When I was a Mormon at BYU, someone left a pamphlet printed by Jerald and Sandra Tanner on the doorstep of my off-campus apartment. I wanted to read it, but a roommate told me that it was just hateful lies, printed by a couple who had been excommunicated and wanted to strike back at the LDS church.
I didn't want my mind filled with lies, so I let her tear up the pamphlet. Indeed, like most faithful Mormons, I saw all writing about Mormonism as either black or white: pro-Mormon and thus true and kind; or anti-Mormon and filled with hate and lies.
Most LDS won't read anything that doesn't fall into the first category, “faith-promoting.” All other writing that analyzes Mormonism without supporting its divine claims is called anti-Mormon, even though it may deal compassionately with the issues. In our increasingly-pluralistic society, even non-religious people see books assessing another's religion as judgmental and even as attacking persons when only doctrinal issues and practices are the subject of discussion. The LDS attitude towards any book critical of their view betrays a fatal flaw. The LDS church does not seek after truth, but homogeneity. Any book that would question or critique the Mormon church is conveniently labeld hate-speech.
For instance, my book The Mormon Mirage was entered into evidence in federal court when seized from a man's house in the late 1990's via a search warrant, along with ammunition: It was among “four books critical of the Mormon religion and twelve gauge shotgun shells.”
The defendant was later convicted of what people called a “hate crime,” 18 U.S.C. 247(a)(1), religiously motivated church arson. And my book was used as evidence supporting that verdict.
I mourn for that.
For more information, see The Mormon Mirage 3rd Edition: A Former Member Looks at the Mormon Church Today(Zondervan, 2009). Also available as an audiobook and as an expanded-text E-book for Nook, Kindle and other reading devices.
