Mormon Theories

Devon DowDell joins me on the Mormon Theories podcast to discuss the South American model for Book of Mormon geography. Devon's father, the late Del DowDell, devoted the last years of his life to studying this fascinating theory. Del wrote several books and around 4,000 blog posts on the subject. Devon talks about his dad's model, how it fits the evidence, conforms to the words of the Book of Mormon, and shares his thoughts on the Mesoamerican and Heartland models as well.

Most historians you ask will tell you that Joseph Smith was definitely a polygamist, and that the practice started with him. But there is a growing resistance to those claims. Did Joseph actually practice polygamy? Mark Curtis had the same question, and his search led him to the primary source documents about Joseph's alleged polygamy. He found that some accounts appear decades after the fact, are secondhand (or more), and may not be as reliable as they seem. In this fascinating discussion, I ask Mark about Fanny Alger (Joseph's first plural wife), the provenance of D&C 132, what Jacob 2 was really saying, and how polygamy, if wrong, could have been justified in the scriptures.

Mark Curtis runs the website and YouTube channel called Hemlock Knots, where he delves into topics of Church history, including polygamy. Find links to his work in the show notes!

Modern scientists claim that dinosaurs went extinct some 65 million years ago after an asteroid impact. Jeremy Michel has done research which may suggest otherwise. His theory about dinosaurs being a younger creation draws on scriptures from the Bible and the Book of Mormon, legends of dragons, ancient art depicting dinosaur-like creatures, modern testimonials and pictures, and current paleontological discoveries of dinosaur soft tissue. We had a fascinating discussion about all of these topics, including a possible discovery of Noah's ark. Please check out the show notes for some of the photos Jeremy shared.

Ed Goble's views on the Book of Abraham are different than those of the mainstream LDS apologists. Despite Egyptologists not finding the text of the Book of Abraham anywhere on the extant papyri, Ed has found numerous examples of Joseph Smith getting things right in his translations of the Kirtland Egyptian Papers. It seems that an inspired Joseph was somehow correctly pairing words with Egyptian symbols in valid ways that one merely looking at the literal Egyptian translation wouldn't expect. It's some really fascinating stuff, and he can definitely explain it better than I can! While the Book of Abraham controversy tends to be a leading factor of why people lose faith in the restored gospel, Ed's theory can help explain a lot about how Joseph translated Abraham. And I think his theory can help a lot of people struggling with this issue.

Ed also shares a bit about his theory on Book of Mormon geography, and his history researching that topic. He's written books about it! We also go into his interesting thoughts on human origins and evolution. Such an awesome discussion.

Jeff Roundy’s YouTube channel, Latter-day Saints' Q&A, has helped countless people navigate their faith journeys and find answers to their questions. In this episode of Mormon Theories, we talk about if the Messiah ben Joseph is Joseph Smith, if Heavenly Mother is real, if Joseph Smith’s prophecies were fulfilled, if evidence for the Book of Mormon has been found, and many more interesting things. God’s divine fingerprints are all over Joseph’s life and works, and Jeff’s research can show you where to look for some of that.

We definitely didn't have time to go through everything in depth, so check out Latter-day Saints' Q&A on YouTube!

Following the death of Joseph Smith, the Church was fractured into several pieces. Today those have grown into many branches of the Restoration, and they all believe in the Book of Mormon. Patrick McKay Sr. is devoted to working on healing the breach and bringing all of the Restoration groups together. His work highlights the miracles and manifestations of the power of God among these separate factions, showing that God is with them all. One day, we will all be one in Christ, so let’s talk to each other now. Patrick’s vision of peace and Zion will inspire you.

He also shares his theory on the true identity of the Three Wise Men. Were they Nephites/Lamanites? The Book of Mormon might shed more light on Christ’s nativity story than we think.

The scriptures, including the Restoration scriptures, prophesy of an end-time servant that will come in the last days, set in order the house of God, gather Israel, and redeem Zion. Dustin Grady is an expert on this topic, and he believes that this servant is none other than Joseph Smith himself. Despite his death in 1844, Joseph might return in the flesh to accomplish all of those end-days tasks. How could Joseph come back? Why would he need to come back? What would he do once he gets here? Dustin answers these questions and more in this epic episode, using mostly the scriptures and some interesting quotes from early Church leaders. Are we on the cusp of witnessing the return of Joseph Smith?

Gabe Ariciu has a pretty awesome job. He helps people heal and get better for a living. He's a chiropractor and a functional medicine doctor, and he knows a lot about what humans need to thrive. In this episode, he shares some of his knowledge of nutrition, his ideas about the Word of Wisdom, and his thoughts on evolution. Can evolution have a place within Mormonism? He gives some valuable insights on what we can learn from the Fall of Adam and Eve, and what that might mean when it comes to human evolution. And he finishes with giving some wise words on how to incorporate truth, let it come from whence it may. You gotta listen to this one, guys.

Did the Book of Mormon take place in South America? My guest Owen Ira Terry thinks so, and he lays out some of the evidence in this episode. An angel revealed South America as Lehi's landing site to Frederick G. Williams. Jacob said that they were living on "an isle of the sea" (2 Nephi 10:20), and the South American Model actually allows for this. Interesting candidate sites for the Land of Nephi and the Hill Cumorah are discussed. There was a great wall of Peru? And there are a bunch of other cool correlations that I had never heard of before.

We also talk a bit about the creation vs evolution debate and the Flood of Noah. Check it out!

Lance Weaver has some of the coolest theories out there, on just about every topic: Periodic inconsistencies in radiocarbon dating might be confusing archeologists. The Book of Mormon might not have started or ended when we think it did. The one true church is spiritual, and universalism seems to be what's taught in the scriptures of Mormonism. Eternal progression might include some form of reincarnation until you "go no more out". And a channeled text called the Book of Ben Kathryn reveals that there might be a real prophet in Israel right now, just waiting to be called out soon to do miracles in the last days. He might have even prophesied of a global pandemic some 15+ years ago.

A short summary can hardly do this episode justice. You will definitely want to check this one out!

Is Adam the same person as God the Father? Is Joseph Smith the Holy Ghost? Have you lived mortal lives before this one? My guest Doug Hale tackles some of these questions in our interview. Doug Hale has spent decades studying deep doctrines and even has a Facebook group devoted to it. In our interview, Doug describes the Adam-God Doctrine and how it differs from the "Adam-God Theory". He explains the Doctrine of Eternal Lives, a.k.a. Multiple Mortal Probations: the idea that this mortal life isn't the only one, but one of many you have lived and will have to live; and in order to be saved, one must perform the roles of Holy Ghost, Savior, and Adam.