Today, we're exploring how a rising climate of religious fervor, growing suspicion, and a sense of impending doom shaped life in Utah Territory during the 1850s. As tensions escalated between Latter-day Saint settlers and outsiders, the community braced for what many believed would be another invasion, this time from the United States government during the brewing Utah (Mormon) War.

We also look closely at the murder of Apostle Parley P. Pratt, a flashpoint that intensified fear, anger, and hostility across the region. These overlapping pressures—spiritual, political, and personal—created a volatile environment that ultimately contributed to the tragic events at Mountain Meadows in 1857.

Join us as we unpack the complicated, often overlooked factors that led to this pivotal moment in Western and Mormon history.

In this episode, we uncover the chilling truth behind why early Mormons believed in Blood Atonement: one of the most disturbing doctrines to ever emerge from 19th-century American religion.

We explore how this belief shaped the foundations of early Mormon history and how a culture of fear, guilt, and divine punishment took hold during the Mormon Reformation. In a time of famine, natural disasters, and desperation, many early Saints believed that shedding blood could restore their purity before God, a terrifying example of how faith and fanaticism can collide.

Join us as we dive into the untold history of how spiritual panic, charismatic leadership, and apocalyptic thinking led ordinary people to justify the unthinkable all in the name of redemption.

#MormonHistory #BloodAtonement #LDSChurch #ExMormon #Mormon #ReligiousExtremism #MormonReformation #AmericanHistory #CultDocumentary #FaithAndFear #DarkHistory

Three sisters, each raised in the LDS (Mormon) Church and now at different stages in their faith journeys, sit down for a raw, unfiltered discussion about what no one talks about in Mormon temple culture.

We dive deep into the traditions, expectations, and emotional layers behind eternal marriage, temple covenants, and the shame culture that can quietly shape women’s lives within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. From exploring the origins of temple practices to confronting the pressures of worthiness interviews and modesty rules, this conversation opens space for honesty, healing, and hope.

This isn’t about tearing down faith; it’s about understanding it. We talk candidly about what’s beautiful in the culture, what’s painful, and what needs to change so that future generations can experience more authentic connection, compassion, and spiritual freedom within or outside of Mormonism.

Join the conversation, share your thoughts, and let’s take the taboo out of talking about what really matters.

#MormonCulture #LDSChurch #FaithJourney #ExMormon #MormonWomen #TempleCulture #EternalMarriage #FaithDiscussion #Deconstruction #SpiritualHealing #ReligiousTrauma #MormonPodcast #WomenOfFaith #HonestConversations #MormonStories #HealingFromReligion

Today, we dive deep into one of the darkest doctrines to ever come out of American religious extremism, Mormon blood atonement, and the chilling ways it has surfaced in modern history.

We break down three disturbing real world examples of cult leaders who justified violence in the name of God:

• Ervil LeBaron: The so called Mormon Manson who ordered dozens of killings and ran his polygamist sect like a cartel
• The Lafferty Brothers: Two extremists who believed they were commanded by God to carry out brutal “righteous” executions
• Warren Jeffs: Still exerting power from prison with disturbing future prophecies that show just how dangerous blind faith can become

But this episode isn’t just about shocking crimes. We explore how ordinary people get pulled into cult thinking, the psychology of obedience, and the terrifying slippery slope that happens when religious conviction turns into moral exemption.

Why do people follow destructive leaders? How do belief systems twist into violence? And could this kind of extremism rise again in today’s polarized world?

Listen as we unpack the warning signs and why understanding these stories is more important now than ever.

👉 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe if you’re ready for more deep dives into faith, power, and the human psyche.

#cults #truecrimepodcast #mormonhistory #religiousextremism #ervillebaron #laffertybrothers #warrenjeffs #fundamentalistmormon #psychology #blindobedience #truecrimecommunity #podcastclips #exmormon #mormon

Growing up in Utah, we were part of three different groups that, looking back, might’ve been more cult-like than we realized. In this episode, we revisit our teenage experiences, what was tied into money and power, and the red flags we missed along the way.

From risky rituals to systematic exposure of trauma, and from homeschool gatherings to inner circles with a $20,000 entry fee—this is our deep dive into what happened to us as teenagers.

🎧 Subscribe for more deep dives into hidden Utah history and current and past.

#UtahCults #GrowingUpHomeschool #ExcultStories #FaithJourney #UtahHistory #CultAwareness #SistersNotWives ##UtahPodcast

After the end of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young led the Latter-day Saints west to the remote Utah Territory, but the move wasn’t just geographical. In this video, we dive deep into the surprising doctrinal changes and theological shifts introduced by Brigham Young that reshaped Mormonism as we know it.

From Adam-God theory, The Law of Adoption, and increased emphasis on plural marriage, to the creation of a theocratic system in the Utah desert, this video explores how the LDS Church began to diverge from its original teachings...and why.

We’ll also examine how the rapidly changing world of the 19th century, from American expansionism to the discovery of gold in California, pushed the Mormons toward deeper isolationism, cultural preservation, and religious fundamentalism.

If you're interested in Mormon history, religious evolution, or the ways that belief systems adapt under pressure, this video is for you.

👉 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share if you want more deep dives into Mormon doctrine, American religious history, and untold stories of faith in flux.
#mormonhistory #brighamyoung #ldschurch #exmormon #churchhistory #polygamy #doctrinalshift #hiddenhistory #americanreligion #utahhistory #19thcenturyamerica #faithvsculture

Show Notes:
Brigham Young’s sermon the Adam-God Doctrine
​​ Journal of Discourses. 1:50-51; Friday, April 9, 1852; Sermon delivered by President Brigham Young in the Salt Lake Tabernacle, SLC, Utah.
https://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/digital/collection/JournalOfDiscourses3/id/1861/
Heber C. Kimball Quote
Journal of Wilford Woodruff; April 10, 1852; Quoting Heber C. Kimball.
https://wilfordwoodruffpapers.org/documents/0c971e56-08d1-4e91-9ade-4fb00f2883f0/page/6d8e7243-1f50-4b30-a950-645434cfe26c

Hyrum Smith’s April 8th 1844 Sermon - I was wrong about this one. It wasn’t taken out of the JSP. There are apparently two versions from the records of the meeting when this sermon was delivered. The full transcript includes the crossed out section in the first link given below. When Brigham Young and the church leaders were writing “The History Of The Church” they decided to revise these records and write a short summary of what Hyrum’s speech was about, instead of including the full transcript of his words. In the summary, they curiously left out any mention of him speaking against polygamy and the difference between polygamy and eternal marriage.
Joseph Smith Papers. History, 1838–1856, Volume E‑1 [1 July 1843–30 April 1844]. ID #8112. Edited transcript. Accessed September 28, 2025. https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1838-1856-volume-e-1-1-july-1843-30-april-1844/1#full-transcript.
Shorter version omitting any mention of eternal marriage or polygamy:
History, 1838–1856, volume E-1 [1 July 1843–30 April 1844] [addenda], p. 11 [addenda], The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed September 28, 2025, https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1838-1856-volume-e-1-1-july-1843-30-april-1844/434?highlight=addenda%208%20april%201844

Brigham Young being sealed to 38 men source:
Brooks, Juanita (1992) [1961], John Doyle Lee: Zealot, Pioneer Builder, Scapegoat, Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press, p. 73.
See also “Isn’t One Wife Enough?” By Kimball Young that includes Brigham Young quotes like there will be a time in the future "when men would be sealed to men in the priesthood in a more solemn ordinance than that by which women were sealed to men, and in a room over that in which women were sealed to man."

Today, we're taking a slightly different turn by talking about modern-day Mormonism, namely what it was like growing up in an extremely religious, conservative lds homeschool community in the early 2000s. Join or reminiscing and reenactments as we go down memory lane with some of the cringiest and hilarious stories that come up to the surface.

In this episode, we take a look at the history of women's rights within the church and how they were slowly dismantled and changed.

With a mass exodus of women leaving religion, we discuss the challenges and obstacles in a system that still has gender-based power structures.

And finally, listen in to hear a once common, then forbidden, and now forgotten matriarchal blessing full of beauty and power that made this the first episode we cried in.