Saints Unscripted

In this episode, we get to chat with a returned missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ, Aaron Lacey!! Aaron loved his mission and the lessons he learned but also struggled with Pure OCD. It wasn't until he returned home from his mission that he became aware of this diagnosis but it certainly explained why he felt the way he did. Aaron talks about going through OCD as a missionary and how OCD influences one's every day thoughts and reactions. Thank you so much for being vulnerable, Aaron!! We're so grateful for your strength and goodness!

We know we say this often but this truly has to be one of the most fascinating stories that we've heard on Saints Unscripted. Matt Whitaker joins us to share the story of Helmuth Hübener. Helmuth was a 16-year old Latter-day Saint living in Nazi Germany. Helmuth started writing anti-Hitler, anti-Nazi pamphlets in order to spread truth about the horrors of Nazi Germany. He was putting his life at risk by listening to the radio to hear the information and would certainly be executed if he wrote and distributed any anti-Hitler pamphlet. However, as a firm believer in truth, Helmuth chose to risk his life. He was able to hide his cover for awhile but in the end, was caught. Watch the episode to learn what happened next!!

There have recently been serious claims about Joseph Smith's potential use of psychedelic drugs, or "entheogens." We asked Brian Hales, a leading scholar in the life of Joseph Smith, to shed light on the claims and the historical evidence that might disprove the claims. Brian talks about the historical use of psychedelic drugs during the days of the early church and the effects of the drugs.

Today we’re joined by the social media legend, Jasmin Rappleye! Jasmin has provided positive, powerful content on social media for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that can be easily accessed and shared. She shares about the temple, the Book of Mormon, LDS history, and so much more. Her content is insightful, witty, and full of goodness. Today she talks about what she does and the feedback she has been receiving. Truly, learning from Jasmin might be the best decision you make today!!

In this episode, we chat with Brian Stutzman about Eliza Jane Graham.   After the death of Joseph Smith, the men accused of killing Joseph Smith were on trial for his murder. The night of the murder, the mob that had killed Joseph Smith went back to their town to a Tavern called the Warsaw House, which was owned by a couple whose niece, Eliza Graham, was a member of the Church or Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The tavern started to fill with many people. The mob began bragging about their murder of Joseph Smith. Fortunately, Eliza was there to hear everything and was able to testify against the mob on the day of the trial.

When Steve came to the studio, we KNEW he was going to be one of our favorite interviewees! Show Steve some love in the comments below.   Steve Morin shares his conversion story to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He talks about being mostly agnostic growing up and wondering why anyone would believe in any organized religion. Two missionaries asked him to abide by some guidelines in his study, to which Steve agreed and was certain he knew the outcome of the studies. He did the homework provided and continued to meet with the missionaries. Watch the episode to find out what happened next!

Watch this video and tell us that Tautai Fano isn't the nicest person in the universe. We loved having Tautai on Saints Unscripted to share his experience being a missionary in the social media era! He served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and spent time sharing his testimony online. Tautai has a large TikTok presence (he's even called Elder TIkTok!) and shares incredible uplifting content. Today we talk with him about his experience on TikTok, his mission experience, and his plans moving forward. Tautai, thanks so much for joining us! Your light is contagious!

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ, we've been told the story of Joseph Smith's death for many, many years. But could there be some pieces that historians have missed? Or maybe the common story isn't as accurate as it should be told? Today on Saints Unscripted, Brian Stutzman joins us to talk about the death of Joseph Smith, the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (otherwise known as Mormons). Joseph Smith was killed by an angry mob while he was still quite young. We know he died a martyr but who killed Joseph Smith?

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints holds a semi-annual General Conference. This last General Conference was the first weekend in October of 2022 and was held in Salt Lake City. Each General Conference is broadcast worldwide and accessible for free (link below). In this episode, we respond to the talks and announcements from the most recent General Conference. We talk about the temples that were announced, the talks that we loved, and the sweet spirit of our beloved prophet, Russell M Nelson. What did you learn from General Conference? 

Today we are eager to hear from Kurt Francom of Leading Saints. Kurt is one of the most genuine, kind people we have met and his words (particularly in this episode) are fundamentally important. In this episode, Kurt talks about how no one can run away from Jesus and that all the chairs will be filled in Heaven. He talks about how, when someone leaves the Church, we need to know how to respond to their choice to leave and how we can support them. He talks about validating the perspective of the person who leaves, loving the person who leaves, and giving the problems to Jesus. 

Today on Saints Unscripted, we talk to the fabulous Emily Baker about motherhood, divine motherhood, and femininity. Emily is a mother of 3 and an advocate for mothers. She talks about how motherhood is an integral part of us as women, regardless of whether or not we have children.   Emily talks about how Jesus Christ knows who we are and who we are destined to become. She talks about how Heavenly Mother can be learned through Jesus Christ and his example in the Garden of Gethsemane, in his trials, in his love, and so much more.

OPINION EPISODE! *Before you hate on us, remember that this is an opinion episode. This episode discusses the "gray area" of a topic that can be controversial. So listen to the thoughts of the hosts and decide for yourself (and doing further research) what you believe in regards to gambling and addiction.   In this episode, we talk all about gambling. As is commonly agreed upon, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (otherwise known as Mormons) believe in steering clear from destructive addictions such as gambling. We talk about what prophets have said about gambling and how we interpret their words. We also discuss our own thoughts on the gray area where things might not be as clear. Examples include: investing in the stock market, social media giveaways, betting on things without money, etc.

Today we are joined by the wonderful Jeff McCollough, Pastor and YouTuber (Hello Saints). Jeff talks about how he slowly became interested in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and eventually decided to dedicate a YouTube channel to exploring the LDS Church as a non-member of the LDS Church (otherwise known as the Mormon Church).   Pastor Jeffs says that on his channel, Hello Saints, his purpose is to explore the church but that as an active member of his faith and in his beliefs, he will definitely raise concerns about the LDS Church as he has them but he thinks that the most productive way to speak about concerns is to engage with other people in a productive manner.   We just love Jeff so much and are so glad he could join us on Saints Unscripted!!

We’re stoked to have Leo Winegar back on the show to talk about prophet fallibility. Leo talks about the importance of recognizing that prophets are fallible— they are far from perfect and may make mistakes. While the church is lead by God, the prophet is a mouthpiece and won’t always deliver or interpret things perfectly. As Sabrina says, if God wanted the church to be absolutely perfect, He likely wouldn’t have chosen imperfect humans to lead the church.   President Nelson has recently been emphasizing the importance of personal revelation, something that will help us to interpret the words of the prophets in a way that connects us with heaven.   Leo then talks about the need for us to avoid “congratulating” or “praising” those who are in leadership positions in the church. We can thank each other for rendering service but we need to remember that each person should have the intention of serving God, not of attaining any kind of glorious accomplishment.   Leo shares a personal

In this episode, Leo Winegar joins us for another episode of Saints Unscripted to talk about the power of love. Leo has been a guest on the show many times and we love the things he shares each time he comes.   Leo responds to a book written by Steve Young called “The Law of Love.” Leo responds to a quote from Steve Young, wondering what it means for God to expect us to follow certain laws. Does God expect certain things or does he expect nothing? Does God heal us while also expecting nothing in return?   We talk about how God’s grace abounds and that while He may expect things of us, we need to do our very best and God has covered all of the need for healing.   Leo explains the importance of doing things because of a love for God, not necessarily for a checked box on the checklist of things to do.

Bridger Coburn, a LDS TikTok legend, accepted our invitation to share his story on Saints Unscripted. Bridger grew up as an orthodox member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and had a strong conviction of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He eventually joined TikTok and started following all kinds of ex-Mormon content creators and was just about ready to leave the church. He went to church the following Sunday with his wife and felt like he should do some more research into church history. You will never believe what he found! 

While we love all LDS conversion stories, Arantza’s story has to be one of the most compelling, unique, and hopeful stories we have ever heard. Arantza talks about meeting her husband and eventually learning about the Church of Jesus Christ through her husband’s family. She became curious and learned as much as she could. But her story doesn’t come without many hurdles! Truly, this is a story you don’t want to miss! 

Recently, the Associated Press released an article that outlined how Momron leaders allowed 7 years of child abuse, due to the poor reporting system implemnted by the Church of Jesus Christ. In this episode, we talk with Jennifer Roach, a survivor of ecclesiatical abuse, a recent convert of the LDS Church, and a therapist. Jennifer answers a variety of questions that have been circulating the internet after the AP article was released. 

We live in very divisive and polarizing times full of anger, hate, and malice. Jesus Christ also lived in such a world yet showed us how we ought to communicate with one another, especially with those we disagree with. Join us with Jaxon as we have an important discussion on the ever-growing need of Christlike communication!

We are thrilled to have Cody Hawes, a licensed therapsit and one of the kindest souls around, share his thoughts about navigating doubt thorugh recognizing your emotional responses to doubt. It's important, he says, to recognize the emotions that you feel when you come across doubt and decide to process the doubt with a whole-brained mindset, not just emotion. He talks about relying on God through grief and looking to God for those answers. Vilianizing doubt is unproductive and causes emotional responses. The gospel is healing and can help you through doubt.