DiscussMormonism.com

Some of you folks may have heard of Pastor Jeff. He and his wife, Joy, have been in Utah for a number years having planted an Evangelical ministry. He has a podcast called Hello Saints which has become quite popular with both Latter-day Saints and those not of our faith. Visits at Zone Conferences with missionaries and their leaders. Splits with missionaries in Texas. Visits to temple square. Conversations dealing with LDS doctrine, etc.

Recently he had a multi part interview with Don Bradley who had been raised as a member of the church, then left and became an Atheist, then came to Christ and lived as an Evangelical Christian, and then was re baptized into the LDS Church. Quite a story if you haven't heard it.

Don is probably familiar to some here. I would imagine there may even be some that might question his sanity.

Anyway, Pastor Jeff and Don Bradley sat down and discussed Don's faith journey, the death of his son, his faith in Christ, and why he is a Latter-day Saint. I am not saying, at all, that anyone should watch the interview (learned my lesson!), but if you were unaware of it...here is part of it. There is more than one segment if you wish to watch the others.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vayCeZO7M ... 1VUw%3D%3D

As I watched Don speak I found some parallels between his journey and my own. I consider myself to be a thinker albeit no where close to the caliber of Don Bradley. Pastor Jeff is a gift to Evangelical/LDS thought and relations. His wife is a Joy...literally!

Regards,
MG

https://m.youtube.com/@HelloSaints

If you want to see more of Hello Saints.

I listened at playback speed 2x and it was pretty boring. However, this one clip did catch my attention:

Bradley wrote:I say this purely hypothetically like I don't have the slightest sense that I will ever lose my testimony of the restoration and of the Church, but if I hypothetically were to, it would not affect my embrace of Jesus Christ one bit.

Well, all I can say to Bradley is that he will not live to see the so-called Second Coming of Jesus Christ which is a false/failed prophecy!

Bradley, "You don't need a dead man to save you just because you've made some mistakes in life".

Move on, Bradley!

Wake up!

As I understand Don’s “journey” it goes something like this:
Strong ideological Mormon as a teenager - studied Church history - shelf broke - strong ideological atheist - brother dies - strong ideological evangelical - rejoins Mormonism and becomes strongly ideological Mormon again.

I see no reason to conclude that Don managed to solve the dilemma that the Book of Mormon cannot be what it claims to be - a 100% translation of ancient plates from 1,500 years ago. Don does have a belief that he is special, and that God saved his life specifically. Although how he rationalises that alongside the deaths of his brother and his son is unexplained. He also holds the position that belief in God is the only rational conclusion, which is odd because by definition, belief in the supernatural is irrational. He must know that.

I think Don is in a fight with his own thinking. And has been for a long time. As for the interview, it’s not an interview. It’s two like-minded people bigging up each others irrational beliefs in God.

I Have Questions wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 02, 2026 6:24 pm

As I understand Don’s “journey” it goes something like this:
Strong ideological Mormon as a teenager - studied Church history - shelf broke - strong ideological atheist - brother dies - strong ideological evangelical - rejoins Mormonism and becomes strongly ideological Mormon again.

I see no reason to conclude that Don managed to solve the dilemma that the Book of Mormon cannot be what it claims to be - a 100% translation of ancient plates from 1,500 years ago. Don does have a belief that he is special, and that God saved his life specifically. Although how he rationalises that alongside the deaths of his brother and his son is unexplained. He also holds the position that belief in God is the only rational conclusion, which is odd because by definition, belief in the supernatural is irrational. He must know that.

I think Don is in a fight with his own thinking. And has been for a long time. As for the interview, it’s not an interview. It’s two like-minded people bigging up each others irrational beliefs in God.

These kind of stories make me think their might be some truth to doxastic volunteerism.
The amount of paradoxes created by multiple religions making conflicting truth claims as well as the negative historical and critical analysis don't seem to bother a lot of believers .

Rivendale wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 02, 2026 7:07 pm

I Have Questions wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 02, 2026 6:24 pm

As I understand Don’s “journey” it goes something like this:
Strong ideological Mormon as a teenager - studied Church history - shelf broke - strong ideological atheist - brother dies - strong ideological evangelical - rejoins Mormonism and becomes strongly ideological Mormon again.

I see no reason to conclude that Don managed to solve the dilemma that the Book of Mormon cannot be what it claims to be - a 100% translation of ancient plates from 1,500 years ago. Don does have a belief that he is special, and that God saved his life specifically. Although how he rationalises that alongside the deaths of his brother and his son is unexplained. He also holds the position that belief in God is the only rational conclusion, which is odd because by definition, belief in the supernatural is irrational. He must know that.

I think Don is in a fight with his own thinking. And has been for a long time. As for the interview, it’s not an interview. It’s two like-minded people bigging up each others irrational beliefs in God.

These kind of stories make me think their might be some truth to doxastic volunteerism.
The amount of paradoxes created by multiple religions making conflicting truth claims as well as the negative historical and critical analysis don't seem to bother a lot of believers .

I was unfamiliar with that term, so I looked it up.

Doxastic voluntarism is a philosophical view that people elect their own beliefs;[1] that is, that subjects have a certain amount of control over what they believe, such that a subject may choose whether or not to believe a certain thing.

I Have Questions wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 02, 2026 6:24 pm

As I understand Don’s “journey” it goes something like this:
Strong ideological Mormon as a teenager - studied Church history - shelf broke - strong ideological atheist - brother dies - strong ideological evangelical - rejoins Mormonism and becomes strongly ideological Mormon again.

- shelf broke, again.

only time will tell...

I Have Questions wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 02, 2026 7:13 pm

Rivendale wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 02, 2026 7:07 pm

These kind of stories make me think their might be some truth to doxastic volunteerism.
The amount of paradoxes created by multiple religions making conflicting truth claims as well as the negative historical and critical analysis don't seem to bother a lot of believers .

I was unfamiliar with that term, so I looked it up.

Doxastic voluntarism is a philosophical view that people elect their own beliefs;[1] that is, that subjects have a certain amount of control over what they believe, such that a subject may choose whether or not to believe a certain thing.

To arrive where he is at nowadays he traveled a long and circuitous path:

https://share.google/eyMLCFtjiqhsN0dqT

In regards to Joseph Smith he said:

In the patterns of Joseph Smith’s behavior, he explained, “he does things that would not make the slightest bit of sense if he were not actually religiously sincere.”

I think that it is true that each one of us, including nonbelievers, chooses what to believe or not believe. Choices based on one’s own experiences and time given to try and determine ‘the truth’.

Regards,
MG

In the comments section of the interview the most recent comment is from someone that traveled a similar path. Not uncommon.

Regards,
MG

I don't believe we choose belief. Many confuse preferences with belief and they are not the same thing. We are either convinced or we aren't are not convinced. I think doxastic volunteerism might be exposing people's threshold that triggers belief one way or another. For example as an experiment MG should choose to be atheist for a day and denounce Jesus, Joseph and Oaks along with all of Mormonism and I am betting he can't.

Rivendale wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 02, 2026 8:14 pm

I don't believe we choose belief...For example as an experiment MG should choose to be atheist for a day and denounce Jesus, Joseph and Oaks along with all of Mormonism and I am betting he can't.

Been there, done that. It wasn't President Oaks at the time though. Made it through to the other side and chose belief.

Regards,
MG