Today we are continuing our series of interviews with LDS Church Education System employees. Today’s guest is extra special, as he resigned from his seminary teaching position just days before the filming of this episode!

Riley Davis was born into the church and grew up in a very traditional Mormon family in Utah. As the son of an LDS bishop, Riley struggled with depression due to religious scrupulosity in his youth, but found healing and growth through church youth programs like the Boy Scouts of America—an experience that inspired him to continue working with youth for the rest of his life. After serving a mission in Buenos Aires, Riley eventually became a math and science teacher but was soon presented with an opportunity to work for CES as an LDS seminary teacher.

Riley also shares with John insights into the current state of the CES program and where it may be headed in the future.

Content Warning: This episode discusses self-harm. Please listen with care.

___________________

YouTube

Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors!

Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today:

• ⁠One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox⁠
• ⁠Support us on Patreon⁠
• ⁠PayPal⁠
• ⁠Venmo⁠

Our Platforms:

• ⁠YouTube⁠
• ⁠Patreon⁠
• ⁠Spotify⁠
• ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠

Contact us: MormonStories@gmail.com PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117

Social Media:

• ⁠Insta: @mormstories⁠
• ⁠TikTok: @mormonstoriespodcast⁠
• ⁠Join the Discord
  

We are back with Chapter Twelve of John Turner’s new book “Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet.” Today we are covering Chapter Twelve which is titled: “Olive Leaves” that covers the years 1832-1833 in Kirtland, Ohio.

We tackle topics like the excommunication of Jesse Gause, one of the first General Authorities and other conflicts between the Mormon leaders.

We also answer questions like...

-Was the idea of the different priesthoods original to Joseph Smith?

-Did Joseph Smith speak in tongues?

-Did Joseph Smith actually predict the Civil War?

-Is the School of the Prophets unique and where did the Solemn Assembly come from?

You won’t want to miss this important installment of the Joseph Smith Podcast!

___________________

YouTube

Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors!

Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today:

• ⁠⁠One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Support us on Patreon⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠PayPal⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Venmo⁠⁠

Our Platforms:

• ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠

Social Media:

• ⁠⁠Insta: @mormstories⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠TikTok: @mormonstoriespodcast⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Join the Discord⁠⁠

Contact us:

MormonStories@gmail.com

PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117

Join us live today as we welcome back Ganesh Cherian who is here to discuss the aspects of the Book of Mormon that clearly show its 19th century origins. What influences did Joseph Smith use to write the Book of Mormon? Do unique aspects of his life show up in the text?

From American patriotism and Native American policy to slippery treasure and evolving doctrines, this deep dive challenges the traditional narrative that the Book of Mormon is an ancient text. Based on Ganesh’s new book “Joseph Smith: The Architect of Mormonism” we answer the question: Did Book of Mormon Lamanites Exist?

___________________

Show Notes

YouTube

Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors!

Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today:

• ⁠⁠One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Support us on Patreon⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠PayPal⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Venmo⁠⁠

Our Platforms:

• ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠

Social Media:

• ⁠⁠Insta: @mormstories⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠TikTok: @mormonstoriespodcast⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Join the Discord⁠⁠

Contact us:

MormonStories@gmail.com

PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117

We are very excited this week to release a first-of-its-kind Mormon Stories episode! Born and raised in Hyderabad, India, Sirisha Shumway converted to Mormonism at the age of 14, against the wishes of her family. She quickly became a very devout member of her LDS community, served a mission, and even worked for the church as a translator.

After moving to the US to completer her education, Sirisha faced increasing pressure to marry and raise a family in the LDS faith. But when her husband began questioning church history, she embarked on her own faith crisis, uncovering disturbing truths about Joseph Smith, polygamy, and other deceptions about church history.

Topics include:

-Sirisha's upbringing in India

-Structure of the LDS church in India

-Church interfetance in family relationships

-And the long-lasting impact of high-demand religions on personal identity

We are grateful to Sirisha for sharing her story with us, and hope you enjoy this very unique episode.

___________________

Show Notes

YouTube

Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors!

Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today:

• ⁠⁠One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Support us on Patreon⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠PayPal⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Venmo⁠⁠

Our Platforms:

• ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠

Social Media:

• ⁠⁠Insta: @mormstories⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠TikTok: @mormonstoriespodcast⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Join the Discord⁠⁠

Contact us:

MormonStories@gmail.com

PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117

We are back again with historian Dr. John Turner to explore Chapter Eleven of his new book Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet. The chapter is titled “Pure Language” and covers the years 1831-1832 in Kirtland, Ohio. Turner discusses the stories of healing on the part of Joseph Smith, the controversy surrounding the publishing of the Book of Commandments as well as some of the members questioning Joseph Smith’s revelations. Dr. Turner also discusses Joseph Smith’s revelation on the three degrees of heaven and the possible connections to Emanual Swedenborg (as well as the fact that Hitler is in Mormon heaven!)

We also tackle some big questions:

-Is John Turner’s book just another hagiography idealizing his subject?

-Why did Alexander Campbell oppose Mormonism so vehemently?

-What are we to make of these stories of healing?

-Was the tar and feathering of Joseph Smith having to do with sexual impropriety?

You won’t want to miss this important episode in the Joseph Smith Podcast series!

___________________

Show Notes

YouTube

Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors!

Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today:

• ⁠⁠One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Support us on Patreon⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠PayPal⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Venmo⁠⁠

Our Platforms:

• ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠

Social Media:

• ⁠⁠Insta: @mormstories⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠TikTok: @mormonstoriespodcast⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Join the Discord⁠⁠

Contact us:

MormonStories@gmail.com

PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117

What happens when a Mormon woman questions her faith—but doesn’t walk away entirely? In this week's interview, Olivia Calvert shares her journey of embracing doubts and shifts in belief. Choosing to live Mormonism in her own way, Olivia’s path leads her to what she calls “casual discipleship.” While we have explored stories like this before from men in the church, it is rare for an LDS woman to open up about her faith in this way.

Topics include:

-Purity culture

-Faith crises

-Church history

-Choosing to stay Mormon—on your own terms.

If you’ve ever felt like you don’t quite fit the Mormon mold, this story might be exactly what you need to hear. Join us as we talk about the many ways people are navigating Mormonism today.

___________________

Show Notes

YouTube

Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors!

Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today:

• ⁠⁠One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Support us on Patreon⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠PayPal⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Venmo⁠⁠

Our Platforms:

• ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠

Social Media:

• ⁠⁠Insta: @mormstories⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠TikTok: @mormonstoriespodcast⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Join the Discord⁠⁠

Contact us:

MormonStories@gmail.com

PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117

Welcome to part ten of the Joseph Smith Podcast! We welcome back Dr. John Turner who is here to discuss chapter ten of his new book Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet. Chapter ten covers the 1832 time frame in Independence, Missouri.

Turner answers questions like: Where did Joseph Smith get the idea of a New Jerusalem? Where did Joseph Smith get the idea of temples? Did Joseph Smith receive a revelation that early Mormon missionaries should live polygay among the Native Americans? Other topics discussed are how the church added three new pages to the Gospel Topics Essay specifically discussing Joseph Smith’s lived polygamy and his overall character.

Please purchase the book ⁠here⁠.

To support this series please donate ⁠here⁠. One half of all donations will go to Dr. Turner for as long as he is participating in the series.

___________________

Show Notes

⁠YouTube⁠

Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors!

Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today:

• ⁠⁠⁠One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠Support us on Patreon⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠PayPal⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠Venmo⁠⁠⁠

Our Platforms:

• ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠

Social Media:

• ⁠⁠⁠Insta: @mormstories⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠TikTok: @mormonstoriespodcast⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠Join the Discord⁠⁠⁠

Contact us:

MormonStories@gmail.com

PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117

Join us today for a unique Mormon Stories episode that is the first of its kind. Myndee Tollefson was born in Bountiful, Utah to an orthodox Mormon family. At just 19, she became pregnant and, feeling immense pressure from the Church and her family, gave her baby up for adoption through LDS Family Services—only to later discover that her child's life in the adoptive family was not what the Church promised.

Topics include:

-Toxicity of purity culture

-Unplanned pregnancy in Mormonism

-Harsh backlash from her family and LDS community

-Adoption within the LDS Family services program

-The church's role in facilitating and encouraging adoption

-Being a "birth mom"

-Troubled teen culture within Mormonism

Her story sheds light on the emotional and spiritual costs of institutional coercion, and the healing that comes with breaking free from this control.

___________________

Show Notes

YouTube

Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors!

Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today:

• ⁠⁠One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Support us on Patreon⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠PayPal⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Venmo⁠⁠

Our Platforms:

• ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠

Social Media:

• ⁠⁠Insta: @mormstories⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠TikTok: @mormonstoriespodcast⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Join the Discord⁠⁠

Contact us:

MormonStories@gmail.com

PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117