RFM and Bill Reel are joined by Dr. Thomas Murphy to discuss what the presence of Native American myths, individuals, and stories in the Book of Mormon means. Are these evidence the Book of Mormon is true? Or do they give us an insight into some of the creative grist Joseph was using to compile his narrative of ancient American inhabitants? World-renowned expert in the field Dr. Murphy helps us find the answers!

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In June 1834, while marching with Zion’s Camp through Illinois, Joseph Smith and his followers came across an ancient Native American burial mound. Members of the group dug into the mound and uncovered a human skeleton—with what appeared to be an arrowhead among its ribs.

According to multiple members of Zion’s Camp, Joseph Smith then received a vision revealing the identity of the dead man. His name was Zelph. He was described as a “white Lamanite,” a warrior and “man of God” who had fought under a great prophet named Onandagus. Wilford Woodruff recorded that Onandagus was known across a territory extending from “the hill Cumorah” to the Rocky Mountains and that Joseph received this information “in a vision.”

But the story gets considerably more interesting when we dig deeper.

In this episode of Mormonism Live, we examine the earliest surviving Zelph accounts from Wilford Woodruff, Reuben McBride, Levi Hancock, Heber C. Kimball, and others. What did these witnesses independently agree Joseph said? Which details appeared later? And how did the story change as it was edited into the official history of the Church?

We also explore Joseph Smith’s own remarkable letter written during Zion’s Camp describing the group as wandering across the “plains of the Nephites,” examine the possible connections between Zelph, Cumorah, the Land of Desolation, and Book of Mormon geography, and look at what modern archaeology has discovered about the mound where the skeleton was reportedly found.

Was Zelph simply an unusual nineteenth-century frontier story? Or did Joseph Smith make a specific prophetic claim about an actual ancient person—one that potentially tells us where Joseph believed Book of Mormon peoples lived?

Zelph the White Lamanite: Digging Up Bones

This is where archaeology, Mormon history, Book of Mormon geography, and Joseph Smith’s prophetic claims collide.

RFM and Bill Reel host an august panel of Sunstone Symposium presenters and attendees, as they tell us fun and fascinating stories about what goes on behind the scenes of Sunstone! Join us! Mormon Studies were never so much fun!

What if one of the most important events in early Mormon history never actually accomplished what it set out to do? In 1834, Joseph Smith organized nearly 200 armed men and led them almost 900 miles across the American frontier with one stated objective: redeem Zion and restore the Saints to their lands in Jackson County, Missouri. They marched. They trained. They carried muskets and swords. They expected confrontation. But they never fought a battle. Instead, they encountered political resistance, internal dissent, a violent storm many viewed as miraculous, a devastating cholera outbreak that claimed fifteen lives, and a revelation that abruptly ended the expedition. So what happened? More importantly… how did what appeared to be a failed mission become one of the greatest success stories in Mormon history? In this episode of Mormonism Live, Bill Reel and Radio Free Mormon take a deep dive into the complete story of Zion’s Camp—from the revelations that launched it to the theological reinterpretation that followed its collapse.

Along the way we examine:
• The promise to redeem Zion in D&C 103
• Why hundreds of Saints believed they were going to reclaim Jackson County
• Joseph Smith as “Commander in Chief of the Armies of Israel”
• Governor Daniel Dunklin and the political realities of Missouri
• The famous Fishing River storm—miracle or coincidence?
• The deadly cholera outbreak that followed D&C 105
• Why the mission was suddenly called off
• The psychological and theological shift from “the prophecy failed” to “the people weren’t ready”
• How Zion’s Camp became the proving ground for the future Twelve Apostles and Seventy

This episode also explores a broader question that reaches far beyond Mormonism: How do religious movements reinterpret unmet expectations while preserving confidence in prophetic leadership? Whether you’re a believing Latter-day Saint, a former member, a student of history, or simply interested in the psychology of belief, Zion’s Camp offers one of the most fascinating case studies in early American religious history.

Primary sources used include: Joseph Smith Papers Project Doctrine & Covenants 101, 103, and 105 John Whitmer’s History John Corrill’s A Brief History of the Church of Christ of Latter Day Saints Contemporary journals, letters, meeting minutes, and financial records from 1833–1835

#Mormonism #LDSHistory #JosephSmith #ZionsCamp #MormonismLive #ChurchHistory #ReligiousHistory #FaithCrisis #MormonStudies #DoctrineAndCovenants #ExMormon #Religion

What did the Nauvoo Temple endowment look like in its earliest form? In this episode of Mormonism Live, Bill Reel and Radio Free Mormon examine one of the earliest published firsthand accounts of the Nauvoo Temple ceremony: Catherine Lewis’s 1848 narrative. Written only a few years after the events it describes, Lewis’s account provides a remarkable window into the temple rituals, secrecy, and theological ideas circulating during the Nauvoo period.

Together we’ll explore:
The earliest known form of the Mormon endowment Washing and anointing ordinances
New names, signs, tokens, and the veil
The Garden of Eden drama and progression through the kingdoms
How Lewis connects temple secrecy with plural marriage
Heber C. Kimball’s role in her narrative
The Law of Adoption and priesthood authority
Early teachings surrounding Native Americans and “white and delightsome”
How Lewis’s account compares with William Clayton, the Nauvoo Expositor, John C. Bennett, Martha Brotherton, and other contemporary sources

We’ll also examine Catherine Lewis herself—what we know, what we don’t know, and how historians evaluate the credibility of an early eyewitness whose account repeatedly intersects with other Nauvoo-era evidence. Whether you’re interested in Mormon history, the development of temple worship, or the origins of plural marriage, this episode takes a careful, source-based approach to one of the most significant primary documents from the Nauvoo period.

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Looking for one-on-one support as you navigate a faith transition, religious trauma, or life after a high-demand religion? Bill Reel’s trauma-informed coaching: https://www.awakenandthrive.coach

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RFM and Bill Reel are joined by a special panel of Black Mormons and ex-Mormons in this important episode. What is it like experiencing Mormonism through the lens of race? Especially when that race paints you as a second class citizen? Are discriminatory practices and beliefs about Black people a thing of the past in Mormonism, or is there still more work to do? Join us as we listen and learn from our esteemed team of panelists!

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We have shown in a prior podcast that the Book of Mormon answers all the important religious disputes of Joseph Smith’s day. In this episode we demonstrate that the Book of Mormon uses the language and expressions of other early 19th Century authors to do so! Using only publications from prior to 1830! The results are in! Whether you look at the Book of Mormon from the 20,000 foot level at the contemporary religious issues it solves, or whether you look at the Book of Mormon from the microscopic level at the words and phrases it uses, all evidence indicates it to be a product of Joseph Smith’s time and place:
Early 19th Century America!

Tools used for tonight’s show
https://books.google.com/advanced_book_search
https://books.google.com/ngrams/

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For decades, the historical consensus has been that Joseph Smith introduced and practiced plural marriage in Nauvoo. But a small group of researchers has argued for a very different conclusion: that Joseph Smith was not the founder of Mormon polygamy and that the historical evidence has been misunderstood. In this episode of Mormonism Live, we sit down with researcher Jeremy Hoop to explore that perspective in depth. Jeremy has spent years examining William Clayton’s journals, the Nauvoo land deeds, the Augusta Cobb letters, the British Mission, and many other historical sources. He explains why he believes the standard narrative deserves to be reconsidered and walks us through the evidence that has led him to his conclusions. Whether you agree with Jeremy or not, this conversation is an opportunity to hear one of the leading voices of the Joseph Smith “non-polygamist” position explain his research in his own words.

Our goal is to better understand the arguments, the historical documents, and the reasoning behind this alternative interpretation of early Mormon history. As always, we invite you to examine the evidence, think critically, and reach your own conclusions.

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