What can we learn about Joseph Smith from Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”? Plenty, as it turns out! Join RFM as he delves into the frightful tale of the Headless Horseman, and shows how it sets the stage for Joseph Smith’s preternatural treasure digging! In addition, RFM turns to the writings of John Steinbeck to find out what it feels like to actually be on a treasure quest! The history of Joseph Smith really comes to life in this episode of Radio Free Mormon!

Bill Reel and RFM take a look at the recent FAIRMormon apologetic conference that took place last August. The amazing thing is that Mormon apologetics isn’t getting better with age. If anything, Mormon apologetics is getting worse. And that’s saying something! It’s like they’re not just trying to fool nonbelievers, anymore. They’re trying to fool each other! But rest assured, no matter the tricks they try, they won’t get much past our intrepid pair, RFM and Bill Reel!

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RFM is joined by Meggan Hayes (“Generally Unquotable), Jim Bennett (“Inside Out”), Randy Bell and Summur-Rayn Berrett for a discussion of the highlights of the October 2026 General Conference. RFM brings the video clips and you bring the popcorn! This is going to be a fun and penetrating discussion!

General Conference Post-Mortem 2026! (Sunday Afternoon) Join Radio Free Mormon immediately after the Sunday Afternoon Session for his rapid-fire reactions, sharp analysis, historical context, and hot takes on what was said, what stood out, what changed—and what may deserve a closer look. RFM is covering every session of General Conference all weekend long, so you don’t have to suffer alone.

General Conference has never been this much fun!

And please consider supporting RFM as he takes upon himself General Conference for and in behalf of US who don’t want to. https://donorbox.org/genera...

General Conference Post-Mortem 2026! (Sunday Morning) Join Radio Free Mormon immediately after the Sunday Morning Session for his rapid-fire reactions, sharp analysis, historical context, and hot takes on what was said, what stood out, what changed—and what may deserve a closer look. RFM is covering every session of General Conference all weekend long, so you don’t have to suffer alone. General Conference has never been this much fun!

And please consider supporting RFM as he takes upon himself General Conference for and in behalf of US who don’t want to. https://donorbox.org/general-conference-post-mortem

Join Radio Free Mormon immediately after the Sunday Afternoon Session for his rapid-fire reactions, sharp analysis, historical context, and hot takes on what was said, what stood out, what changed—and what may deserve a closer look. RFM is covering every session of General Conference all weekend long, so you don’t have to suffer alone. General Conference has never been this much fun. And please consider supporting RFM as he takes upon himself General Conference for and in behalf of US who don’t want to. https://donorbox.org/general-conference-post-mortem

Join Radio Free Mormon immediately after the Saturday Morning Session for his rapid-fire reactions, sharp analysis, historical context, and hot takes on what was said, what stood out, what changed—and what may deserve a closer look. RFM is covering every session of General Conference all weekend long, so you don’t have to suffer alone. General Conference has never been this much fun!

Bill Reel and RFM take a look at the recent FAIRMormon apologetic conference that took place last August. The amazing thing is that Mormon apologetics isn’t getting better with age. If anything, Mormon apologetics is getting worse. And that’s saying something! It’s like they’re not just trying to fool nonbelievers, anymore. They’re trying to fool each other! But rest assured, no matter the tricks they try, they won’t get much past our intrepid pair, RFM and Bill Reel!

Please Join the Team Today and Donate to Support Mormonism Live
https://donorbox.org...

General Conference Post-Mortem 2026! (Sunday Morning) Join Radio Free Mormon immediately after the Sunday Morning Session for his rapid-fire reactions, sharp analysis, historical context, and hot takes on what was said, what stood out, what changed—and what may deserve a closer look. RFM is covering every session of General Conference all weekend long, so you don’t have to suffer alone. General Conference has never been this much fun!

And please consider supporting RFM as he takes upon himself General Conference for and in behalf of US who don’t want to. https://donorbox.org/general-conference-post-mortem

Join Radio Free Mormon immediately after the Sunday Afternoon Session for his rapid-fire reactions, sharp analysis, historical context, and hot takes on what was said, what stood out, what changed—and what may deserve a closer look.
RFM is covering every session of General Conference all weekend long, so you don’t have to suffer alone.
General Conference has never been this much fun.

And please consider supporting RFM as he takes upon himself General Conference for and in behalf of US who don’t want to.
https://donorbox.org/general-conference-post-mortem

Join Radio Free Mormon immediately after the Saturday Morning Session for his rapid-fire reactions, sharp analysis, historical context, and hot takes on what was said, what stood out, what changed—and what may deserve a closer look.
RFM is covering every session of General Conference all weekend long, so you don’t have to suffer alone.
General Conference has never been this much fun!

Tonight on Mormonism LIVE, Bill Reel and Radio Free Mormon are joined by special guest John Dehlin for an exhaustive examination of the LDS Church’s lawsuit against Mormon Stories.

Instead of arguing about the case in the abstract, we take 30 specific claims made by the Church and its attorneys and put them side-by-side with the court record, the Church’s own filings, Mormon Stories’ responses, the mediation history, and recent public statements by Church attorney David Jordan.

John Dehlin also joins us to explain what actually happened behind the scenes—including why Mormon Stories changed...

Ever wonder if Mormon Apologists like Jacob Hansen actually believe the arguments they make on behalf of the Mormon Church? Well that answer is now settled, and it is settled by none other than Jacob Hansen himself! On a recent podcast, Jacob Hansen admitted there is a difference between “Jacob the historian” and “Jacob the apologist.” “Jacob the historian” is interested in facts and what is most likely to have happened. “Jacob the apologist” doesn’t really care about any of those things, as it turns out. Who would have thought? The amazing thing is to hear Jacob Hanse himself admit to i...

All the pleadings have been drafted and filed relating to John Dehlin’s Motion to Dismiss the Church’s trademark infringement case against him. RFM is joined by esteemed co-counsel Kolby Reddish to explain what is going on and who is likely to prevail in the motion to dismiss. As an added bonus, Church lawyer David Jordan gave an interview on a pro-Mormon podcast recently that we dissect and catch David Jordan trying to confuse the audience, and use their lack of legal acumen against them. David Jordan also manages to tell at least one whopper which we demonstrate with...

On this episode of Mormonism Live, we sit down with Rachelle and John Moyer, the creators behind “Ex-Mormon: The Musical,” to talk about how the project came together, what inspired the songs, and why music can be such a powerful way to process faith, identity, loss, humor, and life after Mormonism. We’ll dig into the story behind the album, the creative process of turning the ex-Mormon experience into a musical, and some of the themes woven throughout the soundtrack. We’ll also play and discuss several of the songs along the way. Whether you’ve left Mormonism, are questionin...

Elder Bruce R. McConkie gave one of his most famous talks in history in 1980 named “The Seven Deadly Heresies.” RFM and Bill Reel break down this talk, exposing not only what Elder McConkie says, but why he says it; together with the things Elder McConkie doesn’t say at all! This one you won’t want to miss!

Elder Bruce R. McConkie gave one of his most famous talks in history in 1980 named “The Seven Deadly Heresies.” RFM and Bill Reel break down this talk, exposing not only what Elder McConkie says, but why he says it; together wit...

Tonight on Mormonism Live, we examine a recurring pattern in Joseph Smith’s prophetic career: when he encountered something mysterious, incomplete, inaccessible, or simply unknown, he rarely seemed content to say, “I don’t know.” Instead, he supplied an answer—and often an extraordinarily detailed one.

A skeleton becomes Zelph, complete with a name, identity, history, and ancient associations. Egyptian papyri become the writings of Abraham. Egyptian figures become Abraham, Pharaoh, Shulem, Olimlah, gods, and cosmic teachings. The Kinderhook Plates produce an ancient genealogy. A stone becomes a seer stone capable of revealing hidden knowledge. Native Americans become Lam...

This time the LDS Church has gone too far! Lying to its membership is one thing, because the members know better than to criticize the leaders of the Church, even if the criticism is true. But this is in a court of law! Judge’s are not famous for taking it well when lawyers lie to their face. We’ll have to see what happens in this lawsuit once that realization starts sinking in! Here it is. The whole story of how the LDS Church just got caught lying in their lawsuit against John Dehlin! (This podcast contains material prev...

In a strange turn of events, Mormon apologist Cardon Ellis is helping John Dehlin fight the LDS Church in the lawsuit the church is bringing to try to shut John down! It appears that religion, as well as politics, can make for strange bedfellows! You have to watch this to believe it! (Contains outtakes from previously released material.)

In this amazing episode of RFM, we get three podcasts in one! The first deals with comments collected from apologetic podcasts that may end up being useful to John Dehlin in defending himself in court against the Mormon Church! The second deals with the 600-Year Prophecy of Christ’s Birth found in the Book of Mormon, and how a close examination of that one prophecy can clarify how we read the Book of Mormon. Finally, RFM tells the story of how it is he actually changed a word in the text of the Book of Mormon! This is not cl...

RFM and Bill Reel are joined by Dr. Thomas Murphy to discuss what the presence of Native American myths, individuals, and stories in the Book of Mormon means. Are these evidence the Book of Mormon is true? Or do they give us an insight into some of the creative grist Joseph was using to compile his narrative of ancient American inhabitants? World-renowned expert in the field Dr. Murphy helps us find the answers!

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The Mormon Church is claiming their lawsuit against John Dehlin has nothing to do with freedom of speech. Of course not! They are just trying to sue John Dehlin into oblivion so he will agree it is wiser and less-expensive to stop criticizing Mormonism. It is so obvious that even church members are noticing and beginning to turn against the church. And the clumsy filings of the church, together with an even clumsier press conference, go a long way toward proving the Mormon Church is suing John Dehlin for all the reasons they say they are not. Listen and...

Mormon apologist Jacob Hansen has chosen the hill he wants to die on. That hill is his unusual position that even though prophets can be (and have been!) horribly wrong about doctrinal issues, they can still be trusted to teach us the truth. I know. I know. It doesn’t make any sense to me, either! But in this episode, we will demonstrate that not only is this actually Jacob Hansen’s position, but that he will in fact die on the particular hill. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Radio Free Mormon.

In June 1834, while marching with Zion’s Camp through Illinois, Joseph Smith and his followers came across an ancient Native American burial mound. Members of the group dug into the mound and uncovered a human skeleton—with what appeared to be an arrowhead among its ribs.

According to multiple members of Zion’s Camp, Joseph Smith then received a vision revealing the identity of the dead man. His name was Zelph. He was described as a “white Lamanite,” a warrior and “man of God” who had fought under a great prophet named Onandagus. Wilford Woodruff recorded that Onandagus was...

RFM and Bill Reel host an august panel of Sunstone Symposium presenters and attendees, as they tell us fun and fascinating stories about what goes on behind the scenes of Sunstone! Join us! Mormon Studies were never so much fun!

Kolby Reddish and RFM used their combined legal education, experience and acumen to break down and analyze the recent Arizona Supreme Court Case dismissing the lawsuit against the LDS Church for covering up child abuse in its ranks. If you’re wondering what the hell happened in Arizona, this discussion by two “Mormon Legal Eagles” should be just what you are looking for!

What if one of the most important events in early Mormon history never actually accomplished what it set out to do? In 1834, Joseph Smith organized nearly 200 armed men and led them almost 900 miles across the American frontier with one stated objective: redeem Zion and restore the Saints to their lands in Jackson County, Missouri. They marched. They trained. They carried muskets and swords. They expected confrontation. But they never fought a battle. Instead, they encountered political resistance, internal dissent, a violent storm many viewed as miraculous, a devastating cholera outbreak that claimed fifteen lives, and a revelation that abruptly...

What did the Nauvoo Temple endowment look like in its earliest form? In this episode of Mormonism Live, Bill Reel and Radio Free Mormon examine one of the earliest published firsthand accounts of the Nauvoo Temple ceremony: Catherine Lewis’s 1848 narrative. Written only a few years after the events it describes, Lewis’s account provides a remarkable window into the temple rituals, secrecy, and theological ideas circulating during the Nauvoo period.

Together we’ll explore:
The earliest known form of the Mormon endowment Washing and anointing ordinances
New names, signs, tokens, and the veil
The Ga...

President Dallin Hoaks has gone on record giving us every reason we need to not trust what he says. In this episode, Radio Free Mormon brings the receipts, showing that the current president of the LDS Church is the kind of guy who will try to get you to believe something, even when he knows it isn’t true. That is quite the allegation! And RFM more than backs it up in this remarkable episode!

The LDS Church claims huge growth in membership numbers in Africa. But is this claim true? Or is it manufactured like the baptism numbers claimed for Central and South America back in the 1970s? During Mormonism Live last night, an African named Riya Ngambi called in and spilled the beans on the whole operation, showing how the Mormon Church baptism numbers reported for Africa are largely fictional, and do not represent a state of burgeoning membership as the Church claims!

RFM and Bill Reel are joined by a special panel of Black Mormons and ex-Mormons in this important episode. What is it like experiencing Mormonism through the lens of race? Especially when that race paints you as a second class citizen? Are discriminatory practices and beliefs about Black people a thing of the past in Mormonism, or is there still more work to do? Join us as we listen and learn from our esteemed team of panelists!

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Jacob Hansen has been slowly but surely losing his mind over the last several years. Okay. Not so slowly. But still. The past week has brought not one, but two, videos from Jacob that seem bent on proving he is now officially non compos mentis. Take a look at these new videos from Jacob and see if you agree his little choo-choo seems to be chugging around the bend!

Radio Free Mormon details the circumstances leading up to the guilty plea last Thursday in federal court by Wade Christofferson to CSA charges. What did D. Todd Christofferson know, and when did he know it? And based on the little information the Church has disclosed, D. Todd definitely knew about the danger his brother posed to small children at least as recently as 2020 or 2021. Which means if D. Todd had reported it to police at that time, the child abuse to which Wade just pleaded guilty would never have happened! This is inexcusable. It is definitely time...

RFM was a Mormon apologist 40-years ago, and as part of that ended up writing a paper on Lehi’s Dream that was published in The Journal of Book of Mormon Studies. It is an important paper that continues to be cited by Mormon apologists in various publications and formats, even as recently as March of 2026, long after I have slipped the surly bonds of Mormonism, and reached out to touch the face of RFM. This is an important part of my story, and how it is that a dream I had when I was younger came true; but on...

We have shown in a prior podcast that the Book of Mormon answers all the important religious disputes of Joseph Smith’s day. In this episode we demonstrate that the Book of Mormon uses the language and expressions of other early 19th Century authors to do so! Using only publications from prior to 1830! The results are in! Whether you look at the Book of Mormon from the 20,000 foot level at the contemporary religious issues it solves, or whether you look at the Book of Mormon from the microscopic level at the words and phrases it uses, all evidence indicates it...

Dr. Randall Bell and RFM head east for a crazy two days of jamming as many church history sites in as we possibly can handle! We took photos and video to document our misadventures and share it all here with you! Well, almost all. Part is still a secret of Dr. Bell’s that he will be revealing once he receives a certain something in the mail. Stay tuned!

For decades, the historical consensus has been that Joseph Smith introduced and practiced plural marriage in Nauvoo. But a small group of researchers has argued for a very different conclusion: that Joseph Smith was not the founder of Mormon polygamy and that the historical evidence has been misunderstood. In this episode of Mormonism Live, we sit down with researcher Jeremy Hoop to explore that perspective in depth. Jeremy has spent years examining William Clayton’s journals, the Nauvoo land deeds, the Augusta Cobb letters, the British Mission, and many other historical sources. He explains why he believes the standard na...

Tonight on Mormonism Live, Bill Reel and Radio Free Mormon take a deep dive into one of the most talked-about Mormon history stories in recent memory: the recent leaking of the William Clayton journals. For years, the full Clayton journals have been a source of speculation, controversy, and anticipation. William Clayton was not a peripheral observer. He was in the inner circle of Joseph Smith’s Nauvoo world, served as Joseph’s clerk, recorded the revelation that became Doctrine and Covenants 132, and left behind some of the most important firsthand records tied to plural marriage, temple theology, and the secr...

RFM is joined by Dr. Don Cohen who outlines his fascinating journey from the Jewish faith in which he was born, to his conversion to Mormonism, and from there to where he has landed today. Throughout, Don’s allegiance to evidence and research has been his guiding star. Join us as Dr. Cohen explains his spiritual journey; a journey that is still continuing!

Does the Book of Mormon fit better in the ancient world or in early nineteenth century America when it was created? Defenders of the book point to a handful of twisted and strained comparisons to the ancient world to make their case. Bill and RFM, on the other hand, demonstrate conclusively that the Book of Mormon is a much better fit for the early nineteenth century in which it was produced. Indeed, no book is more obviously a product of its times than the Book of Mormon. And that time was the first part of the nineteenth century in...