Jerald Dee Tanner (June 1, 1938 — October 1, 2006) was an American writer and researcher who, with his wife Sandra McGee Tanner (born January 14, 1941) spent nearly fifty years annotating and publishing archival and evidential materials which, the Tanners claim, accurately portrayed the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The Tanners founded, and Sandra Tanner has continued to operate, the Utah Lighthouse Ministry, whose stated mission is "to document problems with the claims of Mormonism and compare LDS doctrines with Christianity". Among the Tanners' reprints were often original versions of early Mormon writings and scripture in which they highlighted doctrinal changes, such as the rejection of Brigham Young's "Adam–God theory". They jointly published over forty books dealing with many aspects of the Church, but primarily its history.
Contents |
A native of Provo, Utah, Jerald Tanner studied at the University of Utah and received a degree from Salt Lake Trade Technical Institute. Before they met one another, Jerald and Sandra had, as teen-agers, each begun to examine the origins of Mormonism. Soon after their introduction, they jointly began researching the subject. As a result of these investigations, they (in their own words) "left the LDS church and became Christians"; the Tanners, among others, believe Mormons are not true Christians (see Mormonism and Christianity).
Jerald and Sandra Tanner were married in Mission Hills, California on June 14, 1959. In addition to the fact that each had been raised in the LDS faith, both of their families had longstanding ties to the Mormon community. Sandra is a great-great-granddaughter of Brigham Young, the second president of the LDS church. After 47 years of marriage, which produced two daughters and a son, Jerald Tanner died at the CareSource Hospice in Salt Lake City, at age 68, as a result of complications arising from Alzheimer's disease.
Sandra Tanner announced Jerald's death in an email[1] which stated:
"Dear friends, Jerald entered heaven's gates today (10/01/06) at 7:20 pm.... He went into a coma last night and didn't give any sign of knowing we were with him today. A memorial service is being planned for Sat. but not sure where--mainly because we aren't sure what size facility we need. Pray for us as we grieve. In Christian Friendship, Sandra Tanner"
An "In Memoriam" tribute to Jerald Tanner was posted on the Tanners' website.[2]
The Tanners have specialized in reproducing documents that would otherwise be inaccessible to the general public. For example, in 1966, they were the first to publish Joseph Smith's Egyptian Alphabet and Grammar, which today is usually called the "Joseph Smith Egyptian Papers". Prior to the publication, few LDS followers were aware of the existence of these documents,[3] but their distribution by the Tanners, along with the Church's retrieval of the Joseph Smith Papyri a year later, has prompted discussions and debates that have extended over the following decades.
The Book of Abraham papyri were thought lost in the Great Chicago Fire. However, in 1966 ten fragments of the papyri were found in the archives of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Subsequently, an additional fragment was located in the LDS Church Historian's Office. They are now referred to as the Joseph Smith Papyri. Both Mormon and non-Mormon Egyptologists agree that the Book of Abraham is not a translation of these papyri, and that the papyri were not written by the hand of Abraham. Rather, the papyri are portions of Egyptian funerary texts, dating to about the first century BC.[3] The text bears no resemblance to the translation given by Joseph Smith, although Mormon apologists have argued, without any evidence, there are several parallels. As a result, the interpretation of the texts has been the source of significant controversy with Mormon critics and apologists differing on the reasons for the discrepancy. The Tanners view the discrepancy as evidence that the Book of Abraham is solely a 19th century work by Joseph Smith with little if any reference to the descriptions and facts the LDS church makes available to the public.
Other valuable photo mechanical reproductions include complete sets of early-LDS periodicals, including Messenger and Advocate, Times and Seasons, and the Millennial Star. Also notable is the reproduction of the 1825 edition of Ethan Smith's View of the Hebrews, complete with the margin notes made by Elder B. H. Roberts in preparation for his posthumously published treatises A Book of Mormon Study (also known as Studies of the Book of Mormon) and A Parallel.
The Tanners have also compiled lists of changes to the text of the Book of Mormon and other texts used by the LDS church, arguing that the alterations are substantial and that the inconsistencies in the texts are evidence against LDS claims of their being divinely inspired. This is because of the Tanner's interpretation of Joseph Smith's claim the Book of Mormon was "the most correct book on the face of the earth...and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book."
The Tanners' best-known publication is Mormonism: Shadow or Reality?. Originally published in 1963 as Mormonism: A Study of Mormon History and Doctrine, and reprinted five times since, it has been described by Dean Helland of Oral Roberts University as "the heavyweight of all books on Mormonism".[4] In it, the Tanners question the character and integrity of the witnesses to the Book of Mormon, and discuss the different accounts Joseph Smith gave of the First Vision. It includes copies of original LDS documents.
In 1999 the LDS Church sued the Tanners for Internet linking, from their website to a third party, the copyrighted Church Handbook of Instructions, and received a favorable injunction from a judge. The lawsuit was settled out of court before an appeals court could rule on what observers described as a potentially landmark case concerning internet linking.[5]
Between Temporary Orders, the Tanners posted on their site an e-mail from a reader that said: "Church Handbook of Instructions is back online!" The e-mail went on to list three Internet addresses at which copies of the entire Handbook or portions of it could be obtained.
Lawrence Foster, a non-Mormon historian who has researched and written about the church, has stated 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". He has also accused them of assuming "a holier-than-thou stance, refusing to be fair in applying the same debate standard of absolute rectitude which they demand of Mormonism to their own actions, writings, and beliefs. ... The Tanners seem to be playing a skilful shell game in which the premises for judgment are conveniently shifted so that the conclusion is always the same—negative."[6]
Despite these criticisms, Foster also says that some of the Tanners' "research and analysis ... would do credit to any professional historian"[7] and credits them for being "more than simply gadflies; in curious and often indirect ways, their work has also been a factor helping to stimulate serious Mormon historical writing."
Foster has also praised Jerald Tanner for his "fierce opposition to Mormon racism" and notes:
Some scholars have also, at least in private, been very pleased that the Tanners have made available hard-to-find printed works from early LDS history... even those scholars who are most critical of the Tanners and their methods have profited, at least indirectly, because the Tanners' allegations have spurred them to begin their own investigations into vital and still incompletely understood topics.... Jerald and Sandra Tanner have functioned with regard to Mormonism in much the same way that Ralph Nader has functioned with regard to American business.... The Tanners have prodded the church to begin, however haltingly and imperfectly, to develop a more realistic sense of itself. I would imagine, for example, that much of the flowering of Mormon historical studies in the 1970s, which has helped to give at least some Mormons a richer and more vital knowledge of their own heritage, has been more than tangentially related to the desire of Latter-day Saint historians to prove the Tanners wrong by showing that a full and honest history of the Latter-day Saints can indeed be written. Much like the irritating grain of sand in the oyster, the result has been a pearl."[8]
Michael Quinn, a historian and former member of the LDS Church, also takes issue with the Tanner's work. 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."[9]
On occasion, the Tanners have publicly challenged irresponsible critics of Mormonism, earning praise even from some devoutly LDS scholars. Historian Daniel C. Peterson, chairman of the LDS apologetics group Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies at Brigham Young University, suggested the Tanners' willingness to debunk false documents regardless of their content was a sign of integrity:
"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."[10]
The Tanners were among the first public critics of forger (and later, murderer) Mark Hofmann. Though Hofmann's "discoveries" of important Mormon documents often appeared to bolster the Tanners' own arguments, Jerald Tanner had, by early 1984, concluded there was significant doubt as to the Salamander Letter's authenticity, and "to the astonishment of a community of scholars, historians and students, published an attack on the so-called Salamander Letter."[11] By late 1984, Jerald Tanner questioned the authenticity of most if not all of Hofmann's "discoveries" based in large part on their unproved provenance. However, the Tanners concurred with Hofmann in contending that the LDS church's apparent inability to discern the forged documents is evidence against church leadership being divinely inspired.
The Tanners have also debunked misrepresentations of the LDS Church by Christian evangelist Ed Decker's works, such as the film The God Makers.[12]