Mormonism — Shadow or Reality?

Julkaistu myös lyhennettynä versiona nimellä The Changing World of Mormonism, Moody Press, Chicago, 1981 (kokonaisuudessaan heidän sivuillaan).

Tannerit ovat tutkineet laajalti varhaisen mormonismin historiaa ja saattaneet monia harvinaisia julkaisuja yleisön saataville julkaisemalla halvalla niiden valokopioita. Näin heistä on tullut kirkon "arkkivihollisia."

Tämä isokokoinen kirja on hyvä yhteenveto mormonismin ristiriidoista ja ongelmista. Tannereilla on tosin ikävä tapa painottaa tärkeitä kohtia valokopioissaan alleviivaamalla ja omissa teksteissään lihavoimalla osia turhanpäiten, mutta jos jaksaa kuitenkin lukea materiaalin, on jo voittanut paljon. Voit tilata opuksen sivulta Utah Lighthouse Ministry, jolta löydät myös julkaisuluettelon.

Sisältö

1. A MARVELOUS WORK?
   Miraculous Claims - The Only True Church? - The Best People?
2. CHANGE, CENSORSHIP AND SUPPRESSION
   Changing Doctrines - Rebaptism - Censorship - Changing An Article Of Faith - Key To Theology - Journal of Discourses - Lucy Smith's Book - Book Burning - Suppressing The Records - Dr. Nibley Refused - Apostles' Threats - Mormons Protest Suppression
3. CHANGES IN THE REVELATIONS
   Book Of Commandments - Not For Reproduction - Other Changes - Study Of Changes - Important Changes - Unthinkable?
4. JOSEPH SMITH AND MONEY-DIGGING
   Joseph Smith's 1826 Trial - Importance Of Discovery - A Common Practice - Peep Stones - Book Of Mormon From Stone - Embarrassed Over Stone - Relationship To Book Of Mormon - Working With The Rod - Affidavits And Statements - The Treasure Hunt Revelation
5. THE BOOK OF MORMON
   The Witnesses - Character Of Witnesses - Apostasy - Strang And McLellin - Unreliable Witnesses - Martin Harris - Oliver Cowdery - David Whitmer - Angels And Gold Plates - Too Much Excitement - Harris' Shaker Book - Ancient Or Modern - Fits Smith's Environment - Revivals - Infant Baptism - Church Of Christ - Ministers And Money - Westminster Confession - Masonic Influence - Bible Influence - The Apocrypha - Old Testament - New Testament - List Of Parallels - A Real Dilemma - Alpha And Omega - Origin Of Indians - "Wonders of Nature" - "No Traveller Returns" - Vapor Of Darkness - Not Unique - "An Ignominious Death" - Joseph Smith's Father's Dream - Smith Probably Qualified - Changes In The Book Of Mormon - Lost Book Of Lehi - Making Up Names - Bible Prophecy - Beyond The Book Of Mormon
6. ARCHAEOLOGY AND THE BOOK OF MORMON
   A Pagan People - A Lost Civilization - Mormon Scholars Face The Truth - Nephite Coins And Chariots - Anthon Transcript - "Deformed English" - Bat Creek Stone - Fraudulent Inscriptions - Kinderhook Plates - Falsification Of History - "Childish Forgeries" - Newark Stones - Tree of Life Stone - Lehi, Sariah And Nephi? - Geography - Hill Cumorah - Compared With Bible Archaeology
7. CHANGES IN JOSEPH SMITH'S HISTORY
   Written By Joseph Smith? - New Discoveries - Film Supplies New Evidence - Over 60% After Smith's Death - Rocky Mountain Prophecy - Selected Changes - Conclusion
8. THE FIRST VISION
   Vision Criticized - "Strange" Accounts - An Important Change - Revision Required - First History - Too Many Stories - Doctrinal Change - Source of Confusion - An Evolving Story - No Revival In 1820 - Lane And Stockton - Moving The Revival - A Changing Story - Joseph A Methodist? - Joseph Changed His Mind - Clandestine's Errors - Professor Hill's Speech
9. THE GODHEAD
   From One To Many - The Heavenly Mother - Serious Changes - Removing The Lectures "Inspired" Corrections - Elohim - Hands Or Wings? - A Changeable God - The Holy Ghost - No Real Answers
10. THE ADAM-GOD DOCTRINE
    Falling Upward - "Our Father And Our God" - Confusion And Strife
11. THE PRIESTHOOD
    Added Later - Aaronic Priesthood - Aaronic Priesthood - High Priests - First Presidency - Age Of Ordination
12. THE ARM OF FLESH
    Thinking A Sin? - No Revelation
13. FALSE PROPHETS
    The Canadian Revelation - The Lord's Coming - A Temple In Zion - The Civil War - The Gathering - Joseph's Boys - Other Prophecies
14. THE HEREAFTER
    The Universalists - Joseph Changes His Mind - Mormon Purgatory - Degrees Of Glory - Dissolved And Reorganized Spirits
15. THE MISSIONARY SYSTEM
16. PLURAL MARRIAGE
    Reason For Revelation - Breaking The Law - Contradicts Book of Mormon - Contradicts The Bible - Threatened With Destruction - Wives Before The Revelation - Leaders Puzzled - Sorrows Of Polygamy - Discord In Joseph's Home - Lived With His Wives - Number Of Wives - Taking Other Men's Wives - Polygamy Or Promiscuity? - John C. Bennett - Sarah Pratt Affair - Martha Brotherton - Nancy Rigdon - Strange Marriages - Polygamy And Courtship - Only 2% - One-Wife System Condemned - Adam A Polygamist - God And Christ Polygamists - Essential To Salvation
17. THE MANIFESTO
    After The Manifesto - "Manifesto A Deception" - Polygamy In Utah Today - Taylor's 1886 Revelation - The Dilemma
18. MORMONISM AND TRUTH
    The Mormon Battalion - Making God A Liar - Conclusion
19. JOSEPH SMITH
    A Fighting Prophet - General Smith - "The Greatest Egotist" - Mixing Politics And Revelation - Destruction Of Expositor - Like A Lamb?
20. THE VIRGIN BIRTH
    
21. THE NEGRO IN MORMON THEOLOGY
    Black Skin - PreExistence - Sons Of Cain - Through The Flood - One Drop Disqualifies - Negroes In The Priesthood - Negroes Unhappy - Objections To Doctrine - For Cain's Sins - Negroes And The Gospel - Nigerian Mission - Rooted In Prejudice - Slavery In Utah - Civil Rights - The Genesis Group - Athletes Protest - A Serious Situation - Church Rejects Violence - Appeasement - Dissatisfaction - A Burning Issue - A New Revelation? - Joseph Fielding Smith - An Honest Soution - Conclusion
22. FALL OF THE BOOK OF ABRAHAM
    The Papyri Rediscovered - "Caught Flat Footed" - History Of Papyri - Deciphering Egyptian Spalding's Attack - "Dr. Webb" - Tragic Neglect - Not Out Of Date - A Suspicious Discovery - Other Papyri Suppressed - No Gift To Translate - Nibley Not An Egyptologist - Dr. Nelson? - Source Of Book Of Abraham - Book Of Breathings - Written In Hieratic - Finding The Key - Three Witnesses Against Book - Dr. Nibley Confused - Nibley Reverses His Position -
    Abraham's Signature - A False Translation - Basis For Anti-Black Doctrine - From A Hole In The Papyrus - An Unfinished Work - Complete Confusion - Just A Memory Device'? - "Bushels Of Nonsense" - Facing The Truth - The Facsimiles - Facsimile No. 2 - Falsification Proven - Part A-K - Joseph Smith Responsible - "Cannot Be Revealed" - A Pagan Object - Facsimile No. 1 - Unfamiliar
    Writing? - Not Unique - The Interpretation - Changes In Facsimile - Facsimile No. 3 - Dressed Like Women - A Common Scene - Not Abraham's Drawings - Book Of Joseph - Joseph's Egyptian Alphabet - "Mere Imagination" - Nibley Repudiates Grammar - Master Of All Languages - Possible Sources - Imitation Genesis - Other Sources - The Moment Of Truth - The Browns' Attack - Nibley's New Book - Return To Old Facsimiles
23. OLD TESTAMENT PRACTICES
    Wine And Curses - Animal Sacrifice
24. MORMON SCRIPTURES AND THE BIBLE
    Paine's Influence - Evidence Compared - Dead Sea Scrolls - Isaiah Text - Evidence For New Testament - Papyri Finds - "130,000 Different Readings" - "Inspired Revisions" - Weak Points - Beyond The Text - "Drastically Changed" - Revising The Revisions - Conclusion
25. BLOOD ATONEMENT
    Capital Crimes - Was It Actually Practiced?
26. THE WORD OF WISDOM
    Origin Of Revelation - Joseph's Example - Joseph's Bar - Young's Distillery - Wine And Visions - Hypocrisy
27. THE MORMON KINGDOM
    Council Of Fifty - Joseph Made King - Joseph For President - Brigham Young As King - Church And State One - No Democratic Elections - Moses Thatcher - Attack On America - Decline Of The Kingdom - Conclusion
28. THE DANITES
    Attempted Explanations - Origin Of The Danites - Joseph Smith To Blame - Stealing From The Gentiles - Cutting Throats - "War Of Extermination" - Mormon Crimes - Joseph Surrenders - Trouble In Illinois - Using The Mean Devils - Bill Hickman - Orrin Porter Rockwell
29. TEMPLE WORK
    Baptism For The Dead - Endless Genealogies - Elijah The Prophet - All In Vain? - Temple Marriage - Connected With Polygamy - Sealing In Spite Of Sin - A Secret Ceremony
30. THE TEMPLE CEREMONY - By A Temple Worker
31. CHANGES IN THE TEMPLE CEREMONY
    Bloody Oaths - Oath Of Vengeance - Other Changes - Testimony On Ceremony - Sealing Men To Men - Conclusion
32. THE TEMPLE CEREMONY AND MASONRY
    Joseph Becomes A Mason - Masonry In Temple Ritual - Only One Explanation - Embarrassing Questions - Conclusion
33. THE MOUNTAIN MEADOWS MASSACRE
    The Utah War - The Massacre - After The Massacre - Lee's Excommunication - Trial And Execution - Responsibility For Massacre - Church Opposes Study
34. MORMONISM AND MONEY
    Church Funds For Private Gain - Young Becomes Rich - Joseph F. Smith's Testimony - Over $1.000,000 A Day - Tax Problems - Control Of News Media - No Paid Ministry? - Church Or Business
35. SPECULATION, ILLEGAL BANKING AND COUNTERFEITING
    Speculation - The Kirtland Bank - Disaster - Bankruptcy - Fraudulent Acts - Counterfeiting - Apostles Indicted - "Bogus Brigham" - The Whittlers - Government Records - A Rapid Exodus - Bogus Makers Go West
36. BLOOD FLOWS IN UTAH
    Killing The Thieves - Parrish Murders - Young Indicted For Murder - No Protection In Utah
37. MISCELLANEOUS HISTORY AND DOCTRINE
    Birth Control - Compressed Spirits - Vegetable Spirits - A Year's Supply Of Food - John Whitmer's History
38. FACING REALITY
    Exalts The Pride Of Man - Church Not Lost - Our Own Testimony - Mormonism A Shadow

APPENDIX - Questions About Our Work

1. How Did You Begin This Work?
2. Is Your Work Effective In Reaching Mormons?
3. Is There Any Opposition To Your Work?
4. What Is The Purpose Of Your Work And What Do You Hope To Accomplish?
5. Is It True That You Were Excommunicated From The LDS Church?
6. How Do You Feel About The Mormon People?
7. Is It True That You Have Stolen Films From The Church Historian's Office?