Sunday · 4 hr 1 min
RF
Radio Free Mormon
Mormon Discussion Inc
Broadcasting Behind Enemy Lines
- 42 episodes
- Avg 1 hr 54 min
- English
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- RFFriday · 2 hr 18 min
The Lost Apostles: Why Half of Mormonism’s Original Twelve Left
What happened to the apostles who helped build early Mormonism—and then walked away? When the original Quorum of the Twelve was organized in 1835, these men were not fringe figures. They preached the gospel, served missions, worked directly with Joseph Smith, participated in the movement’s spiritual experiences, and occupied some of its highest positions of authority. Yet six of those original apostles would eventually leave, be excommunicated, challenge Joseph Smith, or follow a very different version of the Restoration. In this episode of Mormonism LIVE, we tell the stories of Thomas B. Marsh, William E. McLellin, John F. Boynton, Luke Johnson, Lyman Johnson, and Joseph Smith’s own brother William Smith. Their stories take us into the Kirtland banking collapse, charges brought against Joseph Smith, the violence of 1838 Missouri, succession disputes, polygamy, prophetic authority, broken trust, and the question some early Mormon leaders eventually faced: Had Joseph Smith himself gone astray? Some came back. Some never did. Some continued believing in the Book of Mormon while rejecting Joseph Smith’s later leadership. And several went on to build successful lives completely outside the LDS Church. The deeper story is that early Mormonism was far less inevitable—and far more complicated—than it can appear when history is told by the people who ultimately won the succession struggle. The six apostles who stayed in the historical spotlight became prophets and heroes. These six largely became cautionary tales, footnotes, or disappeared from the story altogether. It’s time to put them back into the history.
- RFOctober 4 · 1 hr 3 min
Sunday Afternoon Session: General Conference Review: RFM: 485
General Conference Post-Mortem 2026! (Sunday Afternoon) Join Radio Free Mormon immediately after the Sunday Afternoon Session for his rapid-fire reactions, sharp analysis, historical context, and hot takes on what was said, what stood out, what changed—and what may deserve a closer look. RFM is covering every session of General Conference all weekend long, so you don’t have to suffer alone. General Conference has never been this much fun! And please consider supporting RFM as he takes upon himself General Conference for and in behalf of US who don’t want to. https://donorbox.org/general-conference-post-mortem
- RFOctober 4 · 1 hr 10 min
Sunday Morning Session: General Conference Recap: RFM: 484
General Conference Post-Mortem 2026! (Sunday Morning) Join Radio Free Mormon immediately after the Sunday Morning Session for his rapid-fire reactions, sharp analysis, historical context, and hot takes on what was said, what stood out, what changed—and what may deserve a closer look. RFM is covering every session of General Conference all weekend long, so you don’t have to suffer alone. General Conference has never been this much fun! And please consider supporting RFM as he takes upon himself General Conference for and in behalf of US who don’t want to. https://donorbox.org/general-conference-post-mortem
- RFOctober 3 · 1 hr 10 min
Saturday Afternoon Session! General Conference Recap: RFM: 483
Join Radio Free Mormon immediately after the Sunday Afternoon Session for his rapid-fire reactions, sharp analysis, historical context, and hot takes on what was said, what stood out, what changed—and what may deserve a closer look. RFM is covering every session of General Conference all weekend long, so you don’t have to suffer alone. General Conference has never been this much fun. And please consider supporting RFM as he takes upon himself General Conference for and in behalf of US who don’t want to. https://donorbox.org/general-conference-post-mortem
- RFOctober 3 · 1 hr 10 min
Saturday Morning Session! General Conference Recap! RFM: 482
Join Radio Free Mormon immediately after the Saturday Morning Session for his rapid-fire reactions, sharp analysis, historical context, and hot takes on what was said, what stood out, what changed—and what may deserve a closer look. RFM is covering every session of General Conference all weekend long, so you don’t have to suffer alone. General Conference has never been this much fun!
- RFOctober 2 · 3 hr 50 min
John Dehlin Joins Mormonism Live!: LDS Church vs. Mormon Stories — Who’s Telling the Truth?
Tonight on Mormonism LIVE, Bill Reel and Radio Free Mormon are joined by special guest John Dehlin for an exhaustive examination of the LDS Church’s lawsuit against Mormon Stories. Instead of arguing about the case in the abstract, we take 30 specific claims made by the Church and its attorneys and put them side-by-side with the court record, the Church’s own filings, Mormon Stories’ responses, the mediation history, and recent public statements by Church attorney David Jordan. John Dehlin also joins us to explain what actually happened behind the scenes—including why Mormon Stories changed its branding before the lawsuit was filed, what the Church asked for during mediation, and why he believes the Church’s current public description of the case leaves out crucial context. Among the questions we investigate: Did Mormon Stories intentionally copy the Church’s blue “light-rays” branding? Does the Church’s evidence really show trademark confusion? Did John Dehlin intentionally choose the name Mormon Stories to create confusion—or does the twenty-year history of the podcast tell a very different story? Does the evidence support the LDS Church insisting that the lawsuit was “never about the word Mormon”? Did the Church abandon brands such as Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Mormon Channel, and Mormon Messages and how does that affect their preserving those trademarks with the USPTO and how might such affect this case? Did Church attorneys accurately represent a Mormon Stories guest who supposedly believed the podcast was Church-affiliated? Were Mormon Stories’ existing disclaimers really inadequate—and were the Church’s proposed disclaimer requirements as simple as they are now being portrayed? Why did David Jordan publicly use BAD MORMON as an example of a name nobody would confuse with the Church when the Church previously opposed Heather Gay’s Bad Mormon trademark on the explicit ground that it would cause confusion? And did the Church really avoid asking for damages? We also discuss the ACLU and Electronic Frontier Foundation’s involvement, Mormon Stories’ fair-use defense, the Church’s copyright claims, the doctrine of laches, and where the case appears strongest and weakest for both sides. Most importantly, this episode asks a simple question: When the public statements are compared with the actual documents, who is telling the truth? The LDS Church vs. Mormon Stories: Who’s Telling the Truth? Special Guest: John Dehlin Follow the LDS Church Lawsuit https://www.mormonstories.org/lds-church-lawsuit/ Support Mormonism Live: https://donorbox.org/mormonism-live Transcript For Tonight’s Show – https://mormondiscussionpodcast.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Final-Mormon-Stories-30-Claims-transcript-final-version.pdf
- RFSeptember 28 · 7 min
Mormon Apologist Exposes Himself! RFM: 481
Ever wonder if Mormon Apologists like Jacob Hansen actually believe the arguments they make on behalf of the Mormon Church? Well that answer is now settled, and it is settled by none other than Jacob Hansen himself! On a recent podcast, Jacob Hansen admitted there is a difference between “Jacob the historian” and “Jacob the apologist.” “Jacob the historian” is interested in facts and what is most likely to have happened. “Jacob the apologist” doesn’t really care about any of those things, as it turns out. Who would have thought? The amazing thing is to hear Jacob Hanse himself admit to it! This is one you won’t want to miss! And it is a warning that should be played at the beginning of every Jacob Hansen podcast!
- RFSeptember 27 · 2 hr 51 min
Will The Church’s Lawsuit Be Dismissed? RFM: 480
All the pleadings have been drafted and filed relating to John Dehlin’s Motion to Dismiss the Church’s trademark infringement case against him. RFM is joined by esteemed co-counsel Kolby Reddish to explain what is going on and who is likely to prevail in the motion to dismiss. As an added bonus, Church lawyer David Jordan gave an interview on a pro-Mormon podcast recently that we dissect and catch David Jordan trying to confuse the audience, and use their lack of legal acumen against them. David Jordan also manages to tell at least one whopper which we demonstrate with receipts. If this is the best legal representation the Church can find, maybe RFM should go back into active practice! Join us for this great episode! RFM and Kolby make the law understandable and even entertaining. No small feat, that
- RFSeptember 25 · 1 hr 51 min
Ex-Mormon The Musical
On this episode of Mormonism Live, we sit down with Rachelle and John Moyer, the creators behind “Ex-Mormon: The Musical,” to talk about how the project came together, what inspired the songs, and why music can be such a powerful way to process faith, identity, loss, humor, and life after Mormonism. We’ll dig into the story behind the album, the creative process of turning the ex-Mormon experience into a musical, and some of the themes woven throughout the soundtrack. We’ll also play and discuss several of the songs along the way. Whether you’ve left Mormonism, are questioning, still believe, or simply appreciate clever songwriting about complicated human experiences, this should be a fun and fascinating conversation about what happens when religious deconstruction meets musical theater. Listen to “Ex-Mormon: The Musical (Original Musical Soundtrack)” on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/4OxkzS1jbuwicBjZkGw2TS Join us as we talk with Rachelle and John Moyer about the humor, pain, creativity, and lived experience behind Ex-Mormon: The Musical. #ExMormon #ExMormonMusical #MormonismLive #Mormon #LDS #FaithTransition #ReligiousDeconstruction #PostMormon #MormonStories #musicaltheatre Ex-Mormon The musical https://JosephSmith.com/ https://exmormonsoundtrack.com/ John’s comedy Shows https://johnmoyer.com/tickets
- RFSeptember 10 · 2 hr 54 min
Heresy Hunters On Planet Provo!
Elder Bruce R. McConkie gave one of his most famous talks in history in 1980 named “The Seven Deadly Heresies.” RFM and Bill Reel break down this talk, exposing not only what Elder McConkie says, but why he says it; together with the things Elder McConkie doesn’t say at all! This one you won’t want to miss! Elder Bruce R. McConkie gave one of his most famous talks in history in 1980 named “The Seven Deadly Heresies.” RFM and Bill Reel break down this talk, exposing not only what Elder McConkie says, but why he says it; together with the things Elder McConkie doesn’t say at all! This one you won’t want to miss! Support Mormonism LIVE! and its hosts Bill Reel and Radio Free Mormon as take the deep dives into Mormonism and its history! https://donorbox.org/mormonism-live
- RFSeptember 4 · 2 hr 1 min
How Did Joseph Smith Know All This?
Tonight on Mormonism Live, we examine a recurring pattern in Joseph Smith’s prophetic career: when he encountered something mysterious, incomplete, inaccessible, or simply unknown, he rarely seemed content to say, “I don’t know.” Instead, he supplied an answer—and often an extraordinarily detailed one. A skeleton becomes Zelph, complete with a name, identity, history, and ancient associations. Egyptian papyri become the writings of Abraham. Egyptian figures become Abraham, Pharaoh, Shulem, Olimlah, gods, and cosmic teachings. The Kinderhook Plates produce an ancient genealogy. A stone becomes a seer stone capable of revealing hidden knowledge. Native Americans become Lamanites. Landscapes become Cumorah, Zion, the Garden of Eden, Adam-ondi-Ahman, and the “plains of the Nephites.” And the pattern extends beyond objects and geography. Where scripture appears incomplete, Joseph supplies the JST, Book of Moses, Enoch material, and D&C 7’s hidden parchment. Where ancient language is unknowable, he supplies the “Pure Language” of Adam. Where the universe remained largely mysterious, Joseph supplies an elaborate Abrahamic cosmology involving Kolob and an entire hierarchy of named heavenly bodies. But this raises a more important question than whether any single claim sounds strange: How reliable was Joseph Smith’s method of knowing? We separate these claims into those that eventually became independently testable, those where some physical evidence exists but Joseph’s specific identification remains difficult to test, and those constructed around realities essentially beyond external verification. And a troubling pattern emerges: where later evidence allows us to check Joseph’s extraordinary claims, serious problems repeatedly appear. So what should we make of the claims that remain safely beyond our ability to test? This episode explores the possibility that Joseph Smith’s greatest prophetic advantage may have been the unknown—because the less anyone around him could verify, the more room he had to “know.” Joseph Smith Always Had an Answer: The Pattern Behind His Claims
- RFSeptember 2 · 31 min
LDS Church Caught Lying In Court: RFM: 478
This time the LDS Church has gone too far! Lying to its membership is one thing, because the members know better than to criticize the leaders of the Church, even if the criticism is true. But this is in a court of law! Judge’s are not famous for taking it well when lawyers lie to their face. We’ll have to see what happens in this lawsuit once that realization starts sinking in! Here it is. The whole story of how the LDS Church just got caught lying in their lawsuit against John Dehlin! (This podcast contains material previously released on the 8-31-26 Mormon Newcast; substantially streamlined through editing for your pleasure.)
- RFAugust 31 · 29 min
Ward Radio Helps John’s Case: RFM: 477
In a strange turn of events, Mormon apologist Cardon Ellis is helping John Dehlin fight the LDS Church in the lawsuit the church is bringing to try to shut John down! It appears that religion, as well as politics, can make for strange bedfellows! You have to watch this to believe it! (Contains outtakes from previously released material.)
- RFAugust 30 · 1 hr 39 min
RFM Fixes The Book of Mormon: RFM: 476
In this amazing episode of RFM, we get three podcasts in one! The first deals with comments collected from apologetic podcasts that may end up being useful to John Dehlin in defending himself in court against the Mormon Church! The second deals with the 600-Year Prophecy of Christ’s Birth found in the Book of Mormon, and how a close examination of that one prophecy can clarify how we read the Book of Mormon. Finally, RFM tells the story of how it is he actually changed a word in the text of the Book of Mormon! This is not clickbait. This really happened! This one you won’t want to miss!
- RFAugust 28 · 2 hr 32 min
Native American Legends in BOM!
RFM and Bill Reel are joined by Dr. Thomas Murphy to discuss what the presence of Native American myths, individuals, and stories in the Book of Mormon means. Are these evidence the Book of Mormon is true? Or do they give us an insight into some of the creative grist Joseph was using to compile his narrative of ancient American inhabitants? World-renowned expert in the field Dr. Murphy helps us find the answers! Please Consider Donating to Support Our Work! https://donorbox.org/mormonism-live
- RFAugust 26 · 58 min
RFM Slams Church Lawsuit: RFM: 471
The Mormon Church is claiming their lawsuit against John Dehlin has nothing to do with freedom of speech. Of course not! They are just trying to sue John Dehlin into oblivion so he will agree it is wiser and less-expensive to stop criticizing Mormonism. It is so obvious that even church members are noticing and beginning to turn against the church. And the clumsy filings of the church, together with an even clumsier press conference, go a long way toward proving the Mormon Church is suing John Dehlin for all the reasons they say they are not. Listen and see if you agree! (This material originally aired on the Mormon Newscast on August 24, 2026.)
- RFAugust 23 · 1 hr 11 min
Lying About Prophets: RFM: 470
Mormon apologist Jacob Hansen has chosen the hill he wants to die on. That hill is his unusual position that even though prophets can be (and have been!) horribly wrong about doctrinal issues, they can still be trusted to teach us the truth. I know. I know. It doesn’t make any sense to me, either! But in this episode, we will demonstrate that not only is this actually Jacob Hansen’s position, but that he will in fact die on the particular hill. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Radio Free Mormon.
- RFAugust 21 · 2 hr 22 min
Mormonism’s Zelph – The White Lamanite
In June 1834, while marching with Zion’s Camp through Illinois, Joseph Smith and his followers came across an ancient Native American burial mound. Members of the group dug into the mound and uncovered a human skeleton—with what appeared to be an arrowhead among its ribs. According to multiple members of Zion’s Camp, Joseph Smith then received a vision revealing the identity of the dead man. His name was Zelph. He was described as a “white Lamanite,” a warrior and “man of God” who had fought under a great prophet named Onandagus. Wilford Woodruff recorded that Onandagus was known across a territory extending from “the hill Cumorah” to the Rocky Mountains and that Joseph received this information “in a vision.” But the story gets considerably more interesting when we dig deeper. In this episode of Mormonism Live, we examine the earliest surviving Zelph accounts from Wilford Woodruff, Reuben McBride, Levi Hancock, Heber C. Kimball, and others. What did these witnesses independently agree Joseph said? Which details appeared later? And how did the story change as it was edited into the official history of the Church? We also explore Joseph Smith’s own remarkable letter written during Zion’s Camp describing the group as wandering across the “plains of the Nephites,” examine the possible connections between Zelph, Cumorah, the Land of Desolation, and Book of Mormon geography, and look at what modern archaeology has discovered about the mound where the skeleton was reportedly found. Was Zelph simply an unusual nineteenth-century frontier story? Or did Joseph Smith make a specific prophetic claim about an actual ancient person—one that potentially tells us where Joseph believed Book of Mormon peoples lived? Zelph the White Lamanite: Digging Up Bones This is where archaeology, Mormon history, Book of Mormon geography, and Joseph Smith’s prophetic claims collide.
- RFAugust 14 · 1 hr 31 min
Find Out What REALLY Happened At Sunstone 2026!
RFM and Bill Reel host an august panel of Sunstone Symposium presenters and attendees, as they tell us fun and fascinating stories about what goes on behind the scenes of Sunstone! Join us! Mormon Studies were never so much fun!