The Lord’s question: A call to come unto him
Rasmussen, Dennis. 1985. The Lord’s question: A call to come unto him. Keter Foundation.
Rating:
1
Summary:
very poorly written; makes very little sense
The book is essentially made up of the philosophical ramblings of the author on 10 questions found in the LDS scriptures: (1) Where Art Thou? (2) Do Not I Fill Heaven and Earth? (3) What Mean the Testimonies? (4) Whom Shall I Send? (5) Fear Ye Not Me? (6) Knowest Though the Condescension of God? (7) Wherein Have I Wearied Thee? (8) Is Not the Life More Than Meat? (9) Will ye Also Go Away? (10) Whom Seekest Thou?
In these ten questions he seems to find the impetus to explore and repeat all of the advice that was being offered by the Mormon leadership during the early 1980s.
Review:
First, it took me until the end of the first chapter to begin to understand that the author was including as ‘The Lord’s Question’ (which is singular) any question asked in the scriptures that causes one to self-scrutinize. I may be misinterpreting that because the author never really comes right out and says what he means by ‘The Lord’s Question’, but I think I’m on the right track. Anyway, that may actually be somewhat helpful to anyone that chooses to read this.
Of course me having to explain what the author meant despite profoundly disagreeing with him on pretty much every point he makes leads me to the next point. This book lacks any clear format, specified aim, or direction. I had no idea what it was the author was trying to do. In the end it just seemed like a collection of rambling essays that some editor thought could be organized into chapters using questions. There is no organization to this book whatsoever. Perhaps some people interpret that to be philosophical but I am more inclined to consider it crappy writing.
Another element of this book I found particularly offensive was the author’s elitist attitude . Let me explain by using two example:
“These words give light; no one can see the world aright who does not see it in the light of God.” (p. 28) I guess what the author is saying is if you don’t have the light of God you see the world ‘a-wrong’.
“It is not the multitude that serve and save the world but the righteous remnant that walk humbly before God.” (p. 40) Again, the author is claiming that the ‘righteous remnant’ are the only people that do good. This is a very prevalent attitude throughout the book and I found it to be very disturbing. The author doesn’t seem capable of recognizing that non-Mormons can also be ‘good people’.
Do I have anything good to say about this book? Yes, it’s short so the pain of reading it doesn’t last very long.
Overall, this is a very poorly written hodgepodge of elitist advice for Mormons. It is supposed to be profoundly philosophical but instead I found it to be conspicuously naive, offensive, and anti-scientific. If you are a Mormon looking for an ego trip, you may enjoy this book. If you are anyone else, hopefully including Mormons that are a bit less egotistical and elitist, you should find this book very disturbing and tell everyone that you know how horrible it is. I do not recommend it for anyone but elitist Mormons.