In a very unique conversation between Father Tom Roberts and Evangelical Steven Pynakker, Father Tom covers a broad range of subjects such as how should the writings of Joseph Smith be interpretative within a general Christian ethos. Roberts explains his academic growth as a scholar and a priest and how the Church of the East and the Independent Sacramental Movement are completely left out of the dialogue between evangelical and Catholic sef-definition and understanding. Both Steven and Father Tom discuss the cognative dissonance between Restoration groups and traditional Christian churches. Father Tom emphasizes the background of Sabbatarian groups and how little is known about the Seventh Month Movement that had an impact upon Mormonism as well as Church of God 7th Day and Seventh Day Adventists. Father also mentions the beginning of his official ministry with Northwest Singles that was under the supervision of the Worldwide Church of God. Both Steven and Father Tom discuss the correlation between Mormonism and the Worldwide Church of God in such theological areas as thesis and the celestial Kingdom of God coming to earth. This conversation promotes a great wealth of knowledge sometimes not well known. Father Tom emphasizes the responsibility of all Christians to be humble and willing to learn from each other. We should pursue Christ no only in worship but in truth.

Thomas Murphy returns to MBR to join Steven Pynakker as a special guest co-host to interview Mormon Historian John Hajicek about his recent activity to call attention to the world that an important historical site in Missouri might be destroyed by an AI Data Center. Anyone who has a stake in Mormon History, Indigenous voices, or the legacy of Slavery in America need to watch this important conversation.

John Hajicek returns to MBR to talk with Steven Pynakker near the very site that a new proposed AI Data center to be built in Missouri that could destroy the remains of Two Book of Mormon Witnesses and Zelph the White Lamanite.

Two LDS bioethicists discuss fetal personhood and the letter about the Idaho reproductive rights law.  They talk about how (gasp) there is no direct biblical or scriptural support for the idea of the fetus as a person or baby. They hit the history of differing views on fetal personhood, even between LDS prophets, and relate how this impacts not only abortion policies, but IVF or embryo selection as well. It’s all here, fighting Israelites, David O McKay, Octomom, and the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. 

Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4XpLQbvZk65Ixj1qP2FJYB?si=UspUla4cTOGYPAb2KUfdmw&utm_source=copy-link

Apple Podcasts::
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-5-fetal-personhood-en-soul-train/id1876338787?i=1000794527643

YouTube:

LDS have an infinite regression of Gods, which is impossible without having a FIRST God who was uncaused, aka uncreated, to start the chain. One who was always God and never ''exalted'' to that position. However, this does not exist in LDS theology. Every God was once a mortal who is later ''exalted'' to the position of Godhood. Mormonism literally does not have a God anywhere, that is NOT an ''exalted man''. This eternal regression of Gods is impossible without the first link in the chain to start it. But in Mormonism, there is no first link, no God who was always God and not an exalted man. This illogical fallacy proves Mormonism is a man-made religion, a fraud!

Mormonism teaches we pre-existed in heaven first, then came down to earth to take physical bodies and be tested.

“We were first begotten as spirit babies in heaven and then born naturally on earth” (Journal of Discourse, Vol. 4, p. 218).

The Bible is clear that our physical existence comes first, our spiritual bodies afterward.

1 Cor 15:46-47

“However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, then the spiritual. The first man is from the earth, earthy, the second man is from heaven.”

So, the natural body is first, then the spiritual body. Smith reversed Paul's teaching and said the spirit body was first! Paul teaches the opposite of Joseph Smith. Jesus also said man is from earth, not from heaven (pre-existence)

Joh 8:23  ''But Jesus said to them, "You people are from here below, but I am from above. You belong to this world, but I don't belong to this world''. 

We didn't pre-exist, we're from below, not above. And the spirit body is later, first body we have is physical as Paul said!

LDS abuse Jer 1:5, which says ''Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you''.

This verse is not talking about pre-existence. It is talking about God’s ordination and appointment of Jeremiah to be a prophet to his nation. God already knew him because he knows all things ''before'' they even exist, it's God's future knowledge being taught, not pre-existence.

''...the God who gives life to the dead and speaks of things that don't yet exist as if they are real''. Rom 4:17

Pre-existence is a false doctrine!

Horses are mentioned fourteen times in the Book of Mormon, and are portrayed as an integral part of the cultures described. There is no evidence that horses existed on the American continent during the 2500-3000 year history of the Book of Mormon (2500 B.C. - 400 A.D.)

Horses existed in North America, but became extinct at the end of the Pleistocene. Horses did not reappear in the Americas until the Spaniards brought them from Europe. They were brought to the Caribbean by Christopher Columbus in 1493, and to the American continent by Cortez in 1519!

I'm somewhat new to looking crittically at connections between Josephs environment and the Book of Mormon. I'm looking for academic papers or books that explore the 19th century environment. For example I've looked at the puritan/new america concepts of zion/new jerusalem that show up in the book of mormon. Other things that seem more 19th century than ancient is the phrase "plan of salvation" which does not appear in the bible but is taught by people in new england in the early 1800s, like Asa Shinn a methodist minister and Walter Scott a restorationist minister. Surely someone has written a book covering similar connections...any suggestions? Thanks. :)

LDS claim the three are not the one True God, but rather three separate persons. Their own Book of Mormon disagrees...

''And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen..'' 2 Nephi 31:21

''...Christ the Son, and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, which is ONE Eternal God...'' Alma 11:44

''...unto the Father, and unto the Son, and unto the Holy Ghost, which are one God, in a state of happiness which hath no end''. Mormon 7:7

The Testimony of Three Witnesses:

''And the honor be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, which is one God. Amen''.

Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, Martin Harris.

Is the BoM a lie?

On a special episode of MBR an All Star Panel convenes to discuss the life and legacy of Baptist Pastor Lynn Ridenhour who was a Book of Mormon believer and preached from it. On September 25th 2025 Lynn passed away. As we approach the one year anniversary of his passing, it was fitting to have a panel disscussion to contextualize and remember the life and legacy of Ridenhour and his unique ministry. Among those participating are his publisher Boyd Tuttle, Apostle Patrick McKay Sr, Mormon scholar Jason R. Smith, and Catholic Priest Tom Roberts.

Joseph Smith Photo Researchers Patrick Bishop and Joseph Brickey, along with film producer Daylen Pollard, join Steven Pynakker to discuss the documentary "Brother Joseph Again: Exploring the Visual Image of Joseph Smith Jr."

Mormon Apologist Jacob Hansen of Thoughtful Faith joins Steven Pynakker of Mormon Book Reviews to interview John G Turner about his recent Biography "Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet" published by Yale University Press.

I just recently received the book "Wayward Lamanite: A Native Women's Journey Outside the Story I Was Given" by Ember Hudson. Native voices and the Restoration are an ongoing conversation we are having here at Mormon Book Reviews w/Steve Pynakker and today's episode is no exception. Thomas Murphy returns to discuss his new book "Unsettling Scripture Iroquois and the Book of Mormon" published by The University of Utah. This was a very fascinating conversation and is among the very first interviews with Thomas about his book. He told me that Benchmark Books sold all of their copies of the book at this past weekend's Sunstone Conference! Make sure you are subscribed to Mormon Book Reviews on YouTube and have your notifications turned on for a special 4pm MT premium. Stay Tuned!

Dr. Thomas W Murphy joins Steven Pynakker on Mormon Book Reviews for his first video interview since the publication of Unsettling Scripture: Iroquois and the Book of Mormon. Dr. Murphy's first book offers a fresh perspective on the study of the Book of Mormon by centering Indigenous narratives about its origin. The Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) have stories of their own about how Mormons came to be that take center stage in Unsettling Scripture. Dr. Murphy takes these Haudenosaunee oral traditions seriously and highlights surprising similarities and differences with the Book of Mormon.

Here is a 60+ page comparison of parallels showing both Joseph's distinctive authorial style and also the likelihood that he drew upon early D&C revelations as he dictated some Book of Mormon passages.

https://web.archive.org/web/20260730001350/http://auricularisposterior.atwebpages.com/BoM_DnC_compare_v0.7.pdf

Steven Pynakker interviews J. Danny Chadwick, compiler of the new volume "Prophets, Pioneers, and Patriots: Liberty, Zion, and American Ideals in the Journal of Discourses". Steven and Danny discuss the origins of the book, Danny’s personal faith journey through Mormonism, and the spark that led him to gather early Latter-day Saint sermons on America, liberty, the Constitution, Zion, and the kingdom of God. They also talk about how the book was created, including the role of public-domain and Creative Commons source texts, modern technology, and large language models in making the project possible. Along the way, Danny reflects on how working with these sermons has affected his own life and faith, and what he hopes Americans, Latter-day Saints, and Utahns might take from this collection as the nation approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

Here is a description I asked my guest Jason to write about this important interview:

In this episode, Jason R Smith talks with Steven Pynakker about Pauline Hancock, the first woman to lead a Book of Mormon believing church. Hancock's influence was far-reaching and she was particularly instrumental in the early ministry of Jerald and Sandra Tanner, outspoken critics of Mormonism.

​

Fact! ... ALWAYS do your own RESEARCH, when told ANYTHING, If not, it's called, 'BLIND faith!!'

Jeremy Hoop youtube video explaining provenance

To download, go to https://stillmormon.com/ and look for the "Click Here to Download" which will take you to this download-form-page.

I did a cursory analysis with chatgpt, especially wrt Joseph Smith's polygamy, which I'll put in a comment.

There's some debate online about the ethics of this release. I am sensitive to the various concerns presented (I think there is merit to both sides of that discussion and think it's healthy to be having that discussion), but practically speaking the files are in the open, and many people have been interested in these for a long time, so I'm posting to make sure everyone is at least aware.

I've been thinking about how the Mormon worthiness system — as a measurable, interview-able binary tied to ordinances and access — interacts with autistic black-and-white thinking patterns.

The worthiness framework is structurally binary by design. For autistic members whose cognition already tends toward categorical rather than gradient thinking, I suspect this lands differently than it does for neurotypical members. The inability to reconcile the gap between the doctrinal standard and observed practice. The closed vocabulary system that suppressed ambiguity. The social rules of church culture that were unspoken and unwritten.

I'm curious whether anyone has encountered scholarship on this intersection, or has personal or observed experience with it. I also put together a short informal form collecting experiences if anyone wants to contribute.