Standard of Truth

In this episode, we discuss some of the topics that are important to study as you prepare to serve a mission. Gerrit also shares several stories of early missionary work in the Church. If you would like the links to the episodes that discuss the missionary preparation topics, please sign up for the newsletter. The link is below: Subscribe to our free newsletter⁠  -  ⁠https://standardoftruthpodcast...

In this episode, we answer a missionary's inquiry about antagonistic claims that Joseph Smith and his family performed animal sacrifices. Richard also gets fact-checked on his NCAA tournament sports picks. Join us on the Standard of Truth Tour (a few slots still available): Monday, June 5th through Sunday, June 11th -  ⁠https://standardoftruth.com/tours/⁠ ⁠Subscribe to our free newsletter⁠  -  ⁠ht...

We respond to a listener's question about a sacred ordinance and another listener's question about whether or not we are truly free to act if God has omniscience.  Subscribe to our free newsletter - https://standardoftruthpodcast.substack.com/ Please visit our website at  www.standardoftruth.com If you have any questions or possible topics of discussion for upcoming podcasts, please email us at: q...

In this episode, we discuss the documents that the Church chooses to make public versus those they decide to keep private. Yup, archive talk. If that doesn't do it for you, we also lovely make fun of Canada.   Join us on the Standard of Truth Tour (a few slots still available): Monday, June 5th through Sunday, June 11th - https://standardoftruth.com/tours/   Subscribe to our free newsletter - http...

Last week we said we were going to answer this question. This week we do, kind of, part of it. In this episode, we answer a listener’s email about the changing name of the Church, from the Church of Christ to The Church of Latter Day Saints to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.   Join us on the Standard of Truth Tour (a few slots still available): Monday, June 5th through Sunday, Jun...

I mean, maybe, we don’t know. In this episode, we respond to a listener's email about whether we choose our families in the premortal existence or are assigned them in a more random way. Gerrit references a talk by Brigham Young, a dream by Mosiah Hancock, and the documentary film Saturday’s Warrior.   Mosiah Hancock Autobiography: http://boap.org/LDS/Early-Saints/MHancock.html   Did we choose our...

In this episode, we receive one of the greatest emails in Standard of Truth Podcast history where the emailer lists all of the subjects we claimed we would talk about and then never actually talk about. We respond to a comment by a pastor who talks about the people that are saved and the people who will burn in the fires of hell. Spoiler alert, Latter-day saints make it on his “naughty” list.   Jo...

In this episode, we discuss the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible and spend some time on the Sermon on the Mount. We also read an email about how popular the podcast is with arrested criminals in the back of police cars. Join us on the Standard of Truth Tour (a few slots still available): Monday, June 5th through Sunday, June 11th - https://standardoftruth.com/tours/ Subscribe to our free news...

In this episode, a listener asks some questions stemming from their visit to the “School of the Prophets” of an apostate group.  The discussion revolves around the age-old question of “How can we know what it is that we know?”  We discuss some of the conflated ways apostates and critics misuse historical sources in order to bolster their religious claims. Join us on the Standard of Truth Tour (a f...

In this bonus episode, Richard fires away random questions to Gerrit from the fun for Latter-day Saint family game "Blast from the Past". #RIPMillardFillmore Join us on the Standard of Truth Tour (a few slots still available): Monday June 5th through Sunday June 11th - https://standardoftruth.com/tours/ Subscribe to our free newsletter - https://standardoftruthpodcast.substack.com/ Please visit ou...

In this episode, we respond to a listener’s inquiry about a woman who tragically died during her baptism in England in 1843.  We discuss the various accounts (they got this from a game they were playing) surrounding the incident and Latter-day Saint persecution in England at the time. Join us on the Standard of Truth Tour (a few slots still available): Monday, June 5th through Sunday, June 11th -...

A listener’s question about an oft repeated attack on the Church, is part of our discussion on sources. An antagonist claimed that Joseph Smith said Quakers were living on the moon. We investigate the sources behind that claim.   Subscribe to our free newsletter - https://standardoftruthpodcast.substack.com/   Please visit our website at  www.standardoftruth.com   If you have any questions or poss...

In this episode we start by responding to a missionary’s question about the Illuminati’s involvement in the temple ceremony…spoiler alert, there wasn’t any involvement by the Illuminati on the temple ceremony. Or at least that is what they would have us believe.   We answer a question about the documents surrounding the restoration of the Melchizedek Priesthood. Subscribe to our free newsletter Pl...

We respond to a listener’s inquiry about the identity of the two prophets whose deaths in Jerusalem are prophesied of in Revelation.  They ask a question about a talk from our favorite speaker and theologian, Truman Madsen.  We provide sources from Joseph Smith and even read another non-canonical early Christian gospel to explain where the ideas come from. Truman G. Madsen’s talk on Elijah’s Missi...

In this episode we discuss the relationship between Brigham Young and John Taylor. We read an email from a descendant of John Taylor who shares a story from her family history that the two of them were never friends. Link to Sunstone Conference discussion mentioned by Gerrit: https://sunstone.org/never-friends-brigham-young-and-john-taylor/ Subscribe to our free newsletter Please visit our website...

A recent internet post about the mother of Mary and a question about whether or not Jesus had brothers and sisters led to a discussion that examined early Christian noncanonical gospels and Catholic tradition. Subscribe to our free newsletter Please visit our website at  www.standardoftruth.com If you have any questions or possible topics of discussion for upcoming podcasts, please email us at: qu...

Welcome to Season 3 of the Standard of Truth Podcast. In this episode we continue our discussion on the nature of God, the Trinity, and the question “Are Mormon’s Christian?”. We do a deeper theological dive into the nature of Jesus and try to find common ground on the idea of salvation ultimately coming through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Subscribe to our free newsletter Please visit our websi...

We wrap up our foray into early Christian theology (for now) and discuss some of the unique aspects of Latter-day Saint theology that are different from traditional Christians.  Again, we apologize for the poor audio quality. Please visit our website at  www.standardoftruth.com If you have any questions or possible topics of discussion for upcoming podcasts, please email us at: questions@standardo...

Transcript

The discussion about Latter-day Saint beliefs about Christ and early Christian history continues from the previous week. Because we were traveling outside of our “studio” but wanted to deliver a podcast, the audio quality is poor on this and the next episode.  We apologize for that.  The content is the same level of quality you get every week; we will let you determine what that is. Please visit o...

A recent uptick in social media conversations about whether or not Latter-day Saints (Mormons) are really Christians causes Gerrit and Richard to wade into early Christian theology. You have not lived until you have had a discussion about Arianism. Please visit our website at  www.standardoftruth.com If you have any questions or possible topics of discussion for upcoming podcasts, please email us...

In this episode Gerrit examines the claims that particular emphasis was given to part of Joseph Smith History by way of punctuation.  Few things are more exciting than punctuation. Please visit our website at  www.standardoftruth.com If you have any questions or possible topics of discussion for upcoming podcasts, please email us at: questions@standardoftruthpodcast.com YouTube Channel: https://ww...

In this episode, Gerrit finally gets to the Mormon Battalion and exposes James K. Polk as the liar he is. Controversial we know, we only hope that Gerrit’s aggressive attacks on President Polk will not offend our Polkite listeners. We also discuss the temple work done for the Founding Fathers and Wilford Woodruff’s vision. Link to Wilford Woodruff’s journal: https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org...

In this episode, we continue with our discussion of the context for the Mormon Battalion as the Federal Government continues its disinformation campaign with the Saints. We share some specific conversations that Jesse Little has with Thomas Kane and President James Polk.  Please visit our website at  www.standardoftruth.com If you have any questions or possible topics of discussion for upcoming po...

We start the episode as we usually do by ranking hells. Mormon hell is obviously the best, then Jehovah's Witness hell and Catholic purgatory. Gerrit has been upfront with his anti-camping agenda but extends his feelings about camping to Trek. We discuss Samuel Brannan, head of the Church in the Eastern U.S., telling Brigham Young that the Secretary of War is saying that the saints need to be obli...