For nearly two hundred years, there has been an active back-and-forth between LDS scholars defending their faith and critics of the Mormon canon, especially the Book of Mormon. These latter have included virulent anti-Mormons determined to protect Christianity from what they have deemed to be a dangerous heresy, to sincere secular scholars oriented primarily to test both open and latent claims of the LDS canon. Over the years, some on each side have declared that the other is the work of the devil. The present work is an effort to collect these issues and to conduct secular analyses that adhere to commonly accepted research criteria. It is therefore an anthology of research issues relevant to the Mormon canon. With only a few exceptions, the chapters are each one a stand-alone read, and do not need to be read in the order presented. On the other hand, names and elements of belief have been worked gradually and inconspicuously into the text so that those with little background in Mormon studies can pick it up by reading the first several chapters in the order presented.
The author's background in Mormonism was acquired while on a Mission in France, and through extensive academic preparation, including a degree from the University of Utah in Greek and Latin, an intensive summer in advanced Arabic in Princeton, an intensive summer in advanced Arabic in Cairo, an MA from Harvard in Semitic Languages, and a PhD from the University of Chicago & its Oriental Institute in Sociology. He has published peer-reviewed works related to the social history of religion, including a book on Islam and social change in Egypt.