SECRET CEREMONIES

Rating:
Summary: Very Honest and Very Informing!
Review: I purchased this book when it was first released. I am a non-Mormon, and I used to live in Utah--in the late 70's and early 80's. I want to start off by saying that I love Utah, and have thought of moving back. I still have very close friends in Utah, that are Mormon and whom I respect very much. But as far as the religion it's self---it definately has cult-like qualities. Examples being: having their own doctrine--The Book of Morman, having missionaries travel from door to door, having secret ceremonies that only "worthy" Mormons may participate in---they learn secret handshakes, receive secret names, watch secret plays, and then have to wear special garments to "protect" themselves. Well, growing up around Mormonism, and seeing the guilt and hypocrisy. The "not feeling worthy". I have done other research on the creators of Mormonism---Joseph Smith, founder, claimed he had visions, from what I understand he was an alcoholic, and his mother was into mysterious type , psychic ritual things. Brigham Young, well known polygamist--loved to indulge menois tois. I wouldn't classify that as being very pure. If one reads the Bible--one will find that the Lord very much discourages these types of behavior. I commend Ms. Laake for her honesty--I am sure that it is very hard to spill your guts about something that was drilled into your head to sacred and true!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Insight Into Mormon Women & Their Role
Review: Ms. Laake's book provided some excellent personal information about women's role in the Mormon church. The secrecy, the required submission of women, men who "lord" over their families, the lack of individual freedom and expression...some very startling, eye opening revelations. I have a Mormon friend and have noticed several of these aspects but couldn't completely relate. This book helped me understand the doctrines and attitudes. Ms. Laake deserves kudos for sharing her very personal story with the world. It is very hard to realize that even in this day and age, there are still people who delegate women to second class citizenship and think God exists in secret handshakes and names. If you must hide it from the world then it has nothing to do with God. A very good read. Kept my attention throughout.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting, but not representative
Review: I found this book to be an interesting story of one woman's life. However it is just that...one woman's life and I do not think that her story is representative of LDS women by any means. Her marriage problems probably had more to do with other problems rather than just her religion. If you're looking for a deep dark expose and don't care about what really goes on, this is the book for you. If you are looking for a more balanced account of LDS life, keep looking.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Insight Into Mormon Women & Their Role
Review: Ms. Laake's book provided some excellent personal information about women's role in the Mormon church. The secrecy, the required submission of women, men who "lord" over their families, the lack of individual freedom and expression...some very startling, eye opening revelations. I have a Mormon friend and have noticed several of these aspects but couldn't completely relate. This book helped me understand the doctrines and attitudes. Ms. Laake deserves kudos for sharing her very personal story with the world. It is very hard to realize that even in this day and age, there are still people who delegate women to second class citizenship and think God exists in secret handshakes and names. If you must hide it from the world then it has nothing to do with God. A very good read. Kept my attention throughout.

Rating:
Summary: Mormon tired of anti-Mormon stupidity
Review: I want everyone who reads this book to be aware that much of what is presented here is not representative of the Mormon Church itself. There are definitely some very bizarre splinter groups that call themselves Mormon (such as the one adherred to by the man who kidnapped Elizabeth Smart), but that is to be expected with all religions. I really wish that people would stop picking on the Mormons just because we're different. Laake had some bad experiences and made some truly odd decisions about what she believed in (such as the idea that her own common sense telling her to stay away from a certain guy was really Satan trying to get her to not love him). None of these are the fault of the church. Laake comes off as sounding like a religious fanatic who is in a state of self-pity and trying to capitalize on it by taking it out on the Mormon church. It should also be noted that the temple ceremonies have changed considerably since the 1970s. Women now make their vows directly to God as opposed to their husbands. Furthermore, Laake was not abused in the church. We do not abuse our followers. We, in fact, put a strong emphasis on personal growth and finding your own relationship with God and the gospel. There is a great deal of beauty and happiness to be found here. I myself am a convert and after exploring literally dozens of religions I have found the most wonderful joy in the world in Mormonism. It was Laake's own fanaticism that caused her pain. I have very little sympathy for her. She could have handled her situation better by just standing up for herself a little bit. In closing let me say that if you are exploring this book as a means to find out about the Mormon faith, PUT IT DOWN RIGHT NOW!!! This is, for all intents and purposes ANTI-MORMON LITERATURE!!! It will tell you nothing factual nor of value about Mormonism.

Rating:
Summary: I'm glad she's found peace now
Review: Clearly, Ms Laake was from a dysfunctional family. And yes, some mormon families are dysfunctional, just like everybody else. She obviously grew up with some distorted and unhappy thinking and attempted to play the blame game. Is the Mormon church responsible for her suicide too? Of course not. Ms Laake had some emotional problems and attempted to blame the church, enjoy the limelight, and make money all at the same time. Anyone who believes she was normal, and that her experiences in the church were normal was duped.

Rating:
Summary: No title, just my opinion
Review: I just received this book last night and already by this morning I was finished. It's that good! A very good depiction of her strict upbringing and struggle to find her voice after so many years of being slient (both by the church and her husbands). The down side of the book were the numerous run-on sentences, which by the time I'd finished them, I couldn't really remember what she was talking about. And, there's some mormon jargon that I didn't get even after she tried to explain it. But, I still finished the last page wanting more. I empathized with her immediately. I think this is a book all young women should read, mormon or not. There is very much a bit of all of us in there! What an eye-opener!

Rating:
Summary: A lot of emotional babble, not much Mormon trivia
Review: Based on other reviews I found on Amazon, my assumptions were that Laake's book would share her educated views of the bizarre rituals practiced -- and carefully hidden -- by the Mormon church. While the first 1/3 of the book does deliver a very few of the curiosities and oppressions of LDS (dated to the 1970s), the remaining 2/3 was quite disappointing to a level thinker. Laake uses Secret Ceremonies as a vehicle to sell her meandering 20-something autobiography of self-pity, self-loathing, self-destruction. I sped through too many pages of Laake blaming her over-emotional behavior and weak relationships on her unenlightened upbringing in the Mormon church. However, the issues more realistically stem from growing up as a spoiled shallow brat. Unless you are into psycho babble and self analysis, skip Secret Ceremonies and search for more thorough, less personal, up-to-date investigatory literature on the cultish LDS environment.

Rating:
Summary: Masonic Mormon rituals
Review: Don't believe the non-mormons who keep saying that the things Deborah goes through in the temple aren't true. I've read a couple other books written by ex-mormons that have finally woken up and they describe the temple ceremonies the same way. The church does constantly change things that go on in the temple (though they claim that it has always been the same) such as now there are no "actors" who act out the "creation" etc but now you watch it on video. And the church doesn't do the chanting in the "Adamic" language anymore. I wouldn't know all the changes though since I'm not a Mormon and never will be! It is the religion of the devil and has nothing to do with our never-changing, merciful, loving God of the Bible.

Rating:
Summary: A self-serving account by a lunatic and suicide
Review: This book was written by a mixed-up woman who had nothing less than four failed relationships with men and blamed her church for the failures. She spent time in a lunatic asylum where she danced with a woman who imaginged herself to be a horse. She was for a long time a darling of the liberal, anti-Mormon set, but eventually killed herself. The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.