Lionel Atherton

A Short Encounter with the Latter-day Saints Lionel Atherton

Publisher Marketing: The faith of 'The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' was not an important matter to the local Vicar until they built a massive Temple in his parish! Apart from the sheer size of the building, he soon learned that the matter was of considerable importance because of the challenge to catholic Christianity which went with it. The challenge is that they are the only true Church. Such a claim by a backwater cult would not matter, but this was by an alternative spirituality with a presence in as many countries as the Roman Catholic church. This book describes his getting to know the new neighbours while at the same time learning their beliefs and the way they are lived with no pre-judgemental thought of denigrating them. This fact-finding journey took a circuitous route: from visiting the early LDS settlement at Nauvoo (USA, ) attending a 'Mormon Studies' Conference at Durham (UK, ) meeting the Temple- and Missionary Training- Presidents in the new Preston Temple, and living with LDS families in New Zealand around the first Temple built outside America. This was followed by extensive academic study. The result is to see the Latter-day Saints as a people with a sustaining, and in many ways a fulfilling, faith but not one which justifies their claim that all other churches apostatized soon after the earthly life of Jesus Christ. This is the heart of their belief: that they form the Christian Church restored as Jesus had always meant it to be, in these 'latter days' .