Becoming Gods

Rating:
Summary: It's About Time
Review: I have read a great number of books dealing with Mormonism, both pro and con. To be honest, it usually sounds like a cat fight between to very large cats (Traditional Christianity vs. Mormonism). Accusations, insults, false assertions, misguided criticisms abound on both sides, and NOTHING is accomplished.

This book by Abanes, I am pleased to say, goes in a different direction. He is clearly and evangelical Christian, but seems to have chosen a path of tolerance and accuracy rather than just seeking to bludgeon another religion. He tries vey hard to not shy away from difficult issues by raising concerns he has about Mormonism, but at the same time, seeks to simply lay out where differneces between Mormonism and his evangelical views exist. It is a very, very fine line he tries to walk in this book, but the job he does is admirable.

The volume is broken down into 10 chapters, covering ten different doctrinal topics, and each is discussed in a way that, was rather enjoyable. The writing style is fast, popular, and engaging. There are four appendices at teh end of the book. One of which is actually written by Dr. Daniel C. Peterson, a Mormon professor of Islamic and Arabic studes at BYU. This has got to say something about what Abanes is trying to do with the book.

I especially like the personal stories that Abanes shares form his own life in order to start off each chapter. He uses these short stories to illustrate his personal interaction with Mormons involving the very issue he is going to discuss in the chpater. Brilliant, and again, very engaging.

Endnotes abound, if that is your cup of tea. They add a whole different dimension to the book for those who want to dig even deeper into the issue of Mormon beliefs.

This is a great book. No need to worry here about whether or not it is just going to be some fundamentalist diatribe against a faith that is held by millions of sincere people. It is critical, to be sure, but in a way that I think has moved us all beyond the name-calling and barbaric bashing of each other that has marked the history of communication between traditional Christians and Mormons.

1. God's Latter-day Prophet; 2. And It Came to Pass; 3. Thus Saith Joseph; 4. One God vs. Many Gods; 5. Heavenly Father Is A Man; 6. Siblings from Eternity Past; 7. After All We Can Do; 8. Ye Are Gods; 9. More Than One Wife; 10. The "Christian" Question.

Rating:
Summary: Good overview on Mormonism
Review: In what appears to be a sequel to his well-researched book "One Nation Under Gods," Richard Abanes provides "a closer look at 21st-century Mormonism." And overall, he is successful, dealing with such issues as Joseph Smith, God, and polygamy. The issue is, how do Mormons think today (or, at least, how are they taught by their LDS Church leaders), and Abanes provides abundant documentation to show that this material is more than just his personal opinion. I found it interesting that he included a short chapter in the appendix by Mormon apologist Dr. Daniel C. Peterson titled "Why I am a Mormon." I am surprised Dr. Peterson would write what amounted to a page and a half (of a 460+-page book) about why Mormonism is, for him, "inexpressibly good." Anybody reading the parts before the appendix would certainly not be convinced by Peterson's limited words dealing with his personal testimony that Mormonism is good, especially given the detail that Abanes provided to show how, no, there are too many issues to say this is a true religion. Perhaps this could have led to a "Mormon and Evangelical in Conversation" type of book, though we've already been there and done that.

Although Mormons may not like Abanes' analysis, there is no arguing with his facts. I think he did a very thorough job reporting the differences, making it very clear what Mormonism teaches and showing "Evangelical Thoughts" (in subtitles) to counter the doctrine(s). My only complaint with the book is that the endnotes are copious--in fact, maybe too copious, taking up a full quarter of the entire book (125+ pages!). Some of the material, I felt, would have been better placed in the regular text. I also wish publishers would get over their apparent fear of scaring readers by feeling they have to use endnotes rather than footnotes. I like to see the information readily at hand, but having them in the back requires a lot of work. Every paragraph seems to have an endnote, and I too often would lose my place, either with the regular text or the endnotes. I just wish it could be placed at the bottom of each page, allowing a reader to either skip them or, if they wanted, look at it and see what else is available. Abanes gets information from a wide variety of sources, and I think these nuggets should not be hidden.

Overall, I recommend Becoming Gods for both the layperson and scholar.