This is perhaps the most slanted, biased, and down right
mean representation of the Mormon church there is. However, most of the
stuff is true (although some of the conclusions and interpretations are a stretch). A more appropriate title for this book would be “Mormonism:
Here are the Shadows”. Your average, active Mormon does not know about
many (if any) of the things that are contained in this book even though
they happen to be true for the most part. This probably isn’t the first
book you want an active member to read to find out their church isn’t “true”.
Most will probably throw it quickly into a fire thinking that Satan himself
must have written it. The authors really need to be fairer in their presentation of the church in a book with a title like "Shadow or Reality". They also should take a critical look at their own religion with the same amount of diligence they give to Mormonism. This book, although informative, ends on a far more sour note than it begins--with some Christian testimonials (even though they disregard Mormon testimonials). The last few chapters left a bad taste in my mouth. The Mormon church and its members aren’t nearly as “evil” as the Tanners would have you believe. However, this book is worth the price for someone who isn't already intimately familiar with the con-Mormon arguments. The book is also difficult to get through with all of the bolding, CAPITALIZATIONS, and italics. The problems with Mormonism are already painfully obvious just by reading the documents in context and don't need to be overemphasized as the Tanners tend to do with their highlighting of the text.
If you are interested in giving a Mormon friend a book to "de-convert" them (attempting to de-convert them is something I don't recommend if that person is happy with their faith and you value your friendship with them--I'm merely stating this since many people have asked me, "how do I de-convert a Mormon?"), I would not recommend this one. Try a fairer one, which lacks stretched conclusions and which doesn't also attempt to convert the reader to another faith-based religion, like Quest for the Gold Plates: Thomas Stuart Ferguson’s Archaeological Search for the Book of Mormon and/or Mormon Polygamy: A History.
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