Keystone

How ancient are "modern" LDS temples, really? Is it worrisome that we find Masonry in our own ordinances? What is at the heart of temple worship? Ben Spackman is back and he's here to set the record straight! Ben Spackman is a Latter-day Saint Bible scholar. He’s got a bachelor’s in Near Eastern studies, a Master's in Near Eastern languages and civilizations, and a PhD in the his...

In this episode, David sits down with author and researcher Jeff Strong to talk about the data on why some people leave the Latter-day Saint faith. Jeff points out four cultural tensions that can sometimes be out of balance, but that we can improve! YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@keystonelds Insta: https://www.instagram.com/keystonelds/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@keystonelds Facebook: http...

CORRECTION: At about ⁠18:50⁠ we refer to the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act. However, Nathan intended to refer to the 2022 Respect for Marriage Act. What do we do when “obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law” collides with the practices of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? Nathan Oman discusses major ways in which legislation has influenced the trajectory of the Church over time. N...

In this interview, David Snell sits down with Evangelical pastor Kyle Beshears to talk about Latter-day Saint history, controversy, and Kyle's new book, "40 Questions about Mormonism." YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@keystonelds Insta: https://www.instagram.com/keystonelds/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@keystonelds Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/keystonelds/ Website: https://...

Using secular sources, Justin Dyer responds to false claims surrounding membership retention in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Dr. Justin Dyer is a professor of religious education at BYU. He’s got a Ph. D. in human and community development. He has published over 80 academic studies and has been cited over 3,000 times in academic research. He teaches classes on family, religion,...

Genesis teaches that Adam and Eve were our first parents. Or does it? LDS historian Ben Spackman is back, and in this episode we'll be discussing the historicity of Adam and Eve's story, and whether modern revelation can agree with modern science. Ben is here to blow minds and write dissertations...and he's all out of dissertations. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@keystonelds Insta:...

In this episode, historian Ben Spackman reacts to his previous popular (and only sliiightly controversial) interview about potential future change in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@keystonelds Insta: https://www.instagram.com/keystonelds/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@keystonelds Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/keystonelds/ Website: https://...

Want to know more about President Dallin H. Oaks? Richard Turley (today's guest) literally wrote the book. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@keystonelds Insta: https://www.instagram.com/keystonelds/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@keystonelds Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/keystonelds/ Website: https://www.keystonelds.com

In this episode, David sits down with polygamy expert, author, and historian Brittany Chapman Nash to talk about the boots-on-the-ground stories of men and women who lived polygamy in early Utah. We talk about what finally brought Nash peace on this subject. Check out Brittany Chapman Nash's book, "Let's Talk About Polygamy"! It's truly one of a kind and extremely accessible....

Joseph Smith once taught ordinances "are not to be altered or changed." But how do we reconcile that with the fact that over the years temple ordinances have changed? In this episode, I sit down with Church historian, Dr. Jonathan Stapley, to clarify that issue and many specific changes to the temple ceremony, like the removal of the oath of vengeance and the penalties. YouTube: https://...

In this episode, David sits down with polygamy expert, historian, and author Brittany Chapman Nash. Polygamy among Latter-day Saints in early Utah has been a hot topic for over 150 years, and in this episode we talk about what you've heard that might be true, false, or a mixture of both truth and error. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@keystonelds Insta: https://www.instagram.com/keystonelds/...

He was a poorly-educated guy who was visited by an angel, produced a new work of scripture, and became the leader of a world religion. I'm not talking about Joseph Smith — I'm talking about Muhammad, the prophet of Islam. Many critics claim that Joseph Smith's truth claims really aren't that special, because Muhammad did something similar (and *nobody* in their right mind believes...

The witnesses of the Book of Mormon "golden plates" either lied, were tricked, or were telling the truth. In this episode, David sits down with long-time scholar Daniel C. Peterson to talk about the different theories, and whether or not they align with the available evidence. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@keystonelds Insta: https://www.instagram.com/keystonelds/ Tiktok: https://www....

In this episode, David Snell and special guest Terryl Givens talk about perhaps the most controversial divide between members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (colloquially, Mormons) and mainstream Christianity: The nature of God. Buckle up! YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@keystonelds Insta: https://www.instagram.com/keystonelds/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@keystonelds Face...

You guessed it, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the least-liked religious group in the United States, according to a recent PEW Research survey. In this episode, David Snell and Kristen Walker Smith review the data and chat about why people feel this way, and what Latter-day Saints can do about it. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@keystonelds Insta: https://www.instagram.com/ke...

Joining me today is Joshua Miller, a former patient of Jodi Hildebrandt and faithful Latter-day Saint, sharing his story of recovery from Jodi's "therapy" through the gospel of Jesus Christ. As you know, Hulu recently released "Devil in the Family: The Story of Ruby Franke," a documentary chronicling LDS vlogger Ruby Franke's interactions with the former mental health c...

In this episode, David sits down with BYU law professor Shima Baughman to talk about Hell, criminal justice, divine punishment, and the Latter-day Saint conception of the afterlife. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@keystonelds Insta: https://www.instagram.com/keystonelds/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@keystonelds Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/keystonelds/ Website: https://www.keystonelds.c...

For almost 200 years now, skeptics have been trying to come up with how Joseph Smith could have possibly come up with the Book of Mormon on his own. One of the most popular theories today is that Joseph Smith used information or was inspired by another book called View of the Hebrews, by Ethan Smith (no relation). In this episode of Keystone, David Snell sits down with Latter-day Saint scholar Ste...

In this episode, David Snell chats with scholar and author W. Paul Reeve about how the early leaders of Utah Territory grappled with the question of slavery. Paul recently co-authored a book on this subject (along with co-authors Christopher B. Rich Jr., and LaJean Purcell Carruth) called "This Abominable Slavery: Race, Religion, and the Battle over Human Bondage in Antebellum Utah". YouTube: http...

Joseph Smith's "King Follett Discourse" was essentially his last general conference talk, and boy was it controversial. It still is, almost 200 years later. In this episode, David Snell sits down with BYU professor Casey Paul Griffiths to dive into the nitty gritty. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@keystonelds Insta: https://www.instagram.com/keystonelds/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@keystonel...

Brother Brad Wilcox joins David Snell to talk about "His Grace is Sufficient" 10+ years later, along with how ordinances fit into a grace-based plan of salvation. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@keystonelds Insta: https://www.instagram.com/keystonelds/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@keystonelds Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/keystonelds/ Website: https://www.keystonelds.com Music by Zach Su...

In this episode, Latter-day Saint historian Ben Spackman talks about change in the Church — past, present, and future. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@keystonelds Insta: https://www.instagram.com/keystonelds/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@keystonelds Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/keystonelds/ Website: https://www.keystonelds.com Music by Zach Sundwall.

Some critics claim that the angel Moroni was originally referred to as "Nephi," and that the name was switched by later church leaders because it made more sense for the "made-up" storyline of the Book of Mormon. In this episode, David Snell investigates the claims. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@keystonelds Insta: https://www.instagram.com/keystonelds/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@keystonel...

Latter-day Saint Bible scholar Ben Spackman discusses whether Latter-day Saints are "biblical" or not. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@keystonelds Insta: https://www.instagram.com/keystonelds/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@keystonelds Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/keystonelds/ Website: https://www.keystonelds.com Music by Zach Sundwall.

Catholic apologist Trent Horn recently published a video aimed at discrediting the Book of Mormon by claiming that our 531 pages of the Book of Mormon would not have been able to fit in an ancient language on the golden plates. In this episode, David Snell takes a closer look at these claims, and highlights some of the research that Trent didn’t address in his video.  YouTube: https://www.youtube....