Saints Unscripted

Every Sunday in the Mormon Church, those in attendance have an opportunity to take the Sacrament. Mormons regard the Sacrament as one of the most important ordinances performed in our day. It is the ordinance in which we can become clean from our sins.  Ian says that "every week, we should act as though we are preparing for baptism." Mormons believe that the Sacrament "renews covenants" or allows us to be clean from previous sins, so long as we have repentant hearts and actions. It's as though we can become clean as we did when we were baptized. The Spirit can be with us as we are clean and striving to improve our lives through faith and grace.  Check out what Ian and Kwaku have to say! And if you want to see how the Sacrament takes place, attend a Mormon Church on Sunday! 

Today we talk with James the Mormon! James the Mormon is known internationally for his popular rap music.  James talks about how he came to be James the Mormon, how he didn't ever intend to be known as a Mormon rapper and how he's overcome difficulties associated with his platform.  We loved talking with James about repentance and utilizing the atonement of Jesus Christ.  We often assume that we must be perfect and that any sin is absolutely detrimental to our progression. However, that is not the case. James the Mormon emphasizes that we all sin and that we all can use repentance. We can, and should, be happy in repenting

Kwaku and Ian get to know each other a little bit in this video and it's quite revealing... you don't want to miss it! But if we're being honest, this is definitely the silliest video that 3 Mormons has ever released.  Ian and Kwaku talk about their celebrity crushes, their childhood dreams, how they would survive a zombie apocalypse... you know, all the important questions. 

In a previous episode, we talked about some of our favorite Book of Mormon stories. Well, in this episode we share some of our favorite Bible stories -- specifically the New Testament!  Kwaku and Ian share some of their personal favorite stories from the Bible and share insights on what these stories mean to them.  Ian talks about when Mary and Joseph were searching for Jesus and found him in the temple teaching the people. His specific teaching style really inspired Ian as a missionary when teaching people about the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Kwaku talks about the story of Stephen and the controversy he sparked when preaching the word of God to the Jews. Stephen then was able to hear and see God before he was martyred which spoke to the love God had for Stephen in relentlessly preaching His word.

Peter sits down with the 3 Mormons to talk about the LGBT community in Salt Lake City, Utah. He talks about his experience being a gay mormon and some of the challenges he faced growing up.   In response to building a greater support system for LGBTQ Mormons, Peter also ran a successful initiative in Salt Lake City called, "Hug a Gay Mormon."  It was very successful in bringing more awareness to LGBTQ within the LDS community.  We absolutely loved having Peter on show and hope you all enjoy!

3 Mormons welcome Monica Moore Smith on the show to talk about how to use talents to spread the gospel. Monica Moore Smith is an American actress, singer, and model who is most well known for her roles in Saturday's Warrior and in the Mormon Church's anti-bullying video. She talks about her life and her goals as an actress. We LOVED filming with her and love the LDS faith that bonds us together. 

We had a guest on our show and many of you know him already.  Stephen Smoot is back and he is going deep on this episode. The crew talks about chiasmus in Book of Mormon. Kwaku has a moment during this episode and Ian questions whether or not ubiquitous is actually a word. Tune in for this exciting new episode of 3mormons!

Every wonder what it's like inside a Mormon church on a Sunday?  Kwaku and Ian talk about what to expect on a Sunday. They begin by sharing what it is like to actually walk into a Mormon church. The first thing to expect is being greeted by a member of the church who will be handing out programs that will outline a general schedule for the meeting that day. There are three different meetings on a Sunday and each of them last for an hour. Families will be there so you can expect to see kids running around and babies crying during a meeting.  Hymns are sung during the first meeting, the sacrament meeting, by the congregation. The bishopric presides over the each meeting and are similar to clergy with the the exception that they receive no compensation. Any questions or comments? Let us know via Facebook, Instagram or Twitter!

Our audience has been asking us about what happens behind the scenes of our show. Well, the wait is over! For our one year anniversary we decided to give everyone a full, unedited behind-the-scenes look at what we do for a specific show and how we prepare. We will also introduce you to our friend, Fishy, the star of the show! Did anything surprise you about how we film?

In this episode Kwaku and Ian sit down with George Parker and discuss principles of atheism. George starts out by discussing his life as a Mormon and what led him to change his beliefs. The team discusses God, religion, and beliefs in this newest episode of 3 Mormons. 

Ian and Sienna (Ian's wife) respond to Kwaku's advice about dating (episode here: http://bit.ly/2x0l1kp).  Sienna disagrees that you must wait in order to reply to a text. She says that she hates the dating game. She believes the dating game is ridiculous and that people should live as authentically as possible. Ian says that the dating rule to rule all dating rules is that if you are interested in someone, you should pursue them in a very natural and genuine way.  Be yourself!  What do you think? Do Kwaku's dating tips work? Or is there a better way to go about dating? Let us know via Facebook, Instagram or Twitter!

This week on 3 Mormons, Ian and Kwaku talk with Florian and Emily. Florian and Emily were recently baptized and have been faithful members of the LDS Church.  They share their story of converting from the Lutheran faith to that of Mormonism. Initially, they had a lot of questions about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Emily was a little skeptical about the Book of Mormon but after reading, both Emily and Florian grew to love the Book of Mormon, specifically the focus of Jesus found therein.  Do you have a conversion story you'd like to share? Tell us via Facebook, Instagram or Twitter!

Kwaku and Ian talk with special guest Stephen Smoot about polytheism.  The 3 Mormons talk about monolatry or the idea that though there are multiple gods, there is one supreme God. Stephen says that monolatry can be thought of as combining the ideas of monotheism and polytheism.  Kwaku brings up the concern of Mormons believing in something similar to Greek gods. Ian explains that Mormons don't believe in a similar idea as Greek gods but that they believe in one God while there may exist other gods. We can't "pick and choose" a god to whom we subscribe.  Stephen quotes Mark Smith to illustrate that monotheism and polytheism are both ideas of recent age-- that the two words don't mean much for the ancient Israelites. So perhaps we need to think of polytheism differently. 

Check out the 13 Articles of Faith here: https://www.lds.org/scriptures/pgp/a-of-f/1.1-13 In this episode, Kwaku and Ian talk about the 13 Articles of Faith.  Ian explains that in the early 19th Century, Joseph Smith was inquired about basic Mormon beliefs. The Articles of Faith acted as an informational guide to answer what Mormons believed. However, the Articles of Faith are not comprehensive as to all of Mormon belief.  Kwaku and Ian continue by explaining a few of the 13 Articles of Faith. They talk about faith, repentance, baptism, the Holy Ghost 

The 3 Mormons discuss Blacks and the Priesthood once again! We received many questions from the first episode and decided to answer those questions in this follow-up episode.  There is a difference between doctrine and policy in the LDS Church, as is explained by Ian. The ban on blacks holding the priesthood was not core doctrine, it was simply policy.  The Bible also has examples of policy vs doctrine. Ian talks about the apostle Paul in the Bible who was told to teach the gospel to all people. However, Paul interpreted the commandment in different ways. Thankfully, Christ continuously comes back to help interpret the commandments.  The interpretation of the commandment doesn't diminish the calling of the prophets and apostles. Though they are fallible people, they are not perfect.  We have been promised that there will no longer be an apostasy. God will use our hands on earth in order to accomplish his work before the second coming.  Many people have asked Kwaku about his recon

In today's episode, we talk about the three witnesses to the golden plates that Joseph Smith (first prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) translated into the Book of Mormon. Some people think that no other people saw the plates other than Joseph Smith. However, that is not true. Martin Harris, David Whitmer, and Oliver Cowdery were the three witnesses to the plates (along with many others, both men and women). These three men were once excommunicated from the church, came back to the church, and never denied what they saw. Make sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and twitter! Check out all our videos out on YouTube!

In this episode, Ian and Kwaku talk about Mormon baptism. What is the difference between baptism in the Mormon religion versus baptism in other religions? For one, Mormons believe in baptism by immersion. Not only is this the way in which Jesus Christ was baptized but it's also symbolic of becoming completely clean in our journey into eternal life.  Stay tuned for our upcoming series on baptism! 

Ian and Kwaku talk with famous LDS blogger Greg Trimble about atheism. Greg Trimble writes for the page www.gregtrimble.com.  Greg says that there is evidence of atheism being the fastest growing religion.  Ian, Kwaku and Greg discuss that the lack of rules in atheism actually makes us less free. Greg argues that the commandments in Mormonism and Christianity make us more free. Through living the commandments, we refrain from hurting others, from hurting ourselves, and from living in ways that take away our agency.  What do you think?

What are some of your favorite Book of Mormon stories? Let us know by following us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!

In this episode, Kwaku and Ian trek across Provo, Utah in honor of the Mormon pioneers. They take a wagon full of millennial essentials and encounter a few problems along the way.  In the end, Kwaku and Ian make it to their destination and determine that truly, the legacy of the Mormon pioneers lives on today through each one of us.