Insider's View of Mormon Origins
Grant Palmer Knew His Book Would Cause Controversy
The church has a history of disciplining scholars for writing non-faith promoting works, but does Grant Palmer belong in this category?
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been known to excommunicate people who write truthfully about its history, and Grant Palmer is often included with other scholars and intellectuals who were excommunicated or disfellowshipped from the church in the past twenty years.
Grant Palmer wrote a controversial book that was carried by Deseret Books for two years before receiving a negative review on FAIR and FARMS. The September Six did not expect reprisal from the church, but the actions of Grant Palmer indicate that he knew the contents of the book might cause the church try him for apostacy in a Court of Love.
Grant Palmer's Role in the Mormon Church
Unlike the September Six, many of whom were not employed directly by the Mormon church, Grant Palmer, according to the preface of An Insider's View of Mormon Origins, was employed by the Church Educational System.
The book would have gained little notice until it received two negative views on two Mormon apologetic sites in 2004, FAIR and FARMs. Palmer, who holds a Master's degree in History from Brigham Young university, was not affiliated with any academic institution when his stake president held a Court of Love to try him for the sin of apostasy. Grant Palmer could have faced excommunication for the charge of apostasy, but instead was disfellowshipped. He remains a member of the stake he attended before undergoing church discipline.
Grant Palmer's Intentions and Consequences Imposed by the Mormon Church
The preface of An Insider's View of Mormon Origins states he wrote the book with the intent to make faithful Mormons aware of controversial aspects surrounding the history of the founding of the church.
Palmer's book states that the Internet is making information about factual and non-faith promoting elements of Mormon history freely available. In the past, he argues, many sites could be dismissed as anti-Mormon, but many Internet sites provide well-researched information that makes it easy to debunk the view of Mormon history presented by the church.
The Sad Legacy of the Mormon Church Against Scholars and Intellectuals
Because Grant Palmer was involved in the church system and wrote a book that called his faith into question, his legacy is not the same as that left by the September Six. The Mormon church continues to go after scholars and other intellectuals who are members that question its teachings.
The publication of Grant Palmer's book after his retirement from a position within the Mormon church suggests that Grant Palmer knew that An Insider's View of Mormon Origins would lead to controversy. Deseret Books, the official publishing arm of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, carried Palmer's book for two years before the negative reviews by FAIR and FARMS. After the negative review by FAIR and FARMS, the church pulled the book and Alan Wyatts, the webmaster for FAIR, pre-emptively registered domain names that Palmer's supporters planned to use to protest the church's treatment of him, according to i4.com/think.
Resources:
“LDS Author Disfellowshipped. Palmer Calls the Trial Fair but Exhausting.” December 13, 2004. The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City Utah
RadioActive Intereview. December 9, 2004. KRCL.
An Insider's View of Mormon Origins. Grant H. Palmer. Signature Books, Salt Lake City, UT. 2002.
