Mormon Stories Podcast

Join us now as we interview David Bokovoy - one of Mormonism's leading Bible scholars. David has an MA from Brandeis University in Jewish Studies and a Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near East. He worked for the LDS Church Education System for 18 years, was chaplain at Harvard university, and taught LDS Institute at Harvard, Wellesley, and MIT. Author of 2 books, dozens of articles, and a co-founder of the Mormon Interpreter with Daniel C. Peterson.

Join us now as we interview David Bokovoy - one of Mormonism's leading Bible scholars. David has an MA from Brandeis University in Jewish Studies and a Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near East. He worked for the LDS Church Education System for 18 years, was chaplain at Harvard university, and taught LDS Institute at Harvard, Wellesley, and MIT. Author of 2 books, dozens of articles, and a co-founder of the Mormon Interpreter with Daniel C. Peterson.

In this episode we interview Angelo Baca, Sarah Newcomb, Cam Lebbon, Hyrum Joe, and Sheldon Spotted Elk about their experiences as Native Americans within Mormonism. As a framing, we utilize Angelo Baca's chapter in the new book "Decolonizing Mormonism" edited by Dr. Gina Colvin and Dr. Joanna Brooks The essay is entitled: "Porter Rockwell and Samuel the Lamanite Fistfight in Heaven."

In this episode we interview Angelo Baca, Sarah Newcomb, Cam Lebbon, Hyrum Joe, and Sheldon Spotted Elk about their experiences as Native Americans within Mormonism. As a framing, we utilize Angelo Baca's chapter in the new book "Decolonizing Mormonism" edited by Dr. Gina Colvin and Dr. Joanna Brooks The essay is entitled: "Porter Rockwell and Samuel the Lamanite Fistfight in Heaven."

In this episode we interview Angelo Baca, Sarah Newcomb, Cam Lebbon, Hyrum Joe, and Sheldon Spotted Elk about their experiences as Native Americans within Mormonism. As a framing, we utilize Angelo Baca's chapter in the new book "Decolonizing Mormonism" edited by Dr. Gina Colvin and Dr. Joanna Brooks The essay is entitled: "Porter Rockwell and Samuel the Lamanite Fistfight in Heaven."

John Hamer, a historian of the Latter-day Saint movement, discusses Mormon origins. The podcast explores the Smith family's folk magic background, Joseph Smith's involvement in money digging, beliefs on treasure seeking, and the influence of the myth of the mound builders on the Book of Mormon narrative. It also delves into Joseph Smith's evolving beliefs, religious context, and teases an interesting Mormon story.

Join historian John Hamer as he discusses the Smith family's folk magic background and its influence on Mormon Origins. Explore topics including treasure digging, envisioning, and the belief in folk magic's impact on the Book of Mormon.

In this jointly-released production of Mormon Mental Health Podcast, Mormon Sex Info Podcast, and Mormon Stories Podcast, Natasha Helfer Parker interviews Dr. John Dehlin about his research regarding LGBT Reparative Therapy in a Mormon context. During this conversation, John discusses why he decided to pursue his studies on this topic with his colleague Dr. William Bradshaw—to cut through the talk, rumor, and debate on the success rates of reparative therapy by compiling actual data on the subject. Join us as we learn important insights from the study, including: Are attempts to change sexual orientation effective and/or damaging? How do LGBTQ Mormons navigate their identity? What decisions lead to optimal health/well-being for LGBTQ Mormons and former Mormons? 

On this edition of Mormon Stories Podcast, we are honored to interview award-winning documentary filmmaker Helen Whitney about her life as a documentary filmmaker, her work on the 2007 PBS documentary "The Mormons," and her new film about mortality entitled "Into the Night." In Part 1, we discover that throughout her career, she has maintained a deep interest in spiritual journeys, which she first explored with her documentary The Monastery, a 90-minute ABC special, about the oldest Trappist community in the Americas. Helen followed this film with a three-hour Frontline documentary for PBS, John Paul II: The Millennial Pope, and in 2007 she produced The Mormons, a four-hour PBS series that explored the richness, complexities and controversies surrounding the Mormon faith. Following the Sept. 11 attacks, she produced Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero, a two-hour documentary that examined how religious belief – and unbelief – of Americans was challenged and altered by the spiritual aftershocks of 9/11. In Part 2, Helen shares intimate details about the making of the highly-impactful documentary "The Mormons." She also provides her non-Mormon perspective of the faith and many anecdotal interactions with LDS General Authorities including Boyd K. Packer, Jeffrey R. Holland, and Gordon B. Hinckley that our listeners will find very intriguing. In Part 3 we learn about her new project, Into the Night: Portraits of Life and Death, a two-hour feature documentary, featuring fascinating, unexpected voices from various walks of life: old and young, believers and nonbelievers, the dying and the healthy, well known and obscure. However varied their backgrounds, all are unified by their uncommon eloquence and intelligence, and most important by their dramatic experience of death. Into the Nightis a two-part documentary, with Part 1 available now for streaming on Hulu and for rent on Youtube.

On this edition of Mormon Stories Podcast, we are honored to interview award-winning documentary filmmaker Helen Whitney about her life as a documentary filmmaker, her work on the 2007 PBS documentary "The Mormons," and her new film about mortality entitled "Into the Night." In Part 1, we discover that throughout her career, she has maintained a deep interest in spiritual journeys, which she first explored with her documentary The Monastery, a 90-minute ABC special, about the oldest Trappist community in the Americas. Helen followed this film with a three-hour Frontline documentary for PBS, John Paul II: The Millennial Pope, and in 2007 she produced The Mormons, a four-hour PBS series that explored the richness, complexities and controversies surrounding the Mormon faith. Following the Sept. 11 attacks, she produced Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero, a two-hour documentary that examined how religious belief – and unbelief – of Americans was challenged and altered by the spiritual aftershocks of 9/11. In Part 2, Helen shares intimate details about the making of the highly-impactful documentary "The Mormons." She also provides her non-Mormon perspective of the faith and many anecdotal interactions with LDS General Authorities including Boyd K. Packer, Jeffrey R. Holland, and Gordon B. Hinckley that our listeners will find very intriguing. In Part 3 we learn about her new project, Into the Night: Portraits of Life and Death, a two-hour feature documentary, featuring fascinating, unexpected voices from various walks of life: old and young, believers and nonbelievers, the dying and the healthy, well known and obscure. However varied their backgrounds, all are unified by their uncommon eloquence and intelligence, and most important by their dramatic experience of death. Into the Nightis a two-part documentary, with Part 1 available now for streaming on Hulu and for rent on Youtube.