LDS Discussions - Mormon Truth Claims Examined

In Episode 80 of our LDS Discussions series, Julia, Kolby, and Nemo the Mormon join together for a deep dive into one of the most significant financial controversies in modern Latter-day Saint history: Ensign Peak Advisors and the SEC’s investigation into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 
The discussion begins by examining what Ensign Peak Advisors is, why the Church created an enormous investment reserve, and whether maintaining such a fund is inherently problematic. From there, the panel walks through the timeline leading up to the 2019 whistleblower revelations and the 2023 SEC Order, exploring the Church's filing practices, the creation of 13 shell companies, and the legal findings that concluded the Church intentionally obscured the size of its investment portfolio. 
Along the way, we analyze statements from Church leaders including Roger Clarke, Christopher Waddell, Elder Ballard, Elder Packer, Joseph F. Smith, Lorenzo Snow, and others, comparing modern financial practices with historical teachings on tithing. We also discuss the evolution of tithing slips, the Church’s growing investment portfolio, estimates of annual tithing revenue, David Nielsen’s whistleblower allegations, and the ethical implications of the Church’s financial secrecy. 
Finally, the panel examines the SEC’s findings in detail, asking difficult questions about honesty, accountability, transparency, and whether a church that teaches integrity should be held to the same legal and ethical standards it expects of its members. 
This episode provides one of the most comprehensive examinations of the Ensign Peak controversy, combining historical documents, SEC records, Church statements, and primary sources to better understand what happened –and why it matters. 
If you enjoy these in-depth historical analyses, please like, subscribe, and share this episode. Your support helps us continue producing thoroughly researched content exploring the history and truth claims of Mormonism.

Show Notes
YouTube

Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors!
Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today:
One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox
Support us on Patreon
PayPal
Venmo

Our Platforms:
YouTube
Patreon
Spotify
Apple Podcasts

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

Social Media:
Insta: @mormstories
TikTok: @mormonstoriespodcast
Join the Discord

Welcome to LDS Discussions Part 79, where we continue our deep dive into the Book of Abraham, examining one of the most popular apologetic arguments: the claim that Joseph Smith drew on ancient traditions about Abraham rather than translating the surviving papyri.
We begin by exploring the history of the Joseph Smith Papyri and the various theroies proposed to explain the Book of Abraham, including why so many copeting models exist. From there, we focus on the “ancient traditions” theory, looking at stories about Abraham preserved in later Jewish, Christian, and Islamic writings and askign whether they actually support Joseph Smith’s text.
Along the way, we compare the timelines of the Book of Mormon and Book of Abraham translations, disucss the implications of the Church’s Gospel Topics Essay, and examine whether Joseph Smith had access to contemporary biblical commentaries such as Adam Clarke’s. We then compare the Book of Abraham’s narrative --including Abraham’s calls, the famine in Chaldea, Terah, Haran, Abraham’s age, the attempted sacrifice of Abraham, Egyptian idolatry, human sacrifice in acient Egypt, and Abraham’s knowledge or astronomy --with the historical sources often cited by apologists.
This episode evaluates whether these ancient parallels strengthen the Book of Abraham’s authenticity --or instead demonstrate that Joseph Smith was drawing from ideas available in his own time.
As always, we examine the historical evidence, compare the primary sources, and let the documents speak for themselves.

Show Notes
YouTube

Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors!
Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today:
One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox
Support us on Patreon
PayPal
Venmo

Our Platforms:
YouTube
Patreon
Spotify
Apple Podcasts

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

Social Media:
Insta: @mormstories
TikTok: @mormonstoriespodcast
Join the Discord

Welcome to another episode of LDS Discussions! We are joined again by Bryan Buchanan to discuss the William Clayton Diaries.The William Clayton Diaries are among the most important firsthand records from Joseph Smith’s final years in Nauvoo. Few individuals stood closer to Joseph Smith than William Clayton, who served as clerk, confidant, and participant in many of the most controversial events of Mormon history. In this episode, we dive directly into the diaries themselves. We examine what Clayton recorded, what historians can learn from his daily entries, and why these journals have become central to discussions about Joseph Smith’s plural marriages, the Council of Fifty, the Quorum of the Anointed, the Kinderhook Plates, Nauvoo politics, and the final months leading up to Joseph Smith’s death. Along the way, we explore the lives of Joseph and Emma Smith, Margaret Moon, Sarah Whitney, Lucy Walker, Flora Woodworth, Eliza R. Snow, and many of the other figures who appear throughout these remarkable journals. We also address modern claims that the diaries were altered, fabricated, or created after the fact, and compare those claims to the evidence available to historians who have studied the original manuscript. Topics include William Clayton’s relationship with Joseph Smith, evidence for Joseph Smith’s polygamy, Emma’s reactions and resistance to the “P” or “priesthood,” the Moon sister’s involvement in polygamy, the strengths and limitations of Clayton as a source and why historians consider these diaries indispensable. The William Clayton journals offer an unparalleled window into the inner workings of Nauvoo Mormonism. Whether you are a believer, skeptic, historian, or simply curious about early Mormon history, these records provide some of the most revealing evidence available from the period.

Show Notes
YouTube

Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors!
Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today:
One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox
Support us on Patreon
PayPal
Venmo

Our Platforms:
YouTube
Patreon
Spotify
Apple Podcasts

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

Social Media:
Insta: @mormstories
TikTok: @mormonstoriespodcast
Join the Discord

Welcome to another episode of LDS Discussions! Today we are joined by Bryan Buchanan to discuss the William Clayton Diaries.For decades, the William Clayton Diaries have occupied a near-mythical place in Mormon history. Hidden away in the First Presidency vault, copied in secret, fought over in court, leaked to researchers, and cited in some of the most controversial debates surrounding Joseph Smith and plural marriage, these journals have one of the most fascinating histories of any historical document in the Latter-day Saint tradition. In this episode, we trace the remarkable journey of William Clatyon’s Nauvoo journals from the 1840s to the present day. We explore how historians such as James Allen, Dean Jessee, Leonard Arrington, Thomas Alexander, Andrew Ehat, Scott Faulring, and others gained access to these records, why the Church restricted them for so many years, and how copies eventually found their way into the hands of independent researchers and critics. We also examine the legal battle surrounding the journals, the role of Jerald and Sandra Tanner in publishing portions of them, the impact of the Mark Hofmann era, and the ongoing debates over access, transparency, and historical scholarship within Mormonism. With Yale University Press preparing the first complete scholarly edition of the William Clayton Diaries, this is the perfect time to revisit one of the most important archival stories in Mormon history. We discuss the discovery and preservation of Clayton’s journals, the First Presidency vault and restricted documents, specific transcripts that were created for the Clayton diaries, how those transcriptions leaked out into the public and the lawsuit on these leaked transcripts. We also lightly discuss the recent news that additional parts of Clayton’s diaries have been released to the public and the debate around whether Joseph Smith was actually a polygamist. Whether you’re interested in Mormon history, archival controversies, historiography, or the debate over Joseph Smith’s polygamy, this episode provides the essential backstory behind one of the most important historical sources from Nauvoo. Be sure to join us for the next episode where we share some of the most controversial and exciting entries from William Clayton’s journals!

Show Notes
YouTube

Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors!
Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today:
One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox
Support us on Patreon
PayPal
Venmo

Our Platforms:
YouTube
Patreon
Spotify
Apple Podcasts

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

Social Media:
Insta: @mormstories
TikTok: @mormonstoriespodcast
Join the Discord

For years, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were taught that violations of the law of chastity were “next to murder” in seriousness. Recently, Jasmin Rappleye defended that teaching (and maybe changed its interpretation) in a viral video, sparking widespread discussion both inside and otuside Mormonism.In this somehat impromptu epsiode in our LDS Discussiones series, we will examine the historical record and ask an important question: Has this doctrine actually been taught by LDS leaders?Using General Conference addresses, First Presidency messages, Journal of Discourse sermons, and passages from Spencer W. Kimball’s The Miracle of Forgiveness, we trace more than a century of statements who repeatedly taught that sexual sin was second only to murder in seriousness.Was this merely cultural rhetoric? A misunderstanding of scripture? Or was it a consistent teaching passed from one generation of church leaders to the next?Join us as we examine the sources, read the original quotations, explore the history behind one of Mormonism’s most controversial teachings, and even share some of the reactions to Jasmin’s new video!

Show Notes
YouTube

Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors!
Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today:
One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox
Support us on Patreon
PayPal
Venmo

Our Platforms:
YouTube
Patreon
Spotify
Apple Podcasts

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

Social Media:
Insta: @mormstories
TikTok: @mormonstoriespodcast
Join the Discord