Saints Unscripted

We recently had the privilege of hearing Kahlen's story of faith and forgiveness. Today we share his story with you and know you'll find strength from his words! Kahlen grew up in Utah as a non-member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (otherwise known as the Mormon Church). He joined the church with help from his friend but quickly left after joining. He joined the Marines and experienced many mental health challenges. He talks about a particular event in which he wasn't sure if he should keep suffering. Through the grace of God he found his way back to the church --- and it doesn't stop there!

We love seeing your comments on our YouTube videos, Instagram stories, Facebook posts, and TikTok account! Some of you are kind, some of you are savage, and some of you might just be here to troll -- but we love you for being here and hope we bring some happiness to your day! In this episode, we read some of your comments and respond completely unscripted!

We are elated to hear from Kerry Muhlestein on our channel today! Kerry is an incredible scholar with a great sense of humor. We had a blast hearing from him about the controversial Book of Abraham. Here are some things Kerry addresses in this video: What are some of the most common/ most problematic assumptions that Latter-day Saints and/or non-Latter-day Saints are making (or have made, historically) about the history of the Book of Abraham? What tips can you give us and our viewers to help us learn to recognize (and be confident in) revelation when it comes? Many of your online critics claim that because you believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet -- because that is your starting point -- you have closed yourself off to the possibility of the Book of Abraham being false or fraudulent. The general claim is that this is an academically unsound approach, and that your scholarship is suspect because you're unwilling to consider those conclusions that might challenge your worldview.

Have you ever felt the Holy Ghost or the Holy Spirit? Have you ever wondered what feeling the spirit might feel like? Can I feel the Holy Ghost if I'm not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ (otherwise known as the Mormon Church)? In this episode, we talk about what it's like to feel the Holy Ghost, how the gift of the Holy Ghost differs from the Holy Ghost, and we read responses from our Instagram audience about their thoughts on the Holy Ghost. Let us know what you learned in the comments below!!

We are elated to have our good friend Stephen Smoot back on Saints Unscripted! Stephen Smoot is one of our favorite scholars (and will soon be yours as well :)). In this episode, we ask Stephen about the authenticity of the Book of Abraham, where to start when trying to understand the facsimiles in the Book of Abraham, and what Stephen has learned from his in-depth study of the Book of Abraham. Stephen discusses the myths and misconceptions about the Book of Abraham. If you have had questions about the Book of Abraham, this video is for you!!

We are stoked to have a conversation with David Boice on the show today! David is the host of 52 Churches in 52 Weeks and today he tells us his story of faith and adventure. David talks about having a falling out with his church and decided to distance himself from churches to focus primarily on spirituality. However, he had a prompting to attend 52 churches in 52 weeks. David says that through his experience of attending different churches, he was humbled to learn how many differences there were in worshiping Jesus Christ. He has now visited over 100 churches! He explains his first experience visiting a LDS Church (otherwise known as a Mormon Church) and how surprised he was in leaning about the people and the teachings. His biggest surprise about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was the emphasis on Jesus Christ.

Michelle's story is one of our favorite stories. Michelle had a great interest in spirituality and religion. She moved to Idaho to learn more about religion and quickly ran into lots of information about Mormons (known as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). Fast forward a little while and Michelle found herself on an airplane sitting next to a cowboy named Merlin. The two instantly had a connection. After their flight, they stayed in communication and Michelle quickly learned that Merlin was a member of the LDS Church. She began doing more research after realizing the many things that resonated with her beliefs. But her friends were worried about her joining the 'Mormon cult'. You HAVE to watch the rest of the episode to hear what happened! Thanks for joining us, Michelle!

Have you ever had questions about LDS priesthood blessings? How does someone with priesthood authority give a blessing? How does a priesthood holder know what to say when giving a blessing? Spencer joins us today to share some powerful findings about priesthood blessings. Spencer conducted over 100 interviews with men who have given priesthood blessings with the purpose of learning more about how the words come to them, how they feel during the blessing, and how the receiver receives the blessing. Listening to Spencer share his knowledge was fascinating. There is so much to be learned from blessings and we're so grateful to have heard from Spencer. Thank you so much for joining us, Spencer!

*originally posted on YouTube near Father's Day* We LOVE the good dads in our lives! We are grateful for Father’s Day each year which gives us extra reason to celebrate the father figures in our lives. In this episode, we celebrate dads by sharing our favorite “dad jokes.” Each host shares a joke to the other host in hopes of generating a good ol’ Father’s Day belly laugh. Are the dad jokes good enough to crack the hosts? Let’s see how many laughs we can get! Did you laugh at any of the dad jokes shared in this video? What is your favorite dad joke? Let us know in the comments below!! And happy Father’s Day to the good dads who do so much good for their families!

We are incredibly grateful for the knowledge and insight of Heath Odgen on our show today as he discusses the importace of embracing science as faithful members of the LDS Church (otherwise kwown as the Mormon Church). Heath discusses his interest in evolution and how he reconciles evolution and the theory of Adam and Eve. The theory of evolution doesn't have to contradict believe in the story of Adam and Eve but that both can be supported by each other. Do Mormons believe in evolution? Should Mormons believe in evolution? Both of these questions are explored by Heath in today's episode!!

For many decades, there has been speculation that Joseph Smith (first prophet of the LDS Church) did not practice polygamy. The speculation has ebbed and flowed over the years, though the conspiracy has picked up steam more recently. LDS scholar and friend of Saints Unscripted, Brian Hales, agreed to address the controversy on today’s episode. Brian addresses accounts of polygamy, how different types of scholars navigate history, and how to address specific claims made against Joseph Smith’s polygamy. While the subject of polygamy is uncomfortable and might be happily dismissed altogether, the truth is that Joseph Smith practiced polygamy. We aren’t defending the practice but rather acknowledging true historical events.

Derek and Denise Galanis join us on Saints Unscripted to talk about Derek's conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Derek grew up in a family of crime. Prison and crime were natural parts of his formative years. Derek was convicted in 2001 and then again in 2016 for fraud. Derek talks about reconnecting with Denise, someone he had known earlier in his life, while he was in prison. He and Denise stayed in contact while Derek served his time in some harsh prison conditions. Derek read the Bible and was eventually introduced to the Book of Mormon by Denise. He read the Book of Mormon 4 times while in prison and knew he had to join the church. But joining wouldn't be easy, as he is still on probation for his crime. Watch the video to get the full story!!

Emma Wood is a remarkable new convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! We had the great opportunity of hearing her conversion story. Growing up in Arizona, she knew about members of the LDS Church (otherwise known as the Mormon Church) but didn't have much interest in joining. She decided to go to school in Utah where she began learning more about the Church. She went through some challenging faith crises and had many, many questions about this emerging faith. After years of diligent study, Emma took a huge leap of faith and chose to be baptized. You don't want to miss this episode!!

Ross Richey joins us today to talk about one of the most interesting topics we’ve heard from a guest on Saints Unscripted. He starts with a discussion about ChatGPT and AI. What does that have to do with the gospel of Jesus Christ? Well, Ross focuses on intelligence, something frequently talked about in our scriptures and in our church. David and Sabrina have a moment of expressing their fears about intelligences

*This was released on YouTube around Mother's Day* Today the hosts had NO IDEA what the outline of the episode would be… truly unscripted. They knew the theme would be Mother’s Day but nothing more. We surprised them by having them call a mother figure (in this case, they each chose their mom) and expressing their appreciation for a lesson they were taught by that mother. Kaitlyn talks about her mom’s ability to be calm and steady for her and for everyone around her. Cam talks about his mom’s genuine love for all people, no matter the background.

Talmage served mission for the Church of Jesus Christ (otherwise known as the Mormon Church). Upon his return, Talmage faced a lot of challenges including addiction and pornography issues. He felt worthless and purposeless. However, his family was never going to give up on him, no matter how low he felt. With their faith, he began a long healing process which led him to start an incredible podcast. He talks about what he has learned from the podcast, how he navigates criticism, and how others can get involved in sharing their light.

Filming this episode with Terryl Givens was both humbling and remarkable. Terryl Givens is a leading LDS academic who has written some of our favorite books on many religious topics. Today, Terryl talks about his book, Let’s Talk About Faith and Intellect. Prior to filming this episode, we noted our favorite quotes from his book and asked him to expound on the quotes mentioned. He addresses many topics including the following: - The issue with social media and religion - How people become mad with reason alone (and how faith and intellect are both necessary to thrive) - How logic is found in faith and religion - How the natural world directs us to God Terryl also shares his testimony. He talks about the deep and beauty of the restored gospel. If you haven’t considered the depth of the gospel, try to find those questions in your soul and do the correct research necessary.

On today’s episode, Liz shares her story of growing up in a polygamist family. She and her family moved into a neighborhood of non-polygamists and were quickly judged for their beliefs. But one of the families in the neighborhood truly embraced Liz and her family despite differing beliefs. Liz and her siblings would attend church with this kind-hearted family and Liz eventually wanted to be baptized into their religion- the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (who do not practice polygamy). She was not yet 18 and could not be baptized so as soon as she left for college, she was ready to convert to the Church (otherwise known as the Mormon Church). But again, she was forced to jump through hoops.

Brooklyn was raised in the Church of Jesus Christ (otherwise known as the Mormon Church). She has fond memories of her childhood, though recognizes how many things could have been experienced more positively. Today she shares how she eventually learned some difficult church history and had poor experiences with church leaders, She felt the need to separate herself from the church which would come with repercussions. Brooklyn talks about how she wishes she was treated by members of the church when she decided to leave. May we all do a better job at respecting and loving our friends and family who choose a different life path than our own!

Dave Dollahite, a good friend of Saints Unscripted, joins us today to talk about his most recent scholarly project, the American Families of Faith Project. David, along with his colleague Loren Marks, have conducted extensive research in the field of families of faith. Their research includes the study of many different families of different religions. Today on Saints Unscripted, Dave specifically answers questions about raising a family in faith, exposing children to different religions, and how to develop holy envy. Thanks so much for joining us, Dave!!