Mormonism Live! – Radio Free Mormon

RFM and Bill take a look at Patriarchal Blessings looking at what these are and what they are not and even take a look at multiple Patriarchal Blessings from the same patriarchs attempting to untangle inspiration from the rote and mundane. RFM and Bill take a look at Patriarchal Blessings looking at what these are and what they are not and even take a look at multiple Patriarchal Blessings from the same patriarchs attempting to untangle inspiration from the rote and mundane. OVERVIEW AND ELDRED G. SMITH Patriarchal Blessings are to declare lineage, and then to give direction, counsel and promise predicated on worthiness. Patriarchs in every stake now; but the Church Patriarch Office has been done away with. Brief Clip from Eldred G. Smith in 1976 General Conference so we can remember what it used to be like when we had a Church Patriarch. We will also be talking more about him later. ELDRED G. SMITH (April Gen Con 1976—Who is Jesus? Emeritus General Authority (6 Oct 1979 – 4 Apr 2013) https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1976/04/who-is-jesus?lang=eng TIME STAMP 0.00-0.24 Eldred was a frequent speaker in general conference, and spoke about patriarchal blessings but only before 1971 when they started putting up the general conference talks at the church’s website. At least this gives a sample of what he sounded like.               OVERVIEW OF PATRIARCHAL BLESSINGS   Saints Unscripted with Patriarch on the Show! TIME STAMP 6.00-7.32 It is revelation from God; all the promises will be fulfilled; it is personal scripture to the recipient. October 1986 General Conference—Thomas S. Monson—Second Counselor in First Presidency YOUR PATRIARCHAL BLESSING: A LIAHONA OF LIGHT https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1986/10/your-patriarchal-blessing-a-liahona-of-light?lang=eng TIME STAMP 5.40-6.27 Who is this man, this patriarch, through whom such seership and priesthood power flow? How is he called? The Council of the Twelve Apostles has special responsibility pertaining to the calling of such men. From my own experience I testify that patriarchs are called of God by prophecy. How else could our Heavenly Father reveal those to whom such prophetic powers are to be given? A patriarch holds an ordained office in the Melchizedek Priesthood. The patriarchal office, however, is one of blessing—not of administration. NOTE: WHY IS IT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE APOSTLES TO CALL A PATRIARCH WHEN IT IS DETERMINED BY LINEAGE? NOTE: WHY DOES PRESIDENT MONSON FEEL COMPELLED TO ADD THE LANGUAGE,  THAT THE PATRIARCHAL OFFICE IS ONE OF BLESSING, “NOT ONE OF ADMINISTRATION”?   PATRIARCHAL BLESSINGS NOT TO BE SHARED Gospel Topics Essay on Church Website under “Patriarchal Blessings” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/patriarchal-blessings?lang=eng Patriarchal blessings are sacred and personal. They may be shared with immediate family members, but should not be read aloud in public or read or interpreted by others. Not even the patriarch or bishop or branch president should interpret it. BACK TO THOMAS S. MONSON TALK FROM 1986. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1986/10/your-patriarchal-blessing-a-liahona-of-light?lang=eng TIME STAMP 10:13-11:14 A patriarchal blessing is a revelation to the recipient, even a white line down the middle of the road, to protect, inspire, and motivate activity and righteousness. A patriarchal blessing literally contains chapters from your book of eternal possibilities. I say eternal, for just as life is eternal, so is a patriarchal blessing. What may not come to fulfillment in this life may occur in the next. We do not govern God’s timetable. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa. 55:8–9). NOTE: WE ALREADY GET THE APOLOGETIC FOR WHEN PATRIARCHAL BLESSINGS DO NOT COME TO PASS. TIME STAMP 11.14-12.49 (NOTE-WE ARE JUST GOING TO DO THE FIRST FOUR SENTENCES OF THIS NEXT QUOTE; ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS ESTABLISH THAT THE ISSUE OF BRIEF OR LENGTHY PBs IS ADDRESSED) Your patriarchal blessing is yours and yours alone. It may be brief or lengthy, simple or profound. Length and language do not a patriarchal blessing make. It is the Spirit that conveys the true meaning. Your blessing is not to be folded neatly and tucked away. It is not to be framed or published. Rather, it is to be read. It is to be loved. It is to be followed. Your patriarchal blessing will see you through the darkest night. It will guide you through life’s dangers. (NOTE: ORIGINAL SAYS “IT WILL PROTECT YOU.”) Unlike the struggling bomber of yesteryear, lost in the desert wastes, the sands and storms of life will not destroy you on your eternal flight. Your patriarchal blessing is to you a personal Liahona to chart your course and gui

Bill & RFM take a look at Mormonism’s Holy Garments. We look at the history, doctrine, and disavowed theories and spiritual speculation around them. Are they a magical spiritual protection? Were they allowed to have their design changed? Must they be worn all day every day? What super secret sacred details will Bill and RFM uncover?

RFM & Bill take a look at Affinity Fraud in Utah and that which seems to have a root in taking advantage of unhealthy boundaries of trust within Mormonism. Affinity Fraud is a type of investment fraud in which a con artist targets members of an identifiable group based on things such as race, age, religion, etc. The fraudster either is or pretends to be, a member of the group. Often the fraudster promotes a Ponzi or pyramid scheme. Mormons are taught to trust their leaders, those who have a bright countenance, those with the Priesthood, Those who seem to be successful at Church or in business, and Mormons over non-Mormons. These often have members of the Church being particularly vulnerable to such rackets

Bill and RFM review a handful of clips from LDS Apologist, Jared Halverson. The discussion revolves around the games apologists play. These often include creating a framework and solutions to problems that to the believer seem tenable but when closely examined often hinge on fallacies or irrational thinking. The Apologist sees creating plausibility as a win. But such ideas and frameworks for thinking are often full of holes and less than the most rational answer. RESOURCES:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hY9_bN7EFOc Fix your faith crisis with this one weird trick!

Mormon Scholar Dan Vogel comes on the show once more to discuss last week’s episode of Mormonism LIVE as well as to discuss other new insights surrounding the Book of Abraham that seem to close the door on the “Missing Scroll Theory” and the Catalyst Theory”.

Bill and RFM tell the story of the Kinderhook Plates episode in Mormon history in Mormonism Live fashion. From original Documents to Conspiracy Theories to a honest transparent conversation around the facts.  We discuss the history, the tests done to attempt to discern their dating and method of inscription, the Church’s commentary around them, and even their connection to the Book of Abraham.  You won’t want to miss this! A. The setup for the Kinderhook dig April 16th 1843 – Robert Wiley – excavation of Indian Burial- Kinderhook IllinoisDream 3 nights in a row to dig there – Playing on Joseph Smith connection?hired men to dig with him – shaft 10 feet down (RFM indicates that there are multiple reports of varying depths)discovered skeleton and 6 bell shaped brass plates covered with symbolsOne of the men was a Mormon Church member B.) Joseph hears reports (likely the mormon in the dig) and requests to see the plates Joseph Smith examines them States he won’t translate them them until they are sent off to various Antiquarian Societies “In any case, the translation for which hope had been expressed in the Times and Seasons did not appear. In a letter dated April 8, 1878, Wilbur Fugate recalled: “We understood Jo Smith said [the plates] would make a book of 1200 pages but he would not agree to translate them until they were sent to the Antiquarian society at Philadelphia, France, and England.”” They were sent and the answer was that there were no such Hieroglyphics known and if there ever had been, they had long since passed away. Then Smith began his translation”””What would have been the timeframe to mail something to these antiquarian societies and to get a response back?  Would he have mailed the plates?  An impression sketch? We have one witness – years removed (The Fugate letter to a Mr. Cobb was written in 1878/1879) There may have been a translation manuscript but if so it has been lost. Folks are making tracing of the kinderhook plates in Smith’s possession C.) Joseph attempts some sort of translation Smith’s private secretary, William Clayton, recorded that upon receiving the plates, Smith sent for his “Hebrew Bible & Lexicon”, possibly suggesting that he might try to translate the plates by conventional means, rather than by use of a seer stone or direct revelation. On 1 May 1843, Clayton wrote in his journal: and as published in multiple places, “I have seen 6 brass plates … covered with ancient characters of language containing from 30 to 40 on each side of the plates. Prest J. [Joseph Smith] has translated a portion and says they contain the history of the person with whom they were found and he was a descendant of Ham through the loins of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and that he received his kingdom from the ruler of heaven and earth. Joseph Smith planned to translate the plates in their entirety. The editors of the Nauvoo Neighbor (apostles John Taylor and Wilford Woodruff), promised in a June 1843 article that “The contents of the plates, together with a Fac-simile of the same, will be published in the ‘Times and Seasons,’ as soon as the translation is completed.”   Page from William Clayton Diary, with tracing of a plate, and Smith’s translation The History of the Church also states Smith said the following-  “I have translated a portion of [the plates] and find they contain the history of the person with whom they were found. He was a descendant of Ham, through the loins of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and that he received his kingdom from the ruler of heaven and earth.” Joseph interaction with the plates was published as a broadside in the Times and Seasons (Images below) D.) What the Church and community had to say about the Kinderhook Moment1.) “Why does the circumstance of the plates recently found in a mound in Pike County, Ill., by Mr. Wiley, together with the ethnology and a thousand other things, go to prove the Book of Mormon true? – Ans. [Answer] Because it is true!” – Times and Seasons, v. 5, p. 406 2.) “The new work which Jo. Is about to issue as a translation of these [Kinderhook] plates will be nothing more nor less than a sequel to the Book of Mormon…” – Warsaw Signal, May 22, 1844 3.) “The contents of the plates, together with a Facsimile of the same, will be published in the ‘Times and Seasons,’ as soon as the translation is completed.” – The Nauvoo Neighbor, June 1843Sadly the translation portion of the story ends there.  Had JS finished this project it would have been as strong an evidence as any that he was a fraud.  But he gets a sentence or two in and stops…..  For some strange reason.  But the story itself still has some telling to be told  The New York herald. [volume], May 30, 1843, Image 2 E.) The moment the accusation of a scam is suggested April 25, 1856, W. P. Harris, who was one of the nine witne

RFM and Bill sit down with Sandra Tanner, a well known writer and researcher, on the critical side of Mormonism. We sit down with Sandra to discuss her impact within Mormonism and to touch on a few stories that viewers may find interesting.

In this week’s episode, Bill and RFM take a look at instances in Mormon History where LDS Leadership seem to be giving a stamp of approval to Leaders and Members to be dishonest, to lie, and to deceive. Once we understand the instruction and permissions given to be dishonest we can going forward see their deceptions and dishonesty within greater context. RESOURCES: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-principles/chapter-31-honesty?lang=eng http://www.mormonthink.com/files/lying-for-lord-ken-clark.pdf http://www.mormonthink.com/lying.htm  The Hiding of Church History http://packham.n4m.org/lying.htm https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=lying%20for%20the%20lord Lying for the Lord: A Grassroots Tale https://digitalcommons.law.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1014&context=clarkmemorandum#page=15 The Hiding of Church History http://www.mormonismi.net/pdf/lying_for_the_lord.pdf https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1986/01/truth-and-more?lang=eng https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/teaching-seminary-preservice-readings-religion-370-471-and-475/the-mantle-is-far-far-greater-than-the-intellect?lang=eng https://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/issues/V31N03.pdf The Hiding of Church History Truth in Church History: Excerpts from the Religious Educator’s Q&A with Elder Steven Snow https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/elder-oaks-interview-transcript-from-pbs-documentary https://books.google.com/books?id=ytIbMwyenKYC&pg=PA27&lpg=PA27&dq=%22training+I+have+had+from+those+over+me%22+mathias+cowley&source=bl&ots=Oodm2kHqQz&sig=ACfU3U2zLyIJRpeiKsd4cTuLZsC9dq7rng&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwja9dr3jLL3AhUGJkQIHXHAChIQ6AF6BAgCEAM#v=onepage&q=%22training%20I%20have%20had%20from%20those%20over%20me%22%20mathias%20cowley&f=false https://books.google.com/books?id=ytIbMwyenKYC&pg=PA28&lpg=PA28&dq=%22We+have+always+been+taught+that+when+the+brethren+were+in+a+tight+place+that+it+would+not+be+amiss+to+lie+to+help+them+out%22+mathias+cowley&source=bl&ots=Oodm2kIiRF&sig=ACfU3U2xlBEmLonbWVr3InNbDCYWS402_g&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjhwuzejbL3AhX1JkQIHQqgB6YQ6AF6BAgCEAM#v=onepage&q=%22We%20have%20always%20been%20taught%20that%20when%20the%20brethren%20were%20in%20a%20tight%20place%20that%20it%20would%20not%20be%20amiss%20to%20lie%20to%20help%20them%20out%22%20mathias%20cowley&f=false https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1983/01/the-candle-of-the-lord?lang=eng https://mormondiscussionpodcast.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/04/Gospel-Teachings-About-Lying.pdf https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-principles/chapter-31-honesty?lang=eng

We sit down with American anthropologist and Author, Thomas Murphy to discuss the Book of Mormon within the context of Native American History. We explore the legends and history of the indigenous people to see if there are connections there that help us examine the historicity of the Book of Mormon and the claims of Mormonism surrounding its imposition of Lamanites

Bill and RFM dive into the apocryphal book of Judith and point out the many similarities between that apocryphal story and the Book of Mormon’s story about Nephi and his encounter and eventual beheading of Laban. RESOURCES:debunking-cesletter.com/book-of-mormon-1/view-of-the-hebrews-joseph-smith-sr-dream/ http://jur.byu.edu/?p=21296 https://rsc.byu.edu/doctrine-covenants-revelations-context/joseph-smith-emanuel-swedenborg-section-76-importance-bible https://i.redd.it/uckai9n1qyn81.jpg https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/manual/doctrine-and-covenants-student-manual/section-91-the-apocrypha?lang=eng https://www.ksl.com/article/11790001/joseph-smith-family-bible-goes-on-sale https://i.redd.it/71fpzs9h69x01.png The Late War, The Book of Mormon, and Big Data from canadaduane http://wordtree.org/thelatewar/ https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Question:_Did_Joseph_Smith_create_the_story_of_Nephi_and_Laban_by_plagiarizing_concepts_and_phrases_from_the_story_of_Judith_and_Holofernes_in_the_Apocrypha%3F https://ebible.org/pdf/eng-kjv/eng-kjv_JDT.pdf

RFM and Bill sit down once again with Dan Vogel and Brent Metcalfe to examine the problems with the Book of Abraham as a translation of an ancient document in a sacred text for Mormonism generally and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints specifically. Dan and Brent share their scholarship and help us grasp some of the messiness around this issue.

Bill Reel and RFM will dive into Mormon Gaslighting. They will discuss the psychology of gaslighting, discuss its origin, and then delve into a handful of examples among the hundreds that could be explored and conclude discussing the harm that comes to the one being gaslit. RESOURCES: https://mormonismlive.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Gaslighting-Examples.pdfMovie Gaslight – https://youtu.be/UYmtzaHwCKo?t=828Elder Ballard not knowing where Baptism invitations after the first discussion came from – https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2019-06-26/president-ballard-said-missionaries-shouldnt-invite-people-to-be-baptized-without-feeling-the-spirit-heres-why-701Where Baptism invitations after the first discussion came from – https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/bc/content/shared/content/english/pdf/language-materials/36617_eng.pdfMormons not getting their own planet – https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fnews-ca.churchofjesuschrist.org%2Farticle%2Fmormonism-101-faq%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR0V8Q2Ti4xp1oUJ5-xDnOrGE5oBxaP43_fLetCr31Z1Qc5n3Rhm0KlDuds&h=AT3P_IMMUNCvo18LtNAbs3zw8i7Y2LAgJk_b9y80Mw8AyOhEtDsWgZYsVoDVIM1CKJYoiKjPq3FWgcb1yhFOokdzL3D9Nh2brA5WfewMZSXAHX4UFB4loc4s4ob1hdz4XO0Mormons getting their own planet – https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/broadcasts/article/christmas-devotional/2018/12/four-gifts-that-jesus-christ-offers-to-you?lang=engMormons getting their own planet – https://youtu.be/sd52qp2mxC8?t=941Mormons getting their own planet – https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/bc/content/shared/content/english/pdf/language-materials/31129_eng.pdfRonald Poelman 1984 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qIr30dtCvoMormonism has never been racist – https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2000/09/no-more-strangers?lang=engMormonism’s Racism – https://www.mormonstories.org/other/Lowry_Nelson_1st_Presidency_Exchange.pdfMormonism’s Racism – https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Mormonism_and_racial_issues/Blacks_and_the_priesthood/Statements#1949Mormonism’s Racism – https://missedinsunday.com/memes/race/pure-blood/Mormonism’s Racism – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_people_and_MormonismElder Oaks laughing about hiding the 1832 account and Elder Ballard saying we never hid anything – https://youtu.be/Uj2VWhuW50w?t=2849Weird Alma Song Gaslighting – https://weirdalma.bandcamp.com/track/gaslightingSpencer Kimball Gaslighting about Adam-God Doctrine – https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Mormonism_and_doctrine/Repudiated_concepts/Adam-God_theory?fbclid=IwAR2v60FTK6jT1Imxro1VKvhPXOx8e2HXftteH2t5iOlk2_TkRbxaxTrbFCEBruce R McConkie Gaslighting regarding Adam-God – https://faenrandir.github.io/a_careful_examination/bruce-r-mcconkie-misled-on-adam-god/

RFM and Bill Reel sit down with special guests to discuss what The LDS Church looks like in Africa and how its membership upon this continent is affected uniquely.

TikToker under name “nuancehoe”. In our conversation we delve into Prophets, Evolution, the argument against there being free will, and if time we hope to delve into dogma as debated by Sam Harris and Jordan PetersonResources:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u45SP7Xv_oU

RFM and Bill sit down with David Bokovoy and with a title like that, who knows where the conversation might go………… David Bokovoy holds a PhD in Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near East and an MA in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies both from Brandeis University. He received his BA from Brigham Young University, majoring in History and minoring in Near Eastern Studies. In addition to his work in Mormon studies, David has published articles on the Hebrew Bible in a variety of academic venues including the Journal of Biblical Literature, Vetus Testamentum, Studies in the Bible and Antiquity, and theFARMS RFM and Bill sit down with David Bokovoy and with a title like that, who knows where the conversation might go………… David Bokovoy holds a PhD in Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near East and an MA in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies both from Brandeis University. He received his BA from Brigham Young University, majoring in History and minoring in Near Eastern Studies. In addition to his work in Mormon studies, David has published articles on the Hebrew Bible in a variety of academic venues including the Journal of Biblical Literature, Vetus Testamentum, Studies in the Bible and Antiquity, and theFARMS Review. He is the co-author of the book Testaments: Links Between the Book of Mormon and the Hebrew Bible.RESOURCES:https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26089486 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02955/full https://theconversation.com/homosexuality-may-have-evolved-for-social-not-sexual-reasons-128123 https://www.amazon.com/Mating-in-Captivity-Esther-Perel-audiobook/dp/B000IB0EYI/ref=sr_1_1?crid=37GYYI3COZDM6&keywords=mating+captivity&qid=1646880888&sprefix=mating+cap%2Caps%2C127&sr=8-1

What happens when rather than get in close to the sticky issues of Mormonism you step back? In fact step back so far as to see the 30,000 foot view and look at what Mormonism has standing in the way of its truth claims. And how such speaks to just how reasonable and rational it is to release one’s belief in the faith and to step away having allowed oneself to be a rational logical critical thinking human being. What happens when rather than get in close to the sticky issues of Mormonism you step back? In fact step back so far as to see the 30,000 foot view and look at what Mormonism has standing in the way of its truth claims. And how such speaks to just how reasonable and rational it is to release one’s belief in the faith and to step away having allowed oneself to be a rational logical critical thinking human being. Scriptural IssuesBook of Mormon 19th Century MaterialBook of Mormon AnachronismsPlagiarism from New TestamentBook of Abraham issuesBible Translation plagiarized from Adam Clarke’s commentaryTheological changes in canon over time2nd and 3rd IsaiahSpiritual Manifestation IssueMoroni vs NephiFirst Vision DiscrepanciesSeeing the Cumorah Cave in Palmyra New York in spite of being a clean hillPeter James and John PH restoration added lateMoroni blessing MantiBrigham Young TransfigurationIssues with Joseph Smith’s CharacterLying about polygamy to Emma and othersManipulating Lucy Walker Pattern of approaching girls or young women in his home for intimate relationships (Lucy Walker, Fanny Alger, Partridge Sisters, Lawrence Sisters) Polyandry Nancy Rigdon & The Happiness Letter Underage girls (two 14 year olds, two 16 year olds, two 17 year olds) Treasure DiggingOther financial frauds: Kirtland anti-bank, land issues, bad loansScience and Critical ThinkingGreat Flood Tower of Babel Shiz rises after head cut off 2000 stripling warriors in a battle with a more experienced larger military force and not a single soul was lost not to the battle and not to infection afterwards inspite of many fainting from bloodloss Battles in the Millions around Cumorah and what it takes to have military engagement that large Moroni blessing Manti Trans Oceanic Voyage Lamanite DNA Age of the earth & EvolutionChurch AdministrationSecond Anointings 100’s of Billions of dollars saved in investments rather than solving world problems Nepotism Leaders are insulated and promote yes men Well paid Leaders SCMCPast Prophetic Deception Adam God Doctrine Racial Curse and Racial Valiancy Joseph Smith mock wedding with Partridge Sisters Treasure Digging Mountain Meadows (Brigham’s destruction of the marker and lying about it and blaming the Native Americans) 1890, 1904 Manifesto1933 lying about the 1886 John Taylor RevelationModern Prophetic DeceptionElder Holland (BBC Interview, Story about missionary meeting his brother, Double Digit Stake Creation every week of our lives) Paul Dunn President Nelson (Flight of Death, Zimbabwe, Lady in the hat)Bruce R McConkie lying about Brigham teaching Adam God Elder Oaks lying about Electroshock Therapy at BYU under his presidency Whitewashing and carefully worded denials of the Gospel Topic EssaysTom Monson JrQuinton Cook – HospitalGordon B Hinkley “I don’t know that we teach it. I don’t know that we emphasize it”Ronald Poelman and the re-do of his conference talkFalse or embellished Faith Promoting storiesSeagulls and Crickets Sweetwater Crossing Holland, Nelson yarn stretchers Brigham Young TransfigurationWhale of a taleWilfor Woodruff Founding FathersLorenzo Snow’s Jesus VisitationTrauma Placed On MembersTemple (Sexism, Objectifying Women, Penalties) One on One interviews with children and others by an untrained clergy “Worthiness” interviews Toxic Perfectionism Patriarchy Marginalizing womenMarginalization of people of colorDestruction of idiginous people’s identity  “Indian Placement Program” Diminishing those who lose faith with labels (chaff, lazy, sinful) Not having a single good story about those who leave Gaslighting people continuously regarding their history All the harm with polygamy Claiming Tithing will get you out of PovertySocial IssuesWomen have lesser place in mortality and in heaven Church still currently maintains that God actually sorted people via their skin color (Be One Celebration)Church imposes significant harm on LGBT members Civil Rights was Communism Not Proactive or reactive on Sexual Abuse People who stop believing are less than and believers should stay at distanceAlways 30-40 years late on almost every social issue in spite of being led by Prophets, Seers, and RevelatorsGlobal/government influences: Defeating ERA, Prop 8, LDS Senator votes for Iraqi War “where boots go, missionaries follow,” the two LDS men (one a

Mormonism LIVE: 064: The Role of Women In The Church RFM and Bill dive into the issue of Women in the Church and their role. What does the Church want women to think and believe and what does the system of Mormonism actually tell Women about their place within the Church? We have a guest on Nicole, who along with Maven share their personal journey navigating the hurtful and unhealthy sexist messaging of the LDS Church.

The earliest account of the First Vision poses some conflict within Mormon Truth Claims about what Joseph Smith experienced and what was invented about the Founding event in Mormonism. If there is no First Vision, there is significant reason to believe the rest of Mormonism is on shaky ground. So how do apologists deal with the 1832 account of that First Vision and what does logic and common sense say about that.RESOURCES: https://www.ldsliving.com/a-closer-look-at-critiques-of-joseph-smiths-first-vision/s/92128 https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-circa-summer-1832/1 https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Question:_Why_is_Joseph_Smith%27s_struggle_with_Satan_not_mentioned_in_the_1832_account_of_the_First_Vision%3F https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Question:_Was_Joseph_Smith%27s_First_Vision_Vision_set_in_heaven_or_on_earth%3F https://www.dropbox.com/s/ooewni4lmhdul9m/Rod%20Decker-Vogel-Peterson-2004.wmv?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/tooif2mz619x5h2/Brad%20Wilcox%201st%20Vision.mp4?dl=0

BYU has a history of manipulating & pressuring its educators into consistently stopping short of teaching modern best accepted ideas and research. While it claims to be a university that values education what it really does it limit the critical thinking skills and works to prevent its students from having access to the best information. We start by discussing the modern moment where BYU has changed its policy around the worthiness of BYU and CES Educators to control what is taught in the classroom and then we dive deep into the past to show the more things change the more they stay the same. And lastly we demonstrate that agency really is a value that The Church’s mouth writes but their actions just aren’t cashing. A.) BYU’s (All of CES) New policy for its staff (Notice the Church speaks officially for BYU as it is one and the same) The old Wording vs the new wordingThe new policy is: “to hold and be worthy to hold a current temple recommend.”The Old policy is “ “accept as a condition of employment the standards of conduct consistent with qualifying for temple privileges”Friend and One of the Mole Professors I have on the inside of BYU. (We’ll call him Elder Dyches for anonymity) “Elder Dyches” told me that “Under that condition, I could tell my bishop I qualify, but am not interested in having a recommend and it wouldn’t affect my employment.”The permutations of such a changeGives more control to Salt Lake over local leaders and the CES staff those leaders have stewardship for as “worthiness issues arise in an employees behavior (AKA – Apostate Teachings in Seminary or BYU college classesImagine Pressure to stay in line this adds.  Is it significant? Maybe not versus the old wording but it absolutely feels like additional undue influence.  BYU is simply looking for just cause AKA – breaking the “Worthiness Standard”.  Even if on a loophole that involves abusive underhanded methods intended to manipulate people into obedience and loyalty over conscience. B.) Which led me to wanting to share with you The 1911 Brigham Young University modernity controversy In 1907, then BYU president George H. Brimhall (No you silly gooses Elder Oaks wasn’t BYU president back then.  He’s not that old) began hiring a new group of faculty to increase the academic reputation of his school.  His goal “to include in [his] faculty … the best scholars of the church.” (Brimhall was 55 yr old)1907 Joseph Peterson – Psychology (Joseph Peterson was the first Ph.D on the faculty of BYU)1907 Henry Peterson – College of Education.1908 Ralph Vary Chamberlin – Biology1909 William Henry Chamberlin– PhilosophyThese were devout Mormons but who were sought out intentionally to bring the Church’s College approach into Modernity including increasing the intellectual atmosphere of the university and community.This led to these four facilitating discussion and debates on evolution and the Bible, and attempting  to convey that evolutionary ideas and Mormon theology were not mutually exclusive, but rather complementaryThese four professors were popular.They liberal ideas are being met with disapprovalHorace H. Cummings, superintendent of the church schools (and largely self-educated) was deeply bothered by the non-approved curriculum being brought in.Church officials accused the professors of promoting heretical views. First Presidency of the LDS church, consisting of Joseph F. Smith, John R. Winder, Anthon H. Lund (Around the beginning of 1910 the First Presidency asked Orson F Whitney to draft an official statement on “the Origin of Man”)It was decided that these men “were out of harmony with the brethren” and Horace H. Cummings offered the Petersons and Ralph Chamberlin a choice: alter their teachings or lose their jobs. Privately, Joseph B. Keeler told Ralph Chamberlin he could stay (His curriculum must have been pretty Vanilla), but he refused, as the Petersons weren’t given the same offer.Brimhall – “There are some people who predict the death of the college if these men go. I am ready to say that if the life of the college depends upon any number of men out of harmony with the brethren who preside over the church, then it is time for the college to die.”Ralph Chamberlin responded during the meeting between these four teachers and the School administration (which included 6 Church leaders) “If you can bring me one student whose faith I have injured in Mormonism, I will bring you five that you, through your narrowness, have driven out of the church. … I never gave a public lecture on evolution until I had consulted you as to whether it would be all right. You urged me to do it. Now, why have you changed suddenly?” Brimhall could only feebly joke, “Well, I’ll tell you, Brother Chamberlin, I know whi ch side my bread’s buttered on.”Unwilling to change their teachings, the Petersons and Ralph Chamberlin left the university in 1911, while William rema

RFM and Bill Reel sit down with Dan Vogel and Brent Metcalfe on this week’s episode of Mormonism LIVE ! And you aren’t going to believe the stories these two have.

Tonight’s episode delves into the recent addition to Mormonism LIVE, Maven. Maven recently joined RFM and Bill Reel as the show manager. She does all the dirty work and increases the shows production value and from time to time she adds a powerful informed female voice to the show. Up until now she has remained anonymous and tonight Maven will be for the first time stepping out of anonymity and introduce herself to the audience helping them better get to know her.

Mormonism LIVE: 058: Mormon Apologist Skullduggery – The Mystery of the Second Watson Letter Playing off of last week’s “Two Hills Cumorah” episode we investigate the claim of a “2nd Watson letter”. What we find is not only more apologist obfuscations but perhaps one of the biggest underhanded maneuvers LDS apologists have ever pulled off.

RFM and Bill Reel tackle the two Hills Cumorah theory. The explain how Cumorah fits within our scriptures, show us how it was understood and taught all through early Church history and when in the modern times it changed and how that course adjustment has the Church approaching it today. To the believers who always wished for these things to be simple and faithful, eat your heartlander out ! IMAGES FOR SHOW https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/collection/bmvl-moroni-10-images?lang=eng OPENING: Heartlanders digging for Evidence (Don’t want to spend valuable time here. Just show and explain it led me to create this episode)A.) What the Scriptures Tell us about Cumorah Mormon 6:4 – we did pitch our tents round about the hill Cumorah; and it was in a land of many waters, rivers, and fountains – SHOW MAP OF PALMYRA SURROUNDING AREA (It must be conceded that this description fits perfectly the land of Cumorah in New York, as it has been known since the visitation of Moroni to the Prophet Joseph Smith, for the hill is in the proximity of the Great Lakes and also in the land of many rivers and fountains.) Mormon 6:6 – Mormon hid the records in the Hill Cumorah with the exception of the plates that would make up the Book of Mormon PHOTO Ether 15:11 – The Jaredites hill Ramah and the Nephites Hill Cumorah are the same hill (He saw that there had been slain by the sword already nearly atwo millions of his people, and he began to sorrow in his heart; yea, there had been slain two millions of mighty men, and also their wives and their children.) PHOTO LOGISTICS OF A BATTLE THIS BIG D&C 128:20 And again, what do we hear? Glad tidings from Cumorah! Moroni, an angel from heaven, declaring the fulfilment of the prophets—the book to be revealed PHOTO B.) What early Church Leaders and Official sources said about The Hill Cumorah in New York History of the Church 1:184 “This Book, which contained these things, was hid in the earth by Moroni, in a hill called by him Cumorah, which hill is now in the state of New York, near the village of Palmyra, in Ontario county. PHOTO 1835 Messenger and Advocate – Page 4 Oliver Cowdery under Joseph Smith declares Cumorah is the hill in New York (Joseph Smith had the letter reprinted ) PHOTO The Prophet Joseph Smith himself is on record declaring the present hill called Cumorah to be the exact hill spoken of in the Book of Mormon. History of the Church History of the Church, 1948 ed., vol. 2, pp. 79–80 PHOTO David Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery, and Joseph Smith are visited by Moroni – Moroni says Cumorah as the word is new to David (Tangential point. David Whitmer says his plowed was field and he didn’t know who did it. Lucy Mack Smith though claims David knew it was the three nephites page 4 bottom left) page 4 right hand side PHOTO Mark E. Petersen, “A Work of Conversion,” General Conference address, in Messages of Inspiration (SLC: Deseret Book Co., 1957), pp. 98-106. I do not believe that we should give credence to the highly speculative theories about Book of Mormon geography. I do not believe that there were two Hill Cumorahs, one in Central America and the other one up in New York, for the convenience of the Prophet Joseph Smith, so that the poor boy would not have to walk clear to Central America to get the gold plates. (Last part of Page 3) PHOTO Doctrines of Salvation by: Joseph Fielding Smith http://www.mormonthink.com/backup/Cumorah-JFeS-DofS3.pdf PHOTO https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1360&context=jbms All of the quotes regarding Cumorah’s Cave. I want to synopsize because there is too much here and deeply overlapping PHOTO Anthony W Ivins (Counselor First Presidency) General Conference talk in April 1928 https://www.dropbox.com/s/0zan98tml1mr4kq/conferencereport1928a%20%20page%2015.pdf?dl=0 (Page 12 of the PDF) PHOTO The Messenger, July 1960, No. 51 (COVER) (Page w/ pertinent section) Bishops “Attention Called To ‘Book of Mormon’ Maps” Our attention has been brought in the past few weeks to certain “Book of Mormon Lands” maps which are being offered to Church leaders and auxiliary workers by a California organization. They are apparently being distributed free of charge. We wish to refer bishops to the printed matter at the bottom of the map, which contains an inference that there are two, rather than one, Hills Cumorah — one in Mexico as well as the one in New York. The Church has never accepted this contention. Bishops are requested to make cognizant of this discrepancy those in their wards who might be sending for these maps or using them for instructional purposes. This concept of two Cumorahs should not be taught as official Church doctrine.(WOULD LOVE A IMAGE OR DOCUMENT) Official Letterhead 1990 Letter F. Michael Watson – Context of that letter (Frank Michael Watson was a secretary to the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1986 to 2008. He was assistant

RFM and Bill sit down with a former BYU Professor to discuss the experience of losing your faith while working for the Lord’s University. RESOURCES: https://www.louisakillian.com/ www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpUN29orJmM www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg36L1989Ss&t mylifebygogogoff.com/2020/08/how-a-new-instagram-page-is-exposing-apostate-byu-professors.html

Bill Reel and RFM take a look at the Historical Jesus and hit on the main points that Biblical criticism brings into focus and once they are done, your Christmases may never be the same.Jesus son of Mary – Illegitimate birth. Mark infers. The early church theologian Origen (d. 251 CE) has a polemical tract in which he writes an apologetic for Jesus’ virgin birth against Celsus, a pagan skeptic of Christianity (around 178 CE). Celsus was a proponent of the idea that the virgin birth story was a fiction invented by Jesus, when the truth was (as he apparently believed) Jesus was the biological product of his mother and a Roman soldier named Pantera. Also Virgin births were a common trope and polemic device in ancient mythology. Manger – ACU scholar Stephen Carlson writes that the word “kataluma” (often translated “inn”) refers to guest quarters. Most likely, Joseph and Mary stayed with family but the guest room was too small for childbirth and hence Mary gave birth in the main room of the house where animal mangers could also be found. use the links below from Dan Mcllellan Manger/Inn – Scripture Translation Supervisor for the LDS Church, PhD in theology and religion https://www.tiktok.com/@maklelan/video/7037619189456358703?lang=en&is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1 More on the nativity – Daniel McClellan https://www.tiktok.com/@maklelan/video/7037685245172256046?lang=en&is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1 Traditional Account of the nativity – Daniel McClellan Scripture Translation Supervisor for the LDS Church, PhD in theology and religionhttps://www.tiktok.com/@maklelan/video/7040144974750731566?lang=en&is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1 Inconsistencies in the narrative – Matthew and Luke, the only Christian gospels which give us the virgin birth story, contain problematic details-both internally and in comparison to each other. For example, it’s been pointed out often that Luke’s dating of the census (while Quirinius was governor of Syria) in Luke is problematic. There are also difficulties when the accounts are compared to each other. The two genealogies don’t exactly reinforce each other and there are a number of striking differences when compared alongside each other–in particular the migration to Egypt in Matthew (2:13-14) which is completely absent from Luke. In Luke’s account, Mary and Joseph take Jesus home immediately to Nazareth (2:39-40), with no reference to a flight to Egypt or a conflict with Herod. Live in Bethlehem? – According to the Matthean infancy narrative, Joseph and Mary are natives to Bethlehem! They live in their house there! Houses would be part of patriarchal compounds with as many as 50 to 100 people. There is no Lukan manger mentioned, and definitely no stables! The author “Matthew” expects his audience to understand this, being that he writes for people equipped with culturally-appropriate auxiliary background information. We Western Christians, reading with spurious familiarity, are blind to this. Did the Holy Family go from Bethlehem to Jerusalem and then straight back to Nazareth, as “Luke” tells us? Or did they reside in Bethlehem, give birth to Jesus there, live about two years there until the magi come, then flee to Egypt, then some years after go to a place they’ve never been to before and take up residence there, as “Matthew” says? (No need to read the following but in case someone asks why 2 years – Notably, the magi visit Jesus in a house (not an inn or stable) and their visit is as late as two years after the birth. Matthew 2:16 records King Herod’s orders to kill baby boys up to the age of two based on the report about Jesus’s age from the magi. This delay is why most Christian churches celebrate the visit of the magi on “Epiphany” or January 6) the slaughter of the innocents – given that Bethlehem probably had fewer than 1,000 residents, it’s possible the slaughter of the innocents involved just three or four babies, Witherington said. “We’re not talking about streets lined with dead babies,” Witherington told Live Science. In a world full of brutality and violence, it’s not clear the death of a few no-name babies in a sleepy village would have made the history books. Erroneous History about a Census – A similar situation exists with the Lukan census of the whole world when Quirinius was governor of Syria (Luke 2:1–2). This census was presumably made when Herod the Great reigned over Judea (1:5), and who was alive when Jesus was born and for some time after. Copious records exist from the time of Caesar Augustus’ reign (27 BCE—14 CE). These records describe many events during that reign, particularly the most important. None of them mention anything about a worldwide census. And consider how “Luke” describes this census: people must return to the home of their ancestors. Consider what the Empire would look like in order to accomplish that—throngs of millions migr

RFM & Bill Reel explore Missions and how an LDS Mission can contain some strange experiences and difficulty. They accomplish this by sitting down with with someone who had just that sort of Mission.

Mormonism LIVE: 053: One Year Anniversary RFM and Bill Reel kick of the second year of Mormonism LIVE with a look back of the past 52 weeks since Mormonism Live’s inception. We look at the favorite episodes of both us and the viewers. We look back at any funny moments, and wonder where the next 52 episodes might take us

Wednesday Nov. 24th, RFM and Bill sat down with Denver Snuffer and discuss his life and the happenings around the Christian fellowships of “the Remnants” movement. Denver Snuffer is an author of Restorationist devotional books, a lecturer, a speculative theologian, and a revelator to fellowships of the remnants movement, a spiritual movement in schism with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The movement has a few thousand adherents, many of them members or former members of the LDS Church. He was excommunicated by the LDS Church in 2013 for refusing to cease publication of his 2011 book, Passing the Heavenly Gift which challenges many points of LDS orthodoxy. He subsequently has been identified as a prophet by many, and several of his teachings have been canonized as scripture. RESOURCES: https://denversnuffer.com/ https://medium.com/the-seer-stone/mormonism-has-a-new-religion-and-it-has-a-prophet-named-denver-snuffer-282f5e24df1e https://kutv.com/news/local/lds-church-holds-special-meeting-to-denounce-false-prophet http://ldspioneerarchitecture.blogspot.com/2016/02/architecture-highlights-prayer-circle.html

Preparing on a short week with our focus on Thrive & the Midnight Mormon’s Debate with RFM has us selecting an interesting topic that is light and fun. So Wednesday November 17th RFM and Bill Reel dive into the old folklore surrounding Bigfoot being none other than Cain. The origination story, and how Prophets, Seer’s, and Revelators have turned a strange story into some sort of pseudo doctrine, How FairMormon really screwed the pooch, and how Mormonism’s and Sasquatch’s narratives intertwine in other strange places you may not have seen coming. RESOURCES: Is Cain Bigfoot? The Truth Behind 5 Mormon Folklore Stories – https://www.ldsliving.com/is-cain-bigfoot-the-truth-behind-5-mormon-folklore-stories/s/64534 Awareness of racism eased Mormon folk tales regarding Cain, Bigfoot https://www.standard.net/lifestyle/2015/oct/18/awareness-of-racism-eased-mormon-folk-tales-regarding-cain-big/ Bigfoot In Mormon lore … is Bigfoot Cain? https://utahstories.com/2019/07/bigfoot-in-mormon-lore-is-bigfoot-cain/ Journal of Mormon History Vol. 33, No. 3, 2007 (pg 74) https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1051&context=mormonhistory Question: Does Cain still roam the earth, and does this account for stories about “Bigfoot”? – FAIR https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Question:_Does_Cain_still_roam_the_earth,_and_does_this_account_for_stories_about_%22Bigfoot%22%3F Mormon theory of Bigfoot traces monster to Garden of Eden https://www.syracuse.com/strangecny/2008/02/morman_theory_of_bigfoot_trace.html The Mormon Bigfoot Genesis Theory – 10 Zen Monkeys http://www.10zenmonkeys.com/2008/02/05/the-mormon-bigfoot-genesis-theory/ When Cain Appeared to Joseph Fielding Smith’s Brother & Talked with an Apostle https://www.ldsliving.com/when-cain-appeared-to-joseph-fielding-smiths-brother-talked-with-an-apostle/s/83424 The Mark of the Curse: Lingering Racism in Mormon Doctrine? https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/45228364.pdf Poems 476–507 – Eliza R. Snow Lexicon https://erslexicon.wordpress.com/poems-476-507/ https://mormondiscussionpodcast.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/11/Cain-Bigfoot-Mathew-Bowman.pdf https://archive.org/details/lifeofdavidwpatt00wilsrich/page/44/mode/2up https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/45228364.pdf http://www.boap.org/LDS/Early-Saints/DPatten.html (nothing about Cain) https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets/c7b775e0-ef6c-4ebe-b205-f159d8f4cdd7/0/1 https://www.dropbox.com/s/d5811ffxhgbph5v/MS_603-David_W_Patten_journal-ORIGINAL.pdf?dl=0 (Nothing about Cain) https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/51730/p

RFM and Bill Reel start with a conversation with a relatively recent legal action that completes the Apostolic Coup D’etat and does it with a coup de grâce. After which we discuss the upcoming trip to THRIVE this weekend and the debate on Saturday November 13th between RFM and Midnight Mormons RESOURCES: https://mormonismlive.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Amended-and-Restated-Articles-Filed-4-21-2020.pdf https://mormonismlive.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Amended-Articles-Filed-6-19-19.pdf https://mormonismlive.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Articles-of-Merger-Filed-11-18-2020.pdf https://mormonismlive.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Officer-Appointment-Resolutions-Filed-7-19-2019.pdf https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/0122898D:US https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_ut/555534-0145 http://www.mormonism101.com/2015/01/the-corporate-structure-of-mormon-church.html 1. TIME STAMP 0.00 – 0.18 2. TIME STAMP 7.24-9.00 3. TIME STAMP 9.00-9.21 4. TIME STAMP 20.00-21.50 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6DaOukG1cM&t TIME STAMP 0.00 – 1.31 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxaLKprguvo&t​ TIME STAMP 5.27-5.41. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxaLKprguvo&t TIME STAMP 5.27-5.41.  

We sit down with author and Illustrator of the book “The Glass Looker”, Mark Elwood and discuss how he incorporated Joseph Smith’s Treasure Digging into a beautiful animated book. We discuss how he decided what to include and what impact he hopes this book has RESOURCES: How the Project Came Together – https://theglasslooker.com/behind-the-scenes/ Order the Book – https://theglasslooker.com/product/volume1/ Mormon Discussion “168: Seer Stones, Folk Magic, and Alvin’s Hand” – https://mormondiscussionpodcast.org/2015/09/seer-stones-folk-magic-and-alvins-hand/ Mormonism LIVE !: 016: Peek Stones, Sheep’s Bones, and Gold Thrones all on Miner’s Hill – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4qiP2hZtcA

Radio Free Mormon & Jonathan Streeter (Filling in for Bill Reel) deliver a special Halloween Episode fielding live phone calls where listeners can share their spooky tales.

WARNING: We will be dealing with the sensitive topic of Self Harm. If you have self harm ideation and are triggered by discussion around such, please skip this episode in lieu of another. In Tonight’s Episode Bill Reel and RFM will take a deep historical dive into the topic of Suicide within Mormon Theology and take a look at how the LDS Church has approached this issue giving historical context. What we learn is that LDS Leaders and Mormon Doctrine have had some ups and downs dealing with approaching such in a healthy way with healthy attitudes. Like everything else in Mormonism, this issue too is messy. RESOURCES: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/1988/03/suicide-some-things-we-know-and-some-we-do-not?lang=eng https://www.deseret.com/2018/7/2/20648210/lds-apostle-totally-false-that-suicide-leads-to-permanent-hell https://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Suicide https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/suicide?lang=eng https://www.heraldextra.com/news/2015/sep/20/church-teachings-on-suicide-have-changed-through-the-years/ https://kutv.com/news/local/lds-apostle-speaks-about-church-responsibility-in-mormon-lgbt-suicides-for-first-time https://www.mrm.org/suicide-and-mormonism https://www.pewforum.org/2013/11/21/religious-groups-views-on-end-of-life-issues/ https://deseretbook.com/p/suicide-some-things-we-know-do-not-m-russell-ballard-437?variant_id=112173-paperback http://mormonscholar.org/an-old-sectarian-notion-lds-teachings-on-suicide-sin-and-damnation/ https://mormonleaks.io/wiki/documents/6/6b/1958-Mormon_Doctrine-Bruce_R_McConkie.pdf (Agency & Suicides) https://lds365.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Preventing-Suicide-Responding-After-Loss-LDS.pdf https://childfriendlyfaith.org/2019/06/the-homophobic-teachings-of-the-mormon-church-killed-my-son/ https://www.dropbox.com/s/24uta1hgckvtzk0/MStar_19213.pdf?dl=0 (Millenial Star) https://archive.org/details/juvenileinstructor1993/page/352/mode/2up?view=theater&q=juvenile+instructor https://www.deseret.com/opinion/2021/10/13/22672169/are-latter-day-saint-lgbtq-youths-less-suicidal-a-new-study-asks-the-question-mormon https://dsamh.utah.gov/pdf/sharp/2019/State%20of%20Utah%20Report.pdf https://discussmormonism.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=154136&start=10 https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org National Suicide Prevention Lifeline We can all help prevent suicide. The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals. 1-800-273-8255 Tonight’s Episode will be dealing with the sensitive topic of suicide. If this topic might be triggering or such ideation is present. Please skip this episode and return back for next week’s. While we have consulted best practices National Suicide Prevention Lifeline We can all help prevent suicide. The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals. 1-800-273-8255 https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/talk-to-someone-now/

Radio Free Mormon takes Bill Reel and the rest of us through Shakespeare’s Macbeth in order to connect some dot in Mormonism on two issues. The First is the Apologetic response that if the critic can’t explain how something is done then it must be a miracle and second how Church Leaders always seem ambiguous on the issue of having seen Christ. RESOURCES: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1971/04/the-spirit-beareth-record?lang=eng https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2014/04/the-witness?lang=eng https://youtu.be/g0js6xWv6bc?t=3453 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAt4Od0teNg&t=545s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrMJ2YZD62M https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xRO4nPbrxk

Today we take a look at the Logical Fallacy of the Straw Man argument and juxtapose it against what it means to Steel Man someone. A Straw Man argument is when you misrepresent someone’s argument to make it easier to attack. We define a Straw Man argument, share an example, discuss how to incorporate good faith in a disagreement by instead choosing to Steel Man the disagreement, and then show how Mormonism holds up to the actual argument being made when that argument is represented fairly. RESOURCES: https://youtu.be/zYVBA8n9-pU?t=25 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man https://mormondiscussionpodcast.org/2016/08/post-nuanced-view-church-gods-plan/ https://mormondiscussionpodcast.org/2016/10/premium-holy-ghost-conundrum/ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/broadcasts/face-to-face/oaks-ballard?cid=HP_SU_19-11-2017_dPFD_fBCAST_xLIDyL1-B_&lang=eng https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/church/news/apostles-answer-questions-about-standards-doubts-during-ysa-face-to-face?lang=eng https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2004/10/be-not-deceived?lang=eng https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/doctrine-and-covenants-student-manual-2017/chapter-19-doctrine-and-covenants-50?lang=eng https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/preach-my-gospel-a-guide-to-missionary-service/how-do-i-recognize-and-understand-the-spirit?lang=eng https://www.jw.org/en/library/books/good-news-from-god/recognize-true-worshippers/ https://www.learnreligions.com/how-to-find-a-church-700487 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycUvC9s4VYA https://youtu.be/lwkh_aliF3Ehttps://youtu.be/UJMSU8Qj6Go https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2002/10/the-marvelous-foundation-of-our-faith?lang=eng https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2019/07/12/commentary-latter-day/ https://emp.byui.edu/SATTERFIELDB/Talks/Feb%2015%2019798%20First%20Presidency%20Gods%20Love%20for%20all%20mankind.html https://mormondiscussionpodcast.org/2017/12/premium-lucy-walker-spiritual-experiences/

operandi is at work today inside Modern Mormonism through the SCMC, and other people and processes that work to ensure that believing members are kept at arms length from people, voices, and information that is both accurate and contradictory to the inaccurate but faithful dominant narrative. RESOURCES: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danite https://benjaminepark.com/ https://journal.interpreterfoundation.org/sensationalism-a-one-sided-perspective/ https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2021/09/10/jana-riess-why-did-byu/ https://web.archive.org/web/20210120130850/https:/mi.byu.edu/scholars/benjamin-park/ https://mi.byu.edu/scholars/benjamin-park/

In 1886 LDS Prophet and Church President John Taylor documented a Revelation whereby Jesus Christ himself informed Taylor that Polygamy (The New and Everlasting Covenant) can and will NEVER be done away. Only to have the Church later disavow and distance themselves from Polygamy. On this Episode Bill Reel and RFM will help us understand the context of the 1886 Revelation/Vision, How the Church avoided dealing with Taylor’s Documented Revelation, How Apologists deal with it today, and lastly what it demonstrates about the integrity and honesty of the Church and its leaders around this event. RESOURCES: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1886_Revelation https://mormondiscussionpodcast.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/John-W.-Taylor-Trial.pdf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1886_Revelation#/media/File:1886_Revelation.jpg https://rsc.byu.edu/champion-liberty-john-taylor/john-revelator-written-revelations-john-taylor (Notice which is missing) https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Mormonism_and_polygamy/John_Taylor https://mormondiscussionpodcast.org/2016/03/202-replay-life-trial-john-w-taylor/ https://www.mormonwiki.com/John_W._Taylor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_W._Taylor_(Mormon) http://www.gapages.com/taylojw1.htm https://bycommonconsent.com/2010/03/13/correlation-an-uncorrelated-history-part-4-john-w-taylor-excommunicated/ https://mormonpolygamydocuments.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/1886-Revelation-article.pdf https://www.scribd.com/document/23201016/1886-Priesthood-Succesion https://gospeltangents.com/2020/04/taylors-1886-revelation/ https://rsc.byu.edu/champion-liberty-john-taylor/john-revelator-written-revelations-john-taylor#_edn88 Mismanaging God – Book

Mormonism LIVE!: 041: Solving the LDS Church Homosexuality Issue Elder Holland recently explained ““I and many of my Brethren have spent more time and shed more tears on this subject than we could ever adequately convey to you this morning, or any morning. We have spent hours discussing what the doctrine of the Church can and cannot provide the individuals and families struggling over this difficult issue. So, it is with scar tissue of our own that we are trying to avoid — and hope all will try to avoid — language, symbols and situations that are more divisive than unifying at the very time we want to show love for all of God’s children.” In spite of being Prophets, Seers, and Revelators; He seemingly also is acknowledging that Jesus isn’t coming into the room and they are trying to figure it out without him. So Radio Free Mormon and Bill Reel decide to be of assistance and offer solutions to the problem they are struggling to get an answer for. So on this episode, we will give these 15 men the theological and historical and doctrinal space to resolve this issue once and for all. RESOURCES: https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/elder-jeffrey-r-holland-2021-byu-university-conference https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/kingdoms-of-glory?lang=eng https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2019/10/17oaks?lang=eng https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2019/10/17oaks?lang=eng http://radiofreemormon.org/2017/03/extra-radio-free-mormon-amazing-contradicting-joseph-smith/ http://radiofreemormon.org/2017/12/radio-free-mormon-022-ghost-homophobias-past/

Since its inception in 1830 LDS Leaders have been consistent at one thing. While lip service is given to being a Church that has Prophets, Seers, and Revelators who claim to speak for God and give direction from on high, these men seem to always be behind the times, stating outdated false misconceptions and teaching false and at times harmful rhetoric. No where can this be more easily recognized than on the LGBT issue. But….. sadly It doesn’t stop there. RESOURCES: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg36L1989Ss&ab_channel=BYUSpeeches https://www.dropbox.com/s/ay5dk9mky0p0sm7/OnTheRecord7-27.pdf?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/y9z40tx8wd9rt9m/homosexuality.pdf?dl=0 https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/interview-oaks-wickman-same-gender-attraction https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/same-sex-attraction?lang=eng https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexual_behavior_in_animals https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/explaining-religious-freedom-and-lgbt-rights

In this weeks episode of Mormonism LIVE, RFM and Bill Reel delve into some debauchery among past Mission Presidents. What they find is a common theme creating a pattern of bad behavior learning once again that unethical behavior can be made righteous within Mormonism. RESOURCES: https://byteline.blogspot.com/2007/09/sects-and-violence-part-5-continued.html https://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V21N03_29.pdf https://www.exmormon.org/d6/drupal/France-and-Polygamous-Mormon-Missionaries https://www.reddit.com/r/exmormon/comments/8fbs7u/1980s_australia_sydney_mission_prez_was_aspiring/ https://www.mormonstories.org/podcast/dr-dave-christian-on-epistemology-and-the-polygamous-mission-president/ https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/deseretnews/name/orson-wright-obituary?pid=186032306 https://www.reddit.com/r/exmormon/comments/8f98mh/philander_knox_smartt_the_excommunicated_puerto/ https://voices.uchicago.edu/religionculture/2018/05/20/1522/ https://www.sltrib.com/news/2018/04/26/the-case-of-puerto-rico-when-the-mormon-church-promptly-removed-a-mission-president-who-deceived-and-victimized-young-female-missionaries/ https://universe.byu.edu/2018/04/27/mormon-church-kicks-out-man-who-supervised-young-women/

In Mormonism the very elite of membership including Stake Presidents, Mission Presidents, along with Seventies and the top 15 along with all their wives receive a secret ritual that confers to them that their “Calling and Election” has been made sure. What is this ritual? What do we know about it? How has the church framed it in their theology? and why do only a select few receive it? This and more on this week’s episode. RESOURCES: https://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V16N01_12.pdf https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmyldshistory.blogspot.com%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR0YbteylqfjyBp3P_E8vU6c3WdGzGrCsOldzbCteN1jHdANClh8-TNfGPQ&h=AT0n2SeXpCqsisJ4BybEBV99LV5oOGWdD4p1HtYeYqON6tSYCRjkkxg7aHU-9f2gtlBVUUcy0PkhgbhWw6H5-T9wuBaTiuWCo1PeaxDh-KypeEmBY6CoYcW_Kl-seflSHqc https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_anointing https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/doctrines-of-the-gospel/chapter-19?lang=eng Do not attempt in any way to discuss or answer questions about the second anointing. www.mormonstories.org/podcast/tom-phillips-and-the-second-anointing/ http://www.mormonthink.com/glossary/secondendowment.htm https://www.exmormon.org/mormon/mormon508.htm http://archives.lib.byu.edu/repositories/14/archival_objects/255732 http://academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Second_Anointing http://www.fact-index.com/s/se/second_anointing.html https://www.lds-mormon.com/2danointing-shtml/ https://blog.mrm.org/2013/01/the-second-anointing-of-modern-day-mormonism/ https://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Calling_and_Election https://www.jstor.org/stable/44368772

With so many people asking “Why Hasn’t RFM Been Excommunicated Yet?” We decided to go right to the horse’s mouth and ask a member of RFM’s Stake Presidency. That member of the Stake Presidency will be on with us LIVE to answer that very question and more.

Today Bill and RFM will look into events that the Church and/or its Leaders were involved in that seem to have the “appearance of Evil”. From Elder Ballard’s time selling cars to buying Valley Music Hall to becoming an Apostle of the Lord, to what appeared to be a Hostile Takeover by Quentin Cook of a Hospital in California, to what appears to be A giant favor done by Kirton and McConkie towards Thomas Monson and his family. We may touch on a few others as well….. you never know !!! All of these stories involve allegations and viewers and listeners should make up their own mind as to what the data seems to imply. We also welcome the individuals involved as well as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to contribute to a more informed story RESOURCES FOR BALLARD SECTION en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._Russell_Ballard wheatandtares.org/2016/08/22/dunn-and-other-bad-business-deals/ www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1986/03/elder-m-russell-ballard-true-to-the-faith?lang=eng historyofmormonism.com/2008/07/08/m_russell_ballard/ familypedia.wikia.org/wiki/Melvin_Russell_Ballard_(1928) churchofjesuschrist.org/learn/m-russell-ballard?lang=eng RESOURCES FOR COOK SECTION caselaw.findlaw.com/ca-court-of-appeal/1464984.html dropbox.com/s/c8n69kc96rx32th/new-l-d-s-apostle-quentin-l2026.pdf?dl=0 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quentin_L._Cook exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,1503537 exploringmormonism.com/quenton-l-cook-and-fraud/ mormoncurtain.infymus.com/topic_quentinlcook.html albionmonitor.com/community/ch-marin.html sfweekly.com/news/sutters-empire-strikes-back/ RESOURCES FOR MONSON JR SECTION groups.google.com/g/alt.religion.mormon/c/6quMKuVd8RY?hl=ja&pli=1#0910f00c9d7d7efb lawyers.findlaw.com/profile/view/1825333_1 www.reddit.com/r/exmormon/comments/8akrof/thomas_l_monson_sexual_harassment_coverup/ www.zoominfo.com/p/Thomas-Monson/52373910

In this week’s episode of Mormonism Live, we will investigate the integrity of the not only the President of the Church but also the integrity of the Quorum of the 12. Once one grasps the systemic issue within LDS Leadership, One’s trust in them becomes anything other guaranteed. RESOURCES: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/2016-01-1000-worldwide-devotional-january-2016?lang=eng 45:35 – 46:38 Time Stamp https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2019/04/10/mormon-land-lds-churchs/ 4:47 – 5:46 Time Stamp In his memoirs, An Abundant Life, Elder Hugh B. Brown explained “the Apostolic Charge” that every apostle is apparently given upon admittance to the Q12. It reads as follows: “Always be willing to subjugate his own thoughts and accept the majority opinion not only to vote for it but to act as though it were his own original opinion after it has been approved by the majority of the council of the twelve and the First Presidency.”

This weeks episode will feature RFM and Bill Reel unveiling a new show under the Mormonism Discussion Inc. umbrella and some reflection on last weeks episode regarding Nelson’s flight and we touch on the passing of Robert Ritner and spend the last half of the Show doing an AMA. RESOURCES: https://backyardprofessor.org/ http://fornspollfira.blogspot.com/2021/07/robert-kreich-ritner-jr-1953-2021.html https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/general-conference-saturday-evening-session-update

Today We explore a story President Nelson has told for years about a flight he was on in the 1970’s. He reports the plane’s engine exploding, the wing catching fire, a death spiral by the plane, the chaos aboard, and the plane’s landing in a farmer’s field. This story had many questioning the truthfulness of his account but there was never a smoking gun to get to the truth of the matter………. until now. WHERE PRESIDENT NELSON OR OTHERS HAVE TOLD THE STORYhttps://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1992/05/doors-of-death?lang=enghttps://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/president-nelson-argentina-2019https://www.deseret.com/faith/2021/3/28/22355277/president-nelson-invites-all-to-feel-the-peace-and-hope-of-easter-by-focusing-on-the-savior https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=EMwKxmTLaCs&ab_channel=TheChurchofJesusChristofLatter-daySaints Russell M. Nelson, From Heart to Heart: An Autobiography (Salt Lake City: Nelson, 1979) Russell M. Nelson: Father, Surgeon, Apostle – Spencer J Condie: Author https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/friend/1994/06/most-important?lang=eng Russell M. Nelson, The Gateway We Call Death (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1995)https://www.thechurchnews.com/archives/2004-09-18/gospel-principles-vital-to-correct-living-94995 https://www.deseret.com/2006/4/15/19948411/death-is-part-of-life-ex-surgeon-says https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2018-09-03/president-nelson-delivers-historic-message-to-dominican-latter-day-saints-in-spanish-8931 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/church/news/president-nelson-shares-5-lessons-life-has-taught-me-with-49000-in-safeco-field?lang=eng https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2018-10-26/president-nelson-finds-church-thriving-in-uruguay-thanks-to-multiple-generations-of-members-missionaries-156122 https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/president-nelson-argentina-2019THE CLAIMS PRESIDENT NELSON HAS MADE THAT WERE RED FLAGS1.) One Engine on a small Two Engine plane Exploded.2.) Said Engine caught fire.3.) In the Explosion flammable material was spread to the plane and the plane itself was on fire.4.) The plane did a “Death Spiral” which extinguished the fire5.) The Pilot “turned on the Other Engine”6.) The plane landed in a “Farmer’s Field”THE FACTS THAT ALLOWED OTHERS TO NARROW WHAT TO LOOK FOR 1.) The Date of the flight was reported as November 12, 1976 2.) He was flying from SLC to St. George to attend the inauguration of W. Rolfe Kerr as the president of Dixie College. 3.) Anytime a plane incurs a malfunction or there is a mechanical flight issue or pilot error the Law requires such to be recorded. The Explosion would necessitate a publicly available recorded log report. The plane on fire would necessitate a publicly available recorded log report. The Death Spiral would necessitate a publicly available recorded log report. The landing in a Farmer’s Field would necessitate a publicly available recorded log report.IF THE STORY OCCURRED THE WAY PRESIDENT NELSON HAS REPORTED, THERE ABSOLUTELY WOULD BE A REPORT THAT IS PUBLICLY AVAILABLE. MOST FABRICATIONS HINGE ON SOME GRAIN OF TRUTH, SO MANY IN THE POST-MORMON COMMUNITY WENT INTO DETECTIVE MODE.THE FLIGHT REPORT FOR THIS FLIGHT WAS FINALLY LOCATED (IT WAS DIFFICULT TO FIND DUE TO THE MUNDANE ISSUES INCURRED THAT SEEMINGLY CONTRADICT NELSON’S STORY )https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/wNa3AAAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA1090&dq=skywest+incidents+19761.) Engine never exploded and continued to run though rough2.) There was no Engine Fire.3.) The Plane itself was never on fire4.) The Other Engine was never off4.) The plane made a “Precautionary landing at the airport in Delta Utah and not a farmer’s field5.) There are other smaller issues with number of passengers, length of flight, cutting fuel line to both engines, and the date of the flight but we grant some benefit of the doubt for distorted memory. If the Church or its defenders want to claim the conclusion that this flight one day earlier is NOT the flight President Nelson is speaking about, then the burden of proof is on them to provide the evidence. To claim there was another “SKY WEST” flight also going from SLC TO SAINT GEORGE” that had “WORSE ISSUES” “ONE DAY LATER”, then provide the “MANDATORY PUBLICLY AVAILABLE FLIGHT REPORT” of said flight. Without such, said conclusion by the defenders would require more conjecture and allowances.The Plane believed to be the One Nelson rode that day

We sit down with Lindsay Hansen Park, host of “The Year of Polygamy” podcast and discuss the most troubling aspects of Joseph Smith’s polygamy and LDS Polygamy at large. Lucy Walker, the Partridge Sisters, Fanny Alger, Helen Mar Kimball, and others. RESOURCES:https://www.yearofpolygamy.com/ https://mormondiscussionpodcast.org/2017/12/premium-lucy-walker-spiritual-experiences/ https://mormondiscussionpodcast.org/2019/08/mormon-discussion-342-nancy-rigdon-and-the-happiness-letter/ mormondiscussionpodcast.org/2020/08/gospel-topic-essays-011-plural-marriage-in-kirtland-and-nauvoo/ http://wivesofjosephsmith.org/2021-EmilyandElizaPartridge.htmAlso don’t forget to support Sunstone by purchasing the magazine or better yet register and attend the Sunstone Symposium by clicking this link https://sunstonemagazine.com/registration/ Lindsay Hansen Park is an American Mormon feminist blogger, podcaster, and the Executive Director for the Salt Lake City-based non-profit Sunstone Education Foundation. She blogs for Feminist Mormon Housewives (FMH) about women’s issues inside and outside of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She is the main voice behind the Year of Polygamy podcast. Her work and voice have been referenced in The Wall Street Journal, The Salt Lake Tribune’s Trib Talk, Salt Lake City Weekly, The Guardian and Quartz.

Today we catch up on current events namely discussing the recent property purchases by the Church in Washington and Hawaii. We then discuss the recent language of judgement by famous LDS author and now General Authority (second counselor in the Young Men general presidency) Brad Wilcox about how those who leave can be seen to have their Countenances changed for the worse and seem to have their lives in a mess. If there is time we will also hit on the possible removal of the “Becoming Like God” Gospel Topic Essay.RESOURCES:https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2021/06/24/latest-mormon-land-church/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0W71YTn_fEhttps://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1975/10/the-privilege-of-holding-the-priesthood?lang=eng&fbclid=IwAR0thqKeYOxHIZK_x4RDeDvsOM4-aYvI6eeh8VCDPuQYvZyk9XRCBeDlgpE

RFM and Bill will sit down with a listener from England who will share with us an exciting discovery he made regarding the Liahona in Book of Mormon. This is likely the first time this discovery will be shared publicly.

We sit down with Taylor Drake to talk about his new book, “Joseph in the Gap”, and how this book has led to a disciplinary council with his Stake President on June 30th.Book “Joseph in The Gap” – https://www.amazon.com/Joseph-Gap-History-Explains-Mormonisms/dp/B08YQCQB87