Jerald tan biography of michael

In writing about the past, the historian must also select the topic as well as the available evidence that can be used to present the issue in an understandable manner. But the selective use of evidence to provide a distorted view of the historical subject is a deception, even if inadvertent or well-intentioned. But human lives and events are complex and historical evidence is continually being discovered, recognized, and reevaluated.

When persons disregard perspective in historical writing, then their works represent the lowest characteristic of polemics, forensics, and propaganda: doing whatever is necessary to win the argument. The Tanners are guilty of such distortion as they seek to repudiate Mormonism by applying inflexible standards of criticism that they seem unwilling to apply to the rest of sacred history.

For example, in the edition of Shadow-Reality page 60the Tanners ridicule accounts of some Mormons seeing visions while others standing nearby did not, yet as Evangelical Christians they presumably accept the experience of Christ when he heard the voice of the Father, while others thought it had merely thundered Johnor the fact that those with Saul on the road to Damascus did not experience the same vision and revelation he did Acts In this same respect, the Tanners use a common polemical device to repudiate the historical validity of crucial events in Mormon history, without applying the same standard to biblical sacred history.

Yet perfect consistency is as often a trait of deception as of truth, and truth is often relayed by inconsistent witnesses. The record of human experience has rarely been free of ambiguity. A classic weapon of debate and polemics ad hominem argument is employed repeatedly by the Tanners to question how Mormonism could possibly be true when its leaders are guilty of sin, errors of judgment, and disagreeable personality traits.

The Apostle Paul, who was truly born again in Christ, publicly admitted that in spite of himself he did evil things he did not want to do and did not do good things he wanted to do Romans The New Testament informs us that only one man born of woman has been free of sin, and therefore all mankind including all prophets and other holy, born-again personsdespite all efforts to the contrary, continue to remain in the mortal condition of committing transgressions of the laws and commandments of God.

Noah occasionally drank wine to the point of drunkenness and unconsciousness Genesis The Lord had to intervene directly to prevent Samuel from choosing the wrong man as king 1 Samuel Daniel sought forgiveness for his sins while prophet Daniel Peter was impudent, boastful, arrogant, and cowardly as an apostle during the life of Jesus Matthew; John Moreover, conflicts between Barnabus and Paul resulted in the disruption of their mission Acts Do such evidences of humanity, error, sin, and fallibility invalidate prophetic or apostolic callings?

The answer to this question is ultimately a personal one, but it is obvious that in the Hebraic view of sacred history, these signs of humanity were not regarded as a repudiation of the callings of these men. Ancient sacred history seemed to be telling all people: See, God chose these weak men to do great things in His service, and so each person on earth should realize that he or she can also serve God, receive revelation, and do righteousness, despite human problems and inability to live totally without sin.

In presenting the weaknesses and foibles of Joseph Smith and other Mormon leaders, the Tanners write as though these were hidden secrets that they have been able to dredge up. While a disagreeable personality trait or action does not become commendable and less offensive when it occurs in the life of a prophet or apostle, the message of sacred history is that such flaws are inevitably part of humanity, and therefore will always be with the people of God, the Church, and its leaders.

In the short-run, glorifying our leaders may be good public relations, but in the long-run it makes Mormons vulnerable to shallow, muckraking ad hominem attacks on their leaders. In a related issue, however, I wish to discuss the occasions in which the Tanners as well as others, of course call something evil which Joseph Smith and other LDS leaders called divine.

The obvious example is the practice of polygamy or polygynybut it extends to a number of other areas as well. The Tanners fail to realize or to admit that the same God is the central authority for both Old and New Testaments Covenantsand that the ministry of the Old Testament prophets had validity, just as the ministry of the apostles who followed them had validity.

Moreover, the issue is the same within the New Testament. Jesus of Nazareth openly violated the commandments given by God to Moses, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel concerning the Sabbath and encouraged others to violate those strict laws. The overpowering message of the first chapter of Genesis is that what God does is good, and that equation is not altered when He does it through His mortal, fallible servants.

Of course, prestigious manuscript libraries throughout the world e. For example, it is implied pages that the prophecy of Joseph Smith about the Mormons moving to the Rocky Mountains HC was a falsification added to the history after the Mormons were actually in the Great Basin. However, in eight years before this edition of Shadow-Reality Stanley B.

Kimball published a bibliography of sources for the Nauvoo history of Mormonism of which the Tanners should have been aware where he noted that the Oliver H. Olney recorded the rumors about the move west in July, and someone else recorded the prophecy in August. On pagethe Tanners quote B. Roberts, who was not trained in law or legal history, to support their conclusion that the suppression of the Nauvoo Expositor by orders of Joseph Smith as mayor of Nauvoo was illegal.

Seven years prior to the revised edition of Shadow-Reality, Dallin H. In another example, the Tanners on pages and accuse Joseph Smith of committing adultery according to the definition of Lorenzo Snow because Joseph married plural wives before the revelation on polygamy. Snow married Joseph Smith in polygamy a year before the revelation, and he was hardly accusing her of adultery.

In a Mormon defector wrote that Joseph Smith had jerald tan biography of michael a revelation concerning polygamy, and in an early Mormon wrote a letter to Brigham Young in which he gave the text of that revelation. Jerald and Sandra Tanner have read widely enough in the sources of LDS history to provide that perspective, but they do not. Although the most conscientious and honest researcher can overlook pertinent sources of information, the repeated omissions of evidence by the Tanners suggest an intentional avoidance of sources that modify or refute their caustic interpretations of Mormon history.

In drawing conclusions from the evidence they do present, the Tanners are often guilty of the non sequitur: in other words, the conclusions arrived at are not supported by the evidence. The evidence of the trial, like many other historical issues the Tanners discuss, invites something more than their uncompromising conclusions. In the presentation of their argument, the Tanners are often guilty of a classic misuse of parallels in historical analysis: because Item Y resembles Item X closely and because Item Y existed in point of time after Item X, then Item Y necessarily or obviously derived from was copied from, was influenced by, etc.

Item X. A related misuse of parallels occurs once Item X can be shown to be capable in point of time and place of influencing Item Y. The conclusion is made that Item X necessarily influenced was copied by Item Y, without seriously considering 1 that despite the proximity, both Item X and Item Y developed independently, and 2 that an Item A, B, or C existed long prior to Item X and may have been the direct influence on both X and Y.

There is a very important role of parallelism concerning the character of ancient and modern scripture, but I will defer my discussion of that topic until later in this letter, and will indicate here other examples of misuse of jerald tan biography of michael parallels by the Tanners. But the Tanners are confusing the elements of the textual parallel: the subject of comparison is the written description of the dreams, and if one insists on the post hoc ergo propter hoc analysis of similarities, then the Lucy Mack Smith version written in was the Item Y that was dependent on, copied from, derived from, the fifteen-year-earlier published dream in the Book of Mormon.

If one looks for an Item A, B, or C that was an antecedent for the Lehi dream in the Book of Mormon, the Tree of Life symbols and texts of the ancient world deserve a consideration which the Tanners will not give because they are already convinced that the Book of Mormon is not an ancient text. The Lord did everything in a mystery, a baptism and a chrism [anointing with consecrated oil] and a Eucharist and a redemption and a bride-chamber.

Nevertheless, before repudiating Mormon temple ordinances by historical parallel, one should consider the ancient rites and ceremonies in Egyptian documents, Semitic manuscripts, and early Christian sources. Therefore, the Tanners use Mormon gullibility and misplaced allegiance to priesthood authority as weapons to destroy confidence in the foundations of Mormonism.

Although Brigham Young is commonly regarded as an autocrat who demanded unquestioning acceptance of his word, throughout his service as President, Brigham Young criticized the indiscriminate acceptance of the statements of prophets, seers, and revelators:. These persons do not depend upon themselves for salvation, but upon another of their poor, weak, fellow mortals….

I do not wish any Latter-day Saint in this world, nor in heaven, to be satisfied with anything I do, unless the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, the spirit of revelation, makes them satisfied…. How jerald tan biography of michael has it been taught that if you depend entirely upon the voice, judgment, and sagacity of those appointed to lead you, and neglect to enjoy the Spirit for yourselves, how easily you may be led into error, and finally be cast off to the left hand?

I am more afraid that this people have so much confidence in their leaders that they will not inquire for themselves of God whether they are led by Him. I am fearful they settle down in a state of blind self-security, trusting their eternal destiny in the hands of their leaders with a reckless confidence…. Now let me ask you, if you trust to my faith, to my words and teachings, counsel and advise, and do not seek after the Lord to have His Spirit to guide and direct you, can I not deceive you, can I not lead you into error?

Now, let me ask the Latter-day Saints, you who are here in this house this day, how do you know that your humble servant is really, honestly, guiding and counseling you aright, and directing the affairs of the kingdom aright? How do you know but I am teaching false doctrine? General Authorities have the limitations of all men in the matters under discussion here.

They can engage in doctrinal speculation, defend valid or invalid doctrinal interpretations from a faulty understanding of written scripture, and make assertions or denials about sacred and secular history that are founded on inadequate research or misunderstanding. The Tanners quote from two recent Mormon defenders on pages that if the court record as published was accurate, then according to Francis W.

Both Mormons and Anti-Mormons have compulsively used either-or argumentation: if such-and-such happened, the LDS Church is false or true. All possible evidence of support and refutation for any ideological or historical proposition must be put into perspective, and it is such perspective that prevents a rush to judgment. They always assume the worst possible motives in assessing the actions of Mormon leaders, even when those leaders faced extremely complex problems with no simple solutions.

Huggins never covers such consequences — but why should he? Should their acts be judged against the turmoil, strife, and emotional carnage that their efforts seeded far and wide? Sandra, no doubt, would say that they should not be held responsible; they were simply spreading the truth as they saw it. It is a self-justification [Page ] they spent a lifetime faulting in members of the Church and denying those, such as myself, who pushed back against their efforts.

Huggins provides, in a second-hand manner, an anecdote that pulls back the curtain just a bit. Huggins allows the anecdote to stand on its own, without commentary. This is not a lone incident; examples could be legion. He kept this up for some time.

Jerald tan biography of michael

In a later diary entry, Arrington tells of an encounter with an unnamed student in a class he was teaching at BYU. Shortly after our family joined, my father discovered the writings of the Tanners. My father is now into his 90s, and he still argues against the Church using the same material. His actions — rooted in what the Tanners published — have caused no end of strife and contention within our family for over half a century.

The Tanners always focused on the tearing down of what the Church did, not on the evangelizing of others to what they viewed as a better life. Huggins has written a highly readable hagiography of Jerald and Sandra Tanner. From the beginning of his book, Huggins was clear that he wanted to create his biography from the viewpoint of the Tanners. It is deceptively limiting to indicate what the pond looks like to a single fish swimming within it, but any story of that fish must include not only comments of who the other fish are, but what the effect is of that single fish on the ecosystem of the pond.

I am not one of those people, but I, too, consider it a remarkable book. I cannot help but consider the spiritual and emotional devastation that the Tanners left in their wake — not in the lives of all, to be sure, but in the lives of many. There is much to the Tanners that he chose not to share. For me, his book is largely shadow, short of reality.

He jerald tan biography of michael admits as much in his introduction: In my view a credible biography of the Tanners would … involve … a determined process of removing ourselves from the story to the point that what ultimately emerges is a depiction of what the world looks like from the perspective of [the Tanners] and how that vision moved them to think and act as they did.

For instance, Lawrence Foster comments that: Four months jerald tan biography of michael their marriage, Sandra converted to evangelical Protestantism. Here is the pertinent prose that he uses: After being on the receiving end of lawsuits, the Tanners found themselves back in court inthis time as the plaintiff. This brings to mind another observation of Lawrence Foster: The Tanners have repeatedly assumed a holier-than-thou stance, refusing to be fair in applying the same debate standards of absolute rectitude which they demand of Mormonism to their own actions, writings, and beliefs.

Consequences, Intended or Not Any action in life comes with consequences. Terryl Givens and Philip Barlow describe those years in this manner: The surge of scholarly interest in the Mormon past ushered in a vibrant era of intellectual inquiry and productive work that received official praise and support. Conclusion Huggins has written a highly readable hagiography of Jerald and Sandra Tanner.

Ronald V. My ability to read through the book directly could be due to my familiarity with most of the history and incidents described in the book. See, for example, Julie J. In some ways, Lighthouse can be considered a book-length version of a three-part article written by Huggins shortly after the death of Jerald Tanner. See Ronald V.

It is beyond the scope of this review to address the impact that Hofmann had on everything related to Mormonism; that is best left to other books, and there are numerous choices available. Turley Jr. This is the only time the Tanners advertised the pamphlet in their newsletter. It is the only edition of the newsletter in which the pamphlet was advertised.

Penrose, page Wikipedia, s. Smith, Everett L. Such discussions, while facile, are dismissive and show a lack of subtly and nuance when it comes to understanding the purpose of prophets. They demand a level of infallibility from prophets that those prophets have never claimed nor has the Lord ever required. As I consider the history of Mormonism: Shadow or Reality?

Like Mormonism: Shadow or Reality? With so many similarities, one can plausibly envision a future day when a doppelganger of Ron Huggins will, similarly, write a glowing biography of Runnels. It was evident, however, that the Tanners reached out to reporters in the Salt Lake area to let them know that they had filed the lawsuit. There was no pay or remuneration for that title or position.

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Lawrence Foster, a non-Mormon historian of Mormon history, has offered a mixed assessment of the Tanners and their work. On the negative side, Foster has written that, until the Tanners "are prepared to abide by accepted standards of scholarly behavior and common courtesy, they can expect little sympathy from serious historians. On a more positive note, Foster says that some of the Tanners' "research and analysis He noted that "although the most conscientious and honest researcher can overlook pertinent sources of information, the repeated omissions of evidence by the Tanners suggest an intentional avoidance of sources that modify or refute their caustic interpretation of Mormon history.

On occasion, the Tanners have publicly challenged critics of Mormonism and earned praise from some LDS scholars. For instance, the historian Daniel C. There are some anti-Mormons out there that I hold in contempt. They're demagogic. They spread hatred and strife and disharmony. I don't see the Tanners in that way. The Tanners were among the first public critics of the forger and later murderer Mark Hofmann.

Hofmann's "discoveries" of important Mormon documents he had secretly forged appeared to bolster the Tanners' arguments, but by earlyJerald Tanner had concluded there was significant doubt as to the Salamander Letter 's authenticity. He even went as far as to publish an attack on the Salamander Letter, shocking many scholars, historians, and students who believed the document was genuine.

He was ultimately vindicated when Hofmann's forgeries were exposed. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikidata item. Latter Day Saint movement critics. Biographies [ edit ]. Publications [ edit ].