Mormon Stories Podcast

Today we’re going through various apologetics and theories around the Book of Abraham to reconcile it being considered scripture along with what we know the literal interpretation of these things to be. What problems do these apologetics create in other areas for believers?  Do these theories hold water without a strong bias to believe in spite of all evidence? Do some apologists even admit it?   LDS Discussion Essay on Book of Abraham   Episode Show Notes _________________________ LDS Discussions is made possible by 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 Pick “Mormon Stories” as your charity on Amazon Smile or through the Amazon App LDS Discussions Platforms: LDS Discussions Website LDS Discussions Playlist on YouTube Contact LDS Discussions: Twitter: @ldsdicussions Facebook: @ldsdiscussion Insta: @ldsdiscussions Email: ldsdiscussions@gmail.com Contact us: MormonStories@gmail.com Mormon Stories Podcast PO Box 171085 Salt Lake City, UT 84117 Social Media: Insta: @mormstories Tiktok: @mormonstoriespodcast Join the Discord

The best way to consume Mormon history is through original source documents, but where do you find them? In this episode we will review a list of primary sources for early Mormon history that are accessible and affordable to the budding historian. John's List: An American Prophet's Record: The Diaries and Journals of Joseph Smith The Essential Joseph Smith Book of Mormon: The Earliest Text Book of Commandments John Whitmer History Messenger and Advocate Lectures on Faith: Restoration Edition Lectures on Faith: Unabridged Evening and Morning Star Far West record: Minutes of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1830-1844 Times and Seasons  Episode Show Notes Mormon Expressions is made possible by generous donors! Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today: Donate to support John/Carah for Mormon Expressions John & Carah on Other Platforms: Mormon Expressions Podcast on Spotify Nuancehoe on YouTube Nuancehoe on Patreon John Larsen on YouTube Support Mormon Stories Podcast here: One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox Support us on Patreon Pick “Mormon Stories” as your charity on Amazon Smile or through the Amazon App Our Platforms: Mormon Stories Blog Patreon Spotify Apple Podcasts Contact us: MormonStories@gmail.com PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117 Social Media: Insta: @mormstories Tiktok: @mormonstoriespodcast Join the Discord

Welcome back for part two! A trip to Europe gives Kelsey a chance beyond her mission to see more of the outside world and the goodness and happiness that others have found while clearly outside of Mormonism. The trip also gives her the chance to tune in to herself and trust her intuition. Not ready to give up on her religion just yet, Kelsey returns home after the trip and ends up working with LDS Public Relations in various projects while also holding the calling of Relief Society President as she works through her active doubts. Kelsey moves back to LA and finally realizes how much of a “box” LDS doctrines & beliefs put herself in. Kelsey takes us on a journey of personal discovery as she learns who she really is & to trust her own authority, leading her to the freest and fulfilled life she’s experienced thus far. Social Media: New Song: Life in a Box Insta: www.instagram.com/kelseymarieedwards TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kelseymarieedwards YouTube.com/@kelseyedwards Kelsey Edwards on IMDB Squad Goals: Courses.kelseyedwards.co (For teen girls about making/keeping good friends)  Episode Show Notes 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 Pick “Mormon Stories” as your charity on Amazon Smile or through the Amazon App  Our Platforms: Patreon Spotify Apple Podcasts Contact us: MormonStories@gmail.com  PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117  Social Media: Insta: @mormstories Tiktok: @mormonstoriespodcast Join the Discord

Kelsey Edwards has a unique upbringing as a child actor who was homeschooled by her Mormon parents. Driven by a desire to do what’s right and excel, Kelsey develops a perfectionism that goes beyond religious adherence into body image and leads to disordered eating. Kelsey is able to recover with help from her parents, only to be thrown into another family crisis as her father succumbs to an opiate addiction after chronic back pain and leaves both the Church and the family. As many children do, Kelsey feels she shares blame for the destruction of her family and re-commits to the LDS religion for strength and comfort.  When her family moves to Provo, Utah, Mormon purity culture has costs for Kelsey’s self-esteem and body image as she continues pursuing performance at high school and BYU. Kelsey’s first doubts come as she serves a mission in Birmingham Alabama and grapples with the spirituality and fulfillment members of other faiths feel. Kelsey realizes belief in “eternal families” is far from unique to Mormonism but what IS unique about the Mormon version is the dark element that it’s predicated on a God deliberately separating families first.Join us for the rest in Part 2! Social Media: New Song: Life in a Box Insta: www.instagram.com/kelseymarieedwards TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kelseymarieedwards YouTube.com/@kelseyedwards Kelsey Edwards on IMDB Squad Goals: Courses.kelseyedwards.co (For teen girls about making/keeping good friends)  Episode Show Notes 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 Pick “Mormon Stories” as your charity on Amazon Smile or through the Amazon App  Our Platforms: Patreon Spotify Apple Podcasts Contact us: MormonStories@gmail.com  PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117  Social Media: Insta: @mormstories Tiktok: @mormonstoriespodcast Join the Discord

Nearly since its founding, leaders of the LDS Church have excommunicated members for wrongdoing. In earlier times, such punishments might have lasted only weeks. Over the course of succeeding decades, this practice became more severe, constituting a wrenching removal from the community. Gaining readmittance often required intense penance and evidence of significant change stretching over a prolonged period of time. Sometimes this process even involved the leaders' colleagues. Justice and Mercy offers in-depth examinations of several high-profile case studies in church discipline, using journals and other sources close to the participants to provide candid detail. Today we interview author Gary James Bergera and Editor Bryan Buchanan. The book can be purchased here: Justice & Mercy   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 Pick “Mormon Stories” as your charity on Amazon Smile or through the Amazon App  Our Platforms: Patreon Spotify Apple Podcasts Contact us: MormonStories@gmail.com  PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117  Social Media: Insta: @mormstories Tiktok: @mormonstoriespodcast Join the Discord

Today we get to meet Special Guest Scott Dyer from Rameumptom Ruminations, a podcast centered on Mormon theology & interpretations of scripture through the lens of philosophy, literature and art under the Mormon Discussions Podcasts umbrella. John and Scott discuss Brian Harris, a recent guest on Rameumptom Ruminations who was an employee at church headquarters in the correlation department. Brian offers us a chance to pull back the curtain and learn a little bit more about what goes on behind the scenes. How does the church gather and use data from its members? How far up the chain does that data go? What goes into the creation, revising, or scrapping of church programs? Rameumptom Ruminations Playlist on YouTube Episode Show Notes   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 Pick “Mormon Stories” as your charity on Amazon Smile or through the Amazon App  Our Platforms: Patreon Spotify Apple Podcasts Contact us: MormonStories@gmail.com  PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117  Social Media: Insta: @mormstories Tiktok: @mormonstoriespodcast Join the Discord

Starting Book of Abraham! Join us at noon today for the intro to the issues around the "translation" of this controversial piece of Mormon scripture. LDS Discussion Book of Abraham Essay Episode Show Notes _________________________ LDS Discussions is made possible by 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 Pick “Mormon Stories” as your charity on Amazon Smile or through the Amazon App LDS Discussions Platforms: LDS Discussions Website LDS Discussions Playlist on YouTube Contact LDS Discussions: Twitter: @ldsdicussions Facebook: @ldsdiscussion Insta: @ldsdiscussions Email: ldsdiscussions@gmail.com Contact us: MormonStories@gmail.com PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117 Social Media: Insta: @mormstories Tiktok: @mormonstoriespodcast Join the Discord

When Douglas Stilgoe, AKA "Nemo the Mormon" on YouTube, no longer felt he could publicly sustain Mormonism's top leadership of apostles & prophets due to multiple acts of demonstrable dishonesty, he lost one of Mormonism's highest privileges: the ability to attend the Temple. For Mormons, Temple worship goes FAR beyond religious ceremony. It is the gate by which believing Mormons qualify for Exaltation, the highest level of Heaven & privilege in the after-life according to Mormon theology, and by which marriages & family relationships are "sealed" together for eternity. Thus, losing the privilege of Temple worship doesn't just risk an individual's OWN eternal reward, but also puts one's eternal marriage and other family ties in jeopardy, some even to the extent of believing that faithful spouses and children will be "reassigned" to a faithful stranger who will replace the unbelieving spouse or parent in Heaven. It is also synonymous with personal "worthiness", so any Mormons not permitted inside are often thought to be committing or in the process of repenting from egregious sins, such as adultery. Mormons who are not considered "worthy" to perform Temple ordinances themselves are also barred from even attending ordinances - like weddings - of any friends and family that take place there, another significant source of pain and alienation for some. Naturally, Doug found it problematic that for believing Mormons, such important things as Exaltation and Eternal Family can be held hostage and denied for something as simple as refusing to agree to sustain leaders who, by virtue of a supposedly secret ordinance known as the "Second Anointing," are exempt from any accountability towards members of the Church, even for bold, deliberate acts of harm and dishonesty. ...or are they? This episode documents attempts made by Doug (Nemo) to get to the bottom of whether Mormon doctrines & practices meant to instill accountability from its earliest days and scripture are still applicable today, or whether they've become mere ritual, devoid of any meaningful significance other than virtue-signaling conformity and a continued commitment to blind obedience. As a squeaky wheel unable to be assuaged or silenced by local leadership, Nemo surprises everyone (including himself) when he manages to bypass the usual gatekeepers and break through the glass ceiling separating Mormonism's apostles and prophets from the rank-and-file, successfully garnering the attention of none other than second highest-ranking apostle and next in line to become prophet, Dallin H. Oaks. How did it go? Tune it to find out! Nemo the Mormon YouTube Channel "Evidence of Dishonesty" - Nemo's document (coming soon!) Nemo's Coverage on Mormonism LIVE with Bill Reel, Radio Free Mormon, and John Dehlin Episode Show Notes 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 Pick “Mormon Stories” as your charity on Amazon Smile or through the Amazon App  Our Platforms: Patreon Spotify Apple Podcasts Contact us: MormonStories@gmail.com  PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117  Social Media: Insta: @mormstories Tiktok: @mormonstoriespodcast Join the Discord

Louisa Killian is back to talk about what happened after losing her job at BYU, and what resources helped her heal and grow. What have been her victories and challenges in rebuilding her life? How did her family react to her loss of faith? What role does art and creativity play in healing? How does Louisa navigate her marriage, parenting, self-care, and spirituality? Louisa Killian Episode Notes 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 Pick “Mormon Stories” as your charity on Amazon Smile or through the Amazon App  Our Platforms: Patreon Spotify Apple Podcasts Contact us: MormonStories@gmail.com  PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117  Social Media: Insta: @mormstories Tiktok: @mormonstoriespodcast Join the Discord

After her marriage to a "worthy" priesthood-holding Returned Missionary goes south when her husband is arrested for fraud, Louisa Killian finds love & equality in a relationship outside of the Church and a fulfilling career teaching dance at BYU. But when it's time to renew her Temple Recommend to keep her ecclesiastical endorsement (a requirement for employment at the Church school), Louisa finds that honesty has severe consequences. Louisa Killian Episode Notes 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 Pick “Mormon Stories” as your charity on Amazon Smile or through the Amazon App  Our Platforms: Patreon Spotify Apple Podcasts Contact us: MormonStories@gmail.com  PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117  Social Media: Insta: @mormstories Tiktok: @mormonstoriespodcast Join the Discord