Essential Reading for Theists (A book recommendation thread)

[Jenny A]

Not to mention reading their own cover to cover at one go preferably in a respectable scholarly translation and not one geared to your own sect.  Christians really should read a good Jewish translation of the OT.   Pay close attention when you get to the parts referenced in the NT.  You might understand why the Jews don't see the prophecies the way you do.

I was going to write back that this wouldn't really work with a Mormon, but the BOM has had some pretty significant edits...   Maybe if you got them to read a first edition and do a side-by-side comparison with their personal BOM... 

I don't know how available early additions of the BOM are.  For Mormons, I would suggest Standing For Something More: The Excommunication of Lyndon Lamborn by Lyndon Lambron.  He details his multi-generation Morman background, former faith, and how research for a Sunday class he was giving first caused him to question church teachings, and finally to lose his faith.  It also gives a rather clear and ugly picture of Morman leadership.   He's not the world's greatest writer, but he's intelligent, genuine, and not particularly vindictive.  It also includes why it is that after having exposed Mormonism, Christianity didn't make a good fall back.  "Fooled me once,"  and all that.