In the 1960s, Mormon Apostle Hugh B. Brown made significant efforts to lift the priesthood and temple ban for Black members of the church, even speaking with the media about the possibility of change. President Harold B. Lee, however, demanded that Brown stop speaking to the press and removed him from the First Presidency. Lee also forced Brown to sign a statement reaffirming the church’s racist doctrines. Join us with historian Matthew Harris as we explore the impact of Brown’s release, his faith journey, and insights from Harris's book Second Class Saints: Black Mormons and the Struggle for Racial Equality. We are thrilled to announce that we have reached our donation goal to compensate Dr. Matt Harris for his contributions to this series. We sincerely thank everyone who supported this effort. While the goal to pay Matt has been met, producing this series incurred significant costs for the Open Stories Foundation. If you find value in this content and want to help cover these expenses and support future productions, we encourage you to donate at https://www.mormonstories.org/donate/ Your generosity makes a difference—thank you! Purchase Matt Harris’ book, Second-Class Saints: Black Mormons and the Struggle for Racial Equality Show Notes YouTube Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors! Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today: One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox Support us on Patreon PayPal Venmo Our Platforms: YouTube Patreon Spotify Apple Podcasts Contact us:MormonStories@gmail.comPO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117 Social Media: Insta: @mormstories TikTok: @mormonstoriespodcast Join the Discord

We are back again to discuss episodes three, four and five from Hulu's new hit docuseries The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. But how Mormon are these women? How Mormon is their story? How much does Mormonism really influence their daily lives? Join us as we discuss these questions with Samantha Shelley, Brittney Hartley, Alyssa Witbeck and John and Gerardo. To watch the new show on Hulu visit here. Show Notes YouTube Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors! Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today: One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox Support us on Patreon PayPal Venmo Our Platforms: YouTube Patreon Spotify Apple Podcasts Contact us:MormonStories@gmail.comPO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117 Social Media: Insta: @mormstories TikTok: @mormonstoriespodcast Join the Discord

British YouTuber, Nemo the Mormon, is facing excommunication. Was it for being on LADBible? Was it for speaking out at the McKinney, Texas City Council? Was it for his years of being on Mormon Stories? Join us as we meet with Nemo himself and discuss why the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has summoned him to a disciplinary council. Show Notes YouTube Nemo the Mormon Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors! Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today: One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox Support us on Patreon PayPal Venmo Our Platforms: YouTube Patreon Spotify Apple Podcasts Contact us:MormonStories@gmail.comPO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117 Social Media: Insta: @mormstories TikTok: @mormonstoriespodcast Join the Discord

This week, Hulu released a new TV show titled The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, featuring the eight Mormon mothers behind the viral MomTok group that became a swinging scandal. Are these women truly representative of the Mormon faith? Can we trust them to reflect the entire Mormon Church? Join us as we discuss these questions with Samantha Shelley, Brittney Hartley, and Alyssa Witbeck. To watch the new show on Hulu visit here. Show Notes YouTube Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors! Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today: One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox Support us on Patreon PayPal Venmo Our Platforms: YouTube Patreon Spotify Apple Podcasts Contact us:MormonStories@gmail.comPO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117 Social Media: Insta: @mormstories TikTok: @mormonstoriespodcast Join the Discord

Join us for a special episode featuring the father/daughter duo Ryan and Scout Fisher. Ryan, known for his work as a Book of Mormon defender and host of The Nephite Explorer series, shares his journey, including working closely with Tim Ballard and his experiences as a missionary in Poland, where he was kidnapped and locked in a jail cell. Ryan’s patriarchal blessing foretold that millions would know his name, leading him to embark on Heartland tours and excursions with his daughter Scout to prove the truth of the Book of Mormon. As Ryan became a hard-core prepper, Scout witnessed her parents' faith transition while she continued attending church. Trigger Warning: This episode covers topics such as kidnapping, suicide and suicidal ideation. Show Notes YouTube Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors! Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today: One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox Support us on Patreon PayPal Venmo Our Platforms: YouTube Patreon Spotify Apple Podcasts Contact us:MormonStories@gmail.comPO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117 Social Media: Insta: @mormstories TikTok: @mormonstoriespodcast Join the Discord

Jackson and Hayden Paul are two brothers who run the Stick of Joseph YouTube channel. The Stick of Joseph channel seeks to make the Book of Mormon accessible by making engaging, entertaining and informative content. Jackson and Hayden are what some would call apologists for the Mormon church. Join us as we meet with them to hear their Mormon stories, and to understand how they continue to believe in core Mormon truth claims in spite of modern scientific evidence. Show Notes YouTube Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors! Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today: One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox Support us on Patreon PayPal Venmo Our Platforms: YouTube Patreon Spotify Apple Podcasts Contact us:MormonStories@gmail.comPO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117 Social Media: Insta: @mormstories TikTok: @mormonstoriespodcast Join the Discord

Join us as we uncover what drove change within the Mormon Church, from government pressure on BYU to admit more black students to the church’s troubling response. We’ll dive into shocking letters sent to black prospective students, a five-step plan to keep them out, and the protests that followed. Learn how government intervention eventually forced the end of discrimination and explore why Mormon leaders were so uneasy with black students. This episode, featuring historian Dr. Matthew Harris, is part of our series on his book Second Class Saints: Black Mormons and the Struggle for Racial Equality. We are thrilled to announce that we have reached our donation goal to compensate Dr. Matt Harris for his contributions to this series. We sincerely thank everyone who supported this effort. While the goal to pay Matt has been met, producing this series incurred significant costs for the Open Stories Foundation. If you find value in this content and want to help cover these expenses and support future productions, we encourage you to donate at https://www.mormonstories.org/donate/ Your generosity makes a difference—thank you! Show Notes YouTube Purchase Matt Harris’ book, Second-Class Saints: Black Mormons and the Struggle for Racial Equality Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors! Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today: One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox Support us on Patreon PayPal Venmo Our Platforms: YouTube Patreon Spotify Apple Podcasts Contact us:MormonStories@gmail.comPO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117 Social Media: Insta: @mormstories TikTok: @mormonstoriespodcast Join the Discord

Today we are joined with Sandra Tanner to discuss Mormon historian, Richard Bushman’s recent response to the CES Letter. Bushman’s response was on the topic of the translation of the Book of Mormon. Did Joseph Smith really use a seer stone? Is the author of the CES Letter, Jeremy Runnells, wrong for feeling betrayed by the church? Did the church really hide that Joseph Smith had and used a seer stone to translate their most sacred text? Join us to find out these answers! Show Notes YouTube Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors! Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today: One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox Support us on Patreon PayPal Venmo Our Platforms: YouTube Patreon Spotify Apple Podcasts Contact us:MormonStories@gmail.comPO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117 Social Media: Insta: @mormstories TikTok: @mormonstoriespodcast Join the Discord

Join us as historian Matthew Harris returns to discuss what happens when members of the Mormon Church First Presidency go rogue. We explore George Romney's support of Civil Rights versus Ezra Taft Benson's involvement with the John Birch Society. We'll also dive into the impact of white church members marching in the Civil Rights Movement and how figures like Stewart Udall, Cleon Skousen, Robert Welch, and Hugh B. Brown challenged the Brethren at Church Headquarters with their views and publications. We are thrilled to announce that we have reached our donation goal to compensate Dr. Matt Harris for his contributions to this series. We sincerely thank everyone who supported this effort. While the goal to pay Matt has been met, producing this series incurred significant costs for the Open Stories Foundation. If you find value in this content and want to help cover these expenses and support future productions, we encourage you to donate at https://www.mormonstories.org/donate/ Your generosity makes a difference—thank you! Show Notes YouTube Episode Purchase Matt Harris’ book, Second-Class Saints: Black Mormons and the Struggle for Racial Equality Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors! Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today: One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox Support us on Patreon PayPal Venmo Our Platforms: YouTube Patreon Spotify Apple Podcasts Contact us:MormonStories@gmail.comPO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117 Social Media: Insta: @mormstories TikTok: @mormonstoriespodcast Join the Discord

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recently released new policies surrounding transgender members of the church. It has taken the news and social media by storm! Among other things, the new policies include a measure to annotate trans members’ records, grouping them with members who have committed sexual violence or child abuse. Today we are joined with Amanda and Shaye Scott to discuss these new policies. Show Notes YouTube episode Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors! Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today: One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox Support us on Patreon PayPal Venmo Our Platforms: YouTube Patreon Spotify Apple Podcasts Contact us:MormonStories@gmail.comPO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117 Social Media: Insta: @mormstories TikTok: @mormonstoriespodcast Join the Discord