Rating: 
Summary: Just Another Face In The Crowd
Review: ... With that said, I leave you with this real review of this book. It's a mere collage of misplaced ideas and unfully researched thoughts. It total...it's just another face in the crowd of (bluntly put) wrong books. If you want the real scoop, go to the source...just as you would for a newspaper article. Unless of course, you work for a Tabloid, and we ALL know how reliable those can be...
Rating: 
Summary: An Unconvincing Work
Review: An interesting read, however, if I could sum up this work in a word, that word would have to be "unconvincing." Each chapter picks and pulls various scriptural references from the Bible and stretches them to the limits of the imagination. Read, research, and you'll see! At the same time, we are left without reference to whole passages in the Bible that tend to refute the author's claims. This produces what I considered to be a very serious credibility gap that only intensifies as one reads on. The grand finale is in the finish, at which point the reader is directed to a chart which says essentially this: If the LDS faith is correct and "traditional" Christianity is wrong, the faithful Mormon will enter the Celestial Kingdom and the rest will inherit a lessor degree of glory in a different type of heaven. Not a terrible thought. But it goes on to say if the LDS faith is wrong and "traditional" Christianity correct, Mormons will burn in hell for not exercising the proper faith in Christ. Wow. That's harsh, and not a little one-sided. What I found most troublesome was that this conflicts with what the author states earlier, which is that one need only confess a belief and faith in Christ (not works) to be saved in heaven. Because all Mormons do this (every Sunday, at least) wouldn't they then, under the author's stated rule, all go to heaven? This is just one example of the ubiquitous serious credibility problems I found while reading this book. The author could have possibly built a much more professional product by holding back on some of the obvious animosity and other emotions held in regard to the LDS faith.
Rating:
Summary: Contemplation for Condemnation
Review: Any so-called authorized source condemning any religion is simply hogwash, no matter what one's religion is...even the Latter-day Saints teach their children that. Obviously the authors were lacking in this type of civil home-training. This book is crap, plain and simple, a waste of money; unless you want to use the pages as bird cage liners. The authors should go back running a McDonald's instead of condemning other people's religion...I only rate this one star as negative or zero stars are not available....
Rating: 
Summary: Lifelong member of LDS church praises book for accuracy
Review: As a lifelong member of the LDS church, graduated from BYU, served an honorable mission, former Elder's Quorum President etc. etc. I can tell you that this book is accurate, thoughtful, and very readable. It is also commendable that this book doea not have the shrill tone of some other books that illustrate the LDS church for what it is. The book very convincingly makes two important points: 1) The Mormon church is not based on the early Christian church seen in the New Tesrtament, nor based on any reasonable interpretation of the Bible. LDS teachings about the great apostasy, baptism for the dead, temples, the Godhead, pre-existence, etc. (all justified by Mormon missionaries by reference to scriptures in the Bible) are based on very spurious and blatantly incorrect assumptions made by the LDS church in understanding those scriptures. I don't know if Mormon theologians are ignorant or dishonest (probably just wishful thinkers), but Biblical support for Mormon positions on many doctrines are simply wrong. There are non-LDS anthropologists and sociologists who argue convincingly that Mormonism is a new religious tradition, based on Christianity but different enough from it to characterize it as something else. Sort of like how Christianity was based on Judiasm but different enough from it to be something else. I don't know why the present leaders of the Mormon church find this so unpalatable, as Joseph Smith and Brigham Young (especially Brigham Young) and other early leaders had little difficulty in making these non-Christian differences known. Mormonism may have many good points, but it is NOT a Christian church. I find it deceitful that current Mormon leaders in their quest for converts try to hide this or lie about it. 2) As amazing as it seems, today's Mormonism isn't even based on 19th century Mormonism including the Book of Mormon (which itself has changed subtley through time). Because Mormons don't have any official theologians (even church presidents) Mormon doctrine, beliefs, and practices can and do change over time. When the 1978 revelation on blacks getting the priesthood, or current repudiation of the Adam-God doctine, or the practice then non-practice of polygamy, or changes in the temple endowment directly contradict very plain statements and teachings of earlier LDS leaders and the Book of Mormon, Mormons (like Gordon Hinckley on 60 Minutes and Larry King) just shrug it off "oh, that was a long time ago" and Oaks admonition not to call church leaders on these contradictions. (In fact, during my time at BYU there was a private letter circulated that was from Bruce McConkie to a BYU faculty member who was making noise about how the church's denial of Brigham Young teaching the Adam-God doctine was a lie. McConkie admitted in this letter that of course the current church leaders knew Young taught this, but he was wrong so the faculty member should forget about it, and that the church's dishonest denials were made for the benefit of church members who didn't need to trouble themselves over this as they had more important things to worry about. McConkie then told the faculty member to watch it, as McConkie would sit in judgement of him at the last day (as all churhc leaders of this "dispensation" would) and he should not do anything to place his eternal fate in jeapordy vis a vis McConkie's opinion of him.) So, Mormonism is not based on the Bible, nor is it really based on Mormonism. It can change in any way a current church president and apostles want it to change regardless of any earlier doctrinal stand, including those in Mormon scripture. it changes, and then says that it never changes, and re-writes history to line up with current beliefs. If you want to really understand Mormonism, read Orwell's "1984." The Mormon church is Ingsoc. Fortunately for the world, it has little political power and is not likely ever to get it, otherwise, we would see the Ministries of Peace, Plenty, and Truth being built next to the Salt Lake (and other) temples. Now, having said all that, if a person wants to be a member of the Mormon church, go ahead. Just know what it is. What other American church can get 60,000 19-25 year old boys nad girls from all over the world to spend up to two years knocking on doors and teaching discussions to anyone who will listen? In spite of Mormonism's problems and weaknesses, that it can do this and other things (like get 10% of many members income, do home teaching even if the numbers are never 100%, and get 12-16 year old boys to put on white shirts and ties for three hours of church) makes me think that they are doing something right.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent and Accurate Resource
Review: As a Lutheran pastor who has studied the Latter Day Saints (Mormon) Church off and on for over twenty years, and who has worked with Christians who are curious about their teachings for almost as long, I highly recommend this book. It is both accessible to the lay person just beginning to explore as well as a helpful resource to pastors and teachers. The layout of the book is very "user-friendly" and highlights six key concepts of LDS teaching, comparing them with historic Christianity. Each examination is done with an even-handed approach, avoiding the rancor, sarcasm, or disrespect to which many such publications often fall. There are many first source (LDS) works cited and that, combined with an extensive foot-notation and bibliography make this a scholarly as well as readable book. There are plenty of other works that treat this subject in greater depth, but in my opinion, no work that I have found does a better job of layout the essential differences between biblical Christian and Latter Day Saint theology and practice. Our congregation will soon be holding a class on Mormonism, and this book will be my recommendation as the textbook. Buy it now and read it. Better yet, read it with a LDS friend or family member who is truly committed to finding the truth.
Rating:
Summary: Mormonism 201: THE accurate version
Review: Here is a sample of Mormonism 201 that explains the real motivations behind McKeever and Johnson's book: When students enroll in a class called "101" they expect a comprehensive and sympathetic introduction to the subject at hand. For example, if you signed up for a university course called Astronomy 101, you'd expect an introduction to the principles of astronomy, including how the study of astronomy has improved our lives. You'd be shocked if your professor taught that astronomy was wrong, and that, say, astrology was a better way to understand the physical universe. It is a sign of the fundamental flaws in Mormonism 1011 that it does exactly that-presents itself as a religious primer when it is polemics; a more honest title would have been Anti-Mormonism 101. Almost as big a flaw in Mormonism 101 is that it contributes absolutely nothing new to the body of anti-Mormonism-there is nothing in the book that hasn't been written about elsewhere (and usually better). It is simply another example of modern-day simony-attacking the Restored Gospel for money. Thus the purpose of Mormonism 201 is to counter the false claims of Mormonism 101 and, we hope, also present the reader with a real version of what Mormonism 101 should have been, not the "wolf in sheep's clothing" that it is in fact. The reason the authors, Bill McKeever and Eric Johnson, fail to contribute anything new of any significance isn't just because little of what they write is original and can be found in many other similar works (although there's certainly that); rather, it's because they insist on basing their arguments on their own preconceived assumptions, rather than trying to show how the Restored Gospel ("Mormonism") supposedly has inconsistencies or failures based on its assumptions. Put another way, you cannot show that an idea is wrong simply because it does not logically follow from your own assumptions-this merely shows that there is disagreement between your views and the other person's idea. Rather, you have to show how the other idea's conclusions are wrong based on neutral assumptions, or show that the assumptions upon which the other ideas are based are wrong. One may well ask what's wrong with the approach taken by McKeever and Johnson. After all, they are not LDS, but are trying to attack LDS beliefs, so why should they be expected to buy into our assumptions? The reason is that even if you don't accept an opponent's assumptions, you have to at least understand them and deal with them or you'll discredit yourself with neutral inquirers, and possibly even with your target audience, which in the case of Mormonism 101 is "Biblicists" who try to "witness" to Latter-day Saints. This is because, as will be shown time and again in this review, what McKeever and Johnson are actually criticizing are caricatures of the teachings of the Restored Gospel-teachings that they interpret on the basis of their own assumptions, rather than on ours. When the truth is examined, rather than caricatures or straw man arguments,2 works like Mormonism 101 lose their credibility. A polemical book that tries to ridicule the Restored Gospel-which is what Mormonism 101 is at heart-cannot afford to provide balanced arguments or it risks confusing the rather narrow world view of its intended audience of anti-Mormon "witnessers."3 Mormonism 101's failings can be summarized in terms of two very common errors, and the reader is encouraged to be on the lookout for them in each of the individual chapter reviews: The first error is what I call "preaching to the choir." Metaphorically speaking, if you think that a mirror is a window, your view of the "world" will be what you yourself already perceive, and you will be unable to see other points of view. Your logic will be circular, your thinking will merely confirm your preconceived notions, and your arguments will make sense only to those who already share your preconceived ideas. An example of this first type of error is if a person speaks only English, and reads the word gift, and then assumes that the English word is the only possible meaning; they could be making a grave error. For example, in German the word actually means poison! Of course this is a trivial example, but this type of error is made in Mormonism 101 time and time again with respect to both simple and obvious concepts, as well as regards more complex and subtle philosophical arguments-as readers will see. Avoid this book, but if you must read it, don't forget to accompany it with the responce from the FAIR organization.
Rating:
Summary: Thorough, Accurate & Up to date
Review: I have read many books about the LDS Church, and found most to be re-hash of old quotes and references from dead LDS leaders. This book was refreshing since it mostly quotes from LDS leaders over the past 10 years. I was LDS for 23 years, and I can say without reservation that this book accurately represents LDS teachings and beliefs. I was also a temple Mormon, and the section on the LDS temple is accurate and informative, without being hard to read or boring. They discuss the most important Christian doctrines with clear support for their non-denominational position from the Bible, and compare them with what the LDS Church believes about those same teachings. Overall, the book is an excellent information source for Christians, and a valuable read for any LDS member. I highly recommend it for Mormons and Christians alike.
Rating:
Summary: Could have been worse
Review: I must admit this book was better than some others of its kind. The authors, to their credit, use fairly recent sources most of the time, and they avoid much of the sensationalism that other LDS critics use all too frequently. And, again avoiding sensationalism, their description of what goes on in so-called secret temple ceremonies is reasonably accurate and respectful. All that said, the book still fails. Rather than studying Mormonism with any attempt to be objective, the authors obviously started the book with their minds made up about how it was wrong, then tried to find the quotes and "evidence" to support their beliefs. Many of the people they quoted as speaking for the church either don't have that authority or were giving their own opinions, not inspired doctrines. And still others were quoted out of context, the portions of their talks used to make the point the author wanted to make. In an effort to show that Mormons believe in the supreme necessity of works, they ignored much of what has been written or said by Mormons about grace, for example. The fact is that if I wanted to pick and choose from quotes the same way that these authors did, I could just as easily have the leaders of almost any Christian denominiation in the United States sound like heretics just as well. If you want to read one of the better anti-Mormon books, this is the one to read. But if you really want to know what Mormons believe, read a book written by one of them. Or else read "How Wide the Divide" (also available at Amazon), which was co-written by a BYU professor and a Baptist theologian.
Rating:
Summary: Falling on Deaf Ears
Review: I've read some of the reviews here that continually blast this work. It's sad because most of these bad reviews are from Mormons who disagree with the authors for fear that the authors may be correct. The authors were extremely fair in presenting their well-documented evidence; unfortunately the evidence conflicts with Mormon beliefs, ergo reviews of cynicism followed. Those few Mormons who can read this book and not have the automatic reflex of dismissing it as "anti-Mormon" might actually glean some relevant information about the LDS Church. I've studied the LDS Church and each time I come across a work by non-LDS authors dealing with the LDS Church, the Mormons seemingly always display an "us verses them" mentality (the reviews here are case-in-point). This work provides great information and should be read by all interested in or a member of the LDS Church. Hopefully one day, books that speak fairly of the Mormon Church will not fall on the deaf ears of its members.
Rating:
Summary: Valuable Resource
Review: In Mormonism 101 McKeever and Johnson handle thorny doctrinal concepts with authority and no apologies. They have obviously done thorough research. The quotes, in addition to the 6 page bibliography, show the authors have used LDS source documents nearly exclusively. The information found in the book is up-to-date, some quoted statements of LDS authorities dated in the year 2000. Accurately representing teachings of LDS prophets, Apostles and Seventies (as well as others) McKeever and Johnson have put it all together in a very readable form. If there is any fault to be found with the book it may be in the title which, in my opinion, would be more accurate as Mormonism 101-401. The book is much more than an introduction to Mormonism. I believe this book will be a valuable resource for anyone interested in sorting through the divergant views of Mormonism as portrayed by the LDS Church and its critics.
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