Mormonism LIVE !

A live streaming online audio program hosted by Bill Reel and Radio Free Mormon as they share thoughts and insights on current happenings, historical issues, and theological inconsistencies within Mormonism.

  1. 11 jun

    The Forensic Autopsy of Mormon Apologetics

    What if the most revealing thing about Mormon apologetics isn’t the evidence being presented… but the behavioral patterns behind the arguments? Tonight on Mormonism Live, Bill Reel and Radio Free Mormon sit down with Dawn McCarty who works in Forensic Criminology behavioral analysis. Can forensic criminology profile Mormon apologetics? Drawing from several of her recent forensic intelligence briefs, Dawn examines Mormon apologetics, institutional responses to criticism, and high-demand religious systems through the lens of behavioral analysis, threat assessment, cognitive containment, and coercive influence. Together we discuss: • How criminologists identify behavioral patterns in institutions • Narrative patching, semantic inversion, and epistemological fog • The psychology behind apologetic argumentation • Jacob Hansen’s conversations with Alex O’Connor and Bill Reel • The LDS Church’s lawsuit against Mormon Stories and John Dehlin • How institutions maintain authority during periods of public scrutiny • Whether these frameworks can be applied fairly to critics as well as believers Most importantly, we’ll ask whether apologetics can be analyzed the same way investigators analyze other systems that seek to preserve power, shape narratives, and influence behavior. Whether you agree with Dawn’s conclusions or not, this conversation offers a unique perspective that moves beyond history and theology and into the psychology of belief, persuasion, and institutional survival. Join us live and bring your questions. THE REPORTShttps://mormondiscussionpodcast.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/EVIDENTIARY-FORENSIC-INTELLIGENCE-BRIEF_-LDS-CHURCH-SUES-MORMON-STORIES--JOHN-DEHLIN.pdf https://mormondiscussionpodcast.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/EXECUTIVE-FORENSIC-INTELLIGENCE-BRIEF-for-JACOB-HANSEN-A-Mormon-Explains-Mormonism-with-Alex-OConnor.pdf https://mormondiscussionpodcast.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/EXECUTIVE-FORENSIC-INTELLIGENCE-BRIEF-for-JACOB-HANSEN-Honest-Conversations-About-Faith-with-Jacob-Hansen-Bill-Reel.pdf https://mormondiscussionpodcast.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/INTELLIGENCE-BRIEF-Forensic-Autopsy-of-Apologetic-Evasion-and-Systemic-Predatory-Enabling-Author_-Dawn-McCarty-Criminologist-Date_-April-27-2026.pdf Tonight’s Presentation – https://mormondiscussionpodcast.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/Forensic-Criminology.pdf MormonismLive #MormonApologetics #MormonStories #JohnDehlin #JacobHansen #LDSChurch #Mormonism #ReligiousStudies #ForensicAnalysis #CultDynamics #FaithCrisis #MormonDiscussion #RadioFreeMormon

    2 h y 18 min
  2. 29 may

    Joseph Smith’s 1832 First Vision: Excised with a Penknife & Hidden Away?

    Tonight on Mormonism Live we tackle one of the most controversial and uncomfortable documents in LDS history: Joseph Smith’s 1832 First Vision account. Not the polished 1838 version members know from the Pearl of Great Price. Not the story that has been repeated in manuals and General Conference over a hundred years. We’re going back to Joseph’s own handwritten account—the one hidden away in a vault, physically cut from his letterbook with a penknife, and unavailable to the public for over a century. We examine the major differences that made this account so troubling. In 1832 Joseph says he was in his 16th year rather than 14. He says he sought forgiveness of sins instead of asking which church was true. He already believed all denominations had apostatized, while the later account says “it had never entered into my heart” that they were all wrong. And perhaps most significant of all, the 1832 account centers on one divine being—Jesus Christ—with no mention of God the Father appearing. Then we follow the strange trail surrounding the account itself. Who removed the pages? Why were they cut out? Why was Levi Edgar Young told not to copy or discuss what he called a “strange account”? Why was it stored in a private vault? And why do the Church’s explanations seem to require increasingly complex assumptions to reconcile what appears, on the surface, to be a very different story? We’ll examine the historical evidence, the apologetic arguments, Joseph Fielding Smith’s role, and ask a simple question: Which explanation requires the fewest assumptions and best fits the evidence? Was this merely another version of the same event? Or did the earliest First Vision account create discomfort because it told a substantially different story? Join Bill Reel and Radio Free Mormon as we take a deep dive into one of Mormonism’s most fascinating historical problems. Donate to Mormonism Live: https://donorbox.org/mormonism-live If anyone needs support dealing with spiritual trauma, 1-on-1 coaching and support groups are available at https://awakenandthrive.org/ MormonismLive #JosephSmith #FirstVision #LDSHistory #MormonHistory #Mormonism #ExMormon #1832FirstVision #RadioFreeMormon #billreel RESOURCES:https://archive.org/details/creationofbookof0000pete/page/n13/mode/2up http://www.mormonthink.com/files/eight-contemporary-accounts-1st-vision-improvement-era-1974.pdfhttps://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Joseph_F._Smith%27s_Attempt_at_Suppressing_the_1832_Account_of_Joseph_Smith%27s_First_Visionhttps://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/first-vision-accounts-faq/04-was-the-1832-account?lang=eng https://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V47N02_210.pdf https://www.dialoguejournal.com/articles/the-significance-of-joseph-smiths https://youtu.be/D6Deoh20oAk https://youtu.be/jSlaOwcuwqghttps://youtu.be/Dw-22jafYUchttps://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V01N03_31s.pdfhttps://exploringmormonism.com/our-own-peek-into-the-first-presidency-vault/

    2 h y 44 min
  3. 14 may

    Moroni As A Treasure Guardian

    Tonight on Mormonism Live, we explore one of the most uncomfortable and fascinating questions in early Mormon history: Was Moroni originally understood through the same treasure-digging framework Joseph Smith had already been practicing for years? Long before the Book of Mormon was published, Joseph Smith and those around him were involved in treasure seeking using seer stones, ritual practices, magic circles, guardian spirits, and buried treasures hidden in hills. In the earliest recollections of Moroni and the gold plates, the similarities become difficult to ignore. In this episode we examine: Moroni as a possible “treasure guardian” Joseph Smith’s use of the rock in the hat before the Book of Mormon Guardian spirit folklore in early America Magic circles, rituals, and treasure enchantments Animal sacrifice allegations in treasure digging “Slippery treasure” stories and buried ancient records How apologetics attempt to separate treasure digging from Mormon origins Why the historical continuity matters The deeper one goes into the earliest sources, the less the story initially resembles polished religion and the more it resembles the folk magic treasure-seeking culture of early 1800s America. We follow the historical record wherever it leads. RESOURCES FOR TONIGHT EPISODE:https://mormondiscussionpodcast.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Morni-Treasure-Guardian.pdf Donate to Mormonism Live: https://donorbox.org/mormonism-live Get Bill Reel’s book “A Logical Deconstruction of Mormonism”: https://www.amazon.com/Logical-Deconstruction-Mormonism-One-Book/dp/B0GQQ4CJ2S If anyone needs support dealing with spiritual trauma, 1-on-1 coaching and support groups are available at https://awakenandthrive.org/ MormonismLive #JosephSmith #MormonHistory #BookOfMormon #TreasureDigging #Moroni #LDS #ExMormon #Mormonism #SeerStone

    2 h y 58 min
  4. 13 may

    The Hidden Cost of Mormon Belief: Conditioned From Childhood

    What if the harm didn’t start with a crisis… but with what you were taught as a child? In this episode of Mormonism Live, we sit down with researcher and clinician Samuel Clemens, PhD, LCSW, to unpack his groundbreaking study on religious trauma among former Latter-day Saints—particularly those who identify as sexual minorities. This isn’t a conversation about people being “offended” or simply losing belief. It’s about something deeper. Clemens’ research reveals that for many, the damage isn’t tied to a single moment—but to years of subtle conditioning. Messages about worthiness, identity, obedience, and belonging begin early… and often shape how individuals see themselves long before they have the language to understand who they are. We explore:How religious trauma develops over time—not in one event, but through repetitionWhy identity and morality being fused together creates lasting psychological conflictThe “double bind” many experience: be authentic and risk losing everything, or conform and lose yourselfThe central role of family, belonging, and conditional acceptanceWhy leaving can feel both freeing and devastating at the same timeThis is an honest, nuanced conversation about the real human impact of high-demand religious systems—and what healing can actually look like on the other side. If you’ve ever wrestled with these questions, or you’re trying to understand someone who has, this episode offers insight that’s hard to ignore. Support Mormonism Live:https://donorbox.org/mormonism-live If you or someone you know is navigating religious or spiritual trauma, support and coaching resources are available at: https://awakenandthrive.org/ #MormonismLive #ReligiousTrauma #FaithTransition #ExMormon #MentalHealth #lds To reach Sam – sclemens161@gmail.com

    1 h 54 min

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A live streaming online audio program hosted by Bill Reel and Radio Free Mormon as they share thoughts and insights on current happenings, historical issues, and theological inconsistencies within Mormonism.

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