Mormon History Podcast – Gospel Tangents – Mormon History Podcast
How Wes Walters’ Revival Research Forced Mormon Historians to Confront the 1820 Story (Sandra Tanner 5 of 5)
A key figure who accelerated the historical crisis for both the Tanners (who left the group in 1962) and Pauline’s church was Wes Walters, a Presbyterian minister from Marissa, Illinois.
Walters was asked to write an article on Mormons for Christianity Today. His detailed research focused on testing Joseph Smith’s claims against tangible historical records, particularly those surrounding the First Vision. Walters reasoned that while you couldn’t prove whether Smith spoke to God, you could prove whether he was standing in a given place on a given day.
Don’t miss our other conversa...
Was Hugh Nibley Wrong about Zion? (Nathan Oman 5 of 5)
Was Hugh Nibley wrong? Is global capitalism compatible with a Zion society? And when is a Latter-day Saint actually justified in defying a corrupt, oppressive government?
Don’t miss our other conversations Nathan: https://gospeltangents.com/people/nathan-omanCopyright © 2026
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Hugh Nibley was wrong?
First, Professor Oman challenges the popular anti-capitalist teachings of the legendary LDS scholar Hugh Nibley. While Nibley viewed commerce as being driven primarily by greed and pride, Oman argues for the 18th-century ideal of doux commerce (“sweet commerce”). He explains...
How Old RLDS Polygamy Arguments Became New Again (Rick B)
Have you wondered what’s behind the energy in the polygamy revisionist movement? Are these the same as RLDS polygamy arguments? Back in 2010, Newell Bringhurst wrote a chapter in “Persistence of Polygamy” on the evolution of RLDS thinking on Joseph Smith’s polygamy, how it got forgotten, and recycled among a new generation of LDS members who weren’t aware of the previous history.
Are the modern arguments that Joseph Smith was a strict monogamist actually new? In this deep dive, we explore the “layered archive” of historical claims surrounding Joseph Smith’s polygamy, revealing that many of today’s “poly...
When Personal Conscience Clashes with LDS Church Doctrine (Nathan Oman 4 of 5)
What do you do when your personal conscience clashes with official LDS Church positions? Why did the LDS Church transition from the fiery, anti-communist speeches of Ezra Taft Benson in the 1960s to the strict political neutrality we see today?
Oman is the author of 2 volumes of Law and the Restoration Volume 1 and Volume 2, from Greg Kofford Books.
Don’t miss our other conversations Nathan: https://gospeltangents.com/people/nathan-omanCopyright © 2026
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In this episode of Gospel Tangents, I sat down with Nathan Oman, law pro...
1879 Court Case That Forced the LDS Church to End Polygamy (Nathan Oman 3 of 5)
What case helped end polygamy in the LDS Church? What do a 19th-century Mormon polygamist, reality TV star Kody Brown, and the Native American religious use of peyote all have in common?
Don’t miss our other conversations Nathan: https://gospeltangents.com/people/nathan-omanCopyright © 2026
Gospel Tangents
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How Did LDS Church end polygamy?
In this fascinating episode of Gospel Tangents, host Rick Bennett sits down with Nathan Oman, law professor and author of Law and the Restoration, to unpack one of the most consequential Supreme Court case...
