SECRET CEREMONIES

Rating:
Summary: "Hollow moan of dogma" comes from author, not religion
Review: Although not a Mormon, I am nevertheless quite educated as to their beliefs and practices, having been born and raised in Utah. This book is the most pitiful and vain attempt at sensationalism I've ever encountered. In her vengeful and venemous attacks on the church, the author exposes her blatantly prejudiced and intolerant personality. The LDS church does not condone abuse or some of the other things the author went through. Unfortunately, at times an individual may make a mistake and it will taint the organization as a whole. This does not mean the organization is at fault. Besides objectivity being nonexistant and facts at times miconstrued, the author's attempt to take out her lack of being breastfed as a baby (or whatever her problem is) taints her own self more than the church she wishes to injure. If you are looking for factual information about the Mormon church, do not read this crap

Rating:
Summary: The author misses the point of the Temple Ceremony
Review: First, I'm not LDS. Deborah does go into detail about the Temple ceremonies, but unfortunately, she misses the point. The rituals have spiritual meaning that must be contemplated during and after the ceremony. Whoever prepared her for what should have been an important moment in her life failed to do so. She simply missed the allegory that the rituals teach. I also find that she is angry at someone or some thing, but I'm not sure that the Church is to blame. She was raised in it, and I don't understand why everything seems to be such a surprise. Her leaders are human and are capable of making mistakes, too. I find it difficult to trust someone's opinions who apparently took oaths not to reveal things and then turns around and reveals them in a demeaning manor. I have a hunch that she had lots of other baggage to deal with in her life, and somehow the Church seemed to be the scapegoat. As to the undergarments: Catholic priests, nuns, and brothers have worn outer garments..

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: This book fails to deliver on its promise of revealing shocking truths about the Church of Latter Day Saints. While I did learn a few things, there was only one tidbit of information I was surprised by. Women, after married, must wear special garments against their skin. It does make me pay more attention to the women in the Church's commercials. The author may have found writing the book to be a cathartic experience but I found it tedious.

Rating:
Summary: A Sob Story
Review: If you are the sort that likes to throw away money, then this book is for you. It is nothing more than the story of one woman who lives a life of self-destruction and then turns around and blames her family, friends, and Church for her self-perpetuated troubles. The author should stick to what she does best, working as a journalist for the newspaper industry

Rating:
Summary: More than Mormon secrets: a woman's trials to become herself
Review: Secret Ceremonies delivers the fascinating details of the Mormon faith that are promised in the book's publicity, but this book is much more than just a study of religious rituals. It offers up, in intimate detail, the pain, pleasures and lessons of Deborah Laake's life and marriages. This book will fascinate any woman who has struggled with the societal expectation that we will all marry and live happily ever after.

Rating:
Summary: Worth your time...
Review: "Secret Ceremonies" is an interesting, if flawed book. Its strongest
point is - no surprise - the way it peels back the curtain of secrecy
surrounding the LDS Church. Yes, it's true that the info dates back
to the 70's and many aspects of the rituals have changed, but the
general outline is still the same. It's also worth noting that
Deborah Laake was lost to suicide a few years after this book came
out, and it's just plain sad that this book didn't provide the
catharsis she seemed to need, and may have made matters worse. Still,
it's a courageous book and I respect Laake for what she did. I just
wish the religious and feminist themes had been better developed (this
is not the best book out there on the subject of how patriarchal
religions disempower women). Most of this book is nothing more or
less then Laake's personal memoirs, but it's still a good read and I
have no trouble recommending it.

Rating:
Summary: Absolute trash
Review: This lady made some very serious mistakes in her life and wants to blame it on the Church. What she describes in this book is her own miserable life, and her own messed up marriages, along with personal practices that have nothing whatsoever to do with Church teachings.

This book is one of the clearest examples of the truth behind so many ex-Mormons leaving the Church. For the most part it is their own fault and they cannot live with teachings that would discourage them from their own human weaknesses.

This woman's experiences are of her own doing due to the bad decisions she had made. It took her nine months to figure out her marriage was bad. I would think it would have been obvious to her that these were not normal Church practices. In this case the Church is her scapegoat. Isn't it odd that with some people it is always someone else's fault?

Rating:
Summary: Innacurate Picture of the Mormon religion
Review: I have several close friends who are Mormon and know a lot about the religion. I feel this book is more of a description of a person who made bad choices in her life and blamed her religious upbringing rather than taking responsibility for her own actions.

Rating:
Summary: My mormon co-workers hated that I was reading this book!!
Review: I read this book while living in Utah and working at a very mormon hospital in Utah. My co-workers were interested in finding out just exactly what "secrets" had the author revealed. When I would tell them, my co-workers eyes would get very big and say quietly, "I can't believe she's disclosing the church's very private matters". Which confirmed what Ms. Laake was writing about was infact, true!! As a non-mormon, who was raise in Utah, I was a minority and was treated as such. I couldn't escape fast enough. While I lived there and would have missonaries constantly knocking on my door, I would use this book as my self defense when questioned why I wouldn't convert to mormonizism.

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.