Keywords
Grant Palmer, sexual allegations, Joseph Smith, polygamy
Abstract
Grant H. Palmer, former LDS seminary instructor turned critic, has recently posted an essay, “Sexual Allegations against Joseph Smith and the Beginnings of Polygamy in Nauvoo,” on MormonThink.com. In it, Palmer isolates ten in teractions between women and Joseph Smith that Palmer alleges were inappropriate and, “have at least some plausibility of being true.” In this paper, Palmer’s analysis of these ten interactions is reviewed, revealing how poorly Palmer has represented the his torical data by advancing factual inaccuracies, quoting sources without establishing their credibility, ignoring contradictory evi dences, and manifesting superficial research techniques that fail to account for the latest scholarship on the topics he is discuss ing. Other accusations put forth by Palmer are also evaluated for correctness, showing, once again, his propensity for inadequate scholarship.
Recommended Citation
Hales, Brian C. and Smith, Gregory L.
(2014)
"A Response to Grant Palmer’s “Sexual Allegations against Joseph Smith and the Beginnings of Polygamy in Nauvoo”,"
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship: Vol. 12, Article 11.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/interpreter/vol12/iss1/11
