A Short Encounter with the Latter-day Saints

by Lionel Atherton


Formats

Softcover
£8.99
Softcover
£8.99

Book Details

Language : English
Publication Date : 31/03/2010

Format : Softcover
Dimensions : 6x9
Page Count : 124
ISBN : 9781449091460

About the Book

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 second Temple built outside America; and the first - apart from in America - to be built in an English speaking country. 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' .


About the Author

After leaving school the author was employed as a bank-clerk. Two years later he left and trained to be a schoolteacher at St. Luke's College of Further Education, Exeter, Devon (UK.) At the same time he was a Lay-vicar choral in the cathedral choir. He has always had an interest in seeking to understand why people believe what they believe and as a teacher he always tried to discover what his pupils thought and why. After two years teaching he read for and obtained, an Honours degree in 'Education' at the University College of North Wales, Bangor. To his consternation, instead of putting his new-found studies to good use in the teaching profession he felt called to be a priest, and subsequently trained at St. Stephen's House , Oxford. After thirty years in ministry and some minor publications, he is currently (2010) Vicar of St. Peter's Church, Chorley, Lancashire, UK., and the Bishop of Blackburn's New Religious Movements Adviser.