Former-Day Saint: A Mormoir
R. S. Francis
- "Former-Day
- Saint:
- A
- Mormoir"
- offers
- a
- clear
- and
- thorough
- account
- of
- the
- turbulent
- early
- history
- and
- peculiar
- beliefs
- of
- The
- Church
- of
- Jesus
- Christ
- of
- Latter-day
- Saints--"The
- Mormons"--before
- detailing
- in
- unabashed
- frankness
- the
- very
- personal
- history
- and
- irreverent
- disbeliefs
- of
- its
- author,
- a
- Utah
- native
- and
- lifelong
- Church
- member,
- as
- these
- relate
- to
- Mormonism.Beginning
- with
- the
- foundational
- myths
- of
- this
- distinctly
- American
- faith--the
- Prophet
- Joseph
- Smith's
- First
- Vision
- of
- God
- the
- Father
- and
- His
- Son
- Jesus
- Christ,
- Smith's
- visitations
- by
- the
- Angel
- Moroni,
- his
- excavation
- of
- the
- "Golden
- Plates"
- and
- subsequent
- translation
- of
- these
- into
- "The
- Book
- of
- Mormon"--the
- book
- then
- follows
- the
- fortunes
- of
- the
- first
- believers
- in
- this
- fledgling
- religion
- as
- they
- are
- driven
- by
- hostile
- neighbors
- from
- communities
- in
- Ohio,
- Missouri,
- and
- Illinois.
- It
- then
- bids
- the
- Saints
- bon
- voyage
- on
- the
- eve
- of
- their
- pioneering
- trek
- to
- the
- valley
- of
- The
- Great
- Salt
- Lake
- and
- their
- successful
- settlement
- of
- the
- Rocky
- Mountain
- territory
- they
- dubbed
- "Deseret."What
- led
- Joseph
- Smith
- to
- take
- the
- second
- of
- his
- multiple
- wives,
- and
- to
- keep
- on
- taking
- others?
- Why
- did
- he
- identify
- an
- undistinguished
- plot
- of
- land
- in
- Missouri
- as
- the
- original
- Garden
- of
- Eden?
- How
- did
- the
- Mormon
- city
- of
- Nauvoo,
- Illinois
- become
- more
- populous
- than
- Chicago?
- What
- made
- the
- Prophet
- think
- he
- could
- make
- a
- legitimate
- run
- for
- the
- U.S
- Presidency
- in
- 1844?
- And
- why
- was
- he
- being
- held
- in
- jail
- when
- martyred
- by
- a
- mob
- that
- year
- at
- the
- age
- of
- 38?Why
- are
- Mormons
- so
- fanatical
- about
- genealogy--and
- what
- in
- the
- world
- is
- "Baptism
- for
- the
- Dead?"
- What
- goes
- on
- in
- their
- "sacred,
- not
- secret"
- temples?
- Why
- were
- African-Americans
- not
- allowed
- to
- hold
- the
- males-only
- priesthood
- until
- 1976?
- Is
- it
- true
- Latter-day
- Saints
- can't
- drink
- Coca-Cola?
- And
- do
- they
- really
- wear
- magic
- underwear?All
- of
- these
- questions
- and
- more
- are
- answered
- between
- the
- covers
- of
- this
one-
- of-a-kind
- book--just
- in
- time
- for
- the
- 2012
- Presidential
- Election.Not
- "The
- Book
- of
- Mormon"
- but
- "The
- Book
- of
- a
- Mormon,"
- "Former-Day
- Saint"
- also
- portrays
- its
- author's
- life
- as
- it
- has
- been
- and
- continues
- to
- be
- influenced
- by
- the
- belief
- system
- he
- was
- raised
- in...and
- has
- now
- decisively
- abandoned.
- In
- chapters
- on
- his
- outcast
- artist
- father
- and
- Latter-day
- Saintly
- mother,
- his
- proselyting
- mission
- to
- Ecuador,
- his
- visits
- to
- the
- temple
- and
- his
- renegade
- days
- as
- a
- "Post-Mormon"--eating,
- drinking/smoking,
- and
- not
- being
- married--R.S.
- Francis
- attests
- to
- the
- tragicomical
- difficulties
- of
- forging
- an
- adult
- identity
- outside
- a
- paradigm
- of
- reactivity.
- This
- template
- and
- his
- struggles
- in
- moving
- beyond
- it
- will
- be
- recognized
- by
- and
- resonate
- with
- ex-religionists
- of
- every
- stripe.
- Are
- you
- a
- Recovering
- Catholic?
- Meet
- a
- Recovering Mormon.
