What this early apostate revealed about the Book of Mormon
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- Опубліковано 10 лют 2025
- William McLellin was an early leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and also became an early apostate and critic of Church leadership. One might expect him to have also been a severe critic of the Book of Mormon, but the documents he left behind reveal quite a different story.
FOOTNOTES (Sorry that links aren't clickable yet. We will unlock that UA-cam feature soon.)
- The full letter (transcript) from McLellin to Cobb can be found here, in “William E. McLellan’s Testimony of the Book of Mormon,” by Larry C. Porter (BYU Studies): tinyurl.com/4kv...
- “‘The Testimony of Men’ William E. McLellin and the Book of Mormon Witnesses,” by Mitchell K. Schaefer (BYU Studies): tinyurl.com/y8u...
- Biography of William McLellin via Joseph Smith Papers: tinyurl.com/5f...
- “The Ensign of Liberty, of the Church of Christ,” Jan. 1848 (containing an account of McLellin’s history in the Church): tinyurl.com/4w...
- “Book of Mormon Evidence: William E. McLellin,” via Evidence Central: tinyurl.com/bdr...
- “Why Did William E. McLellin Call the Book of Mormon the ‘Apple of My Eye’?” via Book of Mormon Central: tinyurl.com/3uc...
Suggested Reading:
- “The Journals of William E. McLellin 1831-1836,” edited by Jan Shipps and John W. Welch.
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I'm not LDS but am a giant history nerd, especially American pioneer history, so of course a lot of LDS history is very interesting to me. Looking forward to more LDS church history videos!
It’s a breath of fresh air reading this after all the anti things
Here's something to look up it's called Mountain meadows massacre.......
There are free books available, called “The Saints” the church has published you can read also. Very to the historical records laid bear as much as possible. Also the Joseph smith papers.
@@Morbian13what about it?
@@Morbian13nobodies perfect. They admitted that was a mistake.
I love William McClellin's testimony of the Book of Mormon. His response to James Cobb is one of my all-time favorite stories, and he preserves some of the best testimonies from the three and eight witnesses.
The people who left the church, but never denounced the Book of Mormon, always fascinated me. They couldn't stand church leadership or being a part of a struggling church, but even they, despite their bitterness, could never confidently say that the Book of Mormon was fake.
@@mattprater8828
Have you never read the whole passage...?
Sec 84
88 And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up. 89 Whoso receiveth you receiveth me;....
If the church was under complete condemnation why would Jesus tell them "who receiveth you receiveth me"?
Our Father in Heaven had a plan for all of it. I think they are the most important witnesses.
Some saw polygamy, including affairs with teenagers and married women, to be abhorrent and evidence that the leadership had gone astray and left the teachings of the Book of Mormon. We weren't there, but don't all scriptures have examples of men called of God who then falter?
@@michaelcolby8927 King David retained his roles as leader and prophet of Israel after he had committed murder and adultery.
@@allengreg5447the difference was from my personal studies that David was consistently open to repenting. I think the same for a lot of early church leadership
I just jumped over from your announcement of your new Keystone site. I'm excited that you are still sharing your insights and testimonies.
Thank you for being here!
This video touched my heart. Much like General Conference you don’t use flash and spunk to declare the truth. You let the truth speak for itself. Thank you for this.
Great video. William McLellin is such a wild character. It is very bizarre to me how he asked the sheriff in Richmond Missouri for permission to fight Joseph Smith while Joseph was in prison. The sheriff originally agreed as long as they took off Joseph’s handcuffs. Joseph Smith even agreed to fight him, but then McLellin chickened out because he wanted to have a club and the sheriff wouldn’t let him do that because it wouldn’t be a fair fight. A part of me would have liked to see that fight between the prophet and former apostle, but maybe it was for the best Joseph didn’t beat up excommunicated members
Wow I have never heard this story. Sound about right, though haha. I wouldn't want to fight Joseph Smith, either.
That’s awesome
Very interesting. Any links to read up on that?
Crap. We have to rewatch Joseph's life on Godtube in the next life. I'm gonna binge watch the whole thing
“you might just as well fight against the Rocky Mountains” - powerful! Thanks for a great video! ❤
This is not a criticism of this video but a thought as a Latter Day Saint.-since the BofM is unique to our faith we tend to think how powerful it is when people leave the church but still retain a belief in the Book of Mormon . However, to many of these early apostates this is the equivalent of people who believe the Bible but change which church they go to. It makes sense that many of these converts received a divine witness of the BofM just like they feel about the Bible and they become upset over some new doctrine of the church or their leaders and therefore leave. Like many Christian’s they retain their religious beliefs and go elsewhere. Right now there are a growing number of people who have a strong witness of the Book of Mormon and Joseph smith but deny anything after. Give it enough time and we will see more Book of Mormon believing church’s that are not part of the official church. The only thing that will stop this is the timing of the 2nd coming.
You are correct, just look at the many branches that started from the beginning who believed the Book of Mormon but not Brigham Young.
I disagree. The main Brighamite LDS Church was only able to purchase the Kirtland Temple earlier this year because the RLDS Community of Christ is rapidly shrinking and have almost no tithe payers under age 50. There are several other splinter groups but they are maintaining members at best. I don't see any new Restoration churches being created or growing. Most people who leave the LDS church don't end up in any other church.
Thanks for continuing the series here! I’m excited for all that is to come!
Reading Joseph Smith III's and Emma's letters discussing his "visit" and allegations was eye opening, he certainly was not her friend and she certainly did not think he was using his "talents" to the best of his abilities, but never knew continued to defend the Book of Mormon, so fascinating to hear this.
Following after your announcement from Saints Unscripted. Looking forward to more videos!!!
I did many quests to learn about this new channel's objective, and I'm glad to know that it still is in agreement with the gospel. Congratulations and more success!
Doing our best out here!
@@keystonelds the fruits of your labor are sweet ❣️
God didn't stop his revelations and gave us only the Bible, he also gave us The Book Of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants,
The Book of Enoch (Fragments) and other scriptures that we don't have yet. If you refuse to receive more, it's really up to
individual, the Lord will not force if this is all your heart and mind willing to accept.
Your 1000th subscriber here 😊 glad to see this channel instantly monotizable
This true historical story of James Cobb can be seen as a reflection of many people today who oppose the Church. It begins with dissatisfaction toward the Church leaders, followed by efforts to find errors in the Church’s scriptures, prophets, and doctrines, claiming them to be false. However, the experiences and records of William McLellin, with his reasoning and logic, stand as a witness to the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.
A story never told. Awesome story like this about the Book of Mormon serves to strengthen my own testimony.
Well, don't we all occasionally disagree with local or regional leaders? I've been a member my whole life and I've had my fair share of... "I guess they're just human idiots. Maybe they still need to learn a thing or two." And hey, I've been in very small leadership positions. Maybe some people thought that about me.
Thanks Keystone! This is powerful. And I also know by study and the Holy Ghost of the Book of Mormon's veracity.
He’s clearly a man who will say anything to get what he wants at that moment. That he can be exited from the church so often, reinstated, only to be exited again shows he is a convincing speaker despite not speaking the truth.
This was a superb video and I'm now more well informed! Thank you!
Very interesting video! Congrats and best wishes on your new channel! I look forward to what’s in store.
Subscribed. Excited for this new channel.
Glad this is a new channel. I was sad the way SU was going when they had that women’s feminist episode.
Love your videos! But I wish you'd lose the voices and just let the narrator read the quotes. As for McLellan, sounds like he just had problems getting along with people. One question, though. When McLellan died, or since then, did the church leave him excommunicated, or was his temple work subsequently done? I know the church tends to be very compassionate, and in this case I'm pretty sure the church probably did do his work.
Thanks for the great video.
The irony of BoM deniers is that many of the persecutions and arguments against it are foretold in the BoM itself. If it were a work of fiction, how would Joseph have known that?
It amazes me how Utah Mormons are leaving the church in droves, but they are not leaving Utah.
I'm really excited for your new channel. I'm a big fan. Keep up the good work.
Sempre excelente vídeos! / always excellent videos!
Hey David
Well of course RYAN is here before the launch...
@@keystonelds I am everywhere. 😂
Too bad these early saints didn’t have access to the internet.
If they did they would have fled like so many are today
I have to disagree on one thing. He didn't become disillusioned. When he left the church he became "illusioned." His illusion was that he stopped believing the truth.
Excited for the new channel, but this title is WAY to click-baity. I would prefer if the titles were more concrete.
We can never really understand the loss and abuse they suffered. It's not for us to judge. Even when they fall away. 😢
Thank you so much Sir for your new channel and its excellent presentations defending the truth claims of the Savior’s gospel. Looking forward to your other videos and content.
I have enjoyed the stylometry things you guys have done for the Book of Mormon. Maybe you could do a similar one for Doctrine and Covenants, because stylometry is basically a doctrinal theme taught in section 67. The Lord basically challenged the more skeptical apostles to fabricate revelations to see if they could mimic Joseph’s prophetic voice of being Jesus’ mouthpiece. William McLellin allegedly accepted the challenge to contrive scripture and failed despite being a school teacher.
"The people who left the church, but never denounced the Book of Mormon, always fascinated me." In that case you would find me zero fascinating.
No exmos here yet, this place is pure.
Lol 😂
For now 😢
@@lonyaofnevada I took a look at the comments now, they arrived, saying everything I imagined they would say 😢
The problem is back then they didn’t have access to the evidence we have today that show that the BoM is nothing more than a literary text no different than any novel written at that time.
Agree 100%
The mistake a lot of LDS mormons make is thinking that the truthfulness of the book of mormon verifies the validity of the LDS church. Really, after Joseph was gone, every shoot-off had their problems. Knowing the book is true doesn't necessarily convince a person to follow any specific one of them (Brigham, Sydney, etc.), since they all believe the book of mormon is true and that Joseph was a prophet, too. This mistake makes people who leave the church - but still have a testimony of the Book - feel way more alienated than they should.
So he believed church leadership was straying from the teachings of the Book of Mormon, and yet you hail that as a win for the Mormon church? Do we know which teachings McLellan was criticizing?
I don't know any of this at all.
It's funny how his gripes with LDS leadership are so smoothly left out of the conversation, right? That's my question, too. What were his problems with Brigham and the others? Definitely something to study - we certainly won't get it from this youtube channel.
I wish the Book of Mormon could be put on trial, before the highest courts in the world. Then, the world would see the truthfullness of the claims, and have to decide for themselves, will they follow the truth.
Thank you so much for your videos, these efforts to share the gospel online are a God sent!
Supporter from Philippines❤
The funny part is that during that time it was common to have these experiences. Its not only Mormons
GREAT
Awesome video
very cool
He had problem with the leadership. So...the book was never denounced, but the leadership was? So Mormon churches/organizations/leaders is what he had problems with?
Yeah. That sounds WAY better.
Preface… concerning the Twelve Apostles of the Lamb.
Behold, vengeance cometh speedily upon the inhabitants of the earth, a day of wrath, a day of burning, a day of desolation, of weeping, of mourning, and of lamentation; and as a whirlwind it shall come upon all the face of the earth, saith the Lord.
And upon my house shall it begin, and from my house shall it go forth, saith the Lord;
First among those among you, saith the Lord, who have professed to know my name and have not known me, and have blasphemed against me in the midst of my house, saith the Lord. (D&C 112:24-26)
O my people, they who lead thee cause thee to err and destroy the way of thy paths. (2 Nephi 13:12)
Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
…until he be taken out of the way. (2 Thessalonians 2:1, 3-4, 6, 7)
While that man, who was called of God and appointed, that putteth forth his hand to steady the ark of God, shall fall by the shaft of death, like as a tree that is smitten by the vivid shaft of lightning. (D&C 85:8)
And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 3:15)
You are the reason I left the church. You've pointed out hundreds of problems with the churchs history without any real answers.
Sorry to hear that, Mike. You've come to different conclusions regarding these questions than I have, but I wish you the best and hope you are able to find another church family where you feel more comfortable.
Mike don’t be ridiculous.
JK I'm still a faithful follower of the church. Everything is true.
@@ItsMeMikeD1988 The church is a total lie.
good job
Great video! It's so surprising to see an apostle of the Lord come and go so many times. It made me laugh a little. It's not technically funny but I still couldn't help it. It's so different back then from today in a way. We can't imagine our apostles apostatizing like half the quorum did back then.
Something to remember is that after the death of Joseph Smith, the church split into multiple factions--most of which supported Brigham Young and the pilgrimage towards Salt Lake. All of these sects believed and still believe in the Book of Mormon. We see that William McLellin was very opposed to the LDS faith and still wanted to support the Book of Mormon by joining the multiple sects that stemmed from the original faith. However, it's very important to note that even a man who believed in the Book of Mormon and was a member of the Quorum of the 12, did not believe in the leaders, which should cast light on the authority of the church itself.
Most importantly, though, was his ex-communication and disfellowship from the church, which is something contradictory to the Bible. Only God can ex-communicate someone from His Kingdom. Yes, you can lose your office based on your actions, but man cannot blot out someone's name from the Book of Life. That is one of the many reasons I cannot view mormons as Christians.
Yo por ejemplo veo miembros prominentes con una felicidad falsa que les otorga el poder de sus puestos...muchas sonrisas sin embargo están vacíos de sabiduría y amor genuino.lo demuestran al marginar miembros activos y más aún los que se retiraron
Now we just need a cool intro video like we had for Faiths and Beliefs
I love the Book of Mormon, but found steadier ground and a stronger spirit in The Church of Jesus Christ based in Monongahela than in the LDS Church. I'm still grateful for the foundation i received growing up, and I still encourage friends struggling in the LDS Church to doubt their doubts first
I grew up very close to the Monogahela church. It's a very cool piece of history, and we love our Restorationist brothers.
The leadership of the church doesn't have faith enough to speak to God face to face. I know that you can speak with God face to face. God is calling heaven is calling. Answer the call.
Porque dicen que si abandonas la iglesia SOS amargo o te volves amargo....
Hello algorithm! 👋
It seems like he found the truth in the end.
I love this short video but just open the book and the power can be felt. The gospel is true (Book of Mormon) but the church will fail you a few times in your life. We all just need to let that go and cling to the gospel and an imperfect church.
Very interesting video! The theme is simple: The BOM can be a true ancient record AND the church leveraging its teachings can be like all other human institutions (with their lips they do honor me, but their hearts are far from me).
Three examples of this video: McLellin, Page, David Whitmer. The BOM is the "keystone of religion" that sadly got minimalized to be the "keystone of JS's religion" embedded in the brand of this channel. Thanks in part to the ambitions and editorial contributions of OC and SR and others. With all such editorial licenses, the TRUE ancient record is still embedded within. And where did JS get such innovative content. Ay! There is the rub.
Personally, I would like vey much to see the unadulterated first text. Which I am certain JS protected very carefully. When he buried the "Manuscript" at the Nauvoo house and talked about it like a Bane, I honestly believe that was his reference to the "institution building" and the philosophies of men that followed. Emma likely hid these important papers under her dress crossing the frozen Mississippi. And likely, the main sinod (Brigham) house them under lock and key. The key data point was the interview with David Whitmer by the Brigham sinod regarding the purchase of the "printer's manuscript" where David was defending it was the "original" - they considered the 90-year old senile, but he was revealing the secret "blood oath agreement" to never reveal the truth of the first text. Cosmic humor to apply the Mahan oath's to something so sacred.
So much Forensic evidence, re BoM, at this point a testimony is technically redundant; however, vastly more powerful.
We have less than perfect leaders of the church today. My testimonies are of the Restoration, not the, less than truthful, leaders.
If his testimony of the BoM is well received, what are we to make of his concerns with Church leadership?
Nothing
That people are people?
Sweet
How would he have answered the anachronisms in the Book of Mormon?
If you believe in the omniscience of God, so called anachronisms in His revelations are not at all troubling.
There's a great video from Saints Unscripted about anachronisms in the Book of Mormon. If you'd really like to learn more, check it out. I found it extremely insightful.
The Church doesn't X-Communicate anymore. They simply remove the name from records.
Chelonia!!!
Any dna evidence ??
Zero dna,zero archeology, zero historical =zero truth
Nice
Really like the video without the comic asides.
Step son…..🤣….I’m sure there was a lot of them
How can a book be declared to be pure and sacred, which has been changed about 3,800 times since its original version. The early versions of the Book of Mormon contained no mention of the Mayas or Jesus preaching in Mesoamerica. It only described Jesus preaching in the Great Lakes region of North America., Smith only added what was initially a brief mention of the Mayas after Frederick Catherwood published a book about his exploration of the Yucatan Peninsula. The full version of the Nephite Thing took about 50 years of changes to the Book of Mormon.
Joseph Smith mentioned the Mayans in the Book of Mormon????
😂
@@gbengoosewuru4139The culture of the mayans is the basis for the Nephites.
@@goldstinger325 provide a quote or reference an official statement from the LDS church and then I'll believe you.
I'll Wait.
I've only had the newer copies of the Book of Mormon, and have heard speculation about the events taking place in South America. The more I've pondered over it, though, I've come to the belief that the events do happen in the Great Lakes area. That'd be quite the trek for Mormon and Moroni otherwise, all while under constant fear of the Lamanites.
??
Heck yeah, Mormon chruch is great!
Please don't make the mob voices to sound like a fucktarded Sam Elliot / Larry the cable guy, it would look far less biased if you did so. Just a hint. Book is Blue and the Church is True!
I do NOT understand how people believe in the BOM.......... it's history....... it's TRUE history....
Even angels can be Satan, 2 COR 1:14 The devil makes himself look like an angel of light, but I am not surprised, even Satan disguises himself as an angel. One may want to be careful when dealing with angels.
Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father visited Joseph smith themselves
Huh. I thought I was gonna learn something. Sad =/
Not a cult!