The Brigham Young Podcast with John Turner - Pt. 1 | Ep. 2188

In this new series on Mormon Stories Podcast, we’re joined once again by historian Dr. John Turner to take an in-depth look at one of the most important –and complicated –figures in Mormon history: Brigham Young. 

Dr. Turner is the author of Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet, his acclaimed 2012 biography of the second president and prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. John was recently our guest for an extensive series on his newer biography, "Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet." 

In this episode, we begin at the beginning: Who was Brigham Young before he became the leader of the Mormon movement?

John takes us through Brigham’s early life, his difficult relationship with his father, his exploration of different religious traditions, his attraction to spiritual gifts and “ecstatic worship,” and his eventual conversion to Mormonism. We explore the religious environment that shaped Brigham Young and the broader culture of early Mormonism, including speaking in tongues, visions, healings, prophecy, and other spiritual manifestations. 

We also examine Brigham’s relationship with his first wife, Miriam, his friendship with Heber C. Kimball, his early missionary experiences, and his first encounters with Joseph Smith. Along the way, we consider what made Brigham such a committed follower of Joseph Smith –and why Joseph recognized Brigham’s loyalty even though their relationship was very different from Joseph’s relationships with some of his other close associates. 

This episode offers a fascinating look at the making of Brigham Young before his transformation into the Mormon leader who would eventually guide thousands of Latter-day Saints across the American West.

Some of the topics that we discuss in this first episode is Brigham’s childhood, the harsh treatment on the part of his father, Brigham’s Methodism and "ecstatic worship” along with his desire to find a church that had the gift of tongues, visions, healings, etc. We discuss the death of Brigham’s first wife Miriam and how he handled his children afterward. We discuss his friendship with Heber C. Kimball and his missionary efforts as an elder in the church. We also discuss Brigham’s friendship with Joseph Smith, his defense of Joseph, how he handled failed prophecies, and much more. 

If you wish to donate to support this series, please visit here: https://donorbox.org/brighamyoung

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Show Notes

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