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Mormon History Podcast: 017: Why I Left

Today I get personal

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35 thoughts on “Mormon History Podcast: 017: Why I Left”

  1. Thank you for your work. I look forward to all of the Bill Reel podcast lineup, including yours. I hope that you can continue.
    Kindest regards.
    Please continue.

  2. Your life has so many interesting intersections with mine…mission at the same time…you came to Spokane, I left from Spokane…faith maturing at the same time….struggling with leadership and kids…leaving the church.

    I find so much value in these podcasts still. It took me 30+ years to become so Mormon, and I imagine the extraction of the less savory part will take nearly as long. Keep it up…the obscure parts of Mormonism are the interesting parts…the TBM’s don’t know what they’re missing!

  3. I really enjoy your podcast and dont think you need to tone it down, do whatever you enjoy. I would love to hear more of the obscure stuff. Your teasers with the signature thing sound super interesting to me. And best of luck in your journey!

  4. Tyler, have you dug into SRA (Satanic Ritual Abuse) history in the Mormon church? Would love to hear the angles you might dig up. Have any church authority (we’ve all seen the leaked bishop Pace memo pooh-poohed by the 15, showing his research and verification of LDS-SRA?) or any leader denounced SRA, caught anyone involved in SRA, disciplined any person or group for it)? If no other info exists or only denials then is that good news that it does not exist in the LDS church? Or, is this even deeper grave news of how it can hide so well in denial and ridicule for questioning how it hides so well so it can be more prolific?

  5. Here’s the thing. When someone is firmly rooting in the church but has doubts, they begin to feel incredibly alone. They don’t think that there is anyone that really gets them. The church does a phenomenal job of making someone with doubts feel secluded.

    When you finally take a leap out, and you learn that there are intelligent voices on the other side that have gone through the same thing you have, it brings such a relief.

    You are one of those voices that can provide confirmation as well as companionship to those navigating through those difficult stages.

    Ultimately it’s up to you if you want to continue or not. That being said, there needs to be an array of voices helping those with doubts, and you absolutely can be one of those.

  6. Love your podcast, you add value to the community and you can’t leave us with a teaser of Brigham Young requesting JS signature! We need to hear that!!

  7. Your podcast doesnt have to be about obscure history that no ones ever talked about. You could go over documents many historians are aware of but the average member may not.

    Id love you to go over changes in the D&C and how those changes fit in the church timeline. And Dan Vogel recently did a video about the Kirtland Egyptian Papers that you could pull from to not only explain what they are, but their significance to the BoA. I love anything related to the BoA.

    Anyways, just food for thought. Thanks for being so open man!

    1. Thanks. I thought about doing something with D&C and changes as that was part of my discussion with the SP and Bishop.

  8. It seems to me that a podcast focused generally on Mormon history isn’t unique. I’d like to hear a podcast focusing specifically on original Mormon documents, like the printers manuscript of the Book of Mormon, as one example. You could explain who was writing, when it was written, and examine the document for interesting things like crossed out words or changes to the original. Like a CSI Nauvoo or Mormon Originals or something.

    As an example, the printers manuscript for Mosiah 15 quotes Isaiah 52. The original uses exact wording from the KJV Bible and then someone went through, crossed out some of the words and changed them. So, the discussion could be around who the original scribe was (Oliver Cowdery) who changed the words and what is in the Book of Mormon version now. Also, what does it mean that the original was word for word from KJV and why would it have been changed?

    http://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/printers-manuscript-of-the-book-of-mormon-circa-august-1829-circa-january-1830/146

  9. I also got divorced and left the church two and a half years ago, and I’m so glad I pushed through my fear and had the courage to do both. I’m now remarried, and I attend a Methodist church (although I don’t exactly have orthodox Christian beliefs), and life is great. My faith journey and divorce have been painful, but life continues to get better for me. I’m still fascinated with Mormon history, so I would love for you to continue the podcast. I appreciate your insights, so just do an occasional episode when you have the time so you don’t get burned out.

  10. I’ve enjoyed all of your episodes, but I understand where you are. I’m finding myself in the position of wanting to focus less and less on the Mormon church (yea, that was intentional) so I can figure out who I am without it. That said, the podcasts here will be the last thing I let go.

    Do what works best for you, but if you continue to make them, I’ll keep tuning in for the foreseeable future.

  11. Hey Skylar,

    I know I’m a bit late to answer this… but I would LOVE for you to continue with your podcast.

    I find all of them enlightening and I guess, my selfish reason is that it looks as if I am on the same road you that you have walked and it looks like my end point will ultimately be similar to yours, Bill and so many other podcaster’s that I have come to feel a sense of kin with…

    I also understand your fatigue of just being worn out and tired. So I am a YES vote and I also understand if you decided to move past Mormonism, too. Good luck and know you have another supporter and likeminded guy out in SoCal walking in similar shoes.

  12. I appreciate your podcasts. Having been raised Mormon, I’m very interested in knowing more about Mormon church history because so much was left out.

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