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.

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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."