He Claims Correlation Killed the LDS Church | I Showed Him He Was Wrong

An exmormon called in with a bold theory: "Correlation killed the LDS church." He was wrong about everything — and couldn't admit it even when his own words proved it. Gus is a 53-year-old former missionary who left the church after reading Rough Stone Rolling followed by a biography of L. Ron Hubbard. He came in armed with claims about Joseph Smith, the rock in the hat, cultural erosion, and the book Torn by Jana Riess. He had an answer for everything — until he didn't. What this conversation covers: → The Joseph Smith glass looker charge — and what Josiah Stoal's own testimony actually says about why he hired Joseph → The Urim and Thummim vs. rock in the hat debate — and why the sourcing problem destroys the theory before it starts → Martin Harris, David Whitmer, and Emma Smith: why their accounts contradict each other on the very timeline the critics need them to agree on → The "Correlation killed the church" claim — what correlation actually was, why it was instituted, and why road shows have absolutely nothing to do with it → Torn - what the book actually studied, what it didn't, and why self-reported reasons for leaving Mormonism are not the same thing as actual causes → The moment Gus admits — in his own words — that he left because he stopped believing in God, not because of history The real reason people leave isn't correlation. It's not road shows. It's not the rock in the hat. It's the same reason Gus eventually gave: they stopped believing. And the social and historical reasons come later, as permission — not cause. The Apologetics Journal is the tool that prepares you for conversations exactly like this one — arguments come fast and you need the framework ready. Get the Apologetics Journal today! https://a.co/d/06Q9hRej 0:00 Opening Mic-Drop: "Correlation Killed the Church" 0:32 Introduction: The Real Reason People Leave 1:19 Meet Gus — Former Missionary, Now Atheist 4:11 "Were You Born Into the Church?" 5:51 Why He Left: Rough Stone Rolling → L. Ron Hubbard 7:06 Joseph Smith as Storyteller — What Lucy Mack Smith Actually Said 7:47 The 1826 Trial: Was Joseph Smith a Glass Looker? 9:52 What Glass Looking Actually Meant in Ancient Israel 10:07 Urim and Thummim vs. Rock in the Hat — The OT Precedent 12:01 The Rock in the Hat: Where Does This Theory Come From? 14:15 The Witness Problem — Martin Harris, David Whitmer, and Emma 17:03 How Does Revelation Actually Work? 33:43 Gus's Big Theory: Correlation Destroyed the Church 35:51 The "Torn" Book — Flawed Data, Wrong Conclusion 42:58 What Correlation Actually Was (And Why It Worked) 46:54 The Theory Collapses — Correlation Has Nothing to Do With Culture 50:35 The Rock in the Hat Was Published in Official Church Magazines 53:10 "Show Me Pepe Sylvia" — The Connections Don't Exist 54:03 The Real Reason Gus Left — In His Own Words 57:32 Believing in the Church Is a Reasonable, Logical Choice 1:03:33 Final Thoughts: Culture Is Not Doctrine *DISCLAIMER* The views and opinions expressed in this video are exclusively that of the creator and do not necessarily reflect the official positions, thoughts, and doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. #mormon #lds #begood #christian