Thank you so much, Ashly, for bringing Don’s story to us! I had never made the connection between the endowment and the brother of Jared’s experience seeing the Savior. Thank you, Don, for your humility and authenticity. I look forward to part 2!
I have come to conclude the following - I don't have a testimony of Church history - I have a testimony of MY history. I wasn't in KIrtland, Missouri or Nauvoo - but I have experienced the Divine on my knees, in the mountains, or with a convert that had just received a witness of the Restoration. In the end, the most important, life changing history is personal.
Well, there is that, but also it is important to realize that there are layers to it. The Spirit can confirm the truth of all things to us, including history. But, what can also happen is people mixing confirmations from the Spirit with other ideas and thoughts. So, the Spirit can confirm to someone that Joseph Smith was indeed called by God to restore the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but then add something unfounded to it such as their own personal understanding of historical events that wasn't actually part of what the Spirit confirmed to them. But, in their mind, it could create a schism later on when they are confronted with other information that contradicts or seems to contradict what they once thought was part of the confirmation of the Spirit, but actually never was. It was just an assumption on their part is all. Human nature and all that, we tend to assume because of one thing then surely the other thing as well. It is all good, mind you. God can work with all such weaknesses. Hence, no need to drop a perfect set of scriptures and manuals in Adam's lap. God gives us weaknesses and then works through them to produce wonderful stories and miracles such as Don.
It’s disheartening when the church pushes disinformation to push abuse& harm and constantly changes doctrine. How can you believe doctrine when precious doctrine was disavowed and when today’s doctrine will be disavowed in the future? Why does the church oppose science & 80% of American members oppose the love that Christ commands.
I love these. They give me hope for our two oldest girls who left the church and won't have anything to do with us either. They show me to never give up on them
Thank you for your comments regarding Brother Joseph. I love him and have never doubted that he was visited by Moroni or The First Vision. Joseph is one person I look forward to meeting when I return Home.
I had also seen what you said about the Freemasons and I had questions about it! I discussed it with my husband who didn't have answers. It didn't seem to bother him but it bothered me. I decided wait for further knowledge because I knew without a doubt that the Book of Mormon was true and that Joseph Smith was a true prophet. I had received a witness that I could not deny. And now this sweet brother on your amazing podcast has given me that answer! Im going to study it out for myself of course but now i have a hint of what and where to look for it and a way to see it with new eyes. Thank you soooo much! This has definitely strengthened my testimony! God bless you for this podcast!!! ❤️❤️❤️
Looking forward to the sequel. I loved the analogy of the Brother of Jared and the temple text showing Joseph translated long before he was ever a Mason.
Thank you for this interview! I haven't been a church historian but I love history as a discipline (my BA was a dual history/ philosophy major) and love that Don points out the reality that A. We find what we're looking for in terms of the questions we ask, and B. History we read is typically the conclusions of the person that wrote it based on their own questions and personal perspectives.
I have a good friend who left the church. Your story gives me hope for her. She's an intellectual. Perhaps she'll run across your work sometime. I can't introduce it because she won't listen...for now. I believe in the power of prayer.
What a great story analysis from Don. He is spot on about assessing motives. I am getting ready to have a back and forth conversation about the temple, and Don has helped my position, and I will use it.
My family and I visited the Louvre in Paris a few years ago. An area in that museum is dedicated to ancient Egypt. There were many stone caskets. These were usually made for their kings and queens. On the outside of these caskets were renderings of the people's who's physical remains were inside. As we were leaving an area, the clothing carved onto the king on this stone caught my attention. He was wearing long robes and a leaf covering around his waist. I walked closer and observed further that he was making signs of the endowment with his hands. I was astounded. I asked my husband on the other side of the room to come see this casket. I asked him if he observed anything unusual about this man. At first, he didn't. Then I said, "Look at what he is doing with his hands and observe his clothing." We both stood there humbled and amazed.
This was so excellent! I’ve always had a deep appreciation for Joseph Smith but we are constantly bombarded with purported negative stories about him. It’s very refreshing to see the perspective from a historian who is disillusioned by what he learned but then discovered that what he learned wasn’t exactly the way it seemed. Thank you for sharing!!
I have come back from a 30 year dyasporia- I did not lose my belief system or testimony of the Gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints over those years. I felt the company of the Holy Ghost always. Coming back was immediate after 3 decades of being connected but disconnected. I'm very grateful to hear this testimony and look forward to Part 2! For me coning back was the easiest decision i have ever made. The leaving was years of angst and painful unbelonging. The worst for a believer. Thank You
I've listened to, maybe, a dozen of the stories on this podcast (this is the third today!) but this is the first time I've commented. All of the stories are so honest, often raw and unflinching; there's humour and black humour, self-deprecation, but above all, sincerity. This particular story stands out to me because Don talks more about his experiences from an intellectual/mind perspective and that's where a lot of my own testimony is rooted. The gospel makes SENSE to me. I am not in a faith crisis situation, but many of my family are. Also fascinatinating to hear Don talk about the "fine tuning" of the universe! I've been listening to John Lennox, Michael Behe, and Steven Meyer (not sure if I've speeled all their names correctly) and they talk about fine-tuning, irreducible complexity, and other science-based evidences of God; not that I need that, but it is really fun to listen through. I love history and church history too. Thanks for what you're doing, it's excellent 😊
The very best guest ever! Thank you for introducing him to us. I am going to recommend everyone to watch and listen. I absolutely loved hearing his journey and return.
Thanks Ashley and Don! You said it well that when you said that our questions frame or shape our discovery. The key is ask the right questions and look for reasons and evidence to believe. Joseph Smith was religiously sincere. You are also religiously sincere. Thank you for your faith, testimony, and willingness to speak up and speak out! I am glad you both are back in the church.
Thank you, Don. Your work is outstanding, and always a pleasure listening to you talk about it. Really looking forward to part II :) As always, thank you to CBP
I am a big Don Bradley fan and was so excited to hear that he was going to be on this podcast. I’ve been waiting and watching for this and was riveted by his story, even though I’ve heard it before. But you’re right Ashley, this was more detailed. I will share this and be watching for part 2. Thank you both!
I've heard some of his story on channels about his book. I started the 116 pages book but I get sidetrscked. It's a great story because he comes from the intensive study and research community and it lead him back to the church.. He actually has validated a lot of the things that people question about Joseph and the Restored Gospel as being solids rather than murky points. A great story.
Such a great story and testimony .........I went to East High as well in SLC........I've been in and out of this Church as well and it was through many miracles that happened to me that has brought me back to this wonderful Church.
Amazing - this is a powerful and beautiful testimony. As someone who can sometimes be unfair and judgmental about people who have left the church, Don's experiences actually help me feel more love and compassion for others and more forgiveness for myself.
I always understood the Brother of Jared experience to be an endowment of sorts, but I can’t believe I never made those small (yet huge) connections to the temple endowment. Mind blowing!
Thanks, Don, for your story and testimony. It's very uplifting to hear about the scriptural evidence and the Spirit that worked together to guide your return. I look forward to reading your book The Lost 116 pages.
Just want to say that this was a total answer to prayer for me in a way that has truly made me feel seen by the Lord…for the last few months I have been really struggling with the idea of the church potentially being a product of free-masonry to help disseminate esoteric, and perhaps even occultic beliefs to the masses to help usher in the Age of Aquarius, i.e., the New Age, i.e., the New World Order…This probably sounds very strange, but the doubts were very real for me…I thought i had researched every faithful explanation to the churches ties to free-masonry and I never felt like my doubts were fully addressed…without going into too much detail, last week I found this video and reluctantly saved it to my “watch later” playlist and I started listening to it today and before Don even brought up the Masonry stuff, I began feeling Hope and Faith pour back into my soul…when I heard the part about The Brother of Jared and the veil, I immediately knew that Heavenly Father was addressing a doubt that I had no idea how to search out the answer for…Thank you so much Ashly for this podcast and thank you Don for being a conduit of revelation to my soul!
Yes! Joseph knew The Endowment very early on like 1828/29 maybe some of it aa soon as TFV. Between then and Nauvoo he figured out a container to put it in. The masons had a useful vocabulary to borrow, sort of in the same way the Isaiah chapters helped Joseph bring us some of The Book of Mormon.
Wow… amazing story. Thanks guys. By the way, in addition to what Don said about Joseph Smith and the temple, over a century after Smith’s martyrdom, non-LDS archaeologists discovered ancient docs known as the Nag Hamadi codixes that describe the ancient Christians doing temple rituals and sacred hand shakes, as well as eternal marriage. Temple garments were also discovered. Joseph Smith didn’t know anything about these docs as they were found in Egypt a century after him. Sunday eve - May 7, 2023.
@@Come.Back.Podcast The Question I have is who said that the Mormons are the church I'm still trying to figure this out, Now in the Bible we can read about When the Jesus church was started ( ACTS 7:37-38) Were there Any ( Mormons there No , Was Christ there ( Yes) 1 Corinthians 10: 1-5
@@Come.Back.Podcast See the Mormon church is going around saying that they are the church which is a lie let's see what happened to the Real church according to the Bible ( Deuteronomy 28 the Curses and the blessing let's see which one Israel chose ( Daniel 9:8-12) The Bible Clearly Tells us that All of Israel sinned against the most high, Now the Curses ( Deuteronomy 28:15-68) How many of the Curses fit the Mormon church ( None) They only fits GOD'S Church ( Leviticus 26:14-36 , Now let's see who GOD say his Priests Are ( Hosea 5:1) wait the Mormons say that they are the Priesthood but say that ( Israel is his Priests) Over and over the Bible clearly tells us that Israel is GOD'S Church the Mormon church organization is nothing but lies According to the Bible
@@Come.Back.Podcast What happened to the children of Israel the ( Church According to the Bible ( Isaiah 5:1-7,13, Luke 19:41-44, Luke 21:20-24, See the Mormons don't know is that GOD divorced ( Israel the Northern Kingdom Jeremiah 3: 6-8 , 12-15 , The 9 Tribes were taken by the Assyrians in 721 BC and if you Mormons don't think it's 9 Tribes let's see what the Bible says ( 2 Chronicles 11:13-15) , The Northern Kingdom of Israel today is in ( Africa) and Of Judah Benjamin and Levi are there Also but the Bible tells us that Judah would be scattered all over the world not ( Israel)
Thank you Don for sharing your beautiful story. Such an intelligent and thoughtful person. The Lord patiently guides us along our spiritual journey, as he gently yet powerfully witnesses truth to us.
At around 39:00 minutes Don talks about limiting questions. It’s worth listening to what he says a couple of times here. It is simply profound. Thank you
I love Don Bradley's story! The way his mind works makes me see how the Lord used him and his experience to help others. I love how no matter what we go through, the Lord can put it all together and make it work for good.
I love your podcast, it gives me so much hope, because none of my children are active. I tell everyone I know about your podcast. Keep up your great work.
Don Bradley is so wonderful! I've listened to all of his interviews (I think), and now I'm reading his latest book about the Missing 116 Pages, which has a ton of Book of Mormon history in it --- lots of stuff I've never seen anywhere else. He has such a great mind for details. I just love his story.
@@Come.Back.Podcast Where is it written in the Bible about the Mormon church being the church that Jesus started, Why isn't that scripture written in the Bible why didn't none of the Prophets of the Bible Mentioned such a church or the book of Mormon
@@Come.Back.Podcast Exodus 19:6 GOD was talking to a Nation of black people when he said that you will be a kingdom of priest to me, ( Where was the Mormons) Hosea 5:1 Call's Israel his priests where was the Mormon church, John 4:22 Jesus said Salvation is of the Jews where was the Mormon church,
@@Come.Back.Podcast the Bible Totally disproves the Mormon church as GOD'S Church So why does the Mormon church continue to spread lies and false Doctrine and Deceiving Millions of people
Another is how Joseph and his stories were accepted by his family. I just did a video with a friend talking about my prophetic gift, and how they are received. I have 8 children and only 1 is still active. As many of my experiences that I have had that will not allow me to Joseph Smith s prophetic calling under any circumstance, my children are not moved by them. My friend in the video says that it is hard to accept the idea of the kind of experiences I have .
Thanks so much Ashly for doing this podcast. Its nice to see so many people creating content which counters the vitriol others direct towards faithful members of the church. Ive subscribed!
Don thank you for sharing your story and the details behind it. I love your testimony of the Savior and the Prophet Joseph Smith. Seems like I saw you on a podcast several months ago where you had done some research on the possible connection of Joseph of Egypt and the origins of sword of Laban. I understand this to be theory not factual history but I would like to learn more about the basis of this potentially faith promoting theory. Thanks
This comment is just to be funny. I'm glad he was re-embraced, and overall I love and have loved being in the Church of Jesus Christ, but I wonder what reactions I'd get if I showed up today in my cute Grinch pajamas instead of Sunday best.
Thank you so much for youtr beautiful testimony. I would benefit greatly to understand more fully the many Book of. Mormon references that represent a foreshadowing of the temple endowment and the spiritual elements of entering God’s presence and partaking of the fruit of the tree of life. Have you considered writing a paper about that?
Ashly. You mentioned about struggling with Come Follow Me. Don’t worry. It can be hard. My brother has five children and they watch a Come Follow Me cartoon series on the Roku channel. I wish I knew exactly what it was. But there are tools out there to help you with CFM. I struggled with it as well with my kids. The Trick is establishing the habit and one message a night. Five minutes is all you need. Keep it simple. Use the tools out there. Good luck. Also take as many opportunities as you can to have organic gospel conversations with your children. That worked for me. I found the car was a great time to have conversations. I asked God to help me see the opportunities to have conversations with my kids and he delivered. 😊 You may already be doing that, but I thought I would share. ❤
How can I contact this man? I am feeling really drawn to his story and how it compares to my current life situation. I would love to connect with him and ask questions. Do you have any contact info for him? Thank you!
Notice that Don’s hinge was a spiritual experience that allowed him to reconsider his faith journey. The only thing that is going to get your friends that have left the church to come back are spiritual experiences.
I don’t know about that. 1/2 my wife’s family left the LDS faith and became JW’s. They all had religious experiences that told them to convert. Not one has come back. I don’t put much stock in religious or spiritual experiences. I think we as humans use them to justify a decision that was made for other reasons. Just an opinion.
@@Zeett09 I’m sure what you say happens. For me personally, my spiritual experiences are what brought me back. How does that explain other peoples spiritual experiences that contradict mine? I haven’t got a clue. All I know is we are responsible for our own lives and choices, and whatever comes after this life will be the ultimate leveller. Until then, what are the fruit of the tree I ascribe to? For me what is quantifiably verifiable is a deep, abiding peace in my life. A desire to want to love my enemy. Be patient. Be kind. Long suffering, temperate, chaste, sober, hard working, service and family oriented. Do I live up to these things always. No. That’s why they’re ideals. You work towards them. But even if my spiritual experiences are completely delusional, the net total of the gospel of Jesus Christ in the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is still profoundly positive. And that’s the WORST case scenario. It is an OUTSTANDING organisation. Far better than any of the toxic, festering soup, exmo groups I was apart of when I left, which are rife with their own hypocrisy and schisms. I’ll take my spiritual experiences over anyone else’s opinion of them every time.
Amen. I can’t speak for others, but I can never deny some very personal spiritual experiences that have hugely impacted my belief and testimony of the restored gospel. I still have lots of questions, but I know the church is true and love my life accordingly. I also think of all of the amazing members of the church and leaders I have known over the years and even though there are bad ones out there, the anti’s and ex’s seem to only focus on the bad ones and completely ignore so many incredible ones…and where does their fruit come from?
@@millennialfalkon I like your response. I’ve never had a spiritual experience. Neither has my wife. Neither of us are religious. I’m just a bit disappointed in the bickering between our religious family members. An individual’s spiritual experience may be a validation of their particular faith but why is it used as a weapon to invalidate a different faith? That’s part of my irritation with my divided family.
Hi Don. Full disclosure - I am a former member. Questions for you: 1. You mentioned a story about being warned not to step in front of a car. I have a similar experience. Why did you conclude that God was responsible for that warning? Is it possible it’s something else? 2. You talked about feeling “wave after wave of peace” after accepting Christ. How is your experience different from those of other faiths who experience something similar but it’s about the truth of Islam or Judaism, among other religions?
God speaks to all people he isn't a respecter of person whether they have a religion or not. As a black man should I leave the United States or another planet because of slavery.
@@jabulani22shepo61 Hello there. I didn't say God doesn't speak to all people, I asked how Don's experience telling him the Brighamite sect of Mormonism is true is different from someone having a similar experience telling them that Islam is true, or that Judaism is true. Not the same.
God pours light and truth onto all that will receive it. We all have the light of Christ. We all are old souls in that we are eternal spiritual beings. Honestly, it is near impossible to not have spiritual experiences. Even if you try. You can't hide from the light and truth. Having a spiritual experience doesn't mean one's journey is done. If one applies the light they have already received, they will receive more until they come unto the fullness of truth. And, we see that all the time. People often make the journey from one faith to another as they find more truth in other paradigms. For those of us already in the paradigm known as the doctrine of Christ has packaged in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we realize that the pursuit of truth is a lifetime endeavor.
@@KyleWright so , for example, God let’s people have spiritual experiences that make them think/feel Islam is true so they eventually find a fuller truth in Mormonism?
I am paraphrasing here, President Hinkley used to say that our missionary program is not meant to destroy the faith you already have, but to build upon the truths you have already discovered, by adding to them more truth, and expanding your understanding. Essentially, bring the truth you have, and we will see if we might help to fill in some of the gaps you have through experiences with the Holy Spirit, which will testify of all truth.
Question for Don prt. 2: some of the antics of Joseph Smith, and the way he used up councilors and wealthy supporters, then tossed them aside leads me to believe he was a sociopath. A gifted prophet, but personally, a sociopath. How do you deal with his human faults?
Loved the testimony!!! But wonder why all you nay sayers even listened? Why waste your time? Just to contend with others? That alone tells me all I need to know about you.
Don, have you read Joseph Smith Revealed by Whitney Horning? I am believing and feeling that Joseph, Hyrum and Emma told the truth about not practicing or participating in polygamy. They taught against it up to their deaths. I do believe that sealings were taking place, but not marriages that were polygamist marriages. Joseph had one wife, Emma. There seems to be many members who believe that Brigham introduced polygamy from his missionary experiences with the Cochranites. One of his plural wife's was previously a Cochranite. They practiced multiple wife's or spiritual wifery.
Don is a historian who has done decades of research with source materials. He probably knows more about Joseph Smith's polygamy than just about anyone living.
Steel man: Don left because he became convinced JS was an opportunist and he had no good answers to fine-tuning argument. Rebuttal: Not having an answer is not a good reason to posit unconfirmed "alternatives." God was once the explanation for literally all of the natural world and as science advances, the faithful move the goalposts. The goal posts should never have had to move if god is the answer. There is so much more to ask than, "Why does our universe appear to be fine-tuned?" Conclusion: Don left based on a myopic misunderstanding of the church and the natural world, he returned to the church based on a myopic misunderstanding of the church and the natural world.
Or, alternatively, God doesn't work the way you assumed is all. It is easy enough to prop up "This is God and This is the way it should be if there is a God like I think God should be" and then knock it down when something comes along that you think contradicts your hypothesis about God. Good old straw-man approach that is. As for the myopic comment. Everyone that has or ever has been is myopic in their thinking. Heck, we can't even see the full range of light with our human eyes, hear the full range of sound with our ears, etc. We are living in a very much veiled dimension. The science we have now is great and getting better all the time. But, it is just still a very small part of all that God, that master scientist will eventually make known to us. And, yet, the light and truth is there for the taking. Just sincerely apply what you currently believe, what you truly and deeply feel, and God will add line upon line to that. Just need to be honest with yourself and not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Apply, grow, add more light and truth, repeat. It is a never ending process in this life at least.
@Kyle Wright I have made no assumptions about god, in fact there is no good reason to believe, so I simply withhold belief. In order to make assumptions about how this being worked, I'd have to first accept the entity likely exists, which I cannot do given the current state of evidence. In the context of this video I assume you are defending the Mormon God? You cannot make statements of knowledge of god's commandments and in the same breath appeal to his working in "mysterious ways". That is both having your cake and eating it to. Humans are intrinsically myopic, this is why we must use tools that increase objectivity and reduce subjectivity, there are many such tools, but if we only lean on our personal understanding, all we'll ever get is a myopic perspective. How can you call god a scientist? Your arguing that we use tools that are known to lead to inaccurate conclusions? We have to remove subjectivity to get accurate information, not bow down to it. Why are we so critical of eyewitness testimony in a courtroom? It isn't useless, but we take it with a grain of salt because we know subjective thinking to be incapable of producing accurate information. This is solipsistic. The only area in life in which reason and rationality is suspended is to defend a god that was engrained in believers by culture and authority during their formative years, otherwise we tend to rely and submit to reason. But god is special so we make exceptions for him, why? Edit: I was not the one claiming to know God was an explanation for this or that in nature, that's on the faithful. But over time the faithful have been forced to admit god can no longer explain something as our understanding progresses. I merely expressed this as an observation, I claim no knowledge of the workings of god because I don't even know if he exists and can therefore not express belief.
@@millennialfalkon This video is attempting to appeal to nonbelievers through the sharing of an ex-mormon coming back to the fold. The reason one might wish to pay heed to my conclusion is because they do not wish to be fooled by faulty reasoning such as is contained in the interview. If this is about truth, then Don is making many, many mistakes. Which I have attempted to demonstrate. He clearly used erroneous thinking to justify leaving, which primed him for a later return also involving erroneous thinking.
@@DontDieSenpai well kudos on at least making an effort to structure your comment coherently. However it fails to account for the very real influence for good that came into Don’s, mine, Ashley’s and many others lives living the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I'll be real honest. Sure monogamy is the standard and should be the rule of the day , however, what people are not realizing that in a community of poor mate selections and few males, polygamy is a woman's right. Deniers of this are simply not genuine imo. Its framed as a man's smorgasboard because well...men. but to deny women who choose to practice such when directed by the spirit is to deny them productive fulfilling family life. Believe it. This is why scripture both supports and condemns it. context connotation and denotation and even the "best" experts on the topic ignore scripture routinely. when reference material is brought up they always say...ohhh I didn't know. which means they are either lying and think their lies are justified or...they are ignorant of the topic. You tell me. Consider it a woman's right and choice and decision and anyone can think of times some women and wives would choose it and welcome it.
Mormonism is very different from 2000 year old Biblical Christianity. For starters, and this is just the tip of the iceberg, Christianity is strictly monotheistic, while Mormonism is decidedly not.
Some Christians are more interested bickering than serving 🙄 It’s sad that so much historical conflict has been done in God’s name, without His authority.
Good brother/sister, so, let's see, 2 to 3 billion purported Christians on this planet right now and it is you who gets to define what is and isn't so? You get to say what is and isn't Christian doctrine? Which interpretation of scripture is correct? Who is really a Christian or not? And so on and so on? Please just disregard the existence of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We are very few in number compared to the remaining 2 to 3 billions purported Christians alive today. Now, having cleared your mind of that, consider: Who has the final say about Christianity? Keep in mind that there are literally tens of thousands of Christian denominations across the globe today. Further consider: No two purported Christians will agree on every last thing. In fact, no two Christians can agree on what is and isn't Christian scripture. On the one extreme, there are those that would say anything that is spoken or written down by someone that thinks they are inspired is scripture, regardless of the format. Including various art forms, songs, books, etc. On the other extreme, there are those that think only certain passages of what is currently considered by many Christians to be canonized scripture is actually legitimate (that is, they think there is fluff mixed in with the actual truth, the important stuff). Further, even for those that more or less agree that a particular collection of writings or the whatnot and translation thereof of scripture is indeed scripture (for example, in the Bible belt part of the United States, the KJV bible), no two purported Christians will agree on how to interpret each and every last verse contained therein. There simply is no 100% consensus. So, in a very real sense, there are as many denominations as there are purported Christians. Again, disregard the existence of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. See if you can sort out the conundrum of Christianity and, for that matter, all organized and disorganized religions for that matter outside of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Best of luck. Bonus tip: You can pray to God for the wisdom to sort it out. See James 1:5-6. In time, if you sincerely apply the light and truth God sends you, He will add more and more to your understanding. Line upon line. Precept upon precept.
@@delbert372who is it then? Currently deciding which church ill be joining and the LDS church has the spirit of the Lord to back it up. How do i know? Because im someone seeking the truth by the spirit and thats exactly what i find in the lds doctrine. Its been interesting listening to various churchs teach the gospel but fail to recognise it in each others beliefs. Christians today (including lds people) all worship the same Jesus. L
Thank you so much, Ashly, for bringing Don’s story to us! I had never made the connection between the endowment and the brother of Jared’s experience seeing the Savior. Thank you, Don, for your humility and authenticity. I look forward to part 2!
I have come to conclude the following - I don't have a testimony of Church history - I have a testimony of MY history. I wasn't in KIrtland, Missouri or Nauvoo - but I have experienced the Divine on my knees, in the mountains, or with a convert that had just received a witness of the Restoration. In the end, the most important, life changing history is personal.
Agreed. 100% agreed.
Best comment I’ve read in weeks. Right on
Well, there is that, but also it is important to realize that there are layers to it. The Spirit can confirm the truth of all things to us, including history. But, what can also happen is people mixing confirmations from the Spirit with other ideas and thoughts.
So, the Spirit can confirm to someone that Joseph Smith was indeed called by God to restore the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but then add something unfounded to it such as their own personal understanding of historical events that wasn't actually part of what the Spirit confirmed to them. But, in their mind, it could create a schism later on when they are confronted with other information that contradicts or seems to contradict what they once thought was part of the confirmation of the Spirit, but actually never was. It was just an assumption on their part is all.
Human nature and all that, we tend to assume because of one thing then surely the other thing as well. It is all good, mind you. God can work with all such weaknesses. Hence, no need to drop a perfect set of scriptures and manuals in Adam's lap. God gives us weaknesses and then works through them to produce wonderful stories and miracles such as Don.
@@KyleWrightwonderfully said! Thank you for your thoughts.
Epic
I love your channel. It’s so disheartening when one of us leaves our church family but so glorious when they return.
It’s disheartening when the church pushes disinformation to push abuse& harm and constantly changes doctrine. How can you believe doctrine when precious doctrine was disavowed and when today’s doctrine will be disavowed in the future? Why does the church oppose science & 80% of American members oppose the love that Christ commands.
I love these. They give me hope for our two oldest girls who left the church and won't have anything to do with us either. They show me to never give up on them
❤️ you and many, many other families. These stories are a balm for aching hearts.
@@sherigraham3873 amen
We all have questions… keep asking… one day they will be answered by our loving Father and His Son.
Thank you for your comments regarding Brother Joseph. I love him and have never doubted that he was visited by Moroni or The First Vision. Joseph is one person I look forward to meeting when I return Home.
46 V6 see 0see see no CT CT as 2 m, zzdvdsy,🎉
I had also seen what you said about the Freemasons and I had questions about it! I discussed it with my husband who didn't have answers. It didn't seem to bother him but it bothered me. I decided wait for further knowledge because I knew without a doubt that the Book of Mormon was true and that Joseph Smith was a true prophet. I had received a witness that I could not deny. And now this sweet brother on your amazing podcast has given me that answer! Im going to study it out for myself of course but now i have a hint of what and where to look for it and a way to see it with new eyes. Thank you soooo much! This has definitely strengthened my testimony! God bless you for this podcast!!! ❤️❤️❤️
Makes me want to learn more precious nuggets from Don! He has a wealth of knowledge!
Looking forward to the sequel. I loved the analogy of the Brother of Jared and the temple text showing Joseph translated long before he was ever a Mason.
One more testimony to me that the church es true thank you very much for sharing welcome back Don👏👏👏👏👏😊
Thank you for this interview! I haven't been a church historian but I love history as a discipline (my BA was a dual history/ philosophy major) and love that Don points out the reality that A. We find what we're looking for in terms of the questions we ask, and B. History we read is typically the conclusions of the person that wrote it based on their own questions and personal perspectives.
Totally agree
Every time I hear Don tell his story it makes me cry, also loved and learned from his book Lost 116 pages.
I have a good friend who left the church. Your story gives me hope for her. She's an intellectual. Perhaps she'll run across your work sometime. I can't introduce it because she won't listen...for now. I believe in the power of prayer.
What a great story analysis from Don. He is spot on about assessing motives. I am getting ready to have a back and forth conversation about the temple, and Don has helped my position, and I will use it.
My family and I visited the Louvre in Paris a few years ago. An area in that museum is dedicated to ancient Egypt. There were many stone caskets. These were usually made for their kings and queens. On the outside of these caskets were renderings of the people's who's physical remains were inside. As we were leaving an area, the clothing carved onto the king on this stone caught my attention. He was wearing long robes and a leaf covering around his waist. I walked closer and observed further that he was making signs of the endowment with his hands. I was astounded. I asked my husband on the other side of the room to come see this casket. I asked him if he observed anything unusual about this man. At first, he didn't. Then I said, "Look at what he is doing with his hands and observe his clothing." We both stood there humbled and amazed.
This was so excellent! I’ve always had a deep appreciation for Joseph Smith but we are constantly bombarded with purported negative stories about him. It’s very refreshing to see the perspective from a historian who is disillusioned by what he learned but then discovered that what he learned wasn’t exactly the way it seemed. Thank you for sharing!!
Wow, this man is brilliant. What an adventure listening to him go through his life's experiences.
Thank you for running this podcast. We need this! Everyone needs to hear these stories! This was so good.
Ashly know this as a pilipino member I really appreciate your channel I love it keep doing it sister
Thank you so much for this interview! So testimony-strengthening!
Your testimony makes me cry ,love you my brother thanku so so much for sharing,love from New Zealand
I have come back from a 30 year dyasporia-
I did not lose my belief system or testimony of the Gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints over those years. I felt the company of the Holy Ghost always. Coming back was immediate after 3 decades of being connected but disconnected.
I'm very grateful to hear this testimony and look forward to Part 2!
For me coning back was the easiest decision i have ever made. The leaving was years of angst and painful unbelonging. The worst for a believer. Thank You
I've listened to, maybe, a dozen of the stories on this podcast (this is the third today!) but this is the first time I've commented. All of the stories are so honest, often raw and unflinching; there's humour and black humour, self-deprecation, but above all, sincerity. This particular story stands out to me because Don talks more about his experiences from an intellectual/mind perspective and that's where a lot of my own testimony is rooted. The gospel makes SENSE to me. I am not in a faith crisis situation, but many of my family are. Also fascinatinating to hear Don talk about the "fine tuning" of the universe! I've been listening to John Lennox, Michael Behe, and Steven Meyer (not sure if I've speeled all their names correctly) and they talk about fine-tuning, irreducible complexity, and other science-based evidences of God; not that I need that, but it is really fun to listen through. I love history and church history too. Thanks for what you're doing, it's excellent 😊
The very best guest ever! Thank you for introducing him to us. I am going to recommend everyone to watch and listen. I absolutely loved hearing his journey and return.
The Heavens were rejoicing for you coming back. That's why you felt such peace!
This was so so good! Can’t wait for part✌🏻!
Wow, this was incredible! I can't wait for part 2!
Don Don Don!!!! Thank you so you testimony! Strengthens mine even more ❤
Love Don's story.
Thanks Ashley and Don! You said it well that when you said that our questions frame or shape our discovery. The key is ask the right questions and look for reasons and evidence to believe. Joseph Smith was religiously sincere. You are also religiously sincere. Thank you for your faith, testimony, and willingness to speak up and speak out! I am glad you both are back in the church.
Thank you, Don. Your work is outstanding, and always a pleasure listening to you talk about it.
Really looking forward to part II :)
As always, thank you to CBP
YAYAYAYAYA!!! Part 2!!!!
Can’t wait!!! 🙏🏻☀️🙏🏻🎉
I am a big Don Bradley fan and was so excited to hear that he was going to be on this podcast. I’ve been waiting and watching for this and was riveted by his story, even though I’ve heard it before. But you’re right Ashley, this was more detailed. I will share this and be watching for part 2. Thank you both!
I've heard some of his story on channels about his book. I started the 116 pages book but I get sidetrscked. It's a great story because he comes from the intensive study and research community and it lead him back to the church.. He actually has validated a lot of the things that people question about Joseph and the Restored Gospel as being solids rather than murky points. A great story.
Brad! Good to see your comment!
Thank you so much for your testimony! It was so inspiring!
Such a great story and testimony .........I went to East High as well in SLC........I've been in and out of this Church as well and it was through many miracles that happened to me that has brought me back to this wonderful Church.
would love to hear your story! email ashly.comebackpodcast@gmail.com
We are glad you are back!
Amazing - this is a powerful and beautiful testimony. As someone who can sometimes be unfair and judgmental about people who have left the church, Don's experiences actually help me feel more love and compassion for others and more forgiveness for myself.
love that
I always understood the Brother of Jared experience to be an endowment of sorts, but I can’t believe I never made those small (yet huge) connections to the temple endowment. Mind blowing!
@@Cyrusmagi proof of that assertion would lend your opinion more weight than just being another random talking head in the cyberspace ether
Thank you👍
Thanks for sharing your story Don.
I am grateful for this podcast. I look forward to hearing Part 2.
This is a beautiful message. His comments about the temple were so interesting.
Wonderful story. Thank you.
Your interviewing skills are exceptional.
Thanks, Don, for your story and testimony. It's very uplifting to hear about the scriptural evidence and the Spirit that worked together to guide your return. I look forward to reading your book The Lost 116 pages.
Hi Bro. & Sis. Stone, & all our Bro's & Sis's that came back, i sincerely thank our ETERNAL PARENT'S, for the amazing testimonie's.
Much love and respect for this channel. God bless you, Ashley, and your guests.
A truly inspiring story
Just want to say that this was a total answer to prayer for me in a way that has truly made me feel seen by the Lord…for the last few months I have been really struggling with the idea of the church potentially being a product of free-masonry to help disseminate esoteric, and perhaps even occultic beliefs to the masses to help usher in the Age of Aquarius, i.e., the New Age, i.e., the New World Order…This probably sounds very strange, but the doubts were very real for me…I thought i had researched every faithful explanation to the churches ties to free-masonry and I never felt like my doubts were fully addressed…without going into too much detail, last week I found this video and reluctantly saved it to my “watch later” playlist and I started listening to it today and before Don even brought up the Masonry stuff, I began feeling Hope and Faith pour back into my soul…when I heard the part about The Brother of Jared and the veil, I immediately knew that Heavenly Father was addressing a doubt that I had no idea how to search out the answer for…Thank you so much Ashly for this podcast and thank you Don for being a conduit of revelation to my soul!
Wow thank you for the incredible comment. So happy for you
Yes! Joseph knew The Endowment very early on like 1828/29 maybe some of it aa soon as TFV. Between then and Nauvoo he figured out a container to put it in. The masons had a useful vocabulary to borrow, sort of in the same way the Isaiah chapters helped Joseph bring us some of The Book of Mormon.
Beautiful journey. Thank you Don. I am really looking forward to hearing more.
Wow… amazing story. Thanks guys. By the way, in addition to what Don said about Joseph Smith and the temple, over a century after Smith’s martyrdom, non-LDS archaeologists discovered ancient docs known as the Nag Hamadi codixes that describe the ancient Christians doing temple rituals and sacred hand shakes, as well as eternal marriage. Temple garments were also discovered. Joseph Smith didn’t know anything about these docs as they were found in Egypt a century after him.
Sunday eve - May 7, 2023.
Love it I will look into that
@@Come.Back.Podcast The Question I have is who said that the Mormons are the church I'm still trying to figure this out, Now in the Bible we can read about When the Jesus church was started ( ACTS 7:37-38) Were there Any ( Mormons there No , Was Christ there ( Yes) 1 Corinthians 10: 1-5
@@Come.Back.Podcast ACTS 2:1-11 On the day of Pentecost Look at who was the church ( Jews) Where were the (Mormons)
@@Come.Back.Podcast See the Mormon church is going around saying that they are the church which is a lie let's see what happened to the Real church according to the Bible ( Deuteronomy 28 the Curses and the blessing let's see which one Israel chose ( Daniel 9:8-12) The Bible Clearly Tells us that All of Israel sinned against the most high, Now the Curses ( Deuteronomy 28:15-68) How many of the Curses fit the Mormon church ( None) They only fits GOD'S Church ( Leviticus 26:14-36 , Now let's see who GOD say his Priests Are ( Hosea 5:1) wait the Mormons say that they are the Priesthood but say that ( Israel is his Priests) Over and over the Bible clearly tells us that Israel is GOD'S Church the Mormon church organization is nothing but lies According to the Bible
@@Come.Back.Podcast What happened to the children of Israel the ( Church According to the Bible ( Isaiah 5:1-7,13, Luke 19:41-44, Luke 21:20-24, See the Mormons don't know is that GOD divorced ( Israel the Northern Kingdom Jeremiah 3: 6-8 , 12-15 , The 9 Tribes were taken by the Assyrians in 721 BC and if you Mormons don't think it's 9 Tribes let's see what the Bible says ( 2 Chronicles 11:13-15) , The Northern Kingdom of Israel today is in ( Africa) and Of Judah Benjamin and Levi are there Also but the Bible tells us that Judah would be scattered all over the world not ( Israel)
This was a great presentation. Really appreciate it!
Welcome back brother!
My Spirit/Soul in tears, amazing testimonies. everytime i watched Podcast. Bros's, Sis's, please keep up the amazing Podcast, Mankind needs it.
Bro. & Sis. Stone, please keep up the amazing Podcast, Mankind needs it. Our ETERNAL PARENT'S always bless you all. Amazing testimonie's.
Thank you Don for sharing your beautiful story. Such an intelligent and thoughtful person. The Lord patiently guides us along our spiritual journey, as he gently yet powerfully witnesses truth to us.
Love this
At around 39:00 minutes Don talks about limiting questions. It’s worth listening to what he says a couple of times here. It is simply profound. Thank you
I love Don Bradley's story! The way his mind works makes me see how the Lord used him and his experience to help others. I love how no matter what we go through, the Lord can put it all together and make it work for good.
I just love this podcast
Love this podcast. Don has a great story and Ashly is great at listening 🌞
Such a logical, rational journey. Love it. Logic wins again!! God bless!!
Wow. Just wow. Very deep and beautiful. Thanks for this!
Genesis 27 When Jacob dresses up like the firstborn son, and in his name gets a blessing, sounds a lot like an at the veil experience. Great Podcast.
Don is the man!
I love your podcast, it gives me so much hope, because none of my children are active. I tell everyone I know about your podcast. Keep up your great work.
You're the best!
Loved this!
This was wonderful. Thank you. I love history and if Don ever wants to hang out, I'll make hot chocolate.
Thanks
Love this!!! I so, want to hear part 2
Working on it!
I am so interested to hear your next podcast! I wish you would write a book with all your historical facts and where I could study too!
His new book contains a lot of church history facts
gregkofford.com/collections/don-bradley/products/the-lost-116-pages
Don Bradley is so wonderful! I've listened to all of his interviews (I think), and now I'm reading his latest book about the Missing 116 Pages, which has a ton of Book of Mormon history in it --- lots of stuff I've never seen anywhere else. He has such a great mind for details. I just love his story.
Thank you for sharing this about his book!
@@Come.Back.Podcast Where is it written in the Bible about the Mormon church being the church that Jesus started, Why isn't that scripture written in the Bible why didn't none of the Prophets of the Bible Mentioned such a church or the book of Mormon
@@Come.Back.Podcast Exodus 19:6 GOD was talking to a Nation of black people when he said that you will be a kingdom of priest to me, ( Where was the Mormons) Hosea 5:1 Call's Israel his priests where was the Mormon church, John 4:22 Jesus said Salvation is of the Jews where was the Mormon church,
@@Come.Back.Podcast the Bible Totally disproves the Mormon church as GOD'S Church So why does the Mormon church continue to spread lies and false Doctrine and Deceiving Millions of people
@@james8996 it’s there if you look. No one here has to prove anything to you. Your life is your own. To make a demand like that is pompous.
Wow! Amazing!! Love this!
Great video as always! He is amazing! And we really do have the most beautiful women in our Church!!!
Another is how Joseph and his stories were accepted by his family. I just did a video with a friend talking about my prophetic gift, and how they are received. I have 8 children and only 1 is still active. As many of my experiences that I have had that will not allow me to Joseph Smith s prophetic calling under any circumstance, my children are not moved by them. My friend in the video says that it is hard to accept the idea of the kind of experiences I have .
Amazing!
Thanks so much Ashly for doing this podcast. Its nice to see so many people creating content which counters the vitriol others direct towards faithful members of the church. Ive subscribed!
Don thank you for sharing your story and the details behind it. I love your testimony of the Savior and the Prophet Joseph Smith.
Seems like I saw you on a podcast several months ago where you had done some research on the possible connection of Joseph of Egypt and the origins of sword of Laban. I understand this to be theory not factual history but I would like to learn more about the basis of this potentially faith promoting theory. Thanks
This comment is just to be funny. I'm glad he was re-embraced, and overall I love and have loved being in the Church of Jesus Christ, but I wonder what reactions I'd get if I showed up today in my cute Grinch pajamas instead of Sunday best.
Has there been a Part 2 as mentioned at the end of the video? I didn't see it...
Not yet, Don has a lot going on so hopefully it won't be too long!
Do you know when you will be interviewing Don again in the part two?
We don't have an exact date set up yet but within the next few months most likely.
Thank you so much for youtr beautiful testimony. I would benefit greatly to understand more fully the many Book of. Mormon references that represent a foreshadowing of the temple endowment and the spiritual elements of entering God’s presence and partaking of the fruit of the tree of life. Have you considered writing a paper about that?
Ward Radio has a lot of episodes with him!
Is there a way to copy the link to this snd be able to post it in instagram ?
If you click the share button you will be able to copy the link!
I also had a voice warn me on a highway in Colorado. The warning came 3 times. From this I will never be able to dismiss the fact of God.
❤
Listening to Don talk about Joseph Smith is like listening to Truman G. Madsen speak on the same subject for the first time.
Ashly. You mentioned about struggling with Come Follow Me. Don’t worry. It can be hard. My brother has five children and they watch a Come Follow Me cartoon series on the Roku channel. I wish I knew exactly what it was. But there are tools out there to help you with CFM. I struggled with it as well with my kids. The Trick is establishing the habit and one message a night. Five minutes is all you need. Keep it simple. Use the tools out there. Good luck. Also take as many opportunities as you can to have organic gospel conversations with your children. That worked for me. I found the car was a great time to have conversations. I asked God to help me see the opportunities to have conversations with my kids and he delivered. 😊 You may already be doing that, but I thought I would share. ❤
I’m glad that you’re enjoying come follow me, let just remember - To each its own 🌞
@@_inveterate - I didn't know my comment reflected something other than - to each his own. Sorry if I gave the wrong impression.
@@rachelciarlante6039 ha. It think it has more to do with my reading comprehension than your writing skills
How can I contact this man? I am feeling really drawn to his story and how it compares to my current life situation. I would love to connect with him and ask questions. Do you have any contact info for him? Thank you!
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I agree. My testimony comes from my own personal experiences with the Holy Ghost.
100%
Notice that Don’s hinge was a spiritual experience that allowed him to reconsider his faith journey.
The only thing that is going to get your friends that have left the church to come back are spiritual experiences.
I don’t know about that. 1/2 my wife’s family left the LDS faith and became JW’s. They all had religious experiences that told them to convert. Not one has come back. I don’t put much stock in religious or spiritual experiences. I think we as humans use them to justify a decision that was made for other reasons. Just an opinion.
@@Zeett09 I’m sure what you say happens. For me personally, my spiritual experiences are what brought me back.
How does that explain other peoples spiritual experiences that contradict mine?
I haven’t got a clue.
All I know is we are responsible for our own lives and choices, and whatever comes after this life will be the ultimate leveller.
Until then, what are the fruit of the tree I ascribe to?
For me what is quantifiably verifiable is a deep, abiding peace in my life. A desire to want to love my enemy. Be patient. Be kind. Long suffering, temperate, chaste, sober, hard working, service and family oriented.
Do I live up to these things always. No. That’s why they’re ideals. You work towards them.
But even if my spiritual experiences are completely delusional, the net total of the gospel of Jesus Christ in the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is still profoundly positive.
And that’s the WORST case scenario.
It is an OUTSTANDING organisation.
Far better than any of the toxic, festering soup, exmo groups I was apart of when I left, which are rife with their own hypocrisy and schisms.
I’ll take my spiritual experiences over anyone else’s opinion of them every time.
Amen. I can’t speak for others, but I can never deny some very personal spiritual experiences that have hugely impacted my belief and testimony of the restored gospel. I still have lots of questions, but I know the church is true and love my life accordingly. I also think of all of the amazing members of the church and leaders I have known over the years and even though there are bad ones out there, the anti’s and ex’s seem to only focus on the bad ones and completely ignore so many incredible ones…and where does their fruit come from?
@@millennialfalkon I like your response. I’ve never had a spiritual experience. Neither has my wife. Neither of us are religious. I’m just a bit disappointed in the bickering between our religious family members. An individual’s spiritual experience may be a validation of their particular faith but why is it used as a weapon to invalidate a different faith? That’s part of my irritation with my divided family.
It's easy to be an objective observer when you have no skin in the game. It's not personal.
Hi Don. Full disclosure - I am a former member. Questions for you:
1. You mentioned a story about being warned not to step in front of a car. I have a similar experience. Why did you conclude that God was responsible for that warning? Is it possible it’s something else?
2. You talked about feeling “wave after wave of peace” after accepting Christ. How is your experience different from those of other faiths who experience something similar but it’s about the truth of Islam or Judaism, among other religions?
God speaks to all people he isn't a respecter of person whether they have a religion or not. As a black man should I leave the United States or another planet because of slavery.
@@jabulani22shepo61 Hello there. I didn't say God doesn't speak to all people, I asked how Don's experience telling him the Brighamite sect of Mormonism is true is different from someone having a similar experience telling them that Islam is true, or that Judaism is true. Not the same.
God pours light and truth onto all that will receive it. We all have the light of Christ. We all are old souls in that we are eternal spiritual beings. Honestly, it is near impossible to not have spiritual experiences. Even if you try. You can't hide from the light and truth.
Having a spiritual experience doesn't mean one's journey is done. If one applies the light they have already received, they will receive more until they come unto the fullness of truth. And, we see that all the time. People often make the journey from one faith to another as they find more truth in other paradigms.
For those of us already in the paradigm known as the doctrine of Christ has packaged in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we realize that the pursuit of truth is a lifetime endeavor.
@@KyleWright so , for example, God let’s people have spiritual experiences that make them think/feel Islam is true so they eventually find a fuller truth in Mormonism?
I am paraphrasing here, President Hinkley used to say that our missionary program is not meant to destroy the faith you already have, but to build upon the truths you have already discovered, by adding to them more truth, and expanding your understanding. Essentially, bring the truth you have, and we will see if we might help to fill in some of the gaps you have through experiences with the Holy Spirit, which will testify of all truth.
The gospel is true.
Question for Don prt. 2: some of the antics of Joseph Smith, and the way he used up councilors and wealthy supporters, then tossed them aside leads me to believe he was a sociopath. A gifted prophet, but personally, a sociopath. How do you deal with his human faults?
DC 132 was added after 8 years Joseph Smith died by BY,
There is a historical record. Have you read the Brian Hales books? or Bushman, or even Saints?
🤍🤍🤍
Speeled?! Spelled!!! 🤣🤣🤣
Loved the testimony!!! But wonder why all you nay sayers even listened? Why waste your time? Just to contend with others? That alone tells me all I need to know about you.
Well said.
Don, have you read Joseph Smith Revealed by Whitney Horning? I am believing and feeling that Joseph, Hyrum and Emma told the truth about not practicing or participating in polygamy. They taught against it up to their deaths. I do believe that sealings were taking place, but not marriages that were polygamist marriages. Joseph had one wife, Emma. There seems to be many members who believe that Brigham introduced polygamy from his missionary experiences with the Cochranites. One of his plural wife's was previously a Cochranite. They practiced multiple wife's or spiritual wifery.
Don is a historian who has done decades of research with source materials. He probably knows more about Joseph Smith's polygamy than just about anyone living.
Steel man: Don left because he became convinced JS was an opportunist and he had no good answers to fine-tuning argument.
Rebuttal: Not having an answer is not a good reason to posit unconfirmed "alternatives." God was once the explanation for literally all of the natural world and as science advances, the faithful move the goalposts. The goal posts should never have had to move if god is the answer. There is so much more to ask than, "Why does our universe appear to be fine-tuned?"
Conclusion: Don left based on a myopic misunderstanding of the church and the natural world, he returned to the church based on a myopic misunderstanding of the church and the natural world.
Or, alternatively, God doesn't work the way you assumed is all. It is easy enough to prop up "This is God and This is the way it should be if there is a God like I think God should be" and then knock it down when something comes along that you think contradicts your hypothesis about God. Good old straw-man approach that is.
As for the myopic comment. Everyone that has or ever has been is myopic in their thinking. Heck, we can't even see the full range of light with our human eyes, hear the full range of sound with our ears, etc. We are living in a very much veiled dimension. The science we have now is great and getting better all the time. But, it is just still a very small part of all that God, that master scientist will eventually make known to us.
And, yet, the light and truth is there for the taking. Just sincerely apply what you currently believe, what you truly and deeply feel, and God will add line upon line to that. Just need to be honest with yourself and not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Apply, grow, add more light and truth, repeat. It is a never ending process in this life at least.
@Nago that’s certainly one conclusion. However why would anyone pay any heed to it.
@Kyle Wright I have made no assumptions about god, in fact there is no good reason to believe, so I simply withhold belief. In order to make assumptions about how this being worked, I'd have to first accept the entity likely exists, which I cannot do given the current state of evidence.
In the context of this video I assume you are defending the Mormon God? You cannot make statements of knowledge of god's commandments and in the same breath appeal to his working in "mysterious ways". That is both having your cake and eating it to.
Humans are intrinsically myopic, this is why we must use tools that increase objectivity and reduce subjectivity, there are many such tools, but if we only lean on our personal understanding, all we'll ever get is a myopic perspective. How can you call god a scientist?
Your arguing that we use tools that are known to lead to inaccurate conclusions? We have to remove subjectivity to get accurate information, not bow down to it. Why are we so critical of eyewitness testimony in a courtroom? It isn't useless, but we take it with a grain of salt because we know subjective thinking to be incapable of producing accurate information.
This is solipsistic. The only area in life in which reason and rationality is suspended is to defend a god that was engrained in believers by culture and authority during their formative years, otherwise we tend to rely and submit to reason. But god is special so we make exceptions for him, why?
Edit: I was not the one claiming to know God was an explanation for this or that in nature, that's on the faithful. But over time the faithful have been forced to admit god can no longer explain something as our understanding progresses. I merely expressed this as an observation, I claim no knowledge of the workings of god because I don't even know if he exists and can therefore not express belief.
@@millennialfalkon This video is attempting to appeal to nonbelievers through the sharing of an ex-mormon coming back to the fold.
The reason one might wish to pay heed to my conclusion is because they do not wish to be fooled by faulty reasoning such as is contained in the interview.
If this is about truth, then Don is making many, many mistakes. Which I have attempted to demonstrate. He clearly used erroneous thinking to justify leaving, which primed him for a later return also involving erroneous thinking.
@@DontDieSenpai well kudos on at least making an effort to structure your comment coherently.
However it fails to account for the very real influence for good that came into Don’s, mine, Ashley’s and many others lives living the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I'll be real honest. Sure monogamy is the standard and should be the rule of the day , however, what people are not realizing that in a community of poor mate selections and few males, polygamy is a woman's right. Deniers of this are simply not genuine imo. Its framed as a man's smorgasboard because well...men. but to deny women who choose to practice such when directed by the spirit is to deny them productive fulfilling family life. Believe it. This is why scripture both supports and condemns it. context connotation and denotation and even the "best" experts on the topic ignore scripture routinely. when reference material is brought up they always say...ohhh I didn't know. which means they are either lying and think their lies are justified or...they are ignorant of the topic. You tell me. Consider it a woman's right and choice and decision and anyone can think of times some women and wives would choose it and welcome it.
Interesting perspective, thank you for sharing it!
Mormonism is very different from 2000 year old Biblical Christianity. For starters, and this is just the tip of the iceberg, Christianity is strictly monotheistic, while Mormonism is decidedly not.
Some Christians are more interested bickering than serving 🙄 It’s sad that so much historical conflict has been done in God’s name, without His authority.
@@millennialfalkon The Jesus of Mormonism is not the Jesus of the New Testament.
Good brother/sister, so, let's see, 2 to 3 billion purported Christians on this planet right now and it is you who gets to define what is and isn't so? You get to say what is and isn't Christian doctrine? Which interpretation of scripture is correct? Who is really a Christian or not? And so on and so on?
Please just disregard the existence of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We are very few in number compared to the remaining 2 to 3 billions purported Christians alive today.
Now, having cleared your mind of that, consider:
Who has the final say about Christianity?
Keep in mind that there are literally tens of thousands of Christian denominations across the globe today.
Further consider:
No two purported Christians will agree on every last thing.
In fact, no two Christians can agree on what is and isn't Christian scripture.
On the one extreme, there are those that would say anything that is spoken or written down by someone that thinks they are inspired is scripture, regardless of the format. Including various art forms, songs, books, etc.
On the other extreme, there are those that think only certain passages of what is currently considered by many Christians to be canonized scripture is actually legitimate (that is, they think there is fluff mixed in with the actual truth, the important stuff).
Further, even for those that more or less agree that a particular collection of writings or the whatnot and translation thereof of scripture is indeed scripture (for example, in the Bible belt part of the United States, the KJV bible), no two purported Christians will agree on how to interpret each and every last verse contained therein. There simply is no 100% consensus.
So, in a very real sense, there are as many denominations as there are purported Christians.
Again, disregard the existence of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. See if you can sort out the conundrum of Christianity and, for that matter, all organized and disorganized religions for that matter outside of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Best of luck.
Bonus tip: You can pray to God for the wisdom to sort it out. See James 1:5-6. In time, if you sincerely apply the light and truth God sends you, He will add more and more to your understanding. Line upon line. Precept upon precept.
@@delbert372who is it then? Currently deciding which church ill be joining and the LDS church has the spirit of the Lord to back it up. How do i know? Because im someone seeking the truth by the spirit and thats exactly what i find in the lds doctrine. Its been interesting listening to various churchs teach the gospel but fail to recognise it in each others beliefs. Christians today (including lds people) all worship the same Jesus. L
@@Crikey420 Are you currently carefully researching high-level evangelical critiques of Mormonism?