He was a historian of Korea, a scholar of comparative world religions, and wrote many books on these and related topics.
He studied at Eastern Arizona College before transferring to Brigham Young University (BYU) where he received his bachelor's degree.
Between his studies at these two institutions Palmer served as a missionary for the LDS Church in the California Mission.
During this time he often traveled and worked closely with Gordon B. Hinckley, who was then the member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, responsible for overseeing the operation of the LDS Church in Asia.
[3] In 1993 Palmer worked for six months as a visiting professor in China teaching comparative world religions to students from local ethnic minority groups at the invitation of the Chinese government.