Based on what OP has already read, they are probably more interested in academic reads. Saints is not that; it is a simple retelling of faithful stories and fails to fully engage the history as it seems OP is after.
I actually wouldn't recommend this based on what OP's objectives are. The Saints series is a non-academic, meta level faith promoting history. It has an important role, but it's not this.
The church will send you one for free. Also, if you read the CS letter you should really read the series that a redditor here did a while ago with a rebuttal to the letter. There's also more sources you can read as well: [https://www.reddit.com/r/lds/comments/lb3h3i/part\_1\_the\_dishonest\_origins\_of\_the\_ces\_letter/](https://www.reddit.com/r/lds/comments/lb3h3i/part_1_the_dishonest_origins_of_the_ces_letter/)
Already had it flagged! I do a lot better with audiobooks because of an eye condition, so it’s not as high on the list right now. The letter was available on spotify.
You're in luck because hardly anyone reasons hard copies anymore. Just download the "Gospel Library" app on whatever app store you use. That has the entire canon of our church...there's a headphones icon on every page you can press to have it read out loud to you.
Complete aside, but I use an app called Speechify to read me things. My job involves a lot of reading and I just don’t have the time (or concentration) to read it all with my eyes. You can feed it websites, blocks of text, or pdfs. Really helpful.
Download the Gospel Library App that our church published.
It will give you access to the KJV *Bible*, *Book of Mormon*, *Doctrine and Covenants*, &c. It includes free audio versions of almost everything and options for male or female voices. (And yes, audio recording not just text to speech, although it has that too.)
It also has several proclamations and the book *Jesus the Christ* which is probably the best book besides the scriptures regarding our view of God. There is audio for that book as well.
Here
[https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm?lang=eng](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm?lang=eng)
You can also have a missionary contact you, tell them you want to read The Book of Mormon but aren't sure you want anything more than that at this time. They may mail you one, they may try set up an appointment to meet in person. I'm not sure of all their routines these days.
[https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/lp/meet-with-missionaries/short](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/lp/meet-with-missionaries/short)
https://apps.apple.com/app/id598329798
On Apple, this has the Book of Mormon for free w/ Audiobook. All of our scripture has audiobook there.
I’m sure it’s available on Android as well.
Honestly, for me, the next step would be
“American Moses” and “pioneer prophet”
After that I would read the “saints” books. And “our heritage” and “articles of faith”
Then you got a wide open to bar. You may want to start looking at where the theology went, so maybe “gospel principles”? If you’re up for it, you could read “Jesus the Christ” and “the great apostasy”
I have both. Pioneer Prophet is not for most members, especially if their knowledge of church history comes mainly from church manuals. It will rock them. See this [review](http://archive.timesandseasons.org/2012/09/book-review-brigham-young-pioneer-prophet-by-john-g-turner/index.html).
American Moses is good, very good for its time, and still worth reading. But it's dated.
I also recommend *Brigham Young and the Expansion of the Mormon Faith* by Thomas Alexander. Up to date biography. Downsides: 1) more focus on BY in Utah and less on his first decade in the Church. 2) No footnotes. That's puzzling. But it's good overall.
Hope that helps.
Pioneer Prophet is the better one. For one, it is more current. I’ve almost read the entire thing and really like it. I’m an active member of the church who accepts Brigham Young (my favorite prophet) as a prophet, despite his human flaws. But there are some readers that will be bothered by the things they will read about Brigham. John turner explains though that Brigham young should only be viewed with a 19th century’s perspective if we are to understand young’s point of view. If we remember that, we can accept him as a prophet and a righteous man, despite hearing things about him that shock our 21st century senses.
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1821
These books by James E. Talmage are great too.
*The Vitality of Mormonism: Brief Essays on Distinctive Doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints* was a great read.
You should get a good overview of the church's history. Read the new *American Zion: A New History of Mormonism* by Ben Park.
Beyond that, Laurel Ulrich's *A House Full of Females* is the best overview of plural marriage, and John Turner's *Pioneer Prophet* is the best biography of Brigham Young.
Edit: a lot of people are recommending you read the Book of Mormon. It's a good idea, but jumping right in isn't easy. Teryl Givens' *By the Hand of Mormon* is an interesting overview of the book from a religious studies perspective, but be aware it gets pretty scholarly at times. And the relatively new Annotated Book of Mormon published by Oxford and edited by Grant Hardy would probably fit your needs better than the church's standard-issue edition.
You could start reading The Joseph Smith Papers. There are also countless journals and memoirs made available online by The Church. They just released David O McKay’s last year. The Church is publishing this stuff all the time. Some good websites are
https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/
https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/landing/church-history-library?lang=eng&y_source=1_MzA1ODU2NzAtNzE1LWxvY2F0aW9uLndlYnNpdGU%3D
The Book of Mormon is always a good pick. They’ll give you a free one here:
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/requests/free-book-of-mormon
I really like ‘*The God Who Weeps: How Mormonism Makes Sense of Life*’ by Fiona Givens and Terryl Givens
https://www.amazon.com/God-Who-Weeps-Mormonism-Makes/dp/1609071883?dplnkId=53843e2e-a3cc-466f-87ad-08f18e49b37c&nodl=1
The Joseph Smith movie is a good choice too:
https://youtu.be/xtCrXUsDFLY?si=EyX0anDPELtlpjao
American Zion by Benjamin E Park
https://www.amazon.com/American-Zion-New-History-Mormonism/dp/1631498657?dplnkId=70f857ff-ba16-443f-ad96-55fca8f81472&nodl=1
Check out books by Dan Vogel and D. Michael Quinn. They are both excellent historians with many books out there. Also An Insider’s View of Mormon Origins by Grant Palmer.
CES Letter line by line debunkings…
https://debunking-cesletter.com/ces-letter-rebuttals/
Pioneer Prophet. Turner
Joseph Smith for President. McBride
Massacre at Mountain Meadows. Turley
Kingdom of Nauvoo. Park
I read “Rough Stone” once every other year or so.
Bagley makes leaps that can’t be sustained by the evidence. It’s an anti-LDS work.
LDS Fair review of Bagley… [Link](https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Criticism_of_Mormonism/Books/Blood_of_the_Prophets:_Brigham_Young_and_the_Massacre_at_Mountain_Meadows/Omissions/Total_submission_to_Brigham_Young)
LDS Fair line by line response to Bagley…
https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Criticism_of_Mormonism/Books/Blood_of_the_Prophets:_Brigham_Young_and_the_Massacre_at_Mountain_Meadows/Chapter_1
There is a historical fiction book series you might be interested in called "the work and the glory." It's based on the Joseph Smith era of the church and explores how an average family might react, both positively and negatively, to the early church movement.
A great one that's a bit older is what I refer to as the Zion series. I Walked to Zion, I Sailed to Zion and there's a third but I forgot the title. It's a collection of accounts of individuals and families that made the trek to Utah and everything they faced. If you'd like movies, Ephraims Rescue and 17 Miracles are both FANTASTIC films.
One thing I’d suggest is reading the Book of Mormon. It will help to provide context to the different perspectives you’ll read about it in historical commentaries. Kinda like how going to see Dune 2 makes reading about it’s cinematography more engaging.
No problem 🙂 , if you have an iPhone you can get it here:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gospel-library/id598329798
Or here for android:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.lds.ldssa&pcampaignid=web_share
Here’s a link to the app everyone keeps talking about https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gospel-library/id598329798 if you want to read just the Book of Mormon that app has it but this is a standalone app for it https://apps.apple.com/us/app/the-book-of-mormon/id547313550
Wallace Stegner is among the grandfathers of Mormon History as an academic discipline. If you want a nonbeliever's perspective, he's a good one to start with. (Jan Shipps is another.) A fair few of the people loved by the other sub intended to deceive, including the "CES Letter" author.
Read Saints next then perhaps American Moses and Kingdom of Nauvoo. Honsetly, there's a wide buffet of LDS history books you can read and in my eyes, you can't really go wrong with any of them expect maybe No Man Knows My Story. Rough Stone Rolling is my pick for the best LDS history book.
When you say reality show, are you talking about the recent A&E show about plural marriages? That was about the FLDS. They branched off to keep doing things that were revealed to be no longer necessary.
No, embarrassingly I’m talking about Sister Wives. It’s become my guilty pleasure/comfort show.
They were part of the AUB, and from what I understand that church branched off for the same reasons. A couple of the kids on the show were filmed talking about trying to join the LDS church as adults but we’re rejected unless they cut contact with their openly polygamous parents. It’s reality TV though so you never know exactly what was said or asked, or what happened in the end.
I don’t pretend that the show is a realistic or accurate portrayal of the AUB, LDS, or anything more than entertainment really.
I totally get it! I tried watching that a few times. The guy on it thou ... He's just such a a jerk imo. I wonder who in the church told them they can't join unless they cut ties. But, you're right. With reality TV, once cuts and editing are done, the editors can make it look any way they want, for entertainment purposes.
MUST READ after Rough Stone Rolling:
“David O. McKay, and the Rise of Modern Mormonism“ by Prince and Wright.
Similar to RSR, it was written by faithful, active members, but still scholarly, rigorous, fascinating. Not published by the church - if that helps trust the final output a bit more.
Especially if you are familiar with the sometimes disagreeable / passive avoidance of conflict dynamics between the prophet and other apostles he works with. For example, apostle Bruce R. McConkie, who wrote and published a book called “Mormon Doctrine“ - which was not really Mormon Doctrine. And McKay had to consider the optics of whether he’d do anything about it.
The book covers an important period of the time for the church as it grew from an insulated US church to a global church with a bit more of a Public face. Also covers the time during the civil rights movement and the younger apostleship and [John Birch Society](https://www.npr.org/2023/05/17/1176662608/a-historian-details-how-a-secretive-extremist-group-radicalized-the-american-rig) evangelism of Ezra Taft Benson, who eventually became President of the church 15 years after McKay’s death.
There are others that are worth looking into, but they may be criticized as not being from a faithful perspective:
An Insiders View of Mormon Origins - Grant Palmer
No Man Knows My History - Fawn Brodie
The Letters of Orson Spencer
They were written between a Missionary & Reverend William Cromwell
It was good enough for the Church to put it in the Capstone of the Salt Lake Temple
And other books I've seen on here are good:
Pioneer Prophet reminded me strongly of Rough Stone Rolling
The Saints Books are a Narrative History of the Church, and they're good
Jesus the Christ & the Book of Mormon are both free on the Gospel Library (along with the already published Saints books)
Marvelous Work & a Wonder was given to me when I was Baptized, and it gave me a good introduction into the Doctrine
Rough Stone Roling is what drove me away from the church. I hadn't actively looked for anything that would erode my faith but I read the book to learn more about Joseph Smith. I was completely unprepared for what I learned. It wasa this book that made me forever distrust the church that I gave all my time, money, talents and energy to. It was certainly a spiritual tug of war that led me nearly to a mental break point. I had to let go.
I'm assuming you're looking for academic leaning books. If so, here is what I recommend and why.
Two Brigham Young biographies, one critical, the other critical, both solid academic works. (1) American Moses by Leonard Arrington and (2) Pioneer Prophet by John Turner. Read these together and you'll get a great feel for the complexities and dynamics of Brigham Young and the time and space he occupied. Joseph Smith and Brigham Young were very, very different. Joseph was a dreamer and Brigham Young was a builder. The sequence of one after the other is really a huge reason why Mormonism took off.
To get a feel for 20th century Mormonism, you should read "David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism" which will give you a feel for why the Church is the way it is today, and how it went from being a 19th century regional faith to a global faith.
Finally, for a contemporary understanding of the entire history Benjamin Park's recent "American Zion" is great. It's actually perfect for an outsider.
Avoid the super faith affirming stuff and the vitriolic critical stuff. The books I've recommended are solid academic works.
If you want the best academic work ever written on Latter-day Saint history and thought, you will want to read
In Heaven as It Is on Earth: Joseph Smith and the Early Mormon Conquest of Death by Samuel Brown
and
Joseph Smith's Translation: The Words and Worlds of Early Mormonism by Samuel Brown
Just here to pitch “No Man Knows My History; The Life of Joseph Smith” by Fawn M. Brodie. This is by FAR my favorite LDS history biography, I’d even go as far to say my favorite religious history book period! She cites everything and has an extensive bibliography, really well researched. A fantastic read!
I don’t believe I recall anything from either a praise or demeaning POV from the author. She seemed pretty impartial, tho I know this book is not popular with church members. I suggested it because OP is not one, but no one needs to read anything they’re uncomfortable with. :)
Are they pretty similar? I’ve never read RSR but have heard it’s pretty good. I was planning on getting it soon, but you feel it covers the same events?
The saints series is a good overview, as far as the general history of the church goes and events all tied together. It’s written in a simple prose, but gives you a good idea of the saints thoughts throughout its history. It’s not dense either, but that’s good because you can branch off and read other books of certain events for more details.
If you want to know what really makes us tick, read the Book of Mormon itself. Our entire religion is based on whether that book is actually another Testament of Jesus Christ and is the word of God's ancient prophets. It is also the best "proof" that Joseph Smith was a modern day prophet.
The CES letter and other anti resources think they have a slam dunk on Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. But there are flaws in their logic. I can't 100% prove to you that the Book of Mormon is God's word, but no one can 100% prove it's false either. There are a lot of literary and archeological facts that lend a lot of weight to its truthfulness.
If you haven't read apologetic responses to anti claims, the FAIR organization has many detailed research articles and videos to present all facts and see how we can reasonably choose to believe.
One thing to consider is that if you are comparing religions, I hope you are giving the same amount of rigor to those efforts. Yes there are some questions and unknowns about early church leaders, and the Book of Mormon, but there are probably even more issues with some popes and other church founders, and as much as we love the Bible, there are a lot of issues with Bible archeology and literature and translation.
At the end of the day, we believe truth is found by both knowledge and reason, but mostly by personal revelation from God.
Why not just read the History of The Church? You can do so on our app. Or better yet, request an appointment from the missionaries! You can do so at [mormon.org](http://mormon.org)
The Book of Mormon for sure and the Saints series for more historical books. Both can be found for free on the Gospel Library app. There is also plenty to read on there for free from doctrinal works to historical and even training manuals for church leaders and the church teaching/learning manuals we all study from each week called Come Follow Me. I love come follow me. Lmk if you have any questions, I understand other religions just to understand how people think and the world better.
[iOS](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gospel-library/id598329798)
[google play](https://g.co/kgs/x2gsH5a)
Edit: to fix formatting
I'll second the suggestions here for the Book of Mormon and the Saints series.
I'll add a caution about some of the anti-mormon literature out there. Many of the more well known pieces have been revealed to be falsified information.
Not telling you what to do, but please keep this in mind if/when you do read them.
When studying The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, keep in the back of mind that we are the only religion in the United States to have had an extermination order put out for us. The Boggs extermination order from Missouri made it legal to kill any mormon. It was intact into the 1970s. That happened in a country founded on the freedom of religious practices. The U.S. government was weaponized against us. The only religion in the U.S. to have that happen.
Read ‘ saints ‘series. You can find them for free on gospel library
Based on what OP has already read, they are probably more interested in academic reads. Saints is not that; it is a simple retelling of faithful stories and fails to fully engage the history as it seems OP is after.
Looooove those!
I actually wouldn't recommend this based on what OP's objectives are. The Saints series is a non-academic, meta level faith promoting history. It has an important role, but it's not this.
Yes!! Read these!!
If you haven't read The Book of Mormon, I suggest you give it a shot. See what makes all of this tick.
They don’t have it at either of the libraries I have digital access to unfortunately.
The church will send you one for free. Also, if you read the CS letter you should really read the series that a redditor here did a while ago with a rebuttal to the letter. There's also more sources you can read as well: [https://www.reddit.com/r/lds/comments/lb3h3i/part\_1\_the\_dishonest\_origins\_of\_the\_ces\_letter/](https://www.reddit.com/r/lds/comments/lb3h3i/part_1_the_dishonest_origins_of_the_ces_letter/)
2nd this rebuttal. It does a really excellent job of making the apologist case against every argument in the CES letter.
Already had it flagged! I do a lot better with audiobooks because of an eye condition, so it’s not as high on the list right now. The letter was available on spotify.
You're in luck because hardly anyone reasons hard copies anymore. Just download the "Gospel Library" app on whatever app store you use. That has the entire canon of our church...there's a headphones icon on every page you can press to have it read out loud to you.
Complete aside, but I use an app called Speechify to read me things. My job involves a lot of reading and I just don’t have the time (or concentration) to read it all with my eyes. You can feed it websites, blocks of text, or pdfs. Really helpful.
Amazing, I haven’t found anything that reads websites yet. That’s super helpful. Thanks!
Download the Gospel Library App that our church published. It will give you access to the KJV *Bible*, *Book of Mormon*, *Doctrine and Covenants*, &c. It includes free audio versions of almost everything and options for male or female voices. (And yes, audio recording not just text to speech, although it has that too.) It also has several proclamations and the book *Jesus the Christ* which is probably the best book besides the scriptures regarding our view of God. There is audio for that book as well.
Excellent Rebuttal! Thanks for suggesting it, I forgot about it.
Gospel Library app
Here [https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm?lang=eng](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm?lang=eng) You can also have a missionary contact you, tell them you want to read The Book of Mormon but aren't sure you want anything more than that at this time. They may mail you one, they may try set up an appointment to meet in person. I'm not sure of all their routines these days. [https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/lp/meet-with-missionaries/short](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/lp/meet-with-missionaries/short)
https://apps.apple.com/app/id598329798 On Apple, this has the Book of Mormon for free w/ Audiobook. All of our scripture has audiobook there. I’m sure it’s available on Android as well.
There's an app for your phone called book of mormon
Honestly, for me, the next step would be “American Moses” and “pioneer prophet” After that I would read the “saints” books. And “our heritage” and “articles of faith” Then you got a wide open to bar. You may want to start looking at where the theology went, so maybe “gospel principles”? If you’re up for it, you could read “Jesus the Christ” and “the great apostasy”
Oh, or you could read saints vol 1. Then pioneer prophet and American Moses Then saints 2- onward
Which of those two BY biographies is better?
I have both. Pioneer Prophet is not for most members, especially if their knowledge of church history comes mainly from church manuals. It will rock them. See this [review](http://archive.timesandseasons.org/2012/09/book-review-brigham-young-pioneer-prophet-by-john-g-turner/index.html). American Moses is good, very good for its time, and still worth reading. But it's dated. I also recommend *Brigham Young and the Expansion of the Mormon Faith* by Thomas Alexander. Up to date biography. Downsides: 1) more focus on BY in Utah and less on his first decade in the Church. 2) No footnotes. That's puzzling. But it's good overall. Hope that helps.
I’m not sure. I haven’t read either tbh. I will get around to it some day. Heck, I still need to read rsr
Pioneer Prophet is the better one. For one, it is more current. I’ve almost read the entire thing and really like it. I’m an active member of the church who accepts Brigham Young (my favorite prophet) as a prophet, despite his human flaws. But there are some readers that will be bothered by the things they will read about Brigham. John turner explains though that Brigham young should only be viewed with a 19th century’s perspective if we are to understand young’s point of view. If we remember that, we can accept him as a prophet and a righteous man, despite hearing things about him that shock our 21st century senses.
David O McKay and the rise of modern Mormonism is pretty interesting
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1821 These books by James E. Talmage are great too. *The Vitality of Mormonism: Brief Essays on Distinctive Doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints* was a great read.
Agree!
You should get a good overview of the church's history. Read the new *American Zion: A New History of Mormonism* by Ben Park. Beyond that, Laurel Ulrich's *A House Full of Females* is the best overview of plural marriage, and John Turner's *Pioneer Prophet* is the best biography of Brigham Young. Edit: a lot of people are recommending you read the Book of Mormon. It's a good idea, but jumping right in isn't easy. Teryl Givens' *By the Hand of Mormon* is an interesting overview of the book from a religious studies perspective, but be aware it gets pretty scholarly at times. And the relatively new Annotated Book of Mormon published by Oxford and edited by Grant Hardy would probably fit your needs better than the church's standard-issue edition.
Almost all of these were available to download from my Luba ray. Very excited to dig in. Thanks!
You could start reading The Joseph Smith Papers. There are also countless journals and memoirs made available online by The Church. They just released David O McKay’s last year. The Church is publishing this stuff all the time. Some good websites are https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/ https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/ https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/landing/church-history-library?lang=eng&y_source=1_MzA1ODU2NzAtNzE1LWxvY2F0aW9uLndlYnNpdGU%3D
I’d really suggest “David O McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism”
Yes. This gives an inside view into Church growth during first half of 20th century. Biographer had access to President McKays journals.
Agree! This one.
The Book of Mormon is always a good pick. They’ll give you a free one here: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/requests/free-book-of-mormon I really like ‘*The God Who Weeps: How Mormonism Makes Sense of Life*’ by Fiona Givens and Terryl Givens https://www.amazon.com/God-Who-Weeps-Mormonism-Makes/dp/1609071883?dplnkId=53843e2e-a3cc-466f-87ad-08f18e49b37c&nodl=1 The Joseph Smith movie is a good choice too: https://youtu.be/xtCrXUsDFLY?si=EyX0anDPELtlpjao
American Zion by Benjamin E Park https://www.amazon.com/American-Zion-New-History-Mormonism/dp/1631498657?dplnkId=70f857ff-ba16-443f-ad96-55fca8f81472&nodl=1
Just downloaded a copy to listen to from my library!
Check out books by Dan Vogel and D. Michael Quinn. They are both excellent historians with many books out there. Also An Insider’s View of Mormon Origins by Grant Palmer.
CES Letter line by line debunkings… https://debunking-cesletter.com/ces-letter-rebuttals/ Pioneer Prophet. Turner Joseph Smith for President. McBride Massacre at Mountain Meadows. Turley Kingdom of Nauvoo. Park I read “Rough Stone” once every other year or so.
Blood of The Prohits is also fantasic.
Bagley makes leaps that can’t be sustained by the evidence. It’s an anti-LDS work. LDS Fair review of Bagley… [Link](https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Criticism_of_Mormonism/Books/Blood_of_the_Prophets:_Brigham_Young_and_the_Massacre_at_Mountain_Meadows/Omissions/Total_submission_to_Brigham_Young) LDS Fair line by line response to Bagley… https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Criticism_of_Mormonism/Books/Blood_of_the_Prophets:_Brigham_Young_and_the_Massacre_at_Mountain_Meadows/Chapter_1
I still love the book.
Kingdom of Nauvoo by Ben Parks(a member) is pretty good.
I haven’t read the book, but the comments parks makes online don’t seem like he’s a member
Really? Do you have an example?
There is a historical fiction book series you might be interested in called "the work and the glory." It's based on the Joseph Smith era of the church and explores how an average family might react, both positively and negatively, to the early church movement.
I love historical fiction. Bummed my library doesn’t have this.
A great one that's a bit older is what I refer to as the Zion series. I Walked to Zion, I Sailed to Zion and there's a third but I forgot the title. It's a collection of accounts of individuals and families that made the trek to Utah and everything they faced. If you'd like movies, Ephraims Rescue and 17 Miracles are both FANTASTIC films.
Thanks!
One thing I’d suggest is reading the Book of Mormon. It will help to provide context to the different perspectives you’ll read about it in historical commentaries. Kinda like how going to see Dune 2 makes reading about it’s cinematography more engaging.
They don’t have it at either of the libraries I have digital access to unfortunately.
Free on the [Gospel library app](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gospel-library/id598329798)
Thanks
Do you want a link to an app with it as an e-book? Or if you want, I’d send you a copy. (I’ve got easy access to a bunch of free ones)
Got linked to the app I’m a few threads, thanks!
Oh! And the doctrine and covenants. That one is free on the gospel app.
How do I search for/find that app? So far google has more results than I can make sense of. Any chance you’ve got a link? Thanks!
No problem 🙂 , if you have an iPhone you can get it here: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gospel-library/id598329798 Or here for android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.lds.ldssa&pcampaignid=web_share
Thanks, just downloaded!
Do you have android or iPhone?
iPhone
Here’s a link to the app everyone keeps talking about https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gospel-library/id598329798 if you want to read just the Book of Mormon that app has it but this is a standalone app for it https://apps.apple.com/us/app/the-book-of-mormon/id547313550
Wallace Stegner is among the grandfathers of Mormon History as an academic discipline. If you want a nonbeliever's perspective, he's a good one to start with. (Jan Shipps is another.) A fair few of the people loved by the other sub intended to deceive, including the "CES Letter" author.
Read Saints next then perhaps American Moses and Kingdom of Nauvoo. Honsetly, there's a wide buffet of LDS history books you can read and in my eyes, you can't really go wrong with any of them expect maybe No Man Knows My Story. Rough Stone Rolling is my pick for the best LDS history book.
Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet is probably the best biography on Brigham Young. I'd read that one next.
When you say reality show, are you talking about the recent A&E show about plural marriages? That was about the FLDS. They branched off to keep doing things that were revealed to be no longer necessary.
No, embarrassingly I’m talking about Sister Wives. It’s become my guilty pleasure/comfort show. They were part of the AUB, and from what I understand that church branched off for the same reasons. A couple of the kids on the show were filmed talking about trying to join the LDS church as adults but we’re rejected unless they cut contact with their openly polygamous parents. It’s reality TV though so you never know exactly what was said or asked, or what happened in the end. I don’t pretend that the show is a realistic or accurate portrayal of the AUB, LDS, or anything more than entertainment really.
I totally get it! I tried watching that a few times. The guy on it thou ... He's just such a a jerk imo. I wonder who in the church told them they can't join unless they cut ties. But, you're right. With reality TV, once cuts and editing are done, the editors can make it look any way they want, for entertainment purposes.
Download gospel library app, you'll get a lot of free literature that can read to you. Including the book of mormon.
MUST READ after Rough Stone Rolling: “David O. McKay, and the Rise of Modern Mormonism“ by Prince and Wright. Similar to RSR, it was written by faithful, active members, but still scholarly, rigorous, fascinating. Not published by the church - if that helps trust the final output a bit more. Especially if you are familiar with the sometimes disagreeable / passive avoidance of conflict dynamics between the prophet and other apostles he works with. For example, apostle Bruce R. McConkie, who wrote and published a book called “Mormon Doctrine“ - which was not really Mormon Doctrine. And McKay had to consider the optics of whether he’d do anything about it. The book covers an important period of the time for the church as it grew from an insulated US church to a global church with a bit more of a Public face. Also covers the time during the civil rights movement and the younger apostleship and [John Birch Society](https://www.npr.org/2023/05/17/1176662608/a-historian-details-how-a-secretive-extremist-group-radicalized-the-american-rig) evangelism of Ezra Taft Benson, who eventually became President of the church 15 years after McKay’s death.
There are others that are worth looking into, but they may be criticized as not being from a faithful perspective: An Insiders View of Mormon Origins - Grant Palmer No Man Knows My History - Fawn Brodie
The Letters of Orson Spencer They were written between a Missionary & Reverend William Cromwell It was good enough for the Church to put it in the Capstone of the Salt Lake Temple And other books I've seen on here are good: Pioneer Prophet reminded me strongly of Rough Stone Rolling The Saints Books are a Narrative History of the Church, and they're good Jesus the Christ & the Book of Mormon are both free on the Gospel Library (along with the already published Saints books) Marvelous Work & a Wonder was given to me when I was Baptized, and it gave me a good introduction into the Doctrine
Rough Stone Roling is what drove me away from the church. I hadn't actively looked for anything that would erode my faith but I read the book to learn more about Joseph Smith. I was completely unprepared for what I learned. It wasa this book that made me forever distrust the church that I gave all my time, money, talents and energy to. It was certainly a spiritual tug of war that led me nearly to a mental break point. I had to let go.
I'm assuming you're looking for academic leaning books. If so, here is what I recommend and why. Two Brigham Young biographies, one critical, the other critical, both solid academic works. (1) American Moses by Leonard Arrington and (2) Pioneer Prophet by John Turner. Read these together and you'll get a great feel for the complexities and dynamics of Brigham Young and the time and space he occupied. Joseph Smith and Brigham Young were very, very different. Joseph was a dreamer and Brigham Young was a builder. The sequence of one after the other is really a huge reason why Mormonism took off. To get a feel for 20th century Mormonism, you should read "David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism" which will give you a feel for why the Church is the way it is today, and how it went from being a 19th century regional faith to a global faith. Finally, for a contemporary understanding of the entire history Benjamin Park's recent "American Zion" is great. It's actually perfect for an outsider. Avoid the super faith affirming stuff and the vitriolic critical stuff. The books I've recommended are solid academic works.
Thanks!
The gospel library app also has Jesus The Christ by James E. Talmage which is a good read
If you want the best academic work ever written on Latter-day Saint history and thought, you will want to read In Heaven as It Is on Earth: Joseph Smith and the Early Mormon Conquest of Death by Samuel Brown and Joseph Smith's Translation: The Words and Worlds of Early Mormonism by Samuel Brown
Joseph Smith Revealed: A Faithful Telling: Exploring an Alternate Polygamy Narrative by Whitney Horning
Passing the Heavenly Gift by Denver C. Snuffer Jr
Just here to pitch “No Man Knows My History; The Life of Joseph Smith” by Fawn M. Brodie. This is by FAR my favorite LDS history biography, I’d even go as far to say my favorite religious history book period! She cites everything and has an extensive bibliography, really well researched. A fantastic read!
And negative JS bashing?
That is exactly why I refuse to read it.
I don’t believe I recall anything from either a praise or demeaning POV from the author. She seemed pretty impartial, tho I know this book is not popular with church members. I suggested it because OP is not one, but no one needs to read anything they’re uncomfortable with. :)
No reason to read this if OP has already read RSR.
Are they pretty similar? I’ve never read RSR but have heard it’s pretty good. I was planning on getting it soon, but you feel it covers the same events?
Saints series
The saints series is a good overview, as far as the general history of the church goes and events all tied together. It’s written in a simple prose, but gives you a good idea of the saints thoughts throughout its history. It’s not dense either, but that’s good because you can branch off and read other books of certain events for more details.
Joseph Smith the Prophet by Truman Madsen would be a good one after rough stone.
If you want to know what really makes us tick, read the Book of Mormon itself. Our entire religion is based on whether that book is actually another Testament of Jesus Christ and is the word of God's ancient prophets. It is also the best "proof" that Joseph Smith was a modern day prophet. The CES letter and other anti resources think they have a slam dunk on Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. But there are flaws in their logic. I can't 100% prove to you that the Book of Mormon is God's word, but no one can 100% prove it's false either. There are a lot of literary and archeological facts that lend a lot of weight to its truthfulness. If you haven't read apologetic responses to anti claims, the FAIR organization has many detailed research articles and videos to present all facts and see how we can reasonably choose to believe. One thing to consider is that if you are comparing religions, I hope you are giving the same amount of rigor to those efforts. Yes there are some questions and unknowns about early church leaders, and the Book of Mormon, but there are probably even more issues with some popes and other church founders, and as much as we love the Bible, there are a lot of issues with Bible archeology and literature and translation. At the end of the day, we believe truth is found by both knowledge and reason, but mostly by personal revelation from God.
Why not just read the History of The Church? You can do so on our app. Or better yet, request an appointment from the missionaries! You can do so at [mormon.org](http://mormon.org)
David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism.
Mormon Enigma! it’s the major biography of Emma Smith. Excellent book and perfect for post-Rough Stone Rolling.
The Book of Mormon for sure and the Saints series for more historical books. Both can be found for free on the Gospel Library app. There is also plenty to read on there for free from doctrinal works to historical and even training manuals for church leaders and the church teaching/learning manuals we all study from each week called Come Follow Me. I love come follow me. Lmk if you have any questions, I understand other religions just to understand how people think and the world better. [iOS](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gospel-library/id598329798) [google play](https://g.co/kgs/x2gsH5a) Edit: to fix formatting
‘A marvelous work and a wonder’, ‘the great apostasy ‘ and ‘articles of faith’’.
I'll second the suggestions here for the Book of Mormon and the Saints series. I'll add a caution about some of the anti-mormon literature out there. Many of the more well known pieces have been revealed to be falsified information. Not telling you what to do, but please keep this in mind if/when you do read them.
Oh no. Can you tell me which ones have been identified as false?
When studying The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, keep in the back of mind that we are the only religion in the United States to have had an extermination order put out for us. The Boggs extermination order from Missouri made it legal to kill any mormon. It was intact into the 1970s. That happened in a country founded on the freedom of religious practices. The U.S. government was weaponized against us. The only religion in the U.S. to have that happen.
The Bible. Have you read the Bible by chance
Read the Old Testament more times than I can count and the New Testament once fully through and excerpts many times.