We are back today with part 21 of our Joseph Smith Podcast series with Dr. John Turner, discussing his new book Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet. In this episode, we explore one of the most fascinating and consequential moments in early Latter-day Saint history –the Kirtland Bank Scandal. Chapter 18 titled “Follies” (1836-1837), captures a turbulent period when Joseph SMith and the Saints in Kirtland, Ohio, faced financial ruin, internal dissent, and the unraveling of faith and community. We trace how the ambitious completion of the Kirtland Temple left the Saints deep in debt and how Joseph Smith’s attempt to solve these financial woes through the creation of the Kirtland Safety Society Bank (or “anti” Bank) spiraled into one of the earliest crises of the Restoration. Against the backdrop of President ANdrew Jackson’s anti-bank crusade and the Panic of 1837, the Saints’ experiment with banking, prophecy, and faith would test their loyalty, their leadership, and their limits. The story unfolds through dramatic events: Joseph and Sidney hiding from sheriffs, treasure-digging expeditions to Salem in search of divine relief from debt, and the chaotic collapse of confidence in the unchartered “anti-bank.” We discuss how this episode intertwined religious revelation and financial desperation – and how it triggered what became the largest apostasy in early church history. Please purchase the book here: https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300255164/joseph-smith/ To support this series please donate here: https://donorbox.org/josephsmith. One half of all donations will go to Dr. Turner for as long as he is participating in the series. Show notes can be found on the Mormon Stories blog here: https://www.mormonstories.org/the-kirtland-bank-scandal/ Timecodes: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:02:27 Reading a teaser from the book 00:06:13 The financial shape the Kirtland Temple left the Saints in 00:08:37 Andrew Jackson and the climate around banking and anti-banking 00:11:45 How banks worked in the 1800s 00:24:03 Where did the idea of the bank or Safety Society come from? 00:24:53 Treasure digging in Salem, MA 00:27:55 Starting the bank 00:35:01 Joseph learning about the Salem witch trials 00:38:55 National Bank Panic 00:42:19 Joseph seeking for approval for the bank 00:45:39 The 1830s is the Wild West of Banking 00:51:22 Joseph bought three thousand shares 00:57:34 Two aims for the bank 01:00:00 Safety Society Bank 01:11:26 Learning about the specie in the bank (or lack thereof) and it’s failure 01:15:25 Reports that there were boxes of sand instead of gold 01:24:45 Joseph buys another bank 01:28:22 The Panic of 1837 01:31:17 Joseph promises that Kirtland has a glorious future 01:36:07 This bank was unwise, amateurish and illegal 01:41:21 Joseph receives word that Kirtland is not safe 01:46:17 Emma during this time 01:47:44 How this bank failure hurt people 01:56:12 The Kirtland High Council tries to meet 02:00:59 Joseph gets sick and flees the county 02:08:55 People are jumping out of windows, knives are drawn 02:14:35 Joseph tried in Missouri of violating the law against unchartered banking 02:16:48 Joseph things are sold to pay off the debts 02:18:38 Does this ruin Joseph relation to Oliver Cowdery? 02:21:01 Summary of why these leaders are being excommunicated 02:31:20 The precedent that Joseph Smith set for the church now 02:36:53 We have not seen the end of Joseph! 02:38:09 Closing remarks ___________________ At Mormon Stories we explore, celebrate, and challenge Mormon culture through in-depth stories told by members and former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as scholars, authors, LDS apologists, and other professionals. Our overall mission is to: 1. Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology 2. Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis 3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions 🤝Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today One-time or recurring donations: https://donorbox.org/mormon-stories?default_interval=m Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/mormonstories Paypal: https://paypal.me/mormonstories Our Platforms: 🌐Mormon Stories Blog: https://www.mormonstories.org/episodes 🎙️Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories ✳️Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4sDzk7dRjODTSEqzZKZJzk?si=148b0efc1ccc4404&nd=1 🍎Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mormon-stories-lds/id312094772 🖼️Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mormstories 📱TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mormonstoriespodcast 🎮Discord: https://discord.com/invite/kuX5p6yyjF Contact us: 📧 MormonStories@gmail.com 📬PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117