Podcast appearances and mentions of brian hales

This is a throwback episode with Brian Hales from 2017. Brian is the author of Joseph Smith's Polygamy, Volumes 1-3, and it's just in time for the Journal of Mormon Polygamy Conference this weekend at the University of Utah. Check out our conversation.... https://youtu.be/WVs0ypGKq5o Copyright © 2025 Gospel Tangents All Rights Reserved Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission Canadian Polygamy – Should it be Legal? The Interview GT:  Well I'd like to welcome everybody out here to Gospel Tangents Podcast.  I'm really excited to talk to Dr. Brian Hales.  He's the expert on polygamy, or one of the experts I guess. I'm grateful to have you here and thank you for letting me take some of your time today. Brian:  Rick it's really a privilege for me to be here. GT:  Well thanks.  One of the things I'd like to do is to introduce you to my audience a little bit.  Typically I try to talk to a lot of historians who are doctors but you are the first physician, although I have talked to a physician's assistant as well.  Could you tell us a little bit about your background, even in medicine?  I think you're a Utah man.  Is that right? Brian:  I am actually.  I went to Utah State, grew up in Logan and got a medical degree from University of Utah, so I have a little bit of the Ute blood in me as well. GT:  Aggie and Utah, ok. Brian:  Aggies primarily.  Then I had a member of my family who was involved with Mormon fundamentalism and that kind of steered me over into thinking about polygamy.  This is back in 1989 so it's been quite some time ago.  At that point I was in a residency for anesthesia and I do tell people that my books are part of my full anesthesia services.  You've probably heard me say that joke, but I got interested then in Mormon fundamentalism and published a book, co-authored a book in 1991 dealing with that topic but then later a couple of other books. People were asking me about Joseph Smith's polygamy, and I didn't have answers and really I would argue none of the books did.  Todd Compton's book has some things that were very helpful but he had written biographies and it wasn't focused specifically on Joseph, so there was still a lot of room for research and to also try to figure out some of the historical aspects that really were just big question marks I think in a lot of people's minds. So in 2006-2007 I hired Don Bradley who is a dear friend but also a remarkable researcher and he went out and did a lot of research for me, gathered documents, and I told him to get everything:  anti-Mormon or supportive, whatever he could find.  We wanted to get every known document, and it was interesting because after we had been going about six months, it became obvious that if we kept going, eventually we would be able to put either a transcript or at least a reference to every known document on polygamy within the volumes that we were putting together.  So we got kind of excited about that but that was mostly Don Bradley's work.  But his help, I put together three volumes (vol 1, vol 2, vol 3) on polygamy.  There's been a few new things come out.  This was in 2013 that they were published, but not a lot has come out but a few very important things that we can talk about. GT:  Yeah we'll definitely want to talk about that.  Well great!  I'm glad you talked about how you got interested in fundamentalist Mormonism, I guess.  There are different branches.  Could you just kind of briefly give a sketch of the main ones? I guess we've got the FLDS, AUB.  Are there any others?  Could you give a background on Mormon fundamentalism? Brian:  Well do you mind if I just talk about what's going on in Canada right now? GT:  Sure, that would be great. Brian:  I just got back last week, it was a week ago today from Cranbrook, [British Columbia,] Canada.  That is where they are holding a trial right now for two leading polygamists:  Winston Blackmore and J...

Jacob Hansen and Brian Hales delve into the historical context and evidence surrounding Joseph Smith's practice of plural marriage. They discuss the denial of polygamy by some individuals and the implications of such denial on faith and church history. Hales presents key questions for those who deny Smith's involvement in plural marriage, while also highlighting the convergence of evidence from various sources, including non-Brighamite perspectives. The conversation emphasizes the importance of transparency and understanding the historical context of polygamy within the LDS church. Stay connected!Thoughtful Faith - YouTube Thoughtful Faith - Website  

Most of the main branches of the Restoration were formed within roughly two decades of the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith. One clear exception, however, is the Mormon Fundamentalist movement. Here's a little backstory: In 1890 President Wilford Woodruff issued a manifesto announcing the Church's intention to submit to those laws recently passed and declared constitutional by the US Supreme Court forbidding plural marriage. Then in 1904, as a result of the Reed Smoot hearings before the US Senate and the national attention this brought to the continued practice of plural marriage in Utah, President Joseph F. Smith issued what is known as the “Second Manifesto,” which announced the Church's policy to excommunicate anyone who continued to enter into new polygamous marriages.  Yet some Church members felt that the manifestos of Presidents Woodruff and Smith were not inspired. Instead, they saw them as weak and uninspired capitulations to government demands rather than a continued courageous commitment to God's commands in the face of persecution. Within a few decades, those who dissented against these manifestos or were excommunicated from the LDS Church for entering into additional plural marriages began to gather on the Utah/Arizona border at a place known as Short Creek. They believed in a 1912 statement by Lorin C. Woolley, who had been courier for President John Taylor, about an unpublished 1886 revelation of President Taylor wherein the Lord declared that the “New and Everlasting Covenant” had not been revoked, nor would it ever be. This was interpreted by those in this group to mean that plural marriage would never be withdrawn. They concluded therefore that President Taylor's unpublished revelation (and their interpretation of it) overruled and superceded the first manifesto of President Woodruff in 1890 and the second manifesto of President Smith in 1904. They were staying true to this core fundamental element of Mormonism while the LDS Church was not.   In time these Mormon Fundamentalists fragmented into various groups, including the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (or FLDS Church), the Apostolic United Brethren (or AUB), the Righteous Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days, among others.  In this episode of Church History Matters, Casey and I sit down with Dr. Brian Hales, an expert researcher and author of several books on the Mormon fundamentalist movement, to discuss this fascinating branch of the Restoration.  For show notes and transcript for this and other episodes go to https://doctrineandcovenantscentral.org/church-history-matters-podcast/   

Scripture Notes - https://scripturenotes.com/ Brian Hales provides numerous historical data points to show that Joseph Smith did indeed practice polygamy. Some documents are shared, as are QR codes for evidence that Brian provides. Brian covers contemporaneous evidence of Joseph Smith's polygamy, Section 132 being written by Joseph Smith, as well as an exhaustive number of communications, church documents, affidavits, and more. Website - www.cwicmedia.com 

Join us as we dive into a thought-provoking discussion with Sandra Tanner about Brian Hales' recent video addressing the challenges raised in the CES Letter regarding polygamy. Hales controversially claims that Joseph Smith did not engage in sexual relations with his polyandrous wives (his wives who were already married). We'll explore key topics, including biblical support for polygamy, Emma Smith seeking divorce due to polygamy, the possibility of Joseph sending men on missions to marry their wives, and individuals trying to deny that Joseph ever lived polygamy. Don't miss this insightful conversation on the complexities of polygamy and its historical context! Show Notes YouTube Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors! Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today: One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox Support us on Patreon PayPal Venmo Our Platforms: YouTube Patreon Spotify Apple Podcasts Contact us:MormonStories@gmail.comPO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117 Social Media: Insta: @mormstories TikTok: @mormonstoriespodcast Join the Discord

On this episode of Mormonish Podcast Rebecca and Landon have a fascinating discussion with Brandon Crockett and Alex Criddle about their new proof of concept project "EntheoMagus," a 40-minute documentary delving into the possibility that Joseph Smith and the early Mormons were using psychedelic sacraments.as a means to connect with the divine.This idea is gaining momentum as the mainstream learns more about plant medicines and their effects. Brandon and Alex present a compelling argument for the use of herbs and plants to facilitate group guided vision experiences as well as personal visions as described in early Mormonism. We know you'll find this as fascinating as we did! Our Guest LinksSeer Stoned Productions Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/SeerStonedProductionsFor exclusive content including the full documentary itself, a digital copy of "The Psychedelic History of Mormonism, Magic and Drugs," exclusive Q&A sessions from our public screenings of the film, research papers including audio and much more check out:EntheoMagus trailer:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0uHmmToTecCheck out the 90 second film trailer here.Seer Stoned Production website:https://seerstonedproductions.com/Find out more about the origin story of our team, upcoming showings and links to plenty of reading material. Debate with Brian Hales: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE7J0y_cPpgThe original debate about the psychedelic origins of Mormonism with LDS apologist Brian Hales on Mormon Book Reviews.Response to debate with Brian Hales:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l0L1EHtQOo&tExtended response to debate with Brian Hales hosted on Bryce Blankenagel's Naked Mormonism channel.Higher Powers of Man by Frederick M. Smith:https://ia800707.us.archive.org/9/items/cu31924029193781/cu31924029193781.pdfFrederick M. Smith's (third prophet-president of RLDS church) 1918 PhD dissertation outlining the various methods for achieving "religious ecstasy" inspired by Fred's desire to replicate the revelatory experiences of his grandfather, Joseph Smith. Included in these methods is a section of drugs, specifically peyote use. Alchemically Stoned: https://www.amazon.com/Alchemically-Stoned-Psychedelic-Secret-Freemasonry/dp/0578194007Practicing Freemason and Rosicrucian P.D. Newman reveals the psychedelic secrets of Freemasonry. Early Mormonism and the Magic World View:https://www.amazon.com/Early-Mormonism-Magic-World-View/dp/1560850892D. Michael Quinn's deep exploration into the magical influences and practices of the Smith family. While Quinn did not delve into the psychedelic use of the Smith family, he books referenced here overtly explore psychedelic / psychoactive plant use and their role in the magical experience. Seer Stoned Productions merch store:https://www.redbubble.com/people/entheomagus/shopThe Psychedelic Kirtland Temple Dedication: https://alexcriddle.substack.com/p/the-psychedelic-kirtland-temple-dedication An article by Alex with more details on the Kirtland Temple Dedication and the psychoactive components. Citations to the visions and charges of intemperance discussed can be found in the article. ***How to DONATE to Mormonish Podcast: If you would like to help financially support our podcast, you can DONATE to support Mormonish Podcast here: Mormonish Podcast is a 501(c) (3) https://donorbox.org/mormonish-podcast ****WE HAVE MERCH! **** If you'd like to purchase Mormonish Merch, you can visit our Merch store here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/mormonishmerch We appreciate our Mormonish viewers and listeners so much! Don't forget to LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to Mormonish Podcast! Contact Mormonish Podcast:...

A large part of Brian Hales' farm recently sold and will soon go into pines. We caught up with the sheep and beef farmer, to find out what was happening to his flock of rare and exotic sheep breeds.

Part 2 of Episode 150! Yay!! And now for something completely different. This episode is a bit of a departure from our regular show. We invite Alex Criddle and Cody Noconi, researchers into the psychedelic origins of Mormonism, to respond to the recent debate on the Mormon Book Reviews channel between ourselves and Mormon apologist, Brian Hales. Brian attempts to provide the apologetic response to the theory that Joseph Smith utilized psychedelics (entheogens) in the early history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in order to facilitate visionary experiences for the early Saints. Disinformation requires much greater effort than simply stating information so we do our best to debunk his debunking (rebunk the theory?). This one is a long haul so we split it into 2 episodes to make it a little more digestible.   Show notes: Video version: https://youtu.be/3l0L1EHtQOo Support our research and outreach: https://www.patreon.com/SeerStonedProductions Original here: Psychedelics & Early Mormonism Theory Brian Hales Responds on Mormon Book Reviews https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE7J0y_cPpg   Further information: “The Higher Powers of Man” - Frederick M. Smith was a prophet of the RLDS Mormons and paternal grandson of the founder Joseph Smith. In 1918 Frederick published this Ph.D. dissertation breaking down altered states of consciousness from an early psychologist's perspective, specifically, religious states of ‘ecstacy' as he called it. A lengthy chapter devoted to peyote is particularly worth reading. “The Higher Powers: Fred M - Smith and the Peyote Ceremonies” - Shelby Barnes' 1995 paper highlighting the curious psychedelic interests of Frederick M. Smith. While Barnes does not make any direct connections to Joseph Smith and psychedelics, Barnes does note that Frederick's interests were an attempt to find the reliable keys to visionary revelation that his grandfather Joseph had demonstrated. “Restoration and the Sacred Mushroom”  - Dr. Robert Beckstead's seminal research paper presented at the August 2007 Sunstone Symposium. Beckstead's paper was the first to propose the possibility that Joseph Smith used psychedelics to facilitate visionary experiences. “A 1920's Harvard Psychedelic Circle with a Mormon Connection: Peyote Use amongst the Harvard Aesthetes” Alan Piper's 2016 paper highlighting Frederick M. Smith's interest in psychedelics, and how as a standing Mormon prophet Fred was funding a 1920s group of Harvard students with peyote. “Revelation Through Hallucination: A discourse on the Joseph Smith-entheogen theory” - Bryce Blankenagel and Cody Noconi's 2017 follow-up paper further explores the hypothesis originally put forward by Dr. Robert Beckstead a decade earlier. “The Entheogenic Origins of Mormonism: A Working Hypothesis” - Dr. Robert Beckstead, Bryce Blankenagel, Cody Noconi, and Michael Winkelman's paper published in the Journal of Psychedelic Studies in June 2019. This was the first paper on the subject published in an academic journal. “Visions, Mushrooms, Fungi, Cacti, and Toads: Joseph Smith's Reported Use of Entheogens” Brian Hales' 2020 response paper to the one published in the Journal of Psychedelic Studies. As a believing Mormon engaged in academic apologetics, Hales details what he perceives to be holes in the proposed hypothesis. “The Psychedelic History of Mormonism, Magic, and Drugs” - Cody Noconi's book published in 2021. “Psychedelics as a Means of Revelation in Early and Contemporary Mormonism (Part 1)” Alex Criddle's 2023 paper that was originally presented at the Forms of Psychedelic Life conference at UC Berkeley (April 14-15, 2023). “Psychedelics as a Means of Revelation in Early and Contemporary Mormonism (Part 2)” A continuation of Alex Criddle's 2023 paper. “A Real Spiritual High: In Defense of Psychedelic Mysticism” An enlightening philosophical essay from Alex Criddle. Bibliography and further reading: The Varieties of Religious Experience, by William James The Higher Powers of Man, by Frederick M. Smith The Magus, by Francis Barrett  A Key to Physic, and the Occult Sciences, by Ebenezer Sibly Hearts Made Glad: The Charges of Intemperance Against Joseph Smith the Mormon Prophet, by Lamar Peterson The Seven Sisters of Sleep, by Mordecai Cubitt Cooke The Encylopedia of Psychoactive Plants: Ethnopharmacology and Its Applications, by Christian Rátsch Plants of the Gods: Their Sacred, Healing, and Hallucinogenic Powers, by Richard Evans Shultes, Albert Hoffman, and Christian Rátsch The Dictionary of Sacred and Magical Plants, by Christian Rátsch Witchcraft Medicine: Healing Arts, Shamanic Practices, and Forbidden Plants, by Claudia Muller-Ebeling, Christian Rátsch, and Wolf-Dieter Storl Sex, Drugs, Violence and the Bible, by Chris Bennett and Neil McQueen Liber 420: Cannabis, Magickal Herbs and the Occult, by Chris Bennett Cannabis: Lost Sacrament of the Ancient World, by Chris Bennett Plants of the Devil, by Corinne Boyer The Immortality Key: The Secret History of the Religion with No Name, by Brian C. Muraresku Veneficium: Magic Witchcraft, and the Poison Path, by Daniel A. Schulke Thirteen Pathways of Occult Herbalism, by Daniel A. Schulke The Botany and Chemistry of Hallucinogens, by Richard Evans Shultes and Albert Hoffman Where the Gods Reign: Plants and Peoples of the Colombian Amazon, by Richard Evans Shultes Vine of the Soul: Medicine Men, Their Plants and Rituals in the Colombian Amazonia, by Richard Evans Shultes and Robert F. Raffauf Ethnobotany: Evolution of a Discipline, Richard Evans Shultes and Siri von Reis Persephone's Quest: Entheogens and the Origins of Religion, by Jonathan Ott, R. Gordon Wasson, Stella Kramrisch, and Carl A. P. Ruck Pharmacotheon: Entheogenic Drugs, Their Plant Sources and History, by Jonathan Ott Plant Intoxicants: a Classic Text on the Use of Mind-Altering Plants, by Ernst Bibra and Jonathan Ott Age of Entheogens & the Angels' Dictionary, by Jonathan Ott Drugs of the Dreaming: Oneirogens: Salvia Divinorum and Other Dream-Enhancing Plants, by Jonathan Ott, Gianluca Toro, and Benjamin Thomas The Road to Eleusis, by R. Gordon Wasson, Albert Hofmann, Carl A. P. Ruck, Huston Smith Sacred Knowledge: Psychedelics and Religious Experiences, by William A. Richards Entheogens, Myth, and Human Consciousness, by Carl A.P. Ruck and Mark Alwin Hoffman Mushrooms, Myth and Mithras: The Drug Cult that Civilized Europe, by Carl A.P. Ruck, Mark Alwin Hoffman and Jose Alfredo Gonzalez Celdran Sacred Mushrooms of the Goddess: Secrets of Eleusis, by Carl A.P. Ruck The Apples of Apollo: Pagan and Christian Mysteries of the Eucharist, by Carl A.P. Ruck, Clark Heinrich, and Blaise Daniel Staples Psychedelic Mystery Traditions: Sacred Plants, Magical Practices, Ecstatic States, by Thomas Hatsis The Witches' Ointment: The Secret History of Psychedelic Magic, by Thomas Hatsis Alchemically Stoned: The Psychedelic Secret of Freemasonry, by PD Newman Angels in Vermillion: The Philosophers' Stone: From Dee to DMT, by PD Newman Theurgy: Theory and Practice: The Mysteries of the Ascent to the Divine, by PD Newman The Psychedelic History of Mormonism, Magic, and Drugs, by Cody Noconi Magic Mushrooms in Religion and Alchemy, by Clark Heinrich Psychedelic Medicine, by Richard Miller Mushroom Medicine: The Healing Power of Psilocybin & Sacred Entheogen History, by Brian Jackson The Religious Experience: It's Production and Interpretation., by Timothy Leary Cleansing the Doors of Perception: The Religious Significance of Entheogenic Plants and Chemicals, by Huston Smith The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide, by James Fadiman Psilocybin Mushrooms of the World: An Identification Guide, by Paul Stamets Soma: divine mushroom of immortality, by Robert Gordon Wasson The Philosophy of Natural Magic, by Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa Dwellers on the Threshold; Or Magic and Magicians, with Some Illustrations of Human Error and Imposture, by John Maxwell The History of Magic, by Eliphas Levi Encyclopedia of Freemasonry and Its Kindred Sciences, by Albert Mackey The German Sectarians of Pennsylvania, by Julius F. Sachse God on Psychedelics: Tripping Across the Rubble of Old-Time Religion, by Don Lattin The Peyote Effect: From the Inquisition to the War on Drugs, byAlexander Dawson The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on The Tibetan Book of the Dead, by Timothy Leary, Ralph Metzne, and Richard Alpert Entheogens and the Future of Religion, by Robert Forte How To Change Your Mind, by Michael Pollan The Harvard Psychedelic Club: How Timothy Leary, Ram Dass, Huston Smith, and Andrew Weil Killed the Fifties and Ushered in a New Age for America by Don Lattin Psychedelic Drugs Reconsidered, by James B. Bakalar and Lester Grinspoon The Peyote Cult, by Weston LaBarre DMT: The Spirit Molecule: A Doctor's Revolutionary Research into the Biology of Near-Death and Mystical Experiences, by Rick Stassman A Hallucinogenic Tea Laced With Controversy, by Marlene Dobkin de Rios and Roger Rumrrill Occurrence and Use of Hallucinogenic Mushrooms Containing Psilocybin Alkaloids, by Jakob Kristinsson and Jørn Gry Psychedelics Encyclopedia, by Peter G Stafford Neuropsychedelia: The Revival of Hallucinogen Research Since the Decade of the Brain, by Nicolas Langlitz Stairways To Heaven: Drugs In American Religious History, by Robert W. Fuller Mescaline: A Global History of the First Psychedelic, by Mike Jay DMT and the Soul of Prophecy: A New Science of Spiritual Revelation in the Hebrew Bible, by Rick Strassman Liquid Light: Ayahuasca Spirituality and the Santo Daime Tradition, by G. William Barnar Distilled Spirits: Getting High, Then Sober, with a Famous Writer, a Forgotten Philosopher, and a Hopeless Drunk, by Don Lattin The Mystery of Manna: The Psychedelic Sacrament of the Bible, by Dan Merkur Psychedelic Sacrament: Manna, Meditation and Mystical Experience, by Dan Merkur LSD and the Divine Scientist: The Final Thoughts and Reflections of Albert Hofmann, by Albert Hoffman The Doors of Perception, by Aldous Huxley Changing Our Minds: Psychedelic Sacraments and the New Psychotherapy, by Don Lattin LSD: Doorway to the Numinous: The Groundbreaking Psychedelic Research into Realms of the Human Unconscious, by Stanislav Grof LSD and the Mind of the Universe by Christopher Bache Plant Teachers: Ayahuasca, Tobacco, and the Pursuit of Knowledge by Jeremy Narby and Rafael Chanchari Pizuri Visionary Vine: Psychedelic Healing in the Peruvian Amazon by Marlene Dobkin de Rios The Antipodes of the Mind by Benny Shannon Ancient Psychedelic Substances by Scott Fitzpatrick Psychoactive Sacramentals: Essays on Entheogens and Religion by Stan Grof, Huston Smith, and Albert Hofmann  The Shaman and Ayahuasca: Journeys to Sacred Realms by Don Jose Campos The Religion of Ayahuasca: The Teachings of the Church of Santo Daime by Alex Polari de Alverga  Email: glassboxpodcast@gmail.com  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GlassBoxPod  Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/glassboxpodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/GlassBoxPod  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glassboxpodcast/  Merch store: https://www.redbubble.com/people/exmoapparel/shop Or find the merch store by clicking on “Store” here: https://glassboxpodcast.com/index.html One time Paypal donation: bryceblankenagel@gmail.com   

Part 1 of Episode 150! Yay!! And now for something completely different. This episode is a bit of a departure from our regular show. We invite Alex Criddle and Cody Noconi, researchers into the psychedelic origins of Mormonism, to respond to the recent debate on the Mormon Book Reviews channel between ourselves and Mormon apologist, Brian Hales. Brian attempts to provide the apologetic response to the theory that Joseph Smith utilized psychedelics (entheogens) in the early history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in order to facilitate visionary experiences for the early Saints. Disinformation requires much greater effort than simply stating information so we do our best to debunk his debunking (rebunk the theory?). This one is a long haul so we split it into 2 episodes to make it a little more digestible.   Show notes: Video version: https://youtu.be/3l0L1EHtQOo Support our research and outreach: https://www.patreon.com/SeerStonedProductions Original here: Psychedelics & Early Mormonism Theory Brian Hales Responds on Mormon Book Reviews https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE7J0y_cPpg Further information: “The Higher Powers of Man” - Frederick M. Smith was a prophet of the RLDS Mormons and paternal grandson of the founder Joseph Smith. In 1918 Frederick published this Ph.D. dissertation breaking down altered states of consciousness from an early psychologist's perspective, specifically, religious states of ‘ecstacy' as he called it. A lengthy chapter devoted to peyote is particularly worth reading. “The Higher Powers: Fred M - Smith and the Peyote Ceremonies” - Shelby Barnes' 1995 paper highlighting the curious psychedelic interests of Frederick M. Smith. While Barnes does not make any direct connections to Joseph Smith and psychedelics, Barnes does note that Frederick's interests were an attempt to find the reliable keys to visionary revelation that his grandfather Joseph had demonstrated. “Restoration and the Sacred Mushroom”  - Dr. Robert Beckstead's seminal research paper presented at the August 2007 Sunstone Symposium. Beckstead's paper was the first to propose the possibility that Joseph Smith used psychedelics to facilitate visionary experiences. “A 1920's Harvard Psychedelic Circle with a Mormon Connection: Peyote Use amongst the Harvard Aesthetes” Alan Piper's 2016 paper highlighting Frederick M. Smith's interest in psychedelics, and how as a standing Mormon prophet Fred was funding a 1920s group of Harvard students with peyote. “Revelation Through Hallucination: A discourse on the Joseph Smith-entheogen theory” - Bryce Blankenagel and Cody Noconi's 2017 follow-up paper further explores the hypothesis originally put forward by Dr. Robert Beckstead a decade earlier. “The Entheogenic Origins of Mormonism: A Working Hypothesis” - Dr. Robert Beckstead, Bryce Blankenagel, Cody Noconi, and Michael Winkelman's paper published in the Journal of Psychedelic Studies in June 2019. This was the first paper on the subject published in an academic journal. “Visions, Mushrooms, Fungi, Cacti, and Toads: Joseph Smith's Reported Use of Entheogens” Brian Hales' 2020 response paper to the one published in the Journal of Psychedelic Studies. As a believing Mormon engaged in academic apologetics, Hales details what he perceives to be holes in the proposed hypothesis. “The Psychedelic History of Mormonism, Magic, and Drugs” - Cody Noconi's book published in 2021. “Psychedelics as a Means of Revelation in Early and Contemporary Mormonism (Part 1)” Alex Criddle's 2023 paper that was originally presented at the Forms of Psychedelic Life conference at UC Berkeley (April 14-15, 2023). “Psychedelics as a Means of Revelation in Early and Contemporary Mormonism (Part 2)” A continuation of Alex Criddle's 2023 paper. “A Real Spiritual High: In Defense of Psychedelic Mysticism” An enlightening philosophical essay from Alex Criddle. Bibliography and further reading: The Varieties of Religious Experience, by William James The Higher Powers of Man, by Frederick M. Smith The Magus, by Francis Barrett  A Key to Physic, and the Occult Sciences, by Ebenezer Sibly Hearts Made Glad: The Charges of Intemperance Against Joseph Smith the Mormon Prophet, by Lamar Peterson The Seven Sisters of Sleep, by Mordecai Cubitt Cooke The Encylopedia of Psychoactive Plants: Ethnopharmacology and Its Applications, by Christian Rátsch Plants of the Gods: Their Sacred, Healing, and Hallucinogenic Powers, by Richard Evans Shultes, Albert Hoffman, and Christian Rátsch The Dictionary of Sacred and Magical Plants, by Christian Rátsch Witchcraft Medicine: Healing Arts, Shamanic Practices, and Forbidden Plants, by Claudia Muller-Ebeling, Christian Rátsch, and Wolf-Dieter Storl Sex, Drugs, Violence and the Bible, by Chris Bennett and Neil McQueen Liber 420: Cannabis, Magickal Herbs and the Occult, by Chris Bennett Cannabis: Lost Sacrament of the Ancient World, by Chris Bennett Plants of the Devil, by Corinne Boyer The Immortality Key: The Secret History of the Religion with No Name, by Brian C. Muraresku Veneficium: Magic Witchcraft, and the Poison Path, by Daniel A. Schulke Thirteen Pathways of Occult Herbalism, by Daniel A. Schulke The Botany and Chemistry of Hallucinogens, by Richard Evans Shultes and Albert Hoffman Where the Gods Reign: Plants and Peoples of the Colombian Amazon, by Richard Evans Shultes Vine of the Soul: Medicine Men, Their Plants and Rituals in the Colombian Amazonia, by Richard Evans Shultes and Robert F. Raffauf Ethnobotany: Evolution of a Discipline, Richard Evans Shultes and Siri von Reis Persephone's Quest: Entheogens and the Origins of Religion, by Jonathan Ott, R. Gordon Wasson, Stella Kramrisch, and Carl A. P. Ruck Pharmacotheon: Entheogenic Drugs, Their Plant Sources and History, by Jonathan Ott Plant Intoxicants: a Classic Text on the Use of Mind-Altering Plants, by Ernst Bibra and Jonathan Ott Age of Entheogens & the Angels' Dictionary, by Jonathan Ott Drugs of the Dreaming: Oneirogens: Salvia Divinorum and Other Dream-Enhancing Plants, by Jonathan Ott, Gianluca Toro, and Benjamin Thomas The Road to Eleusis, by R. Gordon Wasson, Albert Hofmann, Carl A. P. Ruck, Huston Smith Sacred Knowledge: Psychedelics and Religious Experiences, by William A. Richards Entheogens, Myth, and Human Consciousness, by Carl A.P. Ruck and Mark Alwin Hoffman Mushrooms, Myth and Mithras: The Drug Cult that Civilized Europe, by Carl A.P. Ruck, Mark Alwin Hoffman and Jose Alfredo Gonzalez Celdran Sacred Mushrooms of the Goddess: Secrets of Eleusis, by Carl A.P. Ruck The Apples of Apollo: Pagan and Christian Mysteries of the Eucharist, by Carl A.P. Ruck, Clark Heinrich, and Blaise Daniel Staples Psychedelic Mystery Traditions: Sacred Plants, Magical Practices, Ecstatic States, by Thomas Hatsis The Witches' Ointment: The Secret History of Psychedelic Magic, by Thomas Hatsis Alchemically Stoned: The Psychedelic Secret of Freemasonry, by PD Newman Angels in Vermillion: The Philosophers' Stone: From Dee to DMT, by PD Newman Theurgy: Theory and Practice: The Mysteries of the Ascent to the Divine, by PD Newman The Psychedelic History of Mormonism, Magic, and Drugs, by Cody Noconi Magic Mushrooms in Religion and Alchemy, by Clark Heinrich Psychedelic Medicine, by Richard Miller Mushroom Medicine: The Healing Power of Psilocybin & Sacred Entheogen History, by Brian Jackson The Religious Experience: It's Production and Interpretation., by Timothy Leary Cleansing the Doors of Perception: The Religious Significance of Entheogenic Plants and Chemicals, by Huston Smith The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide, by James Fadiman Psilocybin Mushrooms of the World: An Identification Guide, by Paul Stamets Soma: divine mushroom of immortality, by Robert Gordon Wasson The Philosophy of Natural Magic, by Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa Dwellers on the Threshold; Or Magic and Magicians, with Some Illustrations of Human Error and Imposture, by John Maxwell The History of Magic, by Eliphas Levi Encyclopedia of Freemasonry and Its Kindred Sciences, by Albert Mackey The German Sectarians of Pennsylvania, by Julius F. Sachse God on Psychedelics: Tripping Across the Rubble of Old-Time Religion, by Don Lattin The Peyote Effect: From the Inquisition to the War on Drugs, byAlexander Dawson The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on The Tibetan Book of the Dead, by Timothy Leary, Ralph Metzne, and Richard Alpert Entheogens and the Future of Religion, by Robert Forte How To Change Your Mind, by Michael Pollan The Harvard Psychedelic Club: How Timothy Leary, Ram Dass, Huston Smith, and Andrew Weil Killed the Fifties and Ushered in a New Age for America by Don Lattin Psychedelic Drugs Reconsidered, by James B. Bakalar and Lester Grinspoon The Peyote Cult, by Weston LaBarre DMT: The Spirit Molecule: A Doctor's Revolutionary Research into the Biology of Near-Death and Mystical Experiences, by Rick Stassman A Hallucinogenic Tea Laced With Controversy, by Marlene Dobkin de Rios and Roger Rumrrill Occurrence and Use of Hallucinogenic Mushrooms Containing Psilocybin Alkaloids, by Jakob Kristinsson and Jørn Gry Psychedelics Encyclopedia, by Peter G Stafford Neuropsychedelia: The Revival of Hallucinogen Research Since the Decade of the Brain, by Nicolas Langlitz Stairways To Heaven: Drugs In American Religious History, by Robert W. Fuller Mescaline: A Global History of the First Psychedelic, by Mike Jay DMT and the Soul of Prophecy: A New Science of Spiritual Revelation in the Hebrew Bible, by Rick Strassman Liquid Light: Ayahuasca Spirituality and the Santo Daime Tradition, by G. William Barnar Distilled Spirits: Getting High, Then Sober, with a Famous Writer, a Forgotten Philosopher, and a Hopeless Drunk, by Don Lattin The Mystery of Manna: The Psychedelic Sacrament of the Bible, by Dan Merkur Psychedelic Sacrament: Manna, Meditation and Mystical Experience, by Dan Merkur LSD and the Divine Scientist: The Final Thoughts and Reflections of Albert Hofmann, by Albert Hoffman The Doors of Perception, by Aldous Huxley Changing Our Minds: Psychedelic Sacraments and the New Psychotherapy, by Don Lattin LSD: Doorway to the Numinous: The Groundbreaking Psychedelic Research into Realms of the Human Unconscious, by Stanislav Grof LSD and the Mind of the Universe by Christopher Bache Plant Teachers: Ayahuasca, Tobacco, and the Pursuit of Knowledge by Jeremy Narby and Rafael Chanchari Pizuri Visionary Vine: Psychedelic Healing in the Peruvian Amazon by Marlene Dobkin de Rios The Antipodes of the Mind by Benny Shannon Ancient Psychedelic Substances by Scott Fitzpatrick Psychoactive Sacramentals: Essays on Entheogens and Religion by Stan Grof, Huston Smith, and Albert Hofmann  The Shaman and Ayahuasca: Journeys to Sacred Realms by Don Jose Campos The Religion of Ayahuasca: The Teachings of the Church of Santo Daime by Alex Polari de Alverga Email: glassboxpodcast@gmail.com  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GlassBoxPod  Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/glassboxpodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/GlassBoxPod  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glassboxpodcast/  Merch store: https://www.redbubble.com/people/exmoapparel/shop Or find the merch store by clicking on “Store” here: https://glassboxpodcast.com/index.html One time Paypal donation: bryceblankenagel@gmail.com   

On this episode, Brian Hales joins us to discuss the history and significance of the crowning ordinance of the temple.   Brian C. Hales is the author or co-author of several books dealing with Joseph Smith and plural marriage, and runs the website JosephSmithsPolygamy.org. He is also the author of several articles dealing with the […] The post Cornerstone: A FAIR Temple Preparation Podcast – Episode 6: Temple Sealings with Brian Hales appeared first on FAIR.

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.

The 11A 'Take Back Control' miniseries will resume soon, but here is a special treat.  Maven crossed the world to join me in the Sceptred Isles and review an extraordinary and rare encounter in Online Mormon World.  Brian Hales, regarded as the leading expert on Joseph Smith's Polygamy having published a trilogy about it, went on Michelle Stone's podcast '132 Problems:  Revisiting Mormon Polygamy' podcast which is the flagship voice for a growing movement of Latter-day Saints who deny Joseph had anything to do with polygamy.  They claim it was retrofitted into Mormonism by an elaborate conspiracy of the prophets and apostles who succeeded him as leaders of the Church while otherwise being super faithful and orthodox Church members.  Brian had agreed to bring his best evidence and see how it stood up to her analysis and settle the matter once and for all.  Instead he threw away this opportunity,  turned the conversation into a personal attack on Michelle, and shamelessly lied his head off!  We ended up rooting for Michelle and her powerful plea for freedom of thought and rational discussion in the LDS Church even though she is totally wrong about Joseph's polygamising.  You couldn't make it up!  Things get crazy, revealing, and an absolute hoot... When Apologists Attack.

Alex Criddle is an independent researcher of Mormonism, psychedelics, the occult, and consciousness. He's worked as a research assistant at a ketamine clinic, created a curriculum for clinical psychedelic certifications and written for multiple psychedelic outlets including the upcoming paper "I Know the Entheogenic Theory is True" - a response to Mormon apologist Brian Hales response paper to "The Entheogenic Origins of Mormonism: A Working Hypothesis." alexcriddle1@gmail.comalexcriddle.comalexcriddle.substack.comFacebookTwitter / XEntheogenic Origins of Mormonism: A Working HypothesisIron John: Robert BlyMethod Infinite: Cheryl Bruno, Joe Swick, Nicolas LiturskiAlejandro JodorowskiThe Holy MountainEl TopoFando and LisPsychomagic: A Healing ArtThe IncalThe Antipodes of the Mind: Benny ShannonDarwin's Pharmacy: Richard DoyleIn the Company of Crows and Ravens: John M. MarzluffThe Emerald podcast: Josh SchreiMichael Ferguson and Seth AndersonTrevor Luke Don BradleyHarvard Divinity School Center for World ReligionsThe Divine AssemblyLigare: A Christian Psychedelic SocietyShefa:Jewish Psychedelic SupportVisions, Mushrooms, Fungi, Cacti and Toads: Joseph Smith's Reported Use of Entheogens (Brian Hales response paper)Restoration and the Sacred Mushroom: Robert BecksteadThe Interpreter FoundationFrederick G. Williams

Dismantling Brian Hales’ Book of Mormon Defense: ML: 141 In this episode, hosts RFM and Bill Reel team up with LDS scholar Dan Vogel to critically examine the arguments put forth by LDS apologist Brian Hales in defense of the Book of Mormon’s authenticity. They discuss Hales’ reasons and defenses of why the BOM can’t… Read More »Dismantling Brian Hales’ Book of Mormon Defense: Mormonism LIVE: 141

Dismantling Brian Hales' Book of Mormon Defense: ML: 141 In this episode, hosts RFM and Bill Reel team up with LDS scholar Dan Vogel to critically examine the arguments put forth by LDS apologist Brian Hales in defense of the Book of Mormon's authenticity. They discuss Hales' reasons and defenses of why the BOM can't… Read More »Dismantling Brian Hales' Book of Mormon Defense: Mormonism LIVE: 141

Dismantling Brian Hales’ Book of Mormon Defense: ML: 141 In this episode, hosts RFM and Bill Reel team up with LDS scholar Dan Vogel to critically examine the arguments put forth by LDS apologist Brian Hales in defense of the Book of Mormon’s authenticity. They discuss Hales’ reasons and defenses of why the BOM can’t… Read More »Dismantling Brian Hales’ Book of Mormon Defense: Mormonism LIVE: 141 The post Dismantling Brian Hales’ Book of Mormon Defense: Mormonism LIVE: 141 appeared first on Mormon Discussions Podcasts - Full Lineup.

Brian Hales & The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Book Review: ML: 140 We lost Dan due to storms affecting his internet connection, so join us next week for part 2! In this week’s episode, Mormon apologist Brian Hales enters the scene to deliver a 2-star review of “Charisma under Pressure,” the groundbreaking book… Read More »Brian Hales & The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Book Review Pt 1: ML: 140

Brian Hales & The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Book Review: ML: 140 We lost Dan due to storms affecting his internet connection, so join us next week for part 2! In this week's episode, Mormon apologist Brian Hales enters the scene to deliver a 2-star review of “Charisma under Pressure,” the groundbreaking book… Read More »Brian Hales & The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Book Review Pt 1: ML: 140

Brian Hales & The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Book Review: ML: 140 We lost Dan due to storms affecting his internet connection, so join us next week for part 2! In this week’s episode, Mormon apologist Brian Hales enters the scene to deliver a 2-star review of “Charisma under Pressure,” the groundbreaking book… Read More »Brian Hales & The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Book Review Pt 1: ML: 140 The post Brian Hales & The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Book Review Pt 1: ML: 140 appeared first on Mormon Discussions Podcasts - Full Lineup.

Did Joseph Smith have any regrets about plural marriage? Like, with full hindsight, if he could go back and change anything about the way he implemented plural marriage, what might he do differently? Also, more and more people are denying that Joseph Smith ever practiced polygamy or that he lied about doing so. Is there even a shred of truth to either of these claims? Did Joseph ever send men on missions and marry their wives while they were gone? Were there any women who denied Joseph's proposals for plural marriage? If so, what happened to them? What was Emma's relationship to plural marriage after the saints left Nauvoo for Utah? And is there any truth to the idea that plural marriage exists because there are more faithful women than men? In today's episode of Church History Matters we tackle all of these questions and more with our special guest, Dr. Brian Hales! For show notes and transcript for this and other episodes go to https://doctrineandcovenantscentral.org/church-history-matters-podcast/   

Greetings brothers and sisters! Welcome to the weekly MormonNewsRoundup where Dives and Rebecca ruminate on the great and spacious beehive! Full Title May 7, 2023  EP 58 - LDS terminology updates, community of Christ world conference report, BYU transgender controversy, sacred garments made in Chinese sweatshops, and Tucker Carlson wants us to be good Mormons!? Connect with Dives and Rebecca! www.MormonNewsRoundup.org kolob@mormonnewsroundup.org Voicemail Twitter YouTube MormonMovieReviews Mormonish Podcast Support this Podcast Patreon Welcome to the MormonNewsRoundup! MNRU Joke Of the week Rebecca Mormon News Weekly comes to an end https://twitter.com/patrickqmason/status/1653079511691579393  Follow ups Lori Vallow trial continues  mainstream media is not really covering this trial as much as I thought they would we have yet to hear from the defense, the defense team should probably take the stand next week First Church coverage of the trial News Articles  Boy Scouts of America can now create $2.4 billion fund to pay claims for Scouts who survived abuse – a bankruptcy expert explains what's next The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, still sometimes called the Mormon Church, used to participate in the Boy Scouts but severed ties to it in 2018. It will contribute $250 million. Tucker Carlson wants you to have ‘Mormon levels' of kids. Is it good advice? With his Fox News exit, life advice from Carlson has been circulating online this week. Young Americans, in particular, should take note Discussion  Differentiation What Happened at the Community of Christ World Conference? The new president of the Council of Twelve Apostles (Mareva Arnuad of French Polynesia) is the first non-native English speaker in that role. She is also one of six women in the Twelve Sacred Garments made in Chinese sweatshops? It really has never occurred to me to even ponder anything about this topic  Answering LDS Critics website launched  Brian Hales? Revealing the Strategies of LDS Church Critics and Addressing their Accusations BYU Professor Transgender Controversy BYU Defends Professor, sort of Typical LDS attitude which mirrors the handbook Rumor mill, handbook transgender section is going to be updated?  Other Handbook changes to protect children 2.28 Billion Dollar Sex Abuse Judgement hits the Media PornHub restricted in Utah SEARCHES FOR VPN SOAR IN UTAH AMIDST PORNHUB BLOCKAGE Praying for VPN!? New Church Mentoring Program for recently returned missionaries  LDS Terminology changes Proposal  Shoutout to Weird Alma on bandcamp.com for this episode's music. Thanks so much for ruminating with us on the great and spacious beehive! And remember, remember: No unhallowed hand can stop this podcast from progressing!  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mormonnewsroundup/support

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.

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.

Who is Denver Snuffer? What is the Restoration Movement all about? Special guest Chris VanCampen editor of a book of essays titled "Rescuing the Restoration: The Lord Sets His Hand Again" joins Steven to discuss the project. A while back Brian Hales attempted to put together a book in which various writers would talk about Denver Snuffer and the Restoration Movement. Adrian Larsen wrote the introduction. While the book was never completed, it was thought that Adrian's work could be a foundation for another similar project. We also get to know Chris ,his background, and the role he played as the editor. #denversnuffer #mormonism #latterdaysaints #lds #ldspodcast

A new apologetic technique has arisen in recent years of trying to prove the Book of Mormon true by proving all naturalistic theories false. RFM analyzes this methodology and shows it to be fundamentally flawed in a number of ways. Brian Hales, the current proponent of this apologetic, isn’t going to like this episode! The post Radio Free Mormon: 265: Sherlock Holmes v. Joseph Smith appeared first on Mormon Discussions Podcasts - Full Lineup.

I am so excited to be able to feature the host of the new up & coming Youtube channel "Mormonism with the Murph"! This Northern Ireland based channel has already booked some of the biggest names in Mormon scholarship including Dan Vogel & Brian Hales. Get to know "The Murph" on a special Mormon Media Reviews segment here on MBR. #lds #bookofmormon #mormonismwiththemurph

RFM and Bill take a deeper look at the “Book of Mormon” and compare what we know about it with what we know about other books to see if it is as un unique as believers claim it to be and we even get Mormon Scholar, Brian Hales opinion on the matter. RESOURCES:https://archive.org/details/sorrytaleastory01currgoog/page/78/mode/2up https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1542&context=jbms#:~:text=Some%20critics%20of%20the%20Book,claimed%20communi%2D%20cations%20with%20spirits https://www.urantia.org/urantia-book/read-urantia-book-online… Read More »Mormonism LIVE: 108: Is The Book of Mormon Unique?

RFM and Bill take a deeper look at the “Book of Mormon” and compare what we know about it with what we know about other books to see if it is as un unique as believers claim it to be and we even get Mormon Scholar, Brian Hales opinion on the matter. RESOURCES:https://archive.org/details/sorrytaleastory01currgoog/page/78/mode/2up https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1542&context=jbms#:~:text=Some%20critics%20of%20the%20Book,claimed%20communi%2D%20cations%20with%20spirits https://www.urantia.org/urantia-book/read-urantia-book-online… Read More »Mormonism LIVE: 108: Is The Book of Mormon Unique?

RFM and Bill take a deeper look at the “Book of Mormon” and compare what we know about it with what we know about other books to see if it is as un unique as believers claim it to be and we even get Mormon Scholar, Brian Hales opinion on the matter. RESOURCES: https://archive.org/details/sorrytaleastory01currgoog/page/78/mode/2up https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1542&context=jbms#:~:text=Some%20critics%20of%20the%20Book,claimed%20communi%2D%20cations%20with%20spirits… Read More »Mormonism LIVE: 108: Is The Book of Mormon Unique? The post Mormonism LIVE: 108: Is The Book of Mormon Unique? appeared first on Mormon Discussions Podcasts - Full Lineup.

Scriptural Mormonism Podcast Episode 14, cross-posted with permission. Robert Boylan interviews Brian Hales and Craig Foster about Mormon Fundamentalism and the Netflix show “Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey,” and specifically comparing FLDS to LDS, and Warren Jeffs to Joseph Smith. Also join us at the 2022 FAIR Conference where Craig Foster will speak on “Under […] The post Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey – Mormon Fundamentalism with Brian Hales and Craig Foster appeared first on FAIR.

This podcast series features past FAIR Conference presentations. This presentation is from our 2021 conference held in August. If you would like to watch all the presentations from the conference, you can still purchase the video streaming. Brian Hales, Mind the Gap Many of Brian's books are available from the FAIR Bookstore. Brian C. Hales is […] The post FAIR Conference Podcast #69 – Brian Hales, “Mind the Gap” appeared first on FAIR.

Wordprint or stylometry studies try to identify the author of a text. Studies have tried to prove ancient as well as modern authorship. What does Brian Hales think of these studies? Is there a gap in Book of Mormon authorship? GT:  Well, I know there's been a lot of wordprint studies trying to identify [a […] The post Wordprint Studies (Part 5 of 6) appeared first on Gospel Tangents.

We're continuing our conversation with Dr. Brian Hales on Book of Mormon authorship.  What are some naturalistic explanations are there to explain how Joseph Smith could have written the Book of Mormon? Brian will tackle a few more theories, such as automatic writing, as well as Bill Davis recent book, “Visions in a Seer Stone.”  […] The post Automatic Writing/Bill Davis's Visions of Seer Stone appeared first on Gospel Tangents.

Ever since the Book of Mormon was first published, critics have tried to figure out its authorship.  Did Joseph Smith plagiarize the book from other sources, such as Solomon Spaulding or other collaborators?  Dr. Brian Hales tells more about these collaborator theories for Book of Mormon authorship. Brian:  I've isolated eight different theories that people […] The post Looking at Spalding & Collaborator Theories (Part 2 of 6) appeared first on Gospel Tangents.

I'm excited to have Dr. Brian Hales back on the show. It was 8 years ago that Brian Hales published his 3-volume set on Joseph Smith's Polygamy. How has that held up? How does Brian address critics of his work? Brian: You know, there's always critics. But, recently, my friend Larry Foster, and others have […] The post Reviewing Polygamy Criticisms (Part 1 of 6 Brian Hales) appeared first on Gospel Tangents.

A NEW season of the Saints Unscripted Podcast is here! The first episode is coming out this Sunday! This season, Brian Hales and Jake talk about the most controversial topics of Polygamy. Here is a list of the topics to come: 1. Fanny Alger 2. Plurality of Husbands (Polyandry) 3. Sexuality in Joseph Smith's Plural Relationships 4. Ages of his Young Wives 5. Emma Smith's Path 6. Polygamy Questions (Why was the church so silent about it for so long?)

Butler High football coach talks about how a Carolina Panthers player brought him to Charlotte, how he built his state championship resume, and finally beating his arch rival, Tom Knotts' Independence Patriots Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this interview, we are once again joined by Brian Hales. Back when Brian was digging deep into the topic of polygamy some would ask him if he was worried he would find something that would cause him to lose his belief in Joseph Smith being a prophet? He wasn't worried and the main reason he wasn't worried is that he didn't believe Joseph Smith could have written the Book of Mormon. After diving deep into the topic of polygamy he decided to test his assumption that Joseph Smith couldn't have written the Book of Mormon. In this interview, we discuss Brian's findings. We discuss the complexity of the Book of Mormon and the writing/oratory skills Joseph would have needed. Book of Mormon Author Gap Document: https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/The-BofM-Author-GAP-FINAL.pdf How the Book of Mormon can save testimonies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmWYgmm8i0I

Why did Joseph Smith begin the practice of polygamy?    And why didn’t Emma know about all his marriages?   And how in the world can I explain polygamy to my kids?    Friend, we’ve got you covered.    In this bonus episode we are interviewing Brian Hales, author of Joseph Smith’s Polygamy, and asking him ALL the hard questions about polygamy!   You can find more from Brian at the links below:    https://josephsmithspolygamy.org/ https://mormonpolygamydocuments.org/ https://amzn.to/3eJiDWo   Joseph F. Smith quote referenced: James R. Clark, Messages of the First Presidency, 4:330-31

Brian Hales, a leading scholar in LDS Polygamy (otherwise known as Mormon Polygamy), sits down with Jake for a heart-to-heart on his learning about polygamy, his study into polygamy, and why he chooses to stay an active member in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (otherwise known as the Mormon Church or LDS Church). Learning about the polygamous history in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints might cause you to ask a lot of very important questions. The same happened for Brian Hales. And when Brian started his studies, very little information existed on the topic. Brian then dedicated decades to researching all of the facts and went on to publish multiple books and articles about his findings. Brian has chosen to stay in the Church of Jesus Christ, despite all of the faith-challenging information about polygamy and Joseph Smith's practice of polygamy. Visit his website here! https://josephsmithspolygamy.org/

I'm so grateful to have Brian Hales join me on the Podcast. Brian is a co-founder of https://josephsmithspolygamy.org/ and has authored numerous books on Joseph Smith and Polygamy. In this episode, we address the controversial issue of polygamy by asking Brian a list of questions.

Every great book has a great backstory. In Joe Geisner’s new edited work, Writing Mormon History: Historians and Their Books (Signature Books, 2020), well-known historians describe their journeys of writing books that have influenced our understanding of the Mormon past, offering an unprecedented glimpse into why they wrote these important works. Writing Mormon History is a must-read for anyone interested in Mormonism--historians, students of history, scholars, and aspiring authors. The volume’s contributors are: Polly Aird, Will Bagley, Todd Compton, Brian Hales, Melvin Johnson, William MacKinnon, Linda King Newell, Gregory Prince, D. Michael Quinn, Craig Smith, George D. Smith, Vickie Cleverley Speek, Susan Staker, Daniel Stone, John Turner The majority of the essays appear here for the first time. Daniel P. Stone holds a PhD in American religious history from Manchester Metropolitan University (United Kingdom) and is the author of William Bickerton: Forgotten Latter Day Prophet (Signature Books, 2018). He has taught history courses at the University of Detroit Mercy and Florida Atlantic University, and currently, he works as a research archivist for a private library/archive in Detroit, Michigan.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every great book has a great backstory. In Joe Geisner’s new edited work, Writing Mormon History: Historians and Their Books (Signature Books, 2020), well-known historians describe their journeys of writing books that have influenced our understanding of the Mormon past, offering an unprecedented glimpse into why they wrote these important works. Writing Mormon History is a must-read for anyone interested in Mormonism--historians, students of history, scholars, and aspiring authors. The volume’s contributors are: Polly Aird, Will Bagley, Todd Compton, Brian Hales, Melvin Johnson, William MacKinnon, Linda King Newell, Gregory Prince, D. Michael Quinn, Craig Smith, George D. Smith, Vickie Cleverley Speek, Susan Staker, Daniel Stone, John Turner The majority of the essays appear here for the first time. Daniel P. Stone holds a PhD in American religious history from Manchester Metropolitan University (United Kingdom) and is the author of William Bickerton: Forgotten Latter Day Prophet (Signature Books, 2018). He has taught history courses at the University of Detroit Mercy and Florida Atlantic University, and currently, he works as a research archivist for a private library/archive in Detroit, Michigan.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every great book has a great backstory. In Joe Geisner’s new edited work, Writing Mormon History: Historians and Their Books (Signature Books, 2020), well-known historians describe their journeys of writing books that have influenced our understanding of the Mormon past, offering an unprecedented glimpse into why they wrote these important works. Writing Mormon History is a must-read for anyone interested in Mormonism--historians, students of history, scholars, and aspiring authors. The volume’s contributors are: Polly Aird, Will Bagley, Todd Compton, Brian Hales, Melvin Johnson, William MacKinnon, Linda King Newell, Gregory Prince, D. Michael Quinn, Craig Smith, George D. Smith, Vickie Cleverley Speek, Susan Staker, Daniel Stone, John Turner The majority of the essays appear here for the first time. Daniel P. Stone holds a PhD in American religious history from Manchester Metropolitan University (United Kingdom) and is the author of William Bickerton: Forgotten Latter Day Prophet (Signature Books, 2018). He has taught history courses at the University of Detroit Mercy and Florida Atlantic University, and currently, he works as a research archivist for a private library/archive in Detroit, Michigan.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every great book has a great backstory. In Joe Geisner’s new edited work, Writing Mormon History: Historians and Their Books (Signature Books, 2020), well-known historians describe their journeys of writing books that have influenced our understanding of the Mormon past, offering an unprecedented glimpse into why they wrote these important works. Writing Mormon History is a must-read for anyone interested in Mormonism--historians, students of history, scholars, and aspiring authors. The volume’s contributors are: Polly Aird, Will Bagley, Todd Compton, Brian Hales, Melvin Johnson, William MacKinnon, Linda King Newell, Gregory Prince, D. Michael Quinn, Craig Smith, George D. Smith, Vickie Cleverley Speek, Susan Staker, Daniel Stone, John Turner The majority of the essays appear here for the first time. Daniel P. Stone holds a PhD in American religious history from Manchester Metropolitan University (United Kingdom) and is the author of William Bickerton: Forgotten Latter Day Prophet (Signature Books, 2018). He has taught history courses at the University of Detroit Mercy and Florida Atlantic University, and currently, he works as a research archivist for a private library/archive in Detroit, Michigan.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every great book has a great backstory. In Joe Geisner’s new edited work, Writing Mormon History: Historians and Their Books (Signature Books, 2020), well-known historians describe their journeys of writing books that have influenced our understanding of the Mormon past, offering an unprecedented glimpse into why they wrote these important works. Writing Mormon History is a must-read for anyone interested in Mormonism--historians, students of history, scholars, and aspiring authors. The volume’s contributors are: Polly Aird, Will Bagley, Todd Compton, Brian Hales, Melvin Johnson, William MacKinnon, Linda King Newell, Gregory Prince, D. Michael Quinn, Craig Smith, George D. Smith, Vickie Cleverley Speek, Susan Staker, Daniel Stone, John Turner The majority of the essays appear here for the first time. Daniel P. Stone holds a PhD in American religious history from Manchester Metropolitan University (United Kingdom) and is the author of William Bickerton: Forgotten Latter Day Prophet (Signature Books, 2018). He has taught history courses at the University of Detroit Mercy and Florida Atlantic University, and currently, he works as a research archivist for a private library/archive in Detroit, Michigan.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode we talk about polygamy with Brian Hales. Brian is an author of seven books about Mormon polygamy. We tried to answer as many of your questions as possible, so here are some of the questions that will be answered in the podcast. What was the reason for polygamy between 1840 and 1890? Were there more women than men at the time? Did Joseph use his role and status to pressure women into polygamous relationships? Why did Joseph marry sisters or women who already had husbands? Did Joseph marry a 14 year old? Who was Fanny Alger? Why did Joseph keep some of the marriages from his first wife, Emma? Did Joseph write love letters to any other women other than Emma? Were there any children that came from Joseph's other wives? How many of the wives lived with Joseph? Will there be polygamy in heaven? How should we respond to those who attack the church because of polygamy? Check out these links! josephsmithpolygamy.org mormonpolygamydocuments.org Books - Joseph Smith's Polygamy: Toward a Better Understanding: https://deseretbook.com/p/joseph-smiths-polygamy-toward-a-better-understanding?ref=Grid%20%7C%20Search-6&variant_id=115951-paperback Joseph Smith's Polygamy - Volume 1 (History), 2 (History), and 3 (Theology) https://deseretbook.com/p/ppr-joseph-smiths-polygamy-v1-history?ref=recommend-product&variant_id=148634-paperback https://deseretbook.com/p/ppr-joseph-smiths-polygamy-v2-history?ref=recommend-product&variant_id=148635-paperback https://deseretbook.com/p/ppr-joseph-smiths-polygamy-v3-theology?ref=recommend-product&variant_id=148636-paperback What did you think about the episode? Do you have more questions for us or Brian?? Let us know by leaving them in the comment section!

On this episode, Hingepin Sidney Rigdon is in the hot seat. August of 1843 brought about events that led to him being disfellowshipped. After a month of waiting on pins and needles, Rigdon was called in for a hearing before the High Council to determine if he would remain in fellowship, or be officially excommunicated. His powers of oratory shine through the historical record as he pleads his case with life-or-death implications. Joseph Smith gives a couple cryptic funeral sermons. Links: Encouraging Joseph Smith to Practice Plural Marriage by Brian Hales http://mormonhistoricsites.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Encouraging-Joseph-Smith-to-Practice-Plural-Marriage-The-Accounts-of-the-Angel-with-a-Drawn-Sword.pdf Brigham Young: A Bold Prophet by James Faust https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/james-e-faust_brigham-young-bold-prophet/ August 1843 current events http://mormon-church-history.blogspot.com/2011/03/mormon-history-aug-12-1843.html Elias Higbee https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/person/elias-higbee Manuscript History of Brigham Young https://www.boap.org/LDS/Early-Saints/MSHBY.html Show links: Website http://nakedmormonismpodcast.com Twitter @NakedMormonism Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Naked-Mormonism/370003839816311 Patreon http://patreon.com/nakedmormonism Music by Jason Comeau http://aloststateofmind.com/ Show Artwork http://weirdmormonshit.com/ Legal Counsel http://patorrez.com/

Did Joseph Smith write or translate the Book of Mormon? Who was involved? Is it true a magic toad and a bloody ghost helped bring forth scripture? Tune into the Sunstone History Podcast as Bryan Buchanan and Lindsay Hansen Park discuss the history of Mormon scriptures with Brian Hales, Sarah Stone, Kalani Tonga, Christopher C. …

Did Joseph Smith write or translate the Book of Mormon? Who was involved? Is it true a magic toad and a bloody ghost helped bring forth scripture? Tune into the Sunstone History Podcast as Bryan Buchanan and Lindsay Hansen Park discuss the history of Mormon scriptures with Brian Hales, Sarah Stone, Kalani Tonga, Christopher C. …

Did Joseph Smith write or translate the Book of Mormon? Who was involved? Is it true a magic toad and a bloody ghost helped bring forth scripture? Tune into the Sunstone History Podcast as Bryan Buchanan and Lindsay Hansen Park discuss the history of Mormon scriptures with Brian Hales, Sarah Stone, Kalani Tonga, Christopher C. …

Did Joseph Smith write or translate the Book of Mormon? Who was involved? Is it true a magic toad and a bloody ghost helped bring forth scripture? Tune into the Sunstone History Podcast as Bryan Buchanan and Lindsay Hansen Park discuss the history of Mormon scriptures with Brian Hales, Sarah Stone, Kalani Tonga, Christopher C. …

Section 132 of the Doctrine & Covenants was given to Joseph Smith when he inquired about questions about polygamy in the Bible.  Dr. Bill Smith has recently written a book that's been out for a few weeks now on Section 132 of the Doctrine & Covenants.  I'm excited to be one of the first to receive a copy and also one of the first to interview Dr. Bill Smith about his book.  It's a great book, Textual Studies of the Doctrine & Covenants:  The Plural Marriage Revelation.  I encourage you to go out and buy it.  In the next few series of interviews, I'll give you a little taste of the book.  I asked him if the origins of polygamy were as early as 1831? https://youtu.be/hoWYDSvsJA8 Bill: It may indeed have pieces or parts that come earlier than 1843, but as far as I argue in the book, it's really a structure that is an 1843 structure.  It's an 1843 document, certainly by scribal accounts, it's 1843.  As far as theologically, culturally, it seems like it is an 1843 document.  I don't see too much in there beyond what has typically been said about the opening preamble of the revelation being an answer to a question about Abraham's polygamy.  I think that could be a connection to Joseph Smith's translation to the Bible, but I don't see that as necessary. ... Bill:  Going back to what I said about it being an 1843 revelation, it is clearly in its genesis a letter to Emma Smith.  The entirety is a justification to Emma about to why Joseph is, and ought to be allowed to practice plural marriage and recruit other people to do so.  She was up and down in terms of whether she approved of the practice, or whether she didn't.  She had a terrible mental trial as most women probably did at least to one degree or another, at least when they were introduced to the idea. I think the whole thing is really structured as a letter to Emma Smith.  Its component parts, I think you can deal with that like Denver did, a theological document, saying this is legitimate.  This isn't.  But I think it is a unified whole in terms of its purpose.  My opinion, and I think this is justified.  I try to argue this in the book.  I don't think it was ever intended to be public. It's going to be a fun conversation…..  Don't forget to check out our conversations with other polygamy experts like Mark Staker, Brian Hales, & Anne Wilde. [paypal-donation]  

In this episode Brian Hales interviews Don Bradley about his decades-long research into missing parts of Book of Mormon narrative. Ever since he was a youngster, Don’s wondered about the content of the 116 pages of the Book of Lehi transcript that Martin Harris lost in 1828. Most Primary children know the story of how the Lord said “no” three times, but then relented and someone subsequently stole the pages from Martin. God told Joseph not to retranslate that portion of the golden plates so the stories and teachings scribed onto those pages remain lost forever . . . or are they? Martin Harris initially thought that his wife, Lucy, had taken the manuscript, but unlike a popular rumor, he didn’t think she burned or destroyed it. Then on her deathbed in 1836, she absolutely denied having anything to do with the manuscript theft. She was a devout Quaker— who are supposed to be absolutely honest. It appears Lucy Harris’s deathbed testimony convinced Martin that she had nothing to do with the robbery. When asked, “Do you think the lost pages might be rediscovered? Don replied: “I sure hope so.” But then he cautioned: “I would think that after 189 years, if it were still out there, it would have surfaced.” Don speculates: “It would be the biggest find ever in Mormon history and one of the biggest finds ever in religious history if that turned up, so I definitely hold out hope that it’s out there.” One person who believed that it would surface was the Prophet’s father, Joseph Smith Sr. He gave an interview in 1830 in which he said to the interviewer that that manuscript would someday come forth. Don isn’t sure if that was just his opinion or if he was quoting his son Joseph Jr. Don believes that the number 116 might be far less than the actual total of pages that disappeared. Scholars have known for some time that 116 is the number of pages of the printer’s manuscript that covers the period of the small plates, which is the same span of time as the lost pages. Joseph may have simply borrowed that number rather than having actually counted the pages before releasing them to Martin. The lost manuscript chronologically covered a full half of Mormon’s total abridgment that started 600 years from Lehi to Christ and ended in 320 AD. The remaining pages starting with Mosiah represent the second half of Mormon’s abridgment and are much greater than 116. Don asks: “Why would the first half be so short?” Over the past decades, Don sought to discover the missing meanings and narratives of the 116 pages through research. But how does one go about discovering lost words, lost pages, and lost content? He explains there are a couple of ways. There are “internal evidences” like how the “small plates” of 1 Nephi through Omni or Words of Mormon cover the same period as the lost pages. Even though these small plates are rather light on history, they give us at least a thumbnail sketch of what was in the lost 116 pages. Another internal evidence is comprised of echoes or flashbacks where later Book of Mormon accounts refer back to an earlier narrative that we don’t have. One example of this would be in Mosiah 11 that mentions King Noah building a tower on this hill that was north of the land Shilom, “which had been a resort for the children of Nephi at the time they fled out of the land.” The current Book of Mormon does not mention any details about this “resort” or the time they “fled out of the land,” but it assumes that we already know about this story, indicating that it had been in the part of the Book of Mormon that is now lost. Don also speaks of “external evidences” like statements or other sources outside of the available text of the Book of Mormon, like Joseph Smith’s earliest revelations. The most obvious of those is in section 10 of the Doctrine and Covenants where it actually says to Joseph Smith, in essence, “You’ll remember that it was said in what you translated before, that the plates of Nephi had a more extensive account of t...

Download Transcript In this episode Brian Hales interviews Don Bradley about his decades-long research into missing parts of Book of Mormon narrative. Ever since he was a youngster, Don’s wondered about the content of the 116 pages of the Book of Lehi transcript that Martin Harris lost in 1828. Most Primary children know the story of how the Lord said “no” three times, but then relented and someone subsequently stole the pages from Martin. God told Joseph not to retranslate that portion of the golden plates so the stories and teachings scribed onto those pages remain lost forever . . . or are they? Martin Harris initially thought that his wife, Lucy, had taken the manuscript, but unlike a popular rumor, he didn’t think she burned or destroyed it. Then on her deathbed in 1836, she absolutely denied having anything to do with the manuscript theft. She was a devout Quaker— who are supposed to be absolutely honest. It appears Lucy Harris’s deathbed testimony convinced Martin that she had nothing to do with the robbery. When asked, “Do you think the lost pages might be rediscovered? Don replied: “I sure hope so.” But then he cautioned: “I would think that after 189 years, if it were still out there, it would have surfaced.” Don speculates: “It would be the biggest find ever in Mormon history and one of the biggest finds ever in religious history if that turned up, so I definitely hold out hope that it’s out there.” One person who believed that it would surface was the Prophet’s father, Joseph Smith Sr. He gave an interview in 1830 in which he said to the interviewer that that manuscript would someday come forth. Don isn’t sure if that was just his opinion or if he was quoting his son Joseph Jr. Don believes that the number 116 might be far less than the actual total of pages that disappeared. Scholars have known for some time that 116 is the number of pages of the printer’s manuscript that covers the period of the small plates, which is the same span of time as the lost pages. Joseph may have simply borrowed that number rather than having actually counted the pages before releasing them to Martin. The lost manuscript chronologically covered a full half of Mormon’s total abridgment that started 600 years from Lehi to Christ and ended in 320 AD. The remaining pages starting with Mosiah represent the second half of Mormon’s abridgment and are much greater than 116. Don asks: “Why would the first half be so short?” Over the past decades, Don sought to discover the missing meanings and narratives of the 116 pages through research. But how does one go about discovering lost words, lost pages, and lost content? He explains there are a couple of ways. There are “internal evidences” like how the “small plates” of 1 Nephi through Omni or Words of Mormon cover the same period as the lost pages. Even though these small plates are rather light on history, they give us at least a thumbnail sketch of what was in the lost 116 pages. Another internal evidence is comprised of echoes or flashbacks where later Book of Mormon accounts refer back to an earlier narrative that we don’t have. One example of this would be in Mosiah 11 that mentions King Noah building a tower on this hill that was north of the land Shilom, “which had been a resort for the children of Nephi at the time they fled out of the land.” The current Book of Mormon does not mention any details about this “resort” or the time they “fled out of the land,” but it assumes that we already know about this story, indicating that it had been in the part of the Book of Mormon that is now lost. Don also speaks of “external evidences” like statements or other sources outside of the available text of the Book of Mormon, like Joseph Smith’s earliest revelations. The most obvious of those is in section 10 of the Doctrine and Covenants where it actually says to Joseph Smith, in essence, “You’ll remember that it was said in what you translated before,

[paypal-donation] Happy New Year. I'm your host of Gospel Tangents, Rick Bennett.  We're counting down the Top 20 Moments that were most surprising moments in 2017 here on Gospel Tangents.  I've learned a lot over this year. 1. Let's start with some scoops!  Paul Reeve told me he participated in writing the Gospel Topics Essay on Race and the Priesthood at LDS.org.  Unfortunately, I had some camera problems, but the audio worked just fine.  This is still my most downloaded moment of 2017! GT:  Very good.  Now I want to ask you another question.  I'm hoping you'll answer.  I've heard rumors, and that's all they are is rumors that you played a role in compiling that essay [Race and the Priesthood].  Do you have any response to that? Paul laughs:  I did help with the essay. Yeah, Yeah. GT:  So was it, can you describe your role? Paul:  Well the Church History Department invited me to write an extended essay. It ended up being about 55 pages long with footnotes and everything like I would produce as an academic essay.  Once they were satisfied with that it was sent up the line, several layers of approval process and then the Church History Department actually boiled down that longer essay to what got posted online so I had no say over what got posted online, what eventually appeared as Race and the Priesthood, but it was a condensed version of the longer piece that I produced for them. 2.  What other scholars participated? I asked a similar question to Dr. Brian Hales regarding the polygamy essays Brian:  Yeah, I gave them a very long essay, and then maybe a couple of years later they sent me the Gospel Topics essay that was similar to what we have today.  I went through it all.  I think we had one other meeting in the interim, maybe two.  I just went through and made recommendations on it, and every recommendation I recommended in the text they accepted.  There were some outside comments that I made some recommendations they did not, but they were very generous to allow me to do that.  They do quote from the trilogy a number of times and an article I wrote was also referenced. GT:  So that took a few years for that whole process to go through? Brian:  Yeah, you know originally they were thinking of doing long answer, medium answer, short answer.  That was the first thing that was asked of me on the topic of polyandry.  Then I just sent them some general stuff, and I don't know how many iterations it went through there.  Again I was excited to contribute to that.  I only looked at the Nauvoo material.  I know they had Kathryn Daines help out, and Kathleen Flake I think also are the other two that did the input on plural marriage.  I hope they don't mind me saying that but they wanted outsiders to critique it. 3.  That wasn't all. Ugo Perego was involved in the Book of Mormon essay Ugo:  Yeah I helped writing that… it wasn't only me.  I actually took the lead on the project of writing that.  I wrote a much more extensive paper which has been published as well in the Interpreter, the online Mormon journal.  It's about 40 pages long and then from that the Church condensed it down to what is the in Gospel Topics today. 4.  Since we're on the Book of Mormon, we had some interesting conversations. David Rosenvall had an interesting theory on how Asian DNA ended up in America. David:  our hypothesis is that you have at least everyone that came over with Jared and his brother who dispersed for thousands of years, and if you assume that there are some that didn't come across the ocean who were also related to them, who may have been a big part of how Asia became, there's a good chance that the people of North America and the people of Asia are going to have the same DNA.  The difference is they used boats to get them across and maybe the Bering Sea but at least the boats according to the Book of Mormon.  So I always say DNA is the best evidence that the Book of Mormon is true because in there is...

[paypal-donation] Is it true that President John Taylor had a revelation in 1886 proclaiming that polygamy is an eternal principle?  Polygamist Mormons think so.  In this episode, I'd like to introduce Anne Wilde.  She's a fundamentalist polygamist herself, and is one of the biggest experts on modern-day polygamy that I know of.  I'm really excited to talk to her.  We'll ask her about the split between the LDS Church and mainstream polygamists in this day. I guess it kind of started then but when they issued the Manifesto in 1890,[1] that was a key part of the whole history.  1904 was the Second Manifesto, with Joseph F. Smith, that put a few more teeth in doing away with it.  Then of course in the 1930s, Heber J. Grant issued what we call the Third Manifesto.  That really put—that was kind of the final straw as far as polygamists were concerned because if they were found out to be living it then they were excommunicated from the church. We'll also ask her if she thinks the current LDS Church is in apostasy. Anne:  The D&C says, “I will set the house of God in order.”  It has to be out of order before it can be set in order.  So yes I think to some—and people will disagree on to what level it needs to be set in order, but yes I think the time will come, even the Lord said, “I will send one mighty and strong to set in order the inheritance the saints and set in order the kingdom, or the house of God,”[2] house meaning kingdom.  The church is part of the kingdom.  Yes I do believe that things will reach a point where things have to be set in order. Check out our conversation!  Don't forget to listen to our conversations with Brian Hales on Joseph Smith's polygamy, or Jim Vun Cannon proclaiming Joseph was a monogamist! [1] In 1890, church president Wilford Woodruff issued “The Manifesto” declaring that he advised Mormons not to contract in any more polygamous marriages.  This is canonized as Official Declaration 1 in the Doctrine and Covenants.  See https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/od/1 [2] Anne seems to be referring to D&C 85:7.  See https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/85.html?lang=eng https://youtu.be/k4juEh82yuo   [paypal-donation]  

Yes & No.  There are the three Gospel Topics essays on LDS.org that deal with the topic of polygamy.  It probably won't surprise you that Brian Hales played a significant role in this.  However, there are two other authors who played a very significant role in the other two essays!  Who are these women? That was the first thing that was asked of me on the topic of polyandry.  Then I just sent them some general stuff, and I don't know how many iterations it went through there.  Again I was excited to contribute to that.  I only looked at the Nauvoo material.  I know they had Kathryn Daines help out, and Kathleen Flake I think also are the other two that did the input on plural marriage.  I hope they don't mind me saying that but they wanted outsiders to critique it.  If there were problems, they wanted to know about them before they published it. Are you surprised who wrote these other essays? I also asked Brian if he ward members know about his expertise on polygamy? You know most of them don't know.  We were at a ward party one time and we were sitting by some younger couples that I didn't know because they had just split our ward, or rearranged the ward boundaries and there was a young gal sitting right across from me and she was, “Wait, you're Brian Hales!” Does he talk to people about polygamy? Some of them come with faith and we can give answers, and then they go away happier.  I mean it isn't an easy click your fingers, I'm doing better thing.  But we always tell people, just keep learning.  Be transparent.  Learn everything.  Don't give up until you've learned.  You don't have to give up faith today.  Find out what's going on.  You can read the anti's but read the answers.  Read the responses. Other times when Laura and I meet with people, it's just I think a box that they have to check as they're on their way out of the church.  “Oh yeah I met with the Hales.  They didn't help.”  So they've kind of already given up their faith. The only thing I would say is if you've got questions, dive in.  I believe there's somebody in the church who knows more about it than the person who wrote whatever you're reading on the internet and they still believe.  With respect to plural marriage, we certainly have read a lot.  It strengthened my belief in Joseph.  It didn't make me like polygamy.  I don't.  I never want to do it, but my belief in him as a true prophet has just been strengthened. Is he working on any other projects? The thing that I would add as a response to your question, Rick, is that I've never been really been comfortable with the naturalist's explanation of the text of the Book of Mormon.  If you can see up here, maybe you can't but there's all these versions of the Book of Mormon up here, the different printings year by year and if you look at the naturalist view, it's just that Joseph got up one day and started to dictate this text, the 116 pages.  Then there's a pause and we go to Oliver Cowdery shows up and then over a period of just a few weeks, he dictates 273,725 words by my count of the Book of Mormon text; that's the 1830 version. I've just never been comfortable that Joseph could have dictated that and so I've been investigating the different theories about that.  I've written an article I hope to have published.  In this article, what I did is I compared Joseph to other 24 year old or younger authors who wrote big books and I compared their education.  I compared their word counts and the complexity of their books.  When you line them all up, 24 years and older—Joseph was 23 when he dictated it but it was published a year later when he was 24.  I have to use the publishing dates of these other books because they are obviously written before.  The biggest book written by anybody 24 or younger is about 180,000.  Joseph's book is almost 50% longer. Look for Brian's future essays on the topic of the Book of Mormon!  (Don't forget to listen to our other conversations,

[paypal-donation] The RLDS Church was founded on the claim that Joseph Smith never practiced polygamy.  Even on her death bed, Emma Smith made the startling claim to some that Joseph never practiced polygamy.  Conservative bloggers such as Rock Waterman (see his post here) and even Denver Snuffer have made the claim that Joseph Smith was a monogamist.  However, current RLDS Church prophet/president Stephen Veazey has made the claim that historical records show that Joseph Smith did practice polygamy.  What does Dr. Brian Hales believe about these allegations about monogamy and Joseph Smith? I have an article that I have been pitching to different people to publish on the denials.  To be quite honest with you, there are at least two other denials that clearly were not senility, were clearly not specially phrased questions where Emma just comes right out and they're fairly well documented, said “Joseph did not practice polygamy.” How do I deal with that?  I don't know.  I do not have a good explanation.  I think Emma was an amazing woman.  I look forward to meeting her someday.  You know in our theology that's a possibility.  She had the worst row to hoe of all the polygamist wives in my view.  She did remarkably well.  She stumbled, but I believe there's plenty of forgiveness on these things for her, but I honestly don't know how she was able to say these things that she said.  Hopefully these will be published. I've put them together, I just haven't got them published yet.  It's pretty clear that she just denied it flat out.  I don't know how she made that work for her, but they're there. I also asked Brian how he deals with the idea that Joseph practiced only monogamy. Brian:  You know it's interesting, Rick, that you would bring that up because by the time this interview is aired, The Interpreter {a Mormon history journal} will have published a very long article that I have written where I don't just give evidence that Joseph did it, but I actually attack the arguments by, I mention Rock Waterman, I mention the Prices, and then Denver Snuffer who is in my view just the latest false prophet.  Remember I started looking at Mormon fundamentalism and I documented and wrote articles on men or came as great leaders who came for this reason or that reason and then they just fall by the wayside.  There's a number of these that I talk about in my book.  I think Denver is just the latest in all of this type of a pattern. For those who have questions, the easiest way probably to detect Denver is he said Joseph didn't practice polygamy, and then just look at the evidence.  I outline it all here.  It is true that most of the evidence that Joseph practiced plural marriage is from late sources, but not all of it.  The Nauvoo Expositor states right in there that Joseph Smith had a revelation.  It was read to the high council.  We've got testimonials from William Law and Jane Law saying that Joseph was teaching polygamy.  These are contemporaneous.  There are entries in William Clayton's journal.  John C. Bennett clearly had heard some rumors.  I don't know that he was ever in confidence of Joseph with it.  But to say that it's all old is not true.  There are some very important contemporaneous sources. What do you think of the arguments Brian makes against monogamy?  (As a reminder, this is part 10 of our conversation with Brian.  Check out parts 1-9 to learn the facts behind polygamy.)  Look below for a video and transcript. https://youtu.be/BxFWMzde2TY https://gospeltangents.com/shop/transcripts/emma-denied-joseph-practiced-polygamy/  

The Temple Lot Case is one of the most important sources for polygamy documents.  The RLDS Church wanted ownership of the temple lot in Independence, Missouri but another group, sometimes known as the Temple Lot Church owned the property.  The LDS Church assisted assisted the Temple Lot Church and had women testify about their polygamist relationships with Joseph Smith in order to counteract the RLDS claims that they were the true successors to Joseph Smith.  Dr. Brian Hales describes this important court testimony.  This is a continuation of our previous conversation about young bride Helen Mar Kimball, as Brian discusses her relation to the Temple Lot case. If we didn't have the RLDS Church saying Joseph wasn't a polygamist, we wouldn't have the 1869 affidavits, we wouldn't have the 1877 collection by Andrew Jensen, and we wouldn't have the additional information from the Temple Lot Case.  Together those three are 75% of what we know, and it's scary for researchers on polygamy to think about what we would know about Nauvoo polygamy if the RLDS Church had not taken the stance that they did.  It's really scary.  You'd have John C. Bennett.  You'd have William Law, and you would not know even a fraction of what we think we know about it today. Check out our conversation… Don't forget to check out our previous episodes on Fanny Alger, as well as parts 1–7 of our conversations with Brian. https://youtu.be/IDP7Ybvk1cw   Our New Contest! Don't forget to sign up for a contest to win a free book!  You can sign up here!  It is the Parallel Doctrine & Covenants that contains the 1832, 1833, and 1835 Doctrine & Covenants side by side so you can see the changes.  When it was originally published, it was about $50, but the book is now out of print.  Curt Bench was actually the one who wrote the introduction to this book.  It's a fairly recent book, but if you find it on Amazon now, check this out.  It's $175.  On Abebooks it's even higher–$260!  This book is a valuable book and has become a collector's item, especially for historians or those seriously interested in Mormon history. Here's what you need to do for a chance to win.  Just go to https://gospeltangents.com/newsletter .  In there, enter your email address and your name, and we will simply put you in a contest for a drawing on Pioneer Day, July 24th, 2017. https://gospeltangents.com/shop/transcripts/polygamy-temple-lot-case/  

One of the Gospel Topics essays on polygamy produced by the church indicates that Joseph Smith married young women, one of “who[m] was sealed to Joseph several months before her 15th birthday.”  I talked to polygamy expert Dr. Brian Hales about these sealings.  What does he have to say about this? Brian:  There are two 14-year-olds.  The other 14-year-old was Nancy Maria Winchester.  We don't know anything about that relationship, when it happened.  She may have been 15; my bet is she was 14.  Helen Mar Kimball is the one 14-year-old.  For several reasons I don't believe that relationship was consummated, but Joseph gets accused of all kinds of crazy things.  People even call him a pedophile. Now a pedophile is someone who's interested in children under 11, which would not apply to Joseph in the wildest of rumors, but he was sealed to probably two 14-year-olds, and a 16-year-old. Brian indicated that these were non sexual marriages, and he discusses Helen some more. We can piece together from what Helen wrote, the sealing occurred, and after the sealing, Helen continued to go to dances and balls and socialize for the next several months until at one point Joseph stepped in and said, Look.  We don't want her doing this anymore. Later Helen said that she hated polygamy.  She wrote this down early on.  This was one of the early writings before she wrote her books defending it.  But the reason why she hated polygamy was not because of her own relationship with it, but because of how it affected her mother.  I argue that if she were having conjugal relations with Joseph and finding that to be undesirable, she might have actually used her relationship with Joseph as a reason for hating polygamy. I asked Brian why she wasn't sealed as a wife rather than as a child under the Law of Adoption. Do you know there were no adoptions performed during Joseph's lifetime.  The only adoptions that we have any record of occurred in the Nauvoo Temple and they occurred around, depending on your definition of an adoption, there's 205 or something.  A lot of these, I use the word adoption to mean a child is sealed to parents who they are not biologically related. What do you think of these marriages?  Do you agree that these sealings were likely non-sexual? Don't forget to enter our contest for a free book!  Check out our audio, video or transcripts here on our website, or on Amazon!  Don't forget to check out our previous episodes with Brian Hales, as well as our discussion of polygamy with Dr. Mark Staker! https://youtu.be/hBq9ZAW2bJQ https://gospeltangents.com/shop/transcripts/joseph-smiths-youngest-teen-brides/        

When we talk about Mormon polygamy, we usually mean polygyny—where a man has more than 1 wife.  The opposite of that is polyandry, where a woman can have more than 1 husband.  Did you know that Joseph was sealed to women who were already married?  In this episode, Dr. Brian Hales talks about several of these instances.  We'll talk in detail about one of these women, Sylvia Session Lyon.  She gave birth to a girl named daughter, Josephine, and Josephine's mother said she was the child of Joseph.  They did a DNA test to see if Josephine was the daughter of Joseph or Windsor. I theorized that the marriage between Joseph Smith and Sylvia Sessions Lyon did include sexual relations in that plural marriage, and I had some theories as how that might have unfolded.  When the DNA evidence came back—and part of the theory was that Joseph was the father of Josephine [daughter of Sylvia Sessions Lyon.]  That's an important point.  But when the DNA evidence came back that Windsor Lyon was the father, it required me to re-write things.  I'll be honest with you.  It wasn't what I expected, but it was what I had hoped. Brian now believes that there were no sexual relations between Joseph and any of these 11-14 polyandrous marriages. Brian:  Why the women chose Joseph over their legal husbands, sometimes these men were active Latter-day Saints, we don't know.  It seems odd.  But it's not as odd as them practicing actual sexual polyandry without anybody ever talking about it or finding that to be controversial. GT:  Ok, so your opinion is of all the eleven polyandrous marriages, where a woman could have two husbands essentially, none of them involved sexual relations. Brian:  Correct. GT:  That's your opinion.  Ok.  So let's talk a little bit about… Brian:  Rick, let me interrupt though.  If people go to my books, they're going to be confused because I used the word eleven.  The twelfth polyandrous marriage on the chart is Sarah Ann Whitney to Joseph C. Kingsbury, which was a front marriage.  Everybody involved with that realized that she was sealed to Joseph but apparently there was some legal issues going on, so Joseph asked Kingsbury to have a legal marriage but not consummate the marriage.  Everybody agrees that was the relationship.  That's number twelve. Number thirteen is Lucinda Pendleton who we just know nothing about, and the fourteenth one is to Mary Herron who we have one attestation that connects her to Joseph sexually but we don't know any of the details.  If somebody goes to my chart, there's actually fourteen women on that but eleven of them we believe were eternity-only, two are undocumented so just take your guess, and then we have this pretend marriage with Sarah Ann, so fourteen in total. He theorizes that this was Joseph's attempt to satisfy the angel with a flaming sword.  Joseph was completing these sealings in order to fulfill the angel's command and also placate Emma. We also address the rumor that Joseph sent men on missions so he could marry their wives. Brian nods:  The problem is we have two sealing dates for Joseph and Marinda.  The other date is from an affidavit Marinda signed that is well after Orson Hyde returning from Palestine.  Even the one that appears to be a case where Joseph might have sent him on a mission, then he waits a year—it doesn't make sense.  A year later we have Joseph being sealed to Marinda, but again we have a second date.  The second date is a signed affidavit which we probably would consider to be more reliable than something that was just scrawled on a page in Joseph's journal, not in his handwriting but in I think Thomas Bullock's [handwriting.]  Again that story is false, yet it's a sound bite.  It's all over the internet.  We've got to kill it.  It's wrong.  It's false.  Joseph did not send men on missions and so he could marry their wives according to any reliable documentation. Why do you think that Joseph was sealed to other men's wives?

We know that in the Bible, many prophets practiced polygamy.  However, modern Christians and Jews mostly condemn the practice.  What are Joseph's theological justifications for polygamy?  Dr. Brian Hales tells us, The easiest one is part of the restitution of all things, and if somebody asks you, “Why did Joseph do it?”  The easy answer is, he was a prophet-restorer, and the old prophets did it, and he restored it.  That's not entirely nuanced, and some would say it's even correct.  I think it is generally. The second one is it was a trial.  This is the one I couldn't remember.  It presented a special trial.  The Lord does do that.  It gives different people at different times different kinds of trials. A third one was to—it was the one I had talked a great deal about.  It allowed all men and women to enter into a marriage, even if this is a plural wife, and then the [fourth] one is the one we started with, multiply and replenish the earth. We'll also talk about what Brian thinks of Carol Lynn Pearson's book, The Ghost of Eternal Polygamy. Of course on earth, polygamy is not fair.  It's unequal.  You could say it's sexist if you want, on earth.  But I don't think that we know anything about eternal marriage, and we certainly don't know anything about eternal plural marriage.  So to assume that that's a bad thing, that it victimizes women, and to assume that women should fear that is to fear unknown things.  God has promised us everlasting joy, a fullness of joy.  His plan is a plan of happiness. Check out our previous episode on Fanny Alger, as well as parts 1, 2, 3. Many of you will find Mark Staker's interview on Kirtland polygamy  enlightening too.  Don't forget to check out a transcript (link below), or the video! https://youtu.be/HXVAFCDxVRQ   https://gospeltangents.com/shop/transcripts/theological-justifications-polygamy/  

We're here to talk about Joseph's first plural wife. Dr. Brian Hales noted that this marriage likely occurred prior to the sealing power being restored. Was this a time, or eternity sealing? Brian:  If it wasn't a sealing, then what authority was used?  The state wasn't going to allow Joseph to marry a second wife, so the only authority that it could have been would be priesthood authority and Joseph was already using that authority to marry people just for time there in Kirtland.  So one interpretation is Joseph gave that authority to Levi and this would have been strictly a priesthood marriage that Joseph would have argued God recognized and so if he recognized it and Fanny and her family apparently recognized it as did others who were involved, but not Oliver [Cowdery] and not Emma. What do you think?  Was this an adulterous relationship, or was it a true marriage?  Was it a sealing, or just a polyamist marriage for time?  What do you think of polygamy? Check out parts 1, 2, and 3, as well as Mark Staker's interview on Kirtland polygamy!  See the video here: https://youtu.be/mbJADIEyxCg https://gospeltangents.com/shop/transcripts/1st-plural-wife-fanny-alger-time-eternity-polygamy/  

In our third conversation with Dr. Brian Hales we'll talk about the earliest rumors of polygamy.  In 1835, the Doctrine & Covenants published a Declaration on Marriage.  We've got a couple questions about that.  First of all, did Joseph Smith actually author that revelation or was it someone else like Oliver Cowdery? Brian:  You know in my volume one, I go into this in some detail, and what we find is yes Joseph was gone, and yes they were quick to get this passed.  In fact they called for this conference on Sunday to be done on Monday and there were almost no leaders there.  The Quorum of the Twelve there were almost no one present, the High Council really weren't represented.  The theory is that they were trying to get it pushed through before Joseph got back because Oliver had these reasons and stuff. I don't think so and I'm grateful for Michael Marquardt for helping me.  We sat one afternoon down in his basement and we went through all the documents, and what we find is at that at point in time they needed to go forward with printing the Doctrine & Covenants.  They had published we think most of the book up to section 101, which is the Article on Marriage and that they're having piles of all these papers around the printing office. So we think, or at least I think and I think Michael agrees that the driver at that point was really that they just wanted to get official approval so that they could finish publishing the Doctrine & Covenants and so I don't think that they were trying to do something backhanded with Joseph. When Joseph came back there's no evidence that he really disapproved of what had happened.  In fact he quotes or refers to the Article on Marriage two or three times later when he is performing marriages.  He said this declares our church's belief which they had to have in writing in order for the elders of the church to be authorized by the state to perform state recognized marriages, so there were a number of things.... GT interrupts:  So whether Oliver may have authored it or not, it didn't seem like it bothered Joseph at all and he was fine with it.  Is that safe to say? Brian:  I believe so.  I'd have to refresh my memory, but what we do know is he could have had it rescinded but he also quoted it as authoritative and Michael Marquardt pointed this out to me I think he's even published that somewhere that Joseph did consider it after the fact to be the official declaration of the church at that time. Second, was it a response to polygamy that could have been happening in the Kirtland community?  What does Dr. Brian Hales think about these things? Brian:  The first accusation against the Latter-day Saints, they weren't called that then, against the Mormons, the Mormonites, that they had embraced some alternate form of marriage, came in 1831.  It was in conjunction with the Law of Consecration and it was basically not only do they share everything, they share wives.  That was the accusation that came up. Of course it's easily refuted.  There's nothing to support that it was even thought of or discussed.  So when people say they were talking about polygamy in Kirtland, I would really like to see the data on that, that this was really a response to polygamy because my research shows that there was, with respect to Joseph and Fanny Alger, discussion of adultery and that was the claim that everybody was worried about.  I don't find anybody discussing polygamy during that period. Don't forget to check out parts 1 and 2 of our interview with Dr. Brian Hales.  When do you think polygamy started being practiced among the Mormons? https://youtu.be/UqoLrao3vs8 https://gospeltangents.com/shop/transcripts/polygamy-rumors-declaration-marriage/  

We continue are discussion with Dr. Brian Hales.  (Part 1 is here.)  He has written a comprehensive history of Joseph Smith's Polygamy (Volume 1, Volume 2, and Volume 3.)  In this episode, I'll ask him about Dr. Mark Staker's claim that Black Pete may have been responsible for introducing polygamy into the Kirtland period. Joseph knew the Old Testament, he knew Abraham had more than one wife and Jacob, so why would we need to think that it was Black Pete that was introducing this in a very real way, especially when Joseph wasn't supportive of so much that was going on when he first arrived down there, and the types of spiritual experiences that they were expressing in their church meetings and things like that.  So I'm a little dubious on that, but I just applaud Mark.  I say go forward and let us know. He also makes an interesting statement about the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible. I believe all of these principles came to Joseph line upon line, precept upon precept.  Some of the exciting things that are happening down at BYU, Thom Wayment and others are looking at the Joseph Smith Translation very carefully and discovering that it really shouldn't be thought of as actual scripture in and of itself, that it was a chance for Joseph to expand upon the text to make the Bible text correspond with the theology that he was receiving through revelation, or through communications that he portrayed to be from God. I asked Brian about differences in biblical polygamy and Doctrine & Covenants 132. GT:  Well so I guess my question is as far as 132 and Genesis, does it seem to you that there's a difference among those two scriptures as far as whether God commanded Hagar to be a plural wife or whether Sarah was totally responsible? Brian acknowledges the accounts are different, but it doesn't bother him. Brian:  So for me to see the JST Genesis and that it doesn't necessarily say what comes in 1843 doesn't surprise me because of the line upon line, precept upon precept process. What do you think about these different accounts about Hagar's marriage to Abraham?  Does it bother you that these two accounts seem to differ in whether God commanded the marriage, or Sarah suggested it? Check out our conversation… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFPSq1M2Rpg&t https://gospeltangents.com/shop/transcripts/polygamy-dc-132-conflict-jst-genesis/    

I'm excited to publish this interview with Dr. Brian Hales, the premier expert on Joseph Smith's polygamy.  He has written a three volume set called Joseph Smith's Polygamy (you can get Volume 1, Volume 2, and Volume 3 here.)  In this first episode, I was surprised to learn that Brian recently was deposed in a Canadian court. Brian:  I just got back last week, it was a week ago today from Cranbrook, [British Columbia,] Canada.  That is where they are holding a trial right now for two leading polygamists:  Winston Blackmore and James Oler.  The Canadian government has kind of a different system than we have here in the United States in that they have a law against polygamy.  It's been on the books since 1899 or before.  They haven't prosecuted anybody in the last 100 plus years, but what they are able to do in Canada that we don't do in the U.S. is they can petition their Supreme Court to rule on the constitutionality of a particular law.  In 2012 they did this to the state, well it would be the province, British Columbia did a provincial court saying, is this polygamy law constitutional?  They ruled that it was. They are now prosecuting the two leading polygamists because there's a group of hundreds, not thousands, but hundreds located about an hour, hour and a half away from Cranbrook where the court's being held.  So the prosecution, the attorneys called me up and said, would you come up and be an expert?  They said, we don't want you to testify for or against, and I told them that isn't what I'm interested in doing.  They wanted somebody to give an accurate history which is something that I had studied. I can even give you a copy of a chart that I've updated and you can put it the show notes or however you do online if people are interested.  It's available at https://mormonfundamentalism.com, but they asked me to come up and start with Joseph Smith and go right through on authority to the 1890 and 1904 manifestos, the period between that and the fundamentalist groups coming together at the end of the 1920s, and then the branches and the breakoffs and I put together a nice little chart that talks about the different groups and of course the fundamentalists up there. Many have wondered if Brian is in favor of polygamy.  In the interview, he said ...personally I don't think that we should allow polygamy either in Canada or the United States, but my reason might be a little surprising to you, because in a country or government that allows same-sex marriage, and again I'm not speaking for or against that, but if we allow same-sex marriage and we allow polygamy, you could have networks of people, hundreds of people all married to each other in a variety of ways. If the government privileged marriage, in other words if a married man and a married woman, whatever kind of marriage it is, if they have a privilege a single person doesn't have, then everybody's going to want to be married in some way.  I think it would force the government to basically get out of the marrying business and leave it as a social construct or a religious agreement.  But in doing that it would also take away any privilege for marriage which I think could harm the family.  So that's my reasoning for saying I don't think we should have legal polygamy.  I think a society can absorb polygamy on a small scale. It obviously can't be practiced widely because of the differences in people, male and female, the gendered differences of being born, but I don't think a society can absorb both of the expansions or marriage at the same time.  I mean you can do same-sex marriage, or you can do polygamy.  I don't think it's good for the family to do both. Don't forget to check out my conversation with Dr. Mark Staker on early Kirtland Polygamy. Do you think polygamy should be legalized?  What do you think of Brian's rationale with legalizing gay marriage being bad for the family? Check out the video, or get a transcript! https://www.youtube.

On this episode, we jump back into the historical timeline! We start off with the wiles of a Michael H. Chandler, and how he made $2400 off Joe's fascination with ancient artifacts, then, the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants are voted in as scripture by every member of the church. After that, Big Daddy Cheese is given a living stipend and fees for giving patriarchal blessings, and we talk about another first vision account, only this one is taken from Joe's own diary. To finish out the episode, we read a couple of autobiographical accounts covering the end of 1835, and leading into 1836, the second of which takes us into talking about the first real sex-scandal we have good evidence for, the one between 18 year-old Fanny Alger, and 30 year-old Joseph Smith. We don't run short on crazy for this episode, so strap in and enjoy! Show links: Website http://nakedmormonismpodcast.com Twitter @NakedMormonism Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Naked-Mormonism/370003839816311 Patreon http://patreon.com/nakedmormonism Outro music Jason Comeau http://aloststateofmind.com/ Show Artwork http://weirdmormonshit.com/ Links: BoC D&C comparison by Joel http://joelakuhn.com/dc-compare/ Autobiography of Jonathan Crosby http://www.boap.org/LDS/Early-Saints/JCrosby.html Autobiography of Benjamin F. Johnson http://www.boap.org/LDS/Early-Saints/BFJohnson.html Brian Hales on Fanny Alger http://josephsmithspolygamy.org/common-questions/fanny-alger-2/ Oliver Cowdery to Warren A. Cowdery (Dirty, nasty, filthy scrape) http://josephsmithspolygamy.org/oliver-cowdery-letter-to-warren-a-cowdery-olivers-brother-january-21-1838/ Mormon Think Book of Abraham Article: http://www.mormonthink.com/book-of-abraham-issues.htm

596: Bill Reel Discusses His Falling out with FAIR and His Faithful Dissent with LDS Policy by John Dehlin • December 1, 2015 In this episode former LDS Bishop Bill Reel returns to Mormon Stories to discuss his falling out with the LDS apologetic group FAIR (including his conflict with apologist Brian Hales), and his faithful dissent […] The post 187: My Interview #2 appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

In this episode former LDS Bishop Bill Reel returns to Mormon Stories to discuss his falling out with the LDS apologetic group FAIR (including his conflict with pugilistic apologist Brian Hales), and his faithful dissent from the LDS Church over its recent policy regarding "Same-Gender Relationships." Bill Reel is the host of Mormon Discussion podcast.

Thirty years ago, Back To The Future got a lot right about technology being used in their October 2015 'destination', from iPads to face-to-face video communication via TV screens. But how good can we be about anticipating the challenges of future transport for South Australia? Conservation SA is hold a Future Transport workshop in Adelaide this week (Thursday, October 22, 2015) to work through ideas for getting transport right. It will be followed by the Future Transport Festival on Sunday, October 25, 2015, in which families are invited to The Joinery, 111 Franklin Street in the city, to try various modes of modern transport, guest presenters, exhibits and even free parking for drivers of electric vehicles. Our guests are: Craig Wilkins, chief executive of Conservation SA, and Leigh Dalwood, associate director, transport planning within the Adelaide office of AECOM. They will take us on a journey through the various topics, successes and challenges of planning for transport needs. In IS IT NEWS, Nigel tests us on the theme, Vehicle Accidents. Max Martin notes: "The future of transport needs to be balanced by the past, or we might as well start driving in a coffin!" George Inglis compares the bike/car debate in Adelaide to the gun debate in the USA. Our SA Drink of the week is from Gemtree Wines. In the Adelaide Visa Council, we have one defendant and then two. And music is from last week's guest, Brian Hales. But first, David Washington from In Daily presents his midweek news wrap, Talk Of The Town. Support the show: https://theadelaideshow.com.au/listen-or-download-the-podcast/adelaide-in-crowd/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we reflect on the SA economy in the wake of the announcement that coal mining at Leigh Creek is closing much faster than anticipated. We'll track the history of Leigh Creek, look for economic development lessons and turn to other parts of our economy for signs of growth or for fertile patches that need incubation. And we'll do this with the help of: Lesley Williams and Simon Zappia from Botanica Boutique (Lesley will also provide our music tonight through her band More And More) And economic development consultant, Brian Hales In IS IT NEWS, Nigel tests us on the theme, Mining. Max Martin notes: "Exercise will certainly increase creativity for writing, and if more motivation is needed, it also increases libido!" George Inglis reflects on the downturn of mining and the protest against plans for Martindale Hall. Our SA Drink of the week is from Spook Hill. In the Adelaide Visa Council, we'll try to untangle an ambiguous tweet. But first, David Washington from In Daily presents his midweek news wrap, Talk Of The Town. Support the show: https://theadelaideshow.com.au/listen-or-download-the-podcast/adelaide-in-crowd/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join Lindsay as she interviews historian Brian Hales about John C. Bennett, his reliability, and other controversial tales. This is part two in a four-part series of “Polygamy Controversies” that will air throughout the rest of the series.   Links […]

Join Lindsay as she interviews historian Brian Hales about John C. Bennett, his reliability, and other controversial tales. This is part two in a four-part series of “Polygamy Controversies” that will air throughout the rest of the series.   Links mentioned in this podcast: Part one of episode 94 What Abortion was like in the […]

Join Lindsay as she discusses the first part of a two-part series about the history of the FLDS church (The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints). Links and text mentioned and read in this podcast: Brian Hales on […]

Join Lindsay as she discusses the first part of a two-part series about the history of the FLDS church (The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints). Links and text mentioned and read in this podcast: Brian Hales on FLDS and Mormon Fundamentalism FLDS Historian Ben Bistline’s book about the group FLDS 101 Blogspot […]

Join Lindsay as she interviews Brian Hales, author of  Modern Polygamy: The Generations After the Manifesto about his views on the beginnings of the different Mormon Fundamentalist groups. Links and text mentioned and read in this podcast: Brian Hales’ fundamentalist site Brian Hales’ Joseph Smith polygamy site Brian Hales’ site containing Mormon documents (a must […]

We sit down with Brian Hales, LDS author of “Joseph Smith’s Polygamy”  We ask him about the 11 occasions where Joseph was accused of sexual impropriety.  We talk about how the majority of the accusations come very late, even decades after the death of the prophet.  We talk about what the evidence is in each […] The post 119: Brian Hales and Joseph Smith’s Pre-Nauvoo Accusations appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

Join Lindsay as she discusses John W. Woolley, the “Father of Mormon Fundamentalism.” Links and text mentioned and read in this podcast: Brian Hales’ work on John W. Woolley Woolley’s wikipedia  

Lindsay speaks with Kristy Money, author of a recent oped discussing LDS.org’s essays on polygamy and how they can contribute to grooming and predatory behavior. Links mentioned in this podcast: FAIR Mormon’s take on these issues. Brian Hales’ views on these issues. Todd Compton’s take on these issues. Grant Palmer’s take on these issues. Critic’s […]

In this important episode, Russell Stevenson sits down with historian Brian Hales, author of the three-volume series, Joseph Smith and Polygamy.  We talk about the concept of “dynastic marriage,” sexuality in Joseph Smith’s plural marriages, and the Women Who Told Joseph Smith “No.” Hales offers his own feelings and concerns about polygamy and helps Saints navigate their way […] The post Podcast #11: Joseph Smith and Polygamy: An Interview with Brian Hales appeared first on Mormon History Guy.

Hanns Mattsson, a leader in the European wing of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter Day Saints recently went public about his doubts in the New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/21/us/some-mormons-search-the-web-and-find-doubt.html?_r=0 Former Mormon Russ East discusses with Mormon historian Brian Hales the concerns of Mattsson over the legitimacy of the Book of Mormon and the character of the founder Joseph Smith. For more info on Utah Partnerships for Christ http://www.upfc.org For more info on Brian Hales http://mormonscholarstestify.org/793/brian-c-hales For more faith debates visit www.premier.org.uk/unbelievable Join the conversation: Facebook and Twitter Get the MP3 podcast of Unbelievable? http://ondemand.premier.org.uk/unbelievable/AudioFeed.aspx or Via Itunes You may also enjoy: Unbelievable? 28 July 2012 Mormon Dialogue pt 1 Joseph Smith & The book of Mormon Unbelievable? 28 Feb 2009 Mormon & Christian Dialogue - Robert Millet & Greg Johnson

We sit down with Brian Hales, LDS author of “Joseph Smith’s Polygamy”  We ask him the hard questions fast and furious and does a great job answering them.  We discuss polygamy, Polyandry, Joseph’s withholding the knowledge of the practice from the public and even general membership. Brian’s Book can be found at Greg Kofford Books […] The post 037: Brian Hales : Polygamy appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

In part 3 of a 4 part series on Joseph Smith’s polygamy, Brian Hales contrasts his views on the naturalistic vs. faithful view of Joseph Smith’s polygamy.

In part 4 of a series on Joseph Smith’s polygamy, Brian Hales explains the foundations of his LDS beliefs, and how he maintains belief in the face of detailed knowledge regarding Joseph Smith’s polygamy.

Brian Hales and the Top 12 Myths about Joseph Smith's Polygamy.

Brian Hales Pt. 1 - A Refutation of Grant Palmer’s Treatment of Sexual Allegations Against Joseph Smith

I had the privilege of speaking with Brian Hales about his upcoming three-volume history of Joseph Smith's Polygamy, published by Greg Kofford Books. Brian is a practicing anesthesiologist, author and scholar of Mormon History, with emphasis on Mormon Fundamentalism and Plural Marriage. He is also an active, faithful Latter-Day Saint. In this interview, Brian discusses his research of the historical context, circumstances, and theology that gave rise to Joseph Smith's secret practice of polygamy in the Kirtland and Nauvoo periods. We talk about specific cases and incidents, including Fanny Alger, polyandry, Helen Mar Kimball, Emma Smith's struggle with the Principle, as well as Brian's perspective as a faithful Latter-Day Saint who embraces the theological necessity for the Mormon doctrine of Plural Marriage.

I had the privilege of speaking with Brian Hales about his upcoming three-volume history of Joseph Smith's Polygamy, published by Greg Kofford Books. Brian is a practicing anesthesiologist, author and scholar of Mormon History, with emphasis on Mormon Fundamentalism and Plural Marriage. He is also an active, faithful Latter-Day Saint. In this interview, Brian discusses his research of the historical context, circumstances, and theology that gave rise to Joseph Smith's secret practice of polygamy in the Kirtland and Nauvoo periods. We talk about specific cases and incidents, including Fanny Alger, polyandry, Helen Mar Kimball, Emma Smith's struggle with the Principle, as well as Brian's perspective as a faithful Latter-Day Saint who embraces the theological necessity for the Mormon doctrine of Plural Marriage.