NCJ Number
130072
Date Published
1991
Length
186 pages
Annotation
After profiling the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints (the Mormon Church), this book documents corruption, scandal, abuse of power, and even murder among Mormon adherents.
Abstract
The book notes that Mormonism presents itself as the embodiment of wholesome, family-centered virtues: industriousness, thrift, devotion to family and children, high ethical standards, and obedience and loyalty to God and country. The Mormons have indeed been successful in creating and sustaining a strong, cohesive community with a low incidence of divorce, juvenile delinquency, and many other social ills prevalent in American society. This book documents, however, that the same Mormon ethos that has instilled many positive virtues in its adherents has also produced some injurious social evils. These include massive investment scams that bilked gullible investors out of thousands of dollars, a phony child-adoption syndicate that fraudulently offered Mexican children to childless Mormon couples, and a racket in forged Mormon artifacts that involved two murders. There have been accusations of child sexual abuse against pillars of the Mormon community, discrimination by a Mormon elite in the FBI against Hispanic agents, and a Mormon connection with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration that involved political favoritism and factors associated with the Challenger shuttle explosion. Each of these cases is thoroughly documented. Chapter notes and a subject index