Grant Palmer

Grant Hart Palmer (August 17, 1940 – September 25, 2017) was an American author and critic of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Palmer taught seminaries and institutes of religion for thirty-four years in the Church Educational System, and served as a chaplain at the Salt Lake County jail for thirteen years. In 2002 Signature Books published Grant's book, An Insider's View of Mormon Origins, in which Grant scrutinized many of Mormonism's foundational stories. Grant went on to publish two additional books, The Incomparable Christ in 2005, and Restoring Christ: Leaving Mormon Jesus for Jesus of the Gospels.

Palmer as a Mormon

Initially, Palmer was hired to teach history at the Church College of New Zealand. Shortly later he began teaching religion, which led to a 34-year career in the Church Educational System (CES). He was director of the LDS Institute of Religion in Whittier, California (1970–73) followed by Chico, California (1975–80). Returning to Utah, he then taught LDS seminary at East High School in 1980 and at Brighton High School from 1980 to 1988.[2]

During this time the infamous Salamander Letter surfaced, challenging the orthodox story of Mormon beginnings, though the letter was eventually found to be a forgery. As an ardent student of LDS history the letter caused Palmer to consider the influences of American folk magic on Joseph Smith's religious practices.[2] In 1985 Palmer's research on this issue led him to write and circulate a manuscript called "New York Mormonism" under the pseudonym "Paul Pry, Jr." which became the first draft of An Insider's View of Mormon Origins.[6]

As he grew uneasy with some aspects of LDS history, Palmer approached his CES supervisor about changing positions to teach adults at the Salt Lake County Jail. Teaching more general Christian and Biblical lessons of faith and ethics to all inmates, he was the jail's chaplain and director of its Institute program from 1988 until his 2001 retirement.[2][7] He also served on the board of directors of the Salt Lake Legal Defenders Association.[8]

After completing his long-coming manuscript, he published the controversial book An Insider's View of Mormon Origins with Signature Books in 2002, in which Palmer challenged the orthodox teachings of Mormonism's beginnings. Palmer's prison teaching led him to write another book, The Incomparable Jesus, published by Greg Kofford Books in 2005.[7]

In 2003 An Insider's View was criticized by BYU's Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS) in reviews written by Daniel C. Peterson, Davis Bitton, Steven C. Harper, Mark Ashurst-McGee, and Louis Midgley. These were published in the FARMS Review alongside an official statement from BYU's Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History disagreeing with Palmer's conclusions.[9] In the following Review issue, historian James B. Allen published another critical review.[10]

Why He Left

Critics of the LDS Church, and Palmer himself, have compared the disfellowshipment of Grant Palmer to the trial of Galileo Galilei by the Roman Catholic Church.[12]

In May 2006, a four-part interview of Grant Palmer was featured on John Dehlin's podcast Mormon Stories.[12] This interview was followed in January 2007 with a five-part interview of Richard Bushman, historian and author of Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, with Bushman's LDS-believing views presented in contrast to Palmer's skeptical take on Mormon origins.[13] Palmer and Bushman were also among the wide range of people interviewed in the 2007 PBS documentary The Mormons.[14]

In 2008 Palmer wrote an article in The Salt Lake Tribune comparing the Mormon and Catholic Churches to the Pharisees, whose observance of strict laws and oral traditions was decried by Jesus. Palmer believed that, instead, a true belief in Christian religion is centered in individually becoming good and loving people.[15]

In 2010, Palmer resigned his membership in the LDS Church.[16]

Palmer stated in a Mormon Stories interview in 2012 that due to the publication of a two and half page article in 2010, "Religious feeling and truth", for an obscure Baptist journal in Kansas City, a second disciplinary council was scheduled but Palmer handed in his resignation before the hearing was held. Several reasons led to his decision, mainly, that the first disciplinary council lasted an exhausting seven hours and he did not want to repeat that experience and also that the presiding authority of the second council let him know beforehand that to stay a member and avoid excommunication he would need to repudiate all of the details from his book and also regain his testimony of the church.[17]

After learning that Palmer had terminal cancer, the Open Stories Foundation organized celebration of the life and works of Palmer February 15, 2017.[18] He died on September 25, 2017.[19]

Publications

An Insider's View of Mormon Origins. (affliaite link)

An Insider's View of Mormon Origins is one of the most influential modern critical books on Mormon history. The book argues that the origins of Mormonism are better explained through the religious and cultural environment of early 19th-century America than through supernatural events. Rather than approaching the subject like older anti-Mormon literature, the book presents itself as a historical examination of how Mormonism developed.

The book focuses on issues that later became central to many Mormon faith crises. It examines multiple First Vision accounts, the translation process of the Book of Mormon, connections between Mormon scripture and contemporary ideas, folk magic and treasure digging, priesthood restoration chronology, and controversies surrounding the Book of Abraham. Much of the information already existed in scattered academic works, but the book gathered it into a single accessible volume aimed at ordinary readers rather than scholars.

The Incomparable Jesus. (affiliate link)

The Incomparable Jesus marked a noticeable shift away from Mormon origins and toward anexamination of Christianity itself. Instead of focusing primarily on the historical foundations of Mormonism, the book explores the figure of Jesus across history, theology, and scripture, often separating the “historical Jesus” from later religious interpretations that developed around him.

The book argues that many teachings commonly associated with Christianity emerged gradually through centuries of theological development rather than directly from Jesus himself. It examines the formation of the New Testament, contradictions between gospel accounts, the influence of later church traditions, and the ways religious institutions shaped the image of Jesus over time. The tone is generally less confrontational than some Mormon-focused criticism, but it still challenges literalist readings of scripture and traditional Christian assumptions.

Restoring Christ: Leaving Mormon Jesus for Jesus of the Gospels. (affiliate link)

Restoring Christ: Leaving Mormon Jesus for Jesus of the Gospels focuses on the differences between the Jesus presented in mainstream Christianity and the version of Jesus taught within Mormonism. The book argues that the structure, doctrines, and authority claims of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints often place institutional loyalty, temple systems, prophetic authority, and human obedience between believers and the simpler figure of Jesus found in the New Testament.

Rather than attacking Jesus himself, the book critiques what Palmer saw as layers added around him through Mormon theology and church culture. It discusses topics such as worthiness interviews, temple recommend systems, obedience-focused teachings, eternal progression, priesthood authority, and the idea that salvation is closely tied to institutional participation. Palmer contrasts these with gospel passages that emphasize grace, forgiveness, humility, and direct personal faith.

The tone of the book is more personal and theological than his earlier historical works. While An Insider's View of Mormon Origins concentrated on historical claims and The Incomparable Jesus broadened into wider Christian questions, Restoring Christ centers on spiritual identity and religious reconstruction after Mormonism. It was aimed particularly at readers who still wanted some form of Christianity after leaving or questioning the LDS Church.

Notes/ Sources: 

1.  Palmer, Grant (1968-01-01). "The Godbeite Movement: A Dissent Against Temporal Control". Theses and Dissertations. Provo, Utah.

2.  Palmer, Grant H. "My Years in the Church Education System, 1967-2001". Signature Books. Archived from the original on 2012-05-30. Retrieved 2012-02-26.

3.  Connie's maiden name from her father's obituary. "Obituary: Que H. Christensen". Deseret News. November 8, 2005. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved 2012-02-26.

4.  Palmer, Grant H. (March 2007). "The "Born Again" Saint" (PDF). Sunstone (145): 70–71. Retrieved 2012-02-26.

5.  "Grant Hart Palmer - Larkin Mortuary". Archived from the original on 2017-09-26.

6.  "The Grant H. Palmer Papers". Marriott Library Special Collections. University of Utah. 2007. Retrieved 2012-02-26.

7.  Palmer, Grant H. (2009), The Incomparable Jesus, Greg Kofford Books, p. [page needed], ISBN 978-1-58958-092-3, OCLC 62090740

8.  "An Insider's View of Mormon Origins". Signature Books. Archived from the original on 2012-02-22. Retrieved 2012-02-26.

9.  "Table of contents". FARMS Review. 15 (2). Provo, Utah: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies. Retrieved 2012-02-26.

10.  Allen, James B. (2004). "Asked and Answered: A Response to Grant H. Palmer". FARMS Review. 16 (1): 235–86. doi:10.5406/farmsreview.16.1.0235. S2CID 164225002. Retrieved 2012-02-26.

11.  Rich Rasmussen (April 21, 2011). "Episode 130: Grant Palmer, Interview with". Provo, Utah: Mormon Expression. Retrieved 2012-02-26.

12.  Dehlin, John (May 15, 2006). "Mormon Stories # 030, 031, 032 and 033: An Insider's View of Mormon Origins — An Interview with Grant Palmer". Mormon Stories. Retrieved 2012-02-26.

13.  John Dehlin (January 22, 2007). "Mormon Stories # 047: Richard Bushman Part 1 — Experiences as a Mormon Historian". Mormon Stories. Retrieved 2012-02-26.

14.  Banack, Dave (May 1, 2007). "Who's Who on 'The Mormons'". Dave's Mormon Inquiry. Retrieved 2012-02-26.

15.  Palmer, Grant (March 1, 2008). "Jesus stressed kind behavior, not rituals, to get to heaven". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2012-02-26.

16.  Grant H. Palmer, "Timeline of Events for Grant Palmer and the LDS Church", mormonthink.com.

17.  Dehlin, John (February 26, 2012). "324-326: Grant Palmer Returns to Discuss Sexual Allegations Against Joseph Smith, William and Jane Law, and His Resignation". mormonstories.com. Retrieved 2012-02-26.

18.  Dehlin, John (2017-02-03). "A Celebration of the Life and Work of Grant Palmer". Mormon Stories. Retrieved 2025-01-31.

19.  Mims, Bob (August 28, 2017). "Grant Palmer, who wrote a landmark insider's critique of Mormonism's beginnings, dies at 77". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2018-04-01.

Source Notice:

This article contains material adapted from Wikipedia under the CC BY-SA license. Original article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grant_H._Palmer