Luckily for Krakauer readers, he's all about full disclosure. He includes Turley's response in its entirety at the end of the book's latest edition, followed by corrections and defenses of his own.
As Frank points out, there is bias on both sides, each trying to support an argument. However, I highly doubt that most of Krakauer's conclusions are as "hasty" as Turley claims. Would love to hear any comments on his rebuttal.
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I did read Krakauer's response to the Mormon rebuttal linked in your post. I don't think he comes up with any real proof that his facts are accurate and the facts presented in Turley's article are not. Instead he makes a compelling argument about the fact that leaders in our Church knowingly shy away from the less tasteful aspects of our past. I don't agree with him that the records of our Church should be laid bare for all to see. The truth is available to anyone that wants to look to find it. The Church doesn't need to promote some of the unsavory events of its past. Our Church does love its past (and often celebrates the bright spots, and ignores the unflattering spots) but is also very much dedicated to the important work of the present. Those that are close followers of our religion understand that God is infallible, not man. Those that lead our Church in past and present are capable of making mistakes and some certainly have been made. Krakauer quotes LDS scholar Michael Quinn, "Instead of a black/white view of Mormonism, I have an Old Testament sort of faith. The writers of the Old Testament presented the prophets as very human vessels, warts and all. Yet God still chose them to be His leaders on earth. That's how I see Mormonism: It is not a perfect church. It has huge flaws, in both the institution and the people who lead it. They are only human. And I have no trouble accepting that. It's all part of my faith." I don't agree with everything he says here, but this quote illustrates a commonly held belief in our Church - that our leaders are human. Anyone acquainted with the teachings of Joseph Smith knows that he regularly called attention to the fact that he was a very imperfect person.
Ultimately I think we are both saying the same thing. Each side of the argument has been slanted to fit the goals of the author. Neither should be completely disregarded, both have much validity. On a personal note, I do like conversations like this because I think it expands everyone's mind and tolerance.
In support of Cameron, from the outside looking in, it is EXTREMELY difficult for an intelligent, moral, inquisitive person to look at the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and decide that it must be true. That is not to take away ANYTHING from Cameron's knowledge of the church. He has heard the missionary discussions, grew up with Mormon and non-Mormon friends alike, and probably has a better understanding of the LDS faith than even most LDS members. But to reiterate Frank, it is NOT the church that is perfect, and certainly not the people that belong to it. Rather, it is the doctrine of the church, the Gospel, that we proclaim to be the true undefiled Gospel of Jesus Christ on the Earth today.
I've not read Krakauer, but I know a little about the history behind his book. Other prominent IMperfect examples of people in the church include the Mountain Meadows Massacre, Elder Beck who was a general authority--his daughter has appeared on Oprah claiming he molested her and that the church is a sham, SEVERAL firings of BYU professors who spoke against the church, and let's not forget the many instances of polygamy, most notably on the part of Joseph Smith himself that would seem to tarnish the Church's reputation. I will agree with Cameron and Krakauer--this history seems to be "looked over" by the Church at times. But as Frank pointed at, it really shouldn't matter in the end.
For me personally, it is VERY difficult to know some of this history and still maintain a strong testimony. But BECAUSE my beliefs are founded not on the beliefs of imperfect men, but on Jesus Christ, I can say with conviction that the
Gospel preached within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints IS true.
I apologize for turning this post into an impromptu testimony meeting. Like Frank, I enjoy these conversations. It's my belief that if your faith is never challenged, then it hasn't yet been proven. For those interested, Orson Scott Card gives an interesting take on polygamy in his novel, "Saints".
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