I have finally published my ex-Mormon Book!

After about a year of beating my brains out, my book is finally published.

It is called: "Mormonism Con or Cult?" And is published by The Rann Street Press and is available as a download from Lulu at £4.00, that's about $8, I think.

The link to the store is http://stores.lulu.com/Thatsnews

The introduction to the book is:

"I used to be a Mormon, but I am not a Mormon any longer. I have decided to write this book in an attempt to show readers why I decided to become Not a Mormon, any more.

It is possible that some people -perhaps who still practice Mormonism- might become upset on reading some of the points of view that I express. This is my book. These are, unless I am quoting from other people, MY points of view.

It would be illogical for someone to argue that my points of view are invalid or wrong. Because they are just that. My points of view. It is likely that other people will have different points of view. That's fine. I don't have a problem with that. But please do not try to deny the validity of my experiences because they did not happen to you. Just because it didn't rain on you, does not mean it did not rain on other people.

Is Mormonism a con or a cult?

The Society for Indecency to Naked Animals, or SINA, was a hoax perpetrated by film maker, author, newspaper columnist and prankster Alan Abel from 1959 to 1962.

The stated aim of the group was to enforce the clothing naked animals, including pets, barnyard animals, and large wildlife. An alleged debate within SINA was how large an animal had to be to require clothing.

Slogans used by SINA included: "A nude horse is a rude horse".

Actor Buck Henry was asked to play the role of SINA's president, G. Clifford Prout, Alan played the part of vice president.

Abel said afterwards that the group was obviously a con from the start. The clue, he pointed out, was in the name of SINA. The Society for Indecency TO Naked Animals, which was the antithesis to the stated aims of the group!

But many people failed to realise it was a hoax. They sent money in to further its aims (always returned) and people began to make citizens arrests on people for walking naked dogs in the streets. Some zoos became nervous about allowing children to see some of the larger, -gasp!- naked animals.

And then Alan Abel revealed that it was a hoax. But some people refused to believe this and continued supporting the aims of SINA for some years afterwards.

However, this was not the first large-scale hoax perpetrated on the American public. A much earlier hoax was that plotted and enacted by Joseph Smith jnr., founder of the Mormon Church.

As with SINA, there are internal pointers to it being nothing but a hoax. But in all the excitement, these were missed. And there was a great deal of excitement about Mormonism in those early days. The philandering of the founder, secret Masonic ceremonies, the doctrine of polygamy, the death of the founder in a brutal gunfight, the founders secret murder gang, the exodus to Utah, Mountain Meadows Massacre, countless murders for offending the crazed prophet of the Rockies, Brigham Young, and so forth.

By this time the fact that the whole thing was a hoax -primarily to make the lazy, feckless Smith family a considerable income- was overlooked.

Somewhere down the long years the con was converted into a sort of pseudo-cult, relying on the brainwashing of the members not to question about the mysteries of the Mormon faith.

Why did this happen? There are several reasons. The desire not to hurt those whose families belong, heart and soul, to Mormonism. And the fact that some people make very good livings out of the continued operation of the Mormon Church being the main two. Also inertia. Why rock the boat and risk upsetting people?"

Although I have been a journalist for many years, this is the first book I have published as a solo effort. So it is special to me on two levels. It is my first book, plus it is my ex-Mormon book.