Mormon Stories Podcast

As part of our ongoing series on 21st century Mormonism outside of the United States, today we interview Douglas Stilgoe. Douglas is a 23 year old, 3rd generation Mormon raised in Warwickshire, England (Coventry England Stake).   Douglas' story is interesting for many reasons: He discusses life as a Mormon in the UK in the 2000's. He was raised in the same area as Tom Phillips, the high-ranking Mormon church leader in the U.K. who lost his faith and left the church AFTER receiving his 2nd anointing. His story explores how painful and damaging Mormonism can be on families when a parent loses their faith. He discusses his own very recent loss of faith as a young adult in the U.K., after being a very devout believing youth (just over the past year).   For more information on Tom Phillips and the 2nd Anointing, see here.

Today I will be reviewing my recent research into the topic of how the pirate Captain William Kidd and the practice of New England treasure digging that followed Kidd directly inspired Joseph Smith to create the Book of Mormon.   I've been doing this research in preparation for a new Youtube channel I'm launching called "Understanding Mormonism with Dr. John Dehlin."   I need your help in the following ways:   1) I'd love to know if there are any important errors or omissions in my research. 2) I'd love to know if you find the research interesting/worthwhile overall. 3) I am making a call for listeners to submit their own essays/PowerPoint presentations for future videos in this project.   Any feedback, questions, or any submissions can be sent to:   understandmormonism@gmail.com    

Karen Adam was raised in a same-sex household in Scotland (her mother identified as Lesbian). She joined the Mormon church at age 17 in 1992 after a teenage pregnancy. Karen lived as a member of the LDS Church in Scotland for almost 20 years - maturing from a young teenage mother to serving as LDS Sunday School teacher, Young Women’s President, Compassionate Service Leader, Relief Society Teacher, Primary Presidency, etc.   Karen was married and sealed for eternity in an LDS temple, and for years helped raise six children, living a very traditional LDS family life.   When Karen’s marriage fell apart she found solace in serving the wider community in Scotland outside the confines of her Scottish Mormon ward. This led on to a political awakening, and ultimately to her leaving the LDS church, and running for political office in Scotland.   Topics covered in this episode include: Converting to the LDS Church in Scotland, Teenage pregnancy. Being a devout Mormon in Scotland. Navigating an abusive marriage that included drug addiction. Navigating divorce and remarriage within the Mormon church in Scotland. Dealing with harmful messages and policies regarding female sexuality as a Mormon Scott, including damaging bishop interviews. Responding to the Mormon church's harmful LGBTQ policies as a Mormon Scott having been raised in a same-sex household. Experiencing a Mormon faith crisis in Scotland. Rebuilding life as a post-Mormon divorced Scottish mother. Throwing her hat into the political ring in mid-life as a Scottish ex-Mormon woman. This is Karen's story.

As many of you will recall, Shannon Caldwell Montez joined us on Mormon Stories Podcast in July, 2020 to tell us her own story, as well as to tell us the story of B.H. Roberts - the LDS Church historian and General Authority who was tasked to answer problems about Book of Mormon historicity, only to lose his testimony of the Book of Mormon as a historical document. During the B.H. Roberts episode we learned about a series of all-day meetings B.H. Roberts had in January, 1922 with the LDS Church First Presidency, Quorum of 12 Apostles, and the Quorum of 70 to discuss these Book of Mormon problems in-depth. Ultimately, Shannon shows in her thesis that the LDS church leadership was both unprepared and unwilling to address the problems Roberts presented - resulting in much disappointment and frustration for Roberts. In this follow-up interview with Shannon, we review evidence addressing the question as to whether or not Mormon General Authority and church historian B.H. Roberts lost his testimony of the Book of Mormon as a historical document. Resources Mentioned in the Podcast Include: Shannon's Thesis: The Secret Mormon Meetings of 1922 B.H. Roberts and the Book of Mormon by Thomas G. Alexander in Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought B.H. Roberts's Studies of the Book of Mormon by Brigham D. Madsen in Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought "Is There Any Way to Escape These Difficulties?": The Book of Mormon Studies of B.H. Roberts by George D. Smith in Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. Mr. Couch and Elder Roberts, by Richard F. Keeler in Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. View of the Hebrews by Mormon Handbook Remembering B.H. Roberts by Sterling M. McMurrin in Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. Defending the Keystone: An Overview of the Arguments For and Against View of the Hebrews as a Possible Source for the Book of Mormon by Madison U  Sowell in Sunstone Magazine MormonThink B.H. Roberts Quotes B.H. Roberts' Secret Manuscript by Jerald and Sandra Tanner Terryl Givens Misrepresents B.H. Roberts by Rollo Tomasi B.H. Roberts Book Stirs Controversy by Ron Bitton in Sunstone Magazine The Works of B.H. Roberts on Project Gutenberg

For more than a century Joseph Smith's Book of Abraham "translation" has been revered as holy scripture by devout Mormons, and denounced by all credible non-LDS Egyptologists as a 100% erroneous translation -- a combination of Joseph Smith's imagination and some plagiarism (much like the Book of Mormon, the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, and the Mormon temple ceremony. The first major scholarly analysis and critique of the Book of Abraham by world-class Egyptologists came in 1912 and was published in the New York Times.  Of course this article was neither appropriately considered nor adequately addressed by LDS church leadership, and ultimately the issue faded from LDS church membership consciousness for several more decades. Beginning in 1966 with the rediscovery of the core Book of Abraham papyri fragments found in the archives of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art (that were thought to have been lost in the 1871 Great Chicago Fire), Mormon apologists such as Hugh Nibley, John Gee, Daniel C. Peterson, Kerry Muhlestein, Michael D. Rhodes, etc. have attempted to employ apologetic tactics to rescue the Book of Abraham from a total loss of credibility - once credible translations of the papyrus demonstrated undeniably that Joseph Smith's "translation" was 100% inaccurate, and in fact, had nothing to do with Abraham at all.  In fact, the papyri were dated to be written over 1500 years after the time Abraham would have lived. For decades questioning, doubting, and non-believing Mormons have engaged with Mormon apologists like Nibley, Gee, Muhlestein, and Rhodes to determine the historicity and legitimacy of the Book of Abraham - with the credibility of Joseph Smith and the LDS church restoration hanging in the balance.  In spite of the LDS church's century-long efforts to either hide or convolute the issues surrounding the Book of Abraham, many Mormons have lost their faith and left the church over the Book of Abraham, as it is often listed as one of the primary reasons that Mormons lose their faith. While many orthodox, doubting, and post-Mormons have heard the opinions of pseudo-Egyptologists/Book of Abraham apologists like John Gee, Kerry Muhlestein, and Michael D. Rhodes, few Mormons or post-Mormons have actually heard the opinions of a legitimate, world-class Egyptologist about the historicity and credibility of the Book of Abraham - until today. Today, as a joint production of Mormon Stories Podcast and Radio Free Mormon podcast, we interview Dr. Robert Ritner.  Dr. Ritner is Professor of Egyptology at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago and was from 1991-1996 the first Marilyn M. Simpson Assistant Professor of Egyptology at Yale University.  Dr. Ritner is the author of over 100 publications on Egyptian religion, magic, medicine, language and literature, as well as social and political history. He has lectured extensively on each of these topics throughout the United States, Europe and Egypt.  Ritner has led Oriental Institute tours of Egypt for 30 years.  He is also the author of The Joseph Smith Egyptian Papyri: A Complete Edition, and an essay entitled “Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham” — A Response - written as a response to the LDS church's gospel topics essay on the Book of Abraham, which is deeply problematic according to Dr. Ritner. In this three-part sit-down with Dr. Ritner, we will discuss his upbringing in Houston, Texas and his scholarly background and the events that led to him becoming interested in the Book of Abraham.  We will provide a contextualizing history to the Book of Abraham story, and discuss in-depth Joseph Smith's completely erroneous translation of Facsimiles 1-3 from the papyrus.  We explore the emergence of the Abraham Egyptian Papers in the mid 1960s, along with the discovery of the "lost" Book of Abraham papyrus.  We end this series by exploring some of the seemingly unscholarly and disingenuous tactics used by Book of Abraham apologists John Gee, Kerry Muhlestein, and Michael D. Rhodes to try to bolster belief in the Book of Abraham. Finally, a HUGE thanks to Bruce MacArthur for making this interview possible. Also, a MASSIVE thanks to RFM for co-hosting, Bill Reel for all of his great work over the years, along with all of the amazing scholars who helped me/us prepare for this interview, including: Mike Brown of the Mormon Stories Truth Claims essays, MormonThink, Jeremy Runnells and the CES Letter, Dan Vogel, Brent Metcalfe, Letter for my Wife, MormonInfoGraphics.com, this super cool video, and much much more content than I could ever fully list here. —————— Sadly, Dr. Ritner passed away on July 25, 2021. He was one of the few non-Mormon Egyptology experts willing to address tough issues with the Book of Abraham and its apologists. He will always be missed. —————— Show Notes: The Joseph Smith Egyptian Papyri: A Complete Edition by Robert K. Ritner "Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham," Gospel Topics Essay "Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham--A Response," by Robert K. Ritner, University of Chicago Oriental Institute "Facsimile 1 Examined", comparing the Joseph Smith translation to what it actually says in Egyptian "The Four Sons of Horus, Facsimile 2 Figure 6," by John Gee Mormon Stories interview with Shannon Caldwell Montez The Four Sons of Horus "Lion Couch Scene in the Book of Abraham: Evidence of Authenticity," produced by FAIR "The Book Of Abraham – Missing Scrolls, Catalyst Theories, and Bad Apologetics" on Radio Free Mormon Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Robert Ritner's Curriculum Vitae "Public Response to Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham," linked from Dr. Ritner's homepage at the University of Chicago The Mechanics of Ancient Egyptian Magical Practice by Robert Ritner “The 'Breathing Permit of Hor' Thirty-Four Years Later," by Robert Ritner, Dialogue, April 2021 "Interview with John Gee on the Book of Abraham," FAIRVoice podcast, July 30, 2020  "The Book of Abraham, Revelation, and You," by Kerry Muhlstein, Ensign, 2018 Comparison of the Facsimile 2 papyrus and the version printed in the Book of Abraham "The Source of the Book of Abraham Identified," by Grant S. Heward and Jerald Tanner, Dialogue, Summer 1968 "Facsimile 2 Examined", comparing the Smith translation to what it says in Egyptian "Notes on the Sons of Horus," by John Gee, FARMS, 1991 "The Book of Abraham, I Presume," by John Gee, FairMormon Conference, 2012 "Evidences of the Book of Abraham: Historicity," by Kerry Muhlstein, Pearl of Great Price Central "Kolob, the Governing One," Pearl of Great Price Central "Facsimile 3 Examined", comparing the Smith translation to what it says in Egyptian "The Breathing Permit of Hor: A Translation of the Apparent Source of the Book of Abraham," by Klaus Baer, Dialogue, 1968 "All the Court’s a Stage: Facsimile 3, a Royal Mumming," by Hugh Nibley, Abraham in Egypt, 2000 An Introduction to the Book of Abraham, by John Gee The Hor Book of Breathings: A Translation and Commentary by Michael D. Rhodes "Book of Abraham Facsimile No. 3," by Paul Osborne "Brian Hauglid Interview" on Radio Free Mormon The Lost Book of Abraham: Investigating a Remarkable Claim, documentary by John Grooters Adam Clarke's Bible Commentary "Joseph Smith, Adam Clarke, and the Making of a Bible Revision," by Thomas A Wayment, Journal of Mormon History, July 2020 The lead printing plate used for Facsimile 3 The Rocky Mountain Saints: A Full and Complete History of the Mormons, from the First Vision of Joseph Smith to the Last Courtship of Brigham Young...and the Development of the Great Mineral Wealth of the Territory of Utahby Thomas Stenhouse "Museum Walls Proclaim Fraud of Mormon Prophet: Sacred Books Claimed to Have Been Given Divinely to the First Prophet Are Shown to be Taken from Old Egyptian Originals, Their Translation Being a Work of the Imagination---What a Comparison with Metropolitan Museum Treasure Shows," New York Times, December 2

For more than a century Joseph Smith's Book of Abraham "translation" has been revered as holy scripture by devout Mormons, and denounced by all credible non-LDS Egyptologists as a 100% erroneous translation -- a combination of Joseph Smith's imagination and some plagiarism (much like the Book of Mormon, the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, and the Mormon temple ceremony. The first major scholarly analysis and critique of the Book of Abraham by world-class Egyptologists came in 1912 and was published in the New York Times.  Of course this article was neither appropriately considered nor adequately addressed by LDS church leadership, and ultimately the issue faded from LDS church membership consciousness for several more decades. Beginning in 1966 with the rediscovery of the core Book of Abraham papyri fragments found in the archives of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art (that were thought to have been lost in the 1871 Great Chicago Fire), Mormon apologists such as Hugh Nibley, John Gee, Daniel C. Peterson, Kerry Muhlestein, Michael D. Rhodes, etc. have attempted to employ apologetic tactics to rescue the Book of Abraham from a total loss of credibility - once credible translations of the papyrus demonstrated undeniably that Joseph Smith's "translation" was 100% inaccurate, and in fact, had nothing to do with Abraham at all.  In fact, the papyri were dated to be written over 1500 years after the time Abraham would have lived. For decades questioning, doubting, and non-believing Mormons have engaged with Mormon apologists like Nibley, Gee, Muhlestein, and Rhodes to determine the historicity and legitimacy of the Book of Abraham - with the credibility of Joseph Smith and the LDS church restoration hanging in the balance.  In spite of the LDS church's century-long efforts to either hide or convolute the issues surrounding the Book of Abraham, many Mormons have lost their faith and left the church over the Book of Abraham, as it is often listed as one of the primary reasons that Mormons lose their faith. While many orthodox, doubting, and post-Mormons have heard the opinions of pseudo-Egyptologists/Book of Abraham apologists like John Gee, Kerry Muhlestein, and Michael D. Rhodes, few Mormons or post-Mormons have actually heard the opinions of a legitimate, world-class Egyptologist about the historicity and credibility of the Book of Abraham - until today. Today, as a joint production of Mormon Stories Podcast and Radio Free Mormon podcast, we interview Dr. Robert Ritner.  Dr. Ritner is Professor of Egyptology at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago and was from 1991-1996 the first Marilyn M. Simpson Assistant Professor of Egyptology at Yale University.  Dr. Ritner is the author of over 100 publications on Egyptian religion, magic, medicine, language and literature, as well as social and political history. He has lectured extensively on each of these topics throughout the United States, Europe and Egypt.  Ritner has led Oriental Institute tours of Egypt for 30 years.  He is also the author of The Joseph Smith Egyptian Papyri: A Complete Edition, and an essay entitled “Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham” — A Response - written as a response to the LDS church's gospel topics essay on the Book of Abraham, which is deeply problematic according to Dr. Ritner. In this three-part sit-down with Dr. Ritner, we will discuss his upbringing in Houston, Texas and his scholarly background and the events that led to him becoming interested in the Book of Abraham.  We will provide a contextualizing history to the Book of Abraham story, and discuss in-depth Joseph Smith's completely erroneous translation of Facsimiles 1-3 from the papyrus.  We explore the emergence of the Abraham Egyptian Papers in the mid 1960s, along with the discovery of the "lost" Book of Abraham papyrus.  We end this series by exploring some of the seemingly unscholarly and disingenuous tactics used by Book of Abraham apologists John Gee, Kerry Muhlestein, and Michael D. Rhodes to try to bolster belief in the Book of Abraham. Finally, a HUGE thanks to Bruce MacArthur for making this interview possible. Also, a MASSIVE thanks to RFM for co-hosting, Bill Reel for all of his great work over the years, along with all of the amazing scholars who helped me/us prepare for this interview, including: Mike Brown of the Mormon Stories Truth Claims essays, MormonThink, Jeremy Runnells and the CES Letter, Dan Vogel, Brent Metcalfe, Letter for my Wife, MormonInfoGraphics.com, this super cool video, and much much more content than I could ever fully list here. —————— Sadly, Dr. Ritner passed away on July 25, 2021. He was one of the few non-Mormon Egyptology experts willing to address tough issues with the Book of Abraham and its apologists. He will always be missed. ——————   Show Notes: The Joseph Smith Egyptian Papyri: A Complete Edition by Robert K. Ritner "Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham," Gospel Topics Essay "Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham--A Response," by Robert K. Ritner, University of Chicago Oriental Institute "Facsimile 1 Examined", comparing the Joseph Smith translation to what it actually says in Egyptian "The Four Sons of Horus, Facsimile 2 Figure 6," by John Gee Mormon Stories interview with Shannon Caldwell Montez The Four Sons of Horus "Lion Couch Scene in the Book of Abraham: Evidence of Authenticity," produced by FAIR "The Book Of Abraham – Missing Scrolls, Catalyst Theories, and Bad Apologetics" on Radio Free Mormon Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Robert Ritner's Curriculum Vitae "Public Response to Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham," linked from Dr. Ritner's homepage at the University of Chicago The Mechanics of Ancient Egyptian Magical Practice by Robert Ritner “The 'Breathing Permit of Hor' Thirty-Four Years Later," by Robert Ritner, Dialogue, April 2021 "Interview with John Gee on the Book of Abraham," FAIRVoice podcast, July 30, 2020  "The Book of Abraham, Revelation, and You," by Kerry Muhlstein, Ensign, 2018 Comparison of the Facsimile 2 papyrus and the version printed in the Book of Abraham "The Source of the Book of Abraham Identified," by Grant S. Heward and Jerald Tanner, Dialogue, Summer 1968 "Facsimile 2 Examined", comparing the Smith translation to what it says in Egyptian "Notes on the Sons of Horus," by John Gee, FARMS, 1991 "The Book of Abraham, I Presume," by John Gee, FairMormon Conference, 2012 "Evidences of the Book of Abraham: Historicity," by Kerry Muhlstein, Pearl of Great Price Central "Kolob, the Governing One," Pearl of Great Price Central "Facsimile 3 Examined", comparing the Smith translation to what it says in Egyptian "The Breathing Permit of Hor: A Translation of the Apparent Source of the Book of Abraham," by Klaus Baer, Dialogue, 1968 "All the Court’s a Stage: Facsimile 3, a Royal Mumming," by Hugh Nibley, Abraham in Egypt, 2000 An Introduction to the Book of Abraham, by John Gee The Hor Book of Breathings: A Translation and Commentary by Michael D. Rhodes "Book of Abraham Facsimile No. 3," by Paul Osborne "Brian Hauglid Interview" on Radio Free Mormon The Lost Book of Abraham: Investigating a Remarkable Claim, documentary by John Grooters Adam Clarke's Bible Commentary "Joseph Smith, Adam Clarke, and the Making of a Bible Revision," by Thomas A Wayment, Journal of Mormon History, July 2020 The lead printing plate used for Facsimile 3 The Rocky Mountain Saints: A Full and Complete History of the Mormons, from the First Vision of Joseph Smith to the Last Courtship of Brigham Young...and the Development of the Great Mineral Wealth of the Territory of Utahby Thomas Stenhouse "Museum Walls Proclaim Fraud of Mormon Prophet: Sacred Books Claimed to Have Been Given Divinely to the First Prophet Are Shown to be Taken from Old Egyptian Originals, Their Translation Being a Work of the Imagination---What a Comparison with Metropolitan Museum Treasure Shows," New York Times, D

For more than a century Joseph Smith's Book of Abraham "translation" has been revered as holy scripture by devout Mormons, and denounced by all credible non-LDS Egyptologists as a 100% erroneous translation -- a combination of Joseph Smith's imagination and some plagiarism (much like the Book of Mormon, the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, and the Mormon temple ceremony. The first major scholarly analysis and critique of the Book of Abraham by world-class Egyptologists came in 1912 and was published in the New York Times.  Of course this article was neither appropriately considered nor adequately addressed by LDS church leadership, and ultimately the issue faded from LDS church membership consciousness for several more decades. Beginning in 1966 with the rediscovery of the core Book of Abraham papyri fragments found in the archives of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art (that were thought to have been lost in the 1871 Great Chicago Fire), Mormon apologists such as Hugh Nibley, John Gee, Daniel C. Peterson, Kerry Muhlestein, Michael D. Rhodes, etc. have attempted to employ apologetic tactics to rescue the Book of Abraham from a total loss of credibility - once credible translations of the papyrus demonstrated undeniably that Joseph Smith's "translation" was 100% inaccurate, and in fact, had nothing to do with Abraham at all.  In fact, the papyri were dated to be written over 1500 years after the time Abraham would have lived. For decades questioning, doubting, and non-believing Mormons have engaged with Mormon apologists like Nibley, Gee, Muhlestein, and Rhodes to determine the historicity and legitimacy of the Book of Abraham - with the credibility of Joseph Smith and the LDS church restoration hanging in the balance.  In spite of the LDS church's century-long efforts to either hide or convolute the issues surrounding the Book of Abraham, many Mormons have lost their faith and left the church over the Book of Abraham, as it is often listed as one of the primary reasons that Mormons lose their faith. While many orthodox, doubting, and post-Mormons have heard the opinions of pseudo-Egyptologists/Book of Abraham apologists like John Gee, Kerry Muhlestein, and Michael D. Rhodes, few Mormons or post-Mormons have actually heard the opinions of a legitimate, world-class Egyptologist about the historicity and credibility of the Book of Abraham - until today. Today, as a joint production of Mormon Stories Podcast and Radio Free Mormon podcast, we interview Dr. Robert Ritner.  Dr. Ritner is Professor of Egyptology at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago and was from 1991-1996 the first Marilyn M. Simpson Assistant Professor of Egyptology at Yale University.  Dr. Ritner is the author of over 100 publications on Egyptian religion, magic, medicine, language and literature, as well as social and political history. He has lectured extensively on each of these topics throughout the United States, Europe and Egypt.  Ritner has led Oriental Institute tours of Egypt for 30 years.  He is also the author of The Joseph Smith Egyptian Papyri: A Complete Edition, and an essay entitled “Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham” — A Response - written as a response to the LDS church's gospel topics essay on the Book of Abraham, which is deeply problematic according to Dr. Ritner. In this three-part sit-down with Dr. Ritner, we will discuss his upbringing in Houston, Texas and his scholarly background and the events that led to him becoming interested in the Book of Abraham.  We will provide a contextualizing history to the Book of Abraham story, and discuss in-depth Joseph Smith's completely erroneous translation of Facsimiles 1-3 from the papyrus.  We explore the emergence of the Abraham Egyptian Papers in the mid 1960s, along with the discovery of the "lost" Book of Abraham papyrus.  We end this series by exploring some of the seemingly unscholarly and disingenuous tactics used by Book of Abraham apologists John Gee, Kerry Muhlestein, and Michael D. Rhodes to try to bolster belief in the Book of Abraham. Finally, a HUGE thanks to Bruce MacArthur for making this interview possible. Also, a MASSIVE thanks to RFM for co-hosting, Bill Reel for all of his great work over the years, along with all of the amazing scholars who helped me/us prepare for this interview, including: Mike Brown of the Mormon Stories Truth Claims essays, MormonThink, Jeremy Runnells and the CES Letter, Dan Vogel, Brent Metcalfe, Letter for my Wife, MormonInfoGraphics.com, this super cool video, and much much more content than I could ever fully list here. —————— Sadly, Dr. Ritner passed away on July 25, 2021. He was one of the few non-Mormon Egyptology experts willing to address tough issues with the Book of Abraham and its apologists. He will always be missed. ——————   Show Notes: The Joseph Smith Egyptian Papyri: A Complete Edition by Robert K. Ritner "Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham," Gospel Topics Essay "Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham--A Response," by Robert K. Ritner, University of Chicago Oriental Institute "Facsimile 1 Examined", comparing the Joseph Smith translation to what it actually says in Egyptian "The Four Sons of Horus, Facsimile 2 Figure 6," by John Gee Mormon Stories interview with Shannon Caldwell Montez The Four Sons of Horus "Lion Couch Scene in the Book of Abraham: Evidence of Authenticity," produced by FAIR "The Book Of Abraham – Missing Scrolls, Catalyst Theories, and Bad Apologetics" on Radio Free Mormon Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Robert Ritner's Curriculum Vitae "Public Response to Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham," linked from Dr. Ritner's homepage at the University of Chicago The Mechanics of Ancient Egyptian Magical Practice by Robert Ritner “The 'Breathing Permit of Hor' Thirty-Four Years Later," by Robert Ritner, Dialogue, April 2021 "Interview with John Gee on the Book of Abraham," FAIRVoice podcast, July 30, 2020  "The Book of Abraham, Revelation, and You," by Kerry Muhlstein, Ensign, 2018 Comparison of the Facsimile 2 papyrus and the version printed in the Book of Abraham "The Source of the Book of Abraham Identified," by Grant S. Heward and Jerald Tanner, Dialogue, Summer 1968 "Facsimile 2 Examined", comparing the Smith translation to what it says in Egyptian "Notes on the Sons of Horus," by John Gee, FARMS, 1991 "The Book of Abraham, I Presume," by John Gee, FairMormon Conference, 2012 "Evidences of the Book of Abraham: Historicity," by Kerry Muhlstein, Pearl of Great Price Central "Kolob, the Governing One," Pearl of Great Price Central "Facsimile 3 Examined", comparing the Smith translation to what it says in Egyptian "The Breathing Permit of Hor: A Translation of the Apparent Source of the Book of Abraham," by Klaus Baer, Dialogue, 1968 "All the Court’s a Stage: Facsimile 3, a Royal Mumming," by Hugh Nibley, Abraham in Egypt, 2000 An Introduction to the Book of Abraham, by John Gee The Hor Book of Breathings: A Translation and Commentary by Michael D. Rhodes "Book of Abraham Facsimile No. 3," by Paul Osborne "Brian Hauglid Interview" on Radio Free Mormon The Lost Book of Abraham: Investigating a Remarkable Claim, documentary by John Grooters Adam Clarke's Bible Commentary "Joseph Smith, Adam Clarke, and the Making of a Bible Revision," by Thomas A Wayment, Journal of Mormon History, July 2020 The lead printing plate used for Facsimile 3 The Rocky Mountain Saints: A Full and Complete History of the Mormons, from the First Vision of Joseph Smith to the Last Courtship of Brigham Young...and the Development of the Great Mineral Wealth of the Territory of Utahby Thomas Stenhouse "Museum Walls Proclaim Fraud of Mormon Prophet: Sacred Books Claimed to Have Been Given Divinely to the First Prophet Are Shown to be Taken from Old Egyptian Originals, Their Translation Being a Work of the Imagination---What a Comparison with Metropolitan Museum Treasure Shows," New York Times, D

Over the past several decades. credible Mormon-themed scholarship has determined beyond any reasonable doubt that Joseph Smith's claim have special powers to "translate" ancient languages was not true, and that Joseph often relied on plagiarism to produce his "revelations."  Up until recently, at least three clear instances of false translation by Joseph Smith were widely known: the Book of Mormon, the Book of Abraham, and the Kinderhook Plates. In the summer of 2015, something truly remarkable happened.  A BYU undergraduate, along with her professor, discovered a fourth example of false translation, and yet another example of plagiarism on the part of Joseph Smith - this time in the canonized "Joseph Smith Translation" of the Holy Bible (found in modern LDS scripture) Join me and scholar Haley Wilson Lemmón today as we discuss this groundbreaking research she conducted at BYU, along side professor Thomas A. Wayment -- as together they discovered literally hundreds of instances where Joseph Smith plagiarized portions of the Joseph Smith "Translation" of the Bible directly from Adam Clarke's Bible Commentary. Today's story includes: Haley's early years growing up as a highly devout Mormon girl and young woman who struggled significantly with undiagnosed religious anxiety (possibly scrupulosity). Haley's LDS mission to Panama. Haley's discovery of Joseph Smith's plagiarism, as she was working as a BYU undergraduate research assistant under Dr. Thomas A. Wayment. Haley's deep struggle with her Mormon faith once she began studying the authenticity of Mormon scripture and other truth claims. Haley's troubling brush with the BYU Honor Code Office, which almost resulted in her being expelled from BYU. How Haley's name was almost removed from the publishing of her research with Dr. Wayment. A review of Haley's current views on LDS Church truth claims. As a part of this interview, we will be discussing in-depth the article/chapter "A Recently Recovered Source: The Use of Adam Clarke’s Bible Commentary in Joseph Smith’s Bible Translation" that she co-authored with Thomas A. Wayment, which recently appeared in the newly released book "Producing Ancient Scripture: Joseph Smith's Translation Projects in the Development of Mormon Christianity," edited by Michael MacKay, Mark Ashurst-McGee, and Brian M. Hauglid.

How does a Mormon wife and mother become a groundbreaking historian? Join us today on Mormon Stories Podcast as Shannon Caldwell Montez shares with us her journey to become a historian after living an orthodox Mormon life for decades. Shannon recently obtained a Master's degree in history from the University of Nevada, Reno. Her Master's thesis is entitled "The Secret Mormon Meetings of 1922" - which chronicles how Mormon General Authority B.H. Roberts lost his faith in the historicity of the Book of Mormon, called a multi-day meeting with all of the top LDS Church leadership to inform them of the many, credible scientific problems with the Book of Mormon. Shannon's Master's thesis can be downloaded here: https://scholarworks.unr.edu/handle/11714/6712 Shannon's previous Mormon Stories Podcast interview about the life of B. H. Roberts can be found here.

Have you ever wondered how much the top-level Mormon church leaders know about the problems with LDS Church truth claims, and for how long they have known about these problems? Long before Mormon General Authority F. Enzio Busche lost his testimony in the Mormon church… Long before Mormon Area Authority Hans Mattsson lost his testimony in the Mormon church.... Long before the CES Letter…Long before Mormon Stories Podcast...Long before Grant Palmer....Long before the Leonard Arrington church history years…Long before Fawn Brodie wrote “No Man Knows My History”.... ….did you know that a high-level Mormon General Authority lost his faith in the historicity of the Book of Mormon -- in the early 1900s - after an in-depth study of the scientific problems with the Book of Mormon (e.g., archaeological, anthropological, linguistic, geographic)?More significantly, did you know that this same General Authority notified the LDS First Presidency of the scientific problems with the Book of Mormon via three separate manuscripts, and in 1922 led a two-day emergency meeting in Salt Lake City with all the top Mormon church leadership -- the LDS First Presidency, the Quorum of 12 Apostles, and the Quorum of the Seventy -- to candidly discuss what to do about these problems with the Book of Mormon? Did you know that soon after this General Authority led this meeting with all the top Mormon church leadership, he was sent on a mission -- far, far away from LDS Church headquarters?Did you know that these three, in-depth manuscripts -- outlining in great detail the credible scientific problems with Book of Mormon historicity - were intentionally hid from LDS Church membership for over 60 years?  Did you also know that after this General Authority died, top LDS Church leaders intentionally did all they could to erase from church membership the memory of this thoughtful, honest, and courageous General Authority?Did you know that the only reason we know any of this is because progressive Mormon church members quietly delivered copies of these manuscripts to Mormon scholars, and that these manuscripts were eventually published - against the Mormon church’s will - by the University of Illinois Press in the 1980s (and eventually by Signature Books)? Today’s Mormon Stories Podcast episode covers the rise and fall of Mormon General Authority Brigham Henry (B.H.) Roberts.  You will not want to miss this story. Our interviewee is Mormon historian Shannon Caldwell Montez - who recently completed a Master’s Thesis at the University of Nevada - Reno entitled: “The Secret Mormon Meetings of 1922.” The song for today’s podcast bumper is called “All is Well” by The Sabre Rattlers.