Mormon Dilemma 213

Freethinkers

An Insider’s View of Mormon Origins, 2003 by Grant Palmer

http://signaturebooks.com/2010/11/excerpt-an-insiders-view-of-mormon-origins/

“I admire men and women who have developed the questing spirit, who are unafraid of new ideas as stepping stones to progress. We should, of course, respect the opinions of others, but we should also be unafraid to dissent–if we are informed. Thoughts and expressions compete in the marketplace of thought, and in that competition truth emerges triumphant. Only error fears freedom of expression … This free exchange of ideas is not to be deplored as long as men and women remain humble and teachable. Neither fear of consequence or any kind of coercion should ever be used to secure uniformity of thought in the church. People should express their problems and opinions and be unafraid to think without fear of ill consequences. … We must preserve freedom of the mind in the church and resist all efforts to suppress it.” – “President Hugh B. Brown, a counselor in the LDS Presidency during the 1960’s:”

2 Timothy 3:16; “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”

Grant Palmer is a retired Church Educational System instructor and Institute director with a master’s in history. His claim in the book is that Smith mistranslated documents (Book of Abraham for starters) as well as using the KJV Bible extensively for putting the BoM together. 

He also discredits the idea that people in the BoM are Jewish or that Smith was even baptized by John the Baptist.  The excerpt above was a quote he used from Hugh Brown also very active in the Mormon Church. 

I find it interesting how the Church cautions people from reading books which might cause you to lose your testimony yet they publish books by experts proving the Church to be false. Palmer was dis-fellowshipped but not excommunicated in 2004. 

This book is a must read and will keep you busy with looking up his claims. To date I’ve not found anything in his book that is questionable, in fact, it confirms again that my decision to leave the Church to follow Jesus was the right thing to do!