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One Nation Under Gods: A History of the Mormon Church
Founded in 1830, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was initially perceived as a movement of polygamous, radical zealots; now in parts of the U.S. it has become synonymous with the establishment. In reevaluating its preoccupation with issues of church and state, Abanes uncovers the political agenda at Mormonism's core: the transformation of the world into a theocratic kingdom under Mormon authority. This illustrated edition has been revised and offers a new postscript by the author.
672 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
21 people are currently reading
440 people want to read
About the author
Richard Abanes
27 books13 followersRichard Abanes is an American playwright, composer, lyricist, author, singer, and actor. He has had a life of diverse accomplishments in each of these fields.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
July 17, 2022
Probably the best LDS history I've read; incorporates all of the earlier high-quality sources (Brodie et al.), is very well-written, etc. The one clear downside is that Abanes is an Evangelical Christian with an axe to grind, so One Nation Under Gods is excessively polemical; someone should have let him know that just dispassionately laying out the facts (the extremely damning facts!) about Joseph Smith and the nineteenth-century LDS church would actually be more convincing. When someone is so clearly anti-LDS, it makes you at least tentatively question if they're being fair to the historical record, etc. (I can say that Abanes, from what I can tell from having read other sources, is actually quite fair).
Apologies in advance to any LDS folks reading this, but I have always been fascinated by the fact that there's a reasonable-sized world religion (16m+ adherents) based on historically falsifiable claims -- even someone as mind-bogglingly idiotic as L. Ron Hubbard was clever enough to avoid this. Obviously, 70-90% of the adherents of any given religion do not deeply understand their own faith, and are essentially swayed by culture and their familial/social environment to assent to a certain set of religious claims, where faith can be maintained as long as the claims aren't too fanciful or easily disproven (i.e., a UFO cult, no matter how popular, would likely not be able to convince 70% of Americans to join). For better or worse, religion/faith is something that most people just don't spend too much time thinking about, and they're happy to be a part of a religious community in a relatively unreflective way, striving (to a lesser or greater extent) to be good within the outlines of the worldview that was handed down to them.
In the context of LDS, I'm mainly curious about the cognitive dissonance that it would take to remain faithful after learning that your religion's founder was a con artist who was clearly, demonstrably, sociopathically wrong about virtually every claim that he made (re: the origin of the Book of Mormon, pre-Columbian American history, the necessity of plural marriage, etc.). Smith's own wife left the LDS church, due to clearly seeing (first-hand) how evil her husband was, and she joined one of many 'Protestant' / Reformed versions of the LDS faith in the nineteenth century -- but this is somehow even more interesting, to me . . . how can you reform a religion if the prophet/founder invented the religion out of whole cloth, and you've repudiated the founder? The human mind is a fascinating thing.
Apologies in advance to any LDS folks reading this, but I have always been fascinated by the fact that there's a reasonable-sized world religion (16m+ adherents) based on historically falsifiable claims -- even someone as mind-bogglingly idiotic as L. Ron Hubbard was clever enough to avoid this. Obviously, 70-90% of the adherents of any given religion do not deeply understand their own faith, and are essentially swayed by culture and their familial/social environment to assent to a certain set of religious claims, where faith can be maintained as long as the claims aren't too fanciful or easily disproven (i.e., a UFO cult, no matter how popular, would likely not be able to convince 70% of Americans to join). For better or worse, religion/faith is something that most people just don't spend too much time thinking about, and they're happy to be a part of a religious community in a relatively unreflective way, striving (to a lesser or greater extent) to be good within the outlines of the worldview that was handed down to them.
In the context of LDS, I'm mainly curious about the cognitive dissonance that it would take to remain faithful after learning that your religion's founder was a con artist who was clearly, demonstrably, sociopathically wrong about virtually every claim that he made (re: the origin of the Book of Mormon, pre-Columbian American history, the necessity of plural marriage, etc.). Smith's own wife left the LDS church, due to clearly seeing (first-hand) how evil her husband was, and she joined one of many 'Protestant' / Reformed versions of the LDS faith in the nineteenth century -- but this is somehow even more interesting, to me . . . how can you reform a religion if the prophet/founder invented the religion out of whole cloth, and you've repudiated the founder? The human mind is a fascinating thing.
December 27, 2008
Having read "The Book of Mormon", I wondered exactly what kind of mind it would take to actually believe the nonsense that Joseph Smith made up. This book tells the truth (and has the footnotes to back it up)regarding the history of the Mormon church and its mind control tactics-and continue to this day. I would defy anyone who is an active member of the Mormon church to really question their elders about why Joseph Smith really blew it when deciphering the Egyptian hyroglyphics contained with the mummy and why NO HISTORY, DNA EVIDENCE THAT AMERICAN INDIANS HAVE ANY HEBREW RELATION, or ARCHEOLOGICAL FINDINGS can come close to verifying that one shred of what is written is even remotely the truth. These elders will either tell the person that they are lacking faith and need to look within themselves for the truth or excommunicate them from the church. I would also defy any professor at BYU to teach any courses that would legitimately challenge these teachings. Proves why of the eight "witnesses" to Smith's translation of the "tablets" that only two were left---and he was related to both of them. Clearly proves that there are only two types of Mormons---the deceivers or the deceived.
August 15, 2011
Coming from an LDS background, I decided to read this book because I wanted to read LDS church history from someone without a LDS church bias (it also had some really good reviews on Amazon). Of course, this book isn't without the authors bias, but it seems to be a lot more accurate and objective than the history taught in our church. This book claims some harsh realities, that are especially hard to accept having been told a completely different version in sunday school. Except for names, dates, and places the facts are very different from the faith promoting stories I have been taught.
I thought this book was a really good read. His style of writing was easy for me to follow, I really liked how well documented it was, and I feel like it gave an excellent overview of the Mormon Church's history.
I thought this book was a really good read. His style of writing was easy for me to follow, I really liked how well documented it was, and I feel like it gave an excellent overview of the Mormon Church's history.
March 11, 2019
Richard Abanes does have some skills as a historian. This is a thoroughly researched book. The endnotes and bibliography take up a full 200 of its more than 600 pages. While none of the controversies of Mormon history on examination here are new, this book does serve as a valuable omnibus. But rest assured, it is not a history. It's an expose, sort of like Going Clear was for Scientology. It's a 5-star expose, but only a 3-star history. And extensive research doesn't equal objective research. Abanes has chosen in every instance to accept the view of the apostates and naysayers. (For the record, I happen to think this side is the better bet. I infinitely prefer this axe-grinding narrative to the official sanitized pabulum of the LDS Church. The bare facts themselves make for damn fascinating reading.)
Whether you are Mormon or not, the first thing you have to understand is that Richard Abanes is an evangelical Christian. I realize this sounds like poisoning the well, but it is useful context in understanding the purpose of this book, a context not given by Abanes himself, who has also authored attacks on Eckhart Tolle, the Harry Potter books, and The Da Vinci Code. It doesn't invalidate most of the claims he makes against Joseph Smith and the LDS Church. As long as the book remains a historical narrative, it's not really relevant. But then, late in the book, you get the chapter "Is Mormonism Christian?" which seeks not only to strip Mormonism of its claims to mainstream respectability it so eagerly covets, but to brand it as a dangerous cult, and it suddenly becomes highly relevant. This chapter alone knocks my rating from 4 stars to 3.
While I rate Abanes' research skills fairly well, he is manifestly unfit as a sociologist of religion and a simply shoddy philosopher. Example: "Rather than asking 'Are Mormons Christian?,' a better question would be 'Are Christians Mormon?' An affirmative answer to the first question certainly would mean an affirmative answer to the second one." Um, no it wouldn't. If Socrates is a man, is a man then Socrates? Abanes never identifies any core principle that defines Christianity, so his Christianity appears to be circularly defined: a true Christian church is one with Christian beliefs, and Christian beliefs are those believed by true Christians.
The ultimate problem is not that this is a warts-and-all history. It's that it's just a warts history. Abanes is exclusively focused on Mormon misdeeds, on the cracks in the saintly facade, and as important as all that is, one is left with some nagging questions, such as how the whole scam managed to last any longer than other apocalyptic cults that sprung like weeds in that era, such as the Millerites and the Shakers. What drew in converts and what sustained them through such hardship as they clearly suffered (and inflicted, to be sure)? In particular, I was puzzled as to how a polygamous society actually worked, since by simple math only the elite crust of males can successfully practice it. These are the kinds of questions that professional historians ask, and seek to answer. They don't occur to Abanes.
But the story remains enthralling, often galling. Yes, there's an agenda here, but the Saints have earned their licks. If they can gird themselves with thicker skin in addition to the armor of the Lord, they're in for a good read.
Whether you are Mormon or not, the first thing you have to understand is that Richard Abanes is an evangelical Christian. I realize this sounds like poisoning the well, but it is useful context in understanding the purpose of this book, a context not given by Abanes himself, who has also authored attacks on Eckhart Tolle, the Harry Potter books, and The Da Vinci Code. It doesn't invalidate most of the claims he makes against Joseph Smith and the LDS Church. As long as the book remains a historical narrative, it's not really relevant. But then, late in the book, you get the chapter "Is Mormonism Christian?" which seeks not only to strip Mormonism of its claims to mainstream respectability it so eagerly covets, but to brand it as a dangerous cult, and it suddenly becomes highly relevant. This chapter alone knocks my rating from 4 stars to 3.
While I rate Abanes' research skills fairly well, he is manifestly unfit as a sociologist of religion and a simply shoddy philosopher. Example: "Rather than asking 'Are Mormons Christian?,' a better question would be 'Are Christians Mormon?' An affirmative answer to the first question certainly would mean an affirmative answer to the second one." Um, no it wouldn't. If Socrates is a man, is a man then Socrates? Abanes never identifies any core principle that defines Christianity, so his Christianity appears to be circularly defined: a true Christian church is one with Christian beliefs, and Christian beliefs are those believed by true Christians.
The ultimate problem is not that this is a warts-and-all history. It's that it's just a warts history. Abanes is exclusively focused on Mormon misdeeds, on the cracks in the saintly facade, and as important as all that is, one is left with some nagging questions, such as how the whole scam managed to last any longer than other apocalyptic cults that sprung like weeds in that era, such as the Millerites and the Shakers. What drew in converts and what sustained them through such hardship as they clearly suffered (and inflicted, to be sure)? In particular, I was puzzled as to how a polygamous society actually worked, since by simple math only the elite crust of males can successfully practice it. These are the kinds of questions that professional historians ask, and seek to answer. They don't occur to Abanes.
But the story remains enthralling, often galling. Yes, there's an agenda here, but the Saints have earned their licks. If they can gird themselves with thicker skin in addition to the armor of the Lord, they're in for a good read.
October 22, 2010
As someone that grew up in an LDS home I can honestly say this was NOT the history I knew. Many things were correct and I read this after becoming Christian and wanting to understand where the differences were. Its an eye opening book. I appreciate all of the research and work that was put into it.
February 5, 2017
This was a fascinating look at the early roots of the Mormon religion. Meticulously footnoted, it remains very readable and in parts quite surprising, especially in explaining the history of Joseph Smith's family, early life, interaction with other faith traditions, and Brigham Youngs reign over early Utah. I highly recommend anyone interested in.the LDS faith read this book.
December 1, 2007
If you are looking for an accurate history of the Mormon church that reads like a novel with plenty of documentation and source material citations to back up the information, this is probably your best choice and the most comprehensive book of its type out there.
October 9, 2023
Starting with the birth of its author, Joseph Smith, up until the numerous conspiracies and cover-ups, this book brings to light the truth of the American-made religion. From its inception as a bloody cult in the hands of a charismatic young charlatan to the many presidents who, until now, have made it their life's work to hide the truth by rewriting history and proclaiming to the world that they are Christians.
This book is a must-read for anyone but specially for those sharing the true gospel of Christ.
This book is a must-read for anyone but specially for those sharing the true gospel of Christ.
August 25, 2024
This was a phenomenal read. Thoroughly researched and footnoted with FIRST HAND accounts. Has like 100+ footnotes per chapter. It is no doubt that the official history taught by the LDS hides and even rewrites what actually happened. Definitely recommend for anyone trying to learn about who the LDS are.
March 18, 2020
Much of what I say will simply echo other reviewers, but here I go anyways.
The first fifteen to sixteen chapters are pretty good, almost five star level - very readable, well-sourced, and informative. I've already put the memoirs of several ex-Mormons mentioned in the book on my to-buy list (and I am hard-pressed to see how Mormons can ignore them, but they do nonetheless, even on this very website).
Where the problem comes in is particularly in the seventeenth chapter, where Abanes reveals his hand rather clumsily: he's an evangelical Christian. His answer to the question, "Are Mormons Christians?" is based on his own somewhat distorted version of what he thinks Christianity is. I come at this problem from an Orthodox Christian perspective, so I see the problem a little differently. By Abanes' rather laughable definitions, Orthodox Christianity would be considered, "not Christian", even though we're widely acknowledged even by secular and Protestant scholars as the oldest "branch" of Christianity. We're in the position to rule him out as a Christian for having different beliefs than the early Church, including a different canon of Scripture and a host of beliefs like Sola Scriptura which came along with the Reformation and post-Reformation era.
I guess I'm frustrated because Abanes no doubt relies on many of the same narratives that Mormons themselves use to justify their beliefs: that the early Church somehow became corrupted, or obscured, or apostatized, or went into captivity, etc., just waiting for God to inspire Martin Luther to "rediscover" the ancient Church and its beliefs. You can just about literally swap Joseph Smith for Martin Luther and the story is basically the same. In other words, Mormons, in my opinion, are certainly not Christians, but they are Protestants, or at a minimum the logical outcome of the Protestant movement (along with Seventh-Day Adventists, Christian Science, the Watchtower Society, etc.). Abanes probably hasn't thought that deeply about the issues at stake, and it grates on my nerves (and apparently those of a lot of reviewers).
Overall, I'm going to keep looking for a better go-to-guide to Mormonism. This one is a little biased when it shouldn't have been.
The first fifteen to sixteen chapters are pretty good, almost five star level - very readable, well-sourced, and informative. I've already put the memoirs of several ex-Mormons mentioned in the book on my to-buy list (and I am hard-pressed to see how Mormons can ignore them, but they do nonetheless, even on this very website).
Where the problem comes in is particularly in the seventeenth chapter, where Abanes reveals his hand rather clumsily: he's an evangelical Christian. His answer to the question, "Are Mormons Christians?" is based on his own somewhat distorted version of what he thinks Christianity is. I come at this problem from an Orthodox Christian perspective, so I see the problem a little differently. By Abanes' rather laughable definitions, Orthodox Christianity would be considered, "not Christian", even though we're widely acknowledged even by secular and Protestant scholars as the oldest "branch" of Christianity. We're in the position to rule him out as a Christian for having different beliefs than the early Church, including a different canon of Scripture and a host of beliefs like Sola Scriptura which came along with the Reformation and post-Reformation era.
I guess I'm frustrated because Abanes no doubt relies on many of the same narratives that Mormons themselves use to justify their beliefs: that the early Church somehow became corrupted, or obscured, or apostatized, or went into captivity, etc., just waiting for God to inspire Martin Luther to "rediscover" the ancient Church and its beliefs. You can just about literally swap Joseph Smith for Martin Luther and the story is basically the same. In other words, Mormons, in my opinion, are certainly not Christians, but they are Protestants, or at a minimum the logical outcome of the Protestant movement (along with Seventh-Day Adventists, Christian Science, the Watchtower Society, etc.). Abanes probably hasn't thought that deeply about the issues at stake, and it grates on my nerves (and apparently those of a lot of reviewers).
Overall, I'm going to keep looking for a better go-to-guide to Mormonism. This one is a little biased when it shouldn't have been.
June 16, 2008
All I can say is, if you are a Mormon, you better be sitting down if you choose to read this. I suggest anyone researching Mormonism to read this after reading Fawn Brodie, Grant Palmer and Todd Compton's books. This book holds no punches. In the end, this book points to the facts do not support the religion. It tells it like it is and its not very graceful as fact over fact is presented. It is however 100% accurate, I could not find anything inaccurate about this book (and that was my focus throughout reading it). Only one chapter has personal views near the end and Richard makes it clear that is the case. But this book goes into facts that Mormons either do not know, or do not talk or think about and could be offensive to a true believing Mormon. This book is well recognized for its articulately and scholarly documentation of sources.
When I contacted Richard Abanes I was shocked that he was not a Mormon and never was because he had a very good understanding of the religion. But Richard is a Christian Minister researcher who despite his one - two knock out, is a very pleasant and nice man. Richard wanted to present his research and the facts about Mormonism and he does that in this book.
I gave it 5 stars because of its ability to cover all the issues of Mormonism in one succinct book, something I have not found elsewhere. Most books focus on one problem of Mormonism and it is easy to dismiss that single issue and ignore the bulk of issues that way, this presents all the Mormon issues in one source. Again, if you are looking for history and to understand Mormonism, read this last, it brings it all together but the reader should have some in depth Mormon research background before tackling this read.
When I contacted Richard Abanes I was shocked that he was not a Mormon and never was because he had a very good understanding of the religion. But Richard is a Christian Minister researcher who despite his one - two knock out, is a very pleasant and nice man. Richard wanted to present his research and the facts about Mormonism and he does that in this book.
I gave it 5 stars because of its ability to cover all the issues of Mormonism in one succinct book, something I have not found elsewhere. Most books focus on one problem of Mormonism and it is easy to dismiss that single issue and ignore the bulk of issues that way, this presents all the Mormon issues in one source. Again, if you are looking for history and to understand Mormonism, read this last, it brings it all together but the reader should have some in depth Mormon research background before tackling this read.
October 11, 2013
I read this a number of years ago t the request of a cousin who thought it might help me better understand his misgivings about Mormonism. Unfortunately, Abanes parades anti-Mormonism under the guise of "unbiased" scholarship. To his credit, Abanes did a thorough job and his bibliography is frankly astounding. The problem is, as I pointed out to my cousin, I could write a book about the world being flat that included a hundred pages of first hand accounts and relevant historical source material to verify and substantiate my claims. A huge bibliography does not truth make. Abanes claims to be writing a book on the history of the church but it's clear he has an axe to grind in the name of his idea of Christianity. What could have been a thorough and insightful portrayal of all aspects of the Latter Day Saints is revealed early on to be nothing more than a heavy volume of anti-Mormon propaganda only minimally more accurate but every bit as sensational as Ed Decker's "the Godmakers."
March 13, 2019
The history of the Mormon church is every bit as fascinating, scandalous, and horrifying as you could imagine. Abanes takes the reader all the way back to the beginning with the shady life of Joseph Smith and his successor, "bloody" Brigham Young. Mormonism is not as squeaky-clean as their media image. The book also touches on a number of the theological distinctives of Mormonism and concludes that it is definitely not Christian.
August 31, 2009
Scary, scary book that people should read to get a good handle on what the Mormon "religion" really is and isn't....Christianity it is NOT!
May 9, 2013
Thorough, incredibly well-cited, and fascinating history and explanation of the Mormon Church. I am impressed with the amount of sources the author was able to reference.
April 11, 2020
Reading a book like this is not productive. The devil's advocate is defined as a person who expresses a contentious opinion in order to provoke debate or test the strength of the opposing arguments. Efforts like this are applauded by the Adversary.
Is his work part of the solution or part of the problem? Look at what has taken place in the religious landscape of the United States in just the past decade.
According to the Pew Research Center "telephone surveys conducted in 2018 and 2019, 65% of American adults describe themselves as Christians when asked about their religion, down 12 percentage points over the past decade. Meanwhile, the religiously unaffiliated share of the population, consisting of people who describe their religious identity as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular,” now stands at 26%, up from 17% in 2009. Both Protestantism and Catholicism are experiencing losses of population share. Currently, 43% of U.S. adults identify with Protestantism, down from 51% in 2009. And one-in-five adults (20%) are Catholic, down from 23% in 2009. Meanwhile, all subsets of the religiously unaffiliated population – a group also known as religious “nones” – have seen their numbers swell. Self-described atheists now account for 4% of U.S. adults, up modestly but significantly from 2% in 2009; agnostics make up 5% of U.S. adults, up from 3% a decade ago; and 17% of Americans now describe their religion as “nothing in particular,” up from 12% in 2009."
According to the Latter Day Saint website, worldwide members grew from 13.5 million to 16.5 million during that same decade. US members as of 12/31/2018 account for roughly 6.7 million. As a percentage of the US population that is still a paltry 2.3%. Atheists nearly double the LDS numbers!
Has contention among Christ-centered religions perhaps influenced souls to join the "nothing in particular" or Godless category? What if Abanes spent as much time and effort on missionary work? Was he part of the solution or part of the problem back in 2002 while Christian based religions were losing ground. Abanes could actually generate a positive message by going on a mission for his church for two years and write about all hearts he changed.
From the New Testament "He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep." John 21:17
Who is Abanes feeding with this work? Is he following even the First and Greatest Commandment?
"My beloved brothers and sisters, I am not certain just what our experience will be on Judgment Day, but I will be very surprised if at some point in that conversation, God does not ask us exactly what Christ asked Peter: “Did you love me?” I think He will want to know if in our very mortal, very inadequate, and sometimes childish grasp of things, did we at least understand one commandment, the first and greatest commandment of them all—“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind.” And if at such a moment we can stammer out, “Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee,” then He may remind us that the crowning characteristic of love is always loyalty.
“If ye love me, keep my commandments,” Jesus said. So we have neighbors to bless, children to protect, the poor to lift up, and the truth to defend. We have wrongs to make right, truths to share, and good to do. In short, we have a life of devoted discipleship to give in demonstrating our love of the Lord. We can’t quit and we can’t go back. The Crucifixion, Atonement, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ mark the beginning of a Christian life, not the end of it. It was this truth, this reality, that allowed a handful of Galilean fishermen-turned-again-Apostles without “a single synagogue or sword” to leave those nets a second time and go on to shape the history of the world in which we now live." Jeffrey R. Holland, LDS General Conference October 2012
We as a Christian body must be united, centered and focused on our love for Him who infinitely atoned for all sin, your, mine and yes even Abanes. Since this review was posted during the COVID pandemic we were unable to attend our Easter services, I extend my prayers for health and prosperity to all. May your home be filled with the Spirit of Christ with all glory to the Father.
Is his work part of the solution or part of the problem? Look at what has taken place in the religious landscape of the United States in just the past decade.
According to the Pew Research Center "telephone surveys conducted in 2018 and 2019, 65% of American adults describe themselves as Christians when asked about their religion, down 12 percentage points over the past decade. Meanwhile, the religiously unaffiliated share of the population, consisting of people who describe their religious identity as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular,” now stands at 26%, up from 17% in 2009. Both Protestantism and Catholicism are experiencing losses of population share. Currently, 43% of U.S. adults identify with Protestantism, down from 51% in 2009. And one-in-five adults (20%) are Catholic, down from 23% in 2009. Meanwhile, all subsets of the religiously unaffiliated population – a group also known as religious “nones” – have seen their numbers swell. Self-described atheists now account for 4% of U.S. adults, up modestly but significantly from 2% in 2009; agnostics make up 5% of U.S. adults, up from 3% a decade ago; and 17% of Americans now describe their religion as “nothing in particular,” up from 12% in 2009."
According to the Latter Day Saint website, worldwide members grew from 13.5 million to 16.5 million during that same decade. US members as of 12/31/2018 account for roughly 6.7 million. As a percentage of the US population that is still a paltry 2.3%. Atheists nearly double the LDS numbers!
Has contention among Christ-centered religions perhaps influenced souls to join the "nothing in particular" or Godless category? What if Abanes spent as much time and effort on missionary work? Was he part of the solution or part of the problem back in 2002 while Christian based religions were losing ground. Abanes could actually generate a positive message by going on a mission for his church for two years and write about all hearts he changed.
From the New Testament "He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep." John 21:17
Who is Abanes feeding with this work? Is he following even the First and Greatest Commandment?
"My beloved brothers and sisters, I am not certain just what our experience will be on Judgment Day, but I will be very surprised if at some point in that conversation, God does not ask us exactly what Christ asked Peter: “Did you love me?” I think He will want to know if in our very mortal, very inadequate, and sometimes childish grasp of things, did we at least understand one commandment, the first and greatest commandment of them all—“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind.” And if at such a moment we can stammer out, “Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee,” then He may remind us that the crowning characteristic of love is always loyalty.
“If ye love me, keep my commandments,” Jesus said. So we have neighbors to bless, children to protect, the poor to lift up, and the truth to defend. We have wrongs to make right, truths to share, and good to do. In short, we have a life of devoted discipleship to give in demonstrating our love of the Lord. We can’t quit and we can’t go back. The Crucifixion, Atonement, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ mark the beginning of a Christian life, not the end of it. It was this truth, this reality, that allowed a handful of Galilean fishermen-turned-again-Apostles without “a single synagogue or sword” to leave those nets a second time and go on to shape the history of the world in which we now live." Jeffrey R. Holland, LDS General Conference October 2012
We as a Christian body must be united, centered and focused on our love for Him who infinitely atoned for all sin, your, mine and yes even Abanes. Since this review was posted during the COVID pandemic we were unable to attend our Easter services, I extend my prayers for health and prosperity to all. May your home be filled with the Spirit of Christ with all glory to the Father.
August 31, 2025
interesting overview but prone to focusing on the actions of select church leaders without providing info on more general church matters, ie the lives of the early converts, missionary practices, lives of plural wives, everyday life in ohio, missouri, illinois, utah — understandable to focus on esp joseph smith and brigham young but bc of this it becomes a history not of the church but of the church’s leaders. also becomes murky after about 1910 and fails to provide comprehensive history of doctrinal updates. this is also where the author somewhat clearly departs to his own mission of proving that mormons are not christians, which, while i don’t necessarily disagree, is not an interesting or exciting or even really a historical argument, and distracts from some really interesting historical commentary that could be made abt the church during this timeframe. it also makes really strong use of a book by bruce r mcconkie to make doctrinal points, which, while i guess this book would technically be mormon canon as it was written by a prophet, most mormons would not have read this book and would be more inclined to agree with whatever is in the church produced manuals or conference talks, and this book is the main source for the “gods” argument, which again, while not untrue, is not a key component of modern day mormon faith. also doesn’t provide a lot of info on interactions with native americans or colonization of the pacific islands, nor a contemporary lens on BYU or other mormon institutions. and chapter 17 isn’t worth reading. maybe i expected too much?
February 27, 2023
Taking on the task of learning about other faiths and cults can be daunting. This book is a deep dive into the world of Mormonism. How they were founded, what they believe, the many controversial items about them and where they are now( c.2002). This book is an excellent general read. Puts the history of their faith into a understanding perspective. As a Christian, it is important to know what others believe so we can share the Gospel with them accurately. Mormons are not Christians. They need to repent and trust in Christ alone as much as anyone else. This is also useful text within our knowledge of American History and how the Mormons impacted many aspects of our nation.
December 20, 2017
This book surprised me, as I was unaware that a book such as this existed. The author makes his arguments with quotes from original LDS sources, which are verifiable. It reads easily, and its content was mostly new to me. I enjoyed this book for its research, its writing, and its content.
March 30, 2019
I appreciated the well researched tone of this book. It was well put together for packing so much together. Would highly recommend to anyone who wants to know more about their Mormon neighbor beyond what you learn from the door to door missionaries.
October 25, 2019
This was a very well researched history of the Mormon Church in its infancy, starting with the Smith family of Vermont. It was quite an eye opener. Some call the Mormon Church a Cult and after reading this book I quite agree.
April 24, 2019
Nice intro
May 4, 2021
An interesting look at the history of the Mormon church. This book focuses a bit more on the history than the theology and I learned heaps!
April 30, 2022
Riveting. This is an absolute page turner from the very beginning and I highly recommend to anyone interested in the origins of the LDS movement. Simply fascinating.
February 8, 2023
~4 Stars~
March 28, 2023
A solid albeit clearly biased account of LDS history.
Want to read
June 16, 2023Highly recommend by Timothy W for a history of the Mormon church
April 24, 2021
This is a frank history of the first 170 years (1830-2000) of the LDS (AKA Mormon) Church, from Joseph Smith to Gordon Hinckley. It is a "warts and all" portrait, including the church history of "plural marriage" (polygamy), the Mark Hoffman forgeries and murders, and the briberies that led to the awarding of the 2002 Winter Olympics hosted by Salt Lake City.
July 4, 2015
I was really hoping for an objective look at the history of the Mormon Church, and this didn't cut it. The book is well researched and includes lots of interesting historical information, but the clear agenda of the author to present Mormons as dangerous, immoral, illogical people is overwhelming and a bit exhausting to sift through.
This wouldn't bother me too much, if it wasn't so clear the author is pro-Christianity, but the argument being made is essentially that reason and logic play no part for Mormons because they accept outlandish claims, without admitting that this could just as easily be said about many Christian claims (or religious claims in general).
To note a few points, the introduction more than implies that Mormons have a secret plan to take over the U.S. government, the author takes statements made by individual Mormons and generalizes them to mean all Mormons agree (even generations later), and, my favorite quote (trying to show that Mormons aren't Christians):
"Rather than asking 'Are Mormons Christian?,' a better question would be 'Are Christians Mormon?' An affirmative answer to the first question certainly would mean an affirmative answer to the second one" (390).
For those of you wondering why that line of reasoning is ridiculous, change the word "Mormon" out for any denomination you like (e.g. Catholic). If you still don't see why that is ridiculous, buy this book. You will really like it.
Much like the example above, I don't necessarily disagree with the author's conclusions, but his reasoning is pretty terrible. This book is worth the read if you have the mental energy to constantly sort opinions and negative connotations from the facts, which are plentiful.
This wouldn't bother me too much, if it wasn't so clear the author is pro-Christianity, but the argument being made is essentially that reason and logic play no part for Mormons because they accept outlandish claims, without admitting that this could just as easily be said about many Christian claims (or religious claims in general).
To note a few points, the introduction more than implies that Mormons have a secret plan to take over the U.S. government, the author takes statements made by individual Mormons and generalizes them to mean all Mormons agree (even generations later), and, my favorite quote (trying to show that Mormons aren't Christians):
"Rather than asking 'Are Mormons Christian?,' a better question would be 'Are Christians Mormon?' An affirmative answer to the first question certainly would mean an affirmative answer to the second one" (390).
For those of you wondering why that line of reasoning is ridiculous, change the word "Mormon" out for any denomination you like (e.g. Catholic). If you still don't see why that is ridiculous, buy this book. You will really like it.
Much like the example above, I don't necessarily disagree with the author's conclusions, but his reasoning is pretty terrible. This book is worth the read if you have the mental energy to constantly sort opinions and negative connotations from the facts, which are plentiful.
November 17, 2014
Yes, it took me months to read this, but that's really because it's so dense and I spent so much time flipping from the general text to the back third of the book, which is all of the citations and footnotes. I'm glad I made it through the entire book, however, as this is a very smart and well-constructed history of the LDS church, beginning with Joseph Smith before his First Vision and all the way up through the early 21st Century. It covers just about everything that you'd like to read, and while there is a slightly-evangelical bent (or, really, at least the perspective is from a Christian who is also a researcher and historian) Abanes presents everything with very well-documented quotes and sources. He uses both LDS material AND outside of the LDS material, which means that the history is much fuller and accurate than anything you would get from a primarily Mormon historian. After all, Mormon Apostle Boyd K. Packer said in 1994, “I have a hard time with historians... because they idolize the truth. The truth is not uplifting; it destroys. Historians should tell only that part of the truth that is inspiring and uplifting.” What Abanes does here is take the truth and the facts and the history of the LDS church that the LDS church would rather not talk about, and makes sure it's all there. I'd recommend One Nation Under Gods to anyone interested in the history of the LDS church from a non-Mormon perspective. If you're looking for a Mormon perspective, you can find the history and documentation on the official LDS websites.
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