565: Julie Rowe, Her Near Death Experience, the Mormon “Prepper” Movement, and Prophecies of Global Disaster in September 2015

Julie6_smallJulie Rowe is an active, believing Mormon, and is the author of two books: “A Greater Tomorrow: My Journey Beyond the Veil” and “The Time is Now.” In these books, Julie details her near-death experiences, wherein she claims to have received divinely inspired visions of the past, present, and future.

Julie and her peers/followers are heavily focused on the “Latter-day” aspects of Mormonism and Christianity, with a heavy emphasis on predicting pending global disasters in the United States and abroad. Julie’s prophesies (along with those of her peers) have reportedly led upwards of 10,000+ believing Mormons to make somewhat drastic life decisions including selling their homes, selling off their 401Ks, purchasing gold, and purchasing thousands of dollars worth of “preparatory materials” (e.g., food storage, tents, trailers, guns, ammunition) for the pending global apocalypse, which is scheduled to begin in September, 2015.

In this episode we are joined by Ryan McKnight, Samantha Snyder (co-founder of Millennial Mormons and Whatsoever Is Good blogs), Tanner Gilliland (co-founder with Samantha of the exciting new Zelph on the Shelf blog for Millennial post-Mormons), and “Jared” (aka Fallen_Angel_MN on exmormon reddit).

  • Click here for the notes of a Julie Rowe conference reported delivered in Seattle, WA in January of 2015.
  • Click here to read the post mentioned at the end of the broadcast entitled “All just a coincidence – right?”
  • Click here to peruse the Julie Rowe posts on the exmormon subreddit.

 

 

Important Update (9/9/2015):  Three things about Julie Rowe that I’ve learned over the past 24 hours:

1) The LDS church has issued the following warning against Julie Rowe:

“Although Sister Rowe is an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, her book is not endorsed by the Church and should not be recommended to students or used as a resource in teaching them. The experiences she shares are her own personal experiences and do not necessarily reflect Church doctrine or they may distort Church doctrine.”

2) From what I understand, Deseret Book is no longer carrying her books (if they ever did):

3) I’ve had a few people very close to her (i.e., close family and/or friends) reach out to me over the past 24 hours to confirm that they are very worried about her, that they are very frightened/saddened by what is happening, and that (without revealing details) her health history and her particular situation is one that (if fully known) should elicit sympathy/support/love/empathy and not ridicule/judgment (with total acknowledgement that many people are possibly in harm’s way because of her teachings).

Anyway…I just felt like I needed to share this. I think we all have cause to be alarmed/concerned…but based on the information I have….we should look to Julie with empathy and not mocking or judgment.

Let’s hope for a “miracle” that this ends peacefully/happily.

Feel free to spread the word to friends/family who might be affected by her situation.

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106 Responses

    1. Based on the 7 minute video, Ms. Rowe’s ‘NDE’ appears to be a dramatization of her conscious, waking, belief system, suspiciously including the Restoration of the Church.

      Since con artist Joseph Smith made up all that stuff about the Restoration, nine versions of the First Vision, Book of Mormon fiction, Book of Abraham nonsense, Law of Celestial Marriage orgy, etc. (or plagiarized lots of it from available sources), the validity of Ms. Rowe’s other ‘NDE’ experience is seriously suspect.

      Presumably, Ms. Rowe sincerely believes that her ‘NDE’ observations are God’s truth, just as she sincerely believes that Joseph Smith was not a con artist.

      The fact that thousands of believing Mormons seem to be taking her seriously is problematic because Ms. Rowe does not hold the Priesthood and is dispensing prophecies that Thomas S. Monson should be announcing in his alleged role as prophet, seer and revelator.

      Should Ms. Rowe be excommunicated for usurping Thomas S. Monson’s official title by prophesying about the Latter-Latter-days?

      Many other sources are predicting global calamities happening this month (September 2015). Hopefully some serious disasters will finally happen so all the Prepper preparations will not go to waste (again).

      The panelists hope The Brethren will say something to throw cold water on Julie Rowe and Prepper-mania.

      Don’t hold your breath. The fly-on-the-wall inside the collective cranium of The Brethren is going, “If we speak out and warn the members not to give credence to Sister Rowe, what if her prophecies come to pass? Then we’ll look like frauds and the members will see that she is the true prophet and we are foolish old farts who can’t distinguish our assholes from a hole in the ground. Best to just say nothing about anything to avoid the risk of being wrong. When we never say anything, we can never be proven wrong. Maybe Preppers will pay tithing on what they withdraw from their 401k’s.”

      PS – Why is Sister Rowe able to hold ‘firesides’ in LDS chapels? Who is authorizing use of Church property? Isn’t that tacit approval of Sister Rowe?

      1. LOL – awesome comment Gary. I was cracking up here in the office reading your descriptions. I couldn’t have said it better and I agree, I hope some sort of disaster happens so all those people don’t feel so disappointed. I would also see the flipside, where nothing happens and someone will say, “Why didn’t the GAs come out to warn us that this was BS?” it’s a mystery as well that they would let her use church buildings for what is seemingly prophesy.

        Either way, love the entertainment! I better get some popcorn.

      2. Hey, I have a magic stick. It is shaped like a Y. I was prompted by the spirit to pull it from a special tree in an undisclosed location that is very dear to me. I have found that by holding the stick and using faith, I/you can use it to find water, oil and gold. If you send me $69.95, I will return to the special tree and get one for you. The $69.95 is just to cover my travel costs – please hurry.

      3. “When we never say anything, we can never be proven wrong.”

        Well Gary this one sentence explains why “the brethren” no longer function as prophets, seers and revelators. They are simply “sustained as such” multiple times a year.

    2. If there is a major weather event, will tents save them or will this accurance by pass them? If God is going tom save you, it won’t matter where you are. Once this comes to light about Mormons, I think cult might get thrown around. Sad.

    3. If this woman’s prophesies cannot be verified with an official Church peep stone and magic hat I would say the wise thing is to ignore them. Nothing that fails to pass the “Turd in a Top Hat” test is of any consequence in the real world……..

    4. Forget this lady. I’m not religious but if you are, remember that Jesus said that NO MAN (or woman) knows when I’m coming back” or in so many words. This lady is just one more person or crazy person believing they have some kind of connection or power of knowing the future. Jim Jones, Hale Bop, thousands of people who cultivate a following fearing or hoping for the world to end. Well…yeah. Maybe it will end. Maybe politics, world climate, war, terrorism can always bring on total lack of food, water, shelter so in my opinion, any family man that doesn’t prep for those things for his family isn’t doing his job. Every ancient culture throughout history has always prepped for those days or years when food water and shelter aren’t right there in front of them. So by all means…prep away. I have. But I started doing it LONG BEFORE this nutcase ever came along. She’ll pass into history after this blood moon as just one more psycho that thinks they are the left hand of God. And if by some BIZARRE reason she got it right…well, I’m still prepared. But I sure as hell didn’t do it because of her warnings or prophecies. Why is it that people feel like they need someone to lead them or hold their hands or be their “instrument” between them and God? Isn’t is even smarter to just eliminate the middle man and find your own direct connection??? Anything else is simply weakness.

      1. >Jesus said that NO MAN (or woman) knows when I’m coming back”

        She’s just following Joseph Smith. I don’t believe he said exactly when Jesus would come back, but he did claim it would be in his lifetime. After he was killed and the 2nd coming hadn’t happened, the excuse was that the person who killed him used free agency, so Smith’s prophecy was subverted.

    5. Argh. When are people going to wake up and stop living in the dark ages. Superstitions, myths, magic, curses, blessings, demonic posessions. Really. Think about it. All this “follow” a prophet or a wizard or a witch or a demon…it’s so….12th Century. It’s amazing how in this day and age so many people are still stuck in that mode.

      Was there Christ? Yeah. I believe so. Is there a God. Yeah, call it what you want, I believe there is more to this life and existence than just us. But, why is it that men feel the need to look to others for their answers…just as many do to this lady? By all means, listen and learn from everything around you. Use your God given intellect. There is absolutely nothing wrong with finding truth or spirituality. Take what you need from any saying, teaching, leader. But follow everything they say blindly? You may as well be chanting in a witch’s circle thinking that you can cast some kind of magical spell. It’s really not that complicated. If you really read and believe in the words of Christ (I mean His REAL words straight from the horse’s mouth) written in FOUR GOSPELS, four times…it all goes AGAINST all this religion and follow someone else crap, it talks about good men coming together and rails against organized religions and Sadduces and Parisees. Spirituality is about a man with God given intelligence and a direct connection with whatever greater power there is outside of us. You people who feel compelled to rely on someone else telling you how to live your lives…I’m sorry but it’s weak, feeble, and downright lazy. What if YOU are just the same as all these other mindless idiots following this lady? You really need to take a very long and hard look at yourself and why it is that you are turning your own personal power and inspiration over to some other person who “claims” to have the answers for you.

    6. It seems that Ms. Rowe had what many would call a vision and not an NDE. I’m only speculating as it’s obvious I wasn’t there. But Mormonism and visions with seer stones seem to be the norm within the religion and cannot be accepted as gospel.

      The LDS Church SHOULD have stepped in sooner to nip this in the bud before the 10,000+ doomsday follower Mormons sold out their worldly belongings for an event clearly never going to happen.

  1. This information is NOT correct about Julie. She has NOT predicted a global economic crash for September. She said a possible stock market crash that we will recover from. If you can’t get a key”prophecy” right, how can any of it be believed.

    1. Source: https://woodyoubelieveit.blogspot.com/2015/01/notes-on-julie-rowes-conference.html?m=1

      “7 years of tribulations are coming soon. Satan will be unleashed from his pit.

      She has had visions of dragons being released. There are layers of meanings in scripture. Things are figurative as well as literal in the scriptures, such as the dragons.

      The freedoms we enjoy are going to be taken from us. Life as we know it now will be gone. We will live in 3rd world conditions.

      Seattle will be a hot spot for natural and man-made disasters. (Other cities mentioned that will have massive destruction are NYC, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.) People, conspiring men, have been plotting for a long time for control, domination, power.

      We need to be ready as Noah.

      We need to prepare for third world conditions.”

      Doesn’t seem to match what you’re saying at all.

      1. Kyle
        you have it wrong. Satan is not in the pit now or as of yet. he will be bound for a thousand years when The Lord Jesus returns and executes judgement. He is the first to receive this judgement and he will be released just before the end of the thousand years of peace to cause trouble among the nation again and to incite rebellion among men.. Men will grow tired of Christ and his Government and will want their own freedom. This will not please God and will only lead to there destruction.. But that’s a thousand years in the future and so you and I will be long gone before that is made to happen…

        1. Satan this, Satan that. I’ve heard a thousand mass murderers and rapists and molesters talk about how God or Satan made them do this or that. In the end, Satan is man, men who use Satan as an excuse, and sometimes even God to harm others. Don’t you get tired of living in some kind of midieval fear? How about this. We are ALL RESPONSIBLE for our own actions. Believing in God? I’m all for it. But it is man’s baser animal nature that is Satan. And it is men’s CHOICE to follow a higher path…be it to benefit society, or to follow his own more enlightened path. Satan. Such a pathetic excuse for men who simply want to follow their baser animal instincts. Don’t get me wrong. I love the teachings of Christ. I truly believe that He NAILED it! How about trying to find your own direct connection with God and accept that you don’t need to be TOLD what to do by other people. Satan is a myth. Man and his uglier animal instincts are real…just as his higher and more civilized nature is real. I’m tired of people claiming Satan made them do it. No, it’s men who succumb to their animal nature and lose all humanity in the process. I guess in a way, you can look at their eyes and see the darkness in them, the lack of humanity, they can send a shiver up your spine. You can even call them “evil” if you like. But Satan? Since when did God ever subject man to some kind of evil power with no choice? Not in my world. I don’t blame my crap on anyone but myself. I take PERSONAL responsibility for ALL my actions. Satan. Just as bad as a scary bedtime story. A myth. Get out of the dark ages.

          1. Jesus Himself testified of Satan’s existence.
            “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

            Say what you want against Jesus as he can take it, but blasphemy the Holy Spirit and that is the unforgivable sin. It is easy for one to say they do not believe in Jesus and just as easy to blasphemy the Holy Spirit.

            As the end of the ages I discern more of going to shoel to fight the good fight against Satan and the evil ones as a purification in preparation in preparation for a wedding. And hopefully a consummation — aayyy?

          2. Hey, Apostle Paul! So how’re those imaginary weapons working for ya? Kinda looks like you’re losing this war, what with Islam taking over the planet and Christianity mega-trending smaller and smaller.

            Or … like Jesus himself … are you teaching with parables and metaphors?

            Th eternal truth about metaphors is that they age quite well. A metaphor does not magically ripen after 2,000 years into a tale of literal reality.

            What it if the battle betwixt Satan and Christ occurs exclusively within the heart and psyche of each spirit soul experiencing the trials and tribulations of this physical holodeck adventure/education on Planet Earth?

            And does the Holy Ghost really have skin that thin? (If it HAD skin to begin with?)

            One of my favorite jokes (which I created myself) involves Jesus and the mythical Holy Ghost. The details are not only graphic, but pornographic. Pretty severe blasphemy, if I don’t say so myself. The Holy Ghost does seem to have a sense of humor … because I have not been smited and damned to Hell yet, that I can tell. My Life is better than ever, actually.

          3. real Funny –NOT!
            The “weapon” of unconditional love works great! We bring our trials and tribulations to the footstool of the Throne Jesus sits upon. And Viola’, he is jealous for me and manifests and I “Believe”.
            You do not understand unconditional love and that the “Am that I am” has a greater vibe than you of this world. And “I” think you will not understand this because you do not seek it.
            Seeking the first foremost and best — and enjoying good jokes!

    2. Same way the Mormon church can claim that Joseph Smith Jr. was going to dedicate a Missouri Temple (spoiler: he didn’t).

    3. I haven’t read Julies story but most doomsayers are never specific and basically generalize there predictions and always have the words possible,possibly and might always added to there conclusion.. This will always play upon the one who want to know so bad that they lose all matter of critically thinking what they experienced. the experience can be real but not true.Truth and reality are never equal to each other. They are Not the same thing…Lies can be a dress rehearsal of a reality and never be true. People are not understanding this.
      The problem is with NDE’s that they are never consistent in matching any other stories that are told. They vary in detail like sandwiches. Granted you may the tunnel or vortex–the pinpoint of light at the end but what is seen and what is experience vary and they are never the same… Another issues is that most of what experienced can be embellished. Embellishment is a writers friend and they will use this to fill in a gaps to complete their story.
      Dan Brown is a good example of this and most people who his books thought he was writing the truth about history when it was not!!
      The final problem we have that people are lazy to find out what’s true and what’s not and they don’t want to spend the time doing so because seeking and researching information can be time consuming and it hard sometimes involving brain pain. people need to check thing out for themselves before doing the chicken little dance..
      that is all!!

  2. This end times hysteria is also occurring in dispensational evangelicalism. Sorry people are buying it like the Millerites did in the 1800’s. It may be a great disappointment .

    1. My mother believes in the Seventh Day Adventist teachings. I hear her talk of President Obama as the anti-Christ. She also believes a global financial crisis is close at hand. I wonder how many other religious traditions share these beliefs and fears and if some of them maybe are even sources for Julie? And how much of it is really founded in Biblical prophecy?

  3. Julie says, “What some would call a near death experience”. Wow, if someone is going to write books based on an NDE, one would think that you would actually would have a confirmed death to have an experience with. Sleeping for a couple of days does not an NDE make.

    In all sincerity I am having a hard time understanding why so many are flocking to this woman and why the church is okay with her prophecies while at the same time they are not okay with some of the member’s doubts and questions. Is it true that Deseret Book sells her books?

    Really now, think about it… If what she is saying has any validity whatsoever, why on earth do we have Prophets and Apostles? And I will also emphasize that she is a woman…Hello! It all just seems so strange to me.

    Am I alone in my thinking?

      1. Amen. I see a repeat of the Noah’s ark story here. Having food storage and being prepared is her message and people think she is nuts. Haven’t the modern day prophets been telling us the same things for a long time? I hope everyone is waiting for the coming of Bridegroom with their lamps shinning bright! No need to criticize the nice lady telling everyone to GET READY!!!

  4. “I don’t know how long that is in ‘spirit world time’?”

    LOL…I’m sorry but that’s about the funniest line I’ve heard in a long time. :)

  5. It’s incredible that in 2015, with all of our technology and knowlege, large numbers of people can still be duped by well documented psycological trickery. Cold reading, fear mongering, retroactive prophesizing, groupthink, confirmation bias, pattern seeking, ect, ect… and then that so many followers will think nothing of it when these prophesies do not come to pass.

    And that the LDS officials stand by and watch it happen is nearly criminal. Of course they are hard pressed to discount anyone elses revelation when they themselves have been completely without major publicly revealed revelations for ages.

    1. And why is it Aaron that you believe the LDS Corporate execs have the answers??? Aren’t you just as guilty of believing in them as anyone else believing in this other self ordained person? Hasn’t it occurred to you to take back your own power, cut out the middle man, and use your own god given intellect and spirituality to connect one to one with God? Why do you turn your power over to other people who “say” that they exlusively talk to God and know better than you do what is good for you and your family? Not to be overly rude but you’re not much better than the fools that believe in and follow this lady. By all means, prep for disaster and be ready for it. It’s a great idea. But to blindly follow and think that you are somehow living faith? Wake up. Take your OWN power back and stop relying on others to TELL you what to do, no matter your religious perceptions. You are as good a man and just as eligible as ANYONE on this planet to have a direct connection to God.

      1. Yes, so we must know what God says through the Bible, first and foremost. And we give over the power to the Almighty by surrendering to His will.

  6. There is no surer bet than betting against an end-of-days prophecy.

    They have been happening continually for 2000 years without a SINGLE success.

    You can’t get a more satisfying track record than that!

      1. Impressive list! It seems to get thicker near the end, but that’s probably just because things get noticed by more people and are better documented with the advent of the information age. When I was working, an evangelical colleague of mine was always quick to point out that Jesus actually said, “No man knows the hour,” so, in his mind, if you think you know when the apocalypse will be, you are, by definition . . . wrong. Boy, that sure doesn’t stop people, though, does it?

      2. Then there is the Truth that must happen as in revelations. It is ours to be seekers and watcher and doers as we are compelled by the Holy Spirit. So flat out naysayers need to know that many prophets are “doomsday” prophets — jonah, etc… as in Rev 12 14-17 and rev 13:15. So if one does not believe nor act upon revelation then a certain end is eminent. And remember that your opinion or a theologians may not correlate to the unveiling of the divine mystery of revelations. Nothing wrong with seeking the Truth in the possibilities, but when the Truth is reveled, will one be ready to accept it and act in accordance with holy Spirit direction. Check out me Facebook. how mighty is our God? Mighty enuf to move mountains and have the omniscience to make all things work together for the good — more than we can fathom? Gulp!

  7. I never want to denigrate someone who sincerely thinks they have had an experience like this woman says she had, but really…”Christopher Columbus the founding father”!!!??? And people are cashing in their 401Ks based upon what this woman is promoting!! Wow, selling magic rocks and top hats is easier than I ever would have thought. Also, there’s no ‘prepper’ like a Mormon prepper—guns and all, and Utah is the quintessential haven for the whole lot of ‘em. Yep, BUY GOLD, BY GOLLY, and while you’re at it buy me a root beer, along all o’ dem der shotin’ irons, an’ a plenty o’ ammo.

  8. The episode brought back a memory from 1960 that I had totally forgotten. In the summer of 1960 there was a newspaper article in the Salt Lake Tribune about a group that was convinced that the world was going to end in September of that year. This group was going to barricade themselves in a little known cave on the un-famous side of mount Timpanogos where they were told via revelation that they would be the only survivors. As an eight year-old this freaked me out and I kept pestering my parents with the question, “But what if they ARE right?” My parents finally refused to talk about it anymore and I started third grade with everyone else my age. In late October of that year it finally occurred to me to remember the “preppers” and wonder what happened to them. I asked my dad what had happened. He said, “Well apparently the world didn’t end.” “But what DID happen?” I persisted. He told me that when these prophet-of-doom types are wrong, you never hear anymore about it. That’s how it had been my dad’s whole life and that’s how it’s been my whole life. I enjoyed listening to your episode, but that’s precisely as much time as I’m willing to spend on stuff like that.

  9. Will buying tents save you from an end of the world event, or will they be by passed?
    I’de like to think God would save me no matter where I was if he wanted. I know I’ll feel safer in my home than in a tent. It’s ashame that this could make Mormons look like a cult.

  10. She doesn’t seem to be questioning herself and aware that she could be wrong or deceived and be either imagining all this, or passing on previously learned ideas, or receiving her dreams & experiences from the Adversary not God, thus that’s a sign of someone deceived already.

    For those who are wise or truly righteous always doubt themselves and what they believe or are being told.

    I read through the notes of her lectures and most everything she mentioned has been said by many other people for at least the last 10 years. I didn’t hear much new from her.

    And of course many of the things she says will eventually happen like war etc, but she doesn’t understand how false the Church is, so that is the biggest flag that she is deceived and being allowed or used as a tool to deceive others.

    If she really was learning straight from God she would be warning people about the Church along with coming obvious calamities.

  11. I have resigned from the church and don’t spend much time on Mormon stuff now but I can assure you that the September-doomsday craze extends far beyond crazy Mormons. I work with an otherwise sane man who has $100K in gold and $50K in cash stashed at his house. He is a working class stiff like myself and doesn’t have lots of money. He is genuinely worried about impending events in the next couple of weeks and loses sleep over it. It has affected his work. Crazy. Sad.

  12. Does anyone else remember Lance Richardson? He spoke at a stake youth conference when I was 16, he shared a similar experience. He was in a coma and visited the spirit world. He talked about him having a party in heaven, meeting old friends, watching his son take a test miles away, while he was comatose. He was told he had to bring a message back to Earth. He said that China, Russia, and the Islamic state were going to invade and much more. This guy was so big in Rexburg Idaho that women were carrying lance’s book to relief society along with their scriptures and quoting from it.

  13. YIKES!! I’ve been studying near-death experiences for the past 40 years and have read literally thousands of NDE accounts. Julie Rowe’s story is so totally parochial, so narrow and Mormon-Christian centric that it flies in the face the the expansive, inclusive, all-encompassing accounts of most authentic NDEs. For me, it does not pass the smell test!

    1. It looks like she is trying to remember her script as she is telling her story. If there is something to smell, it’s definitely a rat!

    2. I agree that her NDE experience sounds quite different than most NDEs I read or heard. Such fact makes me wonder and think that whatever she experienced was maybe a dream or delusion but definitely not dead. Besides everything she tells is “very mormon” either in doctrine or folklore. Nothing is new. I read all those stories before. Anyone who studies NDEs will probably agree her story smells fishy.

      1. Yeah, if you’re old like me and just happened to be paying attention, you may have noticed a thing or two.

        Years ago, I mean like decades ago, you never heard anything about NDEs—ever. Then you started to hear accounts of NDEs here and there now and again. The narratives were all very similar: Rising out of one’s body, moving toward a light, being greeted by spiritually advanced beings and/or deceased relatives, feelings of profound peace and happiness to the point of not wanting to return. This was the story time after time it seemed. But . . .

        A few years later, maybe as many as ten or twelve years later, you started to get NDE stories of people falling into hell and being threatened with eternal damnation unless they returned and repented—a regular “scared straight” scenario. What I thought was suspicious was how long it took for these damnation NDEs to start to show up. There weren’t any at first and not for quite a while, then it was like somebody decided, “Hey, wait a minute, these NDE narratives are not matching our religious doctrines. People who don’t go to our church, or any church, can’t be floating off to heaven when they die. Unless they confess and repent, they need to be falling into a lake of fire.” So all of a sudden you started to get some hell fire NDE stories. For what it was worth, the preponderance of NDE stories were, and still are, on the extreme positive side regardless of the person’s religious orientation.

        All I’m saying is that these things can be engineered to support whatever is supposed to be true.

  14. “But behold, it is the effects of a frenzied mind, And this derangement of your minds comes because of the tradition of your fathers which lead you away into a belief of things which are not so.”
    – Alma 16:7

    Korihor got a few things right which is more than can be said for this woman.

  15. How can anyone take her seriously? She is a woman and doesn’t have the priesthood? Why Mormonas will believe doomsday prophets but not value a woman’s voice any other time is beyond me.

  16. I’m now seriously tempted to ask my TBM wife if she has heard about all this. I try not to talk about church with her to stay away from arguments but seriously these are the things that should be used to wake people up about the fraud the church is. Everything from Julie herself to GAs allowing her to prophesy, to them not prophesying themselves, to nothing actually happening.

    Yikes, this church…

      1. “True Believing Mormon” or maybe “True Blue Mormon.” Anyway, someone who unquestioningly believes Mormonism in its entirety.

  17. Sounds like a female Warren Jeffs to me. Just keep predicting doom’s day and when it doesn’t come to pass it is the believer’s fault for not having enough faith. Then just make another prediction. After all, it will happen sometime [won’t it]? Sure it will, right after I’m dead and gone!

  18. I’ve done considerable reading and podcast-listening of NDEs and research into NDEs (yes, there is credible research being done). Each experience is unique, but there are many common elements. I can’t say for sure, of course, whether these are objective “real” or not, but, I think it’s noteworthy that pretty much no other NDE experiencer comes back with a “testimony” of a particular religion or a scheme to set up some religious empire. The common theme of what is learned from an NDE is to not fear death and to understand that loving others is the whole point of existence. It is not to promote a particular religion or fear of end-times, etc. So I tend to believe Julie is not being straight with us, maybe not with herself even.

  19. This almost seem to be a restatement of “Embraced by the Light” By Mormon Betty Eadie A 1990 account of a NDE that was used to reinforce LDS notions of the afterlife. I recall that at least one GA called it a fraud. Nothing much new here.

  20. She sounds so disingenuous… Like she’s reading someone else’s NDE and trying to pass it off as her own for the churches benefit??? I don’t get this woman and her strange agenda, she’s very uncomfortable to listen to because it’s so blatantly fraudulent.

  21. I have an affinity for The Rapture, numerology, Aimee Simple Mcpherson, Jim Jones and Warren Jeffs too. I love them big and small, fat and tall, I love them all and Radio Ray is still at large.

    When prepping for the latter days, one must rely on The Rapture Ready Headquarters
    https://www.scari.org/a-pop.culture.html
    The shock to the system for which no one can be amply prepared –– Rapture Ready or not;
    Rapture Readiness is not rocket science or prosperity theology but a belief in End-time Prophecy; a glass half full is not a glass half empty.
    https://www.scari.org/a-pop.html
    Millennialists are all locked arm in arm, whether Christian, Muslim, Mormon or Jew –– they are all marching to victory, no matter who wins, the Endtime Devotees march with a confidant swagger to some inexorable end To VICTORY.

    ephima

    1. Absolutely, To be CAUGHT UP! as in Rev 12. Glory to God no matter what as we March to even Sheol to fight the good fight as even Jesus has the keys already.Where in the bible does it state to give our testimonies in the name of Jesus? And — But, do not get caught up in disbelief as the truth of Revelation is revealed because the bible, in Rev 12:14-17, states some of the seed will be swallowed by the grave (sheol). And the one place I know the bible states we must use WISDOM to overcome is Rev 13. IS this Catch Up time? Check out me facebook. Onward to the seventh trump!

  22. I too am fascinated with NDE experiences and have studied them for the past 3 – 4 years…..the consistent message by credible NDEers is that of love….not so often any specific religion.
    The multiple religions seem to serve as numerous ways that we can connect with the Divine and visa versa
    I know of 2 hard core Mormons who have had an NDE….neither confirmed their LDS conditioning….in fact one left the church soon after the experience, and this person was as TBM as the come.
    Interesting !

    1. I agree with your observations, Paul. The predominant message that most NDErs come back with is one of unconditional love, non-judgment, expansiveness and inclusion. They understand their interconnection with all things; their “oneness” with everyone and every thing, and realize there is no separation between us and the divine.

      As you said, many people abandon religion altogether, while those who remain religious, take a very different approach to it. They become less judgmental, less dogmatic, less fearful, much more open, loving and kind. Fear of death or of dying vanishes. Most are profoundly changed and the narrow, parochial attitudes they had before their NDE simply cease to be a part of their life. They become fearless.

      The fear mongering that Julie Rowe promotes has nothing to do with the vast majority of NDEs I have ever read.

  23. I’m a disaffected Mormon with a devout wife who has joined this movement. She’s read all the books and goes to all the websites, her favorite being ldsavow.com. Cash on hand, guns, a garage full of tents and food storage. I’ve got it all.
    This is an interesting subject, because as she’s spread the word, I’ve noticed there’s a bit of backlash from the most devout Church members. Her father is a former stake president, and he straight up wants these books banned and some of these people ex-communicated for propping themselves up as prophets. He’s not the only one, though. I wonder if we’re going to hear something about this at General Conference. Hopefully Monson displays some backbone and lays down the hammer.

  24. I have studied psychics, medium, channeling techniques for around a year. I have also read many books on near death experiences, past lives, etc.

    Only a Mormon would come up with all this Mormon stuff/BS —— the vast majority of NDEs (with the exception of other Mormons) don’t have anything to do with Mormonism being true in fact most talk about reincarnation. Studies show most people with NDEs move away from religion as time passes because religion has nothing to do with what the after life was or the ‘perceptions’ they received from their experiences.

    May sound crazy but I have been able to communicate with my passed relatives and one friend and have got a lot of information about God things because I was interested in knowing. All of course just about totally opposite of what Julie claims to have received.

    Julie may be sincere but totally wrong about the after life and Mormonism. People in the after life would not lie about Mormonism, Bible, Jesus Christ or resurrection —– as she claims. Therefore, I totally discount her whole story.

    As far as global issues/problems — yes it looks like we are going to have some tough times with another market decline/crash and maybe more significant problems with currency issues. These in 2015 have all been forecast by certain gloom and doomers for at least a year now —– would be easy for Julie to have come across these forecasts.

  25. The Mormon Church was and still is, the Mother Prepper of all Preppers. In the beginning the Prepper movement was an offshoot of the Militias movement. That movement had some White supremacy connections in the late 60’s and early seventies. To hear that Obama is the beginning of the end is no surprise to me. I’m no Obama sympathizer but I’ll say that the man has done a fair job for y’all. Just cleaning up after George is no easy job. The FLDS Church has the prepping business of Deseret Arms. Their hardware is kinda pricey though. John [Larsen] had already made an unequivocal derogatory comment about the preppin’ side of the Church. That movement would be the ever eternal opponent of the so called “Liberal Mormons”.
    I would say the following of the Alex Jones of the world: Sometimes they bring out dirt that no one else would.
    In my case, Alex Jones was the first of a few to comment on World of Debt’s Tequila effect. A country with a AAA rating goes down in less than a week. And the derating agencies are the very same ones that had given the country the AAA rating. His infatuation with the Bilderberg folks finally made the mainstream media acknowledge that said meeting DID EXIST. Before the issue was either ignored or commented in passing. It took years for AP, Reuters and the networks to simply say that the meeting DOES take place and some people with “future” are invited to it. Just that. Leave the speculation for other news or pseudo news aggregators but acknowledge that it does exist. These attitude has reflected as a lack of trust in the usual channels of information of the past. Add to that that the Internet is full of Reptilian Aliens, Aryan Aliens, Greys, Government “overreach”, “cover ups”, inside jobs and the like. One can find an echo Chamber for anything, including Mormon Stories. In the case of the Prepping there is a direct tie to the Federal Government regulatory system. I lived as a teenager in the time before Catalytic Converters, Chevy’s C4 emission system and other commie trappings. My eyes teared up, could not breathe properly between 4 to 8 PM everyday in some sectors of my home towm. I can tell you it was NOT fun. Today the Chinese go thru this pain but the US does not has to do that again. But some people who have no memory, or whose memory can be bought for dollars will eventually see that some of the controls be rolled back………for the benefit of precisely WHO?.
    The Bundy Brawl out in the Nevada Desert is another typical incident. If I don’t pay my mortgage, my car, the services bills nor only I will become a 18th century pariah but my 21st Century credit will also be a pariah. Yet Brother Bundy “milked the beast” [in true FLDS fashion] FOR YEARS and comes out a “hero”. Is there anything worse that this? Sure…. it is called the The Blaze and everybody knows who fronts that show. His books are sold in the Deseret Bookstores…
    I’m a social conservative. I’ve told my American daughter that in my time the weed heads were only 10% or so of the population and most had parents with money to spare in them. When EVERYBODY wants to be a weed head it just simply not possible to keep the boat afloat. And the insiders are always there for the spoils. Private jails, three strikes and I can send my kids to Harvard etc.

  26. I am saddened to hear that Julie is struggling. I suspected that she may be dealing with some health issues and I really hope that this situation does not exacerbate any chronic underlying issues. I hope she is able to get the help she needs. My thoughts are with her and her family. I’m sure this has not been easy for them.

    I also hope that as this situation is brought to light that those that have been influenced by Julie will be able to recalibrate their lives and move into a space of peace and happiness. Life is too short to be consumed with what may or may not come. Wishing peace and love to all those that have been impacted by this.

  27. In 2009, I developed osteomyelitis which is a severe bone infection. I was in the hospital for two weeks and underwent 4 ankle surgeries to clear the infection. Early in my infection, I too went into a deep sleep for several days and I had multiple, very vivid dreams. One included a lioness laying on top of the bureau in my room watching me while its tail slowly moved back and forth. I had another dream where I was a participant in a spy thriller and it was so real that I actually dialed 911 from my hospital bed for help fighting off the evil doers. I don’t doubt she had a dream, but I know “without a shadow of a doubt” that the mind can create brilliant imagery from ones own real life experiences and imagination while under the influence of an illness. At the time, it was as real as anything I have ever experienced (more than a standard sleep dream) but I know now that it was not. I suspect that if she really gets honest with herself, she will admit that her prophecy was the product of a bacteria. Following her is just as insane, in my humble opinion.

    1. Well, at least Sister Rowe presumably experienced an actual dream. Contrast that with Joseph Smith, who just made up stories he thought sounded good enough to dupe his target marks into giving him money and power (and sex).

      JS’s influence still affects modern TBMs, who believe Joseph routinely received revelations and visitations from heavenly beings. Disappointed that The Brethren today not only claim no revelations or visitations, but in fact never actually say anything worth listening to … it is left to the members … and even … eee-Gad! … females (ouch!) … to fill the gaps left by non-performing Church leadership.

      1. Ditto to Gary fro Oregon’s remarks. She’s just pulling the same stunt that has kept the tithing flowing the LDS Church all these years!

  28. I have just two words: French Manicure. I heard the audio on the podcast, but then watched the video. Ms. Rowe’s highly manicured nails were distracting. Eschatology is one thing. Eschatology accompanied by highly manicured nails (or, to be fair, expensive haircuts, silk suits, big gold watches, and so on) is something else. If the world is ending and souls are to be saved &tc &tc, who puts their time and money into the ephemeral? I think the manicure perhaps says it all?

  29. Apparently, Sister Rowe has popped up on the church’s radar. Check out this document from lds.org:

    https://goo.gl/d1nTr1

    The title of the document is “Spurious Materials in Circulation”, dated August 31, 2015

    From the church’s document:

    Publication Caution: A Greater Tomorrow: My Journey Beyond the Veil

    Additional Information: [August 31, 2015] In 2014, Spring Creek Book Company published “A Greater Tomorrow: My Journey Beyond the Veil” by Julie Rowe (see shaded box for Amazon’s description of the book). Although Sister Rowe is an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, her book is not endorsed by the Church and should not be recommended to students or used as a resource in teaching them. The experiences she shares are her own personal experiences and do not necessarily reflect Church doctrine or they may distort Church doctrine.

  30. I am listening to the second podcast with Spencer and Julie. This seems very New Age to me, especially releasing the negative energy and being grounded and Yoga like exercises. Are we going to add crystals to the mix. Sorry, just my opinion.

  31. This lady sounds like she had a near death experience, and it was viewed through a Mormon lense.
    Have you ever heard people talk about their experiences when they smoke ayahuasca? It is the same chemical released in the brain right before you die. Her experience sounds very similar, just with a Mormon twist on it.
    But, who knows? We may find out this month.

  32. Scotland here. I have family in a remote area., and an American family there has invested a lot of money in Rowe prepping. It’s everywhere! This family have to return to America in a few weeks, and can’t take the stuff with them. They definitely expect to use it before October 1st, as my sister is planning to visit them on that date and see if the world is still there.

    1. Chris, I may know your brother-in-law. They live in a “croft.” It’s a small world, but a smaller on in the Mormon world!

  33. A dose of skepticism is always good, especially in times of hysteria! People are reacting wildly. Let’s take a breath. At the same time, don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. I would ignore extrapolations and interpretations of her message, but I would still like to encourage you to give Rowe’s message a chance—not get it third hand. I’ve listened to her radio interviews (several of them). I’ve read her two books. I do not belong to any pro-Rowe groups, haven’t attended any firesides, haven’t cashed out a 401K, or taken any further steps to be prepared any more than I have done in past years. Translation: I’m not hysterical about her message; her message is very typical for the LDS-NDE genre. Here are my thoughts and observations:

    1. Ninety percent of what she says is her personal testimony of things that have occurred in the past. It’s helpful that she can affirm that certain events and people are real, but very little is new.

    2. Nine percent of what she says about the future has been spoken of by dozens of other people. Anyone who has been reading predictions and prophecies of the future (both LDS and non-LDS sources) will not find much that is new. Initially I thought she must have read up on past NDE experiences, but after listening to her very first interviews, I believe she is sincere and received these things independent of almost any source she read. You’ll need to draw your own conclusions on that. My conclusion is that she is yet another witness. For those who don’t believe any of it, that it’s all BS, I totally get why you would think that, this is not a science you can prove. Here’s an example of Rowe being consistent with someone else in this genre: Sarah Menet wrote a book called “There is No Death” written 12 years before Julie’s book (2002). She stated global nuclear war would start with a nuke being lobbed at Israel coming from Iran by way Libya. Julie said essentially the same thing. Unless she is lying, she confirmed this prediction independently. I find this prediction interesting in light of the recent treaty we are contemplating with Iran, and what it will allow them to have in a few years.

    3. One percent of what Rowe says provides a slightly new perspective, fresh angle or new info regarding things already said in the past. One thing is certain: she definitely thinks things are coming soon although I never heard her give a date, I did hear her say their family car they currently own they still owned when the “crap hit the fan.” But I discount any statements that place a time table on things because lots of visionaries in the past see scenes in the context of their own times (John Taylor’s vision doesn’t talk about modern technology, he speaks of trains, streetcars, etc.) I don’t think these visionaries necessarily see the future in order to tie down a date and time. Don’t use deductive reasoning to compute the time: e.g.: Rowe saw hard times hit while owning their current car, they get a new car every five years, therefore “it” will start in the next five years. That’s misplaced. I wouldn’t use such details as an indication of when events will occur.

    4. Her message is definitely LDS-centric. She’s talking to “her people.” I have not read a lot of other NDEr’s about future events, but there was a lot of that during the Y2K scar–coming from non-Mormons alike.

    5. People who are overreacting/taking dramatic measures in their lives after listening to her must either have a hard-core, “prepper” mentality, or this is their first exposure, so they are dealing with it in an extreme or reactionary manner. My advice is to stop now. Instead, use her materials to read other accounts, and use them to motivate you, but don’t walk faster than you are able. Listen to your own inner voice.

    6. To get perspective on her message in the context of other NDE’s, here are two sources that have been around for decades: Sarah Menet’s book, There Is No Death, and Roger K. Young, Dreams and Visions of the Latter days (Young has made a comprehensive collection of many, many accounts).
    The notion that Rowe is doing this for the money is doubtful. Incredible extrapolation. Is MormonStories doing it for the money? Prices of books are extremely reasonable, speaking engagements are free, or they were.

    7. Energy healing. Don’t know what to make of this stuff. I tend not to believe in it. I doubt it has much, if anything, to do with her NDE. Not an essential part of her message, although she clearly thinks it is one of her purposes in life. My wife went through sessions with an energy healer, and I don’t think it changed or improved her life one iota. If it’s essential, why didn’t Jesus teach it? He taught faith, repentance, baptism, holy ghost, and from your spiritual rebirth, strive for good your entire life and shun evil. I think it’s always been that simple. My wife was already on that path before her healing sessions.

  34. his is my first time posting a comment in this website. Does this officially make me affiliated with an apostate group? Oh well, I’ll still answer “no” to that one interview question.

    I also saw my youth in the 80’s flash before my eyes during this podcast about Julie Rowe. I remember going to firesides where these speakers came off as sounding like General Authorities and they would also sell their talks on cassette tapes an in books. Besides names like Skousen, Lund, Weyland, and Yorgeson, one name stood out and still haunts me to this day: Don J. Black. Looking back, he reminds me of a bible-thumping, pulpit-pounding preacher. He made statements that, to a naive teen, were made to sound like doctrine as did other authors/fireside speakers. I look back and wonder why they were allowed to get away with it and yet, it was frowned upon to question their “doctrine”. We were taught to just respect our elders. Now it appears one isn’t allowed to question Julie Rowe among active members who support her.

    Prepping and the “Doom-and-Gloom” message is a profitable industry. Who can blame Rowe for not wanting to capitalize on it? I am surprised to read and hear about the huge following that she has gathered and who believe everything that comes out of her lying mouth.

    By the way, I’ve had to take pain killers for a second-degree burn and I had the most vivid dreams (or hallucinations). However, I would be the crazy one among the members if I had pulled a Julie Rowe routine.

    It was good to read that the Church finally responded to all this madness. Unfortunately, as in most cased like this, it’s too little, too late. Thank you John and your guests for exposing Julie Rowe for the fraud that she is and that is being perpetrated among members of the Church.

    1. Amen Brother. I spent hours during my mission wondering how one man could have so many heroic opportunities in war, then return to be a professional baseball player. Top that off with him becoming a best selling author and favored general authority, and you know the rest.

      The problem with the Church is that it runs on talks. We get to listen to mundane talks every Sunday, but once in awhile there is an opportunity to hear a talk from someone very special and we are encouraged to attend and take notes for some strange reason. My policy is that when a popular speaker comes to town and isn’t a general authority I stay home. If a guy who teaches an institute class in Provo is still an Elder at 42 I know the Church doesn’t take him seriously, so neither should I.

  35. Please read the book before you mock her.She is just sharing her experiences, she is not asking others to follow.I’m thankful for her courage. History is full of people who were mocked then found out they were wrong.The world can’t be round they said and no one believed in germs being invisable little creatures on your hands. It sounded to crazy for words. I don’t believe in the beliefs of others who have mocked on this page to be sure, but I would never be so hateful as to put on your blogs etc. such language.

    1. Amanda, I can understand she had an experience and it is nice to see she has the courage to share it with people. But help me understand this one issue that has been bugging me: why isn’t she FREELY sharing this experience? Why is she selling her book? WHY IS SHE MAKING MONEY OFF OF IT? If the world is coming to an end, why does she need money?

      And before you say there is a cost to publishing a book, as someone in the publishing business, let me say that there are many ways to distribute this message for free. She can at least distribute a free PDF.

      I have no intention or interest to mock her. But I do question her motives, strongly! Her experience was free (if true), she should share it for free.

  36. Not to be mean, but neither Julie nor Spencer (next podcast) is an especially dynamic public speaker. Imagine how much trouble the church would have if somebody charismatic who is actually good in front of an audience were to start issuing revelations.

  37. Well – thank goodness for that ‘fire insurance’ I paid the church for so many years. Yup, I am planning on being ‘taken care of’, at least that is what my seminary teachers taught me back in the 80’s.

  38. Delusional is the word that comes to mind. If the Church is true, the disaster message would come from TM, not from her. If it’s false, the message should be denounced from the Church before it doesn’t happen -not after. How brave it is of these men to wait until it doesn’t happen, to finally denounce her. And simply stating that she’s not authorized to speak for them, is a chicken way out.

  39. I have read NDE’s and listened to many who claim to have insight into
    the future. Mormon NDE’s are too close to mormon doctrine and are not
    reflective of the experiences non mormons have. If hers is a universal warning it needs to reflect that. Not talk about an earthquake in SLC
    and tent cities for the believers where they will be protected. To be genuine she needs to espouse the events in the Bible regarding the last days and the coming of Christ.

  40. I just got a email from my dad (still believes in mormonism but doesn’t go anymore) about how the blood moons are a warning for the bad things about to happen. I wasn’t sure where this was coming from but now I wonder if he is a Julie Rowe believer although John Hagee is also a promoter of the Blood Moon doom and gloom BS.

    Also you could do a whole show on the Another Voice or Warming Site that was mentioned. I went there years ago to download their preparedness manual thinking it was legit from the LDS church and some of the things in there were fairly racist. Their forum page is private but if you check out their facebook page it is truely disturbing. Some of the comments there are sickening and these are supposedly good christians/mormons.

  41. Laugh and you could be the one “left behind”! Do you “Believe”? And what will belief compel one to do when one is attuned to The Holy Spirit? And if one does not obey the Holy Spirit? Is this the unforgivable sin? Revelations speaks of times as in the Days of Moses and Noah. The people of those days did not believe nor heed the warnings from God an were drowned or told they would not see the Promised Land. So knowing the Tetrad is a sign from God and very well significant to the Book of Revelations, then what is God’s message? To believe and share in His greatness? IS this Tetra regarding “Belief” as its not money due to man’s mark on money and we have all been marked by money now. Check out my Facebook and choose to believe or not and then what will you do if you believe? Can we ever do enuf? Hopefully I have not struck the rock with my staff as Moses did.

    1. And if you are wondering, consider me a lamb of God and Jesus is me Shepard. Consider having wisdom of this writing to cause a bounty, for better or worse, to be presented before the footstool of Jesus. Praise the Living Lord Jesus, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Shalom. co’

  42. This is exactly what we should expect as the natural result from a church that was founded on the premises that these are the “latter days” and that we are living in the “last dispensation”. The fact that “mainstream Mormons” disagree with her attests to how different the LDS church actually is from the Mormonism that Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdrey founded.

  43. What a crackingly, wonderfully crazy website! Happy somebody directed me here. I’m sure it’s mostly irony, but quality humour all the same. Now back to real life.

  44. This is INSANITY! Stop eating those mushrooms!!!

    Let’s buy a year supply of food, just in case we lose our jobs someday.
    Let’s get another closet full of clothes and a 50 inch TV in every room, in case we become poor one day.
    Let’s blow our 401K on an extra car and mortgage our home for down-payment on a second home, in case the world ends next week.
    — The unofficial (but publicly endorsed) Doctrine of the church of MAMON of “latter-days” insanity.

  45. Well the Mortal Moon came and went—in Jerusalem as it is in Peoria (amen). Soon September will have gone the way of August and Donald Trump still sucks. Next time, we need to double down on our greatness order. Greatness is like picnic ice in August. Order at least four times what you think you’ll need AND have the Hygeia man’s number on speed dial. As great as you can make it in September isn’t very great for very long. Try February next time.

  46. Everyone is so quick to judge her. But if you look at the earlier Julian callendwr. Sept date she stated runs in Oct 7 th. Just saying

    1. And if not October 7th this year, then maybe October 7th next year. Or maybe October 7th, 3015. You just never know.

  47. This was very interesting to listen to. I enjoyed the panel discussion. After listening to the podcast I summarized it for my husband and he said, “Oh yeah, I think that’s the book my mom’s been going crazy about and wants us to read.” Yikes!

    P.S. Not everyone who uses essential oils is quaky or makes crazy claims about them. Our family has severe allergies that prevents us from using common medications. Essential oils have been a life savor for us and we use them with our pediatrician’s blessing. Just wanted to put that out there. :)

  48. I think it would be really cool if she isn’t a fraud and that what she says is true. When I say cool I mean cool in the same way that I was hoping those 2 guys who escaped from the prison in New York would get away with it. I guess what I’m trying to say is that most things in life are boring and this would shake things up a bit.

    I’m listening to her interview on the radio over the interwebs right now. Lots of great information about historical figures that she met in heaven. My favorite was when the radio host asked if she was going to see the movie Noah, she said that the Lord revealed to her that a movie about Noah was going to be released soon and that it would be an abomination. That’s fantastic – she really needs to let us all know what other movies Hollywood is planning to release. I’m sure that’s something at the forefront of the Lord’s mind and it’s vital for us to know.

    Hang on – she’s now talking about the Tower of Babel. Apparently she saw the tower from 3 angles – it looked a little like a wooden Eifel Tower. I wonder if there was an ancient Statue of Liberty that just wasn’t mentioned in the Bible. Finally, according to Julie dogs were created as dogs before the world was made and boy dogs were created as boy dogs.

    That’s all I have. Prepare for the end.

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