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Smart notebooks and pithy podcasts - that's what I wished I had when I started my deep dive into the Church.

Study Faith With AI invites you to think critically using diverse sources and your own judgment. Whether strengthening testimony, working through doubts, or helping others navigate faith, these tools meet you wherever you are.

With so much at stake, I wish you the best on your journey with truth!

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1. Truth | 2. Beginnings | 3. First Vision | 4. Priesthood | 5. The Gold Plates | 6. The BoM | 7. The BoA | 8. Polygamy | 9. Changes | 10. Challenges | ...

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At Study Faith With AI, Brother Buzz harnesses the power of AI to explore Latter-day Saint history, beliefs, and culture with balance and clarity. Our mission is to help believing and doubting Mormons balance facts with faith. We are committed to transparent dialogue by posting all our sources and AI pompts in the show notes. Listen along, then follow the sources to dive deep! AI powered by Google LM Notebook

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In this finale of Study Faith With AI, Brother Buzz explores the challenges Churches and believers face when new information technology democratizes information and disrupts closely held beliefs. Explore the LDS faith crisis from a fresh perspective and join Brother Buzz to explore his own choices and how he'll answer the three key questions that inspired his journey of discovery.  

Sources

- Podcast_The Life and Times of Martin Luther

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1. Truth | 2. Beginnings | 3. First Vision | 4. Priesthood | 5. The Gold Plates | 6. The BoM | 7. The BoA | 8. Polygamy | 9. Changes | 10. Challenges | ...

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Episode 20 of Apostates explores why some Latter-day Saints choose to stay in the Church despite significant challenges to their traditional beliefs. We examine the complex reasons people remain connected—from identity and family bonds to community and spiritual nourishment—even when facing difficult church history, doctrinal concerns, or personal spiritual struggles. We discuss practical strategies for navigating a "middle way" of faith, including reframing beliefs, setting boundaries, and finding personal integrity within institutional participation.

Sources

• Essay_Why Stay When They Leav_LDSMag
• Essay_Why I Stay_Navigating Discipleship
• Essay_How to Stay LDS_Stay LDS
• Essay_Why I Stay_John Dehlin_365_MS
• Report_LDS Personal Faith Crisis_LDS.org

AI Prompt

Discuss why people choose to stay LDS dispite challenges. Explore the pros and cons of staying. Examine the thought process of individuals in making this choice. Discuss pratcical things to do to help you stay if you want to - despite the challenges. Audience: believing and doubting Mormons. 

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1. Truth | 2. Beginnings | 3. First Vision | 4. Priesthood | 5. The Gold Plates | 6. The BoM | 7. The BoA | 8. Polygamy | 9. Changes | 10. Challenges | ...

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Episode 19 of Apostates explores whether excommunication effectively serves the LDS Church's goals by examining Margaret Tuscano's insights from Gospel Tangents. We analyze how church discipline impacts movements like September Six, Ordain Women, and Mormons for ERA, questioning whether silencing prominent voices truly stops dissent or simply pushes conversations elsewhere. We discuss how excommunication might prioritize institutional control over doctrinal purity, creating fear among members while potentially strengthening external criticism. We examine the tension between maintaining authority and fostering open dialogue within the Church community.

Sources

• Video_Does excommunication work?_944_Gospel Tangents

AI Prompt

Explore whether excommunication works. Focus on the key points. Keep it simple and short. Do not go over every details. What are the key takeaways for members of the LDS Church. 

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Episode 18 of Apostates explores Church membership councils in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, examining their stated purposes, procedures, and recent terminology changes. We discuss when councils are mandatory versus discretionary, the four possible outcomes, and the appeals process. We also address significant critiques about fairness, confidentiality, and the gap between official intentions and member experiences. The episode covers the evolution from "disciplinary councils" to "membership councils" and analyzes ongoing controversies surrounding these ecclesiastical proceedings.

Sources

• Handbook_General Handbook_LDS.org
• Essay_Church Discipline_LDS.org
• News_Church Discipline_LDS.org
• Wikipedia_Church Membership Council
• News_LDS Church Members no Longer Excommunicated_KUTV
• Essay_Court of Love_MormonThink

AI Prompt

Examine the process of Church discipline. What is it? What is the goal? When are they required? Who is disciplined? What is the process? What are the outcomes? What are the issues and challanges people have with the process? What should members know?

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Episode 17 of Apostates explores the widespread phenomenon of LDS faith crises affecting dedicated church members across all demographics. We examine how easy internet access to uncorrelated church history creates intense spiritual distress when traditional narratives clash with historical facts. We discuss the emotional toll, relationship impacts, and stages people experience, while highlighting paths to healing and recommendations for more supportive community responses.

Sources

• Book_Rough Stone Rolling p 347-353
• Report_LDS Personal Faith Crisis_LDS.org
• Video_Pain of a Faith Crisis_384_Mormon Discussions
• TEDX_Anthony Miller Faith Crisis_TEDX
• Video_Anthony Miller_1593ab_MS
• Essay_Understanding Faith Crisis_LDS Living
• Essay_Faith Crisis are Real_LDS Living

AI Prompt

Explore why regular LDS members apostacize through the lens of the LDS Faith Crisis. What is it? What causes it? List the top reasons. Who does it happen to? How common is a faith crisis? What does it feel like? Discuss Faith Crisis Stages: true believer, taumatized believer, etc .  Discuss the personal, family, and social reprucussions. How to move foward? What should the Church do to help? Rely heavily on the Faith Crisis Report, the Mormon Stories Survey, and personal stories and quotations. 

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Episode 16 of Apostates examines the disciplinary actions taken by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints against prominent online voices including John Dehlin, Jeremy Runnells, Bill Reel, and Nemo the Mormon. We explore how the internet age has created new challenges for institutional control, analyzing the tension between truth-seeking and institutional loyalty. We discuss common patterns in these excommunication cases and what they reveal about apostasy in the digital era.

Sources

• Essay_John Dehlin Disciplinary Council Summary_MS
• Video_Excomm John Dehlin_Parts 1- 6_1264-1269
• Video_Excomm of Bill Reel_1025-1028_MS
• Video_Excomm Jeremy Runnels_621_MS
• News_Church responds to John Dehlin_LDS.org
• Essay_CES Letter resigns_CES Letter
• Podcast_Excomm Jeremy Runnels_Unraveled
• Video_British YouTuber to be Exed_1939_MS
• Video_The end of Nemo the Mormon?_Nemo
• News_Nemo booted from LDS Church_SL Tribune
• Podcast_Vigil for Nemo_Mormon Discussions

AI Prompt

Explore how and why the Church disciplines influencers - specifically Jeremy Runnels, John Dehlin, Bill Reel, and Nemo the Mormon. Review each of their stories separately. What do their experiences reveal about the values of the Latter-day Saint Church and apostacy within the faith? What key takeaways fo

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1. Truth | 2. Beginnings | 3. First Vision | 4. Priesthood | 5. The Gold Plates | 6. The BoM | 7. The BoA | 8. Polygamy | 9. Changes | 10. Challenges | ...

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Episode 15 of Apostates explores three prominent LDS activists who challenged Church policies: Sonia Johnson (Equal Rights Amendment), Kate Kelly (women's ordination), and Sam Young (child protection). We examine their motivations, methods, and the institutional responses they faced, including excommunication. Through these stories, we analyze patterns of dissent, authority, and change within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, offering insights into the tension between individual conscience and institutional loyalty for modern members.

Sources

• Essay_3 Decades of ERA_BYU RSC
• News_An Excomm & Future of the Church_WBUR
• News_I was Exxed for Asking for Equal Rights_Guardian
• News_Push to Ordain Women Leads to Excomm_BBC
• Video_After Excomm_624_MS
• Video_Sam Young Excomm_973_MS
• Video_Sam Young Protect Children_962-963_MS
• Video_Sonia Johnson_1001-1005_Gospel Tangents

AI Prompt

Explore how and why the Church disciplines activists - specifically Sonia Johnson, Kate Kelly, and Sam Young. Review each of their stories separately. What do their experiences reveal about the values of the Latter-day Saint Church and apostacy within the faith? What does this reveal about freedom of thought, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and other civil rights? What does it revel about how change happens within the LDS Church? What key takeaways for Church members?

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1. Truth | 2. Beginnings | 3. First Vision | 4. Priesthood | 5. The Gold Plates | 6. The BoM | 7. The BoA | 8. Polygamy | 9. Changes | 10. Challenges | ...

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Episode 14 of Apostates explores the September 1993 disciplinary actions against six prominent LDS intellectuals known as the "September Six." We examine the Church context of the early 1990s, including leadership dynamics and growing tensions between institutional authority and intellectual inquiry. We profile each individual—Lavina Fielding Anderson, Avraham Gileadi, Maxine Hanks, D. Michael Quinn, Paul Toscano, and Lynne Kanavel Whitesides—discussing their specific conflicts with Church leadership. We analyze the immediate chilling effect on LDS scholarship and the long-term impact on intellectual discourse within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Sources

• Essay_Sept 6 and the Lost Generation of Mormon Scholars_Dialogue
• Video_30 Years Later Sept 6_733_Gospel Tangents
• Video_Sept 6 and the Struggle for the Soul of Mormonism_1834_MS
• Video_understanding Sept 6_77-83_MS
• Essay_A Question of Authority_Dialogue
• Essay_The Sept 6_Dialogue

AI Prompt

Explore how and why the Church disciplines intellectuals through the experience of the September 6. Discuss each of the six academics indivdually one at a time. Highlight their words and actions that created points of friction and led to Church discipline. What did these six have in common? What impact did their excommunications have on LDS scholarship, freedom of thought, scholarship, free speech, and dissent? Discuss the lasting legacy of Sept 6. What key takeaways for Church members?

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1. Truth | 2. Beginnings | 3. First Vision | 4. Priesthood | 5. The Gold Plates | 6. The BoM | 7. The BoA | 8. Polygamy | 9. Changes | 10. Challenges | ...