Gene England was one who liked to ask the hard questions at Church. It definitely caused Gene trouble with Church leaders. Has it gotten any better since Gene died? Dr. Terryl Givens is going to answer. Hard Questions at Church GT: Is it okay to ask hard questions in the LDS Church? Terryl: I think it is now. I think
Some people don’t like the academic study of the Bible and think the two are incompatible. That’s not the case with Steve Pynakker, evangelical host of Mormon Book Reviews, and myself. We’ll talk about some of the biblical stories that cause us to struggle. Does that help strengthen faith? GT: Patrick[Mason] is one of the nicest people that you can
Richard Turley retired in 2020 after working in various roles for the LDS Church. This will be a special treat, because I’m turning the microphone over to Barbara Jones Brown, executive director of the Mormon History Association. Barbara asked me to film the interview for the virtual meetings at the Mormon History Association meetings, and I’m happy to re-release this
John D. Lee was convicted in the second trial for his role in the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Will describes what he believes was a deal between prosecutors and the LDS Church. Will: Anyway, Sumner Howard, or a member of his team, his assistant goes before Judge Borman, and says, “Judge, I have eaten dirt, and I have rolled around in
It took 18 years to start the first trial of John D. Lee for the atrocities at Mountain Meadows. Why did it take so long? Historian Will Bagley believes LDS Church leaders covered up the crime. How does he come to that conclusion? Will: But, what I’m saying is that the event that Wilford Woodruff records is staged, and in
Following Will Bagley’s 2002 release of Blood of the Prophets, Richard Turley published Massacre at Mountain Meadows in 2008, as well as some collected legal records in 2017. I asked historian Will Bagley his impression of Turley’s work, and was surprised by his reaction. GT: Should we get your opinion of that book [Massacre at Mountain Meadows]? I’m curious. Will:
When assigning blame for the Mountain Meadows Massacre, two figures who played a prominent role in raising tensions often don’t get talked about as much as others: President James Buchanan, and apostle George A. Smith. Will Bagley tells how these two men created the environment which allowed a massacre to take place at Mountain Meadows. Will: Buchanan thought that by
Just a few years before the Mountain Meadows Massacre was the Willie & Martin Handcart disasters. Will Bagley has some surprising allegations about Brigham Young concerning these disasters. Will: Brigham Young gets word of this through Franklin D Richards, and goes into Conference–it’s late October by this time. How does he deal with the crisis? He lays it on the
163 years ago this month a terrible massacre occurred in southern Utah: the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Juanita Brooks was the first LDS scholar to examine the massacre, and her book published in 1957 set the standard for Mormon scholarship. In our next conversation with Will Bagley, we’ll get acquainted with him, and he will give his impressions of Brooks’ famous
