Saints Unscripted

In this second part of the two part series with Paul Reeve on Blacks and the Priesthood, Paul talks about the things that happened after the priesthood ban. He discusses the following:   - Did God endorse the priesthood ban?  - Was the priesthood ban God's will?  - Did the LDS Church believe that certain races should be left out from the gospel?  - What was the history of the ending of the priesthood ban?  - Were there Black Latter-day Saints during the priesthood ban?  - And more!!   We know this is a very difficult topic and it can be hard to digest but we need to acknowledge the history and strive for more equality.

Correction: The image at 8:20 is not William Appleby, it is B. H. Roberts. Our mistake.  

Paul Reeve has joined us for today's episode. He is the author of the book "Religion of a Different Color" and he is the Simmons Chair of Mormon Studies at the University of Utah. He has done a lot of research on this topic and has so many great insights and answers. Some of the questions he addresses include:  - Did the priesthood ban start with Joseph Smith or Brigham Young?  - Was there a fear or race mixing and was that a common issue throughout the United States at the time?  - Was there any pushback between other leaders of the Church and Brigham Young? - What is the curse of Canaan?   

There will be a part two with Paul Reeve so stay tuned! 

Today we have the amazing opportunity to hear from one of the kindest, most genuine people you will ever meet. Mauli Bonner joins us to talk about his experience with the LDS priesthood ban. (If you are unfamiliar with the priesthood ban and would like some historical context, check out the link below.)   What was the Latter-day Saint Black priesthood ban? https://youtu.be/KvWPmLLV3Jw Mauli shares his experience growing up as a black member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and how he was affected by the priesthood ban. The experiences that Mauli shares are authentic and his own. They may or may not reflect the experiences of other people who have been hurt by the priesthood ban. If you would like to share your story, please DM us on Instagram or Facebook.

We are so excited today to talk about MOTHERHOOD! We love the mothers in our lives and their examples of dedication and sacrifice. Today Allex and Kaitlyn talk about their journeys into motherhood-- Kaitlyn being a new mother and Allex about-to-give-birth. Allex talks about the advice people give her about motherhood, as she is about to have her baby, and Kaitlyn talks about what mother is like as a brand new mother. Kaitlyn says that it's hard and remarkable and everything in-between. We are grateful for all the mothers who have done so much for us and for humanity. WE LOVE YOU, MOMS!

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Today, David talks about the final judgment of God. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes referred to as “Mormons”) believe that after we die, we will have the opportunity to stand before God and be judged for our actions and intentions during our life on earth. Some questions David addresses include:  How will we know that God’s judgments are just?  Will judgment be done individually or in groups? Should we be afraid of the final judgment?  How can we know if we have repented fully?

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During the pandemic when staying at home was encouraged, many churches made Sunday services available to view online. There was even a time when members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes referred to as “Mormons”) held “at-home church”.  Even though watching church at home in your pajamas sounds pretty comfortable, the hosts discuss why physically going to church is so important.

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In this episode, we play a game where we 'translate' text from different resources, hoping for as much accuracy as possible, using a somewhat similar processes that Joseph Smith used when translating the Book of Mormon. We understand that there are significant differences in our process and the process that Joseph Smith used, especially because the two eras are totally different, but we had a fun time in our efforts to understand the difficulty in translating the Book of Mormon. We strongly encourage you to watch the other episodes we have about the Book of Mormon!

*Not sure how well this episode will work in a podcast form so feel free to check it out on YouTube: https://youtu.be/M7_iy61px_U 

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Ben Spackman joins us again to talk about a somewhat controversial Old Testament topic— Noah and the flood. We’re stoked to have Ben here to share his thoughts on this subject. If you haven’t watched our previous episodes with him, be sure to check them out! 

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Today we welcome back one of our favorite guests, Christopher Cunningham! If you've been on our channel before, it's likely that you've seen Christopher guest on Saints Unscripted to share different ways of thinking about basic gospel principles, cultural issues, and personal experiences. In this episode, Christopher talks about the love of God. How do I know that God loves me? Why do I feel the love of God? Why don't I feel the love of God? What is the love of God? Christopher shares a personal experience of being pulled over by a police officer on a remote freeway and how he learned about the love of God from his experience.

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Dealing with grief in any form can be a really difficult thing to go through. Throughout His life, Jesus taught the principle of mourning with those who mourn. When members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (otherwise known as the Mormon church) are baptized, they make a promise to be there for others who are struggling.   

In this episode the hosts talk about things that we should and maybe shouldn’t do when trying to mourn with those who are mourning. They look at a list from Time Magazine article. Some of the ideas on this list include: - Don’t put a positive spin on what they are saying - Don’t compare it to your experience, unless it really is a fitting comparison - Listen  

David shares how this isn’t something that comes easy to him unless he’s been through a similar experience before. Allex also shares a powerful example of this principle from the Disney Pixar movie, Inside Out.

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