Keystone of Mormonism

by Arza Evans

The Keystone of Mormonism is one of the most powerful books ever written exposing the differences between Mormonism and traditional Christianity. It presents excellent reasoning and scientific evidence that The Book Of Mormon ( a major Mormon missionary tool) is not sacred ancient American history, as claimed by Mormons, but a clever nineteenth century fraud.

Genres: Mormonism

332 pages, Hardcover

First published July 23, 2003

Reviews

[Jim Whitefield · Rating 5 out of 5]

As it happens, Arza has become a very good friend of mine and his book took a long time to evolve with decades of study behind it and his coming to terms with the truth which he so eloquently recounts in his work. Highly recommended.

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

LDS apostle Orson Pratt once wrote:

"The nature of The Book of Mormon is such, that if true, no one can possibly be saved and reject it; if false, no one can possibly be saved and receive it. Therefore, every soul in all the world is equally interested in ascertaining its truth or falsity . . . .If after a rigid examination, it be found an imposition, it should be extensively published as such; the evidence and arguments on which the imposture was detected, should be clearly and logically stated, that those who have been sincerely yet unfortunately deceived may perceive the nature of the deception and be reclaimed, and that those who continue to publish the delusion, may be silenced."

This book is Arza Evans's response to Pratt's challenge. I have great respect for all the years and research that went into the writing, and I am so appreciative that Arza, himself, gave me a copy. I wish more people were aware of the information he shares.

[Ariane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not as polished as Michael Quinn's or Todd Compton's but it is highly readable by the average person. Repeated some LDS church historical facts I already knew but a Great many more that I didn't. Didn't always agree with his pro Christian bias but found much of his thinking helped me to see some issues in an entirely new light. 80% of the references come from standard LDS church works and publications, an ironic self condemnation for early leaders. Anyone interested in LDS church history or social pathology would find it worth reading.

[Kaylana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book free thanks to the author Mr. Evans at the Ex-Mormon Foundation Conference in October.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. He mainly focuses on the Book of Mormon since The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints actually does claim that it is the keystone of their religion. But he does go into other details of Church history.

He has some great chapters on the many reasons why the Book of Mormon is not historical and many of the contradictions theologically that it contains as well. He focuses a lot on logic and reason and using one's brain. That I definitely enjoyed. The only trouble I had was his special pleading and confirmation biases to the Bible and Jesus. It was hard to follow what audience he was trying to reach...he even threw out some anti-atheist paragraphs...suggesting that Brigham Young and Joseph Smith could have possibly been atheist and that's why they were so cruel and heartless when it came to control and domination. But then at the end he talks about the many non-believing friends he has...so I was a bit confused. He also had a few editing errors, but I chalk that up to him self-publishing.

He writes that he, in part, wrote it for true-believing family and friends...this definitely had a less objective feel to it. You can really tell he felt duped and horrified by what Joseph Smith and then Brigham Young did...so I can see not many TBM's reading too far into it.

But I liked how concise the information was and that the book was pretty short and sweet overall. He has some good information in there but a lot of personal biases, but he doesn't deny that either. It's a good reference to have in the Mormon history library. Thank you, Mr. Evans, for your book!

[Dawna · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's too bad Mormons are taught to instinctively fear and reject "anti-mormon" literature.

(What is "anti" literature anyway? I could never understand why it was so risky to read a critical viewpoint of something so seemingly untouchable. Shouldn't I decide for myself? Obviously the truth speaks for itself, right?? I remember being distinctly suspicious whenever I was told to read only church-approved and faith-promoting material. Rightly so!)

I've met Arza Evans on a few occasions, he's an intelligent, caring, sincere man. I applaud him for taking the time to write this incredible, well written, heavily researched and thorough book. I've read a few others since, and while most of the books you'll read about Mormonism focus on the historical innacuracies and doctrinal inconsistencies, this one also covers the emotional, social, and psychological side of Mormonism. The history is fascinating, but Mormons don't necessarily care about 'facts', they care about 'feelings'. Arza Evans knows this first hand and addresses the issues in a clear, concise manner. It's highly readable and deeply disturbing. Absolutely excellent.

[Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great overview of many of the historical issues that are ignored or white washed by faithful LDS historians in their histories of the early Mormon Church. Arza includes many stories that perfectly illustrate the events and doctrines that he covers. I highly recommend this book.

[Patrick]

Mormonism is like brain poison. Even reading this book, which seeks to debunk Mormonism, I felt myself getting stupider.

[Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish every Mormon would read this.