Mormon.ish

In this episode, we sit down with John and Rachelle Moyer, the creative team behind the new project Ex Mormon: The Musical, for a fascinating conversation about faith, humor, music, and the complicated journey of religious deconstruction. John and Rachelle share their backgrounds and personal faith journeys, what inspired them to create a musical soundtrack about the ex-Mormon experience, and why humor can be such a powerful tool for processing experiences that are anything but funny. We also dive into the songs themselves, exploring the stories and meaning behind the music and how the soundtrack captures different aspects of questioning, leaving, rebuilding, and finding your way forward. Ex Mormon: The Musical is hilarious but its more than that! Links: JosephSmith.com ExMormonSoundtrack.com RachelleMoyer.com (Rachelle's official site of what she does) TikTok @johnnykolob Instagram @RachelleMoyerCCH @johnmoyer Larger Streaming Sites for Music: Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/ex-mormon-the-musical-original-musical-soundtrack/6794734251 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/4OxkzS1jbuwicBjZkGw2TS YouTube Music: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nWrGA7_b-8EVA0UrfG4lBbo8z6Z_-tj_k Thank you so much for watching Mormonish Podcast! **How to DONATE to Mormonish Podcast: If you would like to help financially support our podcast, you can DONATE to support Mormonish Podcast here: Mormonish Podcast is a 501(c) (3) https://donorbox.org/mormonish-podcast WE HAVE MERCH! **** If you’d like to purchase Mormonish Merch, you can visit our Merch store here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/mormonishmerch We appreciate our Mormonish viewers and listeners so much! Don't forget to LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to Mormonish Podcast! Contact Mormonish Podcast: [email protected] #mormonish #lds #mormon #exmormon #postmormon #religion #news, #ldschurch #comeuntochrist #churchofjesuschrist #churchofjesuschristoflatterdaysaints #byu #byui #josephsmith #comefollowme #polygamy #bookofmormon #becauseofhim #hearhim #ldstemple FAIR USE DISCLAIMER All Media in this video (including the thumbnail) is used for the purpose of review and critique. The images in the thumbnail are used as the primary means of visually identifying the subject matter of the video

In Episode 6 of this series, Patrick begins by responding to recent listener feedback. He addresses the often-committed logical fallacy of thinking that the lack of “better” evidence for an early connection between Joseph and Sidney Rigdon is proof they didn’t meet at all. Patrick then reports recent findings that demonstrate the church is still refusing to make public the records that document 3 key points in Rigdon’s life, where he would have been motivated to “spill the beans” on the church! Could it have been related to polygamy? That seems unlikely now—at a time when the church has admitted that Joseph had 34 wives. Could it have been related to Sidney’s role in Book of Mormon authorship? Patrick then explains how the fear that wordprint studies can be manipulated does not justify ignoring them. Many guardrails in place surrounding scientific processes ensure that studies can be reviewed by critics to hold authors accountable. Watch as Patrick demonstrates that all of the LDS-authored studies report findings that are counter to their motivations! What better sign could there be that the LDS authored studies are not being manipulated to obtain their desired findings? The rest of this episode focuses on the last two wordprint studies, including the only study to compare the wordprint of Sidney Rigdon to the Book of Mormon text. Is Sidney flagged as an author? Finally, there is presentation of the chart reviewing the findings of all 8 wordprint studies showing surprisingly consistent findings. Join us for a thoughtful look at the evidence behind one big question: who authored the Book of Mormon?

Mormonish Podcast hits Las Vegas with Dr. Randall Bell for a weekend of magic, illusion, mentalism, and misdirection. But this wasn’t just for entertainment—we wanted to see these techniques in action and explore how performers capture attention, influence an audience, create a sense of wonder, and convince people they’ve witnessed something impossible. Then we turn the lens on early Mormonism. From seer stones and treasure seeking to supernatural claims and charismatic storytelling, we explore whether Joseph Smith may have employed some of the same principles of misdirection, suggestion, audience management, and psychological influence that magicians have used for centuries. Join us for a fascinating—and very Mormonish—trip to Vegas as we ask: When does a convincing performance become a miracle in the eyes of the beholder?

We've all seen the increasing number of ads from LDS missionaries on social media. You know, the ones that don't mention they are from the LDS church until you find yourself filling out a contact form. The ads that ask if you're lonely, or having a hard time, or want a friend to take you to church, or invite you to wipe away your sins with baptism. Mormonish is joined by former LDS missionary ad specialist Julianna Lane to shine a spotlight on the secret world of LDS missionary advertising. There's been a lot of discussion and interest recently about missionary ads. You won't want to miss this episode! (This episode was originally aired in October 2025)

Over nearly two centuries, Mormonism has changed in ways both large and small. Doctrines once taught with conviction, policies once defended as divinely inspired, and practices once considered essential have quietly—or sometimes dramatically—been left behind.

In this episode, we explore The Mormon Graveyard, a website that catalogs the beliefs, teachings, policies, terminology, and practices the LDS Church no longer embraces or follows. From polygamy and the racial priesthood and temple ban to changing temple ceremonies, abandoned truth claims, and evolving teachings, we examine what has been “buried” and what those changes tell us about the evolution of Mormonism.

What gets remembered? What gets reinterpreted? And what simply disappears?

Grab your shovel—we’re taking a walk through The Mormon Graveyard with creator Aran.

Website link: https://sites.google.com/view/mormongraveyard

In Episode 5 of this series, Patrick begins by responding to a recent podcast episode illustrating twenty 19th century non-Biblical phrases that are found in the Book of Mormon. These phrases point to a non-ancient text. But do they point to Joseph as the author? Or better yet, to Rigdon? Patrick then addresses the question of conspiracies in early Mormon history! Are we conspiracy theorists and we don't even know it? After a brief review of the first four Book of Mormon wordprint studies presented in prior episodes, we move on to the heart of this episode which focuses on two wordprint studies that both show compare the text of Nephi to that of Alma and then Mormon. Both present well-constructed studies for the determination that there are multiple authors of the Book of Mormon. Both also avoid comparing Rigdon! Why??? Patrick also reviews two LDS-authored summaries of the various wordprint studies and shows how there is a lot of mis-direction and spin. Finally, we present a chart reviewing the findings of the first 6 wordprint studies showing surprisingly consistent findings. Join us for a thoughtful look at the evidence behind one big question: who authored the Book of Mormon?

Joseph's Pet Rock" may be a tongue-in-cheek title, but behind the humor lies one of the most important—and fascinating—objects in early Mormon history. Long before the publication of the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith used a small seer stone while participating in treasure-seeking activities in upstate New York. Over time, that same stone became closely associated with some of the most significant events of the Restoration. In this episode, we explore the history of Joseph Smith's seer stone, its role in early Mormonism, and why it remains such a controversial and misunderstood artifact. How did a stone once used in folk magic and treasure digging become intertwined with sacred scripture and divine revelation? What do historical sources tell us about how Joseph used the stone, and why has its story been emphasized at some times and downplayed at others? Join us as we separate myth from history and examine the remarkable journey of the "pet rock" that helped shape a religious movement. Ganesh Cherian joins Mormonish Podcast again as we dive into this fascinating topic!

What was it like growing up as a girl in Mormonism? What about in Seventh-day Adventism? You might be surprised by how much these two very different religions have in common. In this episode, Melissa Duge Spiers joins Mormonish for an honest conversation about purity culture, modesty, dating, shame, and the expectations placed on women in our respective faith traditions. Melissa shares her experiences growing up Seventh-day Adventist, while I reflect on my own upbringing in the LDS Church. Along the way, we discover striking similarities in the messages we received about our bodies, our worth, and what it meant to be a “good” young woman. This isn’t about comparing which religion was “better” or “worse.” It’s about exploring the lasting impact of these teachings, sharing our stories with empathy, and talking about what healing and growth can look like on the other side. Whether you were raised Mormon, Seventh-day Adventist, or in another faith tradition, we think you’ll find plenty to relate to in this heartfelt conversation. We’d love to hear your own experiences in the comments! SUBSTACK: https://substack.com/@melissadugespiers BOOK: https://www.lakedrivebooks.com/books/holy-disobedience/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/the.glory.whole/ TIK TOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@theglorywhole YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@theglorywhole3831

Can Green Eggs and Ham really be read as an ancient temple text? Dr. John Lundwall takes on that challenge—using the very same interpretive methods often employed by LDS apologists to argue for ancient origins in the Book of Mormon. By intentionally applying those techniques to Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Lundwall demonstrates how flexible assumptions, selective parallels, and creative pattern-finding can make almost any text appear to support an ancient religious narrative. This episode isn’t an argument that Green Eggs and Ham is actually ancient. Instead, it’s a thought-provoking exploration of methodology: How do we distinguish between genuine evidence and imaginative interpretation? Where is the line between scholarship and apologetics? Join us for a fascinating—and surprisingly funny—conversation that challenges listeners to think critically about the arguments used to defend ancient scripture claims. Cohosted by Ganesh Cherian.

Growing up in the LDS church, we experienced a lot of mythologized history. A lot of this was tied to the founding fathers and the origins of America. We heard stories about Moroni appearing to Christopher Columbus and George Washington. Mythology narratives about Washington’s prayer or the founding fathers appearing to Wilford Woodruff at the temple. All of these ideas were narratives designed to push a very specific idea of American identity and Mormonism’s place inside that identity, many of these ideas are directly tied to ideas of Christian nationalism. Promoted by people like a Benson, Skousen, Tim Ballard, Glenn Beck many others these mythology became part of our religious identity. Over the past two decades, Warren Throckmorton has become one of the leading voices examining the historical claims behind Christian nationalism. Through books such as "Getting Jefferson Right and The Christian Past That Wasn’t," he has carefully documented how influential activists and organizations have reshaped American history to promote the idea that the United States was founded as an explicitly Christian nation with a unique covenantal relationship with God. In this interview, we’ll explore how these narratives developed, why they remain so influential, how they compare with similar ideas found in Mormonism and other religious traditions, and what the growing influence of Christian nationalism could mean for American democracy, religious liberty, and the relationship between faith and political power.