Mormon Discussion Podcast

Years ago Jonathan Streeter wrote a blog post titled “Fix your faith crisis with this one weird trick!” that was deeply influential on Bill. So tonight we bring Streeter into the studio to discuss Wood Tools vs Steel Tools and tom recognize when wood tools are being used. RESOURCES: https://thoughtsonthingsandstuff.com/fix-your-faith-crisis-with-this-one-weird-trick/ https://mormondiscussionpodcast.org/2017/08/premium-fix-faith-crisis-one-weird-trick-wood-vs-steel-tools/ https://thoughtsonthingsandstuff.com/ The post Mormonism LIVE: 123: Wood Tools vs Steel Tools w/ Jonathan Streeter appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

This General Conference had lots of interesting twists and turns that have now had time to ruminate in the minds of RFM and Bill Reel. And this weeks episode involves a dive into the Mormon phenomena known as the April 2023 General Conference of the LDS Church. RESOURCES OF TALKS DISCUSSED: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYdM8WyYM – Elder Ahmad S. Corbitt https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWYXk_7uLbU – Elder Vern R. Stanfill https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0jTa8FG7A8 – Elder Allen D. Haynie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9freQw16qY – Elder Carl B. Cook https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLplozLahP4 – Elder Gerrit W. Gong https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQwObipvTJc – Elder D. Todd Christofferson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSmP5tnSevI – Elder Neil L. Andersen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQghSMOOYz4 – President Russell M. Nelson The post Mormonism LIVE: 122: GenCon CXCIII appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

Joseph Smith’s First Vision ushered in the restoration of the Gospel. It had Heavenly Father and His Son coming through the Heavens to visit the young boy in the spring of 1820. This vision leads to the founding of Mormonism. But what is not as well known is that in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s, everyone and their brother was having visions and many of them appear to be very similar to Joseph Smith’s. So in this week’s episode Bill and RFM do a comparative analysis on those other Visions to see what can be gleaned and its no small thing what they find. RESOURCES: https://web.archive.org/web/20180710083455/https://thoughtsonthingsandstuff.com/theophany-mine/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burned-over_district https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Great_Awakening https://archive.org/details/lifecon00smit/page/n13/mode/2up http://www.mormonstudiespodcast.org/joseph-smith-elias-smith-and-wilford-poulson/ https://archive.org/details/TheReligiousExperienceOfNorrisStearns http://www.utlm.org/onlinebooks/changech6.htm https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/elders-journal-july-1838/16 https://www.watchman.org/articles/mormonism/piecing-together-the-first-vision/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Vision https://rsc.byu.edu/exploring-first-vision/significance-joseph-smiths-first-vision-mormon-thought https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/site/accounts-of-the-first-vision https://mit.irr.org/joseph-smiths-changing-first-vision-accounts https://www.mormonstories.org/truth-claims/joseph-smith/first-vision/ https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/the-prognostication-of-asa-wild/ http://boap.org/LDS/Early-Saints/SChamberlain.html https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/the-visionary-world-of-joseph-smith/ http://www.mormonhandbook.com/home/first-vision-plagiarized.html https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn83032054/1831-02-01/ed-1/seq-5/ https://archive.org/details/SketchOfExperiencesOfSolomonChamberlin/mode/2up?view=theater&q=apo http://boap.org/LDS/Early-Saints/SChamberlain.html https://hdl.huntington.org/digital/collection/p16003coll15/id/40132 https://www.mormonstories.org/podcast/first-vision/ https://youtu.be/WB3iwEX8WhY?t=1306 https://rsc.byu.edu/exploring-first-vision/earliest-documented-accounts-joseph-smiths-first-vision https://collections.library.yale.edu/catalog/2041501 The post Mormonism LIVE: 121: Joseph Smith’s First Vision in Context: A Comparative Analysis appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

Tonight RFM and Bill take a look at how both Top Church Leadership and local leaders extend pressure for dissenting voices to be silent. The episode will include individual stories along with the general instruction by top leaders to diminish dissenting voices and at times to altogether silence them. RESOURCES: Oaks “Its Wrong to Criticize Leaders” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxyiHLg59ks Oaks “Questions Are Honored, Opposition is Not” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPeIgjZ0EQg&t=746s Ballard – “Women don’t talk too much” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlQ4h6tGbnE Bruce R McConkie – Echo what I Say or be Silent – https://mormondiscussionpodcast.org/mcconkie-to-eugene-england/ The post Mormonism LIVE: 120: Silencing Dissent – Mormon Style appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claims to be led by Prophets, Seers, and Revelators.  That these men are special witnesses of Christ.  That they speak to God and discern his will for us.  Latter-day Saints are taught that these men are like Moses, Noah, and Abraham.  We take a look at these claims to see if in fact there is observable evidence that can help us evaluate if these men are Prophets in deed. RESOURCES: Document exposing problems with LDS Truth Claims – https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yzkCZkhjp_WmU9n6xWjqO0-ivX-ppQ0HrRjy4ItZz-U/edit?usp=sharing Document giving context to issues around the Messy issues of Mormonism – http://mormonprimer.com/ Dr. Lowery Nelson Correspondence with the First Presidency – ia903006.us.archive.org/29/items/LowryNelson1stPresidencyExchange/Lowry_Nelson_1st_Presidency_Exchange.pdf Gospel Topic Essay on Race and Priesthood – https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/race-and-the-priesthood?lang=eng Stewart Udall’s experience with Church Leadership on the topics of Race – http://thoughtsonthingsandstuff.com/topics/thoughts-on-race-in-mormon-history/the-stewart-udall-sequence/ Document with all changed Doctrines and Beliefs – https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19X4zks7EW_e_TBqj67IZoxEMjqyAi7dtmapXag0s9_8/edit?usp=sharing The post Mormon Discussion: 380: Examining the LDS Prophetic Mantle appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

Many are going through great lengths to justify the massive hoards of wealth the Church has accumulated on the backs of its believers, even going as far as to use scripture. But do these scriptures REALLY justify the accumulation of wealth as the Church and its members would have you believe? The post Mormonism LIVE: 118: How Mormons Twist Scripture to Worship Wealth w/ David Bokovoy appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

In this week’s episode we discuss the recent news of the Temple Changes and just how far the original Endowment has been altered. And the Second half of the show will involve the recent legal settlement with the LDS Church and it’s Ensign Peak Advisors and culminating with RFM’s lightbulb moment sensing that the Landscape of Mormonism has changed and his novel idea around such. Temple Changes Resources: https://religionnews.com/2023/02/10/more-jesus-less-touching-14-changes-to-the-mormon-temple-endowment-ceremony/ https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2023/02/09/lds-temple-ceremonies-change/ https://www.mrm.org/revised-lds-temple-endowment-ceremony-now-includes-more-pictures-of-jesus SEC Alleged Fraud RESOURCES: SEC Report – https://www.sec.gov/litigation/admin/2023/34-96951.pdf SEC Press statement – https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2023-35 Church Response – https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/church-issues-statement-on-sec-settlement https://bycommonconsent.com/2023/02/21/the-church-the-investment-advisor-and-the-sec/ https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2021/09/27/heres-deeper-look-how-lds/ https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2021/09/27/heres-deeper-look-how-lds/ RFM’s Lawsuit Idea  https://youtu.be/hgUwpXSNlXMThe post Mormonism LIVE: 117: Changes To The Temple & The Ethics of Ensign Peak Advisors appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

On June 27th 1844, Joseph Smith, the Mormon Prophet, was martyred at Carthage Jail by a mob. Or at least that is how the generally accepted story goes. In the last 8 months, Justin Griffin (Director & Producer) and Steve Sorensen (Film Maker), have shared their research that maybe things are not what we have been told. They present their experts, their research, and their conclusions that it was in fact John Taylor and Willard Richards that in fact murdered their own prophet in cold blood. RFM and Bill take a look at their research and the testimony of their experts to see what can be seen with a critical eye. Is this research true? Was Joseph Smith and Hyrum Smith killed by their friends? RESOURCES: https://whokilledjosephsmith.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@jgriffWKJS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXfTw01ogPk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5sDJddLojI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEyXihepN4o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU9lfZu-q-c&t=10s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fY3LJWrqvW4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvSo0ate4tM https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3961&context=byusq https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/john-tayl The post Mormonism LIVE: 116: Who Really Killed Joseph Smith? appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

On this week’s episode we sit down with Brent Bokovoy, Writer and Director of the upcoming film “Ronald’s Little Factory”, and we discuss all the twists and turns in Mormon Cinema including your favorites, along with movies you have likely forgotten, as well as one’s you never heard of. We finish out the episode discussing the upcoming film “Ronald’s Little Factory”. Boyd K Packer would have been proud! RESOURCES: Ronald’s Little Factory Trailer 1 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcsMBJ6kk6w Ronald’s Little Factory – The Why behind the Film – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhFnlp9qjc4 EARLY MORMON CINEMA * A Mormon Maid * A Victim Of The Mormons * Brigham Young LDS PRODUCED CINEMA * Johny Lingo * The Pump *  Legacy * The Testaments MODERN MORMON CINEMA * Virginia * God’s Army *  Brigham City * States of Grace * The Singles Ward * The RM * Baptists At The Barbecue * Sons Of Provo * The Home Teachers * Mobsters And Mormons * The Book of Mormon Movie * The Other Side of Heaven * The Best Two Years * Saints And Soldiers * Once I Was A Beehive POST MORMON CINEMA * Plan 10 From Outer Space * Orgazmo * South Park Episode * The Book Of Mormon Musical * Latter Days * Trapped By The Mormons * Big Love * Angels In America * September Dawn * The Book Of Zombie * Electrick Children * The Falls * Missionary * Room 104 SHORT FILMS * Bad Mormons * Killer Missionaries * The Touch Of The Master’s Hand DOCUMENTARIES * 8 The Mormon Proposition * Believer * Tabloid RECENT * Murder Among The Mormons * Keep Sweet And Obey * Under The Banner Of Heaven * Sins of Our Mother *  Mormon No More * Abducted In Plain Sight * A Friend of the Family The post Mormonism LIVE: 115: Mormon Cinema appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

The Salt Lake Tribune recently published a book review on the book “Ancient Christians: An Introduction for Latter-day Saints” published by the Maxwell Institute. Both the book and the Tribune article make note that what Latter-day Saints believed about early Christianity and the Great Apostasy may not only “overly simplistic, if not (a) completely false narrative”. But where did Latter-day Saints get these beliefs? How did Mormonism define the Great Apostasy? And more importantly if we redefine the very reasons for what a Restoration is and why it was needed, might we be undercutting the restoration itself? Maxwell Institute Book available – Ancient Christians Available Now – Neal A. Maxwell Institute (byu.edu) 1832 First Vision Account contradicting SLTRIB Claim that B. H. Roberts was the first promoted the apostasy narrative – History, circa Summer 1832, Page 1 (josephsmithpapers.org) 1838 First Vision account also contains significant apostasy narrative pieces History, circa June 1839–circa 1841 [Draft 2], Page 3 (josephsmithpapers.org)  The Great Apostasy by: James Talmage published 1909 by the Deseret News – Which lays out in significant ways “The Great Apostasy” – The great apostasy : considered in the light of scriptural and secular history : Talmage, James Edward, 1862-1933 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive The Church url for their pamphlet on the Great Apostasy – The Great Apostasy (churchofjesuschrist.org) While The Church is reducing the Great Apostasy to only Priesthood and Keys – They clearly have attached Doctrine, Church organization and Offices, consistency of Saving Rituals as well as imposing that Christ set up an actual Church as key components of  “The Great Apostasy” – Talks where some of those concepts are spoken Example 1  Example 2 Example 3 The Church teaches that part of the Great Apostasy is that rather than leading via revelation that the early Christian Church instead traqnsitioned over to “Long Conferences” and “Erudite Councils” “depending upon their own brilliant minds” (See Manual Image Below) –  and yet Elder Eyring admits that such is the very way this Church is led – Henry B. Eyring: “Forget Harvard and Stanford. We’re in another kind of thing here.” – YouTube LDS Church Shifting to More Pageantry and Colorful Presentation to satisfy everyone (which in their manual they claim is a sign of the Great Apostasy)   Example 1   Example 2  Example 3 The Modern Church creating a narrative of an ongoing restoration and that such has only begun to obfuscate that they are moving and shifting in every way they had previously labeled in the early Church as signs of Apostasy  (Please note how is one to discern that all shifts and changes ithin the modern Church are “Auhtorized” and all shifts and changes in the Ancient Church are “Unauthorized” 1.) Distorting the and changing the Church organization and offices (Modern Church has changed the calling of Seventies, disbanded the General Patriarch, and created and then laterdisbanded the High Priests Group 2.) Silence between the Heavens and the Earth 3.) Vast numbers who had professed membership and many who had been officers in the ministry deserted the church; while a few were stimulated to greater zeal under the scourge of persecution. 4.) Internal dissension, schism and disruption, whereby an absolute apostasy of the Church from the way and word of God was brought about” 5.) The corrupting (Changing) of the simple doctrines of the gospel of Christ by admixture with so-called philosophic systems. (Corrupting is subjective) 6.) Unauthorized (Subjective) additions to the prescribed rites and rituals of the church and the introduction of vital alterations in essential ordinances. 7.) Unauthorized (Subjective) changes in church organization and government 8.) “If the savior had come back to earth at the beginning of the fifth century A.D., i doubt whether he would have recognized the Christian church as the one that claimed descent from that which he had established, so far had it gone astray.”  VERSUS ” If Joseph Smith came back to earth  today, i doubt whether he would have recognized the LDS Church as the one that claimed descent from that which he had established, so far had it gone astray.” 9.) The power of godliness was no longer present in the Christian church.   (Is that power recognizable within the LDS Church ?) 10.) The laws were changed (Notice all the laws that have changed in the LDS Church EXAMPLES: The doing away of “Free Agency” and D&C say a Disciplinary Court requires 12 high priests but the Modern Church says not necessary) 11.) The ordinances were changed (Notice the changes to the Endowment) 12.) The everlasting covenant was broken that the lord Jesus Christ gave to his people in those days. (Notice what happened to the New and Everlasting Covenant within Mormonism AKA Polygamy) 13.) The superimposing of a man-made structure upon and over the divine program. 14.) Many men with no pretense nor claim to revelation, speaking without divine authority or revelation, depending only upon their own brilliant minds, but representing as they claim the congregations of the Christians. 15.) In long conference and erudite councils, sought the creation process to make a God which all could accept. 16.) The brilliant minds with their philosophies, knowing much about the Christian traditions and the pagan philosophies, would combine all elements to please everybody. 17.) They replaced the simple ways and program of the Christ with spectacular rituals, colorful display, impressive pageantry, and limitless pomposity, and called it Christianity. 18.) They had replaced the glorious, divine plan of exaltation of Christ with an elaborate, colorful, man-made system. they seemed to have little idea of totally dethroning the Christ, nor terminating the life of God, as in our own day, but they put together an incomprehensible God idea” It also should be noted that the LDS Church imposes that Christ organized his Church, and set forth the offices of the Church and that whenever the Gospel has been on the Earth it has been taught and administered by the Church.  Also note that even believing Faithful Scholars within the Church indicate that Jesus and his disciples remained Jews within the Jewish faith and synagogue. The post Mormonism LIVE: 113: What Ever Happened To The Great Apostasy? appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.