"A View of Hebrews" by Ethan Smith 1823 (A first version came out in 1819)

Some consider this a prelude to the Book of Mormon, or what Joseph Smith used as at least partial inspiration for the Book of Mormon theory.

Read the entire contents of the book here.


http://behindzioncurtain.com/View_of_the_Hebrews.pdf

"A View of Hebrews" by Ethan Smith 1823 (A first version came out in 1819)

Some consider this a prelude to the Book of Mormon, or what Joseph Smith used as at least partial inspiration for the Book of Mormon theory.

Read the entire contents of the book here.


http://behindzioncurtain.com/View_of_the_Hebrews.pdf

Save Me from Myself: How I Found God, Quit Korn, Kicked Drugs, and Lived to Tell My Story (Hardcover)

he amazing true story of an out-of-control rock star, his devastating addiction to drugs, and his miraculous redemption through Jesus Christ.

In February 2005, more than ten thousand people in Bakersfield, California, watched as Brian "Head" Welch—the former lead guitarist of the controversial rock band Korn—was saved by Jesus Christ. The event set off a media frenzy as observers from around the world sought to understand what led this rock star out of the darkness and into the light.

Now, in this courageous memoir, Head talks for the first time about his shocking embrace of God and the tumultuous decade that led him into the arms of Jesus Christ. Offering a backstage pass to his time with Korn, Head tells the inside story of his years in the band and explains how his rock star lifestyle resulted in an all-consuming addiction to methamphetamines. Writing openly about the tour bus mayhem of Ozzfest and The Family Values tour, he provides a candid look at how the routine of recording, traveling, and partying placed him in a cycle of addiction that he could not break on his own.

Speaking honestly about his addiction, Head details his struggles with the drug that ultimately led him to seek a higher power. Despite his numerous attempts to free himself from meth, nothing—not even the birth of his daughter—could spur him to kick it for good. Here Head addresses how, with the help of God, he emerged from his dangerous lifestyle and found a path that was not only right for his daughter, it was right for him.

Discussing the chaotic end to his time in Korn and how his newfound faith has influenced his relationship with his daughter, his life, and his music, Head describes the challenging but rewarding events of the last two years, exposing the truth about how his moments of doubt and his hardships have only deepened his faith.

Candid, compelling, and inspirational, Save Me from Myself is a rock 'n' roll journey unlike any other.


http://www.amazon.com/Save-Me-Myself-Found-Kicked/dp/0061251844

Suddenly Strangers by Brad L. Morin, Chris L. Morin


The news of our unthinkable fall from grace fell hard upon the ears of those who knew us best. "What has happened to Brad?" one baffled friend asked another. "You have no idea of the seriousness of this," said someone of Chris's transgression. "That is a more serious offense in the sight of God than murder or adultery-you don't understand that." In surrendering our gods and spiritual heroes, we induced severe anguish and fear in family and friends. The reaction was anticipated but still genuinely troubling to us. Quite suddenly, many of those once close to us ceased to recognize the essence of who we were. Added to that was an inner turmoil that ruled and haunted our every thought. As we continued on our startling journey, we struggled with the loss of our exalted place in time and space, lamenting the disarray of our once well-ordered universe.
We are brothers who consider ourselves well brought up in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly referred to as the Mormon Church. Casting off the faith of our venerable ancestors had once seemed unfathomable. Yet, the day came when nagging inconsistencies caused us to step back and take a careful look. As Mormons, we once believed that all apostates from our faith were inspired by dark desires-to be feared, to be shunned, to be spoken of in hushed voices. Now, one forbidden look began our journey into the false and damning shadows that we had once so discreetly cast upon others.

http://www.suddenlystrangers.com/

Hugh B. Brown (born 1883) served in the First Presidency of the LDS church from 1961 to 1970—one of the most turbulent decades of the Latter-day Saint history. During these years he proved to be a compassionate and tolerant member of the church’s general authorities. Shortly before his death, his grandson conducted the in-depth, candid interviews that appear in An Abundant Life, a refreshing look at one of Mormonism’s best-loved leaders.


--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

The first paperback edition of the classic biography of the founder of the Mormon church, this book attempts to answer the questions that continue to surround Joseph Smith. Was he a genuine prophet, or a gifted fabulist who became enthralled by the products of his imagination and ended up being martyred for them? 24 pages of photos. Map.

Mormon America: The Power and The Promise by Richard N. Ostling and Joan K. Ostling, grew out of a 1997 Time magazine cover story called "Mormon's Inc." One of the reporters on that story, Richard Ostling, became so fascinated by Mormonism that he set out to write "a candid but non-polemical" overview of the Church, beginning with its founding by Joseph Smith Jr. in 1830 and continuing to the present day. The resulting book is a marvel of clarity, organization, and analysis.
For statistical reasons alone, the Mormon Church demands a reader's attention: in just 170 years, the Church has grown from six members to more than 10 million; if current rates of growth continue, membership could hit 265 million by 2080, which would make it the most important world religion to emerge since the rise of Islam. Mormon America clarifies the reasons for the religion's rapid growth: "It was from the beginning optimistic and upbeat, a reaction against the establishment New England Calvinism.... It was a religious version of the American dream: Everyman presented with unlimited potential." The book also investigates the Mormons' immense wealth (relative to size, this is "America's richest church, with an estimated $30 billion in assets and something like $6 billion in annual income, mostly from members' tithes.") It anatomizes the minutiae of Church governance (Mormonism is ruled by a self-perpetuating, all-male hierarchy, headed by a "President, Prophet, Seer, and Revelator"), details the many rules that govern the Mormon lifestyle (famously, they avoid caffeine and alcohol; the Church's mandates extend even to the proper technique for "dispos[ing] of worn-out holy underwear"), and summarizes the Mormon scriptures. Mormon America is a compulsively readable book, not only for its insightful analysis and wealth of factual information, but also, and most importantly, because it respects its subject rigorously. "This is a real faith," the Ostlings write, "and must be understood in those terms, without caricature." --Michael Joseph Gross--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Looking at Soloman Spalding novels as inspiration for the Book of Mormon.

Over the past thirty years, an enormous amount of research has been conducted into Mormon origins--Joseph Smith's early life, the Book of Mormon, the prophet's visions, and the restoration of priesthood authority. Longtime LDS educator Grant H. Palmer suggests that most Latter-day Saints remain unaware of the significance of these discoveries. He therefore gives a brief survey of the literature for all who have ever wanted to know more about the New Mormon History.
He finds that what we take for granted as literal history has been tailored over the years for missionary purposes--slightly modified, added to, one aspect emphasized over another--to the point that the original narratives have been nearly lost. What was experienced as a spiritual event, something from an entirely different dimension, has been often refashioned as if it had been a physical, objective occurrence. This is not how the first Saints interpreted these events. Historians have reevaluated basic concepts surrounding these foundational stories and restored elements, including a nineteenth-century world view, that have been misunderstood, if not forgotten.

The Book of Mormon narrates voyages to the Americas by ancient Israelites. "2 Nephi 1:9 Wherefore, I, Lehi, have obtained a promise, that inasmuch as those whom the Lord God shall bring out of the land of Jerusalem shall keep his commandments, they shall prosper upon the face of this land; [The Americas] and they shall be kept from all other nations, that they may possess this land unto themselves" The descendants of these ancient seafarers are said to be the tribes of Native Americans who were on hand to greet Columbus, the Spanish Conquistadors, and the Pilgrims. Israelites are also said to be the ancestors of the Polynesians.
Enter DNA. With the advent of molecular genealogy, scientists now have a tool to test hypotheses about Indian origins, previously based on skull shapes, blood types, linguistics, and cultural studies. By means of DNA genealogy, Native Americans have been traced to an area surrounding Lake Baikal in Siberia before their migration to the New World over 14,000 years ago. The evidence is definitive and unequivocal.

What do Latter-day Saint scientists have to say about this? Is it possible that a few, not all, Native Americans could be of Israelite origin? Could Polynesians represent an admixture of Southeast Asian and Israelite heritage? Professors at Brigham Young University are proposing a radical new reinterpretation of the Book of Mormon to accommodate this new field of science.

Explaining the scientific and theological issues in this debate is Dr. Simon Southerton, a molecular geneticist from Australia. He particularly responds to the issues raised by the BYU professors such as the implications of the mysterious lineage X, absent in Mesoamerica, and supposed anomalies in the genetic picture such as Kennewick Man and even the genetic history of the lowly sweet potato. Having been raised Mormon, Southerton knows the theological side of the issue as intimately as he knows the science.