Mormon Discussion Archives - Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel

For most of Mormon history, Latter-day Saints believed the Hill Cumorah in Palmyra, New York was the very place where the final battles of the Book of Mormon took place and where Moroni buried the gold plates that Joseph Smith would later retrieve. But in recent decades, a growing number of LDS scholars and apologists have proposed something very different. Because no archaeological evidence exist...

In this episode we examine one of the most foundational claims in Mormonism: the translation of the Book of Mormon. Most Latter-day Saints grew up hearing a very specific story. Joseph Smith sat at a table, the gold plates were present, and he translated the ancient record through divine power. But when we turn to the actual historical eyewitness accounts, a more complicated picture appears. Multi...

In this episode, we examine one of the lesser-known but revealing moments in Mormon history: the Kinderhook Plates. In 1843, a set of small brass plates covered with strange engravings were discovered in Kinderhook, Illinois and brought to Joseph Smith. Contemporary accounts record that Joseph examined the plates and began offering an interpretation of the characters, identifying them as an ancien...

In this episode, we examine one of the clearest translation claims in Mormon history: the Book of Abraham. Joseph Smith said he translated ancient writings of Abraham from Egyptian papyri. Those papyri were displayed, studied, and described as the source of the text. Today, we still have fragments of those papyri. And Egyptologists can read them. They do not say what Joseph said they say. So what...

The Lost 116 Pages — What Really Happened? In this episode, we take a careful look at one of the earliest and most important moments in the coming forth of the Book of Mormon: the loss of the 116 manuscript pages. Believers have long heard the story. Martin Harris takes the manuscript. It disappears. Joseph is devastated. A revelation explains why the pages cannot be retranslated. But when we slow...

When did Fanny Alger actually come to live in the Prophet Joseph Smith’s home and why? This episode takes a careful, historically grounded look at one of the most misunderstood turning points in early Mormon history. Rather than starting with scandal or theology, we begin with something far more mundane and far more revealing: household labor, family obligation, and timing. By reconstructing...

In Part 2 of “Denying Joseph Smith’s Polygamy,” we continue on a compelling journey through conflicting narratives surrounding the origins of polygamy in Mormonism. Through the Research of Clark Aboud and the Historian’s lens of renowned Mormon Scholar Dan Vogel, we confront the contentious question: Did Joseph Smith truly introduce polygamy, or was Brigham Young the master...

In “Denying Joseph Smith’s Polygamy,” we embark on a compelling journey through conflicting narratives surrounding the origins of polygamy in Mormonism. Through the Research of Clark Aboud and the Historian’s lens of renowned Mormon Scholar Dan Vogel, we confront the contentious question: Did Joseph Smith truly introduce polygamy, or was Brigham Young the mastermind behind...

In this eye-opening episode of the Mormon Discussion podcast, host Bill Reel takes a brave and unexpected stance on a topic that has long been considered a cornerstone in the fight against abuse. In “The Shocking Truth about Mandatory Reporting,” Bill discloses a profound shift in his perspective after delving into extensive research on the subject. CONTENT WARNING: This episode may be...

In this episode of the Mormon Discussion Podcast, Bill Reel sits down with author John Moroni Hanson to delve into his memoir, “Navigating On Black Ice: My Mormon Life.” Book Synopsis: “An exploration of how an intelligent man found himself entangled in a troubling religion, ‘Navigating on Black Ice’ is an enlightening journey of coming to understand what you want. Au...

In this episode “Latter-day Lattes,” Bill Reel delves into a thought-provoking article recently published by The Salt Lake Tribune, titled “Why More and More Young Latter-day Saints are Drinking Coffee.” The article sheds light on the growing trend of coffee consumption among young members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) in spite of of LDS Commandme...

On this Episode of Mormon Discussion we lay out the Smoking Gun that imposes that Polygamy be placed at the feet of joseph Smith For those doing research the following resources will allow you to trace my steps PDF used for the Show – https://mormondiscussionpodcast.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Smoking-Gun-Land-Deeds.pdf Document containing all the research https://mormondiscussion...

Bill Reel and Gabe go for round 2 of looking at the nature of reality. They look at various models of seeing the world, check in on Modern Science such as Quantum Physics, and share insights from their own learning and experience to investigate if the world we all believe we are seeing is in fact reality. The post What Can We Say About the Nature Of Reality: Mormon Discussion: 387 appeared first o...

Bill Reel and Gabe take a long look at the nature of reality.  They look at various models of seeing the world, check in on Modern Science such as Quantum Physics, and share insights from their own learning and experience to investigate if the world we all believe we are seeing is in fact reality. The post What Can We Say About the Nature Of Reality: MD: 386 appeared first on Mormon Discussion by...

Rarely in Mormonism do people in disagreement sit down to enter conversations about the issues upon which they disagree with understanding and healthy dialogue being at the forefront. But LDS Faithful believer Jacob Hansen and Ex-Mormon atheist Bill Reel sit down to discuss a Mormon Testimony, how one could arrive at a LDS Testimony, and how one derives confidence in it. The goal of this conversat...

Recently Bill Reel had a conversation with a active believer on Morality in Episodes #381 & #382. Today Bill sits down with Spencer Wright to carry that conversation further by talking about how Atheists form Morality and whether such morality can in fact take us into the future. The post Atheist Morality: Mormon Discussion: 384 appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel .

Most of us as believers had experiences we would define as spiritual. As we deconstructed our religious world we had to confront those experiences and look at them, sit with what they were and weren’t and attempt to re-define them in a way that allowed us to make sense of them within the lens of our Mormon faith not being true. Today Carah and Bill discuss their past spiritual experiences an...

Rarely in Mormonism do people in disagreement sit down to enter conversations about the issues upon which they disagree with understanding and healthy dialogue being at the forefront. But LDS Faithful believer Jacob Hansen and Ex-Mormon atheist Bill Reel sit down to discuss Faith Crises, what they are and what they mean for those going through them. The goal of this conversation as well as any tha...

Honest Conversations About Faith w/ Jacob Hansen & Bill Reel: Session 1: Morality Rarely in Mormonism do people in disagreement sit down to enter conversations about the issues upon which they disagree with understanding and healthy dialogue being at the forefront. But LDS Faithful believer Jacob Hansen and Ex-Mormon atheist Bill Reel sit down to discuss Morality. The goal of this conversation...

Bill Reel had the pleasure of being interviewed on the “Mormonish” Podcast.  Below are the original links to their Youtube Video and their Podcast Audio of that Interview.  Bill gets really vulnerable discussing his journey, his life and along the way delves into human development, conscious altering tools, sexuality, and spiritual awakening.   If you want to get to know Bill better th...

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claims to be led by Prophets, Seers, and Revelators.  That these men are special witnesses of Christ.  That they speak to God and discern his will for us.  Latter-day Saints are taught that these men are like Moses, Noah, and Abraham.  We take a look at these claims to see if in fact there is observable evidence that can help us evaluate if these men...

I’m going to let you into my head for a moment. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Have you ever considered the amount of violence and deception in Mormonism’s past and present and pondered all the reasons for folks to feel fear or personal risk in exposing Mormonism? The post Mormon Discussion: 378: Mormonism & Two Tickets to Crazy Town appeared first on Mormon Discussion b...

Just a quick lesson on how rational thinking works. If anyone views/listens to this and would like to debate a problematic issue in Mormonism or disagree with my approach to rational thinking, please email me at MormonDiscussionsPodcasts AT Gamil DOT Com as I would love to continue the conversation The post Mormon Discussion: 377: Quick Lesson in Rational Thinking appeared first on Mormon Discussi...

I can think of no better way to help believing and post Mormons best understand their religion than through the lens of another High Demand Fundamentalist religion. So here it is the Jehovah’s Witnesses The post Mormon Discussion: 376: Utilizing the Jehovah’s Witnesses to Understand Mormonism appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel .

Critics accuse the Prophets Joseph Smith of plagiarizing multiple sources in order to create the standard works and Mormon Theology. Today we take a deep look into these accusations to see if there is any merit to their claims. You won’t want to miss this.  Below is the outline for the video podcast that covers in depth Joseph Smith’s Plagiarism of outside sources in order to create th...