An insider's view of Mormon origins / Grant H. Palmer.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Palmer, Grant H.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Latter Day Saint churches--History--19th century.

Latter Day Saint churches.

History.

Physical Description:

xiii, 281 pages : illustrations, map ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Salt Lake City : Signature Books, [2002]

Summary:

Over the past thirty years, an enormous amount of research has been conducted into Mormon origins -- Joseph Smith's early life, the Book of Mormon, the prophet's visions, and the restoration of priesthood authority. Longtime LDS educator Grant H. Palmer suggests that most Latter-day Saints remain unaware of the significance of these discoveries, and he gives a brief survey for anyone who has ever wanted to know more about these issues. He finds that much of what we take for granted as literal history has been tailored over the years -- 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 or metaphysical event, something from a different dimension, often has been refashioned as if it were a physical, objective occurrence. This is not how the first Saints interpreted these events. Historians who have looked closer at the foundational stories and source documents have restored elements, including a nineteenth-century world view, that have been misunderstood, if not forgotten.

Contents:

1. Joseph Smith as a Translator/Revelator 1

2. Authorship of the Book of Mormon 39

3. The Bible in the Book of Mormon 69

4. Evangelical Protestantism in the Book of Mormon 95

5. Moroni and "The Golden Pot" 135

6. Witnesses to the Golden Plates 175

7. Priesthood Restoration 215

8. The First Vision 235.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 265-268) and index.

ISBN:

1560851570

OCLC:

50285328