Jews and Mormons: Two Houses of Israel

Front Cover
KTAV Publishing House, Inc., 2000 - 243 pages
In the tradition of 1997's How Wide the Divide? A Mormon & an Evangelical in Conversation, old Dartmouth roommates Johnson, an LDS high priest, and Leffler, a retired Reform rabbi, enter into a dialogue about Mormonism and Judaism. But this t?te-?-t?te never quite matches the level of the historic 1997 book, because the writing is mediocre and because the authors lack the fundamental attitude of interfaith respect that characterized the earlier work. After discussing their traditions' history, theologies and basic practices, the authors focus on areas of common misunderstanding, including Mormons' claim to be descendants of the 12 tribes of Israel (a lineage many Jews dispute or find offensive). Some intriguing issues arise hereAe.g., the controversy over Mormons' former practice of performing proxy baptisms for Holocaust victimsAbut these points of interfaith controversy are underdeveloped. The book may have been aided by a less stilted, impersonal tone; we know from the author biography that Johnson converted to Mormonism thirty years ago, but we never learn why. The authors refer to each other as "Mr. Johnson" and "Rabbi Leffler," rather formal titles for men who have been friends for half a centuryAperpetuating the sense that this is not an interfaith conversation but a standard debate, with a projected winner and loser.
 

Contents

The Basis and Background of Judaism
1
The Basis and Background of Mormonism
21
Jewish Religious Ideas
41
The Purpose of Mormonism
61
Jewish Life
81
Mormonism in Practice
105
Differences and Similarities
131
Mormonism and the House of Israel
147
Areas of Misunderstanding and Discussion
173
Appendices
207
Glossary
229
Copyright

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