YouTube

Latest Videos from Outgrowing Mormonism on YouTube

While I was still a fully believing TBM, a close friend called me and told me his shelf had broken. He brought up things like the rock in the hat, and the Book of Abraham translation. Honestly… I wasn’t phased. Of course Mormonism sounded unbelievable. It was supposed to. I viewed Mormonism like two puzzles: One was the physical puzzle — the historical evidence, the contradictions, the archaeology, the translation issues. The other was the spiritual puzzle — happiness, morality, meaning, purpose, principles, the feeling that the story “fit together.” As long as the spiritual puzzle worked, it didn’t bother me that the physical one didn’t. I assumed the answers would come later. My shelf felt unbreakable. But eventually the spiritual puzzle stopped fitting too. That’s when things changed. I didn’t just deconstruct Mormonism historically — I outgrew it philosophically. Video referenced: https://youtu.be/UP8NRgWtPaE?si=L017LLQdY-isGY2q Historian Dan Vogel on all three shelf items: Seer Stone https://youtu.be/uawcYN-O8t4?si=ualWLRblZT_8Hn6r Book of Abraham https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjxwXGB2KzRaejlyYHN1Lm9qDYmUpGgQw&si=1btqgW91OZHqzHBY First Vision https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjxwXGB2KzRYW4_WgycBuAerb3pGPog7R&si=vnvXGTEhYqRIDCex
Why My Mormon Shelf Was Unbreakable
For most of my life, I believed the LDS model of truth worked like this: God speaks to prophets, prophets teach us, and the Holy Ghost confirms the truth. But what happens when prophets contradict each other? What happens when doctrines change? What happens when teachings once defended as eternal truth become embarrassing relics of the past? In this episode, I argue that the deeper issue is not simply that prophets make mistakes — it’s that prophetic authority itself is fundamentally anti-objective. #lds #deconstruction Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/ezra-taft-benson/fourteen-fundamentals-following-prophet/ The letter to Eugene England https://www.eugeneengland.org/a-professor-and-apostle-correspond-eugene-england-and-bruce-r-mcconkie-on-the-nature-of-god BH Roberts quote on doctrine https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Question:_How_does_the_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints_establish_new_doctrine%3F Here is a structured breakdown of the video into clean, logical chapters with timestamps: ​00:00 — Introduction: Objectivity vs. Revelation ​The Core Debate: Introducing the fundamental tension between an objective reality discovered through human reason and the LDS doctrine of modern prophets receiving knowledge through revelation. ​The Anti-Objective Model: Why relying on revelation inherently steps away from reality-based context, shifting instead toward mysticism or absolute obedience to authority. ​00:02:30 — Managing Revelation in Early Church History ​The Problem of Multiple Revelations: How early Christianity and early Mormonism both faced the dilemma of everyone receiving personal revelations, requiring an institutional "canon" to filter them. ​The Hiram Page Incident: Exploring the 1830 conflict where Hiram Page claimed revelations through a seer stone, forcing Joseph Smith to establish exclusive prophetic authority. ​00:04:38 — The Need for a Prophetic Framework ​Emerging Contradictions: How historical shifts and past theological doctrines (like the Adam-God theory, polygamy, and priesthood bans) forced the institution to create explanations for why prophets occasionally err. ​00:05:34 — Model 1: The Living Prophet Supersedes Scripture ​The Infallible Mouthpiece: An examination of the belief that the current, living prophet is God’s active mouthpiece, carrying greater weight than past scripture or dead prophets. ​Brigham Young’s View: Discussing an anecdote from Ezra Taft Benson's "14 Fundamentals" talk where Brigham Young physically sets down the scriptures to emphasize the supremacy of the "living oracles." ​00:09:39 — Model 2: The Consensus of the Top 15 ​Institutional Harmony: Moving away from individual statements to a democratic/institutional model, where true doctrine must be consistently taught in unison by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve. ​00:12:20 — Model 3: Prophets Speaking as Men & The Circular Logic ​Anchored in Scripture: Reviewing the viewpoint of theologians like B.H. Roberts and Bruce R. McConkie, who argued that church leaders can teach false doctrines as personal opinions, meaning true doctrine must only be anchored to the canonized standard works. ​The Self-Defeating Loop: Why the concept of "he was only speaking as a man" creates a circular, unobjective loop of authority. ​00:19:44 — Objective Principles vs. Divine Edicts ​Induction from Reality: Using the concept of honesty to contrast an objective principle (learned naturally through its real-world consequences) with a top-down commandment. ​The Complexity of Commandments: How a commandment-based system can cause morality to work against itself, using historical examples of early church polygamy and secrecy. ​00:25:08 — Personal Reflections and Moving Beyond the Checklist ​Encountering Past Doctrines: Sharing a personal mission experience discovering old prophetic teachings on birth control, which began the process of questioning uncritical belief. ​The "Gospel Checklist": Looking back at a life driven by compartmentalized tasks (tithing, callings, home teaching) rather than integrated critical thinking. ​00:28:40 — Conclusion: Finding Peace in Intellectual Honesty ​Embracing Objectivity: How letting go of the need to filter life through prophetic edicts brought genuine peace. ​Final Thoughts: A closing invitation to prioritize intellectual honesty and objective reality above the requirement to follow institutional leaders.
Prophets Are Anti-Objectivity
The Holy Ghost is framed as a tool for personal truth, but the method is designed so that it's not actually possible to get disconfirmation. If your personal revelation differs from the prophets, you are told you are wrong, which effectively replaces individual guidance with institutional obedience. Watch this video about competing spiritual confirmation https://youtu.be/ycUvC9s4VYA?si=v9TnnSHeU6fPJSri ​Video Chapters ​[00:00] Introduction: Epistemology and Certainty Jeff introduces the concept of the "LDS epistemology of knowing" and how the promise of individual certainty through the Holy Ghost can paradoxically lead to blind obedience. ​[01:27] The "Bait and Switch" and "Package Deal" An explanation of how the Holy Ghost is presented as an individual guide (the bait) but comes attached to a requirement to follow church orthodoxy and prophets (the switch). ​[02:48] The "Package Deal" of Moroni’s Promise A breakdown of the logic used in the LDS faith: if the Book of Mormon is true, then Joseph Smith is a prophet, and therefore the current LDS church is the only true church. ​[05:12] The Doctrine of Prophetic Infallibility Quotes from church leaders like Brigham Young and Wilford Woodruff asserting that the Lord would "sweep" a prophet from the earth before allowing them to lead the members astray. ​[08:45] Stewardship and "False Revelation" A discussion on how personal revelation is invalidated if it contradicts church leaders, citing Elder Oaks on the dangers of "concocting" answers or receiving "false revelation." [11:01] ​[12:37] Comparing Spiritual Witnesses Across Faiths Examples of individuals in other religions (Islam) or even cults (Heaven's Gate) who describe receiving the exact same spiritual "witness" or feelings of certainty to validate conflicting beliefs. [14:27] ​[17:33] Gaining a Testimony by Bearing It An analysis of the LDS practice of "finding" a testimony by speaking it out loud, and how this acts as a form of self-persuasion that bypasses critical thinking. [18:06] ​[19:48] Conclusion: Reason vs. Feeling Final thoughts on the importance of staying objective and using reason as a guide when deconstructing faith.
The uncomfortable truth about the Holy Ghost
Is there a scripture in the Doctrine and Covenants that leads to outgrowing Mormonism? Doctrine and Covenants 130 verse 20 and 21 contains a principle that is powerful enough to replace LDS doctrine. Watch my video about the Anti-angency theme running throughout the Book of Mormon https://youtu.be/si0BanF7ffw?si=rdFX5upAL3dnBHs4 ​[00:00] Introduction: The Power of a Single Scripture ​[00:44] Outgrowing Mormonism: Reason vs. Faith ​[01:25] From Childhood Faith to Advanced Theology ​[02:40] D&C 130: 20-21: The Law of Predicated Blessings ​[04:20] The Faith-to-Principles Spectrum ​[05:13] Does God Create the Law? Examining LDS Theology ​[07:32] Is it Really a "Blessing from God" if it's Law-Based? ​[08:49] Announcement: Upcoming Book "The Crack in the Foundation" ​[09:35] The Vikings Example: The Danger of Blind Faith ​[12:26] Biblical Examples of Faith as a Virtue (Nephi & Abraham) ​[13:57] Living in an Objective, Lawful Universe ​[14:36] The Impact on Prayer: Asking for Principles, Not Miracles ​[17:35] Questioning Revelation and the Holy Ghost ​[18:08] The Atonement and the Separation of Cause and Effect ​[19:57] How Principles Undo the Doctrine ​[20:50] Conclusion and Final Thoughts
The scripture in the D&C that leads you out of Mormonism
Why is the LDS church suing John Dehlin and Mormon stories podcast? Is the answer in the Book of Mormon stories of Korihor and Sherem? What we can learn about the worldview of LDS theology from the lawsuit. https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/getting-it-right-clarifying-trademark-branding-concerns?fbclid=Iwb21leARYfJ5jbGNrBFh8mWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHu3wNilkwW4SzQwAxh9DlqxGJA-2rwjOoJCwCxQx7ofbVH_R7xzi0D8JtKCO_aem_X1UDz_2S4zVbPzKErkQRgw Other relevant videos: Mormon Stories https://www.youtube.com/live/WFepk2ZoJtQ?si=iRxrjMbbbHsipTUU Radio Free Mormon https://youtu.be/48YU3VS4xDg?si=k8PPs6Z-2eUNVEbx Mormonism with the Murph https://youtu.be/Jv1v-stcKh4?si=5twhgmw2IDGkh__h The Legal Case and Official Stance ​[00:00] Introduction: Host Jeff introduces the topic: why the LDS church is suing John Dehlin and what it reveals about their worldview and epistemology (how truth is known). ​[02:58] The Church's Media Statement: Analysis of the "Getting It Right" statement, where the church claims the lawsuit is about preventing brand confusion and protecting trademarks rather than silencing criticism. ​[06:28] The Issue of Disclaimers: Discussion on why mediation failed. The church requested a specific verbal disclaimer at the start of every podcast, which Dehlin reportedly found to be an excessive requirement. ​Scriptural Parallels and LDS Epistemology ​[10:40] The LDS Worldview: Jeff argues that to understand the church's actions, one must look at Book of Mormon stories involving "anti-Christs" like Korihor and Sherem. ​[11:39] The Story of Korihor (Alma 30): An examination of how the LDS scriptures portray dangerous ideas. In this worldview, truth is not found through pure reason but through "hearing the word" and feeling the Spirit. ​[15:11] The Story of Sherem (Jacob 7): How negative ideas are portrayed as things that must be shut down to allow "correct" ideas to flourish. Sherem is struck down by God to end the confusion he caused. ​Philosophical Conflict: Faith vs. Reason ​[19:04] Protecting the "Correct" Facts: The theological justification for avoiding critical sources. The church's system prioritizes "faith-promoting" information over "informed consent." ​[19:40] Mormon Stories vs. Church Strategy: John Dehlin’s approach of "informed consent" (knowing all facts before committing) directly clashes with the LDS approach of "milk before meat" (hearing only specific facts to build a testimony). ​[22:31] Conclusion and Final Question: The host asks viewers to consider whether truth is known by looking at objective reality and avoiding contradictions, or by recognizing the "voice of the Spirit."
The theological reason the LDS church is suing Mormon Stories
When I was a believing Latter-day Saint I believed that without God morality was impossible. But in a universe governed by natural laws morality is based on principles. Deeper dive on the atonement https://youtu.be/hpE_PcyrTAo?si=_YP2-22GKj3dnU0r The Avett Brothers - The Perfect Space https://youtu.be/iE-KqlFt5QI?si=I4KlZnEzcB-zyiVf
Is morality possible without God?
Breaking down the debate on the Trinity between Jacob Hansen and Godlogic without watching it. You can watch it here: https://youtu.be/dncG6E4EQ20?si=ZCekV1y2p-Kt3Wl9 https://youtu.be/Vk3J_d4D_GM?si=nAF6h-U2lPOHRXvM Leonard Peikoff Intro to Logic course https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqsoWxJ-qmMtr7i6D_yvSpPC-hTOzdWas&si=8ls1zRzIyBoRn1ko
Breaking down the debate on the Trinity Jacob Hansen and GodLogic
As a former lifelong member of the LDS church I thought I understood how a testimony was gained. The most important thing isn't faith, it's the Holy Ghost. But maybe I was wrong. In an online debate a faithful member made me rethink the way I always saw faith and testimony. Links Atlas Shrugged https://a.co/d/072w0jmE Alma 32 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/alma/32?lang=eng Moroni 10 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/moro/10?lang=eng 13 Articles of Faith https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/article/articles-of-faith ​[00:00] Introduction: Is Faith a Virtue? The speaker introduces the central questions regarding faith, its role in theology, and the transition from a "happy" Latter-day Saint theology to a life guided by reason. ​[01:36] The "Trial of Faith" Discussion Reflecting on a debate with a believer about whether a testimony can only be gained after a trial of faith, and why this concept never sat right with the speaker. ​[02:16] Encounter with a Baptist Preacher A personal story about meeting a Baptist preacher while preparing for an LDS mission, highlighting the differences in how different faiths approach the "mental ascent" of belief. ​[08:08] "Redeem Your Mind" - Lessons from John Galt The speaker discusses the impact of Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged and the idea that surrendering the mind to faith or authority is a dangerous error. ​[09:21] Knowing vs. Believing: The Role of the Holy Ghost An explanation of how the speaker previously viewed the Holy Ghost as a source of evidence and "knowing" rather than just blind faith. ​[12:05] The Equivocation of Faith and Faithfulness A breakdown of the difference between "faith" (belief without evidence) and "faithfulness" (integrity and loyalty to values). ​[14:19] Losing the Debate: The Articles of Faith The speaker explains why he "lost" the debate, pointing to LDS scripture and the 4th Article of Faith, which explicitly places faith as the first principle. ​[15:49] Alma 32 and the Experiment of Faith An analysis of the "plant the seed" analogy in the Book of Mormon and how it encourages a "desire to believe" as a starting point. ​[18:06] The Candle of the Lord: Bearing a Testimony to Get One A discussion of Boyd K. Packer's teaching that a testimony is found in the act of bearing it, which the speaker views as a "leap of faith." ​[19:26] Rationalism vs. Reality The speaker defines "rationalism" in this context as making internal connections between ideas (like eternal families or the atonement) without anchoring them to objective reality. ​[22:23] Final Thoughts: The Responsibility of Judgment A concluding appeal to viewers to prioritize reason and personal judgment over faith, even when it is difficult.
I lost the debate on faith with a believing Latter-day Saint
For most of my life I believed that the Holy Ghost was the key to knowledge. I had excepted the belief that my LDS testimony was based on revelation by the Holy Ghost. But was it actually based on rationalizations that I had accepted? "Was my testimony based on the Holy Ghost or rationalizations?", here are the chapters with their corresponding timestamps and summaries: ​[00:00:00] Introduction: Faith vs. Reason The speaker introduces his journey from believing the Holy Ghost was the ultimate arbiter of truth to realizing his testimony was largely built on rationalizations and arguments. ​[00:02:02] Overview of the Five Arguments A quick listing of the five key ideas used to bolster religious testimony: the argument for design, the atonement, eternal families/the word of wisdom, the Book of Mormon, and the concept of the Holy Ghost itself. ​[00:03:28] 1. The Argument for Design An exploration of the "Watchmaker" analogy and Alma 30. The speaker explains why he found this convincing until he compared it to the King Follett discourse, which places the laws of the universe above God. ​[00:08:16] 2. The Atonement A look at the presupposition that humanity is inherently imperfect and needs Jesus. The speaker questions if "saving" someone from the consequences of their actions is logically sound or a form of magic thinking. ​[00:10:40] 3. Eternal Families and the Word of Wisdom The speaker discusses how "obvious" these concepts seem to believers. He critiques the Word of Wisdom's historical context and views the "sealing" power as a tool of authoritarianism. ​[00:15:02] 4. The Miraculous Book of Mormon Addressing the claim that the book’s origin is too complex for Joseph Smith to have invented. The speaker applies the principle of the "burden of proof" to these positive claims. ​[00:17:02] 5. The Holy Ghost as a Circular Method The speaker argues that the process of "feeling the spirit" is circular: you must accept the method before you try it, and you use the method to prove the method is true. ​[00:18:48] Orthodoxy vs. Personal Reason A concluding thought on how these arguments are designed to lead a person to trust prophets over their own individual judgment. ​[00:19:43] Conclusion and Call to Action The speaker asks viewers for their feedback on whether their own testimonies are based on these arguments or spiritual "heavy lifting."
Was my testimony based on the Holy Ghost or rationalizations?
Subscribe