Why LDS Polygamy and Joseph Smith Historian Left and Came Back to the LDS Church (Pt One) | E0012
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- čas přidán 29. 06. 2024
- For Episode 12 of Let’s Get Real with Stephen Jones, we discuss why LDS Polygamy and Joseph Smith Historian Don Bradley left and came back to the LDS Church.
CHAPTERS
00:00 - Intro
01:35 - "Pioneer Day 2005, I hand-delivered my resignation letter to my Bishop."
12:21 - "My first doubts came because of Family Home Evening."
20:25 - "I had had powerful experiences. Were they from God or from my own mind?"
31:09 - "Joseph Smith is not the exemplar."
41:35 - "What was the last straw when I did stop believing?"
50:20 - "I was an Ex-Mormon Atheist living on the Wasatch Front." | Life After Leaving
52:49 - "When I was an Ex-Mormon Atheist, I got hired by Brian Hales to research Joseph Smith and Polygamy.
01:01:16 - Coming Back
01:11:07 - "If that voice hadn't warned me, I would have died . . . If I really want to find truth, I need to start looking at both sides again."
"One of the most tragic things in my life happened."
01:23:05 - "I remembered one of the things that helped me feel closer to Christ was reading the Book of Mormon."
1:26:13 - "I found a little-known account of the first vision."
Don's book The Lost 116 Pages: Reconstructing the Book of Mormon's Missing Stories:
www.amazon.com/Lost-116-Pages...
Don Bradley's Academia.edu page, with several of his publications, including one on the John Alger account of the First Vision:
josephsmithpapers.academia.ed...
Welcome back Brother Don. I went away from the church for 16 years and came back a few years ago. My wife and I got sealed and the rest is history. I feel like I’m on fire on most days and am so thankful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
^_^ Great, help me understand this,
Joseph Smith said :
" I have more to boast of than ever any man had. I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam. A large majority of the whole have stood by me. Neither Paul, John, Peter, nor JESUS ever did it. I boast that no man ever did such a work as I. The followers of Jesus ran away from Him; but the Latter-day Saints never ran away from me yet."
Joseph Smith
(History of the church, Volume 6, chapter 19, p.408)
Is it TRUTH that Joseph Smith is better than Jesus-Christ ?
Ask your ❤️
@@marquitaarmstrong399 ^_^ Don't be deceive !
Not your heart, examine your SCRIPTURES !
@@apologetiquesinvestigations…. He was speaking of the loyalty of the members … to him. Where even Christ was denied by Peter… three times… and of course betrayed by Judas. He was boasting about the commitment and conviction of the saints at the time. Never, not once did he claim to be better than Christ. ❤
@@beckischreyer ^_^ when joseph smith said " Neither Paul, John, Peter, nor JESUS ever did it. I boast that NO man EVER did such a work as I."
I disagree.
it is the branch which says it does not need the trunk, it is the toe which does not need the head. Ridiculous !
The Bible say Jesus-Christ is the head of the Church. No one can do what he did on Earth, also withouth him.
joseph smith was a false prophet !
"These people (in the Bible) were not meant to be our exemplars. We only have one Exemplar: Jesus Christ." That is one of the most profound things I have heard.
I left and came back to the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints. The Holy Ghost has testified to me Joseph Smith is a prophet of God.
I'm a lifelong faithful member of the church, now in my early 60's. I say this to preface my comment here. I found your channel and this great video just having it come up randomly in my feed and autoplay just playing this video without me actually choosing to watch. I'm so glad I found this interview. The arguments the guest, Don, makes are ones that I've come to adopt slowly over decades, literally decades. Don articulates his thoughts and feelings as well as anyone I've listened to. His ability to illuminate topics we all talk about, think about, question, and so on, is just outstanding. I'm grateful for church members like Don that are sincere, intelligent and thoughtful. I've come to find also, that there are many more members like Don than we would think there are, I suppose because their personalities are more reserved. So thank you, Don, for being one of those "thoughtful, intelligent" members that is also willing to share to the benefit of the rest of us more reserved types, and for those looking for answers and struggling within the faith. And of course, thanks to this channel for such an excellent program!
It’s not random this video was recommended to you. The algorithm knows you trend towards mormon discourse or religion. The auto play feature is an automatic tool CZcams has made to get people engaged sooner to stay on the platform longer.
It’s not “coincidence” or a freaking sign from god. It’s literally a tech company knowing what you already want.
So excuse everything Joseph Smith did...it's all aok, since he was just a man...and TRUST everything he said or claimed about religious things????
@@joshkeeton9616 A blessing nonetheless!
@@krismurphy7711 Rather, trust in God. Joseph Smith taught and directed people to God, it's up to us to develop a personal relationship with The Good Lord (even if we perceive it difficult). Joseph Smith actually displayed a good example of this when in Liberty Jail as he felt abandoned by God; yet, he learned for himself that God was with him (and the other Saints) along the way.
Yes, as Don explains in some of his research & findings that there were some times when Joseph Smith did things which were not in alignment with the Lord's teachings, but this does not mean that the Lord wouldn't keep Joseph Smith as His prophet. The things which Joseph Smith did which were not good & Christian don't need to be "excused" - matter of fact, researching and understanding all that Joseph Smith did in his life is of great importance when looking at him through a historical lens (beauties and blemishes alike) - however, that also doesn't mean we ought to hold onto his follies with a vindictive grudge. It's best to avoid extremes of seeing Joseph Smith as "the perfect prophet", or "the fallen fool", or even the view Don once held him to be "an opportunist".
Such surface-level paintings of Joseph Smith should be avoided because they are too shallow from an honest historian's perspective, and dishonest from a truth seeker's view. There is always new information rolling in from history (some of which has wiped away assumptions of both "perfect morality", and "evil schemes"), and we will get closer to truth as we seek it out, and as the Lord sees fit to give.
But the mormon god is still a huge polygamist out there in the Kolob System???
Stephen - When you mentioned that you would share something later with him that was too sacred to share publicly, I felt the Spirit so powerfully. That kind of reverence is just not something I see on many Christian podcasts and it reminded me that, as Latter-Day Saints, we truly reverence the things of God and that we always submit to a higher authority than ourselves. I appreciate your humility in all these discussions and your eagerness to learn. It inspires me to dig deeper and have more faith in Christ. Thanks for all you do.
But Jesus never taught temple marriage, 3 heavens, or polytheism.
Joseph Smith taught those things.
@@3thingsfishing427%100
@@3thingsfishing427 Amos 3:7 - Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
We also don't assuredly know whether or not The Good Lord taught these things while ministering personally on the earth, but if He did, and that knowledge was lost, he would naturally find a way to restore such truths. i.e. - His prophets. (plus, there are a couple of other scriptures that mention 3 heavens, and the plurality of deity.)
@@mr.mensch1557Especially adding in apocryphal texts, so much of God’s word was lost (not saying we should bring it back, God was prepared). There is a lot of restored doctrine, including mind- blowing specific temple details that are in it. So I see his point… but I would love to hear why he thinks God couldn’t have implemented such teachings.
A few years ago, as I was preparing to serve a mission my cousin visited me at my house one night evening. After learning that I was going to serve a mission, she asked me a pretty compelling question that changed my entire life. "Do you know that the Church is true?" She said, "Do you know that the Book of Mormon is really true?" I was stunned. For the first time in my life, I dug deep into whether I really knew these things to be true or not. I grew up in the church, my dad served as a Stake President before and I've always known that I had to go on a mission. I've always been taught that these were true but I never really had a solid testimony of these things. My cousin, seeing at that time that I couldn't answer her straight, she said, "If you don't know these things yet, please hold your feet that you won't go on a mission because you will just go home." For me, that was a really pivotal moment in my life. So I dedicated a year for me to really know if these things I have been taught all my life.
In my search for the truth, I have found out through the Holy Ghost that these are really true. That the Book of Mormon is really indeed a word and a work of God. Joseph Smith was called to be a prophet. I know it and I could not deny it.
It is amazing to search for whether Joseph was a legitimate writer or storyteller or whether the Book of Mormon really does connect with the Bible or gives facts about Jesus Christ but I think the most important thing we can do or what matters the most is we will know if the Book of Mormon is true or not. If we believe in God, then we know that He listens and hears our prayers. We can ask. If God lives, He will answer.
Through the Book of Mormon, I have come much closer to Jesus Christ along with the Bible. I don't believe it is the work of the adversary himself to make such a thing only for you to have a stronger belief and faith in Jesus Christ. We can always ask, and we can always get answers from the right sources. I used to be a person where everything has to make sense and everything has to connect logically but these things are spiritual, and they can be answered spiritually because Jesus can.
Now apply that to everything else. I also gained my testimony if the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith right before I served a mission. I assumed that meant the church was infallible. It took me almost 20 years to listen to the Spirit testify that polygamy is of the devil and that Joseph never taught nor practiced it. I was trying to study section 132 in preparation to review it with my family as part of our home study. The Spirit smacked me so hard I could no longer ignore it. I had accepted it as a higher law that didn’t make logical sense but was perfectly fine to continue believing that for the rest of my life. God had other plans and I’m meeting more and more people who are receiving the same revelation at the same time
@@ozzypawsborneprinceofbarkness honest question here, isn't their proof that he was married and sealed to a lot of women? so I'm wondering how you can say that he didn't practice it, maybe I'm naive idk, trying to figure out a bunch of questions myself :)
@@mrwigglyfingers9377 all of the "proof" can be proven to be manufactured or at least very questionable. This is why we've been told to never look any deeper than the official church narrative. Joseph strictly preached against polygamy up to the day he died. Emma didn't abandon the church, Brigham and his wicked polygamist friends left the church to start their own in the west where they thought the government couldn't interfere with their polygamy.
@@mrwigglyfingers9377there sure is, but many want to overlook it. Especially if they’re from the Doctrines of Christ group. I understand they feel their way, I counter it and bear testimony that polygamy is a celestial law when the Lord uses it for His own ways and purposes. I have a strong testimony for someone that doesn’t have to practice it.
I always had issues with polygamy and just kind of ignored it, mentally chalking it up that I would deal with understanding that in the next life.
I heard a speaker say this life is the time to work on our testimonies of the doctrine of the gospel, that if we don’t have a testimony here, it doesn’t happen very easily in the next life and can hold us back. I was cool with that, I have strong testimonies of the individual doctrines and eternal laws of the gospel.
The Spirit whispered, what about polygamy. I cringed, and ignored it. It really bugged me for a few weeks so I finally deep a huge deep dive on the subject. I now have a strong testimony of celestial plural marriage in the Lord’s way, when He institutes it as He did in Joseph’s time. I have been blown away how intricate it is and why some are called to the practice.
Ever since then, when sharing the gospel with others to gather Israel, this has come up, but unlike before when I would just point out the practice of it in the Bible I can bear a testimony of it and the eternal principles of the why but I strongly encourage them to get on their knees and take it to the Lord. I have noticed those that have joined the church after taking it to the Lord like suggested have not had issues with it, and have been able to grow beautiful testimonies on the Savior’s restored gospel and His eternal loans and doctrines. I know this is why the Spirit worked this eventual (I did try to put it off originally, lol) desire to understand this principle, and I am grateful for not shying away from this in our history anymore.
I feel like such a doofus listening to Don speak and realizing that all this has been staring me in the face for so long and I'm just now understanding it....because of people like Don Bradley. It amazes me that the Lord uses "unusual people" to do "unusual things". So many are worried about fitting into a template that someone else outlined, but the Lord Jesus Christ's own mortality was not usual. Joseph and Mary had a very unusual story to tell and the outcome of their lives in raising the Messiah, the Son of God changed all of us. Don's life is not the usual "good Mormon boy" kind of story, and I'm sure he's got some heartache, like the rest of us, but wow, what a comeback! Thanks Don - for being you and trusting in God.
@kz6fittycent - Thanks! I'll accept being "unusual" in a good way! =P
@@onandagus1 you should take it in the best way brother
This is a really good point. I like the way you worded that
Don's powers of logic and deduction are just wonderful. Truly a gift. One of my very favorite scholars to listen to.
Thank you for sharing. MANY are returning after their trial STRONGER than ever.
And many don’t 🤖
The podcast “The Come Back Podcast” has a lot of those stories.
@@Tova-Barintheir stories aren’t done being written, and the Lord is about to humble many as the separation of the wheat and tares carries on. Those that don’t want to come back have their agency, but the time of miracles is about to start, and He calls us all, some are hearing and returning as I did.
@@Tova-Barinand that's sad
I’ve watched and listened to him tell his story several times now and I learn more every time. Even though I know the ending, I can’t wait for pt. 2!!
My mind is blown! I’ve always believed I would learn things in time and when it’s appropriate for me to understand and here we are yet again. It’s amazing how many different ways the truth is beginning to come fourth!!!💯
I love Don's points on Exemplar! This is a new subject to me as a 38 year member of the Church. Such an eyeopener! Perfect! ❤❤❤
That really resonated with me too! Such a simple truth, yet for some reason, one I’d never really considered before.
Don's story helped me with my own faith crisis
Don’s story is amazing. He had me on the edge of my seat.
I think anyone that has more of an "intellectual" faith crisis needs to watch this.
Why Do LDS Reject GOD of BIBLE & believe in FALSE GOD of Joseph Smith?
Isn't your eternity worth examining the truth?
NO truth: Book of Abraham published with 3 facsimiles taken from an ancient papyrus, shown to be a fraud years later. The book is a funerary papyrus showing scenes from the Egyptian Book of the Dead. In Facsimiles Nos. 1 & 3, Smith misidentifies everything depicted. "LDS and non-LDS Egyptologists agree that the characters on the fragments do not match the translation given in the book of Abraham" Quote from LDS OFFICIAL WEB PAGE
NO trace of the “Two million Jaredites slain” (Ether 15:2), with iron, brass, breast-plates, shields, and armor. This is 3 times the # of Americans killed in the entire Civil War & Revolutionary War combined.
NO trace of the great city Zarahemla- it would be impossible for a city the size of Zarahemla (Alma 5:2; D&C 125:3) to leave no trace
NO trace of Jewish dna found in any Indian burial ground anywhere in the Americas from time period of BOM. Thomas W. Murphy, (Mormon scholar, DNA researcher):“We are in a dilemma, the genetic evidence shows that American Indians are not Hebrews, they are not Israelites. The Book of Mormon is not true.” John Whitmer Historical Association Journal 2005
NO temple like Solomon's described in 2 Nephi 5:16 has ever been found yet biblical temple remains in Jerusalem
NO Nephite "reformed Egyptian" writings ever found anywhere as it is not a language found in the world
NO cities mentioned in the BOM have ever been located (none of 38) anywhere
NO evidence: "The whole land was covered with buildings, and the people were as numerous, as it were the sand of the sea." Yet not one ever located. (Mormon 1:7) IMPOSSIBLE for highly advanced civilizations (Jaredites, Nephites) & MILLIONS of people to have vanished
The BOM speaks of sheep, swine, silk, wool clothing & elephants existing in the Americas when they did not. 1 Ne.13:7; Alma 4:6; Ether 9:17 and 10:24 These were brought to America centuries later by Europeans.
NO wheat, no goats, no steel found in the Americas, no metal smelting furnaces, no metal armor, no steel swords, no cattle, no chariot parts, no brass (Mosiah 8:10) no evidence of the listed Kings in BOM, no Jewish relics or Jewish Temples from supposed Jews, no metal plates like Nephites supposedly used, no middle eastern seeds growing, "which were brought from the land of Jerusalem ... and grew exceedingly" 1 Nephi 18:24
There is NO archaeological, anthropological, topological, linguistic, botanical or dna evidence to support the Book of Mormon. LDS anthropologist Dee Green: “The first myth we need to eliminate is that BOM archaeology exists” conceding 20 years of research “left us empty-handed” (Green 1969 p. 77)
CAN WE TRUST OUR HEARTS AS TO THE TRUTH OF THE BOOK OF MORMON since there is no evidence?
D&C Section 9:8-9 - tell us that if something is true it will make our "bosom burn" and we will FEEL that it is right.
This is NOT how the bible tells us to determine truth. Acts 17:11 "they... EXAMINED THE SCRIPTURES EVERY DAY to see if what Paul said was TRUE"; "TEST THEM ALL" 1 Thes 5:21 The best way to spot false teachers is to examine the TRUTH of the bible. 2 Timothy 2:15 KJV "STUDY to show thyself approved unto God, ... rightly dividing the word of TRUTH." 1 John 4:1 says: "BELIEVE NOT EVERY SPIRIT, but try the spirits whether they are of God; because MANY FALSE PROPHETS are gone out into the world."
Maroni 10:4 says: "he will manifest the truth of it unto you" But: THE BIBLE WARNS YOU about trusting your own heart. Jeremiah 17:9 "the heart is DECEITFUL above all things". Proverbs 28:26 "He that trusts in his own heart is a FOOL." "The sum of your word is TRUTH" Psalm 119:160
Faith in a false God is of what value? Faith in the true God is invaluable.
Mormonism is based on a PROVABLY FALSE claim the Bible was corrupted and "plain and precious parts" were removed by Christian translators after the apostles died. Yet, there isn’t ANY specific biblical scripture found ANYWHERE, EVER, that directly supports Joseph Smith’s translation of the Bible.
AN OBJECTIVE TEST OF THE BIBLE AND THE BOOK OF MORMON:
The Claim: In the BOM, the prophet Nephi has a vision the Bible was corrupted after the 12 apostles and after the formation of the “great and abominable church” (1 Nephi 13:26-29). Most Mormons believe this is the Catholic Church formed in the 4th century. Nephi claims this church was founded by the Devil (1 Nephi 14:3). So let’s objectively examine both the Bible & BOM to be fair and test for errors.
BIBLE: The Dead Sea Scrolls have been dated to as early as 350 BC. One is the Great Isaiah Scroll, which is the oldest known copy of the Book of Isaiah dated to 180 BC.
Do ANY ancient scrolls show Smith's "uncorrupted" version of scripture? NO! Yet they would if the scripture was later corrupted after the 12 apostles died as Smith said.
Also, if they had been corrupted, Jesus would have corrected scripture instead of affirming it! Jesus sd:“ I told you EVERYTHING written about me in the Law of Moses, the Books of the Prophets, and in the Psalms had to happen.” (Luke 24:44-46)
Scripture is the same today as it was 2,100+ years ago with only minor spelling or punctuation differences. Joseph Smith was wrong. These scrolls pre-dated Catholics, and are Jewish scrolls and the BOM says the Jews had the Scriptures in their "purity". 1Nephi 13:25
LDS Apologist Wayne Ham admitted the Isaiah scroll does not support the the BOM. Apologist Dr. Sidney B. Sperry, of BYU, said the Dead Sea Scrolls do not help the case for the BOM. BYU Professor Joseph F. McConkie: "Rather than Joseph Smith as Found in Ancient Manuscripts, it ought be Joseph Smith as Lost in Ancient Manuscripts.” (Religious Studies Center, 1984)
IS THE GOD OF THE BOOK OF MORMON THE SAME ONE AS IN THE BIBLE? NO!
"Before me NO god was formed, nor shall there be ANY after me.” (Isaiah 43:10) If Mormonism is true, then God could not make this claim, for he was just a man at one point; nor could he claim that no gods would come after him, for that is the goal of LDS members.
Like Joseph Smith this was the goal of Satan, to be like God and have worshippers. "I will exalt my throne above the stars of God ... I will be like the Most High”’ (Isaiah 14:12-14)
The new testament has not been corrupted either. See John 1:1 Smith changed it to make Jesus a created being. Research a 1900 year old papyri known as the Bodmer Papyri of the book of John. (written 150 AD, not long after the apostle John died)
John 1:1 "In the BEGINNING was the WORD and the WORD was WITH God and the WORD WAS God." ΕΝ ΑΡΧΗ ΗΝ Ο ΛΟΓΟΣ ΚΑΙ Ο ΛΟΓΟΣ ΗΝ ΠΡΟΣ ΤΟΝ ΘΕΟΝ ΚΑΙ ΘΕΟΣ ΗΝ Ο ΛΟΓΟΣ (look up this ancient Greek yourself on google)
John 1:1 Joseph Smith translation: "In the beginning was the gospel preached through the Son. And the gospel was the word, and the word was with the Son, and the Son was with God, and the Son was of God." Smith's Jesus is no longer God in the flesh but the biblical Jesus is: "God was manifest in the flesh" 1Tim. 3:16 KJV
There are 4,000 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. Some go back to 350 AD and NONE support Joseph Smith's claims that the bible of today has been corrupted.
Papyrus fragments exist of the New Testament dated to 175 AD and show that the new testament has NOT been "corrupted". (New Testament Docs: Are They Reliable? Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1967 pp. 15-17)
In the LDS Church’s 147th Conf., Gen Authority Bernard P. Brockbank said: the Christ followed by Mormons is NOT THE CHRIST followed by traditional Christianity. (Ensign, May 1977 p. 26)
The manuscript and archeological evidence for the BIBLE is the GREATEST in antiquity. I pray you know the true Jesus and not Joseph Smith's version.
Galatians 1:8 "Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach ANY OTHER GOSPEL to you than that which we have preached to you, let him be ACCURSED." Matthew 24:24 warns Satan WILL send FALSE prophets and pose as an ANGEL of light! 2 Corinthians 11:14
God is much greater than the humanoid of Mormonism and NOT just ONE OF AN ENDLESS NUMBER OF GODS.
Jesus said ALL scripture will NOT fade away but "many wolves in sheep's clothing" will come trying to ADD to the word. Mathew 7:15 Joseph Smith changed Jesus, the Father and ADDED you can become a GOD.
It hurts my heart to see Mormons fall for the lie that we can become God when there is only one eternal God found in the bible.
"The only men who become Gods, even the sons of Gods are those that enter into polygamy." (Brigham Young) Journal of Discourses 11 p.269
Apostle Orson Pratt, in The Seer, page 172, “the great Messiah who was the founder of the Christian religion was a Polygamist…the Messiah chose to take upon himself his seed; and by marrying many wives, … The son followed the example of his Father"
God gave us critical thinking & logical reasoning for a reason, which is why he tells us to EXAMINE and TEST what we are being taught for TRUTH. The bible withstands the truth test. Joseph Smith's version fails the truth test. It's your eternity, study it for yourself. God bless.
@GusHdzRuiz - Gus, that makes me tremendously happy to hear. Thank you for sharing! =)
Amen, in a convert and it helped me realize I was putting my faith in the prophets too much. It really hurt me when Pres. Nelson recommended the bio weapon of the jab. It worked through that but he makes so much sense. I thinks my doubts really strengthened my faith in Christ not men. I lived this.
So great to see an interviewer and host not interrupting, not interjecting with puerile comments every ten seconds. Thanks for letting Don speak.
Good point
I agree. This is interview is better than Cardon Ellis' interview with Don Bradley over at Ward Radio.
Exactly. This is what happens when people try to build each other up and encourage what each person has to say.
One of the best interviews I have ever heard for those with a faith crisis
I love how genuine Don is. He is so meek.
What part helped the most?
His new findings about first vision, his discussion around the cosmos, his feeling that the church has always done him good.
Love this! I can’t wait for part two!
Last thirty minutes absolutely blew my mind. I’ve never made these connections before. Excellent podcast.
Same here! It actually brought tears to my eyes. It answered some questions I had, and enlightened me about elements of the temple and what takes place there. I'm so glad I accidentally found this channel and this video today!
Mormons are heavily programmed to make erroneous connections!
Love this, anxiously awaiting part 2!
I think about things very similarly to Don-information-seeking is a very analytical process for me and evidence and logic are important to my thought processes. I love hearing from people like Don, because his ideas mirror mine and are so different from what I usually hear when I’ve expressed questions or doubts. His point about doubt being kind of a purification has been so true for me. Finding that my faith is anchored in Christ and not in the structure of the church, but just facilitated by the church, has been incredibly powerful. Thank you for this interview!!
I really enjoyed this! I can’t wait for part 2.
I think he will relate to many because of his historical and scientific background. He is very well spoken. There are good people like him who left the church not because of sin but because of true issues with restoration.
@DShuley - "There are good people like him who left the church not because of sin but because of true issues with restoration." Amen! I appreciate so much you recognizing that. No everyone does!
Just found your channel today as well. I have family members who are experiencing a faith crisis. I keep an eye on what’s going on with Mormon Stories and John Dehlin. It makes you think the bottom is falling out of the Church. It’s So refreshing to see people come back from this with “informed consent”. I’d like to see more and more of these stories. I think it’s very helpful. It’s easy for members to lose track of the fruits they once enjoyed in their child like faith. I have enjoyed a CZcamsr named David Alexander who recently joined the church as an Evangelical Christian pastor. I love his his explanations about the fruits and the roots. It’s easy when you’ve had it all your life to take it for granted. We get distracted from the fruits and start focusing on the roots. I think it’s one of Satan‘s greatest tools to distract us. If the fruits are good, the roots have to be good too.
Mormon Stories is the worst thing ever, glad you found this channel and David Alexander! I have many more uplifting channels to recommend if you’re interested. The Come Back podcast is AMAZING!
Just because something good comes out of something doesn’t make it true.
@@DB_Golfer I agree totally. Mormon Stories has been destructive to some family members of mine. It's been very sad.
David Alexander and Come back are also great faith promoting podcasts. I'm glad to find this one!
John Dehlin literally promotes “informed consent” as his driving force of his podcast. The point is to inform. Not pull people away. But informing people of the truth by its very nature and people’s own consciousness lead them to leave. You just like hearing from people who know things and think there ways back into the box which is EXTREMELY RARE, since most people see and smell a rat - recognize the damage the church has caused in their minds and hearts - and get the freak out.
@sherigraham3873
Ditto. That channel/podcast (Mormon Stories) is very deliberately focused on getting members to leave their Faith. There is definitely a dark spirit there.
Grateful for Don’s work and faith. Inspiring
As I was cleaning up my car I decided to listen to what came up on my feed. This information blew my mind away! I'm going to look for a book or a podcast now. ❤Great interviewer and interviewee!
Thank you so much for the work you do - happy I found the channel!
Wow that was amazing! Thanks!!
I keep waiting for Don to say “Psyche!!” and start his own version or M***** Stories. This is how much trust I have in people nowadays. But I love Don, his research is insightful, especially helpful for many in this time of evidence based “faith” we’ve fallen into.
Thanks for having Don on.
🤣 Ikr.. I think he's back for good. 🤞🙏
Why Do LDS Reject GOD of BIBLE & believe in FALSE GOD of Joseph Smith?
Isn't your eternity worth examining the truth?
NO truth: Book of Abraham published with 3 facsimiles taken from an ancient papyrus, shown to be a fraud years later. The book is a funerary papyrus showing scenes from the Egyptian Book of the Dead. In Facsimiles Nos. 1 & 3, Smith misidentifies everything depicted. "LDS and non-LDS Egyptologists agree that the characters on the fragments do not match the translation given in the book of Abraham" Quote from LDS OFFICIAL WEB PAGE
NO trace of the “Two million Jaredites slain” (Ether 15:2), with iron, brass, breast-plates, shields, and armor. This is 3 times the # of Americans killed in the entire Civil War & Revolutionary War combined.
NO trace of the great city Zarahemla- it would be impossible for a city the size of Zarahemla (Alma 5:2; D&C 125:3) to leave no trace
NO trace of Jewish dna found in any Indian burial ground anywhere in the Americas from time period of BOM. Thomas W. Murphy, (Mormon scholar, DNA researcher):“We are in a dilemma, the genetic evidence shows that American Indians are not Hebrews, they are not Israelites. The Book of Mormon is not true.” John Whitmer Historical Association Journal 2005
NO temple like Solomon's described in 2 Nephi 5:16 has ever been found yet biblical temple remains in Jerusalem
NO Nephite "reformed Egyptian" writings ever found anywhere as it is not a language found in the world
NO cities mentioned in the BOM have ever been located (none of 38) anywhere
NO evidence: "The whole land was covered with buildings, and the people were as numerous, as it were the sand of the sea." Yet not one ever located. (Mormon 1:7) IMPOSSIBLE for highly advanced civilizations (Jaredites, Nephites) & MILLIONS of people to have vanished
The BOM speaks of sheep, swine, silk, wool clothing & elephants existing in the Americas when they did not. 1 Ne.13:7; Alma 4:6; Ether 9:17 and 10:24 These were brought to America centuries later by Europeans.
NO wheat, no goats, no steel found in the Americas, no metal smelting furnaces, no metal armor, no steel swords, no cattle, no chariot parts, no brass (Mosiah 8:10) no evidence of the listed Kings in BOM, no Jewish relics or Jewish Temples from supposed Jews, no metal plates like Nephites supposedly used, no middle eastern seeds growing, "which were brought from the land of Jerusalem ... and grew exceedingly" 1 Nephi 18:24
There is NO archaeological, anthropological, topological, linguistic, botanical or dna evidence to support the Book of Mormon. LDS anthropologist Dee Green: “The first myth we need to eliminate is that BOM archaeology exists” conceding 20 years of research “left us empty-handed” (Green 1969 p. 77)
CAN WE TRUST OUR HEARTS AS TO THE TRUTH OF THE BOOK OF MORMON since there is no evidence?
D&C Section 9:8-9 - tell us that if something is true it will make our "bosom burn" and we will FEEL that it is right.
This is NOT how the bible tells us to determine truth. Acts 17:11 "they... EXAMINED THE SCRIPTURES EVERY DAY to see if what Paul said was TRUE"; "TEST THEM ALL" 1 Thes 5:21 The best way to spot false teachers is to examine the TRUTH of the bible. 2 Timothy 2:15 KJV "STUDY to show thyself approved unto God, ... rightly dividing the word of TRUTH." 1 John 4:1 says: "BELIEVE NOT EVERY SPIRIT, but try the spirits whether they are of God; because MANY FALSE PROPHETS are gone out into the world."
Maroni 10:4 says: "he will manifest the truth of it unto you" But: THE BIBLE WARNS YOU about trusting your own heart. Jeremiah 17:9 "the heart is DECEITFUL above all things". Proverbs 28:26 "He that trusts in his own heart is a FOOL." "The sum of your word is TRUTH" Psalm 119:160
Faith in a false God is of what value? Faith in the true God is invaluable.
Mormonism is based on a PROVABLY FALSE claim the Bible was corrupted and "plain and precious parts" were removed by Christian translators after the apostles died. Yet, there isn’t ANY specific biblical scripture found ANYWHERE, EVER, that directly supports Joseph Smith’s translation of the Bible.
AN OBJECTIVE TEST OF THE BIBLE AND THE BOOK OF MORMON:
The Claim: In the BOM, the prophet Nephi has a vision the Bible was corrupted after the 12 apostles and after the formation of the “great and abominable church” (1 Nephi 13:26-29). Most Mormons believe this is the Catholic Church formed in the 4th century. Nephi claims this church was founded by the Devil (1 Nephi 14:3). So let’s objectively examine both the Bible & BOM to be fair and test for errors.
BIBLE: The Dead Sea Scrolls have been dated to as early as 350 BC. One is the Great Isaiah Scroll, which is the oldest known copy of the Book of Isaiah dated to 180 BC.
Do ANY ancient scrolls show Smith's "uncorrupted" version of scripture? NO! Yet they would if the scripture was later corrupted after the 12 apostles died as Smith said.
Also, if they had been corrupted, Jesus would have corrected scripture instead of affirming it! Jesus sd:“ I told you EVERYTHING written about me in the Law of Moses, the Books of the Prophets, and in the Psalms had to happen.” (Luke 24:44-46)
Scripture is the same today as it was 2,100+ years ago with only minor spelling or punctuation differences. Joseph Smith was wrong. These scrolls pre-dated Catholics, and are Jewish scrolls and the BOM says the Jews had the Scriptures in their "purity". 1Nephi 13:25
LDS Apologist Wayne Ham admitted the Isaiah scroll does not support the the BOM. Apologist Dr. Sidney B. Sperry, of BYU, said the Dead Sea Scrolls do not help the case for the BOM. BYU Professor Joseph F. McConkie: "Rather than Joseph Smith as Found in Ancient Manuscripts, it ought be Joseph Smith as Lost in Ancient Manuscripts.” (Religious Studies Center, 1984)
IS THE GOD OF THE BOOK OF MORMON THE SAME ONE AS IN THE BIBLE? NO!
"Before me NO god was formed, nor shall there be ANY after me.” (Isaiah 43:10) If Mormonism is true, then God could not make this claim, for he was just a man at one point; nor could he claim that no gods would come after him, for that is the goal of LDS members.
Like Joseph Smith this was the goal of Satan, to be like God and have worshippers. "I will exalt my throne above the stars of God ... I will be like the Most High”’ (Isaiah 14:12-14)
The new testament has not been corrupted either. See John 1:1 Smith changed it to make Jesus a created being. Research a 1900 year old papyri known as the Bodmer Papyri of the book of John. (written 150 AD, not long after the apostle John died)
John 1:1 "In the BEGINNING was the WORD and the WORD was WITH God and the WORD WAS God." ΕΝ ΑΡΧΗ ΗΝ Ο ΛΟΓΟΣ ΚΑΙ Ο ΛΟΓΟΣ ΗΝ ΠΡΟΣ ΤΟΝ ΘΕΟΝ ΚΑΙ ΘΕΟΣ ΗΝ Ο ΛΟΓΟΣ (look up this ancient Greek yourself on google)
John 1:1 Joseph Smith translation: "In the beginning was the gospel preached through the Son. And the gospel was the word, and the word was with the Son, and the Son was with God, and the Son was of God." Smith's Jesus is no longer God in the flesh but the biblical Jesus is: "God was manifest in the flesh" 1Tim. 3:16 KJV
There are 4,000 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. Some go back to 350 AD and NONE support Joseph Smith's claims that the bible of today has been corrupted.
Papyrus fragments exist of the New Testament dated to 175 AD and show that the new testament has NOT been "corrupted". (New Testament Docs: Are They Reliable? Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1967 pp. 15-17)
In the LDS Church’s 147th Conf., Gen Authority Bernard P. Brockbank said: the Christ followed by Mormons is NOT THE CHRIST followed by traditional Christianity. (Ensign, May 1977 p. 26)
The manuscript and archeological evidence for the BIBLE is the GREATEST in antiquity. I pray you know the true Jesus and not Joseph Smith's version.
Galatians 1:8 "Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach ANY OTHER GOSPEL to you than that which we have preached to you, let him be ACCURSED." Matthew 24:24 warns Satan WILL send FALSE prophets and pose as an ANGEL of light! 2 Corinthians 11:14
God is much greater than the humanoid of Mormonism and NOT just ONE OF AN ENDLESS NUMBER OF GODS.
Jesus said ALL scripture will NOT fade away but "many wolves in sheep's clothing" will come trying to ADD to the word. Mathew 7:15 Joseph Smith changed Jesus, the Father and ADDED you can become a GOD.
It hurts my heart to see Mormons fall for the lie that we can become God when there is only one eternal God found in the bible.
"The only men who become Gods, even the sons of Gods are those that enter into polygamy." (Brigham Young) Journal of Discourses 11 p.269
Apostle Orson Pratt, in The Seer, page 172, “the great Messiah who was the founder of the Christian religion was a Polygamist…the Messiah chose to take upon himself his seed; and by marrying many wives, … The son followed the example of his Father"
God gave us critical thinking & logical reasoning for a reason, which is why he tells us to EXAMINE and TEST what we are being taught for TRUTH. The bible withstands the truth test. Joseph Smith's version fails the truth test. It's your eternity, study it for yourself. God bless.
wow wow wow, this is the more real podcast i have seen and is the first one i see from you, i love that this discussions are so well prepared and raw that allow me to see hard questions with an open perspective
Wow. This was incredible. This guy’s answering a ton of questions for me.
I will say there are multiple topics that you two reference that I know nothing about but definitely want to learn. You two sound like you’ve dove deep into these subjects. Thank you for sharing
Don has been a huge inspiration in my faith journey. Love his story and his published works!!!
This is a banger❗️
Great work Stephen!! Thanks for having this interview!!
Just found you today, Stephen. Very interesting interview! I'll be back for more.
More is coming. What other topics would help?
At 16, my sweet daughter (who had always wanted to serve a mission) decided to "leave the Church" after having delved into the CES Letter, and several online anti-LDS websites, and groups (including 'Mormon Stories' which is very deliberately focused on influencing Church members and getting them to leave their Faith). To this day, I'm not sure exactly how or when her journey away from the Church began, but her older sister (with whom she was very close), who had rejected the Gospel/Church a few years prior likely influenced her quite a bit. So, after being "liberated" from that which "held her back" and "made her feel guilty", she decided that she would experience all the things she was once commanded or counseled to avoid. These choices led to her being in a very dark place, and even endangered her life. It breaks my heart to watch her reject that which would bring her true and lasting peace and joy. Her countenance has reflected an emptiness and a dissatisfaction that rebellion produces. Letting her (or better said, watching her) exercise her agency, even at 16, was hard for me to do. I wanted so much to protect her, to guide her, to save her from pain, and to convince her that she was forfeiting blessings and missing out on blessing others, etc. At the time, she thought I was "angry at her" for leaving the Church. But it wasn't anger that I felt; it was profound shock and sadness. Regardless of the sadness I've felt over this, I will not reject her or burn a bridge. That bridge might just be a path to help facilitate her return. How I pray she will "come to herself" (a la the 'Prodigal Son' in Luke 15). How I pray she will return and find true joy. This brother's story gives me hope!
Your story, and so many others like it, motivates me every day to do what I can to spread light and goodness. May your daughters soon find their way home.
@user-ef4ng6ub3e
Thank you, so much!
How sad for your daughter. She will always feel that her relationship with her mother is less than what it ought to be simply because her lack of belief makes YOU sad. She will always dread seeing you because she will worry that you will be guilt tripping her whenever the two of you meet.
It sounds like you are much kinder to your daughter gone astray than my parents were when I did the same thing at 16. They basically disowned me. Instead of leaving a bridge open for me to come back, I was given the all-or-nothing choice. Either I came back to being a perfect little Mormon, or I was persona non grata.
I am 61, and my family relationships are better, but they're still difficult for me. I don't fit in and I never will. My parents did me the favor of parentifying me since I'm the oldest of five. I think this is the reason I never wanted children. Imagine that.
I am nothing like the rest of my family. I couldn't be more different from them if I were raised by wolves.
Thanks, mom and dad.😢
@@senorbb2150Speaking as someone who was very much like this as a teenager and still struggles with my relationship with my mom, BINGO!
Mormons who stray from their family never feel like they belong, no matter what. And the parents and the church don't help.
Great interview. Thanks to you both.
Great interview! Can't wait for part 2!
Yeah I feel like I have a good Idea of things, but this was need and some things blew my mind.
Which parts blew your mind?
@@clearstonewindows
@@LetsGetRealSJ how early the temple came into play, and how more things that pattern it.
@@LetsGetRealSJ
From minute 1:25:00 on to the end was outstanding! The connections and unanswered questions about the temple brought tears to my eyes. I really appreciate learning those things, and can't wait to go to the temple this week (Washington D.C.). Members need to hear this! Thank you!
Thank You for this episode😊❤ I am so happy for Don and all his work,it is uplifting...😊
Cant wait to next episode...Love from a sister in Danmark😊❤
The next episode will be published this week. I like Part One. Part Two shifts gears a bit and is equally as good. Don gets pretty intimate on this next one. He shares a discovery that dramatically changes the Joseph Smith Polygamy narrative. It's done in an honest and edifying way.
I served my mission in Denmark! Love the people there with all my heart. You are a strength to me to this day.
New to your channel. Love what you have been doing, Stephen! Don is such a great guest and I loved hearing more about his story
Why Do LDS Reject GOD of BIBLE & believe in FALSE GOD of Joseph Smith?
Isn't your eternity worth examining the truth?
NO truth: Book of Abraham published with 3 facsimiles taken from an ancient papyrus, shown to be a fraud years later. The book is a funerary papyrus showing scenes from the Egyptian Book of the Dead. In Facsimiles Nos. 1 & 3, Smith misidentifies everything depicted. "LDS and non-LDS Egyptologists agree that the characters on the fragments do not match the translation given in the book of Abraham" Quote from LDS OFFICIAL WEB PAGE
NO trace of the “Two million Jaredites slain” (Ether 15:2), with iron, brass, breast-plates, shields, and armor. This is 3 times the # of Americans killed in the entire Civil War & Revolutionary War combined.
NO trace of the great city Zarahemla- it would be impossible for a city the size of Zarahemla (Alma 5:2; D&C 125:3) to leave no trace
NO trace of Jewish dna found in any Indian burial ground anywhere in the Americas from time period of BOM. Thomas W. Murphy, (Mormon scholar, DNA researcher):“We are in a dilemma, the genetic evidence shows that American Indians are not Hebrews, they are not Israelites. The Book of Mormon is not true.” John Whitmer Historical Association Journal 2005
NO temple like Solomon's described in 2 Nephi 5:16 has ever been found yet biblical temple remains in Jerusalem
NO Nephite "reformed Egyptian" writings ever found anywhere as it is not a language found in the world
NO cities mentioned in the BOM have ever been located (none of 38) anywhere
NO evidence: "The whole land was covered with buildings, and the people were as numerous, as it were the sand of the sea." Yet not one ever located. (Mormon 1:7) IMPOSSIBLE for highly advanced civilizations (Jaredites, Nephites) & MILLIONS of people to have vanished
The BOM speaks of sheep, swine, silk, wool clothing & elephants existing in the Americas when they did not. 1 Ne.13:7; Alma 4:6; Ether 9:17 and 10:24 These were brought to America centuries later by Europeans.
NO wheat, no goats, no steel found in the Americas, no metal smelting furnaces, no metal armor, no steel swords, no cattle, no chariot parts, no brass (Mosiah 8:10) no evidence of the listed Kings in BOM, no Jewish relics or Jewish Temples from supposed Jews, no metal plates like Nephites supposedly used, no middle eastern seeds growing, "which were brought from the land of Jerusalem ... and grew exceedingly" 1 Nephi 18:24
There is NO archaeological, anthropological, topological, linguistic, botanical or dna evidence to support the Book of Mormon. LDS anthropologist Dee Green: “The first myth we need to eliminate is that BOM archaeology exists” conceding 20 years of research “left us empty-handed” (Green 1969 p. 77)
CAN WE TRUST OUR HEARTS AS TO THE TRUTH OF THE BOOK OF MORMON since there is no evidence?
D&C Section 9:8-9 - tell us that if something is true it will make our "bosom burn" and we will FEEL that it is right.
This is NOT how the bible tells us to determine truth. Acts 17:11 "they... EXAMINED THE SCRIPTURES EVERY DAY to see if what Paul said was TRUE"; "TEST THEM ALL" 1 Thes 5:21 The best way to spot false teachers is to examine the TRUTH of the bible. 2 Timothy 2:15 KJV "STUDY to show thyself approved unto God, ... rightly dividing the word of TRUTH." 1 John 4:1 says: "BELIEVE NOT EVERY SPIRIT, but try the spirits whether they are of God; because MANY FALSE PROPHETS are gone out into the world."
Maroni 10:4 says: "he will manifest the truth of it unto you" But: THE BIBLE WARNS YOU about trusting your own heart. Jeremiah 17:9 "the heart is DECEITFUL above all things". Proverbs 28:26 "He that trusts in his own heart is a FOOL." "The sum of your word is TRUTH" Psalm 119:160
Faith in a false God is of what value? Faith in the true God is invaluable.
Mormonism is based on a PROVABLY FALSE claim the Bible was corrupted and "plain and precious parts" were removed by Christian translators after the apostles died. Yet, there isn’t ANY specific biblical scripture found ANYWHERE, EVER, that directly supports Joseph Smith’s translation of the Bible.
AN OBJECTIVE TEST OF THE BIBLE AND THE BOOK OF MORMON:
The Claim: In the BOM, the prophet Nephi has a vision the Bible was corrupted after the 12 apostles and after the formation of the “great and abominable church” (1 Nephi 13:26-29). Most Mormons believe this is the Catholic Church formed in the 4th century. Nephi claims this church was founded by the Devil (1 Nephi 14:3). So let’s objectively examine both the Bible & BOM to be fair and test for errors.
BIBLE: The Dead Sea Scrolls have been dated to as early as 350 BC. One is the Great Isaiah Scroll, which is the oldest known copy of the Book of Isaiah dated to 180 BC.
Do ANY ancient scrolls show Smith's "uncorrupted" version of scripture? NO! Yet they would if the scripture was later corrupted after the 12 apostles died as Smith said.
Also, if they had been corrupted, Jesus would have corrected scripture instead of affirming it! Jesus sd:“ I told you EVERYTHING written about me in the Law of Moses, the Books of the Prophets, and in the Psalms had to happen.” (Luke 24:44-46)
Scripture is the same today as it was 2,100+ years ago with only minor spelling or punctuation differences. Joseph Smith was wrong. These scrolls pre-dated Catholics, and are Jewish scrolls and the BOM says the Jews had the Scriptures in their "purity". 1Nephi 13:25
LDS Apologist Wayne Ham admitted the Isaiah scroll does not support the the BOM. Apologist Dr. Sidney B. Sperry, of BYU, said the Dead Sea Scrolls do not help the case for the BOM. BYU Professor Joseph F. McConkie: "Rather than Joseph Smith as Found in Ancient Manuscripts, it ought be Joseph Smith as Lost in Ancient Manuscripts.” (Religious Studies Center, 1984)
IS THE GOD OF THE BOOK OF MORMON THE SAME ONE AS IN THE BIBLE? NO!
"Before me NO god was formed, nor shall there be ANY after me.” (Isaiah 43:10) If Mormonism is true, then God could not make this claim, for he was just a man at one point; nor could he claim that no gods would come after him, for that is the goal of LDS members.
Like Joseph Smith this was the goal of Satan, to be like God and have worshippers. "I will exalt my throne above the stars of God ... I will be like the Most High”’ (Isaiah 14:12-14)
The new testament has not been corrupted either. See John 1:1 Smith changed it to make Jesus a created being. Research a 1900 year old papyri known as the Bodmer Papyri of the book of John. (written 150 AD, not long after the apostle John died)
John 1:1 "In the BEGINNING was the WORD and the WORD was WITH God and the WORD WAS God." ΕΝ ΑΡΧΗ ΗΝ Ο ΛΟΓΟΣ ΚΑΙ Ο ΛΟΓΟΣ ΗΝ ΠΡΟΣ ΤΟΝ ΘΕΟΝ ΚΑΙ ΘΕΟΣ ΗΝ Ο ΛΟΓΟΣ (look up this ancient Greek yourself on google)
John 1:1 Joseph Smith translation: "In the beginning was the gospel preached through the Son. And the gospel was the word, and the word was with the Son, and the Son was with God, and the Son was of God." Smith's Jesus is no longer God in the flesh but the biblical Jesus is: "God was manifest in the flesh" 1Tim. 3:16 KJV
There are 4,000 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. Some go back to 350 AD and NONE support Joseph Smith's claims that the bible of today has been corrupted.
Papyrus fragments exist of the New Testament dated to 175 AD and show that the new testament has NOT been "corrupted". (New Testament Docs: Are They Reliable? Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1967 pp. 15-17)
In the LDS Church’s 147th Conf., Gen Authority Bernard P. Brockbank said: the Christ followed by Mormons is NOT THE CHRIST followed by traditional Christianity. (Ensign, May 1977 p. 26)
The manuscript and archeological evidence for the BIBLE is the GREATEST in antiquity. I pray you know the true Jesus and not Joseph Smith's version.
Galatians 1:8 "Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach ANY OTHER GOSPEL to you than that which we have preached to you, let him be ACCURSED." Matthew 24:24 warns Satan WILL send FALSE prophets and pose as an ANGEL of light! 2 Corinthians 11:14
God is much greater than the humanoid of Mormonism and NOT just ONE OF AN ENDLESS NUMBER OF GODS.
Jesus said ALL scripture will NOT fade away but "many wolves in sheep's clothing" will come trying to ADD to the word. Mathew 7:15 Joseph Smith changed Jesus, the Father and ADDED you can become a GOD.
It hurts my heart to see Mormons fall for the lie that we can become God when there is only one eternal God found in the bible.
"The only men who become Gods, even the sons of Gods are those that enter into polygamy." (Brigham Young) Journal of Discourses 11 p.269
Apostle Orson Pratt, in The Seer, page 172, “the great Messiah who was the founder of the Christian religion was a Polygamist…the Messiah chose to take upon himself his seed; and by marrying many wives, … The son followed the example of his Father"
God gave us critical thinking & logical reasoning for a reason, which is why he tells us to EXAMINE and TEST what we are being taught for TRUTH. The bible withstands the truth test. Joseph Smith's version fails the truth test. It's your eternity, study it for yourself. God bless.
I just found this channel today. What an inspiring video!
What a wonderful conversation. Don Bradley is one of the voices that has helped me to rebuild my testimony after leaving the church 7 years ago. Many of his experiences parallel my own in various ways, and I've found his insight very helpful in reconciling questions that once deeply bothered me.
I love how he uses his gifts to bless my life. His insights have confirmed many of my own.
What an incredible interview! Can't wait to listen to pt2 and to read his books.
@yaniraowen8367 - Wonderful! I'm glad you enjoyed this! Part 2 is out!
Lost 116 pages is an incredible book.
Great interview.
Don knocks it out of the park. So much power in this one.
Another great interview. So much great insight and stories.
Awesome interview!
Awesome interview! 💕☀️
Incredible. Part 2 please.
Such an amazing interview!!! Thank you both! I love Don and I think I’ve read and watched everything he’s produced! His 116 lost pages book was mind blowing for me!
His book is amazing. I'm glad you like the interview. I love Don's humility. It's probably what I like about him the most.
Thank you for the video, just started subscribing. Don I first saw you on ward radio very interesting. I hope this video, your research and your faith help so many people wavering on this topic, my sister-in-law included.
Love this! Thank you!
Wow, the last 30 minutes is mind blowing in a fantastic way!
This whole interview blew my mind!!! Wow
Beginning at 1:30:59 - All this historical research Don has brought to light is fascinating! I could listen to this for hours! I've pondered some of these things, and am learning new and wonderful things in this video that strengthen my testimony, and will enhance my temple experience (I'm going this week)! I love it - thank you!!!
David, I’m so thankful for you and your sweet powerful testimony! Your command of the gospels is inspiring. Watching your journey has been a breath of fresh air to my own testimony of this great church! Thank you for everything you’re doing!
Can’t wait for part 2!!!
2morrow ;)
@LetsGetRealSJ l watched 👀 part 1 can't find part 2
I don’t practice Mormonism anymore for my own good reasons, but I liked listening to Don talk about his faith experiences whilst grappling with his intellectual honesty about the history of the church. Thank you. I hope my family members become more open to conversation like this. It would really help.
whsatch
I subscribed because of your good interview with Don. I want to watch more of what you create. I'm lds (for the last 60 years), and I appreciate truthful presentations. Good luck in the future.
Oh man!! This is the best interview ever!! Well done, I am glued to my phone sitting on the edge of my seat!! This is riveting! Thank you!
Stephen, great interview with THE DON! You two are treasures. I love your style of interviewing. You ask the good questions and then let the guest run with it.
Don is a great guest and has such a great story. Thanks again for a great interview.
This is fascinating to me. I have never doubted, honestly it’s been too simple for me. Don is brilliant, and my mind would never go those places. Welcome back Don! Thank you for sharing your story and sharing this. So inspiring, and intriguing.
Stephen, thank you for these epic episodes!
🙏🏽 It's a blessing to serve. The catalyst for this kinda thing started at that conference in Heber a few years back.
Thank you recommending this to everyone I know
@23:45 “long tropical shorts” were called JAMS bro! Loved those things! 😍🌺
Stephen, I am new to your channel, but I really love your handsoff interview style. I really appreciate how you mostly just let your subjects talk.
Listening is the most endearing thing we can ever do for people. It really helps people feel comfortable and share mor deeply.
@@LetsGetRealSJ And you do it fantastically! Thank you for doing such a great podcast!
If you're looking for reasons to stay in the church you can find them. If you're looking for reasons to leave the church you can find them. But if you're looking for a testimony of the truthfulness of the church in church history you're not going to find it. In my opinion. The church is definitely a great place to raise a family. But I don't think I could ever raise my hand to the square or bow my head and say yes again.
Fortunately we al have our choice.
I LOVE church history. It’s proof the church isn’t a marketing program.
Fascinating conversation! I had always wondered what Amulek was referring to in Alma 10:2, reading a writing on the wall of the temple, there is no prior mention in the Book of Mormon, but perhaps this was part of the 116 pages? Awesome!
I’m grateful that our father in heaven is willing to work with fallible people with their many shortcomings and issues. Unfortunately, it’s all He has to work with :-)
So, we just need to do the best we can, and be understanding and forgiving of other’s weaknesses and imperfections. We can then, together, press forward in the right direction . Thank you so much for the interview and discussion :-)
Very well said! The Lord is willing to let us fallible children help in his work because we need it to learn and grow, not because he couldn't do it better himself.
What? Is there a part 2?!?! I totally lost track of time and then this just ended 😢lol
Part 2 is coming this week.
Love this, such an analytical mind, but willing to believe, love the fact that he just keeps researching and researching and thinking and thinking that he’s going to come back!
Really loved the talk about exemplars and how Christ is the only true exemplar. I love studying Christ types and I was thinking about how Christ types teach us from their example, but also a very important part is how these great people fell short of Jesus example and how we can learn from their stories.
Exactly!
💯 I love the talk about the other imperfect prophets throughout the bible. Its the Church of Jesus Christ and faith in any other person besides him will always lead to disappointment. Thanks for the comment!
@@DB_Golfer love this!!!
@@FromG2eminor love it!!!
Absolutely brilliant! thanks guys:-)
Amazing 🙏
whoa....that was so good.
Don brings up such a great point on Exemplar. We have leaders, heroes, those we greatly respect. But so important to understand their human imperfections. For example... When Nelson sent out the church letter on masks and the v@xx there was quite a large member exit. Why? Because people put Nelson above God and felt betrayed. Nelson is our prophet, called of God. He's still human and he never mandated anything. But so many were offended and left because Nelson was their exemplar, not God. This should be taught more often in church and family home evenings.
GREAT EPISODE
I loved that too! It put into words what I have felt.
Why Do LDS Reject GOD of BIBLE & believe in FALSE GOD of Joseph Smith?
Isn't your eternity worth examining the truth?
NO truth: Book of Abraham published with 3 facsimiles taken from an ancient papyrus, shown to be a fraud years later. The book is a funerary papyrus showing scenes from the Egyptian Book of the Dead. In Facsimiles Nos. 1 & 3, Smith misidentifies everything depicted. "LDS and non-LDS Egyptologists agree that the characters on the fragments do not match the translation given in the book of Abraham" Quote from LDS OFFICIAL WEB PAGE
NO trace of the “Two million Jaredites slain” (Ether 15:2), with iron, brass, breast-plates, shields, and armor. This is 3 times the # of Americans killed in the entire Civil War & Revolutionary War combined.
NO trace of the great city Zarahemla- it would be impossible for a city the size of Zarahemla (Alma 5:2; D&C 125:3) to leave no trace
NO trace of Jewish dna found in any Indian burial ground anywhere in the Americas from time period of BOM. Thomas W. Murphy, (Mormon scholar, DNA researcher):“We are in a dilemma, the genetic evidence shows that American Indians are not Hebrews, they are not Israelites. The Book of Mormon is not true.” John Whitmer Historical Association Journal 2005
NO temple like Solomon's described in 2 Nephi 5:16 has ever been found yet biblical temple remains in Jerusalem
NO Nephite "reformed Egyptian" writings ever found anywhere as it is not a language found in the world
NO cities mentioned in the BOM have ever been located (none of 38) anywhere
NO evidence: "The whole land was covered with buildings, and the people were as numerous, as it were the sand of the sea." Yet not one ever located. (Mormon 1:7) IMPOSSIBLE for highly advanced civilizations (Jaredites, Nephites) & MILLIONS of people to have vanished
The BOM speaks of sheep, swine, silk, wool clothing & elephants existing in the Americas when they did not. 1 Ne.13:7; Alma 4:6; Ether 9:17 and 10:24 These were brought to America centuries later by Europeans.
NO wheat, no goats, no steel found in the Americas, no metal smelting furnaces, no metal armor, no steel swords, no cattle, no chariot parts, no brass (Mosiah 8:10) no evidence of the listed Kings in BOM, no Jewish relics or Jewish Temples from supposed Jews, no metal plates like Nephites supposedly used, no middle eastern seeds growing, "which were brought from the land of Jerusalem ... and grew exceedingly" 1 Nephi 18:24
There is NO archaeological, anthropological, topological, linguistic, botanical or dna evidence to support the Book of Mormon. LDS anthropologist Dee Green: “The first myth we need to eliminate is that BOM archaeology exists” conceding 20 years of research “left us empty-handed” (Green 1969 p. 77)
CAN WE TRUST OUR HEARTS AS TO THE TRUTH OF THE BOOK OF MORMON since there is no evidence?
D&C Section 9:8-9 - tell us that if something is true it will make our "bosom burn" and we will FEEL that it is right.
This is NOT how the bible tells us to determine truth. Acts 17:11 "they... EXAMINED THE SCRIPTURES EVERY DAY to see if what Paul said was TRUE"; "TEST THEM ALL" 1 Thes 5:21 The best way to spot false teachers is to examine the TRUTH of the bible. 2 Timothy 2:15 KJV "STUDY to show thyself approved unto God, ... rightly dividing the word of TRUTH." 1 John 4:1 says: "BELIEVE NOT EVERY SPIRIT, but try the spirits whether they are of God; because MANY FALSE PROPHETS are gone out into the world."
Maroni 10:4 says: "he will manifest the truth of it unto you" But: THE BIBLE WARNS YOU about trusting your own heart. Jeremiah 17:9 "the heart is DECEITFUL above all things". Proverbs 28:26 "He that trusts in his own heart is a FOOL." "The sum of your word is TRUTH" Psalm 119:160
Faith in a false God is of what value? Faith in the true God is invaluable.
Mormonism is based on a PROVABLY FALSE claim the Bible was corrupted and "plain and precious parts" were removed by Christian translators after the apostles died. Yet, there isn’t ANY specific biblical scripture found ANYWHERE, EVER, that directly supports Joseph Smith’s translation of the Bible.
AN OBJECTIVE TEST OF THE BIBLE AND THE BOOK OF MORMON:
The Claim: In the BOM, the prophet Nephi has a vision the Bible was corrupted after the 12 apostles and after the formation of the “great and abominable church” (1 Nephi 13:26-29). Most Mormons believe this is the Catholic Church formed in the 4th century. Nephi claims this church was founded by the Devil (1 Nephi 14:3). So let’s objectively examine both the Bible & BOM to be fair and test for errors.
BIBLE: The Dead Sea Scrolls have been dated to as early as 350 BC. One is the Great Isaiah Scroll, which is the oldest known copy of the Book of Isaiah dated to 180 BC.
Do ANY ancient scrolls show Smith's "uncorrupted" version of scripture? NO! Yet they would if the scripture was later corrupted after the 12 apostles died as Smith said.
Also, if they had been corrupted, Jesus would have corrected scripture instead of affirming it! Jesus sd:“ I told you EVERYTHING written about me in the Law of Moses, the Books of the Prophets, and in the Psalms had to happen.” (Luke 24:44-46)
Scripture is the same today as it was 2,100+ years ago with only minor spelling or punctuation differences. Joseph Smith was wrong. These scrolls pre-dated Catholics, and are Jewish scrolls and the BOM says the Jews had the Scriptures in their "purity". 1Nephi 13:25
LDS Apologist Wayne Ham admitted the Isaiah scroll does not support the the BOM. Apologist Dr. Sidney B. Sperry, of BYU, said the Dead Sea Scrolls do not help the case for the BOM. BYU Professor Joseph F. McConkie: "Rather than Joseph Smith as Found in Ancient Manuscripts, it ought be Joseph Smith as Lost in Ancient Manuscripts.” (Religious Studies Center, 1984)
IS THE GOD OF THE BOOK OF MORMON THE SAME ONE AS IN THE BIBLE? NO!
"Before me NO god was formed, nor shall there be ANY after me.” (Isaiah 43:10) If Mormonism is true, then God could not make this claim, for he was just a man at one point; nor could he claim that no gods would come after him, for that is the goal of LDS members.
Like Joseph Smith this was the goal of Satan, to be like God and have worshippers. "I will exalt my throne above the stars of God ... I will be like the Most High”’ (Isaiah 14:12-14)
The new testament has not been corrupted either. See John 1:1 Smith changed it to make Jesus a created being. Research a 1900 year old papyri known as the Bodmer Papyri of the book of John. (written 150 AD, not long after the apostle John died)
John 1:1 "In the BEGINNING was the WORD and the WORD was WITH God and the WORD WAS God." ΕΝ ΑΡΧΗ ΗΝ Ο ΛΟΓΟΣ ΚΑΙ Ο ΛΟΓΟΣ ΗΝ ΠΡΟΣ ΤΟΝ ΘΕΟΝ ΚΑΙ ΘΕΟΣ ΗΝ Ο ΛΟΓΟΣ (look up this ancient Greek yourself on google)
John 1:1 Joseph Smith translation: "In the beginning was the gospel preached through the Son. And the gospel was the word, and the word was with the Son, and the Son was with God, and the Son was of God." Smith's Jesus is no longer God in the flesh but the biblical Jesus is: "God was manifest in the flesh" 1Tim. 3:16 KJV
There are 4,000 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. Some go back to 350 AD and NONE support Joseph Smith's claims that the bible of today has been corrupted.
Papyrus fragments exist of the New Testament dated to 175 AD and show that the new testament has NOT been "corrupted". (New Testament Docs: Are They Reliable? Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1967 pp. 15-17)
In the LDS Church’s 147th Conf., Gen Authority Bernard P. Brockbank said: the Christ followed by Mormons is NOT THE CHRIST followed by traditional Christianity. (Ensign, May 1977 p. 26)
The manuscript and archeological evidence for the BIBLE is the GREATEST in antiquity. I pray you know the true Jesus and not Joseph Smith's version.
Galatians 1:8 "Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach ANY OTHER GOSPEL to you than that which we have preached to you, let him be ACCURSED." Matthew 24:24 warns Satan WILL send FALSE prophets and pose as an ANGEL of light! 2 Corinthians 11:14
God is much greater than the humanoid of Mormonism and NOT just ONE OF AN ENDLESS NUMBER OF GODS.
Jesus said ALL scripture will NOT fade away but "many wolves in sheep's clothing" will come trying to ADD to the word. Mathew 7:15 Joseph Smith changed Jesus, the Father and ADDED you can become a GOD.
It hurts my heart to see Mormons fall for the lie that we can become God when there is only one eternal God found in the bible.
"The only men who become Gods, even the sons of Gods are those that enter into polygamy." (Brigham Young) Journal of Discourses 11 p.269
Apostle Orson Pratt, in The Seer, page 172, “the great Messiah who was the founder of the Christian religion was a Polygamist…the Messiah chose to take upon himself his seed; and by marrying many wives, … The son followed the example of his Father"
God gave us critical thinking & logical reasoning for a reason, which is why he tells us to EXAMINE and TEST what we are being taught for TRUTH. The bible withstands the truth test. Joseph Smith's version fails the truth test. It's your eternity, study it for yourself. God bless.
Imperfections ≠ criminal, predatory behavior
What bugged me about that was that for months and months the church told members to use their own judgement regarding this. They pushed and pushed and pushed and finally the Prophet (who is a health professional) gave a general statement meant for 20 odd million members all over the world and in all different circumstances. Of course he was going to say what he said. It wasn't a commandment and it wasn't doctrine. I didn't get vaxxes or wear a mask and I still agree with what his statement was.
Just found your Channel and subscribed. Very inspiring to hear the reason and logic to return to the faith, and the role that faith itself, Human Emotions to helping us feel the Holy Spirit tell us what is truth and what isn’t. Add to this Near Death Experiences, and logically the only conclusion is that God exists. Thereafter, to use those sander powers of discernment to Read and Pray about the Book of Mormon to know it is true. Everything else necessarily implies that EVERYTHING within the Gospel MUST by Inductive Reasoning be true according to logic, but that it us far more easier with simply watching for the Holy Ghost to confirm this. Thanks for the Episode and God bless everyone.
Joseph Smith wanted to people have the same experiences that he had. When I say below "he tried" or "he wanted", he was inspired by the Lord. For the vast majority, every one of these attempts failed by and large. The Lord knew this, but the Lord also knew that we learn from our mistakes.
Like Moses, he wanted to bring people into the Presence of God (See Section 84.) He tried calling men into the High Priesthood at Morley farm. That failed. He tried to teach them the Principles of Faith in the School of the Prophets. That failed. He tried administering the Endowment of Power: washings and anointings in the Kirtland House of the Lord, and then sending men out to preach the Gospel. That failed. Eventually, he tried instituting the Endowment as a teaching drama to portray mankind's journey through the pre-earth life, to the garden, the fall, life on earth, and eventually finding your way into the Presence of God. The Endowment doesn't talk about any intervening death or rebirth. This is a journey that can be accomplished in one life time, though it may take many lifetimes to prepare to meet God.
Alma 34:32 For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.
The purpose of mortality is to change you. This is done by learning how to exercise faith in Christ, gained through life experience. No symbolic representation in the temple has the power to change you. It is only an illustration of how your actual journey through life will change you. Have you prayed as Adam and Eve prayed? Have you been visited by angels who taught you and ministered unto you? Have you lived true to the personal covenants you have made with God? Have you feasted on the actual words of Christ to you, personally? Have you received the testimony of Jesus that you have received eternal life? Do you know how to pray and get your prayers answered? Have you actually conversed with the Lord and embraced Him through the veil?
The endowment, in its original form, taught these principles, and through a symbolic drama, helps us visualize them. The workers are not Jehovah, Elohim, Adam, Eve, etc. They are actors representing these characters. The names, signs, tokens, and covenants are also not literal. They are symbolic representations of who we are, what we become, and the covenants and teachings which we should receive directly from the Lord.
The Priesthood is a heavenly brotherhood. It is a heavenly fellowship. Nothing exactly like it exists on the earth. However, Freemasonry was the closest thing to it that mortals can understand, until the Lord teaches you face to face. As such, Joseph adopted Masonic symbols for use in this ordinance.
Strait is the gate and Narrow is the way that leads to eternal life.
THE STRAIT: "This one on the right is the mark of the square. It is placed in the garment over the right breast, suggesting to the mind exactness and honor in keeping the covenants entered into this day."
THE NARROW: "This one on the left is the mark of the compass. It is placed in the garment over the left breast, suggesting to the mind an undeviating course leading to eternal life; a constant reminder that desires, appetites, and passions are to be kept within the bounds the Lord has set; and that all truth may be circumscribed into one great whole."
Both Moses and Joseph Smith attempted to bring people into the Presence of God, but failed for the most part. The failure wasn't because the teaching and instructions were wrong. They failed because the people weren't yet ready. But, the principles and instructions are there in the scriptures for us to study. The original endowment shows us how to apply them in a systematic way to reach the Presence of God.
If we are prepared, we can follow these same steps. The same Gospel that worked for Enoch, Brother of Jared, Moses, and Joseph Smith will work for you and me. A man named John Pontius wrote something akin to this. John Pontius knows, because this same Gospel worked for him, too. It has worked for many people who have also entered into the Lord's Rest, even while in this lifetime. It happened to exceedingly many in the Book of Mormon days, and it has happened to many today.
It worked for me, as well. I will just tell you one experience, as it relates to this video, and reinforces what it teaches. I have worked in the temple and officiated in every, and I mean every ordinance. I wasn't a strong believer at first, until the Lord revealed to me over time, the significance of every step in the endowment: particularly the True Order of Prayer, and the Ceremony at the Veil. I once asked the Lord to help me see better with my spiritual eyes. He reached into His robe and handed me a pair of jewels. They looked like diamonds, a little smaller than golf balls. He said, "Here, take and use these. They will help you see."
I add my voice to others who testify of the truth of the precepts taught in the Book of Mormon, and that by following them, they will lead you to the Tree of Life, and the Rest of the Lord.
Well, after posting a commenting earlier in the interview (a positive comment, by the way) I realize after listening to the second half of this interview that I heard an interview with Don Bradley years before. I actually think he was interviewed by John Dehlin, after John had lost his faith. I was struck then by how coherent Don's arguments are while also being fairly well informed about science and history, which is not typically true of the average LDS detractor (although there are certainly brilliant academics out there who are your typical LDS detractor). Just a fantastic interview!
I need part 2
More, please!
I agree that we need to have a testimony of the Godhead first, but that's before we add to it with the Restoration, Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. It is absolutely necessary to receive a testimony of all of these and more if we are to stay strong.
Why Do LDS Reject GOD of BIBLE & believe in FALSE GOD of Joseph Smith?
Isn't your eternity worth examining the truth?
NO truth: Book of Abraham published with 3 facsimiles taken from an ancient papyrus, shown to be a fraud years later. The book is a funerary papyrus showing scenes from the Egyptian Book of the Dead. In Facsimiles Nos. 1 & 3, Smith misidentifies everything depicted. "LDS and non-LDS Egyptologists agree that the characters on the fragments do not match the translation given in the book of Abraham" Quote from LDS OFFICIAL WEB PAGE
NO trace of the “Two million Jaredites slain” (Ether 15:2), with iron, brass, breast-plates, shields, and armor. This is 3 times the # of Americans killed in the entire Civil War & Revolutionary War combined.
NO trace of the great city Zarahemla- it would be impossible for a city the size of Zarahemla (Alma 5:2; D&C 125:3) to leave no trace
NO trace of Jewish dna found in any Indian burial ground anywhere in the Americas from time period of BOM. Thomas W. Murphy, (Mormon scholar, DNA researcher):“We are in a dilemma, the genetic evidence shows that American Indians are not Hebrews, they are not Israelites. The Book of Mormon is not true.” John Whitmer Historical Association Journal 2005
NO temple like Solomon's described in 2 Nephi 5:16 has ever been found yet biblical temple remains in Jerusalem
NO Nephite "reformed Egyptian" writings ever found anywhere as it is not a language found in the world
NO cities mentioned in the BOM have ever been located (none of 38) anywhere
NO evidence: "The whole land was covered with buildings, and the people were as numerous, as it were the sand of the sea." Yet not one ever located. (Mormon 1:7) IMPOSSIBLE for highly advanced civilizations (Jaredites, Nephites) & MILLIONS of people to have vanished
The BOM speaks of sheep, swine, silk, wool clothing & elephants existing in the Americas when they did not. 1 Ne.13:7; Alma 4:6; Ether 9:17 and 10:24 These were brought to America centuries later by Europeans.
NO wheat, no goats, no steel found in the Americas, no metal smelting furnaces, no metal armor, no steel swords, no cattle, no chariot parts, no brass (Mosiah 8:10) no evidence of the listed Kings in BOM, no Jewish relics or Jewish Temples from supposed Jews, no metal plates like Nephites supposedly used, no middle eastern seeds growing, "which were brought from the land of Jerusalem ... and grew exceedingly" 1 Nephi 18:24
There is NO archaeological, anthropological, topological, linguistic, botanical or dna evidence to support the Book of Mormon. LDS anthropologist Dee Green: “The first myth we need to eliminate is that BOM archaeology exists” conceding 20 years of research “left us empty-handed” (Green 1969 p. 77)
CAN WE TRUST OUR HEARTS AS TO THE TRUTH OF THE BOOK OF MORMON since there is no evidence?
D&C Section 9:8-9 - tell us that if something is true it will make our "bosom burn" and we will FEEL that it is right.
This is NOT how the bible tells us to determine truth. Acts 17:11 "they... EXAMINED THE SCRIPTURES EVERY DAY to see if what Paul said was TRUE"; "TEST THEM ALL" 1 Thes 5:21 The best way to spot false teachers is to examine the TRUTH of the bible. 2 Timothy 2:15 KJV "STUDY to show thyself approved unto God, ... rightly dividing the word of TRUTH." 1 John 4:1 says: "BELIEVE NOT EVERY SPIRIT, but try the spirits whether they are of God; because MANY FALSE PROPHETS are gone out into the world."
Maroni 10:4 says: "he will manifest the truth of it unto you" But: THE BIBLE WARNS YOU about trusting your own heart. Jeremiah 17:9 "the heart is DECEITFUL above all things". Proverbs 28:26 "He that trusts in his own heart is a FOOL." "The sum of your word is TRUTH" Psalm 119:160
Faith in a false God is of what value? Faith in the true God is invaluable.
Mormonism is based on a PROVABLY FALSE claim the Bible was corrupted and "plain and precious parts" were removed by Christian translators after the apostles died. Yet, there isn’t ANY specific biblical scripture found ANYWHERE, EVER, that directly supports Joseph Smith’s translation of the Bible.
AN OBJECTIVE TEST OF THE BIBLE AND THE BOOK OF MORMON:
The Claim: In the BOM, the prophet Nephi has a vision the Bible was corrupted after the 12 apostles and after the formation of the “great and abominable church” (1 Nephi 13:26-29). Most Mormons believe this is the Catholic Church formed in the 4th century. Nephi claims this church was founded by the Devil (1 Nephi 14:3). So let’s objectively examine both the Bible & BOM to be fair and test for errors.
BIBLE: The Dead Sea Scrolls have been dated to as early as 350 BC. One is the Great Isaiah Scroll, which is the oldest known copy of the Book of Isaiah dated to 180 BC.
Do ANY ancient scrolls show Smith's "uncorrupted" version of scripture? NO! Yet they would if the scripture was later corrupted after the 12 apostles died as Smith said.
Also, if they had been corrupted, Jesus would have corrected scripture instead of affirming it! Jesus sd:“ I told you EVERYTHING written about me in the Law of Moses, the Books of the Prophets, and in the Psalms had to happen.” (Luke 24:44-46)
Scripture is the same today as it was 2,100+ years ago with only minor spelling or punctuation differences. Joseph Smith was wrong. These scrolls pre-dated Catholics, and are Jewish scrolls and the BOM says the Jews had the Scriptures in their "purity". 1Nephi 13:25
LDS Apologist Wayne Ham admitted the Isaiah scroll does not support the the BOM. Apologist Dr. Sidney B. Sperry, of BYU, said the Dead Sea Scrolls do not help the case for the BOM. BYU Professor Joseph F. McConkie: "Rather than Joseph Smith as Found in Ancient Manuscripts, it ought be Joseph Smith as Lost in Ancient Manuscripts.” (Religious Studies Center, 1984)
IS THE GOD OF THE BOOK OF MORMON THE SAME ONE AS IN THE BIBLE? NO!
"Before me NO god was formed, nor shall there be ANY after me.” (Isaiah 43:10) If Mormonism is true, then God could not make this claim, for he was just a man at one point; nor could he claim that no gods would come after him, for that is the goal of LDS members.
Like Joseph Smith this was the goal of Satan, to be like God and have worshippers. "I will exalt my throne above the stars of God ... I will be like the Most High”’ (Isaiah 14:12-14)
The new testament has not been corrupted either. See John 1:1 Smith changed it to make Jesus a created being. Research a 1900 year old papyri known as the Bodmer Papyri of the book of John. (written 150 AD, not long after the apostle John died)
John 1:1 "In the BEGINNING was the WORD and the WORD was WITH God and the WORD WAS God." ΕΝ ΑΡΧΗ ΗΝ Ο ΛΟΓΟΣ ΚΑΙ Ο ΛΟΓΟΣ ΗΝ ΠΡΟΣ ΤΟΝ ΘΕΟΝ ΚΑΙ ΘΕΟΣ ΗΝ Ο ΛΟΓΟΣ (look up this ancient Greek yourself on google)
John 1:1 Joseph Smith translation: "In the beginning was the gospel preached through the Son. And the gospel was the word, and the word was with the Son, and the Son was with God, and the Son was of God." Smith's Jesus is no longer God in the flesh but the biblical Jesus is: "God was manifest in the flesh" 1Tim. 3:16 KJV
There are 4,000 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. Some go back to 350 AD and NONE support Joseph Smith's claims that the bible of today has been corrupted.
Papyrus fragments exist of the New Testament dated to 175 AD and show that the new testament has NOT been "corrupted". (New Testament Docs: Are They Reliable? Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1967 pp. 15-17)
In the LDS Church’s 147th Conf., Gen Authority Bernard P. Brockbank said: the Christ followed by Mormons is NOT THE CHRIST followed by traditional Christianity. (Ensign, May 1977 p. 26)
The manuscript and archeological evidence for the BIBLE is the GREATEST in antiquity. I pray you know the true Jesus and not Joseph Smith's version.
Galatians 1:8 "Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach ANY OTHER GOSPEL to you than that which we have preached to you, let him be ACCURSED." Matthew 24:24 warns Satan WILL send FALSE prophets and pose as an ANGEL of light! 2 Corinthians 11:14
God is much greater than the humanoid of Mormonism and NOT just ONE OF AN ENDLESS NUMBER OF GODS.
Jesus said ALL scripture will NOT fade away but "many wolves in sheep's clothing" will come trying to ADD to the word. Mathew 7:15 Joseph Smith changed Jesus, the Father and ADDED you can become a GOD.
It hurts my heart to see Mormons fall for the lie that we can become God when there is only one eternal God found in the bible.
"The only men who become Gods, even the sons of Gods are those that enter into polygamy." (Brigham Young) Journal of Discourses 11 p.269
Apostle Orson Pratt, in The Seer, page 172, “the great Messiah who was the founder of the Christian religion was a Polygamist…the Messiah chose to take upon himself his seed; and by marrying many wives, … The son followed the example of his Father"
God gave us critical thinking & logical reasoning for a reason, which is why he tells us to EXAMINE and TEST what we are being taught for TRUTH. The bible withstands the truth test. Joseph Smith's version fails the truth test. It's your eternity, study it for yourself. God bless.
Your comment reminds me of something Elder Packer said, "The Atonement of Christ is the very root of Christian doctrine. You may know much about the gospel as it branches out from there, but if you only know the branches and those branches do not touch that root, if they have been cut free from that truth, there will be no life nor substance nor redemption in them." (“The Mediator,” Ensign, May 1977, p. 56)
@@LetsGetRealSJ yes, and there is a reason THE MORNING BREAKS is number 1 in the hymn book.
@@EKowallis Yes! We do indeed need a testimony of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. Faith and testimony are not identical things. The scriptures are clear: we are to center our *faith* in Christ, as the Prophet and the Book of Mormon both point us to faith in him. The scriptures advocate faith in God, faith in Christ hundreds of times. They never once say to have *faith* in a mortal human being. When we do have faith in another person like that, we will be disappointed.
@@onandagus1
Well said. I've been learning of this distinction during the past few years, especially during Cøvid, and the emergence of the "urge" letter. I knew not to get "it", but wondered if that meant I didn't "sustain" the prophet, as many tried to assert. But when I renewed my temple recommend, my doubts regarding that question were laid to rest. Thankfully, my testimony (which is strong) helped me to hold onto what I had received a divine witness of: the Savior, the Restoration, and the Plan of Happiness. Mortal men and women are human and will fail and disappoint. God and Jesus are perfect and deserving of all the faith in them that I have.
Line upon line, precept upon precept. It takes time, on the Lords time table, but it all comes together.
I set my resignation on July 4th, Independence Day!
Maybe you can come back on Pioneer Day. 🙃
Offical LDS Church historian Elder B.H. Roberts came to the following conclusion on the View of the Hebrews:
"Did Ethan Smith’s View of the Hebrews furnish structural material for Joseph Smith’s Book of Mormon? It has been pointed out in these pages that there are many things in the former book that might well have suggested many major things in the other. Not a few things merely, one or two, or a half dozen, but many; and it is this fact of many things of similarity and the cumulative force of them that makes them so serious a menace to Joseph Smith’s story of the Book of Mormon’s origin."
- B.H. ROBERTS, STUDIES OF THE BOOK OF MORMON, P.240
Add in tight and lose translation issues, complete lack of archeological evidence, DNA proving unequivocally there is no Hebrew blood among any Native Americans (in North, Central, or South America), small and large changes to the BoM, and a host of many other issues, and it doesn’t look good. In fact, B.H. Roberts would be utterly shocked imo.
BH Roberts, towards the end of his life, had some serious doubts about the church’s truth claims. Claims that still don’t hold up well to scrutiny.
Don explains the reason B.H. wrote the book. You apparently missed or ignored his explanation. B. H. Robert's lived and died a faithful member and faithful to his testimony of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. His book was a way of voicing questions many Church members had not considered over a hundred years ago. The only people who think B.H. wrote the book as a criticism, don't know B.H.Roberts.
@@UtahKent Mormons are masters at deflection of the truth. I encourage everyone to read the actual report that Genral Authority B.H. Roberts wrote: 1927 Studies of the Book of Mormon is “A Parallel,” , where he details the strong similiarities which are undeniable:
- B.H. ROBERTS, STUDIES OF THE BOOK OF MORMON, P.240:
"Did Ethan Smith’s View of the Hebrews furnish structural material for Joseph Smith’s Book of Mormon? It has been pointed out in these pages that there are many things in the former book that might well have suggested many major things in the other. Not a few things merely, one or two, or a half dozen, but many; and it is this fact of many things of similarity and the cumulative force of them that makes them so serious a menace to Joseph Smith’s story of the Book of Mormon’s origin.
"
Interestingly, BH Roberts died requesting a cross be put on his tombstone.
This is actually super powerful. I have always believed in the supernatural and in Jesus Christ… I’ve never doubted those things, so I can’t fully understand what it would be like from an atheist perspective. I do know what it’s like to return to full activity in the church after considering agnosticism… this is a totally different angle from the angle that I’ve come back with, but it’s all good stuff. The parallels and patterns are endless. It’s all about Jesus in the end. Coming to know Him. Becoming like him. So happy for this man. I loved his understanding smile as he looked at Steven a few times. Beautiful.
I love Don Bradley and this story is fenominal. What a wonderful journey and Testimony. So much clarity.
Thank you for sharing what and Who we should put our focus on when it comes to our Testimony.
Recently, I've been concerned about my beliefs about this Church in the Last Days.
I've learned that there's not only the Gospel run side of things, but also a corporate side of things.
And like you mentioned from your personal experience, it's one thing to hear about the opinions of those outside of the Church membership, but it's another thing when something hits closer to home.
My younger brother has decided to leave The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and as such, I have started to think about what I really believe in. 🤔
Like you two mentioned, experiences like this can help people like myself, wake up and take time to really ponder about their own intentions and beliefs.
It's caused me to be more aware about Why I am living or not living the way I previously thought I had been living.
At the same time, I've been more skeptical about the things we normally believe in, and I think for me, my main concern is that I am choosing to follow the correct Path back to God and Jesus Christ. 🙏❤️🕊️
The Last thing I want to discover is to think that I'm following God and Jesus Christ in the correct Gospel Path, instead of discovering at Judgement Day, that I should have " left all that I have and [follow Jesus Christ]."
I was kinda sad when, during a statue unveiling event in Indiana, the statue that they chose to create to represent & honor the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was Joseph Smith Jr.
While I understand that he had a prominent role in the Restoration, I was kinda hoping they'd present Jesus Christ, instead.
But I guess if you're going to make an idol, it might as well be a person than Jesus Christ, the God of Israel and the World . 😏
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences. 🙏❤️🕊️
Wow, me encanto la explicación de la Fe y la Duda…
I had a similar crisis, Don testimony helps understand the history of the church from an angle that allows to go further understanding context and the true purpose and meaning of the events.
I especially appreciate the discussion on Jesus alone as our Exemplar. Also, the discussion about the 1 in 10^200 probability regarding the chance of life on earth (here I oversimplify the enlightening discussion). Would someone tell me - which scientist wrote the book on this very low probability in our universe?
Don says the book Bio-Cosm (sp?) was shown in an ad in the Skeptic Magazine... I'd like to find this book... Thanks for any ideas. (Emeritus Prof. Steven E. Jones)
This is great. The editing was a bit distracting at some points. Just how it would cut and pick up somewhere else. Like around 1Hr 8mn. He's talking about a british person, and you hear the cut and moves on... was odd but mostly makes sense.
Bruce C Hafen's book, Faith is Not Blind, explains this cycle and how to navigate faith crisis's. This guy lived through it. We all have a faith crisis to a degree that we have to get to the other side of complexity where it's simple again. I've learned that the more they learn about science, DNA and evolution, the more complicated it gets. Science says it's all reason and measurements but just give us this one most preposterous miracle, the big bang, where we get something from nothing. Without intelligent design, it's just not intelligent.
Hi. It’s Teri Colby. I’m in Mexico, but coming back to Florida. I’ll never forget you. I wish I was interviewable to you. My testimony has never wavered. Even amidst pure re😮jection and untruths. I understand the prodigal son through myself and kids. I think I could pump up your show. I’ve seen 2. The guests are talking a lot. You are more interesting Stephan.
32:09 This is where it gets good. I never left the church because of some crazy wonderful spiritual experiences and a profoundly real connection i feel i have with Jesus, but at the same time i came to the same conclusion as this man: the prophets are only men, quite capable of mistakes. Show me a prophet in the scriptures that doesn't have one of their faults showcased. It was never meant for us to put people on pedestals. Christ is the only one deserving of that. And God knew all this before he spun up this planet. So keep the faith, but keep it on the right things, and everything will work out!
I really appreciate the fact that he calls out that the only faith we need to have is in Jesus Christ, who in turn uses weak people to progress his work. Such a powerful thought!
Could you please include his name and podcast in the description? Thanks, great stories!
Dr. Stephen Meyers book Return of the God Hypothesis really has helped people like me (science nerds) to reconcile science and God. Also, some undeniable experiences I have had with God's power, His Spirit, and the power of the Book of Mormon have convinced me God exists and the Church of Jesus Christ is true. Totally.
Henry Eyring's "Faith of a Scientist" is also helpful.
I dont think it is ironic that the spark that initially caused him to question his faith came from a family home evening activity. There may be a good reason for him to take the path that he took and be able to tell this story. Maybe just part of the plan, as strange or ironic as it may seem. I'm not as brilliant as Don Bradley. I haven't studied to the depths he has. I never have been brought to the point of actually believing the church is not true the way he was, but the parallels of his spiritual journey to mine are so familiar to me that it brought me to tears as i listened to him tell it. I am still taken aback by things I know and have learned about church history, but in my search for truth and meaning amid doubts and questions I am always brought back to a comforting reassurance that it is true. I don't have all the answers. I can't say that I won't continue to have doubts, but I cannot deny that the Book of Mormon brings me closer to Christ than anything else. I have tasted fruits of the gospel as peace, comfort, and joy....despite the deep afflictions and trials of my life. I have received many clear answers to resolve past doubts, but only with time and after exercising faith first. Now some of the things that made me question my testimony and things that I have seen others leave the church for have simple answers to me that bring peace and resolution. Some of those things even seem silly to me now. I certainly don't have all the answers, but I know enough to stay and believe and show my faith and continue to enjoy the fruits of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I really appreciated this vid about turning atheist & actually feeling liberated & intelligent by leaving & coming back!! relate to some of his “pre-leaving” feelings about questioning but staying for the sake of being part of a good community that he was committed to… I’m well down that path but also have the tender feelings of not wanting to harm my young family & betray the commitment I made to my wife. I love her heaps so I kinda feel like I owe staying to her because that’s what I presented when we got married… Thanks heaps for this vid!! 🤙♥️
And thx for mentioning Bushman!! In a stake fireside he stated, “as a member you have a right to ask any question you want about the founder (JS) of your church!” I feel that if we shared that spirit throughout the church we wouldn’t have so many doubts… and I pray we’re moving towards an era of increasing transparency!
When does part 2 come out?
DANG that was cool
Absolutely mind blowing! I’m so great full to be a member of the restored Gospel and I will always dedicate my life to bring the lost sheep back to the fold.
Don was an easy mark. Frankly, Don has to make great leaps and accept the unacceptable to return.