Radio Free Mormon

RFM is joined by Meggan Hayes (“Generally Unquotable), Jim Bennett (“Inside Out”), Randy Bell and Summur-Rayn for a discussion of the highlights of the October 2026 General Conference. RFM brings the video clips and you bring the popcorn! This is going to be a fun and penetrating discussion!

What happened to the apostles who helped build early Mormonism—and then walked away? When the original Quorum of the Twelve was organized in 1835, these men were not fringe figures. They preached the gospel, served missions, worked directly with Joseph Smith, participated in the movement’s spiritual experiences, and occupied some of its highest positions of authority. Yet six of those original apostles would eventually leave, be excommunicated, challenge Joseph Smith, or follow a very different version of the Restoration. In this episode of Mormonism LIVE, we tell the stories of Thomas B. Marsh, William E. McLellin, John F. Boynton, Luke Johnson, Lyman Johnson, and Joseph Smith’s own brother William Smith. Their stories take us into the Kirtland banking collapse, charges brought against Joseph Smith, the violence of 1838 Missouri, succession disputes, polygamy, prophetic authority, broken trust, and the question some early Mormon leaders eventually faced: Had Joseph Smith himself gone astray? Some came back. Some never did. Some continued believing in the Book of Mormon while rejecting Joseph Smith’s later leadership. And several went on to build successful lives completely outside the LDS Church. The deeper story is that early Mormonism was far less inevitable—and far more complicated—than it can appear when history is told by the people who ultimately won the succession struggle. The six apostles who stayed in the historical spotlight became prophets and heroes. These six largely became cautionary tales, footnotes, or disappeared from the story altogether. It’s time to put them back into the history.

General Conference Post-Mortem 2026! (Sunday Afternoon) Join Radio Free Mormon immediately after the Sunday Afternoon Session for his rapid-fire reactions, sharp analysis, historical context, and hot takes on what was said, what stood out, what changed—and what may deserve a closer look. RFM is covering every session of General Conference all weekend long, so you don’t have to suffer alone. General Conference has never been this much fun! And please consider supporting RFM as he takes upon himself General Conference for and in behalf of US who don’t want to. https://donorbox.org/general-conference-post-mortem

General Conference Post-Mortem 2026! (Sunday Morning) Join Radio Free Mormon immediately after the Sunday Morning Session for his rapid-fire reactions, sharp analysis, historical context, and hot takes on what was said, what stood out, what changed—and what may deserve a closer look. RFM is covering every session of General Conference all weekend long, so you don’t have to suffer alone. General Conference has never been this much fun! And please consider supporting RFM as he takes upon himself General Conference for and in behalf of US who don’t want to. https://donorbox.org/general-conference-post-mortem

Join Radio Free Mormon immediately after the Sunday Afternoon Session for his rapid-fire reactions, sharp analysis, historical context, and hot takes on what was said, what stood out, what changed—and what may deserve a closer look.RFM is covering every session of General Conference all weekend long, so you don’t have to suffer alone.General Conference has never been this much fun. And please consider supporting RFM as he takes upon himself General Conference for and in behalf of US who don’t want to.https://donorbox.org/general-conference-post-mortem

Join Radio Free Mormon immediately after the Saturday Morning Session for his rapid-fire reactions, sharp analysis, historical context, and hot takes on what was said, what stood out, what changed—and what may deserve a closer look.RFM is covering every session of General Conference all weekend long, so you don’t have to suffer alone.General Conference has never been this much fun!

Tonight on Mormonism LIVE, Bill Reel and Radio Free Mormon are joined by special guest John Dehlin for an exhaustive examination of the LDS Church’s lawsuit against Mormon Stories. Instead of arguing about the case in the abstract, we take 30 specific claims made by the Church and its attorneys and put them side-by-side with the court record, the Church’s own filings, Mormon Stories’ responses, the mediation history, and recent public statements by Church attorney David Jordan. John Dehlin also joins us to explain what actually happened behind the scenes—including why Mormon Stories changed its branding before the lawsuit was filed, what the Church asked for during mediation, and why he believes the Church’s current public description of the case leaves out crucial context. Among the questions we investigate: Did Mormon Stories intentionally copy the Church’s blue “light-rays” branding? Does the Church’s evidence really show trademark confusion? Did John Dehlin intentionally choose the name Mormon Stories to create confusion—or does the twenty-year history of the podcast tell a very different story? Does the evidence support the LDS Church insisting that the lawsuit was “never about the word Mormon”? Did the Church abandon brands such as Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Mormon Channel, and Mormon Messages and how does that affect their preserving those trademarks with the USPTO and how might such affect this case? Did Church attorneys accurately represent a Mormon Stories guest who supposedly believed the podcast was Church-affiliated? Were Mormon Stories’ existing disclaimers really inadequate—and were the Church’s proposed disclaimer requirements as simple as they are now being portrayed? Why did David Jordan publicly use BAD MORMON as an example of a name nobody would confuse with the Church when the Church previously opposed Heather Gay’s Bad Mormon trademark on the explicit ground that it would cause confusion? And did the Church really avoid asking for damages? We also discuss the ACLU and Electronic Frontier Foundation’s involvement, Mormon Stories’ fair-use defense, the Church’s copyright claims, the doctrine of laches, and where the case appears strongest and weakest for both sides. Most importantly, this episode asks a simple question:When the public statements are compared with the actual documents, who is telling the truth? The LDS Church vs. Mormon Stories: Who’s Telling the Truth?Special Guest: John Dehlin Follow the LDS Church Lawsuithttps://www.mormonstories.org/lds-church-lawsuit/ Support Mormonism Live:https://donorbox.org/mormonism-live Transcript For Tonight’s Show – https://mormondiscussionpodcast.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Final-Mormon-Stories-30-Claims-transcript-final-version.pdf

Ever wonder if Mormon Apologists like Jacob Hansen actually believe the arguments they make on behalf of the Mormon Church? Well that answer is now settled, and it is settled by none other than Jacob Hansen himself! On a recent podcast, Jacob Hansen admitted there is a difference between “Jacob the historian” and “Jacob the apologist.” “Jacob the historian” is interested in facts and what is most likely to have happened. “Jacob the apologist” doesn’t really care about any of those things, as it turns out. Who would have thought? The amazing thing is to hear Jacob Hanse himself admit to it! This is one you won’t want to miss! And it is a warning that should be played at the beginning of every Jacob Hansen podcast!

All the pleadings have been drafted and filed relating to John Dehlin’s Motion to Dismiss the Church’s trademark infringement case against him. RFM is joined by esteemed co-counsel Kolby Reddish to explain what is going on and who is likely to prevail in the motion to dismiss. As an added bonus, Church lawyer David Jordan gave an interview on a pro-Mormon podcast recently that we dissect and catch David Jordan trying to confuse the audience, and use their lack of legal acumen against them. David Jordan also manages to tell at least one whopper which we demonstrate with receipts. If this is the best legal representation the Church can find, maybe RFM should go back into active practice! Join us for this great episode! RFM and Kolby make the law understandable and even entertaining. No small feat, that

On this episode of Mormonism Live, we sit down with Rachelle and John Moyer, the creators behind “Ex-Mormon: The Musical,” to talk about how the project came together, what inspired the songs, and why music can be such a powerful way to process faith, identity, loss, humor, and life after Mormonism. We’ll dig into the story behind the album, the creative process of turning the ex-Mormon experience into a musical, and some of the themes woven throughout the soundtrack. We’ll also play and discuss several of the songs along the way. Whether you’ve left Mormonism, are questioning, still believe, or simply appreciate clever songwriting about complicated human experiences, this should be a fun and fascinating conversation about what happens when religious deconstruction meets musical theater. Listen to “Ex-Mormon: The Musical (Original Musical Soundtrack)” on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/4OxkzS1jbuwicBjZkGw2TS Join us as we talk with Rachelle and John Moyer about the humor, pain, creativity, and lived experience behind Ex-Mormon: The Musical. #ExMormon #ExMormonMusical #MormonismLive #Mormon #LDS #FaithTransition #ReligiousDeconstruction #PostMormon #MormonStories #musicaltheatre Ex-Mormon The musicalhttps://JosephSmith.com/https://exmormonsoundtrack.com/ John’s comedy Showshttps://johnmoyer.com/tickets