Description
Book SynopsisA page-turning historical narrative, this book is the first full account of how Mormons avoided Nazi persecution through skilled collaboration with Hitler's regime, and then eschewed postwar shame by constructing an alternative history of wartime suffering and resistance.
Trade ReviewDavid Nelson carefully examines the American and German Mormons who developed a small but dedicated cadre of converts in prewar Germany. Nelson shows how, as war became imminent, the Nazis accepted the Mormons and vice versa, whereas some religious communities such as the Jehovah's Witnesses resisted and suffered greatly. This book's critical scope, combined with intensive research and thorough analysis, provides a story of stunning breadth and clarity."" - Robert C. Doyle, author of
The Enemy in Our Hands,
A Prisoner's Duty: Great Escapes in U.S. Military History, and
Voices from Captivity: Interpreting the American POW Narrative""David C. Nelson's
Moroni and the Swastika takes us to the heart of one of the most important questions for our age: How could the Nazi horrors have happened and could they happen again? In this book we learn how ordinary good-living people, driven by faith and the leadership of their church, were not only silent but also colluding. Rather than apportioning blame, this story instead leads readers on a journey toward understanding the consequences for believers 'of conflating God and government.'"" - Christine Elizabeth King, author of
The Nazi State and the New Religions: Five Case Studies in Non-Conformity""With his comprehensive consultation of Mormon sources and astute use of recent German scholarship, David C. Nelson gives an unparalleled view of the remarkable way the LDS Church prospered in Nazi Germany while many other religious minorities suffered."" - D. Michael Quinn, author of
Early Mormonism and the Magic World View
