Saints Unscripted

Ian and Sienna (Ian's wife) respond to Kwaku's advice about dating (episode here: http://bit.ly/2x0l1kp).  Sienna disagrees that you must wait in order to reply to a text. She says that she hates the dating game. She believes the dating game is ridiculous and that people should live as authentically as possible. Ian says that the dating rule to rule all dating rules is that if you are interested in someone, you should pursue them in a very natural and genuine way.  Be yourself!  What do you think? Do Kwaku's dating tips work? Or is there a better way to go about dating? Let us know via Facebook, Instagram or Twitter!

This week on 3 Mormons, Ian and Kwaku talk with Florian and Emily. Florian and Emily were recently baptized and have been faithful members of the LDS Church.  They share their story of converting from the Lutheran faith to that of Mormonism. Initially, they had a lot of questions about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Emily was a little skeptical about the Book of Mormon but after reading, both Emily and Florian grew to love the Book of Mormon, specifically the focus of Jesus found therein.  Do you have a conversion story you'd like to share? Tell us via Facebook, Instagram or Twitter!

Kwaku and Ian talk with special guest Stephen Smoot about polytheism.  The 3 Mormons talk about monolatry or the idea that though there are multiple gods, there is one supreme God. Stephen says that monolatry can be thought of as combining the ideas of monotheism and polytheism.  Kwaku brings up the concern of Mormons believing in something similar to Greek gods. Ian explains that Mormons don't believe in a similar idea as Greek gods but that they believe in one God while there may exist other gods. We can't "pick and choose" a god to whom we subscribe.  Stephen quotes Mark Smith to illustrate that monotheism and polytheism are both ideas of recent age-- that the two words don't mean much for the ancient Israelites. So perhaps we need to think of polytheism differently. 

Check out the 13 Articles of Faith here: https://www.lds.org/scriptures/pgp/a-of-f/1.1-13 In this episode, Kwaku and Ian talk about the 13 Articles of Faith.  Ian explains that in the early 19th Century, Joseph Smith was inquired about basic Mormon beliefs. The Articles of Faith acted as an informational guide to answer what Mormons believed. However, the Articles of Faith are not comprehensive as to all of Mormon belief.  Kwaku and Ian continue by explaining a few of the 13 Articles of Faith. They talk about faith, repentance, baptism, the Holy Ghost 

The 3 Mormons discuss Blacks and the Priesthood once again! We received many questions from the first episode and decided to answer those questions in this follow-up episode.  There is a difference between doctrine and policy in the LDS Church, as is explained by Ian. The ban on blacks holding the priesthood was not core doctrine, it was simply policy.  The Bible also has examples of policy vs doctrine. Ian talks about the apostle Paul in the Bible who was told to teach the gospel to all people. However, Paul interpreted the commandment in different ways. Thankfully, Christ continuously comes back to help interpret the commandments.  The interpretation of the commandment doesn't diminish the calling of the prophets and apostles. Though they are fallible people, they are not perfect.  We have been promised that there will no longer be an apostasy. God will use our hands on earth in order to accomplish his work before the second coming.  Many people have asked Kwaku about his reconciliation with the church's prior ban on blacks holding the priesthood. Kwaku says that he belongs to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He does not belong to the Church of any other prophet or person.  What are you thoughts? Let us know by following us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!

In today's episode, we talk about the three witnesses to the golden plates that Joseph Smith (first prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) translated into the Book of Mormon. Some people think that no other people saw the plates other than Joseph Smith. However, that is not true. Martin Harris, David Whitmer, and Oliver Cowdery were the three witnesses to the plates (along with many others, both men and women). These three men were once excommunicated from the church, came back to the church, and never denied what they saw. Make sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and twitter! Check out all our videos out on YouTube!

In this episode, Ian and Kwaku talk about Mormon baptism. What is the difference between baptism in the Mormon religion versus baptism in other religions? For one, Mormons believe in baptism by immersion. Not only is this the way in which Jesus Christ was baptized but it's also symbolic of becoming completely clean in our journey into eternal life.  Stay tuned for our upcoming series on baptism! 

Ian and Kwaku talk with famous LDS blogger Greg Trimble about atheism. Greg Trimble writes for the page www.gregtrimble.com.  Greg says that there is evidence of atheism being the fastest growing religion.  Ian, Kwaku and Greg discuss that the lack of rules in atheism actually makes us less free. Greg argues that the commandments in Mormonism and Christianity make us more free. Through living the commandments, we refrain from hurting others, from hurting ourselves, and from living in ways that take away our agency.  What do you think?

What are some of your favorite Book of Mormon stories? Let us know by following us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!

In this episode, Kwaku and Ian trek across Provo, Utah in honor of the Mormon pioneers. They take a wagon full of millennial essentials and encounter a few problems along the way.  In the end, Kwaku and Ian make it to their destination and determine that truly, the legacy of the Mormon pioneers lives on today through each one of us.