The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Mormonism (Complete Idiot's Guides (Lifestyle Paperback))

Rating:
Summary: Biased and full of faulty information
Review: I generally assume that "Dummy" and "Idiot" books are written objectively. I would have never imagined, though, that one would be written as an apologetic for a particular religion as this book appears to be. The author, who is a Mormon, does his best to make Mormonism look like just another Christian denomination. (One place he says it's a misnomer to say that Mormons are not Christians. Yet he never explains which "Christian" doctrines that Mormons believe.) This book might be enjoyed by Mormons who think that it supports their faith and possibly could lead the uneducated into inviting Mormon missionaries to their homes. But to those who have studied this religion, it is nothing more than a polemic attempting to make Mormonism look mainstream when, in fact, it isn't.

Rating:
Summary: Well-meaning but superficial
Review: I wanted very much to like this book, knowing that there are surprisingly few books that help readers understand Mormonism in a fair and balanced way. It seems that the majority of things published about Mormonism fall into two categories: books written to discredit the faith and point out its perceived historical and theological inconsistencies, and books written by Latter-day Saints to defend their position and try to convert others to their point of view.

This book falls squarely into the latter category, but even as an apologetic work it is superficial and sometimes shallow. Williams relies heavily on his own experience and tells stories from his own conversion, his family life, etc. This lends a friendly and accessible tone, and he seems a genuinely nice guy, but the personal perspective should have been balanced by solid research. He tends to be doctrinaire about issues that are not, in fact, LDS doctrine. He asserts that tithing should be 10 percent of gross earnings, for example, but there has never been an official position on the gross/net question, despite what some individual church leaders have said about it, and bishops are not permitted to give counsel on the subject in tithing settlements. He also says that "decaffeinated coffee is still coffee," when, again, there has never been an official church position on decaf. You can find church leaders on both sides, and bishops are not supposed to deny temple recommends to a member who has drunk decaf. These are small issues, but they show that Williams tends to oversimplify Mormonism, possibly for the sake of accessibility.

The oversimplifications are particularly egregious in the historical sections; he asserts, for instance, that Missouri governor Boggs's extermination order was "the first time in the history of the Western World that a government-sanctioned order would be given to exterminate a group of people because of their religious affiliation." Would that this were true, and that the world's religious Crusades and pogroms had never happened . . . It's a very American-centered view of history, and claims a uniqueness for Mormon persecution that simply doesn't fit the historical facts.

As a faithful Mormon, I appreciate the fact that Williams wants to present Mormonism in the best possible light for newcomers or those who are curious about the religion. But I didn't think that this book's smug tone and dismissive comments about other faiths painted my religion in the best possible light. It made me a bit embarrassed, actually.

This may be a good introduction for some people with no experience whatsoever of Mormonism. It's mildly entertaining (though not very well-written and riddled with typographical errors throughout). It contains photographs, sidebars and even some fun cartoons. But I'm afraid I can't in good conscience recommend Williams's book. There are better introductions to Mormonism written by Mormons who are more widely read than Williams seems to be, including Johanson's "What is Mormonism All About?"

Rating:
Summary: The author speaks in rebuttal
Review: You know, when the publishers asked me to write this book, I had no idea of the level that the world would accept it, and I really had no idea how to approach such a daunting task. Please remember that it was a book written in the "opinion" of the author--just like any other book. My intent was to deliver a sincere document on how Mormonism operates in the world today. My critics have said some very unpleasant things about this book, and all I can say is that I did my very best. On a positive note, for every one of those nay-saying diatribes posted on Amazon, by the likes of people with such dubious names as "ninja" (and those bible-thumping Born-agains with their myopic, closed-minded soapboxes), there are scores of people who have written to thank me for putting this book together. That's a positive feeling, as I never wrote this book to make money off of it. I did it free (all revenues go to charity). So I hope you will take a shot at reading it--it is informative, and does provide insight into the LDS faith and culture. And as for the typos--that was something the editors should have done a better job at fixing, and it was a disappointment to me. You know, it's kind of sad, really--that in most cases, no matter the positive or good that comes out of efforts put forth in the spirit of trying to do something good--there's usually a pile of people lingering for the opportunity to criticize, speak ill or tear it down. That's human nature, but it doesn't have to be that way.