Radio Free Mormon - Mormon Discussion Inc

Latest Episodes:

RFM: 282: Why is RFM Such an SOB? May 27, 2023

Show notes

On the May 17, 2023 episode of Mormonism Live, a listener named Justin called into the show.

Justin identified himself as a believing Mormon. I took the opportunity to ask Justin a series of questions about his beliefs regarding what a prophet could do that would be so bad that Justin would no longer consider him a prophet.

A number of listeners have provided feedback to that segment that was highly critical of the way I conducted myself.

This episode is my response to that listener feedback.

Mormonism Live: 129: How The Mormon Church Got Its Name May 25, 2023

Show notes

In this video we delve into the history behind how the LDS Church came to have its name and how its official name has changed from its inception to today. And along the way we learn about the use and meaning of the word Mormon as well as how the Church went from “Latter Day Saints” to Latter-day Saints” and you won’t believe how much went into a hyphen and a lower case letter d.

RESOURCES:

https://archive.org/details/EveningAndMorningStar18321834/page/n161/mode/2up – 1834 change to Church of the Latter Day Saints

https://byustudies.byu.edu/online-chapters/volume-2-chapter-5/ – History of The Church noting the 1834 Name change

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/115?lang=eng

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1990/04/thus-shall-my-church-be-called?lang=eng

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2018/10/the-correct-name-of-the-church?lang=eng

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1990/10/mormon-should-mean-more-good?lang=eng

https://archive.org/details/TimesAndSeasonsVol4/page/n307/mode/2up

https://www.mormondialogue.org/topic/43668-new-evidence-that-church-was-organized-at-fayette/

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/sample-of-pure-language-between-circa-4-and-circa-20-march-1832/1

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/book-of-commandments-1833/14

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/revelation-march-1829-dc-5/1#source-note

RFM: 281: My Debate with a Church of Christ Minister! May 20, 2023

Show notes

At the zenith of my Mormon apologetics back in 1990, I engaged in a public debate with a Church of Christ minister from Austin, Texas.

This is the story of that debate.

Gone In 60 Minutes: Mormonism Live: 128 May 18, 2023

Show notes

This past week 60 Minutes the CBS TV Journalism Show covered the event of the Church having its finances exposed by whistleblower David Nielson. We take a look at what was said…. and what wasn’t in this weeks episode of Mormonism LIVE! “David Nielsen is a former investment manager for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who became a whistleblower regarding the church’s finances and tax-exempt status. Nielsen accused the church of hoarding billions of dollars it has not paid taxes on and asked the IRS to strip the church of its tax-exempt status. Nielsen argued that the church owes billions in taxes, and he wants a cut of that as part of a reward offered by the IRS for reporting tax-related offenses.”

RESOURCES:
(2038) Mormon whistleblower: Church’s investment firm masquerades as charity | 60 Minutes – YouTube
60 Minutes – Bishop defends the Church’s investment fund | Facebook (60 Minutes Overtime)
The Perpetual Education Fund (churchofjesuschrist.org)
The Perpetual Education Fund (churchofjesuschrist.org) (Gordon Hinckley’s talk)
Structure of the Corporation of The President / Bishopric (Actual LDS “Church”) | Exploring Mormonism (LDS HOLDINGS)
A look at the LDS Church’s legal legacy as a corporation (The Merging of the two corporations)
https://widowsmitereport.wordpress.com/60minutes/

The Greek Psalter Incident – Another Tale of Translation: Mormonism LIVE: 127 May 11, 2023

Show notes

The story of Joseph Smith and Henry Caswall (Caswell) and the Greek Psalter incident is a historical event that took place in 1842 in Nauvoo Ill.. During his visit to Nauvoo, Illinois, where the Mormon Church was headquartered at the time, Caswall met with Joseph Smith. Caswall showed The Prophet a ancient document which Caswall knew to be a “Greek Psalter” or book of Psalms in the Greek language. Caswall claimed that Smith insisted the Psalter was actually a Dictionary for Egyptian Hieroglyphics book was a translation of an ancient record that he had received through divine revelation. Caswall declared that it was nothing more than an ancient Greek Psalter.

As RFM and Bill dig into this story they discover that that Mormonism fares worse than we first thought and the problems reach as high as Jacob’s Ladder.

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RESOURCES:
http://www.olivercowdery.com/smithhome/1840s/1842Cas1.htm
http://www.mormonthink.com/greekweb.htm
http://www.centerplace.org/history/ts/v4n23.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Greek_Psalter_Incident
https://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/digital/collection/BOMP/id/3750
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol35/iss4/8/
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3085&context=byusq https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Question:_Did_Joseph_Smith_misidentify_a_Greek_%22psalter%22_as_a_containing_%22reformed_Egyptian%22_hieroglyphics%3F
https://lifeafterministry.com/2014/03/the-greek-psalter-incident/
https://lifeafter.org/greek-psalter-incident/
https://rsc.byu.edu/approaching-antiquity-joseph-smith-ancient-world/joseph-smiths-awareness-greek-latin https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Criticism_of_Mormonism/Websites/MormonThink/The_Greek_Psalter_Incident
http://www.sidneyrigdon.com/dbroadhu/il/sign1843.htm#1118
https://web.archive.org/web/20130701182744/
http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/display/pdf.php?table=review&id=513
http://www.truthandgrace.com/The_city_of_the_Mormons.pdf
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/fragment-of-book-of-breathing-for-horos-a-between-238-and-circa-153-bc/1
https://archive.org/details/cityofmormonsort01casw/page/20/mode/2up
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/fragment-of-book-of-the-dead-for-nefer-ir-nebu-circa-300-100-bc/1
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/fragment-of-book-of-breathing-for-horos-a-between-238-and-circa-153-bc/1
https://www.agefotostock.com/age/en/details-photo/the-weighing-of-souls-chapter-125-of-the-book-of-the-dead-detail-of-the-papyrus-of-tasnakht-egyptian-civilisation-late-period/DAE-11127820

RFM: 280: Compelling Reasons to Doubt Mormonism! May 07, 2023

Show notes

In a strange twist of fate, my old missionary companion, Kyle McKay, has become not only a General Authority, but also the Church Historian!

Now Kyle gets the chance to have his old missionary companion do a dissection of the talk he gave at BYU-Idaho on April 25, 2023; a talk many consider to be one of the most controversial talks given by a church leader in recent memory!

It has taken Kyle 43-years to prepare himself to give this talk.

It has taken me 43-years to prepare myself to break it down!

Mormons & Muskets with Jim Bennett: Mormonism Live: 126 May 04, 2023

Show notes

RFM and Bill sit down with Jim Bennett to discuss his recent appearances on “Midnight Mormons” and take a look at all the rhetoric around violence in Mormonism including the musket talk by Elder Holland but with an updated and focused discussion around whether such a talk is fueling the very violent threats and rhetoric that critics of Holland’s talk have suggested could be the outgrowth of the “Musket” talk and the lack of the LDS Church in official channels condemning such rhetoric.

RESOURCES:

207: Nephi’s Faith Transition – Mormon Discussions Podcasts – Full Lineup (mormondiscussionpodcast.org)
Radio Free Mormon: 18: Make Way For Dodos – Radio Free Mormon
The Trial of Jim Bennett! – YouTube
The Trial of Jim Bennett! – YouTube
The Trial of Jim Bennett! – YouTube
The Trial of Jim Bennett! – YouTube
The Trial of Guatemax! – YouTube
Radio Free Mormon VS Midnight Mormons – The Debate – YouTube
The Trial of Guatemax! – YouTube
The Trial of Guatemax! – YouTube
The Trial of Guatemax! – YouTube

Radio Free Mormon: 279: Red-Handed! How the First Presidency Got Caught Breaking the Law! Apr 29, 2023

Show notes

A new BOMBSHELL report lays out how the First Presidency not only actively engaged in defrauding the Federal Government in the SEC Scandal, but also how the First Presidency is still actively engaged in deceiving its own members by portraying themselves as innocent of any wrongdoing!

You just can’t make this stuff up!

I am joined in this analysis by University of Illinois Assistant Professor of Accounting Spencer Anderson.

Special thanks to the WIDOW’S MITE REPORT for researching and discovering this groundbreaking information!

Mormonism Live: 125: Gospel Fully Restored or Just The Beginning Of An Ongoing Restoration? Apr 27, 2023

Show notes

When the Phrase “Ongoing Restoration” showed up around 2020 Critics paused as this seemed to be the Church saying something different as if the Church now wanted the restoration to be much earlier in its stage of development than had been intimated in the past. So Bill & RFM take long look over Mormonism’s history to see what has been said and what it might mean.
RESOURCES:
https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2021/01/26/mormon-land-how-lds/
https://youtu.be/v43WkDalVAs?t=114
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/latter-day-saint-prophet-wife-apostle-share-insights-global-ministry?lang=eng#churchofjesuschrist
https://youtu.be/n49OhL-NbVY?t=15
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2020/04/the-ongoing-restoration?lang=eng
https://youtu.be/MvVtCKHarI0?t=62
https://youtu.be/AN6e4IQBLWs?t=798
https://youtu.be/AN6e4IQBLWs?t=896
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7NHQ8v-bmY&t=429s
https://youtu.be/I7NHQ8v-bmY?t=537
https://youtu.be/jdUeOY-hA1c?t=388
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2006/10/the-gathering-of-scattered-israel?lang=eng
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2005/11/truth-restored?lang=eng
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/SUNDAY-INTERVIEW-Musings-of-the-Main-Mormon-2846138.php
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-ldzfaB33n8oXeI00ttom_i6WUTGeFPD?usp=share_linkhttps://speeches.byu.edu/talks/gary-e-stevenson/the-ongoing-restoration/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKH4vU1EiB4

Biblical Scholarship with Dan McClellan: Mormonism LIVE: 124 Apr 24, 2023

Show notes

In this week’s edition, RFM and Bill sit down with Dan McClellan, former scripture translation supervisor for the LDS Church.

Dan received his bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University in ancient Near Eastern studies, where he focused on Biblical Hebrew and minored in Classical Greek. He completed a master of studies in Jewish studies at the University of Oxford in July of 2010 and a master of arts in biblical studies at Trinity Western University just outside of Vancouver, BC. His areas of specialization are Second Temple Judaism, early Israelite religion, and textual criticism of the Hebrew Bible.

RESOURCES:

https://rsc.byu.edu/author/mcclellan-daniel-o

https://www.tiktok.com/@maklelan?lang=endanielomcclellan.com/

https://hcommons.org/members/maklelan/

https://rsc.byu.edu/vol-20-no-2-2019/far-it-translated-correctly-bible-translation-church