Saints Unscripted

Have you ever heard of Pioneer Day, an official holiday in Utah? Many Utahans celebrate the day that Mormon pioneers arrived in Utah before Utah was settled. Many pioneers died on the trek across the plains, though many miracles took place on their journey to Utah. In this episode, we take a quiz to test our knowledge about the Mormon pioneers!

Elizabeth joins us today to share her remarkable story of faith, conversion, excommunication, and regaining her faith. If you watch any Saints Unscripted episode, this is the one to watch!! Elizabeth powerfully shares how she grew up in unfavorable circumstances but remained strong in the faith. Unfortunately, poor relationships and temptations grew and grew until she found herself about to lose her membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (otherwise known as the Mormon Church). Elizabeth didn’t think she’s be excommunicated (now called “withdrawal of membership) until she was. Her bishop said some profound words that impacted her forever. Listen as she shares her journey coming back to the faith!!

We recently had the privilege of hearing Kahlen's story of faith and forgiveness. Today we share his story with you and know you'll find strength from his words! Kahlen grew up in Utah as a non-member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (otherwise known as the Mormon Church). He joined the church with help from his friend but quickly left after joining. He joined the Marines and experienced many mental health challenges. He talks about a particular event in which he wasn't sure if he should keep suffering. Through the grace of God he found his way back to the church --- and it doesn't stop there!

We love seeing your comments on our YouTube videos, Instagram stories, Facebook posts, and TikTok account! Some of you are kind, some of you are savage, and some of you might just be here to troll -- but we love you for being here and hope we bring some happiness to your day! In this episode, we read some of your comments and respond completely unscripted!

We are elated to hear from Kerry Muhlestein on our channel today! Kerry is an incredible scholar with a great sense of humor. We had a blast hearing from him about the controversial Book of Abraham. Here are some things Kerry addresses in this video: What are some of the most common/ most problematic assumptions that Latter-day Saints and/or non-Latter-day Saints are making (or have made, historically) about the history of the Book of Abraham? What tips can you give us and our viewers to help us learn to recognize (and be confident in) revelation when it comes? Many of your online critics claim that because you believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet -- because that is your starting point -- you have closed yourself off to the possibility of the Book of Abraham being false or fraudulent. The general claim is that this is an academically unsound approach, and that your scholarship is suspect because you're unwilling to consider those conclusions that might challenge your worldview.

Have you ever felt the Holy Ghost or the Holy Spirit? Have you ever wondered what feeling the spirit might feel like? Can I feel the Holy Ghost if I'm not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ (otherwise known as the Mormon Church)? In this episode, we talk about what it's like to feel the Holy Ghost, how the gift of the Holy Ghost differs from the Holy Ghost, and we read responses from our Instagram audience about their thoughts on the Holy Ghost. Let us know what you learned in the comments below!!

Guest Stephen Smoot, a scholar specializing in the Book of Abraham, discusses the authenticity of the book and unravels myths and misconceptions about it. Topics include understanding the facsimiles, analyzing the papyrus used for translation, and exploring the translation process with a seer stone. They also delve into the book's insights on the pre-mortal council, creation, and the plan of salvation.

We are stoked to have a conversation with David Boice on the show today! David is the host of 52 Churches in 52 Weeks and today he tells us his story of faith and adventure. David talks about having a falling out with his church and decided to distance himself from churches to focus primarily on spirituality. However, he had a prompting to attend 52 churches in 52 weeks. David says that through his experience of attending different churches, he was humbled to learn how many differences there were in worshiping Jesus Christ. He has now visited over 100 churches! He explains his first experience visiting a LDS Church (otherwise known as a Mormon Church) and how surprised he was in leaning about the people and the teachings. His biggest surprise about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was the emphasis on Jesus Christ.

Michelle's story is one of our favorite stories. Michelle had a great interest in spirituality and religion. She moved to Idaho to learn more about religion and quickly ran into lots of information about Mormons (known as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). Fast forward a little while and Michelle found herself on an airplane sitting next to a cowboy named Merlin. The two instantly had a connection. After their flight, they stayed in communication and Michelle quickly learned that Merlin was a member of the LDS Church. She began doing more research after realizing the many things that resonated with her beliefs. But her friends were worried about her joining the 'Mormon cult'. You HAVE to watch the rest of the episode to hear what happened! Thanks for joining us, Michelle!

Have you ever had questions about LDS priesthood blessings? How does someone with priesthood authority give a blessing? How does a priesthood holder know what to say when giving a blessing? Spencer joins us today to share some powerful findings about priesthood blessings. Spencer conducted over 100 interviews with men who have given priesthood blessings with the purpose of learning more about how the words come to them, how they feel during the blessing, and how the receiver receives the blessing. Listening to Spencer share his knowledge was fascinating. There is so much to be learned from blessings and we're so grateful to have heard from Spencer. Thank you so much for joining us, Spencer!