In honor of the 1847 and later Pioneers, in this episode of Religion Today, host Martin Tanner provides "the rest of the story", little known details of LDS Church history, including the likely date of Joseph Smith's "First Vision", what happened to the original Nauvoo Temple, how Wilford Wood acquired for the LDS Church, the Nauvoo Temple site, the Newell K. Whitney Store, the Johnston Farm, the Adam-Ondi-Ahman property, part of the original Book of Mormon manuscript, Liberty Jail, Carthage Jail, and other Church History sites.  He describes how the Salt Lake Valley looked when the Pioneers arrived and how it was already occupied, and described as beautiful and lush by the early Pioneers.  

In the Spring of 1842 Sarah Kimball and Margaret Cook decided to create a women's benevolent society to sew new and repair damaged clothing worn by workers building the Nauvoo Temple.  They asked Eliza Snow to write articles and bylaws.  In this episode of Religion Today, host Martin Tanner describes how the Relief Society was formed, and how Joseph Smith "ordained" its first Presidency and helped organize it after the pattern of the Priesthood.  After research and prayer, the Relief Society women voted on on issues. They were seen as bright and competent. This led to Utah in 1869 being the first place in the entire United States and its territories to give women the unfettered right to vote. Wyoming was next. Susan B. Anthony visited Utah years before she was successful in her suffrage efforts, to learn how Utah women had acquired such power.  From the efforts of Utah's Relief Society the right of women to vote spread around the world. The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the "Susan B. Anthony" amendment giving all U.S. women the right to vote, passed in 1920, which was 51 years after Utah women had the right to vote. 

If you are a Latter-day Saint, you have or will be subjected at work on the Internet or somewhere else to criticisms of your Church.  In this episode of Religion Today, host Martin Tanner responds to a few of the many self-contradictory, un-Biblical criticisms of the LDS Church made by Eric Johnson who has devoted much of his adult life to criticizing the LDS Faith in ways his won Church would not withstand.  For example, Johnson suggests LDS are not Biblical and therefore not genuine Christians.  Yet the center of his faith is the Trinitarian belief, which is not Biblical.  He believes all one must do is believe Jesus is your Lord and Savior.  Yet he does not believe Latter-day Saints who believe Jesus is their Lord and Savior are Christians or going to Heaven.  He ignores 1 Corinthians 6:9 which says "Don't you know the unrighteous do not inherit the kingdom of God?  Don't be deceived . . . ."  Yet Johnson says belief in Jesus gets you into Heaven, not righteousness.

Jesus said "Know the truth and the truth will make you free." Jesus taught humans have freedom or free agency, or free will.  Yet Christians typically believe God knows the future in every detail.  How is this possible?  In this episode of Religion Today, host Martin Tanner explores the three explanations:  (1) John Calvin said God controls all and freedom is an illusion; (2) God knows everything, but somehow this does not conflict with free will; and, (3) God knows all that can be know, especially in a macro-sense, but not in every details until humans make choices using their free will.  Freedom is tied to events in history, the influence of Christianity and inspiration of God.

Many have not heard of Polycarp, who was born in 70 AD and was taught Christianity by the Apostle John.  In this episode of Religion Today, host Martin Tanner gives a brief sketch of Polycarp's life, that he was Bishop of the Church is Smyrna for decades, where he had a tremendous influence for good in pointing out false ideas and doctrine during the early days of the Great Apostasy.  Polycarp was burned at the stake at age 86, in 155 AD, when he refused to deny Jesus and proclaim the Roman Emperor God.  Polycarp was revered by all of the Early Christians who knew him and by those who knew his story of faith.

In this Fathers' Day episode, host Martin Tanner describes the divinely ordained purpose and role of fathers.  Being in a single parent home is the greatest predictor of poverty for a child.  A long neglected area of study is the impact of fathers on children and the family unit.  It is no coincidence that in all areas where fathers are absent, there is an increase in poverty, crime, alcoholism, drug use, lack of education, mental illness and physical health.  In this age where the idea is a person can chose to be a man or woman or anything in between or nothing at all, science has come to understand biology cannot be chosen.  The role of men and fathers in society and in the family is important 

HULU's recent mini-series "Under the Banner of Heaven" based on the 2003 Jon Krakauer book with the same title has led to listeners emailing to ask about the accuracy of the book and mini-series.  In this episode host Martin Tanner explains how Krakauer in this and prior books leaves out critical facts, paints heroes as bad and suffers from other major flaws.  Among them are (1) the misleading idea that Ron and Dan Lafferty are "Mormons" when they were earlier excommunicated and had started their own church; (2) the lie that Lafferty's murdered because they were following the "oath of vengeance" in LDS Temples, when there has never been such an oath; (3) Ron and Dan were influenced by Brigham Young who ordered the massacre at "Mountain Meadows" even though Brigham Young explicitly and in writing did the opposite.  Krakauer's methodologies in "Under the Benner of Heaven" on consistently bad, just as in his prior book "Into Thin Air" in which he criticizes a competing Mt. Everest guide who saved all of his hikers, when Krakauer's group suffered the death of eight climbers.

There are approximately 7.8 billion people in the world, of which 7 out of every 8 self-identify as being religious.  In this episode of Religion Today, host Martin Tanner provides statistics and information about the world's religions and scriptures.  Nearly a third of the world are Christians, 2.38 billion.  Muslims total about 1.8 billion and Hindus 1.2 billion.  Many are surprised at hearing that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with over 16.3 million members is larger than the number of Southern Baptists, with about 16 million and the number of Jews, numbering about 15 million.  Martin Tanner discusses the number of Bibles printed and other books published and read on religion.  He provides other information and statistics about religion and its benefits.

What are the core American values that make the United States the place people sneak into, not out of?  Why do some people in the U,S. want to "fundamentally transform" it when it is the greatest country that has ever existed?  In this Memorial Day weekend show, host Martin Tanner talks about the fundamental freedoms of religion and speech which are found no where else in the world, He quotes the Founding Fathers saying the founding and values of the Unites States was inspired by God, and how the Doctrine and Covenants says God inspired the Founding Fathers.

Are reincarnation and Christianity compatible?  A growing number of Latter-day Saints and other Christians self-identify as Christians and believers in reincarnation.  In this episode of Religion Today host Martin Tanner explains why belief in reincarnation and Christianity are not compatible.  He explains why it is not possible that Jesus taught reincarnation.  He explains how reincarnation in incompatible with the Atonement, resurrection, eternal families, eternal progression.  The ultimate goal of Christianity is eternal progression resulting in a resurrected individual very much like Jesus.  The ultimate goal of reincarnation is to become one with the universe without an individual identify, and without a body.  Why do some people who have near-death experiences believe they see reincarnation?  They see themselves or other in the pre-existence.  They see others who have died in Paradise or Spirit Prison, in the next phase of eternal progression.  This they misinterpret at reincarnation.