Standard of Truth

We begin this week's episode by asking if Gerrit is the reincarnated Apostle Matthias? (He’s not saying he is, but he is also not not saying it.)

Where did the thief on the cross go when he died? If Jesus went to “paradise,” why does Peter say He preached to “spirits in prison”? We read from theologian R.C. Sproul (because nothing says “good time” like Calvinism) and then pivot to Joseph Smith’s sermon teachings that reframe paradise, prison, and the afterlife in a way that resolves contradictions without doing interpretive backflips.

We would love to invite you to join us on Saturday, February 28th, at 6:30 for fun, faith, and frivolity as we make predictions for the 2026 Super Bowl that occurred three weeks earlier and likely talk about who is dead and in hell, part 73. Still not convinced? What if we told you that we combed through all of our litner data to find a venue central the the largest number of litners, but ultimately settled on a location based on how close it was to Richard's house? Click the link below for tickets:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1980902400404?aff=oddtdtcreator

We have had a couple of people cancel for the upcoming 2026 Summer Standard of Truth Tour scheduled for Kirtland/Palmyra, June 14th through the 20th
https://pci.jotform.com/form/260194925241153

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If you have any questions or possible topics of discussion for upcoming podcasts, please email us at: ⁠⁠[email protected]

After debating the college football national championship (with Richard very much not gambling… while also explaining the VIG in suspicious detail), Gerrit drops a sneak peek announcement: they might do another live event, likely in Davis County, with the goal of raising funds to help get more people to the temple in Kenya on the next Sweetwater Rescue trip.

What are the strongest, most legitimate arguments against faith, the Church, or God in general and how do you faithfully deal with them? Gerrit argues that the most serious challenge isn’t a niche historical complaint or a shallow “gotcha” claim, but the universal human problem: suffering. Why is the world so brutal if God is both good and powerful? He explores how Latter-day Saint doctrine reframes the question through the premortal life, moral agency, and a more expansive view of God’s work and purposes than classical Christian models often allow.

Finally, a listener from Southern Utah writes in with a gem of local folklore: Did Brigham Young really warn that “Gadianton robbers” still infest the area and are they out haunting the desert hills around St. George, Leeds, Apple Valley, and the Arizona mountains? That question kicks off the main theme for the next episode: the Latter-day Saint understanding of the spirit world.

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If you have any questions or possible topics of discussion for upcoming podcasts, please email us at: ⁠⁠[email protected]

We begin the episode with a loving tribute to President Holland and move on to a discussion of a fraudulent email that was sent out to many members of the Church representing itself as an email coming from the Church while making a series of false claims. We also discuss a litner's email about Joseph Smith’s successor and a tremendous scientific experiment on YooHoo performed by a litter in Fairbanks, Alaska.

 
Link to the YooHoo Scientific Experiment: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-Tg5QE6bRRpsRC_yg7rG82uXzC__dk2m?usp=sharing
 
Standard of Truth Tour dates for the summer of 2027: ⁠ https://standardoftruth.com/tours

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If you have any questions or possible topics of discussion for upcoming podcasts, please email us at: ⁠⁠[email protected]

In this episode, we wrap up D&C 24, but not before detouring through the agricultural merits of buckwheat and the theological weight of consecration.
 
Gerrit reflects on President Holland’s haunting admonition “If you knew what I know, you would run.” and connects it to Oliver Cowdery’s call to speak as with the voice of a trumpet. 
 
Standard of Truth Tour dates for the summer of 2027: ⁠ https://standardoftruth.com/tours

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If you have any questions or possible topics of discussion for upcoming podcasts, please email us at: ⁠⁠[email protected]

In this episode, we discuss the explosive nature of the Book of Moses and a mob tearing down baptismal dams and dragging a woman away from baptism using power of attorney, 1830s-style. To provide context for the environment in Colesville we talk about Joseph Smith’s narrow escape from violent vigilantes, a heroic constable with a musket, and the early Saints’ intense persecution.

 
Kristy’s KorneЯ (Last Minute Lesson Prep): the whole episode

  

Standard of Truth Tour dates for the summer of 2027: ⁠ https://standardoftruth.com/tours

⁠

Sign up for our free monthly email: ⁠ ⁠https://standardoftruthpodcast.substack.com⁠

 

If you have any questions or possible topics of discussion for upcoming podcasts, please email us at: ⁠⁠[email protected]