Comments on: Book review: ‘Presidents and Prophets’

By: Bill [Visitor]

Bill [Visitor] — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 01:35:35 +0000

It was Alexander Lebed, former general, and at the time, National Security Advisor to President Yeltsin, who in June of 1996 said the following:

"All these Mormons are mold and filth which have come to destroy the state. The state should outlaw them."

and

"I am against anyone teaching us how to live here. I would like to see the Americans' reaction if Russian Orthodox Old Believers landed in Alabama and started teaching them how to live and what to believe."

I don't know about President Clinton's involvement, but I believe his firing some months later (in October) had much to do with the suitcase nukes controversy:

http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/News/Lebedbomb.html

However, he was a controversial figure with political aspirations of his own, so it could be that he was moved aside for a variety of too-candid opinions. In 2002 he died in a helicopter crash that, not surprisingly, has elicited conspiracy theories.

By: Brad Kramer [Visitor]

Brad Kramer [Visitor] — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 00:55:41 +0000

Geoff,
Did the book discuss President Clinton’s intervention in Russia about ten years ago. There was some nostalgic minister in Yeltsin’s government while I was a missionary there making threatening comments about foreign missionaries and kicking them out of the country. Clinton, according to reports I’ve read and according to what my mission president at the time told the missionaries, called Yeltsin and threatened to cut off all foreign aid. The irksome minister shut up rather quickly thereafter and eventually resigned.
Pretty sure the story’s not apocryphal, mainly just wondering if it’s included in this particular volume (which sounds fascinating, by the way).

By: Clark Goble [Visitor]

Clark Goble [Visitor] — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 18:41:21 +0000

Dang, they had sent me a copy and I was putting together my own review. I've just been too busy and you beat me to the punch. C'est la vie. I may still put up a review later.

By: Geoff B [Visitor]

Geoff B [Visitor] — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 18:05:24 +0000

Mark B, I mostly agree with you. Still, it was interesting to see that Lincoln checked out the BoM, TR had a lot of curiosity about the Church and Reagan read the BoM. But, as I said, this book is probably not for you. To each his own.

By: Mark B. [Visitor]

Mark B. [Visitor] — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 17:59:28 +0000

Geoff. I can understand the curiosity, but isn’t the answer (except for the years of the polygamy battle) that they mostly haven’t cared about Mormons, except to the extent that Utah can move 3 or 4 electoral votes into their column.

I must confess that any inclination I might have had to read the book was dampened by this:

http://www.sltrib.com//ci_7133914?IADID=Search-www.sltrib.com-www.sltrib.com

By: Thomas [Visitor]

Thomas [Visitor] — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 15:26:18 +0000

Mark B.,those interested in American History will most likely enjoy this book more. It is just a history book and not a doctrinal book by any means. One thing I found fascinating was the focus during Presidential campaigns, political parties, etc. to rid the country of polygamy. It was also interesting to see how the nation’s view of Mormonism evolved over the years. It actually helped me to understand why people sometimes think we are “peculiar” and why Mitt Romney has some people hesitant about his Presidential bid. Granted I love political stuff and American history, so I may have enjoyed the book because of that.

By: JimD [Visitor]

JimD [Visitor] — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 15:18:06 +0000

Mark B, FWIW, I think I read in a review of the book that Dolly Madison, late in life, either hosted or attended some kind of benefit dinner/concert for refugee Mormons.

By: Geoff B [Member]

Geoff B [Member] — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 14:52:08 +0000

Mark B, to each his own, right? This book simply may not be for you. But personally I have always wondered, as I read biographies and history books, “what did TR think of the Mormons, what about Lincoln, did he ever meet Joseph Smith while they both lived in Illinois in the 1840s?” That’s just the way my mind works. If you’re not interested in those types of questions, then definitely don’t buy or read the book, because those are the kind of questions that are answered.

Personally, my assurance of the validity of the Church comes directly from the Holy Ghost, so this book and any historical knowledge it may give me is simply just to satisfy my curiosity, nothing more. I don’t read all books about the Church to “establish” the Church’s validity on anything, I read them because they might interest me.

As for your questions regarding the first six presidents, the author mainly talks about the presidents’ views on religion (his take is considerably non-controversial, imho) and how modern-day Saints and leaders tend to see them. He could have easily started the book with Van Buren, and not much would have been lost. If you read the book, skip the first few presidents.

By: Mark B. [Visitor]

Mark B. [Visitor] — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 14:42:47 +0000

This book (which I haven't read) sounds like the old cartoon headline from the Podunk Times "New York City Destroyed by A-Bomb--Local Couple Slightly Wounded".

Do we really have to know that some U.S. president met once with some church leader in order to establish our validity as a church? And what about those six presidents who were out of office before the church was established? What was their relationship with any church leader?

By: Connor [Visitor]

Connor [Visitor] — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 22:19:43 +0000

I doubt it.