Mormon America - Revised and Updated Edition: The Power ... (ISBN 0061432954)

Amazon.com Review:
Mormon America: The Power and The Promise by Richard N. Ostling and Joan K. Ostling, grew out of a 1997 Time magazine cover story called "Mormon's Inc." One of the reporters on that story, Richard Ostling, became so fascinated by Mormonism that he set out to write "a candid but non-polemical" overview of the Church, beginning with its founding by Joseph Smith Jr. in 1830 and continuing to the present day. The resulting book is a marvel of clarity, organization, and analysis. For statistical reasons alone, the Mormon Church demands a reader's attention: in just 170 years, the Church has grown from six members to more than 10 million; if current rates of growth continue, membership could hit 265 million by 2080, which would make it the most important world religion to emerge since the rise of Islam. Mormon America clarifies the reasons for the religion's rapid growth: "It was from the beginning optimistic and upbeat, a reaction against the establishment New England Calvinism.... It was a religious version of the American dream: Everyman presented with unlimited potential." The book also investigates the Mormons' immense wealth (relative to size, this is "America's richest church, with an estimated $30 billion in assets and something like $6 billion in annual income, mostly from members' tithes.") It anatomizes the minutiae of Church governance (Mormonism is ruled by a self-perpetuating, all-male hierarchy, headed by a "President, Prophet, Seer, and Revelator"), details the many rules that govern the Mormon lifestyle (famously, they avoid caffeine and alcohol; the Church's mandates extend even to the proper technique for "dispos(ing) of worn-out holy underwear"), and summarizes the Mormon scriptures. Mormon America is a compulsively readable book, not only for its insightful analysis and wealth of factual information, but also, and most importantly, because it respects its subject rigorously. "This is a real faith," the Ostlings write, "and must be understood in those terms, without caricature." --Michael Joseph Gross

Good Introduction to the Mormon Church.:
Richard and Joan Ostling's _Mormon America: The Power and the Promise_ features a rather sensational cover blurb, "The True Story Behind Their Beliefs, Rituals, Business Practices, and Well Guarded Secrets." But the book itself maintains an objective, balanced viewpoint of its subject. _Mormon America_ by no means tries to portray Mormonism as a valid, revealed truth. The book also does not condemn everything Mormons believe and everything Mormons do. So basically, this is a good resource for actually learning about the Mormon religion and how they figure into America's vast religious landscape. The book gives some history of the early Mormon Church, but refrains from extensive detail about Joseph Smith or Brigham Young's leadership of the early LDS, but it provides a good introduction nevertheless. Essentially everything that distinguishes Mormonism from other churches is covered and is given a chapter of its own. These include tithing and massive business and real estate incomes as a source of funding for the LDS church, missionary efforts, temple rituals, plural marriage (discontinued by church President Kimball's 1890 Manifesto), the former prohibition against anybody of African descent from entering the Mormon priesthood (based on the premise that Africans are blood descendents of Cain), extensive historical archives and genealogy records, and storing food and supplies in case of some kind of natural disaster. Some particularly interesting chapters in _Mormon America_ discuss some idiosyncratic aspects of Mormon theology and doctrine vis a vis Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant Christianity. Some aspects of Mormon theology differ fundamentally from Christian theology. These include temple proxy-Baptisms for the dead so that souls of deceased persons from the past couple thousand years can have the option of embracing Joseph Smith's teachings in the afterlife, God as a perfected man with "flesh and bones," God has a wife in heaven whereby he produces spiritual offspring, "celestial marriage" whereby devout Mormons married in a temple ceremony can be married through eternity begetting their own offspring. Mormons consider themselves to be the only true Christian church, while other Churches are uncertain as to whether or not Mormons can be considered Christians. The LDS has fundamentally different views of God and the Bible, in addition to newer "revelations" such as the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price, which are not accepted by any other Christian group. The book spends some time discussing polygamy, which was practiced from Joseph Smith's time as leader of the Church through 1890 when it was prohibited. There very little attention paid to polygamist offshoots of the mainline LDS church that still exist today. Overall, _Mormon America_ is a great book if one wants to understand Mormonism and its history. Probably the most interesting chapter was on the sects of Mormonism that began while Joseph Smith was still alive, and continued among his followers after his death. Some of Smith's relatives and early associates went on to get involved in Mormon offshoot churches that broke away from the mainstream LDS Church headed by Brigham Young, such as the RLDS or Community of Christ and the Temple Lot Church. I was very surprised to learn that Joseph Smith's early LDS Church spawned more branches than any other church or religious movement originating on American soil.

Venturing into the Latter-Day Sanctum:
Richard and Joan Ostling's exploration of Mormonism is accessible,engaging,and worthwhile reading for anyone considering the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints or simpy curious about its beliefs. They begin with its origins in 19th century upstate New York,at first focusing on the charismatic founder,Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith is shown to have been a theologically innovative (or heretical) man with great strengths and tragic weaknesses to match them. Smith was a born leader. The Book of Mormon,Pearl of Great Price,and Doctrine & Covenants reveal him to be theologically imaginative,from his speculation about Heavenly Father living on Kolob to ancient Israelites coming to the Americas. However,Smith's promiscuity,veiled under the name "celestial marriage",led to his downfall. Ostlings go further,discussing the thorny issues of polygamy,race,and the nature of God.These are topics the door-to-door missionaries won't cover with newbies. "Mormon America" is a fascinating read. It takes you into the temple precincts,and into a thoroughly American religion. It is very relevant now,considering Mitt Romney's run for the presidency.The book remains as fresh and relevant as ever.

There's More Reading to Do:
The book is authored from the perspective of the `non-believer' in a kind of journalistic style. There is value in a perspective unaffected by personal and internal considerations, and the writer is able to offer some criticism that could not come unfettered from a Church member's pen. That said, describing a faith without a faith-based appreciation instills its own unavoidable bias, and that bias is apparent in the book - some veiled agenda such as is perhaps ever-present in `investigative journalism.' Further, an interpretation of the LDS Church with the presumption of humanistic origins is akin to describing the ocean minus the water. You're not going to get it right. Religion is about the divine. Subtract that, and whatever you have left is something other than religion. So, while the book makes a contribution, it falls far short of its 'full truth'claims. If a reader hopes to know something closer to the full story about "Mormonism," they have some more reading to do.

GUIDEBOOK TO AN AMERICAN FAITH:
Most books on religions focus on one aspect, like theology or history. Mormon America stands out by discussing nearly every aspect of this religion. Chapters are written on Mormon celebrities, business practices, polygamy, interfaith relations and Joseph Smith, just to name a few. I found those on church and missionary practices to be especially interesting. One could call this work a guidebook to the Mormon faith. The authors try to be fair, but much written here is far from flattering to the saints. Joseph Smith's sexual behavior by itself discredits the man and smears the religion. Mormonism's racist history and frequent doctrinal changes undermine claims to legitimacy. Finally, what about the secret practices? Defenders say the faithful wish only to have a little privacy, and avoid ridicule. But does this hold up? Pentecostals and other Christians are ridiculed all the time, but see no need to hide practices from the outside world. Secrecy only makes others believe you have something to hide and are doing something subversive. Mormons seem not to understand this.

Even handed treatment:
Mormons often claim that anything that is written by non-Mormons is "anti-Mormon." This book is a fair and even handed view of Mormonism by non-Mormons. The Ostlings are well known religious journalists, who deal on a daily basis with a variety of different religions. There are parts of this book which Mormons will definitely disagree with. In discussing Mormon charity for causes outside of Mormonism, the Ostlings compared the Mormon Church to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA). They had a similar number of reported members in 1997. At that time, the ELCA had $152 Million in assets which was primarily the pension fund for the employees. This is compared to the assets of the Mormon Church of somewhere between $70 and $100 Billion. In 1997 the ELCA raised $11.8 Million for humanitarian aid and $3.64 Million for disaster relief for a total of 15.44 Million in cash donations for charity. Self ported by the Mormon staff at the Church Office Building, in the 14 year period from 1984 - 1997 the Mormon Church reported cash donations to non-Mormon charity at $30.7 Million, or an average of 2.19 Million per year. This translates to ELCA donating a little over 10% of its holdings in 1997 and the Mormon Church donating approximately .2% of its holdings. While Mormons feel they are giving and doing more than any other group, the numbers just don't support the claim. As a former Mormon, I felt the authors bent over backwards at times to try to present the facts in the most positive light possible. Also as a former Mormon, I have researched independently much of the information presented here. This would not be my first choice as a recommendation for a Mormon or a former Mormon. It is an excellent choice for anyone wanting to know about the inner workings of the Mormon Church.