Book Description
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. He therefore gives a brief survey of the literature for all who have ever wanted to know more about the New Mormon History.
He finds that what we take for granted as literal history has been tailored over the years for missionary purposes--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 event, something from an entirely different dimension, has been often refashioned as if it had been a physical, objective occurrence. This is not how the first Saints interpreted these events. Historians have reevaluated basic concepts surrounding these foundational stories and restored elements, including a nineteenth-century world view, that have been misunderstood, if not forgotten.
Customer Reviews:
Mormons believe in magic........2007-07-26
I used to be mormon. I was even a mormon missionary for two years in brazil. Then I read this book. It got me thinking about all the crazy stuff I claimed to believe in. Native american angels bringing gold plates to farm boys in New York? John the Baptist coming down from heaven to baptise people? This book claims to be written by a member of the LDS church, but what this book says is completely against what the church teaches. If you are mormon, read this book. It's a thousand times better than the Book of Mormon, I testify.
Grant Him His Due.......2007-07-16
This book is flawed and not "fair and balanced." I mean the book is not totally flawless. I could just write reams about its few small flaws (but that would be redundantly repetitive of other reviews). The book's also flawed 'cause it seeks to subject to logical analysis what can only be understood by the spirit-filled heart. Yep, no pure, yearning, and prayerful heart could find truth in the teachings of cults or those mistaken faiths. Lastly, this book doesn't present every known fact that could in any way be fashioned to point to the barest possibility that Smith could have been one bit less than an utter hoaxster. Now, that's just not fair.
The breadth and depth of Grant's research is impressive. This is the best first book on the writings and teachings of Smith for those seeking to use the rational faculty.
Outstanding read !.......2007-05-31
OUTSTANDING! High information density. Interesting material presented in a very engaging manner.
I couldn't put it down and finished the book in three days (a very fast read for me).
The author is very good. The author has done a great job with research. About a third of the book is footnotes! Then he presents his information in a very enjoyable, engaging manner.
Richard Williamson.......2007-05-10
Grant Palmer had everything to loose by writing this book. He thought he could change the Mormon Church from within. Martin Luther thought the same thing about the Catholic Church. While Grant Palmer is not as significant a historical figure as Martin Luther, he is a courageous man who stood up for the truth. Grant was a Mormon Church "Insider" in the fact that he tought in the LDS Church Seminary and Insitute organization for over 30 years. I clearly see, as an EX MORMON, that he must have been very conflicted. As he discovered over the duration of his career, as a Seminary and Institute Teacher in the Mormon Church, that there was a huge void between the propaganda tought to the Mormon Church members and the bed-rock truth of the real Mormonism. The difference between the two schools of thought are seperated by light years of truth. It is like comapring black and white and teaching that in "Mormon reality they are the same color". I am an EX Mormon High Priest, and former Mormon Temple worker. I was an ultra active Mormon right up to the day I finally came to the conclusion, after a great deal of study and struggle, that Mormonism is a HUGE FRAUD. If you are a Mormon, and think the LDS Church is "the one and only true church"....test yourself honeslty. Read a few "anit-mormon" books. In the end, if you really are a seeker after truth you will clearly conclude that Joe Smith is a fraud and so is modern day Mormonism. Grant Palmers book is outstanding. Mormon appologists like Jeff Lindsy and Fair LDS are blind and grasping at straws when they make psuedo intellectual arguments to support the full force lies of Mormonism. Get over it. Mormonism is a LIE. No amount of psuedo intellectulism will ever change the fact that Joe Smith et.al were nothing more than CON MEN. The facts are in. Far to many solid researchers have done vast amounts of reseach and the evidence proves that Joe Smith, the Book of Mormon, polygamy, the "priesthood", the Mormon Temple ...are all man made garbage!!! Garbage created for one purpose, the control over other human beings. Mormonism is a Cult! If you doubt this do the research. Grant Palmer did. He tried to change the monster of Mormonism from within...The Mormon leaders("Apostles and Prophets of God") in Salt Lake City finally kicked him out. Grants book allowed me the opportunity to begin to think about my life long religious beliefs in a clear and HONEST way. This book is a must read for anyone wanting to know the real truths about Mormonism. There are many great books today that one can read about the real Mormon Church, I have read most of them. Grant Palmers book is one of the best. I recommend as being a top book in your quest to learn about the reality of Mormonism.
Helplessly Speculative.......2007-05-06
However sincere Mr. Palmer might be about his conclusions in this book, I find that his conclusions are severely flawed and that he is simply re-hashing the same old arguments that other critical sources, i.e. the Tanners, Ed Decker, Richard Abanes and Eric Johnson, have put out. Indeed, there is nothing new, really, in this book or in Mr. Palmer's outdated criticisms. I would catagorize this book as a "dime a dozen" critical text that fails to bring into consideration the fine work of FARMS and FAIR and other apologetic works. I will point out a few of the flaws and failings in this book, but will invite the reviewer to check out a more detailed critique of this book from either FARMS or FAIR.
1. What exactly makes Mr. Palmer an "insider"? Just because he is a member - or was - a member of the Church? What are Mr. Palmer's credentials in claiming to be an "insider". From what I understand, he was a Church Education System administrator - just one of several hundred - that lost his faith over the Salamander Letters, of all things! And from what I also understand, he continued to write this text even after the Salamander Letters were proven to be false. I think that Mr. Palmer is a case of a reluctant man who does not want to admit that he was wrong and baseless in his anxiety over the Salamander Letters. But I do not want to become Fawn Brodie- Lord forbid - and start reading peoples' minds. That is simply what I have observed with the case of Mr. Palmer.
2. Like many other critics of the Book of Mormon who were once members of the LDS Church, Mr. Palmer is a "middle-groundist" who believes that the Book of Mormon is an "inspired piece of fiction" while still maintaining that Joseph Smith was divinely commissioned. However, Mr. Palmer does not take into consideration the many archeological and anthropological findings in not only the Arabian Peninsula but also Mesoamerica that are vindicating and authenticating the Book of Mormon every day. He simply does not acknowledge these findings, which is completely unscholarly. And Mr. Palmer does not think - or at least does not show so in his book that he has thought- to consider that if there was no real Book of Mormon, then there could not have been a real angel Moroni, therefore Joseph Smith could not have been telling the truth. So, despite what Mr. Palmer would like to think, there really can be no middle ground with the Book of Mormon. Either it is fiction or fact. If it is fiction, then it is the biggest fraud ever, if it is fact, then it is the most important book in existence.
3. Mr. Palmer continues to maintain that there was no real First Vision in 1820, but that it simply evolved over time in order for Joseph to appear more godly. However, if Mr. Palmer would have taken the time to cross check Joseph's accounts of the First Vision, he would see that Joseph was not evolving the story over time, but that he was emphasizing different points and stressing different aspects of his First Vision based on the audience, time and setting that he was writing to. In the 1831, 1835 and 1842 accounts - all of which were personal letters to friends or associates - Joseph was emphasizing the personal nature of his vision, i.e. a forgiveness of his personal sin, Joseph's combat over internal struggle, etc. Whereas in the 1838 account, which would have been read by scores of strangers and investigators of the Church, Joseph was detailing the aspects of his vision that would apply to a more broader audience, i.e. God listens to prayers, reading the scriptures can solve problems, God can manifest himself to anyone at anytime based on His eternal will. It was not relevant to anyone but Joseph that his sins were forgiven, that is why he does not include it in the "official" version of the First Vision. Also, the accounts do not contradict themselves, despite what Mr. Palmer says. All of the accounts. Joseph sees a vision of deity, a pillar of light, he has a struggle with Satan, he is told that he will begin a great work, etc. So Mr. Palmer is severely flawed in the conclusion that Joseph's vision cannot be true just because 1) there are more than one account 2) Joseph wrote his first account a decade after the vision. This argument is just as baseless as when the Tanners included it in their magnum opus "Mormonism: Shadow or Reality?" and continues to have holes blown into it every day as more historians and scholars sit down and look at it closely. And for those screaming that such a thing never happened in the Bible, you are wrong. Paul did not record his own personal version of the his vision until almost twenty years after in 1 Corinthians. Before that, Luke recorded it in Acts, which, if applied to the same standard that Joseph's vision was applied to, would make it also seem to contradict itself. Similarly, the "different" accounts of the crucifixion and resurrection in the four gospels would be out based on Mr. Palmer's standard and the standard of so many countless anti-Mormons. (Sometimes I wonder if many critics of the Church who use these fallacious arguments have actually read the Bible, as their standards would apply easily to the Bible).
4. Mr. Palmer is also guilty of selective editing of his sources - something which both E. Johnson and Richard Abanes are guilty of as well. He takes quotes out of context and twists them to fit his purpose. And example of this would be how he, like countless others, condemns poor Martin Harris of "later denying his witness of the Book of Mormon" by quoting snippets of a letter between Stephen Burnett to Lyman Johnson wherein Burnett comments that Harris noted that "none of the signatories to the Book of Mormon saw or handled the physical records". However, Richard Lloyd Anderson has shown that this account cannot be creadible, for Burnett was "highly interpretive of a first-hand report of a half-truth." (Mr. Anderson has dealt with this issue, among others, in his book "Investigating Book of Mormon Witnesses). He, Mr. Palmer, also does not take into consideration the many other sources and apologetic works that FARMS and FAIR has been putting out. The same is apparent in Mr. Palmer's criticism of the Book of Mormon. Mr. Palmer is in a desperate need for a Textual Criticism 101 class, as his arguments are less than convincing (i.e. the Alma 7:10 controversy)
5. Mr. Palmer glosses over the *many* archeological and anthropological vindications for the Book of Mormon, such as the findings in Arabia, among *many* other factors and evidences of the Book of Mormon. He fails in explaining how Joseph Smith was able to so successfully include many things within the Book of Mormon that would not be discovered until almost a century after his death if he was just getting ideas from Walters and other individuals around him.
6. Mr. Palmer's "Golden Pot" theory for the source of the Book of Mormon is helplessly speculative and he presents no serious evidence that Joseph was even familiar with the story of the "Golden Pot" or E.T.A. Hoffman. Mr. Palmer comes up with some elaborate plan on how Hoffman's "Der Golden Topf" got from a German version in 1814 into a standard English version by 1830. And when one reads "Der Golden Topf" - as I have - one will find that the "parallels" that Mr. Palmer brings out are stretched as thin as taffy. He, like many other critics, is guilty of what I like to call "pulling parallels" that is, looking for "similarities" between texts immediately assuming that because there are "similarities" that they must be in some why related while not looking at the fundamentals of the texts. As I said, Mr. Palmer, like other critics, needs to enroll in a Textual Criticism 101 class immediatly.
7. Mr. Palmer's treatment of the Book of Abraham was less than convincing, as he somehow views that Joseph Smith botched the translation but was still "inspired" (I think that Mr. Palmer is trying to keep one foot in Zion and another in Babylon). Mr. Palmer falls into the same rut that the Tanners and Larson fell into with their shoddy examinations of the Book of Abraham, and Mr. Palmer ignores the fine scholarship that has being put forth in recent years by both LDS and non-LDS Egyptologists and scholars in favor of the Book of Abraham.
8. Mr. Palmer, like his treatment with the First Vision, also slopped his way through trying to explain the restoration of the Priesthood. He claims that the story of the priesthood restoration evolved over time (hmmm... has anyone heard that one before?) and claims that there was no reference to the Priesthood being restored until 1835. Mr. Palmer then fails to explain why then Joseph included this in his history in 1832,
"...[we recieved] the holy Priesthood by the Ministring of Aangels[sic]." (Dean C. Jesse, ed., Personal Writings of Joseph Smih, pg.10)
Further, Richard Lloyd Anderson in "The Second Witness of the Priesthood Restoration" dealt with this issue and Richard Bushman has dealt with the priesthood restoration brilliantly as well in his two tomes "Rough Stone Rolling" and "Joseph Smith and the Beginnings of Mormonism" which I would recommend those reading this review check out for themselves.
So, in conclusion, this book was nothing new under the sun. It is simply a polemical re-hash of older arguments with better publicity. (Signiture Books, which I will admit has put out some fine books on Mormonism, is really making itself look bad by printing little numbers such as these and other such as "Losing a Lost Tribe" and "Joseph Smith: The Making of a Prophet")
There are countless other problems with this work, these are just a few samplings, but to cover them all would require an entire book in itself to do so. So I will just give a few examples and say that Mr. Palmer just re-hashes the same old arguments by slapping a new title to a series of arguments that have long been dealt with. So, I would not recommend this book. Really, it is not worth the time, effort or money. It will not help anyone get a better understanding of Mormon history or theology and is a waste of time. If you are compelled to read it, then check it out at the local library and see for yourself how flawed it is. And also I would recommend that the reviewer check out the latest from FARMS and FAIR in order to get an "insider's view" of Grant Palmer's "An Insider's view of Mormon Origins". James B. Allen did a great review, which can be accessed at FARMS.
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Sweden and the 'Third Way': A Macroeconomic Evaluation
Philip Whyman
Manufacturer: Ashgate Publishing
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ASIN: 0754617971 |
Book Description
Leave 'em laughing. That's the classic credo of the funnyman. And that's just what Georgia's favorite son -- and one of America's best-loved humorists -- has done right here. Whether he's taking pointed potshots at blood-stealing orderlies, guffawing in the face of mortality, or talking poignantly about family, friends, and lovers, Lewis Grizzard makes his exit with neither a bang nor a whimper, but a poke in the ribs, a slap on the back, and a promise that his irresistible sense of humor and humanity will always keep on tickin'.
"Imagine Andy Rooney with a Georgia accent . . . and a sense of humor." -- The Houston Post
"A natural-born storyteller with a deft hand for reducing everyday occurrences into uproarious nuggets of prose." -- The Orlando Sentinel
From the Paperback edition.
Customer Reviews:
lewis grizzard rocks.......2002-07-05
this book is one of the beat books in the world. it will make you happy and sad. if you naver read any of his work before read this one it is a good intro to lewis's work
Only Lewis could..........2001-09-25
Only Lewis Grizzard could make me laugh and cry at the same time and about what? His own near death experience. His unusual humor will be sorely missed. This book is almost as good as what I think was his greatest - My Daddy was a Pistol and I'm a Son-of-a-Gun. I will miss the talents of this great writer.
Pulled me out of the Blues..........2000-05-04
I went out and bought this book b/c I'd listened to the abridged recorded version. This made me laugh and cry. It truely pulled me out of a "Why are we here and why do we bother?" kind of funk. I'm not sure I got the answers, but the answers didn't seem to matter after all. His presence is missed deeply in my life.
A Tribute to the Late and Great Grizzard.......1996-12-21
The work of a true humorist. From writing to his dog to his wife to his own short life, Lewis Grizzard is my hero and my role model. I have read almost all of this great man's books, and I believe in everything this man wrote. I was very sad when he died, for it meant that there would be no more books of this kind of quailty from one of the leading authors in America. This particular book was Grizzard's life story, but he managed to tell it in a funny, new way. I generally stay away from autobiographies and biographies, but since this one was written by Lewis himself, I gave it a try. It proved to be as funny as all his other books and really touched me. This book was just as funny as his other works and I was not disappointed by it's quality or content. I suggest that anyone who likes either humor or autobiographies (this book is versatile) should pick up this book from your nearest library and start reading
A Tribute to the Late and Great Grizzard.......1996-12-21
The work of a true humorist. From writing to his dog to his wife to his own short life, Lewis Grizzard is my hero and my role model. I have read almost all of this great man's books, and I believe in everything this man wrote. I was very sad when he died, for it meant that there would be no more books of this kind of quailty from one of the leading authors in America. This particular book was Grizzard's life story, but he managed to tell it in a funny, new way. I generally stay away from autobiographies and biographies, but since this one was written by Lewis himself, I gave it a try. It proved to be as funny as all his other books and really touched me. This book was just as funny as his other works and I was not disappointed by it's quality or content. I suggest that anyone who likes either humor or autobiographies (this book is versatile) should pick up this book from your nearest library and start reading
Customer Reviews:
Just a little drier than the other Norton books.......2004-11-16
Downs' book comes from the Norton Introduction to Music History Series. I've read the others (excluding Hill's book on Baroque Music not yet released), and while it's good, it's unfortunately the weakest of the lot.
The book is geared for graduate study in music, and is a little too heady for beginners (by the way, the book's title refers only to Western music in the Classic Period, c.1760-1830).
Downs takes a chronological approach to the subject, but begins with a boring introduction on Eighteenth-century philosophy and musical aesthetics. This really is a shame, because the rest of the book (if you make it through) happens to be much better.
Downs covers the early emergence of Classic music out of the Baroque, and then follows with two short chapters on the first halves of Haydn and Mozart, respectively. After another interlude on music and other aspects during the Classic Period, Downs resumes with Haydn, Mozart, adds some Beethoven, and then leads the transition into the nineteenth century.
Despite the boring beginning, Downs' writing style is still very rigorous and scholarly. He makes many references to the book's sister, the Norton Anthology of Classical Music, and provides the most in-depth analyses of the entire Norton Series.
I feel bad giving the book three stars, but the other books by Atlas, Plantinga, Morgan and Hoppin are all better. Reinhard Pauly's book is also out there, but it's shorter and I haven't read it. Norton also published Charles Rosen's book Classical Style in 1999, which may be in response to this volume.
I must say, however, that on information alone, this book is very good and can be a great reference.
the driest book ever.............2003-09-16
I have been assigned this book for a class in my Master's program in performance. This is quite possibly the driest book I've ever had the pain of reading. I will admit, there is a LOT of information here, but it is presented in the most boring way possible. I'd rather read an outline. I have NEVER sold back a textbook in my entire academic career, but this one will be going back, if I dont burn it.
If you are a professor, please, have mercy. Dont assign this book. I've had to read 400 pages of it and I already want to tear out my eyes.
An excellent source.......2000-06-26
This book is excellent for both students and teachers who are studying the Classic Era of music history. This source goes along well with other Norton pulications such as the Romantic Era and the Norton Publication that spans from Ancient music to the Baroque. I have all of these sources and it has enriched my knowledge in the area of music history a great deal!
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Immigrants, Schooling and Social Mobility: Does Culture Make a Difference?
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
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ASIN: 0312234880 |
Book Description
Immigrants, Schooling and Social Mobility confronts a central issue in the study of immigration and ethnicity of the opposition between culture and structure, and presents a collection of essays that transcend simplistic either/or approaches to this issue. The contributions explore educational and economic mobility of immigrant groups in Europe and America.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, published by Commission for Racial Equality on October 1, 2001. The length of the article is 694 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Immigrants, Schooling and Social Mobility: Does Culture Make a Difference? (Reviews).(Review)
Author: Soojin Yu
Publication:
Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 1, 2001
Publisher: Commission for Racial Equality
Volume: 27
Issue: 4
Page: 756(2)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
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Fresh Prince of Bel Air (TV's Hottest Teens)
Rosemary Wallner
Manufacturer: ABDO & Daughters
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding
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ASIN: 1562391402 |
Customer Reviews:
Will Smith is God!.......1997-12-23
This book was tha Bomb! Will, will you marry me?
Product Description
Publisher: Edition: first
Book Description
What the book covers: The essentials of using Adobe Acrobat. Includes coverage on planning a document for PDF distribution, maintaining the integrity of your fonts and graphics, creating PDFs with Office or the Distiller, updating work with Acrobat, building virtual forms, preparing PDFs for the Web, adding interactivity, indexing a PDF, collaborating on a PDF, securing a PDF, and preparing PDFs for press.
Series features: Includes the friendly, easy, and often humorous reference that has made Dummies the most popular technology book series ever.
Customer Reviews:
Auto-fill Acrobat forms, optionally auto-email/fax it out .........2003-01-09
If you have a multi-page Acrobat Form and want to automatically fill the form with data from your databases, optionally emailing/faxing it, PF-Merge will do that job for you, without programming. It also merges images!
Thought I share the above freely downloadable treasure with my fellow Cyberfriends. PF-Merge supports over 15 database platforms and its utilities do not time-out.
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- Candyfreak: A Journey through the Chocolate Underbelly of America
- Car Secrets Revealed: Tips on Car Buying, Leasing, Repairs, Insurance, and More/with IBM and MAC software
- Dance With The Devil (A Dark-Hunter Novel, Book 4)
- Diagnosing Unemployment (Federico Caffè Lectures)
- Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR Fourth Edition (Text Revision)
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