Welcome to Part 40 of our Joseph Smith Podcast series with Dr. John Turner! Today we are covering the final chapter of Dr. John Turner’s new book, Joseph Smith; The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet. The chapter is titled “Bleeding Hearts.” In this episode we unpack the turbulent final months of Joseph Smith’s life in 1844. We explore escalating legal pressures, political tensions in Nauvoo, and the controversial events surrounding the Nauvoo Expositor, press freedom, and Smith’s increasingly complex role as prophet, mayor, and military leader. We also examine the accusations of polygamy and misconduct circulating at the time, the internal fractures within the Latter-day Saint movement, and how Joseph Smith responded through sermons, leadership decision, and public defense. As tensions rise, we follow the path from legal entanglements and political conflict in Illinois to Smith’s final days, his decision to flee, and the events leading to his death at Carthage Jail. The episode closes with reflections on the aftermath of his killing and its lasting impact on the movement he founded. This is a deep historical discussion drawing on Dr. Turner’s scholarship and primary source material to better understand one of the most consequential and contested moments in early American religious history. If you’d like to help keep this project going, please consider donating to support this series. Your support makes long-form, in-depth historical discussion like this possible! https://donorbox.org/josephsmith. Purchase John Turner’s book here: https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300255164/joseph-smith/ Let us know your thoughts on a Brigham Young series (comprising ten episodes) covering John Turner’s book Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet. Show notes can be found on the Mormon Stories blog here: https://www.mormonstories.org/joseph-smiths-final-days/ Timecodes: 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:06:25 - Producing the Nauvoo Expositor 00:19:26 - Modern church behavior 00:31:01 - Adultery and Fornication 00:44:12 - Background of Nauvoo Expositor 00:51:51 - Was the Expositor a “tissue of lies”? 01:00:46 - Smearing the Laws 01:10:13 - Views on the Nauvoo Expositor destruction 01:17:01 - Summary of concerns 01:29:01 - Theology of becoming Gods 01:40:52 - Gov. Ford promised safety 01:44:51 - Joseph decides to flee 01:48:56 - Emma 01:53:18 - Joseph Smith’s goodbyes 01:57:50 - Final days of Joseph Smith 02:04:48 - Joseph Smith is killed 02:08:41 - Nobody faced charges 02:10:23 - Final thoughts ___________________ 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 Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx6OgmoqJbOVRq-Lv1P7SzA/join 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