Latter-day Saints do not have a strong apologetics tradition. Basically, we say "Read the Book of Mormon, pray over what you have read, and then be honest with the answer you receive." (Book of Mormon, p. 529-530; Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 61-62) And this is how it should be. Truth should be so easy that a child should understand it; and when you bring in lawyers and doctors and philosophers and whatnot to "help" and "clarify," you are in trouble.

This debate between Elder B. H. Roberts (the presidency of the Quorum of Seventy Apostles, i.e. a general world leader) with the Rev. Van der Donckt is therefore unusual, and this singularity is what makes this book fascinating reading.

Chapter One is a straightforward elaboration of what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes about God the Eternal Father, his Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost. Chapter two contains a reply from the Rev. Van der Donckt to Elder Robert's teachings. The rejoinder not only constitutes a Catholic reply, but also serves as a response embracing the quote-unquote "traditional Christianity," inasmuch as both Protestants and Catholics (generally) subscribe to the same creeds-Nicean and Athanasian.

Chapter Three is Elder Robert's rejoinder to the Rev. Van der Donckt reply, and it is in this rejoinder you see the strength of the Church of Jesus Christ's position. For example, the creeds hold that God is unchanging, but Elder Robert's points out that Christ is God, and the Reverend's position is that God is unchanging. But Christ started out as spirit, was then born (incarnated), then was crucified, and then resurrected. So he gained, lost, and regains this body, and isn't that a change? (P.95)

Boing!

The rest of the books contains statements from church presidents Joseph Smith, Joseph F. Smith, Brigham Young and LDS apostle Orson Pratt, plus a chapter comparing religious traditions vis-à-vis Jesus Christ.

The Prophet Joseph Smith said, "By proving contraries, truth is manifest." (History of the Church 6:428) This debate proves that, and this book would be useful for review and pondering for Saints and the curious anywhere.

The type is readable, being a facsimile edition of the original book. They did a good copy of the text, and kept the same pagination so you can compare with earlier editions. But I wish they had found a better picture of Elder Roberts for the cover-I know there are better ones out there.
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BIAS: my philosophy professor Dr. David Paulsen, who also worked on the BYU Studies edition of "The Way, The Truth, The Life", writes the introductory essay. He provides helpful information about Elder Roberts and the nature of the debate

Two Christian theologians debate using philosophy and scripture. On of the first honest opportunities for Mormon beliefs to be challenged and met in a public forum by intellegent ministers who both understand the doctrine well. Teh first three chapters are excellent sources for study by all Christian denominations including Latter-day Saints.

I enjoyed reading this debate on the "Mormon Doctrine of Deity." While I am ultimately not convinced by Roberts' arguments, he probably "wins" the debate because his response is a lot longer. Van der Donkt scores some points too, particularly in showing that the Mormon view of men becoming gods is without Scriptural foundation.

I purchased this complete with a copy of "Chant" by the Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo de Silos.

The beauty and stillness of this is enchanting and refreshing to the mind. We truly enter the world of sacred monastary in this way.

Just beautiful! Pax Domini!

While walking the reader through the daily life of a monk's spiritual journey, this author also inspires the lay person to listen to the "Music of Silence".

Every chapter deserves contemplation. The book gives everyone a direction to follow, as the hours of the day flow.

I found it even more inspirational to listen to Gregorian Chant while reading. I especially like "CHANT" by the Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo De Silos.

If you truly need a break from the hectic pace of today's life then this book is a must read.

It has become a permanent part of my library and look forward to reading more from this author.

The author discusses how time can be a deeply sacred part of the hours of our lives, and why an appreciation of time has been developed by the experts of the monastic orders. Nothing is as ordinary, or as sacred, as time. Far from being an infinitesimally small unit of measurement or a means of separating one event from another, time provides the means by which the still, small, silent voice of God may be heard. This is a book to take on a sabbatical journey.

In Europe, people dress up in buckskins, hang out in tipis and emulate the Native Americans of days gone more than a century and a half ago. Their attention to detail seems to be no less than compulsive, and this book is an ultimate product of this compulsion for authenticity, accuracy and completeness.

Barth has completed an instructional masterpiece of Native American Bead work that I give to experienced Native beaders to their astonishment. If you want to learn technique, buy this book.

I never received this book ~ Wondering why? ?

I found the book to be one of the best sources of information pertaining the native- american -style beading, espeacially the transmontane beadwork. I have found there several hints and pieces of information I was looking for for several years. Thank you, Mr. Barth.

Almost 30 years ago, my back was on a downward spiral. I progressed from annual episodes of "throwing my back out" to almost daily pain that varied from mildly annoying to activity stopping. I consulted doctors and chiropractors. As I was not bad enough for surgery, the doctors had little to offer. One chiropractor gave me an excellent treatment that seemed to cure me for a couple of years. He retired, and I was not helped by other chiropractors.

Then I found Dr. Root's book. The latest version is "No More Aching Back", Signet(November 1991), ISBN 0-451-17091-1. I started doing his easy exercises, and my back pain went away gradually over the course of a few months. I've continued doing some of his exercises pretty consistenty for almost 20 years, and I have not had a significant episode of back pain in that time.

Recently, I went to an orthepedic surgeon for a knee injury. Most of the other patients in his waiting room were being treated for back pain. Some needed weekly physical thearpy and drugs to help them through the day. If I did not find Dr. Root's book, I think I would have suffered like them.

I've recommended the book to more people than Dr. Root's mother. My back feels great. Good luck.

I recently went through a herniated disc. It has been the most painful and depressing thing I have ever experienced. The first two months I couldn't even walk and the rest four months I was able to bearly function, but with only one thing in my mind: PAIN. I wished I would had bought this book from day one I started with the pain, or even better, before everything ever happened. I would had learned to take better care of myself and to catch those red flags my boddy was sending me. It is easy to read and it teaches you how to deal with it and how to prevent future sciatic pain. I have done everything here and it really helped. There is another book that is also good which I just read about a week ago: "The Sciatica Relief Handbook". It was also good.

This book is an excellent source for practical information concerning the health and care of your back, plus it really is a fifteen minute workout of exercises that really work. I have been doing the exercises and no more back stress.

Terry Stickles has done it again! His 2002
mind stretch puzzle calender contains a wide
variety of logic, math and word puzzles.
It is a continuation of his "so you think your
smart" book.

I just received the calendar for Christmas. Once everyone had left, I opened it up and got hooked. I know I'm supposed to do one a day, but I was having too much fun trying to solve all the puzzles. I got mid-way through February in that sitting. My 13 year old nephew came over and we worked on them together. It was good, thinking fun. I recommend it highly.

I just visited Nashville on Thanksgiving and was in the Kidd Bookstore there and saw the page-a-day calendar section, and there was Terry Stickels' "Mindstretch". It wasn't an accident that Terry's calendars were almost all gone, while his competition was still well-stocked.

I've been following Terry Stickels ever since he hit the earth's atmosphere somewhere back in the early '90s - I might even have bought his first calendar. His latest - the 2002 Mindstretch - which I already own and have peeked ahead for 365 days, will definitely be included in his greatest hits album should he ever actually land on earth and choose to do one. Why? Because there are puzzles for every appetite - Type A...type whatever personality...spatial, math, words , and puzzlers that lure us into connecting synapses we didn't even realize we had. Mindstretch 2002 is the easy answer for anyone on your gift list who needs to get connected.

One of the best books I've read in a long time, and a must read for anyone who has ever been sexually abused as a child or for anyone involved in the counseling of people who have undergone this horror. I have only one question. I would like to know why Oak Hill Ridge Press, the publisher of this book, has limited it's availability to the state of Colorado and to online purchase? The jacket of the book states how Marilyn Van Derbur "has devoted much of her adult life to raising national awareness and understanding of sexual abuse and its long-term effects." So why would a book like this which is worth its weight in gold only be available in bookstores in one state in the United State? That's bizarre. Inter-library loan taps into 3000 libraries across the country and in that system there are only 4 copies of this book. Three of those are in Colorado and one is in Nebraska. I was told here in Florida by B. Dalton books that it is because the book is considered Denver history. I read the book and it has little to do with Denver history--it is the beautifully and courageously written biography of a survivor of incest.

As Marilyn shared the details of her recovery, it became clear to me that I, too, could conquor terror and shame.

Miss America By Day is the powerful autobiography of Marilyn Van Derbur, a woman who, once crowned Miss America, was finally at age 53 able to say to the public, "I am an incest survivor." Sexually abused by her father from age 5 to 18, the scars of her maltreatment haunted her for years; Marilyn Van Derbur's personal story is one of seeking peace, working hard to achieve lasting love, and cautioning society against the depredations of the most vile types of human predators. Miss America By Day is a highly recommended addition to Women's Studies, Human Sexuality Studies, and Contemporary American Biography reading lists and library collections.

While I haven't actually used this book I have used its predecessor and find that the two are very similar in format. I have gone through all 26 of the sample pages and found each "trick" or method is very well designed. Each consists of a concise but clear explanation, two or three fully explained examples followed by two sets of exercises. the first are easy applications; the second harder. All of the methods are valid rapid calculation devices. Unfortunately, most of the multiplication and division methods involve special cases which the average person may not ever see or recognize in typical daily encounters with the need for computation. The addition and subtraction methods are more general. The book will prove most valuable to someone who is already fairly accomplished in computation skills but wishes to brush up on them and, perhaps, to pick up a few rapid calculation methods which can be used very frequently. Otherwise, the book may help one brush up on rusty comp. skills or prove interesting in attempting to discover why the various "tricks" work (the author does not explain the mathematical basis on which the methods rest - he deals in "how-to" not "why?". One final caution - if you have not memorized the basic arithmetic combinations of addition, subtraction, mulltiplication, and division this book is not for you.

Great book.Really does get you thinking differently about mathematics.The stuff they teach you in school is just to complicated and drawn out.This is not.A must for those who want to 'cut to the chase'.

The tricks in this book are better than the first book. If you can only buy one, get More Rapid Math Tricks and Tips : 30 Days to Number Mastery. It has some of the same features of the first book but better tricks.

This is an excellent book. Period. Philip Barlow uses the life and teachings of several prominent Church leaders to demonstrate the evolution of biblical thinking in the Mormon Church, and raises some important spectres along the way. Most significant to me was the powerful influence that the ultra-conservative Bruce R. McConkie has had on the contemporary LDS understanding of the bible. His personal bias toward the "literal bible" has been incorporated in both his "Mormon Doctrine" (considered by most faithful members to be THE LAST WORD on all doctrinal points), as well as his subtle influence in the brief synopsis at the first of each chapter in the most recent correlated Old and New Testaments used by the LDS church. Contrast that with the "open canon" of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, and you have a case for bonafide doctrinal evolution in the Mormon Church. Barlow points out that it is was the very ability of Joseph Smith to question the bible in the first place that led him to found a new religion.

This books gets the highest recommendation I could possibly give to anyone genuinely interested in understanding the genesis and growth of Mormon thought. Barlow writes about complex things in a manner that is easily consumed by the lay reader, without sacrificing scholarship. This is an excellent book.

This is one of the best books about Mormonism to appear in the last 20 or so years. Its real subject is not just the way LDS people regard the Bible, but the way the Mormons look at truth and the world. Non-Mormons should be fascinated by the LDS concept of an "open (scriptural) canon." The quiet arguments within the LDS church about how doctrine is revealed can shed illuminating light on the "culture wars" of the larger American ethos.

This is an excellently written and objective work. I loved it and found it to be very scholary.

I read and reviewed this book for my on-line theater magazine -- The new off-Broadway musical about Coward's friendship with Gertrude Lawrence draws much material from this book as well so I found myself referring back to it for my write-up of that show -- both show and book are particularly timely as the Coward centennial celebrations get into full swing.

coward's longtime companion graham payn probably comes as close to coward as anyone ever will. he manages to artfully weave the details of his own life with a plethora of new anecdotes -- and old -- about sir noel. the added bonus is the appendices containing previously unpublished coward works, including a tenth play [!] written for "tonight at 8:30".

well worth your time...

"An engrossing portrait of this world famous and immensely gifted man,chronicled so frankly by his closest friend...A most vivid account of his career after the Second World war" - JOHN GIELGUD"I greatly doubt if anything written about the Master will ever be as fascinating,as perceptive,as amusing or as touching as Graham Payn's loving portrait." - RICHARD ATTENBOROUGH"It's simply terrific !...So funny and so sensitive." - ELAINE STRITCH"Stories I never heard before bringing Noel vividly to life." - LAUREN BACALL"I greatly doubt if anything written about the Master will ever be as fascinating,as perceptive,as amusing or as touching as Graham Payn's loving portrait." - RICHARD ATTENBOROUGH"It's simply terrific !...So funny and so semsitive" - ELAINE STRITCH"Stories I never heard before bring Noel vividly to life." - LAUREN BACALL