The Biggest Book of Mormon Anachronism - Dr. John Lundwall | Ep. 2134
Mormon Stories Podcast
Dr. John Dehlin
4.5 ā¢ 5.7K Ratings
šļø 6 April 2026
ā±ļø 138 minutes
šļø Recording | iTunes | RSS
š§¾ļø Download transcript
Summary
Today we are joined by Dr. John Lundwall (PhD, comparative myth and religion), to share what he believes is the BIGGEST anachronism in the book of Mormon ā the text itself.Ā
Using his expertise in ancient religions and how they are practiced, Dr. Lundwall offers an analysis of the religious cultures that exist in the Book of Mormon and how they are inconsistent with any other ancient religious practices. He examines early religious expression through rock art, solar deities, and ritual spaces, highlighting how ancient belief systems were primarily oral, symbolic, and embodiedāexpressed through ritual, chant, and performance rather than writing. He then contrasts this with the Book of Mormonās highly text-centered nature, beginning with its very first page.
We will also discuss the religious cultures that exist in the Book of Mormon and how they are inconsistent with what we know about ancient societies. Dr. Lundwall explores how writing developed historically, and how religious knowledge was typically preserved and transmitted through oral tradition rather than written records. He will also discuss the āGolden Platesā at length, and share his insight on why their creation would have been highly unlikely for cultures of this time period.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, everyone and welcome to another edition of Mormon Stories Podcast. |
| 0:03.1 | I'm your host, John DeLinn. |
| 0:04.6 | It is March 4th, 2026, and today we are going to be discussing possibly the biggest |
| 0:11.8 | anachronism in the Book of Mormon, the text itself. |
| 0:16.1 | And joining us for the first time on Mormon Stories podcast to discuss this is Dr. John Lundwall. |
| 0:24.0 | Hey, Dr. John. |
| 0:25.2 | Hello, John. |
| 0:26.1 | Pleasure to be on your show. |
| 0:27.9 | Yeah. |
| 0:28.5 | Well, I think I discovered you through Mormonish and Rebecca and Landon and Radio Free Mormon |
| 0:34.1 | and Bill Real and those guys. |
| 0:35.5 | But it's long past due to have you share with us |
| 0:40.0 | your, I don't know, writings or research here on Mormon Stories. |
| 0:44.3 | Well, I'm happy to do so. |
| 0:46.7 | I'm happy to be here. |
| 0:47.9 | I can thank you personally for Mormon stories. |
| 0:50.5 | I'm an ex-Mormon and I found your show about 2019 and watched an episode of it every day |
| 1:01.8 | for six months. Was that before your faith started being challenged or after? After. Oh, okay. I was out. |
| 1:09.8 | But I still needed a place to put my feet and uh your your platform |
| 1:16.4 | did that so i appreciate that well thank you thank you well uh tell us a bit about what you're a doctor of |
| 1:23.4 | and you know just your basic background before we dive in to your presentation. |
| 1:29.4 | You bet. I have a doctorate in comparative myth and religion from the Joseph Campbell School of Myth and Religion, Pacifica Graduate Institute out of California. |
... |
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