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Peer Comments (attorney reviews)
I had this book downloaded in my Kindle for three months before I opened it, but then I couldn’t put it down once I started it. I rolled my eyes when I realized I had to endure the first third of the book as Kay Burningham’s personal history, before I got to the meat of it; only to find myself wanting to understand more about her life and those she has loved along the way. Kay’s honesty, and forthright style, captivated my imagination and gave me greater insight into my own circumstances.
Interestingly, I graduated from BYU Law School in 1979, the same year, I learned from this book, that Kay commenced law school there. We had the same civil procedure professor, and for 30 years I could find no one at the law school to tell me what happened to cause his “disappearance” a couple of years after my graduation. Thank you, Kay, for clearing up this mystery. I laughed at your expense for several days over our professor’s hubris, while mourning the pain and loss you suffered. Having said that, this anecdote serves as a small illustration of life’s random, uncaring, almost perverse indifference to us. Any dignity we can cut out for ourselves seems to have to be wrestled away from the institutions that want to own us. For those of us raised as Mormons, it’s the Mormon Church that wants to determine what level of dignity one may be entitled to. This book is a beautiful declaration of one person’s independence, and as such, it is quite inspiring.
For anyone interested in a shorthand book on Mormon history, its foundations, the evolution of its doctrines, and the consequences thereof, this is a great book for you. I’ve been a missionary, bishop, and a strident student of Mormonism my whole life, and this is the only book on the subject I’ve taken the time to praise, and I’ve read all of them. No doubt this book resonates with me because of our similar legal backgrounds, and my former intense religiousity and its demise based upon a simple regimen of study and personal commitment to be responsible for my own beliefs and actions.
Still, for anyone who reads Mormon apologetics, you need to take Kay’s book and compare. First, she’s honest about her actions, character, mistakes, warts and all. She’s about as authentic a person as you can have, at this point in her life, anyway. It’s just refreshing to witness a person raised in Mormonism capable of such authenticity. I’m not there yet, and I’ve worked at it everyday for years. Then she just lays out the facts and her argument, without resorting to ad hominen. She does call the general authorities down at times, because it is the nature of a treatise where those in control make effort to limit access to or obfuscate the facts. When Lying for the Lord is easily documented, it is not ad hominem to provide the documentation to prove the case.
A case in point is my old Trusts professor, Dallin Oaks. There is so much to admire about this guy, but when he tries to justify a lack of candor for the good of the Church, it is as though, for that moment, he has no understanding of ethics. When he intimates that truth may not necessarily be shared so that a corporate mission may be better accomplished, failing to consider that people have a right to make their own decisions based upon total disclosure, he publicly displays a lapse of judgment and ethics that he may only be able to correct if he is called on it. Even then, his investment is so high, how could he ever see it for what it is? It would take an “exceedingly” great and humble person to so sacrifice himself in implementing his ethical duty. I have such high hopes for Elder Oaks; it’s painful to have to witness his mental gymnastics. Kay does a respectful and artful job of calling him on this sort of thing, which indeed is repugnant to Anglo-American jurisprudence. When we mammals know we are right, we can harm so off-the-cuff.
I highly recommend this book to any student of Mormonism, or to anyone who may wish to take legal action against the Church for tortiously inducing people to stay in the fold by knowingly teaching an unhistorical, fantastical version of its origins.
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Ms. Burningham, as a California attorney, I compliment you for this excellent book. Your presentation of materials are extremely persuasive… This writing is entertaining, effective and clear.
As a male, I was moved by learning of the decades old mal-treatment of the wonderful women of LDS who (along with their families) have for so long endured false and, yes, evil representations and conduct by religious tyranny detailed.
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I just finished reading your book, An American Fraud. Brilliant. I thoroughly enjoyed your writing, background, and analysis upon a topic that is very personal to me. Thank you for sharing your experiences and insights.
I am an attorney practicing in Salt lake City at [named redacted for privacy], and I am a graduate of BYU law school. I am also a former Mormon. Not long ago, I was talking to a friend, also a lawyer and former Mormon, and I was telling him that I wanted to bring a fraud claim against the LDS Church. He told me that he just read your book and recommmneded that I read it. You articulated many of the thoughts and arguments that I have been kicking around for some time.
I would love to talk with you, as I have a number of questions to which you likely have given some thought…I hope to hear from you soon.
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From an Arizona Attorney:
I really enjoyed reading this e-book because it was entertaining, insightful, hard-hitting, and accurate. It was enjoyable and funny. I also learned a lot of factual information about the LDS church that I hadn’t heard before. Inaccuracies abound in many books written about the LDS religion. The title of the book begs for a legalistic approach, which it eventually provides. But not until after the author discusses her youth and own personal experiences in an open and comical way. So it didn’t really get boring for me at all. The book discussed controversial aspects of the LDS religion in a lawyer-like manner, with facts to back up each statement. This approach was very refreshing, because it provided references for each item, yet was very readable because each topic was condensed to an understandable point. The author obviously has a rich background in the religion as a devout follower in her childhood and college years. I really enjoyed how she was able to intertwine personal experiences growing up in the Mormon religion in Utah, with her spiritual awakening as she traveled to Africa with a group of B.Y.U. student performers. This book would be a very good media guide for someone in the media who is trying to get a basic understanding of Mormonism, from an objective viewpoint. There are many very good people who belong to this religion who have unfortunately been shielded from an objective study of their church’s true historical beginnings. So their knowledge base is limited to personal experiences and heresay. This book should be read by the general LDS church membership so that the shortcomings of the religion are better understood. This would make it easier to converse with members who typically react emotionally to criticism, in a much more positive rational way. The religion produces many very good quality citizens. Mitt Romney is a good example. The book is very useful given our current Presidential race, and is a handy guide to understanding what has been a very mysterious church for many outsiders. Thanks to Ms. Burningham for writing such an enjoyable, original book on such a controversial topic as the Mormon religion.
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Well, the discredited lies of the LDS / Mormon Church have been exposed once again.
Kay does an excellent job of exposing the lies and destructive nature of a hyper-orthodox church/cult which absorbs all its members time, focus and money. Oneday these charlatans will hopefully be called to account for their defrauding of their little flock.
Most mormons are inactive (most leave the church or become inactive) , most mormons are lower middle class struggling to make ends meet, and the fat cat leaders who sit in luxury in Salt Lake City create an image of success and growth and so forth.
This book helps to reveal the rotten history of this greedy cult.
As a former mormon who knows the church, its doctrines, policies and practices all too well, i can confirm that Kay is accurate in her writing, and that any good which comes from the ‘church’ comes from individual members doing good, often against the policy and discouragement of their so-called leaders who prohibit any free-thinking, quash any dissent and punish any individuals who dare to not conform.
The mormons still believe in a literal global flood, Noahs Ark, and every tale in the Old Testament as literal history. Even though such things have long been discredited by archeology, science, and common sense.
The #1 book to read about the REAL origins of this cult is “Insiders View of Mormon Origins” By Grant Palmer – former director of the Church’s Education System. It’s a easy to read well documented expose’ of the real origins. Very eye-opening.
Just google the facts and you will find REAMS of revelations written by FORMER members who expose the lies and nonsense of this dangerous fraud-based cult. Google the “wives of joseph smith” and learn how he hijacked the young wives of married men, or had affairs with his 14 year old housemaids. Google the “Smithsonian Institution and National Geographic Society statements on the Book of Mormon” to learn how multiple experts from all disciplines have junked the bogus ‘historical’ scripture of the mormons (it’s inspiring fiction – not historical). Google “Book of Abraham fraud” to learn how Joseph Smith fabricated scripture out of thin air (possibly plagiarizing Josephus) or use amazon to find the dozens of books written by former leaders, teachers and professionals who all expose the lies and fraud of this bizarre cult. Google “Farewell to Eden” which is an excellent analysis of the bizarre doctrines of the church. Or Google “The keystone of mormonism” by Arza Evans which reveals more about this cult.
Google “recovery from mormonism” to read the hundreds of testimonies of former members on how they escaped this cult.
It’s all available on Amazon and via Google.
The truth shall set you free…..it set me free.
People should be warned about religious fraud. And hopefully the charlatans who enrich themselves and their family dynasty using religion as a business vehicle, will oneday be called to account.
The mormon church has ZERO transparency of its finances and refuses to be audited by any independent/external auditors.
Thanks Kay. I highly recommend this book to readers – perhaps not as the first book to read on your journey to enlightenment (read Grant Palmer’s book first “Insiders View of mormon origins”), but along the way, it is packed with information.
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