Saints Unscripted

In this episode, we chat with Maya and Rachel about their experience being service missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We ask Maya and Rachel about their experience being full-time missionaries for the LDS Church and their differing experiences serving in capacities that aren't well-known. Typically, when people think of LDS missionaries, they think of a set of elders or sisters walking down the street knocking on doors to share the gospel. However, there are MANY other types of full-time missionaries that do so much good for the world! We learned a lot from Maya and Rachel about what service missions entail and how we can better treat service missionaries. We are so grateful for the powerful examples of these two service missionaries and for the work they did on their missions and now outside of their missions! 

We’re so grateful for Brian Hales, one of our favorite scholars, for sharing his research with us today on the differences in FLDS polygamy and Joseph Smith polygamy.

In this episode, we get to chat with a returned missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ, Aaron Lacey!! Aaron loved his mission and the lessons he learned but also struggled with Pure OCD. It wasn't until he returned home from his mission that he became aware of this diagnosis but it certainly explained why he felt the way he did. Aaron talks about going through OCD as a missionary and how OCD influences one's every day thoughts and reactions. Thank you so much for being vulnerable, Aaron!! We're so grateful for your strength and goodness!

We know we say this often but this truly has to be one of the most fascinating stories that we've heard on Saints Unscripted. Matt Whitaker joins us to share the story of Helmuth Hübener. Helmuth was a 16-year old Latter-day Saint living in Nazi Germany. Helmuth started writing anti-Hitler, anti-Nazi pamphlets in order to spread truth about the horrors of Nazi Germany. He was putting his life at risk by listening to the radio to hear the information and would certainly be executed if he wrote and distributed any anti-Hitler pamphlet. However, as a firm believer in truth, Helmuth chose to risk his life. He was able to hide his cover for awhile but in the end, was caught. Watch the episode to learn what happened next!!

There have recently been serious claims about Joseph Smith's potential use of psychedelic drugs, or "entheogens." We asked Brian Hales, a leading scholar in the life of Joseph Smith, to shed light on the claims and the historical evidence that might disprove the claims. Brian talks about the historical use of psychedelic drugs during the days of the early church and the effects of the drugs.

Today we’re joined by the social media legend, Jasmin Rappleye! Jasmin has provided positive, powerful content on social media for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that can be easily accessed and shared. She shares about the temple, the Book of Mormon, LDS history, and so much more. Her content is insightful, witty, and full of goodness. Today she talks about what she does and the feedback she has been receiving. Truly, learning from Jasmin might be the best decision you make today!!

In this episode, we chat with Brian Stutzman about Eliza Jane Graham.   After the death of Joseph Smith, the men accused of killing Joseph Smith were on trial for his murder. The night of the murder, the mob that had killed Joseph Smith went back to their town to a Tavern called the Warsaw House, which was owned by a couple whose niece, Eliza Graham, was a member of the Church or Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The tavern started to fill with many people. The mob began bragging about their murder of Joseph Smith. Fortunately, Eliza was there to hear everything and was able to testify against the mob on the day of the trial.

When Steve came to the studio, we KNEW he was going to be one of our favorite interviewees! Show Steve some love in the comments below.   Steve Morin shares his conversion story to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He talks about being mostly agnostic growing up and wondering why anyone would believe in any organized religion. Two missionaries asked him to abide by some guidelines in his study, to which Steve agreed and was certain he knew the outcome of the studies. He did the homework provided and continued to meet with the missionaries. Watch the episode to find out what happened next!

Watch this video and tell us that Tautai Fano isn't the nicest person in the universe. We loved having Tautai on Saints Unscripted to share his experience being a missionary in the social media era! He served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and spent time sharing his testimony online. Tautai has a large TikTok presence (he's even called Elder TIkTok!) and shares incredible uplifting content. Today we talk with him about his experience on TikTok, his mission experience, and his plans moving forward. Tautai, thanks so much for joining us! Your light is contagious!

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ, we've been told the story of Joseph Smith's death for many, many years. But could there be some pieces that historians have missed? Or maybe the common story isn't as accurate as it should be told? Today on Saints Unscripted, Brian Stutzman joins us to talk about the death of Joseph Smith, the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (otherwise known as Mormons). Joseph Smith was killed by an angry mob while he was still quite young. We know he died a martyr but who killed Joseph Smith?