Books to help a non mormon understand


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Does anyone know of any books about the lds religion that simplify things. I have read things about the church and I understand it. I just want to find something more that is more elaborate. That actually explains instead of states. I understand the beliefs and know of the things you do and why. I want to know more about the history, the creation of the church and maybe books on comparisons of The lds religion against others. I am agnostic and have been recently introduced to the mormon church. I don't attend but I have to say my curiosity has gotten the better of me.

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There is in every members scriptures a section called "Joseph Smith History" at the end of a book called the Pearl of Great Price . You can find it on LDS.org. It isn't long. But it does give a basic look at Joseph Smith and what led him to start building this church. There is also another bit of his history at the beginning of any copy of the BofM. It gives a quick overview as to how Joseph came to know about the book and how he came to acquire it.

You might then want to try A Marvelous Work and A Wonder, By Legrand Richards. You can get it from Deseret Book online or the store if you live near one. Many members have this book and wouldn't mind lending it to you, I would guess.

If you want more depth than that.....goodness! There are many places to go. But these are a good start and will give you a general overview.

I will also include the Articles of Faith. This is the most basic and complete overview of what we believe.

1 We abelieve in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.

2 We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.

3 We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

4 We believe that the first principles and aordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

5 We believe that a man must be acalled of God, by bprophecy, and by the laying on of chands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.

6 We believe in the same aorganization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.

7 We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.

8 We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated ccorrectly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.

9 We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.

10 We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal gglory.

11 We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own cconscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.

12 We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.

13 We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

Joseph Smith

Edited by Misshalfway
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Does anyone know of any books about the lds religion that simplify things. I have read things about the church and I understand it. I just want to find something more that is more elaborate. That actually explains instead of states. I understand the beliefs and know of the things you do and why. I want to know more about the history, the creation of the church and maybe books on comparisons of The lds religion against others. I am agnostic and have been recently introduced to the mormon church. I don't attend but I have to say my curiosity has gotten the better of me.

Hello humbleone:

That is an interesting nic for a gnostic. Welcome to our forum.

I think it would be interesting for you to find out precisely what drives your "curiosity". Is it the historicity of the church and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon? It is that you are beginning to wonder about the existence of a GOD? Or is it that you have never heard about the LDS church and you just want to know about its history and traditions within the context of American history?

The kind of information you seek can be found in diverse places but also depends on your motivations for seeking it, in the first place. I am sure that you will find just about everything you look for at the church website at lds.org as well as the other resources mentioned above by other posters.

Also, feel free to ask and inquire. There are lots of quite smart and informed people in the forum that I am sure can answer just about any question you may have.

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If you are an avid reader that devours books, there's a series of 9 (I think) "historical fiction" books out there called "The Work and the Glory". It follows a fictional family around as they interact with all the major events of church history from Joseph Smith's early days, to the Saints reaching Utah.

Amazon.com has a bunch of used ones for not too expensive.

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Does anyone know of any books about the lds religion that simplify things. I have read things about the church and I understand it. I just want to find something more that is more elaborate. That actually explains instead of states. I understand the beliefs and know of the things you do and why. I want to know more about the history, the creation of the church and maybe books on comparisons of The lds religion against others. I am agnostic and have been recently introduced to the mormon church. I don't attend but I have to say my curiosity has gotten the better of me.

Hi Humbleone,

which books have you read so far? I would suggest the teachings of Joseph Smith Manual

LDS.org - Melchizedek Priesthood Table of Contents - Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith

it gives a lot of insight of the beginnings oft the church .

best regards

daniel

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Hello humbleone:

That is an interesting nic for a gnostic. Welcome to our forum.

I think it would be interesting for you to find out precisely what drives your "curiosity". Is it the historicity of the church and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon? It is that you are beginning to wonder about the existence of a GOD? Or is it that you have never heard about the LDS church and you just want to know about its history and traditions within the context of American history?

The kind of information you seek can be found in diverse places but also depends on your motivations for seeking it, in the first place. I am sure that you will find just about everything you look for at the church website at lds.org as well as the other resources mentioned above by other posters.

Also, feel free to ask and inquire. There are lots of quite smart and informed people in the forum that I am sure can answer just about any question you may have.

Do you have to be mormon to be humbled?

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Do people not remember this book. It was written for this purpose.

http://www.amazon.com/Our-Search-Happiness-Russell-Ballard/dp/0875799175

You should be able to find a copy pretty cheap (its kind of old now). The book was written for Members to give to there non-members friends to help "Understand" our church. Your LDS friend probably can even get a copy of it at the Ward (Church) library.

Ask around there are plenty of copies to use. Its pretty short (just over a 100 pages) it should help you get a good idea of what and who the LDS church is.

I haven't read Work and the Glory, its not a book about LDS teachings, its more about a fictional character that lived during the rise of the LDS church. So most of the EVENTS happen, but the person telling the story isn’t real. (and its 9 vols so it’s a big series)

I'm not saying don't read this book, what I am saying is there are better books to read about the LDS Church history then that one. The key one now days is

http://deseretbook.com/store/product?sku=3254028

Its also really short, and there should be some members that have it. If you don't find either of these books, then let me know I would be happy to send you a copy!

Edited by tubaloth
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I believe Our Heritage is now part of the 4 required books that LDS missionaries are to own. As is Our Search for Happiness.

You can get it from ldscatalog.com for $2.40 and with free shipping.

You can get OSH used pretty cheap, or it's $8.95 no shipping.

You can get the entire Missionary Reference Library for $12.

"This four-volume set includes Our Search for Happiness by Elder M. Russell Ballard, Jesus the Christ by Elder James E. Talmage, True to the Faith, and Our Heritage."

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Everyone has made good suggestions so far. Allow me to try to combine suggestions and add a little:

Books that explain LDS background

1) Our Search for Happiness (M. Russell Ballard)

2) Truth Restored (Gordon B. Hinckley)

3) Our Heritage (Church Publication)

4) Gospel Principles (Joseph Fielding Smith, this is really, really dry.

Books that compare LDS theology to other religions (be warned, some of these can seem rather aggressive and hostile toward other faiths at times)

1) The Great Apostasy (James E. Talmage)

2) A Marvelous Work and a Wonder (Legrand Richards)

3) The Missionary's Little Book of Answers (I don't know who the author is. I, personally, am not a big fan of this book as I've seen too many missionaries try to bludgeon other religions with it.)

The books I would start with to understand the LDS perspective are

1) Jesus the Christ by James E. Talmage.

2) Articles of Faith by the same author. One of the best books I've ever read was

3) Things of the Soul by Boyd K. Packer. (It's a collection of his talks that he considers to be the best and most profound he's given; in other words, the talks he most enjoyed giving. I didn't see it on Amazon, but the contents of the book are probably on the Church website if you're interested.)

If you're interested in LDS Church history, try

1) History of the Church (6 volumes, but gets kind of dry. I wouldn't try reading them all at once)

2) History of Joseph Smith (Lucy Mack Smith)

3) Work and the Glory (Gerald Lund. I never saw the fascination with these books, but I'll add it to the list because I know how ubiquitous my own opinions are)

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When I was investigating the church I purchase " Complete Idiots Guide to Understanding Mormonism." It was written by a Gospel Doctrine teacher and put everything in really simple terms...I passed it on to my mother after my baptism.

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Do you have to be Mormon to be humbled?

Of course not!

I think you should give Mormonism for Dummies a try. I was reading the reviews when I went to look for it and I want it for myself now haha.

~Jill

This would be the simplest way for someone to easily learn about the LDS Church.

[bTW, did MarginofError actually claim the Work and the Glory as a history book?! :lol::lol::lol:]

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i notice that True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference has not been mentioned. It takes issues alphabetically by topic. You can find it at ldscatalog.com or maybe the missionaries can get a copy for you. It's only $2.00 with free shipping.

This is what the website says about it:

This book is designed as a companion to studying the scriptures and the teachings of latter-day prophets. It contains brief, simple statements on gospel doctrines and principles, arranged alphabetically. It is particularly helpful for youth, young adults, and new converts.

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The Missionary's Little Book of Answers

I have this book! It is "little," and presumes how a conversation goes, but I agree it does give explanations of the Church's beliefs. If I recall, it focused on a living prophet as a seer and revelator, and really emphasized personal revelation.

History of Joseph Smith,

(Lucy Mack Smith)

This is one of my top ten favorite LDS books. However, and this is important, you should purchase the unabridged copy. Brigham Young did not like Lucy's book, and deleted much of it. The unabridged copy included these deleted sections.

I went to Amazon, and found a great review that discusses this, so rather than use up brainpower writing an intro on my own, I'm going to give a link to it. Just scroll down to the reviews, and you can read it.

Work and the Glory (Gerald Lund. I never saw the fascination with these books, but I'll add it to the list because I know how ubiquitous my own opinions are)

Sorry, Margin, but these are the LAST books I would recommend to anyone who wants to learn the history of the Church. They are only faith-promoting historical fiction.

I have a friend who was a new member, and she was very eager to learn more about the Church she had just joined. One of her fellow members recommended the Work and the Glory, which she just loved, and believed it contained the real history of the Church.

When she discovered otherwise, she was pretty upset. It did not affect her testimony, so no foul. But they are the last books I'd recommend to learn the Church's actual history.

Elphaba

Edited by Elphaba
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Does anyone know of any books about the lds religion that simplify things. I have read things about the church and I understand it. I just want to find something more that is more elaborate. That actually explains instead of states. I understand the beliefs and know of the things you do and why. I want to know more about the history, the creation of the church and maybe books on comparisons of The lds religion against others. I am agnostic and have been recently introduced to the mormon church. I don't attend but I have to say my curiosity has gotten the better of me.

I feel as though I am in the same boat as you! I became interested in the church through one of my friends who is Mormon. Have you seen.. I think it was a frontline series on PBS called "The Mormons"? If not you can watch it online and they do a history of the church and what not...but i'm not LDS... so i'm not sure how the church views the series. It definatley was interesting though.

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If you want to learn what we believe and have it explained including scriptoral references there is no beeter book than the Gospel Principles manual. Its the Sunday School manual we use for new member and those wanting to know more about the Church. When we use it in class we teach one chapter a wek, but there's nothing stopping someone from going though it at their own pace. Here is a link to it online and you can also get a hard copy free from any missionary or buy one online from Deseret Book for $4.50 (plus shipping).

Online Version LDS.org - Sunday School Table of Contents____

Deseret Book DeseretBook.com - Gospel Principles

Edited by mnn727
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Hello humbleone:

That is an interesting nic for a gnostic. Welcome to our forum.

Islander: humbleone said he/she is an agnostic, not "a gnostic". LoL, I'm dying! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

HiJolly (who actually knows something about gnostics)

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