Mormon Stories Podcast

Welcome back to our Joseph Smith Podcast series with historian Dr. John Turner!This is Episode 29, where we dive into Chapter 24, titled “Upper Rooms,” from John Turner’s new book Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet.In this episode, we focus on Nauvoo in 1842 –a pivotal year when Freemasonry, the Relief Society, secrecy, and the earliest forms of the Nauvoo Endowment ceremony all intersect.The central question we wrestle with is this: To what extent did Freemasonry shape Joseph Smith’s use of secrecy –and was it intended to protect his authority and reputation?We explore the anti-Masonic climate of early America and the murder of William Morgan, why the Book of Mormon was once read as an “anti-Masonic Bible,” Joseph Smith’s embrace of Freemasonry, the founding of the Nauvoo Masonic Lodge, Parallels between Masonic rituals and the original Nauvoo Endowment, the secret oaths, handshakes, signs, tokens, and penalties, and Joseph Smith’s evolving theology around power and exaltation.This conversation is historically grounded, candid, and essential for anyone trying to understand how Mormon temple theology developed –and why it still matters today!

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On today’s episode, we welcome two very special guests! Leopoldo Larcher and Emily Guincho are a father–daughter duo here to share their Italian Mormon story as the first family to join the LDS Church in Italy.

Leopoldo details his experience of quickly being placed into leadership roles and bearing the responsibility of helping establish the structure of the Church in Italy. Over the years, he worked with many LDS Church leaders, from Ezra Taft Benson to Spencer W. Kimball.

His daughter, Emily, joins us to share her own perspective on what it was like for her and her siblings to grow up in an environment dominated by church service and the immense pressure to represent Mormonism in their community.

Together, Emily and Leopoldo reflect on what it meant to be Mormon pioneers in Italy, how their dedicated service affected their family life, and where they stand with the Church today. They also discuss what the LDS community looks like in Italy within a predominantly Catholic culture, and the challenges the Church faces as it attempts to establish a uniquely American institution in Europe.
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At Mormon Stories we explore, celebrate, and challenge Mormon culture through in-depth stories told by members and former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as scholars, authors, LDS apologists, and other professionals.  

Our overall mission is to: 
1. Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology
2. Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis
3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions

🤝Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today
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Welcome to Episode 70 of our LDS Discussions series!

In this episode, our panel takes a deep dive into one of the most debated questions surrounding the Book of Mormon: were ancient metal plates a known concept in Joseph Smith’s world, and are they truly comparable to the golden plates he described?

We examine historical sources from the 18th and 19th centuries that reference metal records –brass, copper, lead, and stone –and place them within Joseph Smith’s cultural and intellectual milieu. From biblical scholarship and early American speculation about Native American origins to apologists’ use of presentism, this episode carefully distinguishes between general awareness of metal inscriptions and the specific, unprecedented claims of a large golden codex containing extensive narrative text.

Along the way, we explore major figures, books, and ideas circulating before and during Joseph Smith’s lifetime, assess whether these sources were likely known to him, and ask a crucial question: at what point does probability break down –not because of a single anachronism, but because of the sheer scale and complexity of the plates described in the Book of Mormon?

This conversation builds toward a detailed timeline of Joseph Smith’s environment, highlighting how concepts expanded, evolved, and were ultimately synthesized into something entirely new.

Leave a comment letting us know if you like this format with John Dehlin being “not home.”
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At Mormon Stories we explore, celebrate, and challenge Mormon culture through in-depth stories told by members and former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as scholars, authors, LDS apologists, and other professionals.  

Our overall mission is to: 
1. Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology
2. Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis
3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions

🤝Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today
One-time or recurring donations: https://donorbox.org/mormon-stories?default_interval=m 
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories 
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Join this channel to get access to perks:
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Our Platforms:
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In this episode of Mormon Stories Podcast, we talk with Jean Daniel about his journey from a devoted Mormon convert to a Christian pastor. Growing up in Boston, Jean discovered Mormonism as a teenager and found in it a strong sense of structure, identity, and belonging. He served a mission in San Diego, CA and was later married in the Newport beach temple.

While studying at Harvard and Yale Divinity Schools, Jean began to see the value in many Christian traditions and ultimately let go of the idea of “one true church.” He shares how this shift led him toward a more open, hopeful approach to Christianity grounded in community. Today, Jean serves as the National Pastor of Canada for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

This is a thoughtful conversation about faith after Mormonism and building a meaningful spiritual community with progressive beliefs.
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Show Notes

At Mormon Stories we explore, celebrate, and challenge Mormon culture through in-depth stories told by members and former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as scholars, authors, LDS apologists, and other professionals.  

Our overall mission is to: 
1. Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology
2. Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis
3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions

🤝Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today
One-time or recurring donations: https://donorbox.org/mormon-stories?default_interval=m 
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories 
Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/mormonstories 
Paypal: https://paypal.me/mormonstories 

Join this channel to get access to perks:
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Our Platforms:
🌐Mormon Stories Blog: https://www.mormonstories.org/episodes 
🎙️Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories 
✳️Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4sDzk7dRjODTSEqzZKZJzk?si=148b0efc1ccc4404&nd=1 
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Contact us:
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Welcome to Part 28 of our John G. Turner series of the Joseph Smith Podcast! Today we continue our deep dive into the Egyptian Materials, the Book of Abraham, and how its theology shaped Mormonism’s most distinctive doctrines –including premortal existence, exaltation, intelligences, and the idea of God becoming God.

This episode explores how Joseph Smith resumed work on the papyri in Nauvoo, publicly introduced the Book of Abraham, and used it as a vehicle for unfolding expansive cosmology and theology. We examine the papyri themselves, the facsimiles, translation claims, the catalyst theory, and why there is little evidence that key scrolls are missing.

More importantly, we trace how the Book of Abraham becomes the theological backbone for ideas that later crystalize in the King Follett Discourse, the Plan of Salvation, the War in Heaven, and the belief that humans can become Gods.

This is Part 2 of our discussion on the Egyptian Materials and their lasting influence on Mormon doctrine.

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.
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Show Notes

At Mormon Stories we explore, celebrate, and challenge Mormon culture through in-depth stories told by members and former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as scholars, authors, LDS apologists, and other professionals.  

Our overall mission is to: 
1. Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology
2. Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis
3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions

🤝Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today
One-time or recurring donations: https://donorbox.org/mormon-stories?default_interval=m 
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories 
Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/mormonstories 
Paypal: https://paypal.me/mormonstories 

Join this channel to get access to perks:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx6OgmoqJbOVRq-Lv1P7SzA/join

Our Platforms:
🌐Mormon Stories Blog: https://www.mormonstories.org/episodes 
🎙️Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories 
✳️Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4sDzk7dRjODTSEqzZKZJzk?si=148b0efc1ccc4404&nd=1 
🍎Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mormon-stories-lds/id312094772 
🖼️Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mormstories 
📱TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mormonstoriespodcast 
🎮Discord: https://discord.com/invite/kuX5p6yyjF 

Contact us:
📧 [email protected]
📬PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117