Mormon Stories Podcast

This week on Mormon Stories News, we take a closer look at the people, controversies, and events making waves across Mormonism.

We begin with the story of a disturbing abuse case involving a former LDS Priest Quorum Specialist accused of sexually abusing his nephew. The case has prompted conversations about trust, access to youth, safeguarding policies, and whether church members are adequately trained to recognize and prevent abuse...

In a recent episode on the YouTube channel Hello Saints, Jeff McCullough interviewed Jasmin Rappleye (who got her degree from BYU in Ancient Near Eastern Studies) about one of Mormonism’s most controversial scriptures: the Book of Mormon. 

During the discussion, several apologetic approaches to the Book of Abraham was presented. In this episode, we examine three of the most common theories used to defend Joseph Smith&rsqu...

What happens when the son of a Pentecostal megachurch pastor decides to become Mormon?

In this episode of Mormon Stories Podcast, we sit down with Lance Kennedy to discuss his unique religious journey from evangelical Christianity to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Raised in Texas as the son of a prominent pastor, Lance grew up behind the scenes of one of the fastest-growing church movements in America, watching fir...

This week on Mormon Stories News, John Dehlin along with Julia, and Brooklyn of the OSF team, break down some of the biggest stories making headlines in Mormonism.

President Nelson announced the Springfield, Missouri temple on April 2, 2023, yet ground was just broken for it on June 6, 2026. Why the delay? Have other temples been delayed? What is the average amount of time for a temple to be finished between its first announcement t...

Today on Mormon Stories Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Brad Reedy, therapist, author, and founder of “Finding You Intensives”, to discuss his remarkable journey through faith, spirituality, addiction, and personal growth. We are also very glad to be joined by Samantha Shelly (from Zelph on the Shelf) for this uplifting conversation. 

Raised outside of religion, Brad spent much of his youth searching for meaning and b...

In this episode, we expand on ideas presented by Nate Oman during a discussion on Faith Matters and trace the complicated, evolving history of Mormon sealings from Joseph Smith through the 20th century.

Today, “eternal families” are often presented as the central purpose of temple sealings in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But historically, the story is much messier.

In this conversation, we explore how ...

We have a very special guest on Mormon Stories today, who some of our live audience may know as "TrevAnon" on YouTube. He has helped out for many years as a moderator for Mormon Stories livestreams, and he is here today to tell us why a Never-Mormon from the Netherlands would find interest in Mormonism. 

This episode will begin with Trev's story, and how he developed his interest in cults and other high-demand religions--especi...

Welcome to Episode 73 in our LDS Discussions series!

In this episode, we explore the long history of fraud, forgery, and "discernment" within Mormon history –from Joseph Smith’s treasure digging and the Kinderhook Plates to the Salamander Letter, Paul Dunn, Tim Ballard, and Jodi Hildebrandt.

We discuss why people believe extraordinary claims, the role of critical thinking and skepticism, and whether church leaders who cla...

Content Warning: Discussion of suicide and suicidal ideation.

In this episode of Mormon Stories, Gustavo Hernandez from Mexico City shares his experience growing up Mormon in Mexico, discovering difficult church history as a teenager, and ultimately choosing to remain an active, believing member of the Church while navigating doubt, anxiety, and faith crises. 

Gustavo opens up about the shame culture surrounding worthiness, porn...

In this episode, John and Meggan examine several major stories shaping the current state of Mormonism, including new research on LDS disaffiliation and decline, increasing institutional strain on local leadership, financial fraud tied to prominent Utah business figures, and the continuing controversy surrounding the Fairview Texas temple.

•Drawing from research and analysis by Jeff Strong and team of researchers, we discuss what cur...

In Part 2 of our series on Seventh-day Adventism, Melissa Spiers shares her personal story of growing up as a fourth-generation Adventist in a deeply religious family shaped by strict lifestyle rules, purity culture, and constant pressure to perform spiritually.

Melissa describes her experience navigating SDA education systems, thought control, and the intense expectations placed on young women within the church. She also discusses ...

For the first time on Mormon Stories Podcast, we’re diving into the world of Seventh-day Adventism. John sits down with Melissa Spiers, a former Seventh-day Adventist, to explore the history, beliefs, culture, and practices of the SDA Church—and to compare them with Mormonism along the way.

In Part 1 of this two-part series, Melissa gives an overview of Seventh-day Adventist origins, theology, lifestyle standards, and ch...

Welcome to our final episode in our Joseph Smith: The Podcast series, where we cover John Turner’s new book “Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet.” In this episode, we explore the immediate aftermath of Joseph Smith’s assassination and the profound consequences that followed his family, plural wives, and the early Latter-day Saint movement.

The chapter we are covering today is the Epilogue.

W...

In this episode, we dive into the life and legacy of Ernest L. Wilkinson, president of Brigham Young University from 1952 to 1971. Known for rapidly expanding BYU into a major religious university, Wilkinson was also a deeply polarizing figure whose leadership raised serious questions about race, politics, academic freedom, and loyalty within the Church.

Joined by historian and longtime Signature Books publisher Gary Bergera, we exp...

Another Mormon podcaster has been excommunicated for apostasy. In this episode, Landon Brophy of the Mormonish Podcat joins us to share his full Mormon story –from devoted BYU-bound Eagle Scout, missionary, seminary teacher, bishopric member, and military chaplain path… to publicly questioning church truth-claims and ultimately being excommunicated by the LDS Church. And all after seven years of being in-active. 

L...

Welcome to Episode 72 in our LDS Discussions series! This episode is a treat because for the first time in the history of LDS Discussions, every panelist is actually IN studio!

Today we are doing a deep dive into one of the most foundational (and controversial) questions surrounding the Book of Mormon: What does the text actually claim about itself –and do those claims hold up?

We explore the Book of Mormon’s own statemen...

In today's episode, sisters Meggan and Julie share what it was like growing up in a family of 14 children in a very strict Mormon household. They describe a home built around structure, obedience, and high expectations: early morning scripture study, strict rules, limited privacy, and constant pressure to represent the “ideal” Mormon family. 

They each re-tell their own experiences growing up in this environment, an...

Welcome to Part 40 of our Joseph Smith Podcast series with Dr. John Turner!

Today we are covering the final chapter of Dr. John Turner’s new book,  Joseph Smith; The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet. The chapter is titled “Bleeding Hearts.”

In this episode we unpack the turbulent final months of Joseph Smith’s life in 1844. We explore escalating legal pressures, political tensions in Nauvoo, and the c...

Welcome back to part 2 of Dr. Michael Coe week here on Mormon Stories Podcast, where we are re-releasing some on the most important episodes in the history of this channel. 

The original description for this episode reads:

"We are excited to revisit Dr. Michael Coe at his home in New Haven, Connecticut, to discuss some of the challenges facing Mormon archaeologists attempting to prove the historical truth of their central script...