 |
Gospel Tangents PodcastMormon History Resources Author: Rick B
A 360-degree view of Mormonism. We interview the best Mormon scholars, scientists, and clergy from all restoration branches, including LDS, Community of Christ, Strangites, Bickertonites, Temple Lot, Remnant, etc. Language: en-us Genres: Christianity, History, Religion & Spirituality Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
Listen Now...
Shocking Truth: Murderers in Celestial Kingdom? Challenging Sandra Tanner’s Faith (2/6)
Episode 1094
Saturday, 25 October, 2025
Will there be murderers in Celestial Kingdom? An Institute Teacher's answer challenged Sandra Tanner's faith back in the 1950s. We'll talk about this unusual case and how it contributed to Sandra joining Pauline Hancock's Basement Church (known as Church of Christ) in Independence Missouri. Check out our conversation... https://youtu.be/4c6tu0SYs6 Don’t miss our other conversations with Sandra: https://gospeltangents.com/people/sandra-tanner Copyright © 2025 Gospel Tangents All Rights Reserved From Brigham Young Defender to Critic: Influences That Sparked Tanners' Journey The history of early Mormonism and its subsequent splinter groups is complex, but few journeys into critical thinking are as personal and profound as that of Sandra Tanner. Raised defending the faith, her path to becoming a leading critic of Mormonism was catalyzed by several unexpected influences, including the work of a pioneering female Restoration leader and the startling discovery of historical documents. The Vision of Pauline Hancock Sandra Tanner's husband, Jerald Tanner, was deeply influenced by an obscure Restoration group led by Pauline Hancock. Pauline was a head of her group, called the Church of Christ (Bible Book of Mormon), serving as its minister and preacher. Though she never claimed to be a prophet, she was considered a "deliverer of the message". Crucially, Pauline did claim to have a vision of Christ before the group started meeting as a church. This vision occurred during a transition when she was trying to sort out what she believed, focusing on the "original kernel of Mormonism". She told Christ she couldn't fulfill the calling to tell the world what she had learned because she was a woman, but Christ responded, "I was a man, and they didn't listen to me. So, it doesn't matter that you're a woman. You are called to go out and tell what you've learned". Pauline’s group focused on studying the Book of Mormon outside of various splinter groups. Their theology centered on the "oneness idea of God," a modalistic model (though they would not have used the term "modalism"). They aimed for a rejuvenation of the David Whitmer flavor of Mormonism, seeking to go "back to original Mormonism" using just the Bible and Book of Mormon. Jerald Tanner’s Cottage Meetings Jerald Tanner became converted to Pauline’s message after two visits to Missouri. At age 20 (around 1957 or 1958), Jerald returned to Salt Lake and began holding little cottage meetings at his parents’ house. He would play reel-to-reel tapes of Pauline’s different sermons or teachings. The purpose of these meetings was to discuss early Mormonism and explain where the Church "went off the track". Sandra’s grandmother, a relative by marriage to the Brigham Young family, received an invitation to one of these meetings via a postcard. Sandra, visiting from Southern California during spring break, drove her grandmother to the meeting. Grandmother claimed it was "sort of like a Mormon fireside". Jerald, whom she found "nice looking" and "cute," impressed her with his studies on Mormonism’s problems and the group's focus on returning to the Book of Mormon. From Defense to Doubt Sandra’s journey of doubt had already been seeded by others. First, her mother and aunt began studying Mormon history in the 1950s after reading Fawn Brodie's book, No Man Knows My History. They were pouring over "apostate literature" and photocopies. Sandra, then in high school, was busy defending the faith, while her mother and aunt were "going into apostasy". Sandra noted that her mother became known as being "too inquisitive" in Sunday school classes, often disrupting the class with questions. Sandra’s mother and aunt found James Wardle's barbershop, possibly through Sam Weller's bookstore (which stocked anti-Mormon and polygamy literature). James Wardle was the link that put Sandra's mother in contact with Pauline Hancock's group. Second,
