequence really helps people get a handle on LDS history. It's sad to see such patently false reviews against this book being posted by biased zealots who apparently will defend their church at all costs. This book is a necessary contribution to most libraries, as Library Journal so rightly notes in its review. High points -- graphics, flow of story, documentation, explanation of LDS beliefs, presentation of little known facts, airtight logic, relatively few biblical references (only when necessary). Links Mormon past with contemporary Mormonism by way of the long-standing Mormon prophecy that the LDS church will one day rescue America from ruin. Truly a frightening thought.
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