Radio Free Mormon

The Mormon Church keeps telling us it is growing. And not only is it growing, they say it is growing faster than it has ever grown in history! And yet faithful Mormon researcher Jeff Strong says the LDS Church has lost 40 % of its active membership in the last twenty-five years. How will the… Read More »LDS Church Membership Tanks!

Transcribed - Published: 4 June 2026

Ever wonder what happens when you take all the earliest accounts of the Angel Moroni appearing to Joseph Smith and compare them? The answers can be problematic but always fascinating. RFM is joined by an all-star panel of Bill Reel, Randy Bell and everyone’s favorite Rando, Kolby Reddish, to hash through the sources. The result… Read More »Don’t You Forget About Moroni: RFM 459

Transcribed - Published: 31 May 2026

Tonight on Mormonism Live we tackle one of the most controversial and uncomfortable documents in LDS history: Joseph Smith’s 1832 First Vision account. Not the polished 1838 version members know from the Pearl of Great Price. Not the story that has been repeated in manuals and General Conference over a hundred years. We’re going back… Read More »Joseph Smith’s 1832 First Vision: Excised with a Penknife & Hidden Away?

Transcribed - Published: 29 May 2026

Bill Reel and RFM are joined this week by Meggan Hayes, host of the “Generally Unquotable” podcast, which features a news report on things Mormon every weekday morning! How does Meggan do it? Where does she get her stories? What are the biggest stories she has covered? These are just some of the things we’ll… Read More »Podcaster Meggan Hayes (Generally Unquotable) Joins the Show!

Transcribed - Published: 21 May 2026

I had a faith crisis in my mid-twenties. A big faith crisis. It involved a salamander and it involved a letter. It made me question everything I thought I knew about Joseph Smith, the book he produced, and the religion he founded. The LDS religion. MY religion! And in that time of despair, I clung… Read More »They Didn’t Tell Me This!!! RFM: 458

Transcribed - Published: 17 May 2026

Tonight on Mormonism Live, we explore one of the most uncomfortable and fascinating questions in early Mormon history: Was Moroni originally understood through the same treasure-digging framework Joseph Smith had already been practicing for years? Long before the Book of Mormon was published, Joseph Smith and those around him were involved in treasure seeking using… Read More »Moroni As A Treasure Guardian

Transcribed - Published: 14 May 2026

What if the harm didn’t start with a crisis… but with what you were taught as a child? In this episode of Mormonism Live, we sit down with researcher and clinician Samuel Clemens, PhD, LCSW, to unpack his groundbreaking study on religious trauma among former Latter-day Saints—particularly those who identify as sexual minorities. This isn’t… Read More »The Hidden Cost of Mormon Belief: Conditioned From Childhood

Transcribed - Published: 13 May 2026

RFM is joined by Kolby Reddish to finish off our analysis of the historic trouncing Bill Reel recently gave to Mormon apologist Robert Gurr! This is one for the record books! My favorite part is Mr. Gurr’s argument for why it is horses went extinct in the Americas. Hint: It has nothing to do with… Read More »Mormon Bring Knife To Gunfight! RFM: 457

Transcribed - Published: 10 May 2026

Who won the debate? Bill Reel or Robert Gurr? Bill Reel and RFM dissect Bill’s recent debate about Mormonism with Robert Gurr. This one is going to be a lot of fun! Don’t miss it!

Transcribed - Published: 7 May 2026

RFM is joined by esteemed co-counsel Kolby Reddish to dissect Jacob Hansen’s recent debate with Allie Beth Stuckey of The Blaze. Strangely, Jacob seems to want to talk about anything other than Mormonism. His efforts to make Mormonism sound like Protestantism grow increasingly bizarre. But Allie is not going to let him get away with… Read More »Mormon Gets Creamed In Debate: RFM: 456

Transcribed - Published: 3 May 2026

An attorney looks at the complaint! What is up with the Mormon Church? Why are they suing John Dehlin? Radio Free Mormon uses his 36-year career as an attorney to review and dissect the Church’s complaint, and discovers a number of fascinating elements to what the Mormon Church may really be up to! If you… Read More »Why Is The Mormon Church Suing John Dehlin? RFM:455

Transcribed - Published: 26 April 2026

Tonight, one of the darkest chapters in Mormon history—the Mountain Meadows Massacre. This isn’t a surface-level retelling. We walk through what led up to it, how it unfolded, and what happened afterward… and we let the historical record speak for itself. We examine the environment in southern Utah at the time—heightened fear, isolation, and rhetoric… Read More »Mormonism’s Mountain Meadows Massacre

Transcribed - Published: 23 April 2026

RFM detailed the bar complaints against him in the last episode for playing a Halloween prank on the sister missionaries; how those bar complaints were filed by members of the secret combination Mormon missionary group known as “The Cavalry,” and how those complaints were dismissed by the state bar association. This show will discuss recent… Read More »Bar Complaint Roundtable: The Prank Heard Round the World: RFM: 454

Transcribed - Published: 21 April 2026

Mormons have turned to the Bible to prove their beliefs are true ever since the inception of the LDS Church. But are the Mormons getting the Bible right? World renowned Bible expert and prolific author Bart Ehrman joins us to get down to the bottom of the issue, and to help us answer the question,… Read More »World Renowned Bible Expert Weighs In!

Transcribed - Published: 16 April 2026

Why do apologists want to hide the truth about the LDS Church? Likely because the truth makes their job of defending Mormonism so much harder. Two Mormon apologists from FAIRMormon tried to shut my podcast down by filing bar complaints against me! This is their story. Spoiler Alert: It doesn’t go well for the two… Read More »They Can’t Handle The Truth!

Transcribed - Published: 15 April 2026

Join Bill Reel and RFM as we cue up the most scintillating and awe-inspiring moments from the April 2026 General Conference! You are sure to have a good time!

Transcribed - Published: 9 April 2026

Join Bill Reel and RFM as we cue up the most scintillating and awe-inspiring moments from the April 2026 General Conference! You are sure to have a good time!

Transcribed - Published: 9 April 2026

Join RFM immediately after each session of General Conference for an entertaining and insightful recap! Radio Free Mormon! Watching General Conference so you don’t have to!

Transcribed - Published: 7 April 2026

Join RFM immediately after each session of General Conference for an entertaining and insightful recap! Radio Free Mormon! Watching General Conference so you don’t have to!

Transcribed - Published: 7 April 2026

Join RFM immediately after each session of General Conference for an entertaining and insightful recap! Radio Free Mormon! Watching General Conference so you don’t have to!

Transcribed - Published: 7 April 2026

Join RFM immediately after each General Conference Session as he gives an entertaining recap! Radio Free Mormon! Watching General Conference so you don’t have to!

Transcribed - Published: 7 April 2026

In this episode of Mormonism Live, we walk through the full evolution of the Word of Wisdom—from its origin in 1833 to how it functions today as a requirement for temple worthiness. We start in Kirtland, where the School of the Prophets was filled with tobacco smoke, chewing, and spitting—and where Emma Smith’s frustration becomes… Read More »History of Mormonism’s “Word of Wisdom” Health Code

Transcribed - Published: 2 April 2026

Joseph Smith was a treasure seeker in his youth. But it didn’t end there. The religion he founded, and the book he dictated into existence, also bear unmistakable signs of his treasure-seeking activities, specifically the process he used to locate buried treasure. Dr. John Lundwall shares his new theory that the Book of Mormon fits… Read More »Mormon Temple As Treasure Quest: RFM: 447

Transcribed - Published: 29 March 2026

A confrontation of historic proportions happened forty-five years ago; a confrontation between an LDS apostle and a BYU professor; between Elder Bruce R. McConkie and Professor Eugene England. The subject was the nature of God. But the ramifications were more far-reaching than that. Join Bill Reel and RFM as they dig deep into this controversy… Read More »Bruce R. McConkie Lays Down The Law

Transcribed - Published: 26 March 2026

Former Bishop Nathan Hinckley joins the show, together with a very special guest appearance from his wife, Amy! Together they tell us about their journey through Mormonism; a journey that ultimately led both of them out of the church just three short years ago. This is one you won’t want to miss!

Transcribed - Published: 22 March 2026

In this episode of Mormonism Live, we sit down with Ember, a Native American and former Latter-day Saint, to explore a side of Mormonism that often goes overlooked – the lived experience of Native Americans inside the Church. For many Indigenous members, Mormon doctrine didn’t just offer a spiritual framework. It reshaped identity, ancestry, and… Read More »Lamanite to Self: A Native Reckoning with Mormonism

Transcribed - Published: 20 March 2026

Dr. Randall Bell brings fresh new research to Mormon Studies in this fascinating episode of Radio Free Mormon! Apologists claim the presence of an ancient Hebrew literary form called “chiasmus” proves the Book of Mormon to be ancient. “Not so fast,” says Dr. Bell, who shares with us a much more plausible source for chiasmus… Read More »Chiasmus Destroyed! New BOM Research Changes Everything! RFM: 445

Transcribed - Published: 15 March 2026

We’re having a party! And by “we,” I mean Radio Free Mormon and Kolby Reddish. What are we celebrating? Finally getting through our over-one-year dismantling of Austin Fife’s “Lite on Truth” Letter! And everybody is invited to this party! You will be able to join us in the studio by way of streamyard link. We… Read More »Mormon Truth Bombs: RFM: 444

Transcribed - Published: 12 March 2026

Sam Young is the legend who did amazing things almost a decade ago to protect children in the Mormon Church. Of course, the Mormon Church didn’t appreciate Sam’s efforts to protect the children, so they excommunicated him. This is Sam’s story! And for the first time, Sam will speak publicly about what happened during his… Read More »Sam Young: Protector of Mormon Children!

Transcribed - Published: 12 March 2026

Why Do People Leave the LDS Church? In this episode of Mormonism Live, Bill Reel and Radio Free Mormon examine a topic that has been discussed inside Mormonism for nearly two centuries: why do people leave the Church? From early sermons by Brigham Young to modern General Conference addresses, Latter-day Saint leaders have offered explanations… Read More »The LDS Label Machine

Transcribed - Published: 12 March 2026

RFM blows up one of the most popular apologist theories for how the Book of Mormon can still be divinely inspired . . . even though it contains indisputable elements from Joseph Smith’s 19th Century environment. It’s called “The Expansion Theory.” It was created by Blake Ostler. And Mr. Ostler is not going to be… Read More »Nuking the Book of Mormon: RFM: 443

Transcribed - Published: 2 March 2026

What is it like to be a Mormon missionary in Japan? RFM reflects on different aspects of his mission through the use of some recently acquired letters he himself wrote while serving his mission almost half a century ago!

Transcribed - Published: 28 February 2026

Tonight on Mormonism Live, we tackle one of the most persistent and uncomfortable questions in modern Mormon scholarship: What does DNA actually say about the Book of Mormon? Our guest is Dr. Thomas W. Murphy, anthropologist, award-winning scholar, and author of Unsettling Scripture: Iroquois and the Book of Mormon. Dr. Murphy’s latest presentation, “DNerAsure: Unsettling… Read More »Book of Mormon DNA

Transcribed - Published: 24 February 2026

In this episode, we step into one of the most provocative and uncomfortable chapters ever written about Joseph Smith — “The Don Juan of Nauvoo,” from Dr. W. Wyl’s 1886 exposé. These are not modern critics looking backward with hindsight. These are men and women living in Utah in the late 1800s — people who… Read More »The Don Juan of Nauvoo

Transcribed - Published: 24 February 2026

This week, Radio Free Mormon gathers an all-star panel of Mormon influencers to respond to President Dallin H. Oaks’ recent devotional address delivered at Brigham Young University on Tuesday, February 10. Front and center is Oaks’ warning about “speculation and false information in podcasts and on social media” — and his counsel to avoid being… Read More »No Podcasts For You! RFM:441

Transcribed - Published: 14 February 2026

THEY NEVER DESTROYED THE HELPLINE RECORDS! Did RFM just catch the LDS Church lying about its CSA Helpline records? In order to avoid turning over Helpline records, the Church has previously sworn all the records are destroyed at the end of each day. Now suddenly, in order to defend itself against the allegations of Beau… Read More »LDS Church Caught Lying!!! RFM: 440

Transcribed - Published: 9 February 2026

RFM and esteemed co-counsel Kolby Reddish dissect Chapter 12 of Austin Fife’s “Lite on Truth Letter.” They completely decimate the apologetic attempt to make excuses for why Mormon prophets have a historically disastrous record of making failed prophecies and disavowed doctrinal pronouncements. Astonishingly, some new apologists such as Austin Fife and Jacob Hansen are trying… Read More »When Mormon Prophets Get It Wrong! RFM: 439

Transcribed - Published: 9 February 2026

Was Joseph Smith’s relationship with Fanny Alger an early plural marriage, a sexless sealing, or a scandalous sexual affair? Long before Nauvoo polygamy, secret sealings, or theological justifications, there was Fanny Alger; a teenage girl living in Joseph and Emma Smith’s home in Kirtland, Ohio. When the relationship was discovered, it triggered scandal, apostasy, and… Read More »Joseph Smith & Fanny Alger: Barely Scraping By

Transcribed - Published: 5 February 2026

Did Joseph Smith’s understanding of God come through divine revelation — or did it evolve alongside his education? In this episode of Mormonism Live, we examine one of the most important and least discussed developments in early Mormon history: the dramatic shift in Joseph Smith’s theology of the Godhead. Using early Mormon scriptures, historical documents,… Read More »Mormonism’s God Revolution

Transcribed - Published: 4 February 2026

What does it say when you have to lie to defend your religion? Time to get a new religion? Not if you’re Jacob Hansen! For Jacob, lying is all in a day’s work for a Mormon apologist. Radio Free Mormon was an apologist for ten years back in the 1980s. RFM got to the same… Read More »Mormon Caught Lying: RFM: 438

Transcribed - Published: 3 February 2026

This is it! The final episode! Words cannot express how happy Kolby and RFM are to finally be finishing their two-man demolition of this piece of apologetic dreck presented to the world by Austin Fife as “The Light and Truth Letter.” But after 58-hours of commentary from these two post-Mormon attorneys, spanning over an entire… Read More »The End of the Light On Truth Letter! RFM: 437

Transcribed - Published: 26 January 2026

The LDS Church teaches that its top leaders are prophets, seers, and revelators; men who speak for God and whose guidance deserves trust, obedience, and moral authority. When serious problems arise in Church history, doctrine, or policy, the most common explanation offered is simple: prophets are fallible. But does that explanation actually resolve the issue?… Read More »Does Prophetic Fallibility Solve the LDS Problem?

Transcribed - Published: 22 January 2026

Beginning with the classic fringe belief that “aliens built the pyramids,” Radio Free Mormon teaches you the simple but powerful technique that can defuse and destroy virtually any apologetic argument in favor of Mormonism. This silver bullet works every time! Apologists, beware!

Transcribed - Published: 19 January 2026

Mormonism Live is honored to host the 2025 Brodie Awards, an annual event dedicated to recognizing excellence, courage, insight, and impact in the world of Mormon-related scholarship, commentary, media, and creative work. Named after historian Fawn M. Brodie, the Brodie Awards exist to spotlight voices—both established and emerging—who meaningfully contribute to public understanding of Mormonism.… Read More »The 2025 Brodie Awards Ceremony

Transcribed - Published: 15 January 2026

The evisceration of the Light and Truth Letter continues! RFM is joined by Kolby Reddish as they continue their debunking of Austin Fife’s pride and joy. In this strange chapter, Austin claims he left Mormonism after he stopped believing in God. Then, using only common sense, he reconstructed a new version of God that just… Read More »Why Believe In Mormonism? RFM: 435

Transcribed - Published: 12 January 2026

Black Skin A Curse From God? Rumors have been swirling recently that the LDS Church is changing certain verses in its African language translations of the Book of Mormon; certain verses that in the English Book of Mormon talk about black skin being a curse from God. The rumor is that those verses have been… Read More »LDS Church Changing Book of Mormon To Fool Africans? RFM: 434

Transcribed - Published: 8 January 2026

We dig into one of the lesser-known but deeply revealing historical sources from early Mormonism: the Fayette Lapham interview with Joseph Smith Sr. Lapham’s account places Joseph Smith’s father in conversation about the earliest days of the movement — before the Church had polished narratives, before later offices were cleanly defined, and before memory had… Read More »Interview with Joseph Smiths Father

Transcribed - Published: 8 January 2026

Join us on New Year’s Eve for a special episode of Mormonism Live. We’ll look back at the biggest Mormon news stories of the year from The Mormon Newscast and reveal the Top 5 stories you voted for. We’ll also dig into a few late-breaking developments, including the passing of Elder Holland. Support The Mormon… Read More »2025 Mormon Newscast Year in Review

Transcribed - Published: 6 January 2026

Join us this Christmas Eve for the Third Annual Radio Free Mormon Christmas Eve Party. RFM will be joined by over Mormon influencers from the Mormon and post-Mormon space, and maybe even a few surprises! Get stocked up on eggnog and gingerbread cookies! Stay up with RFM and watch the stars come out! This is… Read More »A Radio Free Mormon Christmas Eve !

Transcribed - Published: 6 January 2026

David Whitmer is one of the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, but his life after Mormonism raises some of the most challenging questions anyone serious about truth claims has to wrestle with. He broke with Joseph Smith. He rejected Brigham Young. He condemned polygamy, secret combinations, and priesthood hierarchy. And yet, for nearly… Read More »David Whitmer: Book of Mormon Witness Examined!

Transcribed - Published: 6 January 2026