Rather than a review, I've decided on a brief book report on a book that I've started and am not sure I'm going to finish. But I thought a few words were in order, since this book has been part of some discussions on the internet.

The book is One Nation Under Gods by Richard Abanes. It is just another in the ever-growing corpus of anti-Mormon tracts that have appeared over the years.

Upon first glance, the reader is impressed by its sheer size. More than 450 pages of text, nearly 150 pages of notes, plus bibliograpy and index. A lot of work went into this effort. I opened it in the hope that this would be, at last, a new and more challenging effort.

Alas, it was not to be.

Having read only 25 pages or so, it is unfair for me to judge the whole book. I'll just note a few things that caught my attention:

1. Abanes' introduction contains a quote from Orrin Hatch where utters the words about the Constitution "hanging by a thread." Familiar words to most Mormons. This then follows:

The prediction by Mormonism's founder, Joseph Smith, contains what has always been the Mormon American dream -- i.e., the transformation of the U.S. government into a Mormon-ruled theocracy divinely ordained to 'not only direct the political affairs of the Mormon community, but eventually those of the United States and ultimately the world.' This lofty aspiration, which dates back to Mormonism's earliest years, continues to be a dominant element of the faith espoused by Joseph Smith's followers. (xvii-xviii)

Really? Are you all out to take over the world? Is this a "dominant element" of your faith? I've been in and around Mormons for more than a dozen years, and somehow you've managed to hide this from me. I vow from this day forward to be more vigilant.

Seriously, Mr. Abanes, I believe, reveals something here. He really hasn't spent much time among the Mormons. This theme continues, more later.

On page 14, Abanes relates the problems correlating the various versions of the First Vision. Yes, this has been treated many times. Bookcraft published a nice volume on this very subject; BYU Studies (I think) also had a nice article some years ago. No big secret here. Abanes' conclusion? "Although Smith's First Vision is a requisite part of Mormonism's past, historical documents reveal that it probably never happened" (14). Quite a leap, don't you think?

Here's the corker, and here's where I stopped reading. I trust I can cite this without comment, saying only that Abanes clearly, clearly has never read the Book of Mormon, and clearly has no knowledge of Mormonism beyond the flash cards supplied by Sandra Tanner (to whom he gives much credit throughout the book):

Smith's 'second' vision (including the 1827 retrieval of his golden plates) is just as rife with internal and external inconsistencies as is his 'first' vision. For example, in 1842, when the LDS publication 'Times and Seasons', published a version of the second vision, the angel was named 'Nephi' rather than Moroni. Joseph's 1832 account of the 'second' vision does not even identify the angel, but instead, refers to the entity as an 'angel of the Lord' who told him about plates engraved 'by Moroni.' Obviously, if the angel in Smith's room spoke 'about' Moroni, then he certainly could not have 'been' Moroni. (25)

Honest, he really says this. I kid you not.

My advice -- save your money.

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Jeff Needle
jeff.needle@general.com
or
jeffneedle@nethere.com