SECRET CEREMONIES

Rating:
Summary: Very interesting, accurate, and depressing.
Review: I think that having had many Mormon friends myself, the doctrines that Deborah talks about in this book are very accurate. She does a wonderful job at catching just what is behind Mormonism. I also noticed that most of the people who spoke against this book were Mormon, or else they seemed extremely ignorant. I'll be honest, I understand that there are great points about Mormons. I'll be the first to point that out to you, but there's also a problem with the temple ceremony. The wedding ceremony is obviousely a very big invasion of privacy. There are some things that just aren't necessary. Yes, this book was depressing, but I don't think there could have been any other way to put it. This book was also accurate, and that's what matters here. Everyone needs privacy, everyone needs a chance to live their life, and when your religion is holding you down too much (which the Bible states clearly is NOT God's intention in any way) then you need to go somewhere else. The fact of the matter is that she's right, we know she's right, and if you can't see that, you need to wake up!

Rating:
Summary: This book caught my atteniton...definately worth reading!
Review: This book was a quick but insightful look at the secret not "sacred" workings behind the veil in the Mormon temples. A must read for all inquiring about this mysterious religion. (Think before you jump)

Rating:
Summary: Up with Laake!!
Review: The common LDS refrain goes "live in this world, but do not be of it." Unfortunately, when naivete and dogmatism combine, most members of the LDS religion fail to see how the hardline stances of its doctarines injure its members -- especially women. As one who grew up in the Mormon culture, I can only attest to the accuracy with which Ms. Laake's book describes Mormon temple ceremonies and odd preoccupation with the sexual behaviors of its members (I think every young LDS male is interviewed by their bishop at least 1,000 times between ages 12-18 about potential masturbation habits). "Crime and Punishment" it ain't, but I would suggest that "Secret Ceremonies" is a very fair look at a culture the majority of middle america gets to see only through the rosy projections of LDS public relations departments in Salt Lake, UT.

Rating:
Summary: Sad and fascinating
Review: This book is an interesting and extremely candid account of the life of a young Mormon woman who learned the same thing that I did, that following religious guidelines does not guarantee you a blissful life, that instead we must find our own peace and our own ways of relating to God. The attacks on this book are of course predictable because this book challenges the blind dictates of the Mormon church. Contrary to the acrimonious reviews, I did not find her to be attacking God, but rather the way His word is interpreted by some extremely narrow minded men.

Rating:
Summary: Mormon Women Not Allowed To Think For Themselves
Review: This book is an autobiography of a woman who was raised in the late 1960's, her three marriages, and her total collapse. She ends up rejecting all of the values that she had been raised with, putting the blame for her poor choices mostly upon the LDS (mormon) church. She gives the details of her first two marriages, which she entered into without feeling in control of her choices. Her third marriage is barely described in a couple of paragraphs. She is pleased to give the sordid details when blaming the church, but isn't willing to share her experiences when, after rejecting the mormon lifestyle, she is supposedly responsible for making her own decisions. This book intrigued me. It tells the story of a woman, who didn't believe that her religion allowed her to make decisions for herself. She describes the despair that she felt in her first two marriages, but I wonder if that despair was due to institutional repression, or caused by her mental illness. As a life-long member of the LDS church, I don't agree with her doctrinal beliefs. Her experience is interesting, but hardly typical. I thought that it should be put into the "Biography" section of the library, instead of on the non-fiction shelf, where I found it.

Rating:
Summary: Sloppy / Sobby / Too many generalizations
Review: Ms. Laake has a similar past to many an author of anti-mormon "uncovered" books. She suffered a divorce, didn't like the outcome, and took revenge on her religion by bad-mouthing it. If you like sob stories and misinformation, this book is for you!

Rating:
Summary: Religously accurate, a little too self aware.
Review: Having lived in Northern Utah for many years, and having numerous mormon friends,(practicing and non-practicing), I found most of her religious facts to be accurate. At times she dwelled on the the church's views of sex a little too often, it non-the-less held my attention to the end. A good read for those who are curious about the Mormon religion

Rating:
Summary: I related to the book
Review: Being an ex-member of the mormon church, I related to Laake's struggles with having an identity outside the walls of Mormondom. The secrect ceremonies, however, seem to only want to sell the book. Conversely, it brilliantly illustrates the isolation, feeling of constantly being watched, and the deciet in the hierarchy of the church. This book was well worth reading-- both theraputic and inspiring. The problem I had with the book was Laake's overwillingness to drone on about her faults. The key to surviving the process of leaving the LDS is strength and conviction. One needs to know why one is leaving, which Laake didn't seem to know.

Rating:
Summary: I think this book is bigotted trash.
Review: First I am not a Saint. There are some truths that are uplifting and other truths that have no usefulness in this life. This book is filled with the latter kind of truths. It's obvious the author had quite an ax to grind against the Latter Day Saints. I am not a bigot. I have many friends who are Mormon. No matter what anybody says they never baptized my dog or cat.

Rating:
Summary: Laake has too many personal demons to bear credible witness.
Review: Much of this book is ironically undermined by the author's own admissions concerning her broken marriage, mental breakdowns and other problems. How can anyone treat someone who admits being under such stress as a credible witness? Candid she is; however,how good is her perception of events which she allowed to so severely and detrimentally effected her mental health? She also relates subjective points of view regarding closed door conversations with, for example, her bishop. This allows her to use these clergy-member encounters as both a sword and a shield. On one hand, she can relate what transpired. On the other hand, the bishop or other full-time cleric may never do so without risking the LDS to lawsuit and violating Ms. Laake's privilege. As a 1986 LDS convert, I was sincerely interested in seeing if the Church had a recent history similar to that described by Ms. Laake. To a person,the answer was the same. The book at best presented a highly subjective interpretation of certain aspects of the LDS Church and a whole lot of stuff that has always been just plain wrong. For example, many have related the exerpts where she describes that married must wear garments and marry a worthy Mormon male to attain the highest station in Heaven. This is interpreted by the author as ist. However, any reasonable interpretation would conclude just the opposite since men have the exact same requirements in this area. The fact is that all LDS must wear special garments after taking their endowments. Endowments are generally taken out by members prior to certain pivotal events such as temple marriage or entry into a full-time mission. However, I personally took my endowments without either of these events pending. I simply did it because I believed that the Holy Spirit was prompting me to get closer to the Lord by making this special commitment. Furthermore, I am male. Also, practicing Mormons, male and female, are strongly encouraged to commit to marriage for eternity and this is a pre-requisite for both males and females in reaching the highest degree of heaven a/k/a "the celestial kingdom". However, those unable to make such a commitment on this earth are not foreclosed from receiving such a union in Heaven and even those who fall short of celestial glory can receive great rewards in the hereafter. Whether one agrees with the theology, I think that one is hard-pressed to reasonably argue that these aspects of Mormonism are ist. As others have observed, Ms. Laake also describes the sacred ceremonies of the Church in unflattering ways. I submit that this is simply religious bigotry and does not deserve refutation. One should not criticize these things anymore than they should make fun of a monk's sandals or a Hasidic Jews' peus or garments. This kind of stuff makes the book, not only poorly researched, but as immoral as any other bigoted literature.