Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
The Mormon Church is suing Mormon Stories host John Dehlin! The LDS Church just weaponized a $300 billion war chest and 200 lawyers against a single podcaster, and the trademark claim at the heart of the case borders on absurd. What happens when a religion this powerful decides a critic's branding is too close to its own?
A tax-exempt religious institution just filed suit against a former member, claiming trademark infringement as justification - trademark over the word Mormon, which the church had denounced/rebranded from. Dr. John Dehlin has hosted Mormon Stories for 21 years, interviewing believing Latter-day Saints, progressive Mormons, and ex-Mormons about Joseph Smith, the Book of Abraham, the SEC settlement over hidden billions, and everything the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would rather members not Google. In 2015 they excommunicated him hoping it would silence him. Now, in 2025 they're taking him to federal court.
This conversation walks through the mediation demands, the rebrand backstory, and why this fight looks less like trademark enforcement and more like a Scientology-style strategy of bleeding a critic dry (in our opinion).
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Support John's legal defense fund: mormonstories.org/legal
Subscribe to Mormon Stories: @mormonstories
Connect with or support Holy Koolaid: https://linktr.ee/holykoolaid
Sources Cited:
docs.google.com/document/d/149UY0_a8lYG_In4L75dw_Fg6IJAPeoZgUNP3KkoWj80/edit?usp=sharing
Thank you so much for your ongoing support. Science is greater than Dogma. Dare to be curious, but don't Drink the Koolaid!
Chapters:
0:00 - The Mormon Church is Suing Mormon Stories
1:10 - Who is John Dehlin and why does Mormon Stories exist
1:33 - How John Dehlin lost his faith
2:49 - Why the LDS Church Excommunicated John Dehlin
3:19 - The 2025 cease and desist that started the lawsuit
4:14 - Russell M. Nelson abandons the word "Mormon"
5:51 - How the LDS church lost the SEO war to its critics
9:15 - Inside the mediation: what the LDS Church demanded
17:28 - The disclaimer designed to destroy a YouTube channel
18:05 - Rename it "Ex-Mormon Stories" and never use "Mormon" again
26:51 - Can you actually trademark the word "Mormon"?
30:45 - The Scientology playbook: litigate critics into bankruptcy
31:19 - The Mormon Stories Legal Defense Fund
33:14 - Kraft, Kool-Aid, and what a cease and desist really costs creators
35:45 - Would a re-brand to Ex-Mormon Stories even be accurate?
36:15 - The Mormon Church's long history of deception
38:32 - The Book of Abraham, Robert Ritner, and informed consent
42:08 - Why John still calls himself a Mormon
48:45 - The coordinated influencer smear campaign
52:19 - Streisand effect, First Amendment, and how you can help
The Mormon Church is suing Mormon Stories host John Dehlin! The LDS Church just weaponized a $300 billion war chest and 200 lawyers against a single podcaster, and the trademark claim at the heart of the case borders on absurd. What happens when a religion this powerful decides a critic's branding is too close to its own?
A tax-exempt religious institution just filed suit against a former member, claiming trademark infringement as justification - trademark over the word Mormon, which the church had denounced/rebranded from. Dr. John Dehlin has hosted Mormon Stories for 21 years, interviewing believing Latter-day Saints, progressive Mormons, and ex-Mormons about Joseph Smith, the Book of Abraham, the SEC settlement over hidden billions, and everything the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would rather members not Google. In 2015 they excommunicated him hoping it would silence him. Now, in 2025 they're taking him to federal court.
This conversation walks through the mediation demands, the rebrand backstory, and why this fight looks less like trademark enforcement and more like a Scientology-style strategy of bleeding a critic dry (in our opinion).
--
Support John's legal defense fund: mormonstories.org/legal
Subscribe to Mormon Stories: @mormonstories
Connect with or support Holy Koolaid: https://linktr.ee/holykoolaid
Sources Cited:
docs.google.com/document/d/149UY0_a8lYG_In4L75dw_Fg6IJAPeoZgUNP3KkoWj80/edit?usp=sharing
Thank you so much for your ongoing support. Science is greater than Dogma. Dare to be curious, but don't Drink the Koolaid!
Chapters:
0:00 - The Mormon Church is Suing Mormon Stories
1:10 - Who is John Dehlin and why does Mormon Stories exist
1:33 - How John Dehlin lost his faith
2:49 - Why the LDS Church Excommunicated John Dehlin
3:19 - The 2025 cease and desist that started the lawsuit
4:14 - Russell M. Nelson abandons the word "Mormon"
5:51 - How the LDS church lost the SEO war to its critics
9:15 - Inside the mediation: what the LDS Church demanded
17:28 - The disclaimer designed to destroy a YouTube channel
18:05 - Rename it "Ex-Mormon Stories" and never use "Mormon" again
26:51 - Can you actually trademark the word "Mormon"?
30:45 - The Scientology playbook: litigate critics into bankruptcy
31:19 - The Mormon Stories Legal Defense Fund
33:14 - Kraft, Kool-Aid, and what a cease and desist really costs creators
35:45 - Would a re-brand to Ex-Mormon Stories even be accurate?
36:15 - The Mormon Church's long history of deception
38:32 - The Book of Abraham, Robert Ritner, and informed consent
42:08 - Why John still calls himself a Mormon
48:45 - The coordinated influencer smear campaign
52:19 - Streisand effect, First Amendment, and how you can help
