Episodes

David Nielsen passed away a couple of weeks ago when he fell off a ladder. His death was a very sad surprise. He leaves behind 3 wives, a wonderful family, and a shocked and saddened community of friends. We’re remembering him in this video. He served as an apostle for the Nielsen-Naylor Group. In this 2025 interview, he gives an introduction to this Mormon fundamentalist group. https://youtu.be/vaglaO6_lFk David Nielsen David Nielsen was an apostle for his church. CHAPTERS 0:00 FLDS Splits...

A key figure who accelerated the historical crisis for both the Tanners (who left the group in 1962) and Pauline’s church was Wes Walters, a Presbyterian minister from Marissa, Illinois. Walters was asked to write an article on Mormons for Christianity Today. His detailed research focused on testing Joseph Smith’s claims against tangible historical records, particularly those surrounding the First Vision. Walters reasoned that while you couldn’t prove whether Smith spoke to God, you could prove...

Community of Christ (CoC) President Stassi Cramm, the church’s first female prophet, addressed pointed questions regarding the role of the Book of Mormon, the pursuit of consensus and faithful disagreement, her prophetic vision for the church, and the ongoing debate over infant baptism. https://youtu.be/CwCLTiGcHrM Don’t miss our other conversations with Stassi: https://gospeltangents.com/people/stassi-cramm/ Copyright © 2025 Gospel Tangents All Rights Reserved Book of Mormon: Upholding Scr...

The Community of Christ has sold the Kirtland Temple and several Nauvoo properties to the LDS Church for a jaw-dropping $200 million. But RLDS finances are still shaky! That money is only expected to keep the church afloat for about five years. Historian John Hamer joins us to explain why he thinks the deal could have been much better, why he’s disappointed there are still no openly gay apostles, and to share his brutally honest thoughts on Steven Veazey’s leadership. Stick around—this conversat...

What are the questions you should ask your polygamy theories, both traditional and skeptic/revisionist? Dr Jesse James is a research psychologist and you’ll want to take notes! Check out our conversation… https://youtu.be/3b_VXU-hyZY Don’t miss our other conversations with Dr Jesse James: https://gospeltangents.com/people/jesse-james/ Copyright © 2025 Gospel Tangents All Rights Reserved Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission Polygamy Theories Rese...

Recently, I had the fascinating opportunity to delve into the beliefs practices, and Strangite priesthood views with Gary Weber of the Strangite Church, a lesser-known branch of Mormonism. This discussion sheds light on many intriguing aspects of their faith, highlighting both commonalities and distinct differences from the more widely known LDS (Latter-day Saint) Church. https://youtu.be/52ZIzhsxMKY Understanding Strangite Priesthood: A Core Difference One of the most significant distinctions...

Interracial Marriage is critical to the reasons for a priesthood/temple ban on black LDS Church members. For many years, the official position of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) was that “it is not known precisely why, how, or when this restriction [on the priesthood for male members of African descent] began in the church.” However, historical research utilizing early records suggests that the origins of the ban are quite specific, pointing to a confluence of events involv...

Can women hold priesthood in LeBaron Mormon fundamentalism? Jacob Vidrine from Church of the Firstborn surprised me with his answer about women & priesthood! We also finish our conversation about the race ban in Brigham Young & Joseph Smith’s time. Check out our conversation, but it is only available to newsletter subscribers. Sign up at https://gospeltangents.com/newsletter! https://youtu.be/Xg9nt_4xu9M Don’t miss our other conversations with Jacob: https://gospeltangents.com/people/jacob-vid...

When was Christ born? I held a livestream to tackle some of the most enduring mysteries surrounding the Christmas story, diving deep into scholarly debates concerning the timing of Christ’s birth, the nature of the Star of Bethlehem, and the identity and traditions surrounding the Wise Men. The discussion also included a giveaway of a free copy of Sand Tanner’s book, Lighthouse, authored by Ronald Huggins. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3d0hOvJoXQc Don’t miss our other conversations about Chr...

Many Mormon fundamentalists restrict blacks from joining despite the 1978 revelation that allowed black men to hold the priesthood. This is considered a landmark moment in LDS history, but many in Mormon fundamentalists believe this 1978 revelation marked the moment the mainstream Church lost its essential authority. This theological break, rooted in Brigham Young’s fiery declarations about race and priesthood lineage, is why most fundamentalist groups reject modern LDS temple work. https://you...

The path to LeBaronism began when the speaker gained a testimony of the Adam-God doctrine, then accepted principles like rebaptism, eventually leading to a testimony of the Law of Adoption and connection with the Church of the Firstborn. https://youtu.be/AYwLSTRuidE Don’t miss our other conversations with Jacob: https://gospeltangents.com/people/jacob-vidrine Copyright © 2025 Gospel Tangents All Rights Reserved How LeBaron Group Practices Temple Work Without a Temple The quest for pure pri...

Tom Green gained notoriety for appearing on television with his plural family, which led to Utah prosecuting him after discovering one wife was “very underage,” resulting in his conviction for child polygamy and welfare fraud, or child rape according to one account, and a prison sentence https://youtu.be/KkQlU3KVllM Don’t miss our other conversations with Jacob: https://gospeltangents.com/people/jacob-vidrine Copyright © 2025 Gospel Tangents All Rights Reserved Tom Green: Polygamy, Prison, ...

Fred Collier is one of the patriarchs of Ross LeBaron’s Church of the Firstborn. Fred tried to take over after Ross’s death and even converted Tom Green, an apostle in a rival group, “The Branch.” We’ll discuss more about how Fred’s group descends from Ross LeBaron. Check out our conversation… https://youtu.be/nTOU2ZYkNco Don’t miss our other conversations with Jacob: https://gospeltangents.com/people/jacob-vidrine Copyright © 2025 Gospel Tangents All Rights Reserved Except for book reviews...

Ross Wesley LeBaron played the role of eccentric prophet. The second oldest son of patriarch Alma Dayer LeBaron Sr., carved a distinct path in Utah. Ross founded the Church of the Firstborn. His teachings presented a unique fundamentalist cosmology focused on distributing sacred authority rather than concentrating it, emphasizing that “the honor is in the work, not the title.” https://youtu.be/fHYDKiaoZ5o Don’t miss our other conversations with Jacob: https://gospeltangents.com/people/jacob-vid...

Evil Ervil LeBaron was a killer. He killed not only his brother Joel LeBaron, but had his wives kill rival Rulon Allred. He was known to have a hit list of others, including President Spencer Kimball of the LDS Church. Jacob Vidrine discusses these events and we’ll discuss the recent drug killings to a LeBaron family in Mexico. Check out our conversation… https://youtu.be/23RT8A5HEww Don’t miss our other conversations with Jacob: https://gospeltangents.com/people/jacob-vidrine Copyright © 2025...

1950s were a tumultuous time for Mormon polygamists. Not only did police jail many for polygamy, but there were Mormon Fundamentalist Schisms. Many groups including Joseph Musser and the LeBaron families split apart. Jacob Vidrine of the Church of the Firstborn gives more details. Check out our conversation… https://youtu.be/1hdRUUQ8Gv0 Don’t miss our other conversations with Jacob: https://gospeltangents.com/people/jacob-vidrine Copyright © 2025 Gospel Tangents All Rights Reserved Except f...

Will there be polygamy in heaven? We’re diving into Ross LeBaron story with Jacob Vidrine of the Church of the Firstborn. I’ll also ask Jacob if polygamy a requirement for the Celestial Kingdom. Will it be monogamy or polygamy in heaven? His answer surprised me! We discuss Law of Adoption & the Manifesto ending polygamy in the LDS Church as well. Check out our conversation… https://youtu.be/m20kOKhSdLA 0:00 1st Successor: Ross LeBaron 13:57 Law of Adoption 22:03 Requirement for Polygamy in H...

Jacob Vidrine discusses LeBaron succession! You may have heard of Ervil, Joel, and Ross LeBaron. Who took charge after Alma Dayer LeBaron died? Check out our conversation…. https://youtu.be/6NckTz7ateA Don’t miss our other conversations with Jacob: https://gospeltangents.com/people/jacob-vidrine Copyright © 2025 Gospel Tangents All Rights Reserved Except for book reviews, no content may be reproduced without written permission LeBaron Divide: Priesthood, Power, & Struggle for the Birthrigh...

Jacob Vidrine tells how authority transferred from Benjamin F Johnson in Nauvoo to Alma Dayer LeBaron and the LeBaron groups. Check out our conversation… The LeBaron authority line, originating from Benjamin F. Johnson, is like a secret royal charter given directly by the king (Joseph Smith) to a trusted advisor, authorizing him to establish a new subsidiary branch of the kingdom. While other fundamentalist lines (Woolleyites) claim authority based on a later, more public decree (John Taylor’s ...

Let’s look into the unique authority claims of the Church of the Firstborn, also often referred to by the term Ross LeBaron-ite. They claim authority through the Council of 50 in Nauvoo! This group represents an interesting fundamentalist branch because its line of authority is distinct from the majority of other fundamentalist groups, such as the FLDS and AUB, who primarily trace their authority through the Lorin Woolley story. https://youtu.be/HeX3jEvK0FQ Don’t miss our other conversations w...

I’m excited to introduce Jacob Vidrine, a member of Church of the Firstborn. This is a group that is part of the LeBaron fundamentalist group. Jacob is a human encyclopedia of Mormn fundamentalism, and we’re going to dive deep into how the LeBaron group cross-pollinates with other fundamentalist groups. Check it out! 0:00 Intro LeBaron Family 4:16 Lorin Woolley Authority Claims 15:20 Kingston & LeBaron Claims 19:18 High Priest Apostles 21:05 Sidney Rigdon Trial 23:53 2nd Anointing-Patriarc...

Joseph Fielding Smith is the architect of controversial LDS orthodoxy. He has some controversial writings about Blacks and Ezra Taft Benson. We’ll also delve into his role with Lowell Bennion, a BYU professor who was fired. Was JFS responsible or was it someone else? Matthew Bowman answers. We’ll also dive into his role in shaping orthodoxy in the 20th century. Don’t forget to check out Matt’s amazing biography on Joseph Fielding Smith! Check out our conversation… https://youtu.be/_aBWPp4i1OY ...

Jerald and Sandra Tanner received an apostolic scolding by LeGrand Richards over the First Vision! By the early 1960s, Sandra and Jerald Tanner were deep into critical analysis of Mormon history, having transitioned from struggling Utah Mormons to committed followers of a Christ-focused faith centered on the Bible and the Book of Mormon. This new path led them to join Pauline Hancock’s “Basement Church” in Independence, Missouri, formally known as the Church of Christ (Bible & Book of Mormon). ...

Sandra Tanner discusses one of the most intriguing episodes in Mormon history: her early inquiry into the missing 1832 First Vision account. (She didn’t know it was missing at the time. The account was allegedly ripped out of the Joseph Smith journal by Church Historian Joseph Fielding Smith. This pursuit led Sandra directly into correspondence with Joseph Fielding Smith, then Church Historian, concerning what she believed was the original, definitive record of Joseph Smith’s earliest spiritual ...