Radio Free Mormon

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… Read More »From Jewish to Mormon and Beyond! RFM: 463

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...

RFM is joined by former Mormon Ted Novak, who shares his story of faith and ultimately, of faith deconstruction. Ted thought he studied his religion while he was a member, but he realized along the way what he was really studying was the “Mormon-Approved” version. Once Ted opened himself up to studying non-Mormon-Approved sources, he slowly began to realize that what the LDS Church was selling him was a bill of goods that didn’t stand up to scrutiny; not just one one issue, but on a host of issues! This is one you won’t want to miss!

BREAKING NEWS! Elder Kyle McKay, Church Historian for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, apologized in writing for racially insensitive comments he made at a stake conference in Oklahoma last Sunday!

What if the most revealing thing about Mormon apologetics isn’t the evidence being presented… but the behavioral patterns behind the arguments? Tonight on Mormonism Live, Bill Reel and Radio Free Mormon sit down with Dawn McCarty who works in Forensic Criminology behavioral analysis. Can forensic criminology profile Mormon apologetics? Drawing from several of her recent forensic intelligence briefs, Dawn examines Mormon apologetics, institutional responses to criticism, and high-demand religious systems through the lens of behavioral analysis, threat assessment, cognitive containment, and coercive influence. Together we discuss: • How criminologists identify behavioral patterns in institutions • Narrative patching, semantic inversion, and epistemo...

Famous Youtuber “Reckless Ben” just got served with a restraining order forbidding him from podcasting anymore about the “Bricks & Minifigs” Case and requiring him to take down any podcasts he has already published dealing with the case. Reckless Ben can’t talk about the Restraining Order. But RFM can!

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 Church react now that its generation-long deception is being revealed? And what will the Mormon influences do who have repeated and championed the lies told them by the Church they seek to defend? Time will tell. In the meanwhile, Bill and RFM are going to take...

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 is a story that looks less like the recounting of an incident that actually happened to Joseph Smith, and more like a work in progress. This is one show you won’t want to miss!

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 to Joseph’s own handwritten account—the one hidden away in a vault, physically cut from his letterbook with a penknife, and unavailable to the public for over a century.

We examine the major differences that made this account so troubling. In 1832 Joseph s...

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!

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 to the most significant single evidence that the Book of Mormon is ancient, and therefore authentic, and therefore true. I clung to the presence of “chiasmus” in the Book of Mormon; that incredible ancient Hebrew literary form that shows up in such abundance in the...

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 seer stones, ritual practices, magic circles, guardian spirits, and buried treasures hidden in hills. In the earliest recollections of Moroni and the gold plates, the similarities become difficult to ignore. In this episode we examine: Moroni as a possible “treasure guardian” Joseph Smith’s use of...

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 a conversation about people being “offended” or simply losing belief. It’s about something deeper. Clemens’ research reveals that for many, the damage isn’t tied to a single moment—but to years of subtle conditioning. Messages about worthiness, identity, obedience, and belonging begin...

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

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!

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 his typical Jacob Hansen obfuscation, and neither are we! We are left with the question of why is it that Jacob Hansen wants to defend Mormonism while being completely unwilling to talk about Mormonism itself. You won’t want to miss this one!

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

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 that blurred the line between obedience to leaders and loyalty to God. We talk about the Baker–Fancher wagon train, why they were targeted, and how a situation that could have ended peacefully turned into something far worse. We break down the massac...

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 developments of that story, particularly how Jaxon Washburn has chosen to thrust himself to the forefront of the controversy by writing and then cross-posting an inflammatory and defamatory blog about the situation. Joining us tonight on the panel are Kolby Reddish, Randall Bell, and poss...

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!

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 apologists. This one you won’t want to miss!

Original Video of RFM’s  “They Can’t Handle The Truth”

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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 part of the story behind the revelation. From there, we zoom out and examine the broader 19th-century health movements already shaping ideas about diet, stimulants, and self-control. Figures like Sylvester Graham and the growing temperance movement weren’t fringe—they were mainstream. And their...

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 best within the framework of performative spell-casting by a treasure-seeking Joseph Smith. Radio Free Mormon shares his perspective on how this framework also fits astonishing well when laid alongside the LDS Temple endowment ceremony. Joseph Smith’s ceremonial magic is with Mormonism late and...

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 and explore what it meant then, and the fallout it still has today!

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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!

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 self-worth. Teachings about “Lamanites,” skin color, righteousness, and divine lineage weren’t abstract ideas—they were personal, and often deeply painful. We talk through: What it means to be labeled a “Lamanite” in a modern world with DNA evidence The psychological weight of doctrines tied to skin col...

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 in the Book of Mormon than being put there by ancient American Jews whom DNA studies show didn’t exist. This is an episode you will want to not only watch, but share with your friends and family! The more we study the Book of Mormon...

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 will be going over our favorite parts of the twenty-episode series, together with what Kolby’s computer AI program can tell us by breaking down all sixty-plus hours of content! This will be a great send-off to Austin Fife and his aptly named “Lite on...

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 excommunication proceeding! This is a show you won’t want to miss!

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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 for why members lose their faith. These explanations often frame departure as the result of deception, pride, sin, offense, or the influence of Satan. Tonight we take a careful look at those teachings. We explore what Church leaders have said historically, how those ideas...

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 happy about the thrashing RFM gives his theory. After this episode, the only thing that will be left of Ostler’s “Expansion Theory” is a mushroom-shaped cloud on the horizon. Don’t miss this one!

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!