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LDS Discussions

LDS Discussions

By LDS Discussions

Examining LDS Church truth claims in a thoughtful way, seeking objectivity.
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52: Are the 3 Witnesses to the Book of Mormon Credible?

LDS DiscussionsApr 12, 2024

00:00
03:25:36
52: Are the 3 Witnesses to the Book of Mormon Credible?
Apr 12, 202403:25:36
51: John C. Bennett Pt 2 - Allegations of Homosexuality
Feb 10, 202401:57:37
50: Polygamy & Abortion in Joseph Smith’s Nauvoo - John C. Bennett Pt 2
Jan 19, 202401:58:45
49 - The Rise and Fall of John C. Bennett Pt 1
Jan 05, 202401:57:02
48: If Joseph Got it right, who got it wrong?
Nov 10, 202302:40:19
47: Russell M. Nelson's Miracle Stories

47: Russell M. Nelson's Miracle Stories

In this captivating episode with John Dehlin, Nemo  @NEMOTHEMORMON , and Mike on LDS Discussions, we delve into the controversial miracle stories of Mormon Prophet Russell M. Nelson. What are the implications for a spokesperson of God to fabricate and exaggerate, including (or especially) in regards to revelation like the November 2015 LGBT exclusionary policy. Join us in unraveling the motivations behind these distortions and why they hold significant consequences. How do these accounts shape our understanding of religious leadership?

Nov 03, 202302:09:19
46: Mormon Apologetics: The Problems
Oct 06, 202302:40:39
45: Mormon Prophet, Russell M. Nelson on Doubts
Sep 15, 202301:51:39
44: How the Church Handles Doubt
Aug 18, 202302:09:57
43: Spiritual Witnesses

43: Spiritual Witnesses

Join hosts Mike, Nemo, and John Dehlin as they delve into the intricacies of spiritual witnesses within Mormonism. How do sincere seekers often end up with different answers when appealing to "the Spirit"? Can individuals be exploited by circumstances deliberately designed to create feelings of spiritual confirmation? What are the consequences when "spiritual witnesses" go wrong?

Join us as we dive into the psychological phenomena of spiritual witnesses. We examine topics such as indoctrination, repetition, and the Illusory Truth effect, as well as other psychological mechanisms like confirmation bias, the backfire effect, and motivated reasoning. This episode can provide insight to your own spiritual experiences and provide tools to recognize attempts to manufacture the experience in you.


Overview of Testimonies and Spiritual Witnesses in Mormonism (ldsdiscussions.com)

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Jul 20, 202303:34:33
42: The Transfiguration of Brigham Young
Jul 06, 202301:42:34
41: Where did Joseph get his ideas?

41: Where did Joseph get his ideas?

Join John, Nemo, and Mike in a captivating episode as they unravel the intricate tapestry of influences that shaped the founder of Mormonism, Joseph Smith. From the unique doctrines of Mormonism to the enigmatic Book of Mormon, they embark on a thought-provoking journey through history and religious texts. Discover the surprising connections between revival sermons and the sermons in the Book of Mormon, and explore the profound influence of figures like Alexander Campbell on Joseph Smith's religious framework.

Delve into the visionary experiences that shaped Smith's spiritual journey, from the lesser-known first visions of Norris Stearns and Asa Wild to the fascinating early versions of "memes" in American history. Uncover the intriguing connections between the priesthood restoration and the teachings of the Campbellites, as well as the incorporation of the Book of Enoch in the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible. Journey through the Word of Wisdom and its links to the Temperance Movement and explore the historical contexts that influenced Smith's perspectives on the Curse of Cain and the Curse of Ham. Finally, peel back the layers of the Endowment Ceremony and its similarities to the Masonic Ceremony, shedding light on Joseph Smith's quest to restore ancient rituals.

Prepare for an eye-opening exploration of the diverse influences that shaped Joseph Smith and the emergence of Mormonism. In this episode, you'll uncover the intricate connections between historical events, religious movements, and Joseph Smith's visionary experiences, shedding new light on the foundations of one of America's most influential religious movements.


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Jun 02, 202301:31:37
40: Mormon Patriarchal Blessings | Revelations Pt. 6
May 12, 202301:30:15
39: The Problems with Mormon Personal Revelation | Revelations Pt. 5

39: The Problems with Mormon Personal Revelation | Revelations Pt. 5

Mike, Nemo, and John discuss the problems with personal revelation.

LDS Discussions essay on personal revelation 

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Apr 28, 202301:32:32
38: Problematic Revelations After Joseph Smith | Revelations Pt. 4

38: Problematic Revelations After Joseph Smith | Revelations Pt. 4

In this engaging interview, Mike from LDS Discussions, Nemo the Mormon, and John Dehlin review the failed prophecies of Mormonism's founder, Joseph. They start by discussing what the Bible says about failed prophecies and those who tell them. They then delve into specific failed prophecies, including the Second Coming of the Lord in 1891, the fall and overthrow of the US government, and the "everlasting" covenant of the United Order. Other failed prophecies discussed include the failed treasure seeking mission to Salem and the failed attempt to sell the Book of Mormon copyright.


Was Joseph was wrong or is it was God's fault? What good is having General Conference, either way? The hosts also discuss how FAIR Mormon tries to spin failures into fulfillments and concludes with some final thoughts on the implications of these failed prophecies of Joseph for Mormons today.


LDS Discussion Essay on Joseph Smith's Revelation.

Episode Show Notes

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Mar 24, 202302:42:20
37: Joseph's Failed Prophecies | Revelations Pt. 3

37: Joseph's Failed Prophecies | Revelations Pt. 3

In this engaging interview, Mike from LDS Discussions, Nemo the Mormon, and John Dehlin review the failed prophecies of Mormonism's founder, Joseph. They start by discussing what the Bible says about failed prophecies and those who tell them. They then delve into specific failed prophecies, including the Second Coming of the Lord in 1891, the fall and overthrow of the US government, and the "everlasting" covenant of the United Order. Other failed prophecies discussed include the failed treasure seeking mission to Salem and the failed attempt to sell the Book of Mormon copyright.

Was Joseph wrong or is it was God's fault? What good is having General Conference, either way? The hosts also discuss how FAIR Mormon tries to spin failures into fulfillments and concludes with some final thoughts on the implications of these failed prophecies of Joseph for Mormons today.

LDS Discussion Essay on Joseph Smith's Revelations.

Donate to Nemo

Episode Show Notes

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Mar 10, 202302:13:59
36: Problematic Patterns | Revelations Pt. 2
Feb 24, 202302:20:17
35: Joseph Smith's Backdated Prophecies | Revelations Pt. 1
Feb 17, 202303:24:21
34: Overview of Joseph Smith's Translations
Jan 20, 202302:07:06
33: The Kinderhook Plates
Jan 10, 202302:15:40
32: Book of Abraham, Part 3: A look at the text itself
Dec 27, 202202:47:04
31: Book of Abraham Pt 2: Translation Apologetics
Dec 16, 202202:35:15
30: Book of Abraham Pt 1: Joseph's Translation

30: Book of Abraham Pt 1: Joseph's Translation

For many, the Book of Abraham is one of the most problematic subjects within Mormonism due to our ability to translate Egyptian after Joseph Smith released the Book of Abraham. We want to give a brief overview of the history of the Book of Abraham, looking at the facsimiles and manuscripts, and then review the church's response to how this can all be reconciled. 

For a very brief history of how the Book of Abraham came to be, we quote from the official LDS essay:  

In the summer of 1835, an entrepreneur named Michael Chandler arrived at Church headquarters in Kirtland, Ohio, with four mummies and multiple scrolls of papyrus. Chandler found a ready audience... By the time the collection arrived in Kirtland, all but four mummies and several papyrus scrolls had already been sold. A group of Latter-day Saints in Kirtland purchased the remaining artifacts for the Church. After Joseph Smith examined the papyri and commenced "the translation of some of the characters or hieroglyphics," his history recounts, "much to our joy [we] found that one of the rolls contained the writings of Abraham."

LDS Discussions Essay Overview of the Book of Abraham.

Episode Show Notes

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Dec 05, 202201:51:23
29: Polygamy Apologetics

29: Polygamy Apologetics

Join John, Mike & Elisha Lee as they discuss common problematic apologies around the practice of polygamy in early Church History. From lies being called “carefully worded denials” and attempts to differentiate between “plural marriage” which God approved of or “spiritual wifery” which was not, and the fact that this is still current doctrine and what women have to look forward to in eternity and the harms caused past and present from this doctrine.

Special Guest: Elisha Lee

LDS Discussion Essay on Polygamy Apologetics

Episode Show Notes

LDS Discussions 6-Part Series on Polygamy:

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Nov 17, 202203:08:56
28: The Happiness Letter (Joseph Smith's Proposition to Nancy Rigdon)
Nov 10, 202202:56:53
27: Joseph Smith's Plural Marriage Proposals Part 2

27: Joseph Smith's Plural Marriage Proposals Part 2

Join Mike (LDS Discussions), Elisha, and John for Part 2 as they look at the techniques of influence that Joseph Smith used to propose to his plural wives.

Helen Mar Kimball's age reduction digital illustration by Adam Worthington https://www.knowbrotherjoseph.com/

Special Guest: Elisha Lee

LDS Discussion Essay on Plural Marriage Proposals

LDS Discussions 6-Part Series on Polygamy:

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Nov 04, 202201:57:42
26: Joseph Smith's Plural Marriage Proposals Part 1
Oct 28, 202202:02:04
25: D&C 132: Joseph Smith's Polygamy "Revelation"

25: D&C 132: Joseph Smith's Polygamy "Revelation"

Today’s episode continues the discussion on Polygamy with the (in)famous revelation still canonized in Mormon/LDS scripture as Section 132 of the Doctrine & Covenants. Mike sets up the historical & personal context of the timing of this revelation and the problematic ideas presented in it as coming from God including how God views women, redefining adultery and other moral issues, and the various rules and justifications given by God to practice polygamy.

Mike goes on to show that Joseph admits himself that polygamy is something he wanted, and despite being the receiver of the various specific rules defined by God, he nevertheless proceeds to break every one of them.

Finally, Mike goes over the many apologetics around this section of the Doctrine & Covenants and the problems with most of the arguments attempting to justify the revelation, Joseph’s polygamy, and the resulting polygamy among many of the branches of Mormonism, some continuing to this day.

Special Guest: Elisha Lee

LDS Discussion Essay on Polygamy

Episode Show Notes

LDS Discussions 6-Part Series on Polygamy:

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Oct 20, 202203:05:40
24: An Introduction to Polygamy
Oct 13, 202201:55:28
23: LDS Temple Endowment & Masonry
Oct 06, 202201:55:21
22: Race and Mormon Scripture Part 2
Sep 29, 202202:28:35
21: Race and Mormon Scripture Part 1

21: Race and Mormon Scripture Part 1

Join Mike from LDS discussions.com and John as they discuss race and Mormon scripture.  This is part 1 of a 2-part series.  We are also grateful to have a few call-in guests for this episode.

LDS Discussions Essay on Race & Mormon Scripture

Episode Show Notes

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Sep 23, 202202:14:58
20: Word of Wisdom

20: Word of Wisdom

John and Mike discuss the origins and influences around Joseph Smith and the Creation of the Word of Wisdom.

LDS Discussions Essay on Word of Wisdom

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Sep 15, 202201:42:48
19: Changes to the Doctrine & Covenants

19: Changes to the Doctrine & Covenants

John and Mike take a look at the timeline of Joseph Smith's accounts of the revelation and restoration of the LDS Concept of priesthood.

LDS Discussion Essay on Changes to Doctrine & Covenants

Episode Show Notes

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Sep 08, 202202:22:45
18: Priesthood Restoration

18: Priesthood Restoration

Join John & Mike as they discuss the timeline for the restoration of the Priesthood compared to the current Church narrative.

LDS Discussions Essay on Priesthood Restoration

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Sep 02, 202202:59:16
17: Joseph Smith's First Vision

17: Joseph Smith's First Vision

John and Mike take a look at the timeline of Joseph Smith's First Vision accounts against the official church narrative.

LDS Discussion Essay on Joseph Smith's First Vision

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Aug 25, 202202:18:17
16: Deutero-Isaiah in the Book of Mormon

16: Deutero-Isaiah in the Book of Mormon

Join John and Mike, from LDS Discussions for an introduction to the multiple authors of Isaiah and what that means for the Book of Mormon.

LDS Discussions Essay on Deutero-Isaiah in the Book of Mormon

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Aug 18, 202201:36:32
15: The Long Ending of Mark in the Book of Mormon

15: The Long Ending of Mark in the Book of Mormon

A look at how a late addition to the New Testament ended up in the Book of Mormon and what that tells us about the Book of Mormon’s credibility as an ancient text.

LDS Discussions Essay on the Long Ending of Mark

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Jul 28, 202252:12
14: The Sermon on the Mount in the Book of Mormon

14: The Sermon on the Mount in the Book of Mormon

We dive into the Sermon on the Mount and look at why it appears in the Book of Mormon along with what the changes tell us about the author of the Book of Mormon.

LDS Discussions Essay on the Sermon on the Mount

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Jul 21, 202201:14:06
13: The Tower of Babel and Mormon Scripture

13: The Tower of Babel and Mormon Scripture

We review the historicity of the Tower of Babel and how the story is written into the Book of Mormon and directly leads to the stones that Joseph Smith claims were buried with the gold plates.

LDS Discussions Essay on the Tower of Babel

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Jul 14, 202201:03:17
12: The Global Flood and Mormon Scripture

12: The Global Flood and Mormon Scripture

Join John and Mike from LDS Discussions breaking down how the story of Noah, the arc, and the global flood is necessary for the veracity of Mormon scripture/doctrine, and a closer look at the historicity of the Biblical accounts of Noah and the flood.

LDS Discussions Essay 

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Jul 12, 202201:31:02
11: Adam & Eve and Mormon Truth Claims

11: Adam & Eve and Mormon Truth Claims

A look at the historicity of Adam and Eve and the impact that scholarship has on the scriptures of Mormonism.

LDS Discussions Essay on Adam & Eve

Episode Show Notes

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Jun 28, 202201:25:53
10: How the Book of Mormon was Composed

10: How the Book of Mormon was Composed

A recap of how scholars can show the Book of Mormon is a 19th century text and a look at how Joseph Smith could have produced it.

LDS Discussions Essay on BOM Composed

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Jun 23, 202202:17:10
09: The King James Bible Problem in the Book of Mormon

09: The King James Bible Problem in the Book of Mormon

Join John and Mike as they discuss the mistranslations in the King James Version that end up in the Book of Mormon and the problems it presents.

LDS Discussions Essay on KJV Problems

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Jun 15, 202201:25:10
08: Anachronisms in the Book of Mormon

08: Anachronisms in the Book of Mormon

Join John and Mike from LDS Discussions as they discuss the Anachronisms in the Book of Mormon!

LDS Discussions Essay on Anachronisms

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Jun 07, 202202:16:13
07: Joseph Smith’s Surrounding Influences in the Book of Mormon

07: Joseph Smith’s Surrounding Influences in the Book of Mormon

Join John and Mike from LDS Discussions as they breakdown the surrounding influences of the Book of Mormon by Joseph Smith.

LDS Discussions Essay on Joseph Smith's Surrounding Influences

Episode Show Notes

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May 31, 202201:59:47
06: Tight vs Loose Translation of the Book of Mormon w/ LDS Discussions

06: Tight vs Loose Translation of the Book of Mormon w/ LDS Discussions

John, LDS Discussions and Nemo go over the tight and loose translations of the Book of Mormon.

Special Guest: Nemo the Mormon

LDS Discussions Essay on Tight vs. Loose Translation

Episode Show Notes

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May 24, 202201:40:57
05: DNA and the Book of Mormon
May 16, 202202:00:18
04: The Lost 116 Pages

04: The Lost 116 Pages

Join us for another fascinating conversation with LDS discussions on the lost 116 pages of the Book of Mormon.

LDS Discussions Essay on The Lost 116 Pages

 Episode Show Notes

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May 10, 202202:26:39
03: Book of Mormon Translation
May 03, 202202:59:56