Customer Reviews

An Insider's View of Mormon Origins

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4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

The author of this exceptionally clear & thoroughly documented book is an active, fourth-generation Mormon, a 34-year professional historian and Mormon-studies director at college-level religious institutes.

From the Preface: "I, along with colleagues, and drawing from years of research, find the evidence employed to support many traditional [official Mormon] claims about the [Mormon] church to be either nonexistent or problematic."

Chap. 1 ("Joseph Smith as Translator/Revelator") concludes that Jos. Smith "mistranslated a number of documents" including the Book of Abraham, used the King James Bible extensively in constructing the Book of Mormon, also weaving in many 19th century concerns, and that the Book of Mormon is of "no value in trying to learn more about ancient America or the Middle East."

Chap. 2 ("Authorship of the Book of Mormon") concludes that the Book of Mormon is most likely a 19th-century production pieced together from sources demonstrated to be available to Smith, and therefore not a translation from ancient metal plates which, in any case, were not used and often not even present during dictation to scribes, done by looking not at plates but into a hat with a stone placed in it, often separated from his scribe by a blanket hung between them. This chapter also mentions DNA evidence demonstrating that the origin of Native Americans is not as claimed in the Book of Mormon.

Chap. 3 ("The Bible in the Book of Mormon") demonstrates the King James Bible as source for numerous reworked Book of Mormon stories, many anachronisms and King James translators' errors copied in this erroneous form into the Book of Mormon. Quote: "Why would God reveal to Joseph Smith a faulty [mistranslated] KJV text?"

Chap 4 ("Evangelical Protestantism in the Book of Mormon") concludes that numerous theological issues addressed in the Book of Mormon probably derived from Smith's Upstate New York religious environment than from the claimed ancient gold plates.

Chap 5 ("Moroni and the Golden Pot") examines a long list of parallels between a published story by E.T.A. Hoffmann, and Smith's account of the angel Moroni's visits. The chapter concludes, "It would stretch credulity to believe that this [long list of parallels between Hoffmann's Golden Pot story and Smith's Moroni story] could be a coincidence, and I therefore think that a debt is owed to E.T.A. Hoffmann and the European traditions ..."

Chap. 6 ("Witnesses to the Golden Plates") concludes that, despite the LDS Church's current claims, the evidence shows that none of the eleven witnesses claimed to have actually seen the physical gold plates, instead visualizing them "with spiritual eyes" in a prayer-induced trance state.

Chap. 7 ("Priesthood Restoration") concludes that Smith's claim to have been personally ordained by John the Baptist, Peter, James and John as resurrected beings, was not at all what Smith originally claimed, but instead evolved over a number of years from the original claim that didn't involve any beings such as the above four New Testament figures.

Chap. 8 ("The First Vision") concludes that the LDS Church's official claim that Joseph Smith claimed to have been visited by God the Father and Jesus Christ as two separate beings "is not supported by the historical evidence" either in the number of beings alleged seen or in the year and circumstances as now officially claimed.

Conclusion chapter: Ît states, "The foundation events were rewritten by Joseph [Smith] and Oliver [Cowdery] and other early church officials .... This reworking made the stories more useful for missionary work and fellowshipping purposes. ... Is it right to tell religious allegories to adults as if they were literal history?"

In short, this book recommends that practicing Mormons regard their foundation stories as inspirational fictions rather than as truthful history.

Having just finished reading "An Insider's View of Mormon Origins" by Grant H. Palmer, all I can say is, Wow! This is an incredible book. One I, and many other hopeful Mormons, have been waiting a long time for. Palmer is a 34 year veteran of the Church Educational System and is a practicing member of the Mormon church. This is no expose' but he admittedly deals openly and frankly with his topic. "I feel good that I do not cloak the issues in ambiguities...qualifiers and disclaimers", he writes. He is obviously concerned about the way the church is presenting its history. The book is basically an attempt, and a call, to be honest and open with this history.

"An Insider's View..." is a survey of the last thirty+ years of research done by Mormon scholars. All the big hitters are referenced: Anderson, Quinn, Jesse, Hill, Van Wagoner, Allen, Murphy, Vogel, Anderson, Bushman, (I could go on). The book is very readable, unlike some previous (informative, but overwhelming) works on Mormonism. This book could (and perhaps should) be the lesson manual for the "real" church history course in Sunday School, Seminary and Institute.

I've encountered bit's and pieces of the information presented in Palmers book in various publications and documents, but Palmer brings it all together in a single book and presents additional new information to tie things together in an understandable and interesting way. To quote Palmer, this history, "rings true".

This is the first book on Mormon history that I've felt I could give to fellow Mormon family or friends (or leave laying around the house for that matter) to help them understand what went on during the founding years of the church. Many from outside the church have attempted such a book but "An Insiders View..." is better because being a life long and presently committed member, Palmer genuinely appears to be trying to help the church be better, not hurt it.

Although the material presented in the book will be tough for members to come to grips with, the tone is open and inviting. Palmer cautiously invites readers to explore the history with him, so this in not an "in your face" anti-Mormon book. In an attempt to help members feel OK about exploring church history, Palmer appropriately quotes former First Presidency member, J. Reuben Clark: "If we have the truth, [it] cannot be harmed by investigation. If we have not the truth, it ought to be harmed."

The book focuses mainly on the founding events of the church: The Book of Mormon, Book of Mormon Witnesses, Priesthood Restoration and the First Vision. Palmer devotes 5 of the 8 chapters to the Book of Mormon, and then a chapter to each of the other subjects. He gets right to heart of each topic, explaining the issue and the problems, all backed up by credible scholarship. There are copious references for those who feel the need to explore further. Apologist arguments and traditional accounts are considered and explored.

Most of the issues that the church hierarchy and membership needs to come to grips with is here: Joseph Smith's well documented treasure hunting, Bible-Book of Mormon parallels, 19th century Book of Mormon Parallels, Book of Mormon and DNA evidence, sources inspiration for the Book of Mormon, Book of Abraham translation and source issues, the Kinderhook plates incident, View of the Hebrews and B.H. Roberts, Book of Mormon Witness credibility and evolving First Vision accounts.

One wonders how the church leadership will accept Palmers efforts presented in "An Insiders View...". The church has not dealt kindly in the past with those who have tried to bring to light uncomfortable, yet accurate, information about the church's origin. Again, Palmer appeals to former church leadership (Hugh B. Brown) in hopes of finding approval: "Only error fears freedom of expression...Neither fear of consequence or any kind of coercion should ever be used to secure uniformity of thought in the church. People should...be unafraid to think without fear of ill consequences". This book will be a good test of the church's maturity in dealing with these issues.

I'm an active LDS (Mormon) church-goer and I have found Grant Palmer's book to be simply the best LDS book that talks about problems with church history. I could not put it down and several others I told about the book have bought it as well. The first chapter on translation is the best. Very good source documentation as well.

Although much of what he says is not new, he says it in a very nice, diplomatic way. He does not offend when he states the facts. His career of service to the church in their education system and the fact that he is still a member gives him enormous credibility

He also reaches a very interesting conclusion. I found myself dying to know how he ends the book. He is still an active member and was not excommunicated (at least not yet). I completely agree with his conclusions.

I highly recommed this book to current, active members who wish to learn about the actual history of the church and not just the sugar-coated versions you get in Sunday School.

Perhaps if everyone in the LDS Church were aware of the issues with our history that Grant Palmer talks about, the leadership would be forced to address them and publicly acknowledge the errors of the past so we can save this church and move on. The RLDS Church has already done this. Are we next? Go Grant go. Please write a sequel.

In his introduction, Grant Palmer states that this book is not written for children or recent converts. He feels the best audience for his book is someone who has spent time within the church and can appreciate his "Insider's View".

The so-called "New Mormon History" is not a subject that most church members could easily jump into without a larger degree of background reading. Palmer's book serves as an accessible bridge for those members who want to appreciate the truth of their religion without being subjected to an author's agenda.

I felt the initial chapters of the book were the strongest. These include a great overview of Joseph Smith as a translator, the Book of Mormon authorship, and Evangelical Protestantism as it existed in 19th century America.

If you are a Mormon, I want you to know that I respect your open-mindedness in reading this review. I also want you to know that I like Mormons, and even love a few, some of whom I consider to be the finest people who ever walked in shoe leather, as my grandmother used to say.

Note: Your helpful votes are appreciated. Thanks, and please check my reviews of books by Hugh Nibley and John Sorenson, as well as my review of "Echoes and Evidence for the Book of Mormon."


If you would like to contact me, see the comment section below. Thanks.

I'll limit my review to Palmer's comments about the "Golden Pot," German occult story. Concerning the "Golden Pot," Mormon writers have made many false assumptions and outright errors. Mormon writers who criticize Palmer's chapter on the "Golden Pot" fail to recognize that:

German language almanacs were sold in Palmyra, and German immigrants to the United States constituted a higher percentage of the immigrant population than even the Irish who were digging the Erie Canal. The Palmyra bookstore would not have been selling German almanacs if there had not been a fair percentage of German speakers in the area.

The rough percentages of different Ethnic groups in Pennsylvania by 1760 were: English (40%), German (30%), Scotch-Irish (20%), and 10% for other groups. So there were a lot of German immigrants in America.

Significantly, there was some talk after the American Revolution about whether English or German should be the national language! In the mid-1700s, Benjamin Franklin grumbled about Philadelphia's bilingual street signs and complained that the Pennsylvania parliament would soon need German-English interpreters.

In the late-1700s the parliamentary records of Pennsylvania and new state laws were published in both English and German, and the parliament of Maryland decided to publish a German-language version of the Constitution.

Further, Joseph Smith was a traveler from an early age in his father's occult-based, treasure-hunting business. Thus, he repeatedly met people interested in the occult and treasure hunting, so it seems reasonable that he may have heard the story of the "Golden Pot" more than once.

The Germans brought with them the occult beliefs and stories, including the story of the "Golden Pot," in which an archivist (actually a salamander) hires a young man to translate some ancient documents using magic pens.

The author of the "Golden Pot," E.T.A. Hoffmann, also wrote the tale known to everyone today-The Nuctcracker, which was made into the famous ballet.

The story mentions the "faculty of prophecy" and that the documents with their "strange characters" were translated with "greatest clearness and correctness." At the beginning of the story an "old hag" threatens the translator, saying "You'll end up in the crystal."

Contrary to what some Mormons writers say, the first English translation of the Golden Pot (1820) preceded the Book of Mormon by ten years, a sufficient time for Hoffman's story to spread through the United States.

It also appeared in a "German Romance: Specimens of it Chief Authors" (Edinburgh, 1827), translated by Thomas Carlyle. In addition, Germans told and retold Hoffmann's stories that they had read in the original German long before the English translation.

Thus, the unbiased reader is drawn to the parallels between the claims of Joseph Smith and the story elements of the "Golden Pot," and Grant Palmer is correct to point out those parallels. They are very interesting.

Lastly, I am surprised that any Mormon would mention FARMS in criticizing Palmer's book. FARMS has made "lying for the Lord" into an artform. In my reviews, I have shown that the men in and associated with FARMS could not tell a straight story if their pay depended on it--in fact, their pay depends on telling falsehoods or more often spinning history.

Regardless of whether the LDS Church is true or not, Mormons should be very cautious when reading anything produced by FARMS.

In short, I would highly recommend Grant Palmer's book.

Let me add that there is not a single word or idea in Mormonism that was not in Joseph Smith's environment. The monks at Ephrata Pennsylvania had the Melchesidec priesthood, and the practice "baptism for the dead," a practice that spread far and wide.

They also believed that the souls "of the just" taught people when the arrived in heaven. AND NOTE, the Whitmers (later the Book of Mormon witnesses) had lived near Ephrata before moving to New York in 1805.

Added to these facts, we must mention that Harmony, Pennsylvania (the hometown of Joseph's first wife Emma Hale) was founded by the anti-tobacco prophet George Rapp, who had a 900 person commune only twelve miles down the road at Economy when Joseph Smith came to Harmony.

Although Rapp preached celibacy, he had studied Emanuel Swedenborg, who taught that marriage with sex existed in heaven and produced spiritual offspring (love and truth--a breath away from Joseph Smith's literal spiritual children).

So, in reality, all the elements of Mormonism were just lying around for somebody to pick up. Nevertheless, there is little or no Mormonism in the Book of Mormon, itself--no men becoming gods, no polygamy, no God living on a planet, no marriage in heaven, no temple garments, and no baptism for the dead.

This is to be explained by the fact that Joseph Smith was still young (22-23) and focused on correcting the errors of Christianity. As he became more educated and stated his opinions on various issues, Mormonism evolved over a 12-year-period (roughly after 1830 to 1842).

If all we had was the Book of Mormon, the LDS Church would be just another Christian sect.

To read my review of the Book of Mormon, click here: The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ

Your comments--positive or negative--are appreciated. Thanks

Every Mormon should read this book. Most of what it contains is not new, but it will be new to most Mormons. Palmer has effectively summarized some of the most important research from the last thirty or so years of Mormon historical studies into an uncomplicated, easy-to-read book for those who are interested in Mormon history, but don't know where to start. This book is an excellent starting place.

The one new contribution to Mormon historical studies is Palmer's treatment of Book of Mormon parallels to a Nineteenth Century story by E.T.A. Hoffman, known as the Golden Pot. Whether the Golden Pot is, as Palmer suggests, source material for the Book of Mormon will surely be debated among Mormon scholars. I was completely unaware of the E.T.A. Hoffman's story before reading Palmer's book.

Thirty years ago or more, I stood in a Mormon bookstore looking for accurate, even-handed publications treating Mormon historical topics. The pickin's were slim. But beginning in the early 1980s, new books on the history of the LDS church began to trickle into bookstores. Now the difficulty is not that books on Mormon history are unavailable, but that there is an overwhelming number of them. That is what makes Palmer's book so valuable. Palmer has sifted through the voluminous works of thirty years of Mormon historians' writings and produced a brief overview of the myths and truths about Mormon origins.

Lacking from the book is any significant treatment of the problematic area of Mormon polygamy. For more information on polygamy, I would recommend Richard Van Wagoner's Mormon Polygamy, and Todd Compton's wonderful biography of the 33 documented plural wives of Joseph Smith, In Sacred Loneliness.

Mormon leaders have lagged behind the church's scholars in presenting Mormons with an accurate picture of our past, the past that my ancestors lived as they courageously struggled to establish their Zion in America. Regrettably, most church-approved books on the topic sugar-coat the realities of their lives. The time to face the realities of the Mormon past is long overdue. Mormons deserve a more honest treatment of their (our) church's origins. We may have to admit that the earth is not flat, nor is it the center of the universe. Christianity survived those revelations, and Mormonism can survive the truth about its origins.

Palmer concludes his book by suggesting the only real and viable path to the future of Mormonism: placing its emphasis on the value and truth of Christ's teachings rather than on the very human events that led to the founding of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. If Mormon leaders want to have a church with real worldwide appeal, they would do well to heed Palmer's advice. In the internet age, troublesome Mormon issues can no longer be swept under the rug. It's time to face them and move the church along on a more honest path.

As I was researching my core Mormon beliefs at age 47, I had several lingering questions. After the first few pages, I literally could not put this book down. It truly seemed that Grant Palmer knew what I was longing to know about, what I would ask, and how to best answer my questions. This is the book I recommend FIRST to anyone wanting to obtain an unbiased and honest review of Mormon origins. It is a landmark work, is impeccably researched, and easy to read. It is an eye-opener, a book that every member of the LDS Church, or anyone considering joining the church, really should read to get in touch with the realities surrounding how the church came into being. Palmer is refreshingly honest and straightforward in his writing.

Consider, at the outset, that anyone giving a one or two-star review must be a Mormon apologist, someone deeply defensive about anything challenging their "world view through Mormon glasses", or has not read the book.

I must also say that this book will be a bit difficult to follow if one doesn't have some cursory knowledge of the founding of the LDS church and it's scripture (beyond the Bible). Not to mention the fact that the various chapters do not deal with events in chronological order (eg. the First Vision, though occurring first in the story of Mormonism, is dealt with last in the text).

This is a book I read in a day-- I could not put it down. Mr. Palmer simply sets out to review the historical documentation of the earliest days of Joseph Smith's life and founding of the Mormon church. As he states, he was surprised that what he found conflicted extremely with the official history so closely guarded and repackaged by LDS authorities beginning after Smith's death until the present day.

The historical data debunks such myths as 1) Joseph Smith couldn't possibly write such a complicated book as the Book of Mormon due to his humble beginnings and lack of education ('it could ONLY have come from God'); there were plenty of literary and situational influences to account for the book, not to mention extensive, and one might say extreme, borrowing/quoting of text from the Bible. 2) The First Vision as recounted in Mormon scripture, where Smith purportedly saw and spoke to God the Father and Jesus Christ in a grove in upstate New York, was first mentioned by Smith nearly 10 years after the event supposedly occurred, contradicting his own original written history that had stood for the first 10 years of the church; that being a simple personal epiphany where a young Smith was wrestling with religion in general and a personal desire for the remission of sins. 3) The earliest accounts of anything to do with priesthood authority and its resortation to the earth said nothing of visitations and administrations by long-ago prophets and Biblical figures (ie. John the Baptist; Peter, James & John, etc.). According to contemporaneous documentation, these embellishments were added much later during a time of apostacy in the early church when Smith saw the need to solidify and magnify his own authority, as was the reasoning for enhancing original accounts of the First Vision.

To paraphrase Leonardo DaVinci, do we honestly believe that God put us here on the earth and gave us a wonderful intelligence and powers of discernment, only to tell us not to use them? Should we here on earth rely solely on faith and emotional validation in matters of God and the meaning of life? Or should we, with open minds and open hearts, seek to learn, to investigate, to find out for ourselves what history has to teach us? I think Mr. Palmer's book points us toward the latter. "Faith without works is dead," the church teaches us from the time we are very young. After reading this book, I would expand that to say that "Faith without intelligence and thoughtful review is equally useless and dead."

"It's so hard to give up the idea that truth must be pleasant, so some of us still decide what is true by how good we feel when we believe it." C. P. Russell

No matter what kind of Mormon you are, as a follower of the teachings of Joseph Smith, with few exceptions, Grant Palmer wrote this book for you. Many non-believers in the Latter-day Restoration will also gain from it. Reader reactions have ranged from anger, confusion, diminished faith, or weakened testimony (though that has been less frequent), to amusement, satisfaction, increased faith, or strengthened testimony. Now in its third printing, it continues to be Signature Books' best seller.

One insider glowingly quipped, "This is the best anti-Mormon book I have ever read!" (Emphasis mine.)

Unless one is an anti-Mormon, how could one say that and mean it in a way complimentary to Mormonism? I haven't asked the speaker, but I would guess his meaning rests on three concepts: tone, intent, and trustworthy history that leads to faith founded on fact.

The tone is even -- lacking the cheerleading enthusiasm of an apologist as well as the gleeful gloating of a carper. He tries, instead, to dispassionately examine the roots of a unique movement.

Palmer reveals his intent in the first pages:

"First, this book is not intended for children or investigators. So much of our attention is directed toward children and potential converts that long-standing adult members rarely have an opportunity to speak freely to each other. We worry that tender ears may overhear. I am a fourth-generation Mormon, and I want to address this discussion to other second-, third-, and fourth-generation Mormons who will better understand where I am coming from. Lest there be any question, let me say that my intent is to increase faith [in Jesus Christ], not to diminish it. Still, faith needs to be built on truth - what is, in fact, true and believable." (p. ix)

Trustworthy history.

"Whether you are a priest or a physicist, when you make a truth claim, you should expect, even welcome, the most intense logical scrutiny possible before you or anyone else actually believes it." C. P. Russell

How does "trustworthy" history differ, if at all, from "faithful" history? Not at all, if "faithful" history means true to the historical evidence. But if "faithful" history means faith-promoting, then there might be a significant difference. Many modern LDS church historians think that no discrepancy need exist or that one necessarily robs the other. It is important to do trustworthy history that leads to faith. Faith based on partial or slanted information cannot be true faith. For as Alma says, (Alma 32:21.) "And now as I said concerning faith-faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true."

The author was disciplined by the Mormon church for writing this book. Why? Because it contained true information about the Mormon church (from the church's own archives) that clearly demonstrates that many claims about the "divinity" of this church are false. The Mormon church is forbidding Palmer to discuss his disciplinary hearing, and doesn't want its members to read this book because it might cause many church members to leave.
According to the President of the 12 Apostles, Boyd K. Packer, "Some things that are true aren't very useful." Palmer may not be the first to raise questions about the truth of the church's doctrinal claims, but in this book he calls for the church to be honest about it's origins. And he writes in a way that is accessible for a lay person. Members of this church might not find telling the plain truth useful, but I sure do!!