Monday, July 28, 2014
Book Review - Visions of Glory - John Pontius
Title:
Visions of
Glory
Author: John Pontius
Review: I don’t know if I find the book truly as fascinating as the vast mix of
reviews it is getting from everyone I know. I was told by a number of people
that I “have to read it!” others have said “don’t bother” citing it’s a waste
of time reading false doctrine. The sheer ambiguity created around the book was
enough to get me to read it.
I liked it. I didn’t
like it in the “It changed my whole life and I’m going to pack my bags and
follow this Pontius guy around the globe” kind of way. I did, however, find it
fascinating. Do I think it’s real and based on true events? Maybe. Do I think
it is for the whole of the LDS church to grasp as true doctrine? No. I believe
that this guy did have his own out of body experiences, his own revelations,
and his own spiritual experiences. I kind of took it as this is his learning
experience for his own life and I get to look into it and take what I would
like.
I liked reading the
beginning of the book about how our spirits are connected to our bodies, how
everything around us is praising god. How we can interact as spirits, how and
what it is like in heaven and it was neat to see how everything in his life was
aligned so things would go the way God would like it to. Everything that
happened, happened for a reason. I also learned what it is like to have your
spirit go in and out of your body. It was pretty cool to think about.
The latter part of the
book, not so much. We get to learn more about evil and how the last days will
play out….according to him. There are multiple discrepancies between the book
and actual scripture and that bothers me. If the last days do in fact end as he
claims they will, great. If not, great.
All in all, without
getting into the doctrine and/or writing my own novel on the truth of the book,
I will say give it a read. I wouldn’t give it to someone to read who is
questioning their faith or to someone new in the LDS Church. It is bound to
confuse and maybe even scare some people. BUT, if you are someone like me who
is secure in their faith, someone who can detach themselves from the book and
take it at face value, then you may, in fact, find it as mysteriously
thought-provoking as I did. I learned the same things I always learn. Trust in
the Lord, follow the savior, be prepared, be a better person and love one
another. It can’t be an evil book if that’s what you take from it. It just
can’t.
Heather, thank you for this review.
Publisher:
Cedar Fort, Inc.
ISBN
9781462111183
Copyright: 2012
Pages:
268
Quick
Review:
3 out of 5 stars
Where
I got the book:
Given as a gift
Synopsis: In this true account of near-death
experiences, we learn about the miracles of the millennium, the return of the
Ten Tribes, the building of the New Jerusalem and Temple, and many other
astonishing events long prophesied in scripture but never before described in
such vivid detail. Visions of Glory is a mesmerizing and fascinating read that
you will not be able to put down.
Author Information: Ever since he was a little boy, all John ever
desired was to serve the Lord in whatever capacity he was called. He served an
LDS mission to South Africa and returned home to BYU where he married Kathy
Ferguson. They had four beautiful children: Matt, Ben, Bonnie and Lisa. They
later divorced. John loved living in Alaska for nearly 35 years. He married
Terri Jeanne Muhlestein and sealed four more beautiful children into his
eternal family: Alicia, Jason, Stephen and Jessica. He loves his precious
family with a pure and abiding love. They are each his treasure.
John had the sweet
and humbling gift of writing with the pen of angels. The Lord gave him an
ability uniquely his to express the gospel of Jesus Christ in a simple yet
magnificently beautiful way. Throughout his life, he has touched many thousands
of lives through his published books, firesides and this blog. John’s passions also included music, playing
piano and organ masterfully since a young boy, oil painting, woodworking,
conducting choral and orchestra (his favorite being the Mat-Su Alaska Community
Messiah, which he did for many years), Christmas, and anything that captivated
his mechanical and technical genius.
John’s books and
lectures were his creations. They have been, and remain, reflections of a man
who was always in good standing in the church, continuously held a temple
recommend as well as significant callings in the Church, completely defended
and celebrated the doctrines of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and policies of the
Church, and always sustained Church leaders. To insinuate anything contrary is
a gross mischaracterization (a lie) about a good man who has passed on.
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