That hits hard! I think there's a lot of victim-blaming that occurs when someone leaves any group. Those still in that group want an easy way to write off their reasons so that they don't have to actually confront their own doubts. Doubts are uncomfortable; groupthink is comfortable because it allows us to outsource our thinking.

What would you call yourself now?

@@ShiftStormPodcast that's true, I just had that conversation with my aunt who is now exmo after 60 years! In the end I love the Mormon family that I have and take the hits because I understand it's the power of group think. I don't resent my upbringing because in the end it brought me to being saved as a born again Christian ✝️❤️ I have been saved for over a year now. Praise God! I actually do a Tiktok on the differences on Mormonism and Christianity it's called Thrice_Ministry I'm working through the articles of faith right now. Thank you for giving Josh a platform to tell his story. I like to say it's the best polished cultish religion out there so it flys under the radar.

@@laracroftismyhomegirl that's awesome! I'm gonna follow you. I'm @madcowan on TikTok

@@ShiftStormPodcast Thank you! Can't wait to see more of your content!

@@smaug3045 man that’s tough. Realizing that so much of what you spent your time and life decisions on is not something you believe has got to be earth shaking. And complicated when you have kids still in it. What would you describe yourself as now, if anything?

@ShiftStormPodcast Not interested in religion, still believe life has a purpose, and there is a higher being, whatever we call him/her. I keep my mind open, but I will not join any organised religion.

Jesus was the founder of the Catholic church , join them , no Mormon underwear 😂

@lloyddouglas3650 I was Catholic before I became a Mormon, just another man made religion, and going by its history probably even worse than Mormonism.

@@lloyddouglas3650 no, actually, Jesus was the founder of his own church, then the Catholic Church came along about 300 years after his death. Catholicism is nothing more than a man-made religion.

It seems really tough because mormonism is sooo often directly tied to the family structure. Leaving mormonism seems to be like leaving your family. What would you call yourself now?

The fact that people live for an afterlife that is unproven was one of the reasons why I was never an active member after I left my parent's home. It's just one more thing about Mormonism that doesn't ad up. In my opinion, it is the height of immorality to prey upon people's fear of death for monetary gain. It makes me want to vomit when I hear those corporate piece of shit "general authorities" and other muckity mucks talking about morality. They know nothing about true morality.

@@ShiftStormPodcast it make no sense to abandon the race before even crossing over the finish line when you see the finish line is in sight. That is why the lamps of all the foolish went out one by one and left them in to walk in darkness. The Savior said this was going to happen to the foolish that the light of their lamps will go out and it will be one by one that they will go out if they fail to fill their lamps to keep them burning.

I'm not sure if telling a spouse to choose marriage or religion is exactly the route to go. My husband and I were both raised LDS. He never returned to church after we were married. Our children were raised LDS, married in the temple and are active. Their children are baptized. I spent 40 years begging God to give my husband that "miraculous change of heart" so he would return to church and we could be that Celestial couple. He respected my decision to associate with the Church. It took 40 years for my shelf to fall and it's still falling. My advice is please be patient with your husband. It takes a lifetime to release yourself of all this heavy heavy indoctrination. Love him for who he is when you fell in love. Love him for how he honors you as his wife and the mother of your children.

@@pattyotterstrom3179 The Church is teaching the truth. See Eccl 3:6. Everything God does is forever. That's why the Church has an eternal perspective.

You can personally attest to the fact that for its members, the CULT COMES FIRST. The Mormon ("Church") cult very effectively/heavily indoctrinates in members to shun/vilify any member (who comes to her/his senses, and pulls the plug on the cult).

@@UnderSprayedWhiteSkies Oh yea and remember "it is wrong to criticize leaders of the church even if the criticism is true"

We're always glad to see the weak dross and offal leave the church. It makes us stronger and really seems to make the posers happy. Thanks for your absence.

It's a cult.

We're always glad to see the weak dross and offal leave the church. It makes us stronger and really seems to make the posers happy. Thanks for your absence.

@@JohnDLee-im4lo, you wouldn't know the truth if it hit u in the face. Read your bible. Your so called prophets aren't prophets,,😄😇

True to their bank account, racism, misogny, and covering up sins of leaders, massive ones.

@@mortenle what was the straw that broke the camels back for you?

@@Gideonslc ok that’s interesting! I find those garment rules fascinating. Are you still Mormon

@ShiftStormPodcast nope. Mostly Agnostic. I put God as a cat lover in Schrodinger's box quietly playing, in life & death, with the cat.

We're always glad to see the weak dross and offal leave the church. It makes us stronger and really seems to make the posers happy. Thanks for your absence.

Thanks for sharing. I think questioning your beliefs is so hard but so important. My own experience has been that it only leads to good things; either releasing myself from beliefs that were not serving the truth, or by strengthening my convictions. What are some of the things you're questioning?

There's nothing to question.

@@RichardHolmes-ll8ii can you elaborate? Are you saying that truth shouldn’t be questioned?

​@@ShiftStormPodcastTruth can't be questioned. As truth triumphs faith.

@@RichardHolmes-ll8ii what do you mean “truth triumphs faith “?

We're always glad to see the weak dross and offal leave the church. It makes us stronger and really seems to make the posers happy. Thanks for your absence.

@@williamburns7354 interesting! Do you think there’s any value in “real” Christians getting up and sharing their testimonies?

@@ShiftStormPodcastI think they are some similarities among non denominational Protestants a lot less in the major denominations. But remember you are comparing two different books. Mormans are trying to convince themselves on the revelations of Joseph Smith (his three books) and their subsequent prophets. Christians are attesting to the truth of 2000 year old gospels without any revealator that came after the death of the last apostle to Christ. So all the revelations that formed Christian doctrine two thousand years ago ended with the death of the last apostle. That is referred to as public Revelation. Christians and their leaders can have private revelations but they cannot be codified into Christian doctrine. In Mormonism it’s the inverse. It’s central to their beliefs that the living Mormon apostles private revelations can amend or completely change doctrine

@@jasonvesmam7044 what put you over the edge?

@@ShiftStormPodcast radio free mormon

@@jasonvesmam7044 sounds like that podcast is shaking up a lot of people

Sounds like groupthink, right shiftstorm?

@@Lovethisguy-kf1ku only if they’re blindly believing everything that podcast says, rather than being prompted to research and think critically for themselves.

@@jessiesagucio3387 I personally can’t come back, cause I was never LDS 😉

@@lynnjohns4650 is this the comment you were looking for? ☝🏾

I’m sorry that you see it that way. I always thought it was pretty clear that fast offerings were what was used to help the poor and needy. Tithing is for “building the kingdom”…whatever that looks like.

Tithes fund our subterranean city salt town.go go team zion

Galations 1:8

We're always glad to see the weak dross and offal leave the church. It makes us stronger and really seems to make the posers happy. Thanks for your absence.

@@solitairesmith3553 what put you over the edge

@ShiftStormPodcast I was a convert. My ex husband is Iranian. My son is half . My son was told in seminary class in Utah that he could be white when he gets to heaven. Also 2 girls his age at church told him that he wasn't supposed to be at church. If I had been told the TRUTHabout what mormons believe when I was taking the lessons I NEVER WOULD HAVE JOINED. Also when I went to the bishop for a reasonable answer I was told to "pray about it". I mean wtf does that mean. If I don't get an answer does that mean God doesn't want me or my son? Just saying...

@@solitairesmith3553 wow, that’s wild… yeah that would be pretty concerning!!

@@1god126 whatcha promoting

@@ShiftStormPodcast or you can download the video and upload it to your channel free no copyright no license no fee just add a link to my channel I'm not here trying to make money I'm here trying to make heaven 🤗

@@John-uq7uu what about the prophets who contradict each other?

What you're saying makes sense only if you assume that (a) all churches and their values are based on fear of the after-life, (b) a non-living thing (such as the sun) dying is the same as a living thing (a human) dying, and (c) there is no after-life. While you're free to believe that there is no after-life, I would challenge your second two assumptions, since not all churches have fear-based values, and using the sun dying is a false equivalency. That said, Josh has yet to join any other church.

@@rodrigolopez9286 what are some of the things you’ve found that have affirmed your faith

Same here. I feel that it helped a lot more when I experienced a family member leave the Church of Jesus Christ. It helped me to better understand how God is the one in control of His own plan and that we can trust our loved ones into his hands. I started asking myself the same questions this person asked himself, and it lead me to a stronger testimoy of the restored gospel. It also was a good reminder that no matter what anybody says, being true or false, as human beings we easily interpret it our own way or the way others have told us to interpret. I am so grateful for the gosper of Jesus Christ and the principle of faith, that no matter where we go, as long as we do our best to follow Jesus Christ, he will make all things work to our favor. We can trust him, and learn to trust him more and learn of his ways by experience. Just like the example of Peter, that he received his testimony not from man but of God who is in heaven. Sorry for the long response, reading your comment was a great opportunity to remember and ponder on these experiences again and have the Holy Ghost testifiy of them to me once more. I think we all really need these sort of experiences more often. Thanks!

@@Zorroinstillingorthodoxy it sounds kind of like you’re saying you’re Mormon but don’t believe in Mormonism?

@@ShiftStormPodcast Exactly, but I instill Oriental Orthodoxy into my ward, specifically Armenian.

@@ShiftStormPodcast Exactly, but I instill Oriental Orthodoxy into my ward, specifically Armenian.

When I’m assigned to give the spiritual thought in ward council, I also make sure to infuse some oriental orthodoxy into the meeting, and I frequently present the message in Armenian when at all possible.

@@Lovethisguy-kf1ku Holy Guacamole, I have a double. Hallelujah!!

@@jonathanduran8669 did you convert as an adult? I’d like to hear more about your story

@@ShiftStormPodcast I did, I was 26 years old in my last years in university. I was one of those folks who had the missionaries knock on their door. I was Catholic and I thought I was very knowledgeable in the gospel, so I thought I would teach the missionaries a thing or two. Boy was I wrong. haha one of the first questions I remember them asking me was, "have you ever thought about where you come from, where you're going and why we are here"? I loved conversations about philosophy and religion, so I was hooked. I started reading the Book of Mormon and continued these discussions. When I finally was willing to truly let God lead me through the power of the Holy Ghost, I received an answer to whether what I was learning was true. It was the first time I truly felt the power of the Holy Ghost in my life as a response to a prayer. I've grown in my testimony since then. I love studying the Bible and seeing how the restored gospel truly addresses everything therein. It truly is the most biblically sound faith that I have ever learned of.

@@jonathanduran8669are you on Instagram? I’d like to connect with you. You can find me at @shiftstormpodcast or @madcowan on IG

@@ShiftStormPodcast sure thing! I have IG I just followed your Mad Cowan one

@@jonathanduran8669 sweet I followed you back. Gonna DM you

Thanks for the encouragement. Would you call yourself Christian or theist now or…?

@@ShiftStormPodcast It is a great challenge to trust another church or organization after being so deceived for so many years. Studying chaotic early Christianity and dubious origins of the Biblical text also make it very difficult to trust anything that is out there. Even the name Jesus Christ is not the correct name (maybe it doesn’t matter), but I now pray to “God” and I believe in the teachings of Yeshua which I believe do bear good fruit. I do believe that there is a designer and am still seeking to know Him or Her or It. 🙂 I believe this life is an experience and no longer believe it is a test. I do feel that sending out love and positive energy does tend to return. I’m reserving judgment on the hereafter until it happens. I guess I am still undecided as to whether I am a Deist or a Theist. Thanks again for the enlightening podcast.

The weak and confused eventually cut and run. It's hard to be a Mormon and they buckle. Easier to call it a cult and leave. Posers all.

How do you know anything about the Corperation when they have powerful lawyers and all thier dealing are to sacred to disclose

@@kevinmcdonald951 care to elaborate?

Chris here. I'm hesitant to speak on Josh's behalf regarding this point. I don't believe he specified that point during the interview. I think it's great that you and your wife have such a strong commitment and have had conversations around that. Do you believe that's a common attitude for LDS couples?

@@ShiftStormPodcast (Ive just subscribed) Thanks for the reply Chris, I'll make the most of you conversing with the little people whilst you grow your Channel 😃 To answer your question I don't think that ours is a typical attitude, ironically it is our union that the Church teaches is most important. I was recently released as an EQP and it is clear as day that I am not flavour of the month because I question. I recognise the need for faith in my life but critical thinking and faith are not always good bed fellows. Years ago (Still EQP) in an interview with a high counsellor I shared how unfulfilled I felt, serving in church, the same old tread mill, serving I love, people I love, institution not so much. I differ from a lot of people like Josh, in that I believe Joseph, as more and more information is coming to light it is clear as day that there was a lot going on behind the scenes in Joseph's times. Another irony for me is that if Joseph Smith did the things even the church claim he did, he would not be a man of God. There are a lot of people (local) I consider friends who are doing their best, but they will not even entertain that they could be wrong on anything, and that is a very dangerous position to take on anything. I think the days are past that the church can control the narrative, and label people who leave the church as those who simply want to sin. Much respect to Josh though, its not an easy journey confronting the idea that 'one' has been deceived for most of their life, I am on that self same journey.

@@williamhaddock1838 Thanks for the honest and thoughtful response. AND the subscribe 🙂 I promise this channel is not out to attack LDS. I'm actually hoping to find someone who converted to LDS as an adult, and have them on some day. I love what you're saying about being willing to entertain doubts and challenges. Truth doesn't need to be protected from doubt; doubt is how we find truth! Pardon my ignorance; what is an EQP?

@@ShiftStormPodcast Another irony, 'We have a leader of the church who once said, 'If we have the Truth it cannot be harmed by investigation, if we have not the Truth it ought to be harmed'. J Ruben Clark

@@williamhaddock1838 well put! I’ve said something similar but I like the way this is worded

@@williamburns7354 I don’t think he was intentionally trying to avoid saying whether Mormonism was Christian. I think because he’s never been a Christian in the traditional sense, his frame of reference is coming from “what are the inherent issues with Mormonism” more than “how does it compare to Christianity”

People are people

The way the mormon holy spirit works is if you believe in the bible your a fool dishonest and insincere and if you believe in the book of mormon your a sincere honest person. No manipulation thier

@@mae-qt8hw not sure where you heard this from, but that couldn't be further from the truth. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (mormons) study the Old Testament each week for an entire year, then the following year we study the New Testament each week for an entire year. So I don't think anyone can honestly say what you just said being properly informed.

Galations 1:8 ,

@@lloyddouglas3650 good thing it's the same gospel :)

@@jonathanduran8669 that answer surprised me too haha, but I don’t have a lot of firsthand knowledge

Only those who pay get to play

@jonathanduran8669. Very few Mormons know the evolution of the temple endowment and its direct ties to masonry

It totally is true. If you are outside of Utah it isn’t nearly as common. Of course, every single member is strongly encouraged to go but a small % of the membership actually have temple recommends.

@@King_Puffleump I would love to see your data on that claim.

Records that native americans have kept hidden about Christ? Is that what you're saying?

We're always glad to see the weak dross and offal leave the church. It makes us stronger and really seems to make the posers happy. Thanks for your absence.

Thanks for leaving. The weak and confused cycle in and out of the church on a regular basis. As soon as they realize this faith will actually demand something from them, they weaken and then do the easiest thing...call it a cult and leave. Thanks again for your absence.

What about the other 10%?😂

@@philclegg8169 still working on finding answers. Why would that be funny. Do you know everything?

I wouldn’t think the Word of God would be a 90/10 operation. But it seems to work for tithing. One falsehood should be enough for a logical examination to make a conclusion.

@@philclegg8169 I agree, except I haven't found a falsehood in my faith yet.

@@jonathanduran8669 then you haven’t looked. 😂

The stolen valor Michael Parks strikes again. Still claiming you were a sniper, ranger and have many medals from the military Michael Parks? Still claiming you were a licensed therapist in the state of Oregon Michael Parks? Still claiming you are on the Oregon Scholarship Commission Michael Parks? Still claiming you are a "practicing attorney" Michael Parks? Funny how all of those are so easy to check and so easy to find none of which are true. Commenting on video you arent even man enough to watch, obsessing on people who left your hateful cult. Why is it you can leave the cult but the cult can never leave you alone?

It sounds like you're saying God is real, and religions are all false. Can you elaborate? Isn't belief in God a religious belief?

@@ShiftStormPodcast have you watched testimonies of people that had NDEs? You should and then you will know what I’m talking about

@@pabloareas2258 yes, I’ve known many people who have had that. Many would say that the NDE was a religious experience. I guess the question is in how to define religion, and why, if you do believe in God, you don’t believe that any religion can be true

@@ShiftStormPodcast religion is just a denomination, but it doesn’t mean that the context is true. Even satanist can be a religion, do they also hold the true?

@@pabloareas2258 no, I don’t think Satanism is true. But just because examples can be given of religions that are not true, does it logically follow that NONE are true?

What i find interesting about this is we see so many Bishops and above getting arrested for committing child crimes. Ok you could say "that's just some bad apples" and the church does tell you take that approach, problem is LDS can''t take that approach. The church claims all its leaders have the power of "Discernment" which the church teaches allows them to "know the true nature about a person or situation". Heck, you have meet with bishops and they say "the spirit testified" on your behalf to become a leader, they have to for you to get the position. That magical power is why the LDS church refuses to conduct criminal background checks like most other churches. The problem is, the vast number of bishops who have been arrested started committing the sex crimes before their last meeting with a bishop. Heck in the case of Michael Adam Davis, he was a REGISTERED sex offender and your church put him in the position of "elders quorum president" and had him watching over children. No shock at all he re-offended. So is it this power doesnt exist as the church claims it does, or is it your "god" doesnt know about he crimes these people are committing. Heck the number of LDS missionaries getting busted is extremely high, and yet this "god" doesnt seem to know about it. Bishops like (just to name a few) Bishop George William Aaron Bishop Tevita Hoihoi Mounga Bishop John Goodrich Bishop Terry George Allen Bishop James Hayes Bishop Keither richard Price Bishop Scott Dale Owen Bishop Scott Alan Darrington Bishop Douglas Stoddard Bishop Floyd C Jennings Bishop Shawn Tyler Mortensen Bishop Geoffrey James Powell Bishop Marvin Ross Harker Bishop Donnie Rue Boring Bishop Carl Matthew Johnson Bishop Stewart Allsford Bishop Shawn Cory Gooden Bishop Scott Elvin Phister Bishop Geoffrey James Powell Bishop Donald Ray Tolman Bishop Keith Lorraine Gillins Bishop Keith Richard Price Bishop Richard Blaine Sampson Bishop James Hayes Bishop Luis Gonzales Bishop Glendon Templeton Bishop Keith Robert Vallejo Bishop Fleming Westover Bishop James Haskell Bishop George William Aaron Bishop Paul Douglas Burdick Bishop Arlo Kay Atkin Bishop Stewart Allsford Bishop Gordon Brent Bodily Bishop Gary Reese Bishop Allen Brinkerhoff Bishop Charles John "Chuck" Blome Bishop Ron Phelps Bishop David James Gomez Bishop Chester Lewis Meek Bishop Arlo Atkins Bishop Rex Furness Bishop Clerk Bruce A. McAskill Bishop Lon Harvey Kennard Bishop Luis Gonzales Bishop David Maxwell Bishop Paul William Newman Bishop James Denos Bishiop Michael Lynn Bronson Bishop Spencer Dixon Bishop Errol Kent Pilling Bishop Alberto Reyes Bishop Joseph Neipp Nicholas Pierre Faivre Bishop Dylan Kevin Whiting Bishop James Douglas Robinson Bishop David N. Moss Bishop Francis Heber Fuller Bishop Jefferey Head Bishop Steven Berry Bishop Martin Joseph MacNeill Bishop Samuel H. Gardner Bishop Steven Murdock Bishop Todd Michael Edwards Bishop Timothy McCleve Bishop Paul Burdick Bishop Lon Kennard, Sr Bishop Michael Wayne Coleman

@@kenziek6707 Our child's seminary teacher was a sex offender whom Salt Lake and the local ward and stake leadership all knew about. Santa Maria Ca 2nd ward---Michael Shean. He got away with his crimes for ten years, and was finally caught and sent to prison.

@@carolyearsley That was scary when I started looking up the number of sex crimes against children the LDS church covered up. Of the crimes with like tier bishops above, most of them the lds church tried covering up.

Wow! That's impressive. Do you have a link to that review?

Well in that case I guess that settles it. Thanks Berkeley! Now we can just ignore the myriad of other problems with it.

​@@ShiftStormPodcastType "Word Print Studies Of the Book of Mormon FairLatterDaySaints"

​@@FancifulflyfishermanOther problems??

@@RichardHolmes-ll8ii are you serious? The one problem with the BOM of which you are aware is whether it was written by one person or many? And one stylometric test outcome is enough to just settle the matter? If you don’t know about other problems I’ll refer you to BH Robert’s ‘Studies of the Book of Mormon’, a Mormon apostle wrote it so you should feel perfectly safe reading it as it is not an ‘anti-Mormon’ author. And that is just a start.

@@TraceyWhitehead-j2l what do you mean?

@@ileneperry6609 do you think Mormonism is the only religion that teaches those things? And if it is the only religion that teaches those particular morals, does that make it true?

@@ShiftStormPodcast I'm sure there are other people and organizations that teach these things, but these are only some of the benefits of living the teachings of the LDS church, they are not what make it true. It is true, because it was restored by God to Joseph Smith. Through him, the priesthood and doctrines of God were restored, that one needs to learn and live true principles here in this life, and be able to return to the presence of God in the next life with the ability to gain all that the father has.

@@jonathanduran8669 to be fair, he stopped praying AFTER his crisis of faith, not during. He was no longer a believer, so he could no longer pray in sincerity. He was praying consistently prior to that.

@@ShiftStormPodcast I guess what I meant was that he gave up seeking truth of those things he heard on those anti-LDS sites. That's something I would strongly recommend against. We are blessed with so many resources and answers to questions. I can confidently say that there is an explanation or answer to the questions that led Josh away. I do wonder if he was presented with those, if he still would have walked away. As a note, Radio Free Mormon and Mormon Stories are full of easily debunkable claims. Feel free to ask me about any of them.

@@vusicindi1609 what makes you think he believes in a cult now

@@danreich4320 that’s what everyone says from the outside of a cultish group. But there are a lot of factors in these situations that impact the process

@@ShiftStormPodcast It just goes to show how completely brainwashed they become that it takes 13 years to unravel all of it.

@@danreich4320 perhaps though I’d be willing to bet that most of us have beliefs that others would look at and think it’s ridiculous that we could hold them in our head for 5 seconds.

@@ShiftStormPodcast sorry but I seriously doubt that. Mormonism is a complete distortion of reality. In order to accept it you have to believe something is true that in reslity is absolutely and verifiably false. It isn’t simply just a matter of opinion where reasonable minds can differ.

@@ShiftStormPodcast you have to completely distort reality to believe in Mormonism. Are other beliefs like that? Or is it just a matter of opinion on other things?

@@elizabethburr2512 what do you see as some of the best evidence for LDS

@@ShiftStormPodcast I've answered this twice, and then I come back to read more comments and can't find my answers? Do you know what's going on?

@@elizabethburr2512 no! I haven’t seen any other comments from you! That’s really weird!

​@@elizabethburr2512 would you mind repeating it?

@@summerlake356 I will try. I am fascinated by criticisms of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I joined the faith when I was 18 and living in the middle of the Southern "Bible Belt." Local churches would offer classes on "saving Mormons" and I was witnessed to countless times while I was in college. I wanted to know where my friends were getting all of these ideas that were so different from my experiences. My favorite conversation was when a friend pulled me aside to ask if I was "really Mormon" because I was nothing like his pastor said I would be. I've done the best research I can, and I've concluded that neither side can prove their claims beyond a shadow of a doubt. I check references where I can, and I listen for agenda and bias in the words used. I've seen good and bad actors on both sides of the issue. I'm left with my own experiences, and my experiences have caused me to be a better person than I could have become on my own, brought me out of codependency into a healthy mental space, and given me a relationship with God that I couldn't find anywhere else. That's the evidence I base my membership on. I'm a little jaded about providing physical evidence. I've tried on other KZfaq videos and have been treated badly, to put it very mildly. I try to avoid those situations when I can. Instead, I will refer you to some places I go for the "church's side." (I'm leaving out the links, that may have been what got my previous answers "washed." I'll give enough info that you should be able to search.) 1. Fair Latter-day Saints: For years they were a questionable source, but the quality of the scholars and the scholarship on the site is improving. I also appreciate that I can check references in the footnotes. 2. Scripture Central has done some scholarly work on evidence, although their focus is more on understanding scripture. 3. Saints Unscripted (and now the new Keystone LDS channel) often touch on tough topics about the church, but they're not as scholarly. 4. Jared Halverson runs a KZfaq channel called "Unshaken." His channel is also about studying and pondering scripture, but he studied "anti-religious rhetoric" in divinity school. I don't know him personally, but he seems genuine and often mentions answering emails from people who have questions about church history. I think he is also a BYU professor. If you are interested about people who are "moving in the other direction," I've found two channels that I enjoy. (They do not cover historical evidence, but might be interesting.) 1. Come Back Podcast 2. Why I Stay Podcast (hosted by Lynzi Clyde) Both of these are KZfaq Channels. Channels critical of the church are pretty easy to find, so I didn't bother listing any.

How do you know which testimony is true and which isn’t? He had the “burning in the heart” type of confirmation, among other things. How does one know the difference?

@@ShiftStormPodcast "Burning in the heart" isn't a confirmation. It is evidence that something is worthy of exploration. A testimony that God lives and the Church is his isn't an extrapolation of belief. It is a declaration of truth. Either God lives or he doesn't. Either the Church is his or it isn't. It isn't a matter of reasoning, concluding, or echoing ones upbringing. Neither is it a matter of academics. It can only come by the intercession of Gods holy spirit, which awakens one to a remembrance of him, to know that he lives and is divine. And to know that true life is in him rather than in ones own self or life. It is my experience that that same spirit showed me in vision that the LDS Missionaries are his servants and that the Church in its entirety is his. The faults levied against the Church are irrelevant. One could levy as much against Judaism, the Bible, Christianity, or even against our own selves, family, friends or anyone. Such criticisms are all antichrist.

I'm actually looking to hear from converts to LDS who weren't raised in it. Would you be open to that?

Who are you to say others didn’t have a testimony? How dare you. Born & raised in $1TRILLION Mormon cult led by Q15 UT CON MEN for over 50+ yrs seeking $200k tithing refund, as our money was hoarded in $180 Billion stock market Ensign Peaks accts & used to buy real property, making it 2nd largest landowner in the nation!! Instead of giving it charitably, as we gave it. It should have been used to bless the hungry homeless diseased & dying. So much Blood on the hands of UT Mormon Q15 leadership! Jesus weeps at Mormon lack of generosity & charity!!

Where is my comment? Why are most replies yours?! Censored, yes?! How dare commentor question others’ testimony & how dare you censor comments. What BS.

@@bartonbagnes4605 that’s interesting, I hadn’t heard that angle before. Which signs does it fulfill that Jesus gave his followers?

@@ShiftStormPodcast I including many, though not all, of the reasons with the edit I decided to make. You can read them there.

@@bartonbagnes4605 thanks I’ll review the added info! If you have any citations that would be helpful for me in my research

Citations needed. My understanding…. LDS church lowest per capita humanitarian aid, the highest suicide rate in the world, lowest amount of historical truth told about its origins of virtually any organization on planet earth. GFY about that run on paragraph about why you think the church is ok. 40% come back. Nope. 80% children of LDS families are leaving today. Even if 40% come back (not true) that means half of kids both in the church leave. People who stay in the church are lazy learners. Everybody knows that.

Roflmao 🤣

He had lots of help from friends who were in on the con.

@@carolyearsley do you have evidence of that or is this just your hopeful opinion?

@@jonathanduran8669 His cousin Oliver Cowdery was involved, for one. Smith already knew many fanciful stories from his youth, from when he would entertain his family on long winter's nights. Also, he and others had access to libraries full of books about history, religion, etc. that had been brought over from England. He compiled, more than likely ahead of time, from many different sources. Even King Benjamin's speech is a knock off of the ones by the famous Methodist preacher Benjamin Abbott during the Second Great Awakening." It is not uncommon for authors to complete a book in that short of a time when they have done preliminary research and organization.

@@mae-qt8hw it’s one of the most popular logical fallacies: ad hominem

He was trying to hide it from the world. Fathering children with many women kinda blows up the ruse right? you never heard of the pull out method? even in the 1800s they knew to pull out. Also, abortifacients were in common usage in the 1800s. If brigham young, john taylor, heber kimball, lorenzo snow, etc ALL had many children with their many wives, why do you think Joseph's polygamous marriages didn't include sex?

His good friend Dr. John C. Bennett took care of the unwanted pregnancies.

@@carolyearsley I would love to see the evidence of that.

Thanks for sharing! What is it for you that confirms that the Church is true?

Sorry to hear that. I suggest looking into Christ's original church. Best example is Armenian apostolic church. Instill it in your ward. You'll be happier. I testify of this, in the name of Jesus Christ.

Elitism masquerading as Christianity.

It saddens me that we live in a wicked world & our Testimonies are being attacked. It’s easier said than done to hold on to that Rod & I let go when I was 16. I never had my own Testimony & hated my parents for brainwashing me. If there is a God & this is His Church I want God to manifest it unto me, no one can convince me otherwise. I was having problems in life & ended up in the Metal Hospital several times. I was diagnosed with severe depression & violent behavior. 20yrs after leaving the Church I had a life changing event. I was so full of hate & about ended someone’s life. I hated how I felt & if there was a God I needed Him now. I took a dusty Book of Mormon off the shelf & got on my knees. I was blaming God how I felt & wanted it removed. When I opened my eyes & there before me the BoM was opened. 3rd Nephi 11:29-30 was highlighted. 29 For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another. 30 Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away. It was as if the Lord was speaking to me & when I read the last word away I felt the hand of the Lord removing all that hatred from me. I started that hatred when I was 3 when Dad would get upset with me teaching me colors, found out I’m colorblind. I went back to Church working on receiving the priesthood & blessings from the Temple. It wasn’t until I was in group therapy seeing myself in others shoes that I prayed for the right help. Then a thought came to mind that I needed to get off depression medications. I was assigned to a new Psychologist & I told him I feel I didn’t need to take meds anymore. He lectured me to not get off & I would have a mental breakdown if I did. I told him what he was saying was going through one ear & out the other. If he didn’t believe me then the Bishop should but I was wrong. The Bishop lectured me why we have Dr’s & I should listen to them but I kept feeling to get off meds. I prayed & fasted about it to know I should get off. With the Lord’s help I took myself off & didn’t have problems. I went back to see the Psychologist again & that new one I seen was gone. I seen my old one & I told him I took myself off. He asked how I was doing being off of meds & I told him much better. I didn’t see him anymore & I stopped seeing a Therapist. The Therapists would confuse me & they couldn’t teach me Gospel Principles that I understood easier. When I have I problem I pray about it, read Scriptures & I start writing what ever comes to mind. I’m amazed what the Holy Ghost teaches me & it’s like giving a talk in Church but for me. I found out that I’m allergic to most meds that made me violent & I was Spiritually sick. I tell others, “The Lord is my Therapist & His Gospel are my meds.” I gave a talk in Church & mentioned all this but when I got done the Bishop got up told everyone to listen to their Dr’s. I did mention to pray for the right help & listen to the Lord. I thought about leaving the Church & I was preparing to go to the Temple around the same time but the adversary got in the way sending this girl into my life. The Holy Ghost warned me about her & I didn’t listen. We started to take couples counseling & the Therapist was a Bishop. He deceived me & told use to commit a lesser sin but to me a sin is a sin no matter how great or small. I ended up being incarcerated & before sentencing I prayed to not go to prison. I made a promise to the Lord if I was spared I would always follow him. I had a thought come to mind that I would be saved & that was wishful thinking. I faced the Judge, he lowered his head & the Lord changed his heart. The Judge said I should be going to prison but for some reason he couldn’t get himself to do it. The Lord had mercy on me & others witnessed the Love the Lord has for me. I was even disfellowshipped & it was scary not having the gift of the Holy Ghost anymore. I was being attacked by the adversary & others wanted me back on meds. I told them I needed my blessings back & I prayed to get them back. In the handbook of instructions it says I needed to be off of probation first before being reinstated. The Lord hide that part from the Bishop & I had to plead my case with the Stake High Council. Then I had to write to the first presidency of the church, who prayed in my behalf getting confirmation from the Lord that I needed to be reinstated, it literally saved my life from fighting demons. I was possessed & the Bishop casted out that demon from me. He was skeptical at first & it kept coming to him that he needed to banish that demon from me. He did & it gave me peace until I could be reinstated. Church leaders are not perfect & I learned to not listen to them. I do not follow the Prophet unless the Lord manifests it to me what the Prophet is saying is true. I was called to see the Bishop the other day & he said they prayed when my name came up for a calling to be in charge of cleaning the Church. How can I do that when I have a bad back & it’s hard for me to get around. The Bishop told me I just had to assign people & let them in the building but I still couldn’t. He said to not worry about it & I told him I won’t because the Holy Ghost didn’t confirm it to me. Most of the time I already know the calling before I’m asked or before I’m asked to give a talk. There’s things in the Church I don’t agree with but I go for my own salvation. I do pray for the Church to get revelation from God because I’m affraid wicked me are in the Church changing the Lord’s ways. I did make it to the Temple before being incarcerated & I got to go again when my blessings were restored but one time I hated it & wasn’t going back again. There was an instruction in the Temple that bothered me, how come this is being allowed in His House. Do I talk to the Bishop or Stske President about it. I took my concerns to the Lord & a month later I heard there were adjustments in the Temple. I went back & those things that bothered me was removed. I’ve had many more experiences when I follow the Lord. I tell others to only listen to the Lord & be careful of the adversary who can deceive you. Sometimes it’s good to leave the Church for a time to gain a Testimony. I know the BoM is true & confirm it with this testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

@@RichardHolmes-ll8ii I’ll have to look him up. Do you have a link to his work? What do you think is some evidence that supports the LDS scripture?

@@standardworks what are the key facts that convince you of its truth?

There's no facts.

Have you read the CES letter? Most members of the church who have not read that letter think it’s sad when people leave. After you read it, you may have a different perspective. I was a strict member years ago. I started to notice things wrong with the church and discrepancies, thanks to the Gospel Topics Essays, found in Gospel Library. Then I read the CES letter and it all made sense. You won’t feel sorry anymore after you read the letter. Don’t be afraid to allow yourself to follow truth wherever it may come from. Read the CES letter and then pray about the questions he asks. Pray to find truth like you prayed about the BOM

@todd212010 I have read it. And I am still strong in the faith. Most of the "problems " that were brought up in that letter have been resolved to my satisfaction and the few that haven't, for now I can live with. I am not perfect, and I know that others are not perfect either, and I am ok with that. What the gospel teaches in the LDS church, though, is true and beautiful, and give it up? Like Peter said "to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life" (John 6:67-68)

Hmmm that's interesting. I had always thought it was a well-known doctrine. What's your take on this explanation: www.mormonwiki.com/As_Man_Now_Is,_God_Once_Was

Grew up in the church - this is absolutely core doctrine

You must be living under a rock. That is absolutely what I was taught my entire life

@@jonathanduran8669 interesting that there seems to be a gap in your experiences with this doctrine vs others of the LDS faith. Any thoughts on why?

It is definitely what I was taught growing up in the church. The part about planets was inferred, not explicit, but the idea that God was once like you and me was and still is doctrine. Here's an excerpt I pulled from the church's website today, in a lesson about the a revelation to the prophet Lorenzo Snow. "I formed the following couplet which expresses the revelation, as it was shown me. … 'As man now is, God once was: 'As God now is, man may be.' Feeling that he had received 'a sacred communication' that he should guard carefully, Lorenzo Snow did not teach the doctrine publicly until he knew that the Prophet Joseph Smith had taught it. Once he knew the doctrine was public knowledge, he testified of it frequently."

@@user-ux3vb5zg1p sincere question: is that because you don’t believe there is any evidence to prove it untrue, or is it because no evidence would be enough to convince you?

Yes you can

@@VAATAUSILI4139 you don’t think anyone could possibly ever have any valid concerns with discussing or questioning?

@@GODISMYSTERIOUS bruh why are you saying this here

Yeah and he didn't sit for 6 hours watching it on tv...

you are crazy if you think trump wasn't encouraging his mob to commit violence

Thanks for sharing! What confirms for you that your church is true?

Of those 17 million only about 5 million actually believe and attend meetings. The 17 million are only names on record.

Then why do you post on KZfaq?

@@richarner3856 sorry was this question for me?

@ShiftStormPodcast no..I am not sure why KZfaq randomly places replies?

@@VAATAUSILI4139 what is it that you think they might be ignorant of?

@@ShiftStormPodcast I've came across, some people like you before, even when i told them the truth about the fullness and the truthfulness of, THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS, from the Bible, they still refused to accept it. So, I'm not wasting my time telling you anything. JESUS CHRIST warned members of HIS CHURCH, not to give pearls, to swines.

@VAATAUSILI4139 can you at least tells us where specifically the Book of Mormon took place? The location of millions of people isn’t faith based right

@@VAATAUSILI4139 do you believe there is a place for reasonable discussion about facts and evidence and logic regarding your religion, or is writing me off before you’ve had a chance to know me really all you have space for?

@@ShiftStormPodcast As I've repeatedly said before, I'm not wasting my time, sharing the fullness and the truthfulness of, THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS, with some people, I've explained all and everything about THE fullness and the truthfulness of, THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS, from the Bible, they still go circles. So, you need to counsel, with our HEAVENLY PARENT'S.

I get what you're saying, and I love my mormon friends. Are you a mormon yourself, or just appreciative of them?

Keep fighting valiant warrior of dumbassery!

He debunked nothing ...he's a pseudo intellectual with more biases than you can shake a stick at. Amazing that you are so desperate to believe him

​@@richarner3856Google Egyptologists back Smith Paul Gregersen you tube. I'll bet you can't debunk the video.

​@@richarner3856How could you possibly not believe Paul Gregersen?

@@RichardHolmes-ll8ii hilarious 😂