Mormon Stories Podcast

In this episode of Mormon Stories, John and Margi Dehlin sit down with Sharon Beesley, a therapist, writer and former Mormon “mommy blogger,” to explore the evolution of her faith journey in Mormonism.

Sharon was brought into the church as a child in Florida when her mother chose to convert. She discusses the warmth and community she found in her ward there, and the early testimonies that grounded her. Yet her story also weaves ...

Welcome to part 20 of our epic series on Dr. John G. Turner’s landmark biography, “Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet.”

Things are really heating up as we enter the mid-1830s in the life of Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter-day Saint movement. This episode dives into one of the most controversial and debated episodes in early Mormon history –Joseph’s relationship with Fanny Alger, a young woman employed in ...

Sandra Tanner is back with us on LDS Discussions to conclude our conversation on three new church essays recently published by the LDS Church. In this episode, we’ll finish our coverage of the essay on polygamy and move on to the final essay, which addresses the character of Joseph Smith.

Topics include:

-Joseph’s failed prophecies

-Joseph’s treatment of Emma

-Joseph’s 21 criminal cases

Join us as we unpack these final issues an...

Caroline Barrow was raised in a typical Mormon household in Louisiana. While she was a faithful believer in the Church, she always had questions about certain teachings but was often encouraged to halt her critical thinking on these issues. She chose to attend BYU and serve a Mormon mission, but continued to be plagued by questions—particularly around polygamy and the treatment of women in the LDS faith. Caroline also found herself...

In part 19 of our deep-dive into Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet by Dr. John G. Turner, we explore the fascinating events surrounding the Kirtland Temple dedication (that took place in 1836) in Kirtland, Ohio.

This episode focuses on Chapter 17, examining key developments in early Latter-day Saint ritual practice –including solemn assemblies, washings and anointings, the washing of feet, and even ritual cl...

Join John Dehlin, Julie Hanks, Jana Spangler, and Beau Oyler (the Mormon Bridgebuilders) as we review a new analysis of LDS Church members by Alex Bass.

Links:

- Alex Bass's study

- Benjamin Park's Analysis

- SL Tribune Article

- Robert Kirby's 5 Types of Mormons

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At Mormon Stories we explore, celebrate, and challenge Mormon culture through in-depth stories told by members and former membe...

Today we welcome to the podcast Keira Shae, who joins us to share her story of converting to the LDS Church as a teenager while growing up in an abusive home.

Living in Utah, Keira was surrounded by Mormons and idealized them as a contrast to her tumultuous home life. Around the age of fifteen, she went to live with a foster family who required her to follow church guidelines very rigidly. At the time, however, this structured l...

Welcome back to Part 18 of our Joseph Smith Podcast series, where we continue our in-depth exploration of Dr. John Turner’s groundbreaking biography, Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet.

In this episode, we dive into parts of Chapter 16 and 17 –two of the most dramatic and revealing sections yet. We cover the explosive sibling feud between Joseph Smith and his brother William, explore the first child abuse sca...

Today, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced a new Prophet and First Presidency. Following the passing of President Russell M. Nelson, senior apostle Dallin H. Oaks has been called as the next Prophet and President of the Church, with Henry B. Eyring and D. Todd Christofferson as his counselors.

In this livestream reaction episode, we discuss the LDS system of prophetic succession (seniority-based), why these...

In this powerful and first-ever interview with a Latter-day Saint convert from Kenya, we explore the remarkable faith journey of Dr. Joe Ngatia (pronounced “ga-tia”). Africa has become one of the fastest growing regions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, yet Joe’s story reveals the complexities behind that growth – from faith and miracles to history, race, and resilience.

Joe shares his encounter with the missi...

Welcome back to Part 17 of our Joseph Smith Podcast series covering Dr. John Turner’s new biography on Joseph Smith titled: Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet.

In this episode, we begin part one of our deep dive into the Book of Abraham –a controversial and fascinating text within Latter-day Saint history. We’ll trace its origins in 1835 Kirtland, explore Joseph Smith’s acquisition of Egyptian papyri and mumm...

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) has been in the news lately in connection with the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the murderous attack on an LDS chapel in Michigan.  As Americans have rushed to find the "cause" of these attacks, several groups have been blamed including: Latter-day Saints, Political Conservatives/Republicans, Political Liberals/Democrats, Evangelical Christians, and Ex-Mormon ...

Welcome back to part 16 of our Joseph Smith Podcast with Dr. John G. Turner! In this episode, we cover chapter fifteen of John Turner’s new book titled “Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet” which covers 1834-1835 in Kirtland, Ohio and parts of Missouri. We discuss the rise of patriarchal blessings, the creation of new church offices –like the Twelve and the Seventy. We also discuss the challenges posed by critics...

In Part Two of our conversation with Claire and Marc Headley, we dive into the details of how they finally escaped the Sea Organization and the events that led up to that decision. We will also discuss other topics such as the FBI's investigation into Scientology, why they have spoken out against the church since leaving, and how Scientology responds to critics.

Claire and Marc also open up about their ongoing mission to hel...

Prepare yourself for an EPIC non-Mormon story! This week we are introducing Claire and Marc Headley, who were born into the Church of Scientology and have a remarkable escape story that we are excited to share with you.

Both Claire and Marc were members of the Sea Organization within Scientology, where the church’s elite-level leaders work and are required to sign a billion-year contract of servitude. During their time there, bo...

We are back again with Dr. John Turner in part 15 of the Joseph Smith Podcast, covering his new book “Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet.” Join us as we explore the dramatic events of 1834 when Joseph Smith led Zion’s Camp, from Kirtland, Ohio to Clay County, Missouri. This episode dives deep into the historical and spiritual implications of Zion’s Camp –including Joseph Smith’s controversial prophecies, the har...

We are thrilled to have Sandra Tanner as a guest on our LDS Discussions series this week! Along with John, Julia, and Nemo, Sandra is here to offer commentary on three new essays recently released by the LDS Church, addressing the issues of Book of Mormon translation, polygamy, and Joseph Smith’s character.

In part one of this two-part episode, we will focus on Joseph Smith’s “translation” of the Book of Mormon and on polygamy.

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This week, we’re sitting down with Benson Lawson, who made the bold decision to decline his Mormon mission call. In the LDS community, serving a mission is often seen as non-negotiable—an expectation placed on nearly every young man. For those who choose differently, the backlash can be overwhelming.

Benson is bravely sharing his story with us, opening up about the pressure, the stigma, and why a mission wasn’t the right path fo...

We are back today for part two of our examination of the CES Letter vs. the Book of Mormon. The CES Letter is perhaps one of the most influential documents in Mormon studies, and for years the LDS Church has criticized it and its author, Jeremy Runnells. Is this a fair treatment by the Church, or are Jeremy's questions on church doctrine valid?

In this series, we are going point by point through the questions raised in the C...