Jews and Mormons: 2 Houses of Israel

by Frank J. Johnson, William J. Leffler

A retired rabbi and a retired Mormon high priest engage in an interfaith dialog, exploring the special relationship between the two faiths based on the Church of Latter-day Saints' view of itself as a branch of the biblical house of Israel as well as sources of friction. Includes a glossary of religious terms, but lacks an index and references. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction

243 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the first chapter quite engrossing because there was so much that I did not understand about the Jewish religion. The rest of the book was interesting also, but much of that felt like elaboration.

Chapter 1: The Basis and Background of Judaism

"The word Torah does not mean "law" as it is often translated, but rather "teach" or "instruction" and is akin to the Hebrew word for teacher." (Page 2)

"As the reader will see in Mr. Johnson's chapters, he frequently presents a dichotomy of right or wrong, true or false. Mormonism tends to view the world in this fashion. There are few gray areas ; very little ambivalence. It is an either / or approach to life questions and situations. In sharp contrast, Judaism's approach is both / and. We tend to see nuances, options, alternatives in many of life's challenges." (Page 3)

The Pharisees, genuine innovators in Judaism who were, unfortunately and inaccurately maligned in the pages of the New Testament, develop this method of biblical interpretation sometime in the first century before the birth of Jesus. The New Testament uses it freely, quoting the Hebrew Bible to support points it wishes to make. In modern times this is known as the proof-texting methodologies; that is one cites a proof-text in the Bible to establish an idea. Both Judaism and Christianity continue to use this method, each in its own way, to support their scripturally based beliefs ... (Page 11)

Chapter 4: The Purpose of Mormonism

"... our Heavenly Father, whom we refer to as Elohim, the plural form of the singular noun 'eloah in the Hebrew Bible, where it is used 2,570 times as compared to 57 times for the singular." (Page 74)

Chapter 5: Jewish Life

"The purpose of Judaism, ... is to sanctify life. ... he is expected to say a hundred blessings a day, thanking God for everything he experiences, from the moment he awakens in the morning until he falls asleep at night." (Page 84-85)

Chapter 9: Areas of Misunderstanding and Discussion

"There is even a passage in the Midrash in which the sages tell God that he no longer has a vote in interpreting the Torah," (Page 180) Wow! God gets kicked out? Wow! I am at a loss for words to express my feelings with any degree of politeness.

[Bethany · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh I wanted to learn so much from this book, but after 5 months of it lying half-read, I realized it was really over my head. Very theological. I could've maybe given it a brief skim and gotten a little more information, but I would say this book is geared toward the scholar, not a casual religion student.

[Jake · Rating 1 out of 5]

just couldn't get into this. Having every other chapter written by a Rabbi and a High Priest seemed like a good idea, but both we're tough to read. Regardless, the insight into Judaism was insightful for me.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as informative as I thought it would be but still a good read.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was trying to read this, but lost my momentum cause it was pretty blah. I got half way through though. I did learn a few things about Jews and even me, a Mormon.

[John Morey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very good introduction book by two authors, one Jewish and the other Mormon. I picked this up at the library and took some good notes from it.