The Standard of Truth Tour

Times are the plan. If Gerrit and Richard say something different on the bus, they win.

1. 1
   BWI Airport, Maryland

   Baltimore

   Fly into Baltimore (BWI). The first night is the welcome night: meet the group, meet Gerrit and Richard, and get the lay of the land for the week.

   Listen before you goS6 Bonus 3 · from 3:32How Visiting LDS Historical Sites Can Strengthen Our Faith - Dr. Mark OgletreeS2 Bonus 2 · from 6:04Standard of Truth TourS3E25 · from 2:48Standard of Truth Tour - Recorded Live Before a Studio Audience

   Photo challenge: A group photo in the hotel lobby: everyone holding up the number of times they have listened to the Moroni series. Send it to Friends of the Show →

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2. 2
   Baltimore, Maryland

   Fort McHenry

   The British bombarded the fort on September 13 and 14, 1814, during the War of 1812. When the flag was still flying the next morning, Francis Scott Key wrote the poem that became "The Star-Spangled Banner," the national anthem since 1931.

   Listen before you goS6E27 · from 3:46As Far As It Is Translated Correctly

   Photo challenge: Point at the flagpole like you just wrote a national anthem. Send it to Friends of the Show →

   Stop trivia: 3 questions

   1. When is the newly announced Standard of Truth tour?

   August 1-7, 2027June 2027October 2026April 2027

   2. What does Gerrit say is the only accurate part of Carol's Francis Scott Key story?

   He lived on a boatHe renounced AmericaHe existedHe wrote it at Fort Benyon

   3. Why is Francis Scott Key controversial, according to Gerrit?

   He was a British spyHe was a slave ownerHe stole the anthem's tuneHe refused to fight

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3. 3
   Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

   Gettysburg

   The Battle of Gettysburg, July 1 to 3, 1863, was the largest battle of the Civil War. Four months later Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address here. Joseph Smith's 1832 revelation on the coming war (D&C 87) is the Church history thread.

   Listen before you goS1E10 · from 1:02Joseph Smith's Civil War ProphecyS5E38 · from 40:16Orson Hyde and the Prophecy of the Civil War Part 2

   Photo challenge: Find the spot on the battlefield where you would have given the Gettysburg Address, and give it (short version). Send it to Friends of the Show →

   Stop trivia: 1 questions

   1. Where was the Civil War revelation first published?

   The 1835 Doctrine and CovenantsThe 1844 Doctrine and CovenantsThe 1851 Pearl of Great PriceThe Evening and the Morning Star

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4. 4
   Harmony (near Susquehanna), Pennsylvania

   Priesthood Restoration Site

   Joseph and Emma Smith lived here near Emma's family, the Hales. Most of the Book of Mormon was translated here in the spring of 1829, with Oliver Cowdery as scribe, and on May 15, 1829, John the Baptist restored the Aaronic Priesthood near the Susquehanna River.

   Listen before you goS3E5 · from 22:37Peter, James, and JohnS4E8 · from 23:10Oliver Cowdery Attempts to TranslateS3E18 · from 1:11D&C 4 and 5 (formerly premium content from HPFOP)

   Read before you goHoly Places From Our Past, the premium show about these sites. Transcript only.Holy Places S1E1Harmony Part 1 - Joseph and EmmaHoly Places S1E2Harmony Part 2 - Translation of the Book of Mormon

   Photo challenge: A quiet photo by the Susquehanna River. Send it to Friends of the Show →

   Stop trivia: 1 questions

   1. Why can't the "gift of Aaron" in D&C 8 refer to the Aaronic Priesthood having been conferred?

   Oliver never held itThe revelation came in April 1829, before the priesthood was restored in MayAaron is a different personIt was added in 1876

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5. 5
   Fayette, New York

   Peter Whitmer Farm

   Joseph finished translating the Book of Mormon at the Whitmer home in June 1829, and the Three Witnesses saw the angel and the plates nearby that month. The Church was organized here on April 6, 1830.

   Listen before you goS5E12 · from 7:51D&C 17 (formerly premium content from STC)S4E11 · from 26:31Witnesses of the Book of Mormon Part 5 (we finally get to it)

   Read before you goHoly Places From Our Past, the premium show about these sites. Transcript only.Holy Places S1E11Fayette Part 1

   Photo challenge: Recreate the organization of the Church: exactly six people in the photo. Send it to Friends of the Show →

   Stop trivia: 3 questions

   1. When you hear "Reformed," as in the Whitmers' German Reformed Church, what does Gerrit say to read it as?

   LutheranMethodistCatholicCalvinist

   2. How much of David Whitmer's field was plowed overnight by someone he never saw?

   One acreAll 20 acresBetween five and seven acresForty acres

   3. What did Joseph tell Oliver about David Whitmer's trip before David arrived?

   That his wagon would breakWhere he stopped each night and the sign he read at a tavernThat he would bring Martin HarrisThat he had seen an angel on the road

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6. 6
   Palmyra and Manchester, New York

   Smith Family Farm and Sacred Grove

   The Smiths' log home and frame home, and the woods where Joseph Smith prayed in the spring of 1820. Moroni first visited Joseph in the log home in September 1823.

   Listen before you goS1E18 · from 1:29Multiple Accounts of the First Vision Part 1S1E19 · from 0:56Multiple Accounts of the First Vision Part 2S3E43 · from 35:20Moroni Part 1

   Read before you goHoly Places From Our Past, the premium show about these sites. Transcript only.Holy Places S1E6Palmyra Part 1 - The Smith Family Moves to PalmyraHoly Places S1E7Palmyra Part 2 - Sacred Grove, Log Home, Frame Home

   Photo challenge: No photo needed. Just be there. Send it to Friends of the Show →

   Stop trivia: 3 questions

   1. Which two Smith homes can you see at the Joseph Smith Farm?

   The Hale home and the Whitmer homeA reconstructed log home and a later, larger frame homeA stone house and a barnOnly the Sacred Grove; no homes remain

   2. What did a stranger claim about a blackened patch of ground in the Sacred Grove?

   It was where Joseph's ax fellIt was an old campfireIt was where lightning struck the night of the visionIt was where the earth was scorched when God and Jesus came down

   3. Why does Gerrit think the First Vision likely happened near the edge of the grove?

   Joseph went to where his ax was in a stump, and farmers cut trees at the edge of their fieldsA plaque marks the spotLucy Mack Smith pointed it outThe center of the grove was a swamp

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7. 7
   Palmyra, New York

   Grandin Building

   E. B. Grandin printed 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon here; it went on sale in March 1830. Martin Harris mortgaged his farm to pay for the printing.

   Listen before you goS5E16 · from 35:36Nazis, Lithuania, and Paying for the Book of MormonS4E14 · from 31:53Statements from the Three Witnesses (primarily Martin Harris)

   Read before you goHoly Places From Our Past, the premium show about these sites. Transcript only.Holy Places S1E9Palmyra Part 4 - Grandin Print Shop

   Photo challenge: Strike the pose of a typesetter who has just been told it’s 5,000 copies. Send it to Friends of the Show →

   Stop trivia: 3 questions

   1. What newspaper did Egbert Grandin publish?

   The Palmyra FreemanThe Wayne SentinelThe Rochester TelegraphThe Evening and the Morning Star

   2. How much did Grandin charge to print 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon?

   $300$1,000$3,000$15,000

   3. When did the Grandin Print Shop visitor center, built around the original building, open?

   1930196520051998

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8. 8
   Manchester, New York

   Hill Cumorah

   Where Joseph Smith received the plates from the angel Moroni on September 22, 1827, after four years of yearly visits to the hill.

   Listen before you goS3E47 · from 18:37Moroni Part 5S3E45 · from 32:47Moroni Part 3

   Read before you goHoly Places From Our Past, the premium show about these sites. Transcript only.Holy Places S1E8Palmyra Part 3 - Hill Cumorah

   Photo challenge: The whole group, on the hill, looking appropriately awed. Send it to Friends of the Show →

   Stop trivia: 3 questions

   1. How many times did Moroni appear to Joseph in that first night and the next day?

   OnceThreeFiveSeven

   2. According to Joseph Smith—History, where on the hill were the plates?

   On the west side, not far from the top, under a large stoneAt the very top under the tallest treeOn the east side near the bottomIn a cave on the north slope

   3. In his 1832 history, why does Joseph say he couldn't obtain the plates?

   He told someone about themHe came on the wrong dayHe sought the plates to obtain richesHe didn't bring a lever

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9. 9
   Niagara Falls, New York

   Niagara Falls

   A morning on the Maid of the Mist at the foot of the falls, then on to Ohio. No Church history here, just a lot of water and a poncho.

   Photo challenge: You in the Maid of the Mist poncho. Bonus points for Gerrit in his. Send it to Friends of the Show →

   I’m here
10. 10
    Kirtland, Ohio

    Historic Kirtland and the Whitney Store

    Historic Kirtland Village, including the Newel K. Whitney store. The School of the Prophets met in a small room upstairs, and the Word of Wisdom (D&C 89) came there in February 1833. Brigham Young later recalled that it started with Emma Smith cleaning up after the tobacco.

    Listen before you goS1E11 · from 3:33The Word of Wisdom Part 1S1E12 · from 0:56The Word of Wisdom Part 2

    Photo challenge: Find the small room upstairs where the School of the Prophets met, and photograph the floor nobody could keep clean. Send it to Friends of the Show →

    Stop trivia: 3 questions

    1. Where did the School of the Prophets meet?

    The Kirtland TempleSidney Rigdon's barnThe upper room of Newel K. Whitney's storeThe Morley farm

    2. Which part of the Passover story does Gerrit compare to keeping the Word of Wisdom?

    Crossing the Red SeaEating mannaThe ten plaguesLamb's blood on the doorposts

    3. In Joseph Smith's era, what Word of Wisdom violation could get someone cut off?

    DrunkennessDrinking coffeeSmoking a pipeEating too much meat

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11. 11
    Kirtland, Ohio

    Kirtland Temple

    The first temple of this dispensation, dedicated March 27, 1836. A week later, on April 3, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery saw the Savior, Moses, Elias and Elijah here (D&C 110). The Church acquired the temple from Community of Christ in 2024. Then the Joseph Smith home, just down the road.

    Listen before you goS4 Bonus 3 · from 1:12Dedication of the Kirtland TempleS4E10 · from 2:47The Church Acquires the Kirtland Temple and Nauvoo PropertiesS3E40 · from 16:29History of the Hosanna Shout

    Photo challenge: A photo in front of the temple with someone who listened to the episode about the Church acquiring it. Send it to Friends of the Show →

    Stop trivia: 3 questions

    1. What happened right after the Hosanna Shout at the Kirtland Temple dedication?

    Brigham Young spoke in tongues and David W. Patten interpretedElijah appearedThe congregation sang "Praise to the Man"Joseph read D&C 110

    2. What was the total price of the transfer?

    $19.25 million$92.5 million$192.5 million$1.9 billion

    3. How did Lachlan Mackay describe the difference between the two churches?

    Kirtland Mormons and Nauvoo MormonsEastern and Western SaintsBook of Mormon and Bible believersMissouri and Utah Saints

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12. 12
    Hiram, Ohio

    John Johnson Farm

    Joseph and Emma lived with the Johnsons in 1831 and 1832. Joseph and Sidney Rigdon saw "The Vision" (D&C 76) here on February 16, 1832, and a mob tarred and feathered Joseph here that March.

    Listen before you goS1E6 · from 0:39"The Vision" D&C 76 Part 1S1E7 · from 2:02"The Vision" D&C 76 Part 2

    Photo challenge: A photo at the John Johnson home, where Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon saw the Vision. Send it to Friends of the Show →

    Stop trivia: 2 questions

    1. What did almost everyone in Joseph's day call D&C 76?

    The DegreesThe VisionThe GloriesThe Testimony

    2. How did Brigham Young describe The Vision in 1860?

    The greatest vision he knew delivered to any of the children of menA hard sayingA mystery not yet understoodA revelation for Sidney Rigdon

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13. 13
    Cleveland, Ohio

    Home from Cleveland

    Fly home from Cleveland with a full camera roll and more Church history than you can fit in a carry-on.

    Listen before you goS4 Bonus 7 · from 4:52Standard of Truth Tour, the People Cry Out

    Photo challenge: Your best airport photo with the tour bag. Send it to Friends of the Show →

    I’m here

Four in a row, across, down or corner to corner. Saved on this phone.

Gerrit on the left, Richard on the right. Dressed for 1830, for some reason.