Saints Unscripted

Sequoia knew very little about the LDS Church (otherwise known as the Mormon Church) in her growing up years. She had seen the Book of Mormon but never thought too deeply about it, though she always had a belief in God. Later on, Sequoia was browsing YouTube and learned about Saints Unscripted through a critic's channel. She found herself agreeing with the things that Saints Unscripted was sharing and decided she wanted to form her own opinion. Unfortunately, her curiosity spiked during the pandemic so there weren't many missionaries or church meetings available. But the missionaries finally stopped by her house and she was stoked!!

In the LDS Church (otherwise known as the Mormon Church or Church of Jesus Christ), there are some interesting culture things that we have adopted over the years. Many of the LDS cultural things are just plain funny and today, we talk about those funny cultural things.   Members of the Church of Jesus Christ are very close-knit and often adopt the different characteristics of one another, which provides lots of things for us to laugh about, even as faithful members of the Church.

We’ve been in communication with Ida for years and have been desperate to meet her in person. When she said she’d be in Utah for the holidays, we were elated!! Ida joined the church a few years ago, despite having many reasons to go on different paths. While looking into religion, she decided to give the Book of Mormon a chance after being cast in the Book of Mormon Musical. She read the Book of Mormon quickly and knew it was true but was unsure about baptism. We don’t want to spoil the ending but this story is absolutely incredible, full of skepticism, peace, difficulty, and hope. You don’t want to miss this!! Ida is as charismatic and charming as they come. You will love her story!

There are some veryyyyy hilarious things about LDS culture (otherwise known as Mormon culture) that we just can't help but laugh about :) On today's episode, we talk about some of our favorite things to laugh at when it comes to LDS culture. We talk about stake dances, volunteering to pray in hopes of an attractive spouse, and missionary rules that might be a little awkward.

This topic is heartbreaking. Hearing Ethan's story was absolutely devastating but hearing his conclusions from his experiences was inspiring and hopeful.  Ethan recently returned home from his mission. In this episode, he shares his story about being bullied by his fellow mission companions. He talks about the insensitivities of the missionaries, the communication with his mission president, and his experience coming home early from his mission.   We share Ethan's story with you to illustrate some of the realities for some people who choose to come home early from their missions. If you know someone who has come home early, choose to love them.   If you have ever been a victim of bullying, our hearts go out to you. Bullying should never be normal. CHOOSE KINDNESS.

We are honored to hear Orpha's conversion story on our channel today. Orpha grew up Amish and has many fond memories of her time in the Amish community. However, when she was young, her parents secretly joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (otherwise known as the Mormon Church), which is heavily frowned upon by the Amish community. Her parents wanted to ease in to the process of becoming LDS and introducing their family to the Church. Orpha learned of her parents' conversion and was shocked. She didn't want to believe their story and didn't want her parents to be destined to Hell, which is what was assumed of those who left her faith. 

For almost 200 years, modern-day prophets of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have led the church under the direction of Jesus Christ. Over the years, many notable revelations and changes have been ongoing. In this episode, we talk about the accomplishments of the prophets of the LDS Church. 

Christopher is a long-time friend of Saints Unscripted and has been on the show many times. In this episode, Christopher talks about the intersection of repentance and therapy — how therapy can sometime negatively impact a person’s need to change, if not used correctly. Christopher talks about how therapy has changed from the idea of going to the doctor to get fixed and instead, going to the gym to get stronger. This is a good change! Therapy is a good thing. But sometimes we can rely on therapy to validate some things about our character that should be changed. This discussion is fascinating and definitely worth pondering. 

As you know, we LOVE conversion stories and this one is no exception! Tatiana shares her story of beginning to study about different religions, having a conviction that there was something more after this life. She started learning from the Islam religion and found hope. She still felt like there could be more but knew the 'more' she was seeking could not be from the LDS Church (otherwise known as the Mormon Church). Mormons were crazy!! She even read parts of the Book of Mormon and just knew it couldn't be true. It took lots of attending church services, seeking information online, and studying it out in her heart to find answers to some of her deepest questions.

Matthew was raised as a fundamentalist Baptist. His parents were raised in different religions, though his mom took him to church most Sundays while he was growing up. Matthew knew about the church in his teenage years but it wasn’t until he was 17 that he started to seriously consider the LDS Church.   Matthew was baptized into the Baptist church but he didn’t have a great understanding of Christ — repentance, change, and strength. He found himself in a state of depression. He felt lonely and miserable. He had a spiritual experience that led him to research more into his faith journey. He started learning more and more about the church and felt a connection with them

We have been BIG fans of Ashly's podcast and Instagram account, Come Back Podcast. We were thrilled when she agreed to come and share her story on Saints Unscripted! Ashly talks about her life being raised in the LDS Church (otherwise known as the Church of Jesus Christ) but finding excitement in other places, leading her to leave the church. She got into drugs and alcohol at an early age and was quickly addicted to heavy drugs. She knew something had to change but doubted her ability to change. She started the reptenace process and felt an overwhelming feeling of joy. Her story is one you don't want to miss! She has now dedicated her time to hearing and sharing the stories of others who have left the church and have returned.

We are so grateful to hear from Stewart today on Saints Unscripted. Stewart shares his mission experience as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When Stewart left to college, he went inactive for nearly 2 years but then decided he wanted to return to the LDS Church and serve a mission. After being in the MTC and serving for 2 transfers, he felt that he wasn't ready to fully serve. He went home for about 18 months before returning again for almost a week, after which he came home for 10 months. Stewart went back on his mission and served for the entire 24 months of his mission. His story is REMARKABLE!! And his conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ is spectacular. Don't miss this episode!!

We are so grateful to hear from David Dollahite, a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a marriage and family expert, and one of the most fun people we've had on the show!   David shares his conversion story with us today and it's nothing short of miraculous. David talks about growing up in a Catholic community and being raised in the Episcopalian church. While he was active as a child, his activity waned and he attend church infrequently, though he was always surrounded by people of many faiths. David says that his mom received a Book of Mormon from her friend. Shortly after he saw the book, he was prompted to start reading the book. He began feeling the spirit and couldn't put the Book of Mormon down. The trajectory of his life was about to change significantly! Watch the episode to see what happened :)

Today we're going back to the basics! How does one communicate with God? How do members of the Church of Jesus Christ pray? Is prayer necessary? Does God answer every prayer? Do I need to pray in a specific way?   There is a lot that can be said about prayer and this episode is just about the fundamentals. If you haven't prayed before or haven't prayed in awhile, we encourage you to start praying! You have access to God at all times and can communicate with Him whenever you need

Dan Jones was born in Wales, came to the St Louis area, and was a riverboat captain. He started reading anti-Mormon stories in the local newspaper. Dan couldn’t believe that stories shared in the newspaper could actually be true so when he met members of the Church, he heard the gospel message and was quickly baptized. He starts becoming close friends with Joseph Smith, so much so that he is with Joseph the night before the martyrdom of Joseph Smith. Joseph gives Dan his last prophecy— and you’ll have to watch this video to learn what that prophecy was!

We dare you to watch this video and not think Jarryd is the coolest person you've ever known (or at least in the top 5) :) We had so much fun hearing Jarryd's conversion story and we know you will too! Jarryd shares his experience growing up interested in spiritual things but having a hard time having his questions fully answered by a variety of religions. It wasn't until Jarryd made the move from South Africa to England that his connection to the Church of Jesus Christ (otherwise known as the LDS Church) became something that would change the course of his life. Jarryd talks about his not-so-easy path to gaining a testimony and what he does to this day to maintain and build his testimony of the Savior. Jarryd, we love you! Thanks for sharing your story with us!!

We have NEVER had an interview like this one!!   Brian Payne is a champlain and talks about his journey to chaplaincy. He didn't originally intend to be a champain but quickly realized that it was the path he was supposed to take. Upon realization, he also discovered how much time it would take to become a chaplain. He talks about the difficulties of the job and the confirmation he has felt in his job.   If you know little about chaplaincy, you are not alone! Before Brian came to Saints Unscripted, we were pretty clueless on the topic of chaplains. But after hearing about the work that Brian does, we are so grateful for chaplains! The job seems to be incredibly rewarding and equally difficult.

We are so grateful to hear from Michael Manzur today as he shares his story of being completely healed through Jesus Christ. Michael is from Colombia and is a single father of three children. He loves the temple and has dedicated himself to going to as many temples as possible and sharing his exploration with the wold on his TikTok account.   Michael has overcome some incredibly difficult personal issues including homelessness, dropping out of high school, and being a teenage father and husband. Throughout his life, he has always been dedicated to Jesus Christ and has found healing through the power of Jesus Christ and His atonement, despite the opposition that has constantly been present in his life. He talks about how life hasn't been easy and he's made mistakes but his constant effort and choosing the temple has been empowering for him. Thank you so much for joining us, Michael!!

In this episode, we chat with Maya and Rachel about their experience being service missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We ask Maya and Rachel about their experience being full-time missionaries for the LDS Church and their differing experiences serving in capacities that aren't well-known. Typically, when people think of LDS missionaries, they think of a set of elders or sisters walking down the street knocking on doors to share the gospel. However, there are MANY other types of full-time missionaries that do so much good for the world! We learned a lot from Maya and Rachel about what service missions entail and how we can better treat service missionaries. We are so grateful for the powerful examples of these two service missionaries and for the work they did on their missions and now outside of their missions! 

We’re so grateful for Brian Hales, one of our favorite scholars, for sharing his research with us today on the differences in FLDS polygamy and Joseph Smith polygamy.