From Critic to Convert: A Skeptic Questions His Way to Mormonism.

Rating:
Summary: Faith-promoting yet well-reasoned autobiographical story
Review: I found this book to be very well-organized, reasoned and researched. It is written from the point of view of an initial skeptic who doubts his way to belief. The book takes you through every personal and intellectual struggle the author went through as he spent a year and a half investigating Mormonism before finally converting to the faith. He has many conversations with clergy of different faiths as well as experts on Mormonism from various religious backgrounds and shares those in the book. The book follows chronologically each roadblock he comes to as he studies the LDS and other faiths simultaneously, and how he overcomes each roadblock. He converted at around the age of 26, and this book is apparently written at least a couple decades later. It's a very effective book that draws on many different sources (all documented) which will help anyone better understand LDS practices and beliefs through one man's road to conversion.

Rating:
Summary: Where's the skeptic?
Review: I've written a number of reviews critical of the LDS Church. I'm also the author of "Farewell to Eden: Coming to terms with Mormonism and science." Because of this exposure I'm blessed with frequent email from faithful Mormons, bent on helping me see the error of my ways. A recent Latter-day Saint, upon seeing my reviews, wrote to assure me that there are "thousands" of critics who, yearly, accept Mormonism, presumably because it's the only logical thing to do. He referred me to this book, so I took the suggestion.

My first impression with this book is that the title is wrong. There seems to be an undercurrent of cultural envy among Mormons (members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) regarding secular humanism. On the one hand, Mormonism is firmly established as a superstitious/emotional/spiritual philosophy. On the other hand, the church seems self-conscious over this legacy, desiring to be viewed as more rational and critical than they really are. It seems this dichotomy is largely behind the title of Morgan's book. You'd expect, from Morgan's title, that the book would have at least a token example of actual critical thinking in it.

According to the dictionary, a critic as "one who expresses a reasoned opinion on any matter especially involving a judgment of its value, truth, righteousness, beauty, or technique b: one who engages often professionally in the analysis, evaluation, or appreciation of works of art or artistic performances."

The problem is, Willard Morgan is (and was) no "skeptic." Instead, Morgan's book is a rather transparent attempt to remake the story of an average Mormon convert into something more significant than it really is.

Given the inappropriate title, the most remarkable thing about Morgan's book is the manner in which he fails totally to adequately address (or even mention, in most cases) any of the major intellectual and scientific issues facing Mormonism. Take, for example, the Book of Mormon. Mormons claim that the Book of Mormon was written by and about the ancient Americans, and yet it describes the ancient Americans smelting steel, using domesticated horses, and cultivating Old World crops like wheat and barley. All these claims are patently false. Scientists consider the Book of Mormon's description of ancient American to be fantasy, and yet Morgan claims to be a "critic" while utterly failing to address the fraudulent nature of the Book of Mormon within a scientific context. This seems the antithesis of a "reasoned opinion."

Mormonism's problems with science are legion. Joseph Smith's amusing statements about astronomy and his failed attempts at "translating" Egyptian expose him as one of the more notorious (although highly successful) con men of the 19th century. For Morgan to claim to have been a "skeptic" in his investigation of Mormonism while ignoring most (and failing to adequately deal with any) of these issues leaves his book with an air of desperation. Are there really no skeptical converts to Mormonism? Is Morgan's story - the story of a non-skeptic dressed up as one - the best the church can find? I'm not sure if Willard's book illustrates just how devoid of critical thought Mormonism is (by virtue of the fact that Morgan - a non critic - is touted as a one) or if this book simply represents the low bar for critical and logical thought that's set within the LDS community. My best guess is that it's a little of both.

This isn't a book for intellectuals, but rather a book written by a "believer" for "believers." Morgan wasn't a "skeptic." He was a young man searching for god (a self-described "prayerful agnostic"). His story isn't so much about dealing skeptically with the many real and pressing intellectual problems within Mormonism (especially those relating to science) as it is about someone with a penchant for religion who chooses Mormonism over the religious objections of other preachers and ministers. Skeptics and thinkers will find the arguments either boring or embarrassing for their lack of logical rigor, while the true believers will, no doubt, be swept up in waves of emotional bliss at the thought of their "testimonies" having been certified by one of the world's own "critics."

Rife with appeals to emotionalism, spiritualism, and scriptural arguments that only fellow Bible thumpers could appreciate (or care about), this is strictly a religious book, with (as near as I could tell) nary a drop of skepticism found between the two covers.

Rating:
Summary: An exc. book full of answers for many church investigators.
Review: The author takes you with him as he searches for the correct church. With each new question that he has for the LDS missionaries he learns so much truth that is shared in this book. I learned alot just reading it. There are MANY answers to his questions about the faith that he finds answers right in the bible. A must for anyone who wants to see WHERE to find these answers in the bible. I had trouble putting the book down.

Rating:
Summary: An exc. book full of answers for many church investigators.
Review: The author takes you with him as he searches for the correct church. With each new question that he has for the LDS missionaries he learns so much truth that is shared in this book. I learned alot just reading it. There are MANY answers to his questions about the faith that he finds answers right in the bible. A must for anyone who wants to see WHERE to find these answers in the bible. I had trouble putting the book down.