books:

	An Insider's View of Mormon Origins Grant H. Palmer Signature Books, 2002 - 281 pages average customer review:based on 73 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

He finds that what we take for granted as literal history has been tailored over the years for missionary purposes--slightly modified, added to, one aspect emphasized over another--to the point that the original narratives have been nearly lost. What was experienced as a spiritual event, something from an entirely different dimension, has been often refashioned as if it had been a physical, objective occurrence. This is not how the first Saints interpreted these events. Historians have reevaluated basic concepts surrounding these foundational stories and restored elements, including a nineteenth-century world view, that have been misunderstood, if not forgotten.

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A Well-Written and Accurate History

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

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Mormons believe in magic.

I used to be mormon. I was even a mormon missionary for two years in brazil. Then I read this book. It got me thinking about all the crazy stuff I claimed to believe in. Native american angels bringing gold plates to farm boys in New York? John the Baptist coming down from heaven to baptise people? This book claims to be written by a member of the LDS church, but what this book says is completely against what the church teaches. If you are mormon, read this book. It's a thousand times better than the Book of Mormon, I testify.


Grant Him His Due

This book is flawed and not "fair and balanced." I mean the book is not totally flawless. I could just write reams about its few small flaws (but that would be redundantly repetitive of other reviews). The book's also flawed 'cause it seeks to subject to logical analysis what can only be understood by the spirit-filled heart. Yep, no pure, yearning, and prayerful heart could find truth in the teachings of cults or those mistaken faiths. Lastly, this book doesn't present every known fact that could in any way be fashioned to point to the barest possibility that Smith could have been one bit less than an utter hoaxster. Now, that's just not fair.

The breadth and depth of Grant's research is impressive. This is the best first book on the writings and teachings of Smith for those seeking to use the rational faculty.

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Very Good for LDS Wanting to Know Truth

This book is excellent for any LDS member wanting to learn and know the TRUTH about their religion and its origins. Easy to read Palmer takes you on the journey on how the Book of Mormon is a fabrication and a lie. Yes your "testimony" is just an emotional appeal not based upon fact and TRUTH like Palmer's book. The part about Joseph Smith peering into his hat at a stone to translate was one of the highlights.

This book will help anyone willing to learn about LDS to come to a decisive decision to realize the LDS Inc. is a fraud.

Palmer's other book is a great read also. The Incomparable Jesus.

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A brave book

This would have taken some fortitude for High Priest to write and publish. Palmer presents his evidence of 19th century origins for the Book of Mormon in a sympathetic manner with consideration for his readers beliefs, and with understanding of the impact that information, previously 'put aside' by the LDS instructors will have. Palmer shows how knowledge of the book's origins need not destroy belief in the underlying principles of the LDS gospel.

This book should be required reading for every LDS member.


reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

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