Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Do We Really Want a Mormon President?? / Brent Bateman

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Non-Fiction/Politics/Religion

Approximate word count: 70-75,000 words



















Format/Typo Issues:

A small number of typos and copy editing errors.

Rating: **** Four stars


Walter Knight said...

How silly.

If I am somewhere to the right of the Statue of Liberty, I guess Big Al is somewhere to the left of Hawaii.

Can there not be middle ground? Maybe somewhere in Kansas or Nebraska? Can't we all just get along. Can't we all just learn to swim?

The LDS is just another religion. If we can have a Jewish Mayor of Dublin, surely we can have a Mormon President. Whether that President should be Romney is a whole other issue.

My personal experience with Mormons is that they are hard working solid people I'm proud to have as neighbors, that want only the best for their kids, like everyone else.

If you feel dumping on Mormons is fashionalbe for election year expediancy, your attitude is outdated and embarassing. I am shocked and appalled.

Fortunately this book's Amazon Kindle sales ranking of 619,568 indicates most readers can recognize hateful partisan rhetoric, and don't treat it seriously.

Penumbra Publishing said...

Big Al, thanks for a thoughtful and balanced critique giving an honest analysis of this work.

I am always open to new information, and applaud anyone who tries to shed realistic light on a complex situation.

I am sure John F. Kennedy, being of the Catholic persuasion, was subjected to the same type of scrutiny while running for President.

We can all see the effects of men in power with agendas, so it behooves us to carefully examine our choices. The sad fact is, electing the President is not up to the people of the United States. It is done by Electoral College representatives. So the whole issue may be moot.

Pat Morrison, Penumbra Publishing

BooksAndPals said...

I knew I'd hear from you on this one, Walter. And, as always, thanks for your comments. I agree with about half of them. :)

I haven't checked the ranking, but will take your word that it isn't flying off the shelves. This isn't the kind of book that typically would. Most people would be inclined to not take it serious and write it off as being extremist or just the latest far wing conspiracy theory. I'll come back to this in a bit.

I'm definitely somewhere left of the Mississippi. Nowhere near Hawaii. Maybe Colorado. It borders both Kansas and Nebraska. Your point, that what the collective "we" need is something closer to the middle than any candidate or party appear to be giving us is valid. I wish I knew how to make that happen.

I'd be willing to wager I've had much more experience with Mormons as neighbors (along with co-workers, bosses, friends, etc). And in that situation I agree with you completely. They are generally hardworking good people who want the best for their family and community. To that I would add family members, parents, and other sundry relatives, at least until the subject of religion enters the picture.

As Pat mentioned, JFK also came under a lot of scrutiny because we had not had a Catholic president until then. There were concerns that he'd be taking order from the pope, if I remember what I've read correctly. As far as I know, that wasn't a problem. Whether it was a valid concern, I have no idea.

However, your contention that The LDS church is "just another religion," shows that you don't understand the LDS religion as someone who has seen it from the inside. I do, as does the author of this book. If this had been a hatchet job, and there are plenty of books on Mormonism out there that are, I'd have not hesitated in saying so. I have friends and family members who are staunch Mormons who follow this blog. If they question me about this review I have to be prepared to look them in the eye and say that, yes, what the author said was not only valid, but that I believe his conclusions are correct.

While a reader unfamiliar with the Mormon church, the beliefs of its members, and its history might read this book and think it's full of exaggeration, as someone who has lived it, I can say that it is not. I'm not sure how something can be both fashionable, and outdated, but I don't see how this is either. Unless speaking the truth is out of fashion or no longer relevant.

Walter Knight said...

I thought this one would go viral for sure.

BooksAndPals said...

That's a scary thought.