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I’m new to the forum. As I have recently started to “unplug from the matrix” I’ve had a serious paradigm shift about what I want to be reading as I study. My library as now constituted leans heavily to the “MoDo” and “Mine Errand from the Lord” flavoring of titles. I want to see if I can spice that up a bit and broaden my perspective a bit. Two books I have immensely enjoyed are “This is My Doctrine” (Harrell) and “In Sacred Loneliness” (Compton). Both are by authors who are active LDS but also don’t shy away from the facts. This is also what I also appreciate about RSR and the JS Papers. Anyway, I would like to hear from as many of you as possible – maybe recommend 2-3 books along these lines that you have enjoyed. I’m going to need some serious help – I have a lot of work to do If I’m going to balance out all those copies of “Lion of the Lord” and “Doctrines of Salvation”.
Welcome Lord Byron! I appreciate both your desire to expand your knowledge, and your will to be “fair” in what you read – by studying primarily the work of active church members. I think that is a great way to start. You already mentioned some of the best – RSR is at the top of my list. There are so many good books, I think you are drawn to what you find interesting. What subjects are you most curious about? You mentioned Compton’s ISL, if you want another perspective on polygamy (and the life of Joseph and Emma) there is Mormon Enigma. It was also written by active members but from the perspective of Emma. I think it’s important to remember Emma was not a fan of polygamy, understandably, but the book does portray a view and the emotions of someone who had often been left in the dark on the subject.
Many other books go much more in depth on focused topics. In my personal quest to understand revelation and church leadership a little better I enjoyed Ed Kimball’s “Lengthen Your Stride” where he details the process of receiving the 1978 revelation, and “Conflict in the Quorum” that goes into some of the differences of opinion between BY and Orson Pratt. Also in a related vein I enjoyed “Mormon Scientist”, the personal reflections of Leonard Arrington (2 books) and various writings of Lowell Bennion, Gene England, etc.
LB, I would suggest looking at our “Book and Media Reviews” section. ( http://forum.staylds.com/viewforum.php?f=10 There are 156 posts and threads in it. Not all of them deal with books, but many of them do – and there are some excellent suggestions there.
I know you mentioned LDS authors, but if you want some thought-provoking stuff from non-Mormons about Jesus and Christianity generally, I would suggest:
“Jesus before Christianity” – Albert Nolan
“Jesus through the Centuries” – Jaroslav Pelikan
“Changing of the Gods” – Naomi Goldenberg
They are older works that I read in college years ago, but they were fascinating as I broadened my exposure to how Jesus and Christianity are viewed by different people.
Orson and Ray – these look like great suggestions. “Conflict in the Quorum” should be a treat. Thank you! I’d be especially interested in hearing some top picks from Wayfarer, Brian J., Hawkkgirl, and M&G and any one else who care to share…
One minor correction–Todd Compton is not active. An oldie but a goodie is Great Basin Kingdom by Leonard Arrington. I’m a fan of Origins of Power by Michael Quinn. Saints, Slaves, and Blacks by Newell Bringhurst is good too. I’m also a big fan of Lengthen Your Stride, and the David O. McKay biography by Greg Prince. I find myself referring back to the Sidney Rigdon biography by Richard Van Wagoner too.
Scattering of the Saints by John Hamer and Newell Bringhurst is great for learning about Mormon schismatic groups.
Heretic, Thank you. Great Basin Kingdom sounds very interesting. This kind of list for the uninitated was
exactly what I was hoping for.
As an aside – do you know more of Compton’s back story? I had heard he was an active UCLA
Prof….
If Compton is not active today he was quite active at the time he wrote the book. There is an interview with him on Mormon Stories from several years ago. The book “David O McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism” is a good read for this list as well. Very practical views on the religion, IMO I don’t know a ton about Compton. I attended an MHA meeting in which he and Brian Hales spoke about polygamy, and Compton referred to himself as “no longer a believer”, but he appreciated Brian’s conservative approach to the issue, though they disagreed on some conclusions. I do know that Compton was a student of Hugh Nibley and worked with Hugh pretty extensively as an undergrad. Todd was the respondent for one of Brian’s polygamy papers at Sunstone two weeks ago as well. As for Brian, I really like him–I’ve talked to him at a few meetings, and he is quite friendly (and even sings in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.) Brian just came out with a polygamy book, but I haven’t read it yet. I suspect it’s pretty interesting. He has a website at
http://www.josephsmithspolygamy.com If you want to know about Utah polygamy, I really liked “More Wives than One” by Kathryn Daines. She teaches at BYU.
Heber13 beat me to the recommendation, so I will just +1 that: “David O McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism” by Greg Prince. If you want a book written by an active, faithful and very thoughtful Mormon that knows all the history … that one fits the bill for understanding the modern church. He serves on the HC in the Wash DC Stake. He wrote another earlier book about the restoration of the priesthood. I forget the exact title. I think it might even be a free eBook at this point. I have it on my Kindle. I see Bro. Prince a few times a year at events he hosts about religion in our area. He’s a great guy.
Terryl Givens’ “The Book of Mormon: A Short Introduction”. I would add Leonard Arrington’s “The Mormon Experience”. The story it’s publication alone is insightful. I also keep old traditional books, McKonkie Doctrine, Discources of Brigham Young, etc. They are good validation material for present day reference. Last of all I would add “Why Faith Matters” By David Wolpe. Try reading Mormon America— there are a couple editions — one written back in the 90’s and another one in the first decade of this century — maybe more. Written by two journalists, it gives a very unemotional, factual look at the church, and strips the supernaturalism from the reasons its leaders behave the way they do. They are non-members and try to give a fair treatment of the church. It opened my eyes… Mere Christianity by CS Lewis Simply Jesus by NT Wright
The Forest People by Colin M. Turnbull (It’s anthropology, but the Forest People worship the Forest (nature is their God = animism) It’s a good read about a pygmie group of the Belgian Congo back in the late 6os. Their life is a lot simpler than ours but you realize their belief system is as valid as our and you get envious because of their simplicity.
These are just a few.
Happy book hunting.
This is the thread I remembered and wanted to bump up.
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