Mark Hofmann Case Analysis | Murder Among the Mormons 

Preach!

Yup…he would know because of his series of bad financial decisions. MT lost a ton of money on what he called “the machine” and it took him years to figure out it was a lost cause and that he had been fooled himself.

The guy is a clever quip generating machine.

Very interesting comparison.

“Intelligent people” We’re talking about the LDS here. Not exactly a think tank of intellectuals lol

Yes but is his voice low enough?

Ironically, Hoffman has a high squeaky voice. @@Trickboy36

Thanks for sharing your experience! It's so interesting how many religious groups claim to have present-day prophets

May i ask if you are still religous?

@@surchristian3518 Thanks for the question! It is a good one. I am not particularly what I would call "religious." I would consider myself to be more "spiritual." I heard a quote once that stuck with me...."Religion is for people who are afraid of going to Hell and Spirituality is for those of us who have already been there." I do consider myself a Christian. I believe in the Bible and the teachings of Jesus Christ. I don't necessarily go to the Catholic church regularly although I do occasionally because I enjoy the quiet reverence and time to think and pray. I don't believe sitting in church every Sunday is going to make you a Christian any more than sitting in a garage every Sunday will make you a car. I feel as close to God at the ocean or on top of a mountain peak. Thanks for asking. Any other questions about the LDS church I would be most happy to answer. I don't consider myself an "anti-Mormon." Most of my family are all still LDS.

@@kkheflin3 I’m going to remember your quote. Thanks.

@@kkheflin3 I use to watch that show about the polygamy families living in Colorado Springs, I think that’s the town. Is that still going on? It was truly sad. Many left but would have to escape of course. Thanks.

@@jazmine9570 I'm not talking about the method of killing. I'm talking about his personality. For one, Mark strongly demonstrates all factors of the dark triad. But what makes him especially creepy to me is that he planned to do bad things from a young age and already started learning police techniques to cover his tracks. No one called Mark a weirdo in the corner...people who knew him said he was a friendly and fairly outgoing nerd, who everyone liked and believed. Honestly, it's lucky Mark became fixated on documents and serial forgery/fraud rather than violence and serial killing/rape because he probably would have been prolific at that, too.

@@jazmine9570 Ted Bundy has always been known to be "charming." Women openly flocked to his court trials. And now, there have been so many documentaries on him, I don't think many people consider him a "weirdo in the corner." Regardless, Ted Bundy meets the dark triad factors, but I don't think he was as cunning or as intelligent as Mark. Not to mention, Mark had a mastery of polygraping as well as forensic techniques. Like I said before, I think if Mark had gotten off on killing/violence, he would have killed more people and gotten away with it longer than most serial killers, including Bundy. That potential in his personality and ablities is what creeps me out so much. However, I think you are underestimating the harm and calloussness of the bombs Mark created. You think of a bomb being this instant, impersonal thing, but it's not. It takes a lot of planning and determination to go through with it, creating it and hand delivering it. And in the case of Mark, he filled the bomb with nails, so when the bomb went off, it shredded the victims to pieces and they did not die instantly. I think if you really wanted to put Mark against a killer/rapist, the Golden State Killer would be a better comparison.

Beating a lie detector would probably fascinate him for the possibility of doing so, more than him definitely thinking he would end up in that situation. It seems like his self worth came from the idea of being able to dupe others, and beating a lie detector would be part of that.

polygraph is another fool thing

@@Ash-ms Probably true; he was extremely intelligent and excelled at problem-solving.

ROFL

He could have made money by having a forgery (or real items he collected) verified as legit and then collected insurance when they were mysteriously blown up by a bomb.

@@DeactivatedCharcoal People only get away with that in pulp fiction novels and movies. Hence the humor.

@@normynbaits1135 On the other hand, he could have made fake bombs and sold them to terrorists on the black market! (what are they going to do, call the Police?)

@@DeactivatedCharcoal Butt hurt much?

They were gullible because they WANTED to believe what he gave them was either 1) true and would make the church look better or 2) not good information to get to the LDS masses and needed to be suppressed.

Was it one of his bombs that did it? O_o

It's not that hard to believe he fooled mormons. I mean.. they believe the stupidest of things, so ....

@@kkheflin3 to be fair, he fooled more than just them. The FBI deemed oath of a free man legit. Of course, the mormon leadership claim special powers from god, so they probably should have known 😄

it was as if he was pointing out the hypocrisy of the mormons. he was no more of a fraud than the man who founded the latter day saints.

LDS... I think I find LSD a better acronym

👍😆😂😆❤️

Pickle...Yep! You are so correct.

Hell yes!!!

🤣🤣🤣

@Aaron A420 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

My favorite was his comment about "demonic pigs lead to demonic bacon which leads to demonic heartburn" LMAO. I can't remember which case it was but to this day I still laugh remembering that one.

He's got my vote wit A+ I admire him so much for not being stale and above all others he has such empathy

@@calico-kat-mom6204 Agree, his compassion shines through, it's very endearing.

Agreed!

Only if you like deadpan sarcasm. It's actually considered the lowest form of wit.

Master of DRY WIT 💛

Yes I noticed that as well, but I think he did this as a way of increasing his subscribers, as well as adding the humor! Smart Guy. Lol!😆

Neither God or the Devil wanted him

I think possibly the bomb was constructed by him on purpose to be strong enough to only look deadly.

Spot on!!

Aw man 😂😂😂

A true patriot!

@T Z Thank you for blatantly explaining his death the way it truly occurred. They always decorate it with all of this heroism, and ribbons, and glory. Nice to hear someone just tell it like it is! Thank you!

Ouch!

Agreed, you often believe what you want to believe.

Great point.

Yes, true. Another component that I think was influencing purchases was church officials wanting to keep contridicting material secret. But if I understand things, those were forged. I'm not sure though.

No, it’s that ‘people of faith’ have already self-selected to demonstrate that they will gullibly believe evidence-free fictions.

The biggest sales tactic was he would forge documents the painted LDS in a very bad light. Church elders would pay any price and then either destroy them or put them where they would never be seen because they didn't want anyone to know.

Dr Grande should have his own "Brande" of shirts.

He said he likes the movie Airplane :) Best comedy ever.

Same! So damn funny

*I do too, it's hilarious!*

@@pablodmdp I love that movie too, I think I might watch it, I've not seen it for a while.

he was an aethiest so.... no

@@marylogue31 yeah but not openly...

@@marylogue31 Beg to differ. Back then he WAS a religous kid.

And does a far better job at it!

@@kkheflin3 well honestly, this video got me curious, so I started watching the documentary on Netflix anyway 😂

@@YvieT81 Yes I did also. It wasn't bad as Netflix documentaries go. I like Magellan TV documentaries far more.

I HAVE thought about that 😃.

Thought has crossed my mind. I’d unfollow.

My life is 99.9% too boring.

It never occurred to me but I do wonder how he'd explain my personality and it upsets me ...it probably means I need to change

Yep

Any document he ever touched is considered a forgery but may ironically be collectible due to his notoriety

Homeopathic forgery

Kind of like fat free whipped cream.

I think White Collar the tv show was also based on Mark Hoffman to some extent.

oh sweet lord I just stumbled on that nightmare today

@@cacu3989 indeed...not for the faint of heart is putting it lightly.

The fact that anything at all "exists" is profoundly magical!

Monkey see. Monkey do.

Touche!

Hoffman totally makes me want to do forgeries for $$$cash but sadly I do have a conscious...and that prevents me...

I use my earbuds and the good doctor helps me do my housework too!

@@knittnpretty Great idea, I must try that, lol.

💙

Probably to entice him taking their plea deal.

Does Utah still execute with a firing squad?

@@jacobscarr2334 he killed two people 🤨

@@SHurd-rc2go Yes they do, IF REQUESTED BY THE CONDEMNED. Utah offers this option to satisfy the Mosaic Law of Blood Atonement, as taught by Brigham Young and practiced by the Danites (chiefly Porter Rockwell, aka The Destroying Angel). See "The Executioner's Song" about Gary Gilmore, a lapsed Mormon who requested this method of death so his blood might be spilt upon the ground, thus providing a means by which he might be forgiven of what is otherwise considered an unpardonable sin.

I think they threw that 5 yrs. In there to make him think he might get out that soon and would make a deal.

@@TheCandiceWang reality and the fact the church frowns upon questions. I was baptized at age 10. 2 elders completed their Mission with my family. After my Grandfather was baptized shorty before his death. The elders assigned to our family burned their suits in our backyard. I continue to attend church. I questioned other elders why one would walk away from their mission and faith. I was shunned by members who followed and did not question good ol J.Smith or J.C so i walked away from organized religion. Have faith in ones self. I hope that answers your curiosity.

@@melissaross4563 Why would they burn the suits?

@@lisazdvoru1660 they burnt the suits/uniforms because they no longer believed in their mission.

I agree with this request. I left the Jehovah Witness cult I was raised in in 1973 without any support from anyone, including the therapist I was seeing for group therapy. She said if I wanted to talk about it I would have to do it in the group setting. Later, I did share with the group, but I was so anxious I could hardly breathe. Fast forward 45 years. I am still triggered by any Protestant religion. Many of my relatives on my mother's side are evangelical and I can't handle the things they say at all. I can sit through a Catholic service, but ultimately I became an atheist and I get NO comfort from any religion at all. I am a victim of religious abuse amount other things. I have CPTSD and a lot of it was caused by years and years of being told god was going the kill almost everybody during Armageddon and it could happen at any second.

I spent 38 years in the LDS church from birth in 1954 until 1992 when I realized it was all bogus. It is a very "high demand religion" and difficult to leave. They followed us through five states when we moved and continued to try to get us back into the church. I've never heard of ANY other church that does that. Recovering is tough. Ex-mo Lex has a great channel to check out.

@@kathleenreardon8943 Leaving the JW's is as difficult as leaving the LDS church. I was LDS for many years and watch a lot of channels for ex-Mormons. Ex-mo Lex is my favorite in terms of a support group. Telltale has a great channel for ex-JW's.

@@kkheflin3 yeah you don’t realize how intense they are until you try to leave! Thanks I will check that site you mentioned out.

@@marleymae6746 Also Zelph on a Shelf is great. Lots of humor thrown in but you might enjoy. Let me know what you think!

Me also. I watched the Netflix series first and wish I had just watched this first. Dr. G cut to the chase much better!

Priceless.

He made up the salamander part. It was taken in part by the actual truth though, so yeah, magic and salamanders led him to leave. He knew about them.

i thought he was an atheist

@@marylogue31 yes.

No. He knew there was no salamander because *he made the letter up*. However, it tied well enough with folk magic and superstition that the leaders of the lds church believed it, and wanted to buy it to hide it away.

It's melting in Québec City!

🏆

Rarely do they get violent. Hollywood has done people with schizophrenia a huge disservice.

I ask this as a slightly personal question as well I guess. My brother is schizophrenic and when it was first being diagnosed he was extremely violent but he settled down over time. My SO ex wife was diagnosed in the past two years and she.. well she's capable of just about anything we shall leave it at that, although with her it might just be personality. We've been together longer than they were married and dating combined but she's STILL so hateful. Guess I was wondering if it was out of the norm or possibly worse during onset of the disorder.

One of my favourite documentaries, but one of the hardest to recommend to my straight friends

@@tylergee3043 They are uncomfortable watching a documentary about a gay man or what?

This sounds nuts! I’m totally about to look it up! 😳😳😳

@@OGitGirlJess Yes. I really fkn hope he'll make a video covering this. Again - this man was a real life super villain. It's sick.

It's been Quite awhile since the Acronym Ocean has been mentioned and I found it to be informative!

Good recommendation!

The Dr. delivers! 😆

Gallowglass: It is satisfyingly poetic in an oddly balanced type equation, sort of quid pro quo.

@@kathyclark8274 That's not balance! Many religious people are very sincere but may lack the higher brain power to be wise. Believing is good enough for some! It's in the heart!