An Insider's View of Mormon Origins
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| Author | Grant H. Palmer |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Published | 2002 |
An Insider's View of Mormon Origins is a 2002 book on the origins of Mormonism by Grant H. Palmer, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) who is a retired Church Educational System instructor and Institute director with a master's degree in history.
Palmer's stated purpose in writing the book was to incorporate recent critical historical and scholarly studies of LDS history in an orthodox defense of the faith. He states that his aim is to "increase faith, not diminish it."
The book concludes that:
Palmer's book suggests that the foundation events were rewritten by Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery and other early church officials. This reworking made the stories more useful for missionary work. Palmer asks, "Is it right to tell religious allegories to adults as if they were literal history?"
Mormon apologists dispute Palmer's claim that his intent is to "increase faith", and instead regard him as a skeptic. Some speculate that Palmer may be a cultural Mormon, whose research has led him to believe that the Church is not entirely what it claims to be.
Palmer argues that "faith needs to be built on truth—what is, in fact, true and believable". This statement can be perceived to be in opposition to the methods used by practitioners of what has been termed "faithful history". Critics of "faithful history" argue that this sort of scholarship often appears to be based on conclusions, not evidence.
Mark Ashurst-McGee, an LDS member, states that Palmer presents only one side of an issue and only uses evidence that supports his own views. According to Ashurst-McGee, Palmer used the Hurlbut affidavits from Eber D. Howe's book Mormonism Unvailed for the purpose of "overlaying run-of-the-mill treasure lore" onto Joseph Smith's original account of the recovery of the golden plates.
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