Saints Unscripted

Is it hard to become a Mormon? How much did your life change when you became a Mormon? Tamu from “Sistas in Zion,” our very own Kwaku, and his roommate Jimmy, talk about what it’s like to be a convert to the church, their struggles, and what keeps them in the church.   “I was young and I didn’t really know anything about Mormonism so, my conversion came because I recognized the spirit.” Tame goes on to explain that the church language and culture were difficult to get used to at first. Kwaku continues the conversation by pointing out that there are many controversial topics surrounding the church. He investigated the church while accepting that there would be opposition. Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/saintsunscripted

In this video, we had the great privilege of talking to Jason who is the nicest person in the universe. If you think someone is nicer, let us know in the comments cuz we're pretty sure he's the nicest. Ever.    Anyway, today Jason came on the show to talk about how changing your study of the scriptures is one of the best decisions you'll make in your spiritual progression. He talks about the 3 keys to understanding the Book of Mormon. We often have people ask us how they can understand the Book of Mormon and how to improve their scripture study. Well, we finally have an answer!! Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/saintsunscripted

Hey Saints Unscripted fam!! In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we often talk about the 'ideal' family. But it turns out that the ideal family doesn't often exist... okay, just about never. We've heard from many of you that it's difficult to not be in a traditional, ideal family so we brought on David to share his experience (and of course, to hear the words of Mimi) about growing up in what's considered a non-traditional family.    David was raised in a single-parent home after his dad's death when David was very young. He talks about the financial difficulties (among others) and how there were many challenges that couldn't be avoided. He also talks about how he had many, many father figures and how he was able to build a composite father figure through each of them.    Mimi talks about how her parents were divorced when she was young and how living the gospel was an interesting dynamic since each of her parents had different beliefs. She talks about how she was able to bu

In today's episode, we sit down with Steven Harper who is a church historian for the Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (Also known as the Mormon Church)   Steven talks about historical figures in the church and how we need to have faith, hope, and charity when looking at these figures. Some of the figures he talks about in the episode are William McLellan, who was an early apostle in the church and Joseph Fielding Smith, who was the tenth president of the church. Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/saintsunscripted

** We filmed the episode near the end of October 2019 so you’ll hear Justin say, “General Conference was at the beginning of this month. We are sorry for the confusion! General Conference happens semi-annually in April and October. So don’t think you missed anything this month.**   We don’t always recap a talk from General Conference (okay, I think this is our very first one) but we felt like this one was SO IMPORTANT to emphasize. In the October 2019 Semi Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elder David A Bednar gave a talk titled “Watchful Unto Prayer Continually.” In it, he talks about cheetahs and topis and how they relate to our lives today. Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/saintsunscripted

On this episode, we talk about single-parent homes and raising a family as a single parent. For this topic, we brought back our good friend Holly, a single mom with lots of strength and happiness.    Holly was recently on Saints Unscripted (formerly known as 3 Mormons) to film with us about divorce. We learned about the difficulties of divorce, specifically in the the Church of Jesus Christ (otherwise known as the Mormon Church or LDS Church) as well as in the world at large.    For a number of reasons, MANY people are raised with only one parent. In Holly's case, she has had to navigate raising her kids by herself. But does that mean her family is broken? No. In this episode, Holly discusses the difficulties and blessings of being a single-parent. Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/saintsunscripted :) 

Joseph Smith is the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (commonly known as the Mormon church), and many people wonder why he translated the Bible?    Is it a translation, did he use revaluation, was he paraphrasing parts of the bible, do Mormon's use these translations? In this episode of Saints Unscripted,  they explain why Joseph translated the Bible, and what happened to the translations.    Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/saintsunscripted

In this episode, we talk with David, the Han Solo actor for our General Conference Star Wars parody! David is currently serving as a Bishop in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (otherwise known as the Mormon Church). Bishops are called to serve in their ward boundaries (a 'ward' is just a group of people comprised in a geographic location). Bishops have (but are not limited to) the following duties:    Preside over services, President of the priest quorum, Judge in Israel, Provide temporally for the members of the ward, Serve as the presiding high priest for the ward, Organize and manage the other organizations in the ward David (Bishop Grant, as some might call him) answers some difficult questions about what it's like to be a bishop and what goes through his head under certain occasions. Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/saintsunscripted

Like many of our convert stories, Emily started off unsure about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (otherwise known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church). But she wanted answers to common life questions.    Her story is of faith, hope, difficulty, and love. While she may not have much support, she continues in strength toward her goal of one day being baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ. She hasn't given up in her battle to remain spiritually strong despite everything she's gone through. We love Emily SO MUCH and know that you will love her story as well!    Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/saintsunscripted

We LOVE being members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (otherwise known as the Mormon Church) but don't necessary love the culture... so we wanted to talk about it!    The Church of Jesus Christ has been around for almost 200 years and with that amount of time, there comes a culture that has been decades in the making.    We love Mormon culture because of the community it provides, the feeling of an 'automatic family,' and the support from one another.    The things we don't love about Mormon culture include the judgment involved among members in the culture, the expectations that have been around for FAR too long, and the single-mindedness. Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/saintsunscripted

If you've been to a church meeting in almost any Church, you've probably heard someone say, "This is the true Church." But what does that mean? And how do I know what church is true?    David says, "I'm confident that I could find some form of truth in every church. We've all got shards of the truth."   Justin says, "Anytime you do anything Christlike, that is an aspect of truth."    Kwaku emphasizes that in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (otherwise known as the Mormon Church), members don't believe that people of other religions are going to Hell strictly due to their choice in religion. We believe that people of our faith and people outside of our faith will go to Heaven or Hell, depending on the life that the person lives, given their circumstances and opportunities and knowledge and so forth. Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/saintsunscripted

In today's episode, David and Kwaku talk about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and what members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as Mormons) believe about it.   What are some of the signs that Jesus is coming again? How do we know we are in the last days? What are some of the prophecies? We go through a list to answer all and more of these questions!! Some of these prophecies are already going on, others are not, and others we do not know what they mean or when they will happen. Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/saintsunscripted

Today we have a special episode with one of THE KINDEST PEOPLE in the universe, Jerald Simon! Jerald is soft-spoken, humble, and intelligent beyond measure. You’re going to LOVE listening to him speak!   Jerald talks about how he grew with a lot of powerful musical influence. His father was a professional musician and a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (otherwise known as the Mormon Church). He instilled in each of his children an understanding and passion for music. Jerald talks about how his father would wake the children and have them practice their instruments. Jerald thought it was normal to wake up early to practice his instrument until third grade when he realized, from friends, that it wasn’t normal.   As you can see, from an early age, Jerald knew he wanted to be a musician. However, he’s encountered significant setbacks, specifically one when he was in the second grade. You HAVE to hear his story!! Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.yout

In recent years, there has been a lot of speculation about the role of bishops, especially because of a few different sexual allegations regarding bishops of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (otherwise known as the Mormon Church or LDS Church). This also comes during a time when Catholic priests have been misusing their authority for inappropriate behavior.    We believe that any kind of sexual misconduct is not of God and is completely inappropriate. We do not support the behavior of any bishop (or anyone, for that matter) who sexually mistreats any of God's children (anyone and everyone), especially when they use their perceived 'power' and 'authority' to do so.    We also believe that most of the bishops we know are trying their best to be their best. We know that being in a leadership position brings significant responsibility to act in a way that exemplifies godly attributes. Of the dozens and dozens of bishops we know, we believe that they are trying to do the best tha

As a Latter-day Saint (or as a member of a different religion), you'll likely find that you're a little bit (maybe even a lotta bit) different than your peers. Your beliefs, worldview, cultural background, and other thoughts and experiences might not be what's "trendy" or even accepted. Because it's different than the norm, we are sometimes afraid to defend our beliefs when they are called into question. What will people think? What if I don't know the answers to their questions? What if they challenge me and I don't want to be challenged? What if I lose my friends because I believe "weird" things?    FRIENDS. It's scary. We are right there with you. It's not easy to stand up and be an example of faith, especially when you might not feel 100% about your beliefs. But whatever it is you believe, STAND UP! God loves you and recognizes your efforts to be brave and strong. He will be with you.    As it says in Doctrine and Covenants: "For I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand

In today's episode Kwaku and David talk about Doctrine and Covenants. The Doctrine and Covenants is a collection of revelations to the Prophet Joseph Smith (first prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). There are also revelations to other prophets as well.    What revelations are made in Doctrine and Covenants? How did the book get compiled? Who helped put these revelations into the Doctrine and Covenants? The Doctrine and Covenants is an amazing book and if you want to know more we challenge you to read it! Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/saintsunscripted

We've had A LOT of people ask about divorce and have had the great privilege of chatting with a few people on the show about divorce. BUT this is our FIRST TIME chatting with someone whose parents have gotten divorced. What is it like when your parents get divorced? And how is it different than being the person who is getting divorced?     Caleb explains that when he first heard of his parent's divorce, he could understand but didn't want to understand he was just confused and wasn't sure how to move forward. But he also expresses that there comes a time when you just have to move forward and realize that it's not in your control, that it involves two people with agency. Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/saintsunscripted

In this episode, we had the most amazing opportunity to talk with David Bowman, the well-known artist of all-thing Jesus Christ.   David talks about the things he's learned from drawing Jesus Christ and His miracles. He talks about how he's found the subjects of his paintings and how he's been inspired throughout his life.   We loved learning from David and know you will too!    Fun fact about David Bowman: HE HAS A YOUTUBE CHANNEL! And better yet, he talks about the Book of Mormon and how to DRAW! What's better?! Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/saintsunscripted

In this episode, Tanner shares his story about growing up in a very religious community, finding the Book of Mormon musical, converting to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and being kicked out of his house for his conversion. He talks about this mission for the Church (otherwise known as the Mormon Church) and his decision to move to Utah.    Tanner talks about seeing the Book of Mormon musical and realizing that he was interested to meet a real 'Mormon.' He went to a local church building where he finally learned about the Church and where his testimony began to grow. Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/saintsunscripted

In this episode, we reunite with Christopher Cunningham, one of our good friends and of our favorite thinkers!    Christopher has written many articles that appear all over the internet, which have gained millions of views. He writes about a variety of things but mostly topics related to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (otherwise known as the Mormon Church).    Today Christopher talks about some of the things he’s written and why it’s important to speak up when controversy arises. He emphasizes that it is still possible to love someone and disagree with them at the same time.    Christopher has started a website called PublicSquare.com to address controversy and provide truth to convoluted narratives about the Church of Jesus Christ (otherwise known as the Mormon Church). Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/saintsunscripted :)