Mormon Discussion By Bill Reel

We dig into one of the lesser-known but deeply revealing historical sources from early Mormonism: the Fayette Lapham interview with Joseph Smith Sr. Lapham’s account places Joseph Smith’s father in conversation about the earliest days of the movement — before the Church had polished narratives, before later offices were cleanly defined, and before memory had decades to smooth out the rough edges. What emerges is a version of early Mormon leadership that feels far less settled and far more experimental than most members were ever taught. One claim in particular raises eyebrows: the suggestion that Joseph Smith may have identified or spoken of twelve apostles years before the traditionally accepted 1835 calling. Was this an early attempt at organization? A loose use of terminology? Or a later memory shaped by what the Church eventually became? We walk carefully through the evidence, the problems, and the implications — without overstating the case and without pretending the question isn’t uncomfortable. As alwa

Join us on New Year’s Eve for a special episode of Mormonism Live. We’ll look back at the biggest Mormon news stories of the year from The Mormon Newscast and reveal the Top 5 stories you voted for. We’ll also dig into a few late-breaking developments, including the passing of Elder Holland. Support The Mormon Newscast: https://donorbox.org/the-mormon-newscast https://donorbox.org/mormonish-podcast The post 2025 Mormon Newscast Year in Review appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

Join us this Christmas Eve for the Third Annual Radio Free Mormon Christmas Eve Party. RFM will be joined by over Mormon influencers from the Mormon and post-Mormon space, and maybe even a few surprises! Get stocked up on eggnog and gingerbread cookies! Stay up with RFM and watch the stars come out! This is going to be a blast! Thomas murphy https://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/V58N04_2.pdf Unsettling Scripture The post A Radio Free Mormon Christmas Eve ! appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

David Whitmer is one of the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, but his life after Mormonism raises some of the most challenging questions anyone serious about truth claims has to wrestle with. He broke with Joseph Smith. He rejected Brigham Young. He condemned polygamy, secret combinations, and priesthood hierarchy. And yet, for nearly sixty years, he never denied seeing the angel or the plates. In this episode of Mormonism Live, we take a careful, historically grounded look at David Whitmer’s life and testimony. We explore what he actually claimed to see, how he described the experience, why he believed the church went off course, and why skeptics and believers alike kept coming to him for answers. We examine the moments that test his credibility, the consistency of his witness, and the uncomfortable tension between affirming the Book of Mormon while rejecting the institution built around it. If you’ve ever wondered how to weigh the testimony of a witness who walked away from the church but never walked

Tonight on Mormonism Live we celebrate the 5th anniversary of Mormonism Live. 5 years of in depth dives into Mormon History. 5 Years of examining the theology of the LDS Church, 5 years of current events. All on a weekly live show designed to entertain you! It’s our 5th Anniversary special, and we’re turning the show over to you. Call in and tell us your favorite episodes, your favorite RFM breakdowns, your favorite Bill Reel rants, the moments that shocked you, cracked you up, or helped you see Mormonism in a whole new way. Whether you’ve been with us since Episode 1 or joined somewhere in the chaos, this community has carried the show for five years and tonight we’re celebrating every wild, weird, hilarious, and meaningful moment we’ve created together. Come hang out, share your story, and help us look back on the episodes that shaped the conversation. If you want to support the work we do, donations for Mormonism Live can be made here: https://donorbox.org/mormonism-live And if anyone needs support dealing

Oliver Cowdery was more than Joseph Smith’s scribe. Oliver was a co-founder of the Mormon movement, a visionary of sacred experiences with Heavenly Messengers, and one of the three witnesses to the Book of Mormon’s golden plates as well as an angel. But what happens when that witness walks away? In this episode of Mormonism Live, we dive deep into Cowdery’s life, exploring his pivotal role in early Church history, his fiery fallout with Joseph, and the twists and turns of his life outside Mormonism and in the end, back in. Did he ever truly deny his testimony? Are there holes in his credibility? And what does his journey say about the reliability of the Book of Mormon’s origin story? Join us as we trace the complex, fascinating arc of a man who saw angels, practiced law, stood in courtrooms—and maybe stood on the edge of belief itself. CRUISE INFO: To Register For the Cruise – https://kheskethtravel.com/post-mormon-celebration-cruise Additional Info – https://mormondiscussionpodcast.org/post-mormon-cele

In this follow-up to “To Catch a Thief,” Radio Free Mormon and Bill Reel return with a deeper, wider investigation into the claims and credibility of Ward Radio’s Jonah Barnes. Last time, we showed clear evidence that Barnes lifted Eldon Watson’s Adam-God research and passed it off as his own. This time, we broaden the lens. RFM and Bill walk through a lineup of respected scholars and historians whose work directly contradicts Barnes’s narratives, exposing just how far he’s been stretching, bending, or outright stealing ideas to prop up his platform. When someone pretends to be a scholar but builds influence on borrowed work, eventually the bill comes due. But the story doesn’t stop at plagiarism. In this episode, we document an additional example of theft that goes well beyond plagiarism. This episode lays out the receipts. Clear. Detailed. Irrefutable. If you care about integrity in Mormon scholarship, or you’ve just been waiting for the sequel, this is the deep dive you’ve been asking for. ESOURCES: https:

In this episode, we break down the story of a Latter-day Saint Bishop who when he was currently serving when he officially stepped away from the Mormon Church. We’ll walk through what led to his decision, what he saw behind the curtain as a leader, and how the gap between the Church’s public messaging and its private reality became impossible for him to ignore. This isn’t just another faith transition story. It’s a rare account from someone who lived the system, moved up in the ward hierarchy, enforced the rules, and finally couldn’t keep pretending the narrative matched the facts. We’ll also talk about the fallout: how his ward reacted, how local leaders tried to handle the situation, and what this kind of departure says about the broader institutional cracks appearing inside modern Mormonism. It’s raw, honest, and a window into the experiences that thousands in leadership quietly wrestle with. Support Mormonism Live: https://mormonismlive.org/Donate-To-Mormonism-Live/ If anyone needs support dealing with sp

Mormonism Live’s Bill Reel & RFM dive deep into a recent claim by Ward Radio that the so-called “Adam God Doctrine” never existed. They sift through the documentary history, the original speeches, journal entries, and the commentary of leading Mormon scholars to see if the claim holds up. Did the doctrine ever exist? Was it… Read More »Mormonism’s Adam God Doctrine Never Existed ? The post Mormonism’s Adam God Doctrine Never Existed ? appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

This week on Mormonism Live, Bill Reel and Radio Free Mormon sit down with researcher Kolby Reddish for a fascinating deep dive into the Dead Sea Scrolls and what they reveal about the Book of Mormon’s ancient claims. Kolby walks us through the history of the Scrolls, what they actually contain, and how they’ve transformed… Read More »What Do The Dead Sea Scrolls Mean For The Book of Mormon? The post What Do The Dead Sea Scrolls Mean For The Book of Mormon? appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

Everyone knows Martin Harris as one of the Three Witnesses. But few know how strange, conflicted, and revealing his story really is. Was he a man of unwavering faith in the Truth… or a man chasing every new revelation that came along? In this episode of Mormonism Live, we dig into the real Martin Harris;… Read More »Martin Harris: Book of Mormon Witness Credibility Examined The post Martin Harris: Book of Mormon Witness Credibility Examined appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

Lee Krahenbuhl returns to Mormonism Live for a fascinating deep dive into some of the strangest and most unusual aspects of Mormon history. Discover the surprising connections between Brigham Young, matchmaking traditions, spirit messages from Joseph Smith, and the most famous magician of the 19th century.

Tonight on Mormonism Live, Bill Reel and Radio Free Mormon sit down with writer and blogger Sarah Steed, whose essays contain sharp insight, poetic honesty, and unflinching critique of LDS culture. Sarah’s work dives deep into the unspoken layers of Mormon life—gender, perfectionism, obedience, and the lingering ghosts of patriarchy that shape the spiritual experience… Read More »Sarah Steed: Unmasking Mormonism The post Sarah Steed: Unmasking Mormonism appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

In this special episode, we take a in-depth look at the life and ministry of Elder Dallin H. Oaks, who stands next in line to become President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Few leaders have been as controversial —from his time as President of BYU to decades in the Quorum of… Read More »The Preparatory Path of LDS Prophet Dallin H. Oaks The post The Preparatory Path of LDS Prophet Dallin H. Oaks appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

Mormonism Live uncovers the explosive history of the Reed Smoot Hearings (1904–1907)—a time when Mormon leaders, including President Joseph F. Smith, were forced to testify under oath before the United States Senate. What happens when prophets, seers, and revelators can no longer hide behind the pulpit and instead must answer blunt questions from skeptical senators… Read More »The Reed Smoot Hearings: When Mormon Prophets Tell The Truth The post The Reed Smoot Hearings: When Mormon Prophets Tell The Truth appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

What happens when a Mormon Apostle gets asked troublesome questions about Mormonism? In this episode of Mormonism Live, RFM and Bill Reel sit down with someone who had questions —hard questions — for the LDS Apostle about Mormonism. As the conversation unfolds, we witness a fascinating dynamic: a man taking a closer look at belief,… Read More »Personal Letter To Elder Renlund The post Personal Letter To Elder Renlund appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

What do Mormon temples and Masonic lodges really have in common? In this episode of Mormonism Live, Bill Reel and Radio Free Mormon dig deep into the original words of LDS leaders, historians, and first-hand witnesses to uncover the startling overlap between Freemasonry and the Mormon temple endowment. From Joseph Smith and Heber C. Kimball… Read More »Sacred or Stolen? Mormon Temples and Masonry The post Sacred or Stolen? Mormon Temples and Masonry appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

Join Bill Reel and Radio Free Mormon on Mormonism Live as we dig into the long and turbulent history of Joseph Smith’s run-ins with the law. From treasure digging charges in New York, to assault accusations in Ohio, to treason indictments in Missouri and Illinois, Joseph Smith’s life was marked by constant legal battles that… Read More »The Legal Battles of Mormonism’s Joseph Smith The post The Legal Battles of Mormonism’s Joseph Smith appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

Tonight on Mormonism Live, Bill Reel and Radio Free Mormon take on the brand-new video series “An Inconvenient Faith” — a polished production where scholars, researchers, and familiar voices inside and outside the LDS Church confront the most problematic issues in Mormonism.  We’ll break down the claims, highlight what the so-called “Experts” gets right (and… Read More »An Inconvenient Fraud The post An Inconvenient Fraud appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

Tonight on Mormonism Live, RFM and Bill Reel are joined by special guest John Dehlin of Mormon Stories to reflect on five decades of Sunstone—the symposium that has been at the heart of Mormon thought, scholarship, and counter-narratives for half a century. From its beginnings in the 1970s to its role today as a gathering… Read More »50 Years of Sunstone with Mormon Stories’ John Dehlin ! The post 50 Years of Sunstone with Mormon Stories’ John Dehlin ! appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.