This is only one of many books written by members of the LDS Church trying to prove to the world that Mormonism is also Christianity. Fortunately most people are not decieved, no matter how hard you try to name an orange an apple, it will always be an orange. Mormonism is the gospel according to Joseph Smith, nothing else. Daniel C. Peterson is just another spin doctor for his faith. Those who are really interested in Mormonism should read: "Mormonism-Shadow or Reality" by Jerald and Sandra Tanner.

Word games, word games, word games. As if I had to say it three times, but this is exactly what this book does... Mormons ARE Christians but the fact that they are doesn't necessarily vindicate their faith (or Christianity). This book plays word games repeatedly on the very people it is trying to help avoid them, except of course these word games come from the right side... The minds of most of the readers are already decided and closed.

We're told the Book of Mormon is the "most correct book" in the LDS Articles of Faith. If this is the case, why are there so many changes since the original edition? If it was correct then this wouldn't be the case.

2 Nephi 30:6 (1830) "they shall be a WHITE and delightsome people." Now the word "PURE" is used. Mosiah 21:28 (1830) "...on learning from the mouth of Ammon that king BENJAMIN had a gift from God..." Benjamin is now Mosiah. These are not minor changes.

This seed did "swelleth" nearly to double the size.

Alma 32:30: (1830): "But behold, as the seed swelleth and sprouteth and beginneth to grow, and then ye must needs say, That seed is good; for behold, it swelleth and sprouteth and beginneth to grow."

Today: "But behold, as the seed swelleth and sprouteth and beginneth to grow, and then ye must needs say, That seed is good; for behold, it swelleth and sprouteth and beginneth to grow. And now behold, will not this strengthen your faith? Yea, it will strengthen your faith: for ye will say that I know that this is a good seed; for behold, it sprouteth and beginneth to grow."

If you can't see these changes you need your eyesight tested. Those who wish to do so can buy a facsimile of the ORIGINAL 1830 Book of Mormon at Amazon.

What about Brigham Young? Let's read his own words (no word play here)... Here's his view of his being a prophet, judge for yourself (reference included for personal research into his writings)

Journal of Discourses, 5:177
"I do not profess to be a Prophet. I never called myself so; but I actually believe I am, because people are all the time telling me that I am."

Brigham Young said about black people in his own Journal of Discourses, 7:291, again LOOK IT UP YOURSELF IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE ME-

"You see some classes of the human family that are black, uncouth, uncomely, disagreeable and low in their habits, wild, and seemingly deprived of nearly all the blessings of the intelligence that is generally bestowed upon mankind. The first man that committed the odious crime of killing one of his brethren will be cursed the longest of any one of the children of Adam. Cain slew his brother. Cain might have been killed, and that would have put a termination to that line of human beings. This was not to be, and the Lord put a mark upon him, which is the flat nose and black skin. Trace mankind down to after the flood, and then another curse is pronounced upon the same race-that they should be the 'servant of servants;' and they will be, until that curse is removed; and the Abolitionists cannot help it, nor in the least alter that decree. How long is that race to endure the dreadful curse that is upon them? That curse will remain upon them, and they never can hold the Priesthood or share in it until all the other descendants of Adam have received the promises and enjoyed the blessings of the Priesthood and the keys thereof. Until the last ones of the residue of Adam's children are brought up to that favorable position, the children of Cain cannot receive the first ordinances of the Priesthood."

The anti-black priesthood restriction was only lifted in 1978, and can be read in Doctrines and Covenants.

If you wish to KNOW the Mormon church, these quotes from Brigham Young and from the Book of Mormon are ENTIRELY relevant.

The people reviewing the book with a negative aspect on the LDS faith have obviously not read the book. I saw things on the previously posted reviews that Daniel Peterson very effectively refutes IN THE BOOK. I have also seen some of the logical fallacies which DCP also explains in the book. This is a very well-written book.

From an LDS standpoint, it is a good book to own, because it helps to keep faith, even in the midst of many critics spewing forth the same drivel day in and day out.

From an anti-LDS standpoint, this should also be a very good book. While it would be insulting to read, chiefly because of Daniel Peterson's entire outlook on "anti-Mormons", it would serve as a valuable tool to make their arguments a little more effective. I tell you, some of the anti-Mormon literature out there is just plain sad in their poor research and half-truths. If these anti-Mormons would read this book, they may realize that honest research will ultimately be more persuasive then faulty half-truths and fear tactics.
-Christoph-

Although sometimes difficult to read, this is a is a well written, researched and documented analysis of the Battle of Shiloh. The first of the Civil War's major battles, the 23,000 Union and Confederate casualties that were experienced in 2 days of fighting at this Northern Mississippi, Tennessee River crossing were more than all the casualties incurred in all of America's previous wars combined. North and South did not clash here, they bludgeoned each other.

Long the subject of controversy, Shiloh's participants and contemporaries left a legacy of acrimonious discussion and creative revisionism that continues today. Larry Daniel's book goes a long way to getting this signal Civil War battle back to its proper perspective. Within two months of this defeat, the South lost 15,000 square miles of its Nation, including Memphis, Tennessee, all of the upper Mississippi River forts from Columbus, Kentucky to just above Vicksburg, Mississippi and, eventually, New Orleans, Louisiana, the Souths' largest city and one of its finest ports.

This is a step by step analysis of the uncertainty, blunders and lack of tactics as well as the fortitude, bravery and selflessness displayed by both sides. Many real heroes were born here. Many armchair and political heroes were defrocked. It was a true blood bath in the worst sense of the concept, setting the stage for Antietam, Vicksburg, Chickamauga, Gettysburg, Chancellorsville and all the horrors that came after. It defined the antagonists' resolve and defined each sector's devotion to its cause: The South's completely focused commitment to their definition of freedom and the North's completely focused dedication to their definition of Union.

Larry Daniel's "Shiloh", one of three modern books about the battle that jarred the nation with its unprecedented horror and set the stage for the elevated bloodshed of the next three years, is a worthwhile though flawed book, attractively presented but occasionally clear as mud. Of the other works, I've read Wiley Sword's "Shiloh: Bloody April" and though it, too, is flawed, I consider it the better book. Daniel's "Shiloh", though generally well-written, suffers from a lack of clarity, particularly in the stage-setting moves of the armies and in the battle itself. Daniel's approach is to present short sections of a few pages from different locations -- portions of the battlefield or Union or Confederate seats of power, and flit back and forth geographically and chronologically. It is an interesting approach and it often works. But too often it leaves the "big picture" lacking and I was confused by the troop movements even though I'd read Sword's book. Daniel would have served his readers better with updates of how things were going ("while this was happening, that was happening elsewhere on the battlefield"). The first 100 pages are, frankly, dull. If you stick with it when the battle starts, it perks up considerably; I'm glad I stuck with it. So, worth reading, but Daniel's inability to present a clearer picture of the battle keeps this from being a must-have.

Shiloh : The Battle That Changed the Civil War by Larry J. Daniel is a fine history of the first bloody battle of the Civil War. While much of the book follows the troop movements that occurred during the two day battle, the strength of the book is when Daniel moves away from the specifics of the battle and deals with the personalties involved as well as its cause and effect.

The book is well written, although it is difficult to follow much of the discussion concerning specific troop movements and the maps are not that helpful. However, that does not detract from the fine descriptions of the major players and their strengths and weaknesses. While Daniel is justifiedly critical of all of the major players, he is perhaps too forgiving of Sherman's role in allowing the surprise attack to occur.

Daniel goes to lengths to describe how Grant manipulated the situation to ensure that Sherman would be the senior Division Commander present at Pittsburg Landing, but then does not sufficiently discus his failure to have the troops entrench. It was that failure that allowed the Confederate surprise attack to almost succeed.

The above failure aside this was a very readable history of a crucial Civil War battle.

The author, Maguire, is a lapsed Catholic priest who seeks the distruction of the Gospel in Sacred Choices. His thesis is that Catholicism along with other religious traditions acually endorse the right to contraception and abortion! By twisting historical events and moral theology, he presents his heretical views to advance the culture of death. For those who need convincing just look at the word contraception and its associative meaning. Contra = against or Anti; and Ception = Life or Christ. Put it together contra-ception = Anti-Christ. (This semantic play reveals the meaning behind the practice of contraception). This book's thesis is that the Catholic Church, along with other religious traditions, support contraception, or alternativly the Anti-Christ, or that which is agaist Life.

If religion is about the celebration of Life, how could this ex-priest have the (...) to suggest that religions support anti-life devices and proceedures that end life pre-maturely? The mind boggles . . . there is something darker in this author than what can be gleened from the cover of his book!

This book provides much needed information and is a great contribution in refuting the falsehoods spread by the so-called "Christian" Right. It is a good companion to a wonderful new book titled Real Prophecy Unveiled, by Joseph J. Adamson. Thank God for books like these, because they shed light in a world made dark by "religious" bigotry, hypocrisy, and aggression. They give me faith that the humble and meek shall inherit the earth after all.

While Daniel Maguire is one of the few mirthful scholars of religious thought, his writings have serious import in a world too often darkened by religious crime. Maguire and his sources demonstrate quite vividly that while most of the world's religions have often been involved in horrific and destructive actions, that there was and is a serious and awe inspiring underpining to their formation and purpose. My personal opinion is that there was probably much more fear and trembling than awe and reverence at their core beginnings, but Maquire is more generous in his accessment. Maguire takes us through more than ten of the world's great religious traditions with the help of scholars well versed in their own religious traditions, to demonstrate conclusively that although there is much in religious tradtions to comfort Pro-Life adherents, that there is a line of equally orthodox thought in every religious tradition to support the Pro-Choice view, and that government support of one of these religious views over the other is in conflict with the American ideal of resisting governmental intervention into religious matters. Maguire has an obvious bias toward the Pro-Choice religious position, but he is generous in granting legitimacy to the Pro-Life position as well. However, he unabashedly points out the inconsistancies in the lobbying and advocacy efforts by current avowedly Pro-Life activist's positions on multiple fronts in public policy debates. This is an important book for anyone who takes religious matters seriously. And whether or not one is religious or irreligious, I think that none can deny that religion plays a very big part in both national and international policy debates, and therefor, it behooves us all to take seriously matters of religious thought. Maguire shows us in his first few pages exactly why it is so necessary that we do so. An excellent and thoughtful read and a book which belongs on any thinking person's book shelves. wfh

The authors seem unaware of the fact that theory guides our understanding. There are no "objective" facts, yet the authors present all their findings as such with almost no reasoning attached. This is both arrogant and ignorant. The authors display no grasp of theoretical advances in Accounting and I recommend getting a book that has a better exposition of principles as more than practice

I was going to get a book with a ISN number of 0072316373...But today, I got one with 0070412901...
So I need you send my money beac to my account, and give me a well reason why you let the seller mail me a totally different book again, It is the second time I get an item with wrong number

When I first took Financial Accounting, I was using Prentice Hall's Accounting textbook by Hongren. My prof was real anal-retentive and required us to read every chapter. To ensure this, he would quiz us on the contents of each chapter before we covered it in class. I spent so much time trying to wade through the excessive verbage in that book that I ended up not having any time left to do actual problems or sharpen up my practical skills. As a result, I ended up with a D in the class although I understood most of the concepts very well. When I took the course again over the summer, I had a different professor and he used this book. What a breath of fresh air! Meigs and company explain the accounting concepts just as thoroughly as Hongren but with about half the verbage. I breezed through my summer course and got the highest grade in the class. This book is an excellent teaching tool for beginners and would also make a great reference guide for more advanced students.

Many of the above reviews are contradictory... Here's the scoop as I see it... THIS BOOK: MULTIVARIABLE CALC is for the last several chapters (13-18)... Much of Calc III covers atleast 13 and 14... If you are in Calc I or II, use the SINGLE VARIABLE Solutions manual (Chapters 1-12)... Just straightening things out... Hope this helps!

Unbelievable solution manual. Shows how to work out problems, so you don't want to burn your book after working for three hours on change of variable triple integrals, etc. A definite must for the last few chapters of the Stewart book.

This book is a guide of Chapters 11 to the end of the Stewart Transcendental Calculus book. It is just as good as the single version edition, with clear answers that are well drawn out.

I PURCHASED THIS BOOK WITH THE HOPE OF GETTING SOME INSIGHT ON THE WORLD OF E-COMMERCE. BIG DISSAPOINTMENT.

The authors should be congratulated for their talents of oversimplification. They've manage to dumb-down the concepts
and are only worthy of inspiring a few Dilbert comic strips, but
not any serious reader.

They've authored a book that seems best targeted for those with the frat-boy mentality that is evident page in and out (see pages 57 thru 59 for the "It's All Porn" section !).

Other Revelations:

ISP's are like Kevin Costners scuba gear in Waterworld !(pg 49)
"Intellectual Property" is like Al Capone and booze ! (pg 121)

I could go on, and on, but please, please, let me stop.

I've read other Drapkin books in the past and they have been clear, concise, and well thought out. I can only guess that
his 'co-authors' have brought this book down to what can only
be called ... Advice from the STENCHES of eCommerce.

Save your money.

After reading Michael Drapkin's book, I learned how to apply his expertise to create a start-up online business. I learned how to locate and hire talented IT professionals, how to create funding for a new online business, and how to successfully launch a new web business. I especially found pages 57-59 and page 131 humorous and intriguing. Thus, if you want to learn how to create a successful start-up online business, I recommend purchasing his book.

It is a great read to learn how to start, survive, and profit an online business.

Before you create your business plan and before you launch your website, READ THIS BOOK! I highly recommend it.

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This book provides a good historical perspective of different techniques and strategies that have made firms (large and small) succeed using the Internet. All the chapters are pertinent... each provide Tips or Know-How that any Corporate Manager should learn.

I especially like the way the book was written-- funny, using Real-World examples, and most of all poignant.

Not as technical as the book Net.Gain-- but gives the same impact.

The book does not have the in-depth coverage that expert SQL users would expect. If you are a beginner then it may suit you just fine. There are not enough nuts and bolts for people like me who really need the complete reference book.

A very good book on Oracle8 administration, performance tuning, backup and recovery. Full of well organized useful information.

I am primarily a Solaris system admin who wants to learn more about the inside of Oracle and what it takes to keep it up and running. The O'Reilly titles were a major disappointment since most of their stuff usually rocks, but let's hope for better 2nd editions on those along with some good tutorial material. The Oracle Press titles are totally disorganized and a major embarassment! David Austin has put together a great book with Using Oracle 8, and if you have to suffer through NT (and thank God I don't), he has plenty of material on Oracle Enterprise Mgr (all of chapter 4). Then he moves on to the nitty gritty, with a Unix-oriented or at least generic "pure Oracle" approach. I have spent two weeks browsing and reading various Oracle books and good choices are hard to find. I strongly recommend Alomari's "Oracle8 and Unix Performance Tuning" as well.

I bought this book long time ago hoping to learn Image Styler by myself, but It didn't help me. There is nothing in this book that was valuable whichI couldn't figure it out by myself, or by the free tutorials available on the web.

One important thing I figured out ( and I am speaking for myself) is that Image Styler is not the kind of software that need proper training before being able to use it, every thing is ready made and so clear, except maybe for the Javascript rollovers.

Don't waist your money on this book, or any book about Image Styler for that matter. Put your money on more powerful tools such as Photoshop or Flash

so, unless you already own this software, you won't want to buy this book. Adobe's customer representative said that Imagestyler's features have been incorporated into the new versions of Illustrator, Photoshop and Go Live. Hopefully, the author will rework his excellent advice into another helpful book.

Some books are so hard to put down once you start reading...this ISN'T one of them. Don't get me wrong-there's a lot of useful information but it's painfully dull at times. I'm the type of person who can pick up any book and read til I've finished it, but I had a really difficult time staying focused during this one...dull is the best word I can think of-it does contain some good info though.

I was looking forward to gaining some real insights with this book. However, it is one of the most disapointing books on the subject I have read. The infomation is dated, the size of the book is pitifull. Trying to remain objective, there are a few handy formulas for detailed calculations, the rest of the information here is old news, and all available for free on the net. Ed has, in the past written some of the best and most well known material on this subject. But this book is just not worth buying. Ed Rosenthal where has your integrity gone?

I was looking forward to gaining some real insights with this book. However, it is one of the most disapointing books on the subject I have read. The infomation is dated, the size of the book is pitifull. Trying to remain objective, there are a few handy formulas for detailed calculations, the rest of the information here is old news, and all available for free on the net. Ed has, in the past written some of the best and most well known material on this subject. But this book is just not worth buying. Ed Rosenthal where has your integrity gone?

I ordered this book after seeing all these reviews praising the information on growing with hydroponics and was pretty disapointed to see that there were only 8 pages dedicated to that system. Still I guess it was better than the 4 pages dedicated to growing in soil.

Daniel Harbour doesn't actually discuss whether God exists or not. The crux of his argument is that religious beliefs are a manifestation of one's larger world view, of which he describes two models: the "Spartan Meritocracy" where things are only accepted as truth after being conclusively proven, and the "Baroque Monarchy" which assumes that received wisdom is true even in the face of contrary evidence. His discussion of these worldviews and their effects on society is very interesting.

My frustration with the book is summed up in the first paragraph:
"I shall not try to prove atheism true nor theism false. Rather, I want to show that atheism is 'superior' to theism." In the realm of science and empirical testing, a premise that can be demonstrably proven is more valuable than one that is purely theoretical. And in Harbour's view, all theories of God remain in the realm of the unproven -- "it is a fact about God that he [sic] has never proved Himself a viable cog, nut, or bolt in any theory of how the world is." This one sentence dismissal of the whole question of God's existence is the cornerstone of Harbour's entire argument -- because God's existence has not been "proven", belief in Him is merely speculative and therefore "inferior" to atheism.

I often feel that Christians make good arguments for why their beliefs are comforting, but not necessarily why they're true. In the same way, I feel that Harbour has convincingly demonstrated the "superiority" of a skeptical worldview. But this does not make it true.

This is a very good argument, uses the authors biased approach of Spartan Meritocracy, a bit weak. The other reviewers have explained this part. This one sided approach leaves the bullet in the hands of the creationist due to many openings of being one dimensional. The creationist has an argument for every theory here. The best book that I have ever read in a very entertaining piece written for all age groups and peoples is SB 1 or God. That book uses real techniques such as the FBI's fingerprint writing style to dissasemble liars. Moses gets turned upside down and wrung out with invention. Much more from a must read. Author is Karl Mark Maddox.

This is a thoughtful, well argued book, which approaches a timeless subject from a different angle. Rather than seeking to prove or disprove Old Testament claims, Daniel Harbour argues that theists and atheists have diametrically opposed ways of looking at and explaining the world. Atheism, he says, is a natural result of having a 'Spartan meritocratic' world view. 'Spartan' means starting with as few theories as possible to explain phenomena. 'Meritocratic' means that all theories (even our initial hypotheses) can be changed in the light of new evidence. This contrasts with a 'Baroque monarchical' world view -- 'Baroque' meaning highly elaborate explanations of phenomena (for example, various creation stories), and 'monarchical' meaning that such theories are not allowed to be changed even in light of new knowledge and better understanding.

Harbour in effect argues that a rationalist, scientific approach is the best way to determine the truth. This is an inherently more satisfying and useful way of thinking about human origins (indeed, the origin of everything) than theistic explanations which aren't subject to testing or analysis.

The book draws on a wide range of disciplines from physics and mathematics to chemistry and history as Daniel Harbour builds his case. His writing is dispassionate and convincing and he deals particularly well with the argument from design and the argument from first causes in presenting his case. There is a long and not entirely relevant section dealing with the impact of religion and democracy. Harbour argues that theism is inherently dangerous in democratic societies because successful democracies are built on Spartan and meritocratic worldviews. One doubts this will be well received in the United States! But Harbour's arguments are well worth thinking about. As rationalism increasingly becomes a universally accepted way of thinking surely that means that organised religion must be pushed further to the political margins?

The one drawback to this study is Harbour's rather laboured and mechanical writing style. Parts of the book read a bit like undergraduate essays -- but we could all wish for such intelligent undergraduates! Harbour is likely to produce much better work in the future, but this, his first book, is very well worth reading.