Mormon.ish

Have you always wondered who is behind the Temple Name Oracle? After experiencing cognitive dissonance from his mission in 2003 and discovering the truth about LDS church history in 2010 from a simple Google search, Clint Kimball experienced the sudden loss of his entire social support structure and began reconstructing his belief system by collecting a trove of facts. This led to the creation of his website, Fuller Consideration, a repository of information used by researchers around the world. Join Mormonish as we take a fascinating deep dive into the creation and impact of some of his notable projects, including: Better Information: A collection of original source documents on church history. No commentary. No analysis. The Temple Name Oracle: The popular database that unlocked the rotation system behind how New Names are given out in temples. The Patriarchal Blessing Revelator: An archive that helps us understand whether patriarchal blessings tell us more about the recipient or the patriarch. Unit Tracker: A live list of where wards, branches, stakes, and districts are being opened and closed around the world. The Deseret Demographer: A large data-driven analysis that shows how many of the church's reported membership actually consider themselves members, and how many are showing up to church. You can visit his website here: https://www.fullerconsideration.com/ Other websites mentioned during the interview: https://exmormon.org/ http://wivesofjosephsmith.org/ https://returnandreport.org/ https://thewidowsmite.org/ You won't want to miss this episode!

In Episode 3 of this series, Patrick begins by responding to excellent audience feedback on the overview of stylometry; he presents a chart that shows when in the Book of Mormon each anomaly first appears. He then reviews the usable Book of Mormon wordprint study from Episode 3. The heart of this episode focuses on the first two wordprint studies, both from BYU academics. Patrick explains how the authors of these first two studies make the clear claim that their studies show—in two different types of analysis each—that there are multiple authors of the Book of Mormon! The second of the studies did what no other study does—compare the wordprint of the primary authors “narrative” text voice separately from their “sermon” text voice. What conclusions should we draw from this well-designed study about the two voices? Patrick reviews the critiques of the studies and discusses limitations and most reasonable conclusions to draw from the studies. Join us for a thoughtful look at the evidence behind one big question: who authored the Book of Mormon?

In this special Mormonish/ The Good Book Club episode, we sit down with Dr. John Lundwall to discuss his thought-provoking book Mythos and Cosmos and explore what its ideas might mean when viewed through the lens of Mormonism. Drawing on comparative religion, oral tradition, mythology, and the development of sacred narratives, Lundwall challenges readers to think differently about how ancient religious texts emerge, evolve, and function within believing communities. Together, we examine some of the book's most intriguing arguments and consider their implications for Latter-day Saint scripture, history, and religious identity. How do oral cultures preserve and transmit sacred stories? What distinguishes myth from history, and must the two always be in conflict? How might Lundwall's framework reshape conversations about the Book of Mormon and other sacred texts?

On this episode of Mormonish Podcast, Rebecca and Landon delve into the LDS church's rocky relationship with the town of Nauvoo and learn not much has changed in almost two centuries. In a scenario that will sound familiar to everyone who follows LDS temple building with Mormonish, the tactics used by the church to push through a new temple visitors' center follow the same playbook. This episode was originally aired on August 13, 2024 and we are re-airing it because the Nauvoo Visitors' Center was dedicated last week. Let's see where it all started. 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) DONATE HERE: https://donorbox.org/mormonish-podcast

Mormonish welcomes author Ganesh Cherian, whose book Joseph Smith: The Architect of Mormonism: A Topical Biography examines Joseph Smith’s role in shaping Mormon theology and belief. Together we explore evidence for Joseph Smith’s authorship of the Book of Mormon, the influences that may have shaped the text, and what this debate tells us about the origins of Mormonism. Join us for a thought-provoking discussion on one of the most important questions in Mormon history.

In Episode 3 of this series, Patrick begins by responding to excellent audience feedback on the 3-Voice Framework from Episode 2. He then highlights a recent Mormonism Live episode that makes a compelling case for the Book of Mormon as a 19th-century text, pointing to 34 doctrines from the early 1800s. But many of those doctrines appear directly connected to debates within Campbellism in Ohio and Pennsylvania—debates Sidney Rigdon was having with Alexander Campbell and Walter Scott. Should that raise new questions about Book of Mormon authorship? A future episode will explore the Campbellism connection more deeply. The heart of this episode focuses on stylometry, also known as wordprint analysis. Patrick explains how researchers create a digital profile of an author’s unique writing habits, then reviews two of the eight major wordprint studies. The second study includes intriguing findings about Joseph Smith’s personal writing style compared to the broader LDS canon—and even identifies a strange anomaly in the early Doctrine and Covenants during the Book of Mormon dictation period. Join us for a thoughtful look at the evidence behind one big question: who authored the Book of Mormon?

Tune in to Mormonish Podcast on Tuesday, June 23rd at 6 pm MT! President Dallin H. Oaks recently declared that the Church will soon have more missionaries than at any point in its history. But what do those numbers actually mean? This episode takes a closer look at the Church’s missionary statistics, the impact of lowering the missionary age for young women, and the growing role of service and senior missionaries in the overall count. We also examine how today’s numbers compare with previous missionary surges, what metrics are being emphasized, and whether record missionary totals necessarily translate into record growth or a more faithful rising generation. Join Ron Yogason and Mormonish as we separate the headlines from the data and explore the bigger picture behind the missionary stats.

In this episode of our continuing series on Book of Mormon authorship theories, Patrick lays the groundwork for understanding how the Book or Mormon is constructed, which is an essential part of considering the Book of Mormon authorship theories. In this episode we consider Rob Terry's work. Data Scientist Rob Terry utilized the BYU Book of Mormon text database to deconstruct the structure of the Book of Mormon. He demonstrates in this Wheat and Tares article https://wheatandtares.org/2020/04/23/book-of-mormon-wordprint-studies-in-2020/ how the Book of Mormon has 3 discrete “voices”. First, the Narrator Voice. This voice contains many attributes that are consistent across the book, regardless of whether the speaker is Mormon, Zeniff, or Helaman. Next, the Sermon Voice is interspersed in the narrative and contains unique attributes across the book, whether in the voice of Alma, Samuel the Lamanite, or Amulek. Finally, in the second half of the book, there is a Late Voice which muddies the clear switching between Narrator and Sermon Voices we see in the first half of the book and introduces a new set of attributes not seen in the other 2 Voices. Terry illustrates the Voices in many graphs to help the audience visualize how the book is constructed. The 3-Voice Framework must be accounted for by any Book of Mormon authorship theory and complicates the notion that the book could have been dictated without an underlying text. Finally, in the episode, we briefly show how the framework helps explain the Book of Mormon wordprint study results.

Why is it so hard to admit we're wrong? In this episode, Mormonish dives into the fascinating and often uncomfortable ideas presented in Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me) by Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson. This popular book explores the powerful psychological mechanisms of self-justification, cognitive dissonance, and the stories we tell ourselves to protect our beliefs, decisions, and identities—even when the evidence suggests we may have gotten things wrong. With our guests Kendel Christensen and Cameron Stringham, we discuss how these insights apply to everyday life, relationships, politics, religion, and personal growth. Why do people double down on mistaken beliefs instead of changing their minds? How do intelligent, well-meaning people convince themselves that they are right? And what can we do to become more open to correction and self-reflection? Join us for a lively conversation about one of the most important—and humbling—books on human behavior ever written. 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) DONATE HERE: https://donorbox.org/mormonish-podcast

Who wrote the Book of Mormon? For nearly two centuries, believers, skeptics, historians, and scholars have wrestled with that question. Is the Book of Mormon what it claims to be—a divinely inspired ancient record translated by the gift and power of God? Was it the product of Joseph Smith alone, created through his own imagination and abilities? Or might other individuals, such as Sidney Rigdon have played a role in its creation? In this special series, we take a deep dive into the competing theories surrounding the authorship of the Book of Mormon. We'll explore the traditional faith-based narrative, examine arguments for Joseph Smith as the sole author, investigate claims of possible collaborators and influences, and review the historical evidence, documents, word print studies, and scholarship on all sides of the debate. Whether you're a believer, a skeptic, or simply curious about one of the most fascinating questions in religious history, join us as we examine the evidence and ask: Who really authored the Book of Mormon?