One of The Books

I was given several books lately by a good friend whom she and I think very similar. She handed over these books as a gift from the heart. Thank you very much! I've been reading the material I was given and, WOW, there's so much info here. I started to read one particular book tonight and thought I'd share a little. So here it goes:

Title: A Winter with the Mormons
Edited by: David L. Bigler
Preface by: George Miles
Printer: Tanner Trust Fund
Date: 2001
My rating: *****!! (so far)

I had just finished the preface, and I had to give everyone a taste. If you like what you 'taste' then by all means, buy the book!!! I'm gonna quote just a little bit:

"Goodell's broad critique of Mormon society built upon his contempt for polygamy. His observations of Mormon legal, economic, and political relations continually return to the theme of expedient self-indulgence as the primary engine of Mormon behavior. Whether they are making cowardly deals with "savage" Indians, selling goods at inflated prices to hard-pressed travelers, using the courts to extort money from unfortunate outsiders, or seeking to obtain federal funds for irregular purposes, Goodell's Mormons are undisciplined, selfish, and unprincipled. When confronted with evidence of the sacrifices the pioneers have made to emigrate to Salt Lake or with their willingness to subordinate individual comport to the needs of the larger community, Goodell sees not nobility but craven fear of the Danites, the Church's secret militia.
Goodell's depiction of a corrupt, authoritarian society reflects a broader theme in American popular culture of the ante-bellum years, the fear that powerful conspiracies were undermining American freedom. Critics castigated the Freemasons, Roman Catholics, the slave-power conspiracy, and the abolitionists as secret, self-serving organizations whose ambitions were incompatible with American democracy. In such an era, Mormon social cohesion was seen not as an inspiring expression of community but as a political, economic, and social threat." (A Winter with the Mormons, preface pgs Xll and Xlll)

Did that wet the ole' appetite? Did mine. Now I'm off to read some more of this fantastic book. Go get your own!

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About Me

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Michigan, United States
I spent a lot of time deciding if I should write this blog or not. I'm not a great writer and I'm not going to pretend to be. I need to share what I have learned and I might not make some people happy with what I am saying. This blog is a way for me to release the thoughts and feelings that come with knowing I grew up in the wrong religion. A healing process if you will.

How To Read This Blog

Please start with the month of February 2007 and read backwards. This is the most effective way to understand, in order, why I say what I do.

Handmaidens Creed

1.I believe in God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit as one God without beginning or end.
2.I believe the Bible to be the Holy Inspired word of God with full truth and righteousness. No other writing is.
3.I believe that the work of the Lord comes first. Before any temporal thing or person.
4.I believe that grace is a gift and Christ gives that gift freely to all who believe.
5.I believe that the beauty of a woman is contained inside of her and not by what she looks like on the outside.
6.I believe that marriage is sacred and represents the Godhead on earth; two are one just as three are one.
7.I believe that love is more powerful than any other power. Remember, God is love.
8.I believe that tithing is not a part of God's new covenant, free will offerings are. And that doesn't mean just money.
9.I believe that the Aaronic, Levitical, and Melchizedek priesthoods are abolished and Christs Holy Priesthood whom Christ is the "Great High Priest" is eternal.
10.I believe that every believer is a priest in the "Priesthood of Believers".
11.I believe that when two are one, nobody is to separate the one.
12.I believe that Christ is the only way to heaven.
13.I believe that our bodies are temples, not man made buildings.
14.I believe that liars make fools out of others and the liar hates the fool.
15.I believe that all believers are in authority to preach the gospel.
16.I believe that the word 'organization' to describe Christs body is evil and has no place with God.
17.I believe the Americas are not the land of Zion and Christ will return to His origonal land-Israel in the Middle East.
18.I believe that God has set out correct ways of worshiping Him, not man.
19.I believe in holding to the truths of the Bible and not mans understanding of it.
20.I believe that the world is full of evil and Satan can easily gain control over the minds of those who do not profess Christ of the Bible to be their only Messiah.
21.I believe that Saints are those who know the real Savior, Jesus Christ, of whom the Bible speaks of; not the jesus of a cult.