Thanks to Don Bradly for sticking around for so many episodes. He has such a wealth of knowledge with such a kind heart!

I'm a simple man. I see Don Bradley tackling church history, and I like.

Don Bradly needs to be a regular. I listen to anything he's in.

I left the church for similar reasons as JH. Had many anti Mormons throw nonsense my way over the years. Im 67 today and I know the church is true despite being inactive. I think JH will come back someday as the Holy Ghost won’t let him go.

Claiming to have the "Real Story" is the first clue he is putting himself on a pedestal. He has the right tell us what he understands. But why is he the one that the whole world can trust to tell them the "Real Story"?

Non biased here. Sorry guys but he was actually fair in the presentation. It hurts your feelings perhaps, but he is entitled to his opinion, beliefs and choice of lifestyle.

Don Bradley is the FACT-MAN. Jonny Harris' approach is 90% spin and 10% "inaccuracies". Is the music intentionally dissonant? Absolutely! Jonny, we'll be here when you get your ego under control. Check with Don Bradley. Come home.

I think Johnny Harris is very sincere. He is simply telling his story as he sees it. Hence, I also think it is unfair to characterize him as being motivated specifically against the LDS Church. Rather, for being a former member, I see him as being really quite fair and kind to his former religion.

Here is some background on Mr. Harris: His first video on the Church was: "Why I Left The Mormon Church" If you want to know why ~ keep reading... . Here it is... A hand-made word for word transcription of his most important statement. @ 3.52, Mr. Harris said: quote " “One of the things I loved about Mormon Doctrine at the time was that there was always a push to ask God if it was true ... not to trust any people or any organization, but to, like, get on your knees and say, God, is this true? Is this church actually real? Is all of the things that they say actually the real deal? I had 'kind of' taken advantage of that promise before, “but never really.” I'd always been in a setting of pressure, whether it was my home as a kid, or on my mission, or BYU. In other words, there was always an incentive to believe. So I'd never really been in a situation where I could truly ask this question and not feel like there was some price to pay, if I decided I didn't believe. end. . Able response: Harris went along to get along. Harris went along to collect the incentives. Harris went along to avoid paying some price. . Harris said that he felt that there was some price to pay ~ if he "decided" that he didn't believe. Notice the use of the word “decided.” In other words, Harris at a young age decided to believe. And hence... Harris was a N.O.M., a Name Only Member ~ Harris went along to get along. Years later, Harris decided to leave. Harris decided, not to believe. Harris decided to collect the incentives that came with his new vocation, documentary short film, and his new family ~ the Washington D.C. crowd that supports left-leaning, progressive sociopolitical issues. . I know, with absolute certainty that ~ Someone who “never really prayed” cannot truthfully testify to the affirmative that~ I Know That My Redeemer Lives In other words, Mr. J. Harris' entire life in the Church was a lie. Period. And here are just some of the lies that Mr. J. Harris told. . In the Church before someone is baptized there is an interview. There is an interview for most of our milestones in life. Mr. Harris could not truthfully testify to the affirmative on ... 1) his baptismal interview 2) every priesthood interview 3) worthiness interviews 4) birthday interviews 5) every calling interview 6) every talk he ever gave 7) interview to receive endowments 8) mission interview 9) every mission discussion 10) marriage interview. . Harris could not truthfully testify of the Gospel Harris did not “know” if the Gospel is true or not. He could not truthfully testify of the Gospel to his family, nor to his friends nor priesthood leaders nor investigators. nor neighbors, not even to himself You can't pray a lie. … said Huck Finn. . Harris never really prayed to God. And here's what's sad about that: He lived with this burden his entire life. And that is very sad. . Nevertheless, to his credit ... He “believed” as a Latter-day Saint, even though he knew in his heart that he “never really prayed.” He “identified” as a Latter-day Saint, even though he knew in his heart that he “never really prayed.” That's a heavy burden. And he fooled everyone. He is so intelligent that ~ He even fooled himself. Everyone thought he knew. . I didn't say it; Harris said it. and it's worth repeating ~ Harris said that he “never really prayed.” He did a lot of things in the Church, but, he “never really prayed.” At approximately 4.15 Harris tells us about prayer... namely ~ the prayer, the Moroni promise. And I quote, “ "I had kind of taken advantage of the promise before, but never really.” . Later in his life... Harris prayed for a sign. Finally … After he had collected all the incentives which come along with being a member of a faithful supportive Latter-day Saint family and the incentives that come from being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ … After he had a child, graduated from BYU, and moved away from home. Then and only then did he seek for a sign from God. . But … he did not receive an answer to his prayers. And … this is the big mystery to me and many others. Why do some receive answers to their prayers and others don't. Indeed, to mankind, God's ways are mysterious Even so, we know that ~ There is a big difference between seeking God and seeking a sign; and, in the due time of the Lord, after the trial of your faith, God responds to the former type of seeker but never to the latter. Nevertheless, We can't judge Harris, Only God can judge... Mr Harris spent 23 min 22 sec. saying that ~ He was born as a member of the Church; And, then finally, after his formative years... after all the details of his life ... mission, BYU, temple marriage, a child, he got his dream job in D.C. after he moved away from home ~ after all of that ~ he finally prayed, and, he didn't get an answer. . On the other hand... There are many adult converts to the Church, They have prayed and They have received answers to their prayers. They know the truth. I am one of them. I am a witness . While on the other hand... Mr. Harris does not know what we know. Instead … Mr. Harris is in the same position of the agnostic, atheist. Here is the rule they operate under... THE ATHEISTS GOLDEN RULE The one and only legitimate statement that an atheist or agnostic can make regarding the significant issues concerning religious doctrine or experience is - I don’t know. And the same is true for Mr. Harris. The only honest video Mr. Harris can make is ~ - I don’t know. And that my dear friends while it is the one thing that they should say... it is also the saddest thing that a Born in the Covenant ex-member can ever say. . Nevertheless.. He is rich now. He has that going for him. He has life... He has his wife and children. He is intelligent and creative. He is sooo blessed. . And here's the part I don't understand: Instead of saying: I respect the testimonies of those that have them. ~ his family, friends, people like you and me. Instead... he attacks us. and that is sad too. but what should we do? We can do a background check. We can set the record straight. We can stand up to him. and we can pray... Let us pray for his soul... that God will be merciful to him. . peace brothers, peace. from your neighborhood, we are the greatest generation. Latter-day Saint Boomer. :)

This is the most egg-shelled-walking ward radio episode I’ve ever watched. Whether Johnny deliberately had inaccuracies or not, it was inaccurate. And the visuals are very misleading,

I just watched Johnny's attempt to unravel the "true" story of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Let me tell you, his narrative reeks of sensationalism and a twisted agenda. It's clear he's out to make a splash, but his portrayal of Joseph Smith and the church's history is far from balanced or accurate. He claims to have found the "truth" about the Book of Mormon's origins and Joseph Smith's character, calling him a brilliant storyteller turned conman, unrepentant polygamist, power-hungry manipulator, and even a destroyer of printing presses. Seriously? His attempt to paint him as some sort of cultish villain is laughable at best. Oh, and let's not forget his oh-so-enlightened stance on anyone who disagrees with his newfound "wisdom" being brainwashed. What an arrogant and dismissive way to belittle the beliefs of countless individuals who have found meaning, community, and solace within the church. I see through his smug demeanor and his claims of feeling "free" now that he's left the church. Newsflash: leaving a faith community doesn't automatically make you an expert on its teachings or the experiences of its members. His self-righteous attitude screams of someone trying to validate their choices by tearing down what they once believed in. Unlike him, I walked away from the church as a teenager but managed to hold onto some respect for the community that shaped me. I've had my own journey of exploring the world, education, religions and languages, and guess what? It led me back to the church community, which I've found to be a beacon of stability and support in a chaotic world. So, Johnny, should enjoy his KZfaq platforms and Emmy awards, but don't think for a second that his one-sided tirade is enlightening anyone. His attempt to diminish the importance of faith communities in today's tumultuous world is misguided, and frankly, his smug smile and supposed expertise can join the rest of the garbage he's spewing in that handbasket headed for oblivion. In a time when understanding and empathy are needed more than ever, his narrow-minded approach is just adding to the noise. He should try engaging in meaningful conversation instead of shallow sensationalism if he ever hopes to make a real impact. But hey, I won't hold my breath.

A better title of Johnny's screed would have been, 'How I renegotiated my understanding of history to convince myself that my waning faith is a positive thing, and now wish to lead you down the garden path so you will see as I see and I will be accepted.'

I would saw that I am a friend of Johnny's. I served with him in the mission. He did the photography at my wedding for crying out loud. Haven't spoken in years, but I can definitely tell you that he is a sincere person and believes what he says. He does what he does because he wants to help people. I don't agree with him on most things, never did. But he is an open minded and sincere person.

Just recently found you guys, immediately became interested and purchased Don Bradley’s book. One thing I appreciate very much about Mr. Bradley’s experience/talent is his ability to know how to make sense of hundreds of accounts and make inferences and conclusions that bring about greater understanding of things and people. Of listening to him talk about experiences in Joseph Smith’s life, for example the accounts of Joseph’s parents trusting their son’s words, because of how his personality and watching his growth and development his whole growing up. How for example the bone situation- a child who reacts the way he did, and continues to react up until the time of the first vision, Joseph proved himself to be a trustworthy son. His parents had no reason to doubt their son’s account. I myself have always admired Joseph for things he suffered, endured in his life, but not having the mind set of a historian, I’d never taken those various ideas and joined them. I’ve been learning a new way of looking at things, and therefore developing a new profound insight and greater appreciation for Joseph Smith. Thank you Mr. Bradley for sharing your experience, understanding and wisdom.

I know I should be more charitable like Brad but I always seem to respond like Cardon. Great discussion guys!

Most people don't realize that Missouri Executive Order 44, (Mormon Extermination Order) wasn't repealed until June 1976. My wife and I were sealed in the Kansas City Temple where one of the common images is the olive branch. It is a great temple experience.

The beautiful thing about the gospel of Jesus Christ is Johnny can change his mind again in the future and be welcomed back wholeheartedly. Unfortunately, that video will probably have fewer views than his original 😂

The guy opened by talking about Lucy Mack Smith and showed a picture of Emma. Lol. Loses most all credibility.

Saints Unscripted had a really good reaction to this

As a member who fell away for 7 years and then came back, the best way to make yourself feel better about leaving the church is that your decision is correct, any way you can. I believe this is why JH frames this video the way he does. It would be embarrassing to his friends outside the church if he still had an inkling it was true. I feel bad for him because it will make returning to the church that much more difficult 😢

Arrogance (aka cockiness) is never a helpful attitude to present when selling a point on anything. ...if the shoe fits, this comment will offend you.

Typical pettifoggery and nitpicking "He misspelt a word". Where are the great Cities of the Nephites? Where are the inscriptions with the "Reformed Egyptian" characters? Where is the objective evidence that we would expect to find if the BOM was "the most true and correct book on Earth"? There should be a ton of it but zilch!

I just need to appreciate Cardon's commitment to keeping the video moving. Made this video much more engaging while still allowing for great discussion.

I believe Jonny Harris worked for Vox not Vice news.

I have never understood why treasure hunting is a criticism. Everyone at the time was looking for treasure or gold. If I thought there was a treasure around my house I’d look for it too. I don’t even find the magic/witchcraft claims to be all that damning either, assuming they have any validity in the first place.

This man is very sloppy for a journalist. He leaves out relevant facts that don’t suit his narrative. Does the First Vision mean nothing to this story?

The dude that's just hating on Johnny is hard for me to stomach. if it's wrong, please fight it with logic and counter evidence. Raging at the guy drives people like me away

Brad and Kwaku, I’m a bit confused at how you’re defending an anti M. I thought you two stood up for the truth, not defend those who try to bring it down. Guys like Jonny Harris are no better than the John Delin’s in the world. He is just like them. I don’t care how amazing his maps are.

The Uto Aztecan reconstructed homeland was in between California and Utah (aztlan), so apparently some of their cultural descendants moved from the current US territory to Mexico and El Salvador, founding the Aztec Empire, the Toltecs, etc, while some related groups remained along the way

okay. now Johnny Harris should do the 'real story of Catholics' and then the 'Real story of Islam' and then the 'REAL story of the Jews', and so on. Since he doesn't mind making videos of things he doesn't believe in.

Its 3am. I am forced to choose to between dunking on antis or sleeping. Give me an alley oop baby.

Don Bradley’s book on the large stolen section - it was way more than 116 pages and he explains thoroughly in his book, is very insightful. Worth reading. Great discussion guys. Include Shaun Bailey’s comments in a follow up video. We would have loved to have heard more of his comments.

Johnny's a super talented youtuber and artist, and I usually agree with Brad on everything, but Cardon is 100% right on this one.

There is no real story of the Mormon church Brad, it's all an elaborate lie.

Wow, Johnny's video is approaching 2 million views....That's a lot of impact. I"m glad he was pretty accurate in his presentation.

People can leave the church but they can't leave the church alone

Joseph Smith had a “seer” stone as early as 1820 according to the official LDS articles and foot notes. So what was he doing with it all that time before Moroni came? He was treasure digging. Every time Cardon gets so offended and makes a big sigh when treasure digging comes up the next thing you know they are all talking about how Joseph Smith actually did do treasure digging. Cardon why do you keep saying it’s an anti Mormon trope and get so defensive and then turn around and talk about how he literally did treasure digging. And he used some rock that he found in the ground according to official church info long before Moroni came along. I would love to point to what the church has said here but it won’t let me. Do some research for “Book of Mormon Translation”. I wish I could tell you where to find it but stupid KZfaq won’t let me. Let’s just put it this way. It’s an official article from the LDS church.

The problem with the urim and thumin is that R. M. Nelson now has given his support for the Stone in the Hat.

Jonny is deceitful and basically anti mormon all over this video. I follow the spirit and this video is not design to solve a problem but to create conflict.

Thank you for getting right on this "The real story of the mormon church" I thought he was hilarious and stupid that he goes on with so much research out there. . I'm just on my soapbox how much this stuff deceives people. My husband believed like this, But is a little bit smarter now but still isn't back in the church. I'm Thankful for the truth you put out there .

Everybody needs to read "By Means of the Urim and Thummim" by James Lucas and Jonathan Neville. It slays the Stone in the Hat narrative helps you understand that "If the anti-mormons are making stuff up about this what else are they making stuff up about?" Would love it if you have them on. Hannah Stoddard and others like her have far more correct information The Real Joseph Smith than this supposed professional journalist. Cute graphics and good storytelling is just that. The truth is the truth.

I'm gaining more and more appreciation for those who leave the church but don't stop talking about it. They probably have a better chance of coming back than anyone.

So if you visit the comments section in Johnny's video there are a lot of people that comment that they think it is fair reporting. I understand that carden isn't happy with the video. I also don't think some exmos would be happy (too much benefit of the doubt for JS). It seemed pretty middle ground to me. I was bracing myself for a one sided take when I saw Johnny's video pop up in my KZfaq feed and I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't.

When I was a little kid, I played outside a lot. Always exploring the woods, hills, and in the dirt where I lived - Seattle area, then Tucson, Phoenix, and Denver. I was a lucky kid as I would find money, coins, old toy cars all the time. A treasure hunter in my own right.

Sorry but Jonny's "research" seemed to just come from sub Reddit and nothing more.

50:14 ... he just lied, the original wording of the Introduction to the Book of Mormon said, "the principal ancestors of the American Indians.” Anti-Mormons see the word "Principal" which means "the most important" (the principal violinist of the orchestra) and confuse it with "Principle" which means "single" and "unique". (Edit: Oh, you got it)

I wish Cardon would leave his political opinions out of the discussions. The topics and guests are interesting enough and his comments are jarring and interrupt the flow.

Deep down inside, all these ExMos have a common problem. They were first ensnared by some kind of sin which they were unwilling to renounce… The next step is always to justify it. At this point the shield and protection of the Holy Ghost is removed. They then become vulnerable to the lies of the Anti Mobsters and are blinded into a belief that they are now on a righteous quest, which eventually is followed by a realization of their error, in which crossroads is presented to knowingly fight against the church, or to seek redemption

Mormons are so terrified of criticism

That study of 10% went to church was based on some historians making some calculation back in the 1990s. The problem is no church kept attendance. We dont know. But we we do have record of are meeting houses and chapels that were being built. Every town had multiple church buildings.

This video needed more Don Bradley and less of Cardon Ellis' knee-jerk defensiveness. I would invite anyone to review Jared Halverson's "Dont Let a Good Faith Crisis Go to Waste" before responding to perceived religious opposition.

'Husbands, love your wives, even as Brad also defended Johnny Harris, and gave himself for him.' -Ephesians 5:25 🙃

Why didn't Don mention Joseph starting "scrying" in 1819? Why didn't he mention Issac Hales rebuke of Joseph in 1827 for moneydigging? Why doesn't he know that...OR DISCLOSE THAT????

Half the people in the room are hyper fixating on every little possible thing in the video that could be perceived as a "gotcha" or "anti," with Brad even going so far as to think that Joseph's little head bobble in an animation was sinisterly snuck in to subconsciously unsettle you about Joseph Smith; and the other half are actually trying to look at this video in context.

Why aren’t you uploading to Spotify anymore? Please do.

Holy cow another Don episode! Man you guys are cool. I love your videos

You guys debunked absolutely nothing in this video. I was expecting a legitimate debunking with legitimate arguments but all you guys did was nitpick at the most insignificant statements Johnny made in his video. Such a waste of time!

14:16 sounds like Don went from complexity to informed simplicity or from antithesis to synthesis or from the Fall to the Atonement. Pick your analogy.

Brad is my hero, he should have been cast as captain Moroni in the Book of Mormon movies!

Well done. I wouldn’t be surprised if that “motivation” Johnny feels is the Spirit reaching out to him. But what sparked this readdress of his leaving? Likely due to that motive, he obviously spent a lot of time hurt over this and still must have some conflict which he is probably attempting to resolve through his own justification. He has conflict, he wants to feel like he has been fair, but he feels betrayed. Because if that he does not apply teachings he gained such as forgiveness, repentance and will only endure to his own ends. The fact the conflict is still there now, shows a sensitivity to truth, but also he has built up so much, started a life, has a spouse he may lose if he chose to apply faith and with the stakes soo high now, he is pressured to address and does so openly to seek validation and make it harder to return, he casts additional weight towards his own desires to numb the call to return. Perhaps.

Good job guys. My thought: Johnny Harris isn't famous for simple summary videos. His videos are more like essays. He presents an argument to prove a point. In this case, it's that learning Church History should lead you to avoid the Church. That's a message we just can't agree with, since we have learned the history and have come out with faith. I'm happy you guys brought Don onto this, because he's the best example of this. Now, since Johnny has a message in this video, when he attaches this with a title that says the "REAL History" and a thumbnail that says "What Mormons REALLY Believe" then we've got to take issue with that. Look at the credits and he's got a huge team on this. It's not a simple "why I left" video. Things like his camera angles and maybe even his shirt are intentional. I work in the film industry, and professionals purposefully change camera angles to build that "tension". Here's another reason why this isn't simply a story of someone leaving the faith: He did that in his last video. His video "Why I left" was his personal story of leaving the faith. I didn't watch it because I understood that was his story. This video is different. This video is being presented as the official history of the Church. And since his last video got six million views, it's the right thing for us to respond to this one, since this one will likely surpass 6 million views. This will likely become THE MOST popular critical video about the Church on KZfaq. And unfortunately, it's got some key things wrong about us in it, and it's how how millions will perceive us.

Johnny Harris is a good example of what happens to a member that stops reading the Book of Mormon, stops praying, and stop going to Church and starts watching John Dehlin.

A lot of your comments were almost exactly what I commented on Johnnys video when I saw it a week ago. Ex-Mormons can’t help but act like everyone in the Church is either ignorant or in denial of “the truth.” Besides being completely condescending, it’s just incorrect.

You guys need to stop tip-toeing around saying, "Not to attack JH," or "I'm not against JH." Come on, guys. His video is horrendously inaccurate. If JH was just a nice guys who doesn't believe in the church, then he would just leave. But no. He has to spread misinformation about the church, paint Joseph Smith as a wack job, and make money off of it. Call it for what it is: anti-mormon garbage.

I remember hearing his story about when he left & it was very different, not from people, but from what’s put on the internet about people who’ve left. He basically said he left almost as a believer, but didn’t want to raise his son in this way.

Woooo! You've talked about Johnny before. I've seen his video. Good to see you guys discuss this.

Hello Kwaku. i don't know if you'll read this of if you're genuinely interested in an answer to the question about why ex-mo's are so disturbed by the burning of the press, but I'll take a stab at it. It's really the whole narrative. Look at every church production about Joseph Smith. Does a single one mention the Nauvoo Expositor? Through these productions and manuals about the life of Joseph Smith, i thought i was educated. I thought that materials i was handed at church educated me about what really happened. I was wrong. I was taught that Joseph was an innocent lamb led to slaughter, guiltless and spotless. I was taught that Joseph and the church members were persecuted solely for their beliefs. I never heard that Joseph had a militia that he marched around to threaten other territories. I thought the church members were persecuted and didn't fight back, only wanted peace, fled from one place to another. But the fact is that within Nauvoo, Joseph Smith was Mayor. He had political power. and you can argue all day that it was a vote, but at the end of the day, the Mayor is accountable for lawless behavior like this. And yes, it was "ordered" by Joseph. But that's only part of the problem. The other part of the problem is the REASON WHY the expositor was destroyed. What did the Expositor say Kwaku? Anyone else? it exposed Joseph's polygamy. I'm sure it wasn't a very charitable framing, but the essence of the Expositor was truth. Joseph lied about his polygamy and lied about what the Expositor was exposing, wanted it covered up, and had it burned. He not only abused political power contrary to the constitution, he lied and abused his political power to cover up the truth. Not very Prophetic behavior, I'd say. Wouldn't you? Also, Kwaku, making an equivalence between burning the press and Lynching is a pretty bad look too. Both are illegal, and i wouldn't deem any man committing such acts as worthy of Praise as a Prophet of God. And for the record Cardon, I am very disturbed by the burning of the Nauvoo Expositor, and I am *not* a "progressive who wants all conservatives cancelled." I am moderate on most issues, and if i had to choose between Trump and Biden, I'd vote third party. Probably libertarian or something like that.

Thank you all for your good faith interpretation on this one. I do have to say, I’m a smidge disappointed in Don’s lack of correction on a few things but I get it, it’s Carson’s show, He has to play the game.

I don’t know why Kweku and Brad keep giving this guy more credit than he deserves. He is obviously trying to discredit the church without all the harshness.

You guys crack me up 😂😂 love the discussion!!

I find Brother Harris ( still consider him such) however.. I find him immature and subtle in trying to defame Joseph .. his ultimate aim is to destroy other’s testimonies but appear broad minded and accommodating..

More Midnight videos like this! Gives me something to watch on my drive, yo!

First, just got to say Don, i’m on a quest to find every video of you because your mind inspires me. I also really love how you guys disagree. It is so refreshing to see a discussion within gospel/historical context and not being afraid to say your opinion. A lot of the times I’m a little nervous to put anything out there cause I’m afraid people assume that I am representing the church as a whole with any statement that I make. So thanks for your banter. It is freeing in a way.

Haha! Luke. That’s funny. “Hey what about me?”

I’m with Cardon, he’s lulling his normie woke audience with enough interesting “facts” that any sincere positive discovery of the gospel is buried by his dismissive narrative of the restoration. At the same time appealing to current members that are in some way or another closer to the xmo fence to make climbing it easier. In some ways his subtle presentation is much more dangerous for both sides to ingest if they don’t have a sturdy hold to eternal principles. He fooled himself with this thinking. Frog boiling pot.

I think that because Joseph Smith was not affiliated with a sect, that may be why he’s saying he wasn’t religious.

When you realize brad is the guy who plays mosiah in the Book of Mormon videos

All cap no facts poor Jonny all to build his channel

My biggest critique of Johnny's film was he didn't mention the 5 first visions and that the one he choose to depict wasn't even the first version of that first vision.

Johnny Harris does this in all of his videos. Presents short snippets of information as truth, but is only partly correct. Every video is the same format of short snippets of info with quick transitions. Each section is about a minute with about a 15 second transition. So his videos is essentially a bunch of tiktocs crammed into a 30 - 45 minute video. The videos also present himself as an authority of fact on whatever is getting presented. This problem exists in all of his videos. I have a hard time watching him at all anymore because of the misinformation he is spreading in every subject.

Brad, where can we learn more about that linguistic evidence you mentioned?

Great host, great topics - Great show!

Light, light, light aka Eternal Truth, is there only for the honest, humble seeker. Eventually he will return to the first love,I hope and pray for hem and for al true seekers.

Good gosh guys! It was almost 11 minutes until you let your guests speak! I was waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting...

Bro Hal (Jared Halverson) calls it the Creation, Fall, Atonement cycle. Johnny is the the Fall stage of that cycle.

Kwaku you absolutely nailed it! Treasure seeker establishes cult for sex!!! That was perfect !

Especially appreciate Luke’s testimony at the end! Thank you!

So you guys got me to watch the Johnny Harris video. His video is sophistry and deception. I’m a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and this video doesn’t describe anything correctly about why devout Mormons stay faithful to the Mormon Church. I learned from your critique of his video that it is a mixture of accurate history and inaccurate history. The inaccuracies get legitimized by Johnny Harris by intertwining it with what’s accurate. Nevertheless, the inaccuracies remain inaccuracies. Then the inaccuracies are used to support Johnny’s deceptions about the character of Joseph Smith. That’s by definition sophistry. This video is void of factual spiritual experiences from thousands upon thousands of Mormon believers that validate God has blessed their lives. Hearing the stories of some of these spiritual interventions experienced by rank and file members is amazing. Just because God didn’t intervene in Johnny Harris’s life doesn’t mean he hasn’t intervened in my life or others’ lives. It is the effect of God in the lives of believers, that make them devout and Johnny’s video and likely his life is devoid of God’s effect. Don’s description of not stepping in front of a distracted driver as he describes in other videos is one poignant example.

This morning in my scripture study, I found an awesome Joseph Smith quote about persecution from apostates, "Strange as it may appear at first thought, yet it is no less strange than true, that notwithstanding all the professed determination to live godly, apostates after turning from the faith of Christ, unless they have speedily repented, have sooner or later fallen into the snares of the wicked one, and have been left destitute of the Spirit of God, to manifest their wickedness in the eyes of multitudes. From apostates the faithful have received the severest persecutions... From what source emanated the principle which has ever been manifest by apostates from the true Church to persecute with double diligence, and seek with double perseverance, to destroy those whom they once professed to love, with whom they once communed, and with whom they once covenanted to strive with every power in righteousness to obtain the rest of God? Perhaps our brethren will say the same that caused Satan to seek to overthrow the kingdom of God, because he himself was evil, and God’s kingdom is holy." -Joseph Smith Jr., TPJS Pg. 67-68

This was hilarious. Thank you guys for making my morning walk such a joy.

All you need to do to know about Johnny Harris and his filming style is to watch his China video. That will literally give away how he’s incredibly biased, poor journalist, and amplifies wrong news for a better storyline/video. He does this constantly and when he gets called out he apologizes, and people love that, yet he does it again. This guy isn’t a good journalist at all, but has “cool” pictures in videos and people love that I guess

The problem is that Mormonism has a history of covering things up, changing their story, and having a redefined and downgraded version of Jesus Christ.

17:37 Look at Cardon with his film knowledge! Fist bump!

Sheesh, echo chamber much........invite RFM on next time. He'd be fair but check you on why your conclusions about Johnny are wrong.

It is amazing what people are willing to believe.

Hannah Stoddard and the Joseph Smith Foundation make a compelling point that the only people that have said that JS was a lazy treasure digger were people who didn't like him and continued to employ him to do work. Why employ somebody who is lazy. Also, the Smith Family improved their farm and consistently worked hard.

Right on, Cardon!

There’s no love in the way you chide points peripheral to his experience- like where his face lines up in the screen? Way to up your game of mockery. Fits with believers trying to hold onto beliefs at all costs

Pray for JH! A brother at battle with Satan right in front of our eyes. I think the Holy Ghost is all over JH right now trying to help guide him through this very challenging time.

To help with perspective here in 1824-1826 Joseph was 19-21 yrs old and he did at least 12 treasure digs that lasted from a days to a weeks, maybe months long. Also, while not all of the issues in the CES Letter are serious issues that deserve attention there are a dozen or so of them that are just uncomfortable truths” that have just happened to be “uncomfortable truths” that have withstood the test of time. These truths that Cardon is so dismissive of were concerning enough that the church wrote essays to specifically address them. And in many of these essays the conclusion is, we don’t have a good answer for you, so just have faith. “Recycled anti Mormonism trope” = uncomfortable truths for Cardon.