2024 Speakers & Talks

Enoch Moore is the original founder of Defending Utah. He is a life-long computer programmer and software architect. Enoch was born in the USA but grew up overseas where he saw first hand the pros and cons of the world’s cultures. He ended up back in America in search of the dream. Unfortunately, that beloved American Dream is now hanging by a thread, and Enoch’s hope is to restore freedom to Utah and the world.

    His presentation is titled:
Forward Thinking ideas on God’s Law in America

Zoe Erickson is somehow lucky or blessed enough to have Joshua Erickson as her father. She is a seamstress and a writer, and can also often be found playing the piano or helping to take care of her eight younger siblings. She has been involved with the Restoration Torah Conference all five years; this is her second year speaking.

    Her presentation is titled:
God of Distinctions: Jehovah, Holiness, and the Modern Worship of Ishtar

Freeman Bird was raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In his youth, he visited and lived in many nations because of his Father’s job as a salesman. When he turned eighteen, he decided he no longer believed in God, and consequently decided to have his records removed from the church. In the years that followed, he went through a period where he tried to find what he could call, “truth”. Freeman found himself at opposite ends of reality. One year, he was an atheistic communist, another year he imagined paganism was the answer. It would be some time before his wanderings led him back to the beginning of his journey – back to Mormonism. However, in what can only be properly described as a “path of miracles”, he ended up not in the mainline church, but as a member of Christ’s Church, the Righteous Branch. Freeman is now serving as a full-time missionary, teaching people the fundamental fullness of the gospel in hopes that others might experience something akin to his own experiences. Freeman has a deep love of history and religion, and seeks to gather all the truth that Mormonism has a divine right to.

    His presentation is titled:
The Lost Tribes of Israel and the Law of Moses

Steven Fisher is a native Californian; born in Inglewood. He served an LDS mission to the Central States in 1968, and married DeeAnn Jessop in 1974 while attending BYU.  He graduated in 1975 and taught Music in East Carbon, Utah and later in Thatcher, Arizona.  In 1980 he earned a Masters of Music from Holy Names College in Oakland, California. After this, He and DeeAnn moved back to Utah and raised their children in Clearfield while he drove a school bus. Although he is a lifelong believer in the Restoration, his personal mission for truth began in 1987.  He sang with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir from 1987 to 1991. His personal mission required his resignation from the LDS Church in 1991.  In 2014 Steven retired from 23 years as a school bus driver and moved to Jameson, Missouri – just outside the north gate of Adam-ondi-Ahman.  He feels that his life has just begun, that living there is one of the greatest blessings God has given him, and that he is Home. Steven believes that all Churches, and their accompanying doctrine, must be able to stand the weight and crush of the Oracles of God.  They are the Iron Rod, and the only source of truth he trusts.

    His presentation is titled:
Where is Zion? And what is the Gospel of Christ?

Morgan Philpot lives in Utah. He is married and has five kids. Morgan was an attorney and has practiced law in Utah, Oregon, Nevada and California. His experience is diverse, including high profile civil liberties, criminal, civil litigation, and appellate cases. He was one of the lead attorneys in the Malheur Oregon Refuge Occupation trial, the Nevada Bundy Ranch Standoff trial, the Finicum wrongful death suit and the Count My Vote lawsuit that went before Utah’s Supreme Court.

Prior to becoming an attorney, Morgan served as a Utah State Representative and as Vice-Chair of the Utah Republican Party. Morgan also clerked for Utah’s Attorney General and served as the General Counsel/Govt. Affairs Director for a Utah company.

    His presentation is titled:
Types, Shadows, and the Second Coming

Pamela Townley Smith was raised in a home where she learned to love God and to seek and follow His Spirit at an early age.  Her formal background was in Nursing, but after being diagnosed with an “incurable” auto-immune dis-ease, she turned to natural, non-invasive alternatives. That decision led her on a different, but beautiful spiritual health journey that not only brought a complete physical healing surprise, but solidified her faith that God is involved in each of our lives in very personal ways.  She continues to study health and healing through the lens of micro current therapy, homeopathy and quantum physics.
Pamela has taught piano for 40 years, homeschooled her children, owned several small businesses, co-hosted The Liberty Moms radio show (K-Talk/Loving Liberty Radio), and advocated throughout Utah for parental rights and personal privacy rights.
Every summer, she hosts a 5 day youth camp called, Camp Freedom, that is hands-on and teaches history and how to apply principles of liberty in today’s world.  She truly believes, “…where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”(2 Cor 3:17)
She and her husband, Bret, have been married 40 years, have 5 children, and she loves being GramPam to their 22 grandchildren. Together, they have served the homeless in Ogden every Sunday for the past 10 years in a ministry they call “Tender Mercies Ministry.”  They have come to know through serving there that God is aware and loves all of His children no matter who or what their circumstances are.
She hopes to share perspectives that will be beneficial as we personally navigate our path to the Savior.

    Her presentation is titled:
O Say What is Truth? How Do We Find Real Truth From The Scriptures?

Douglas Stubbs was born and raised in Mexico (in the Mormon colonies). He currently lives in Missouri among a diverse and remarkable community of latter day saints from various Restoration traditions who have learned to love each other and work together despite their differences. He is a father of nine wonderful children, and a husband to two beautiful women. He loves God and loves to learn of His ways because he knows that His ways are always good. 

    His presentation is titled:
The Heavens Declare the Glory of God (Psalm 19:1-4)

Benjamin Shaffer was raised in an LDS home by two convert parents.  He has always been a very active participant in the Restored Gospel.  He served a mission for the LDS Church, taught seminary for a time, and even served as a temple worker in the Taipei Taiwan Temple. He is currently a 70 in Christ’s Church. Benjamin graduated from Southern Utah University in 2005 where he studied history and political science.  A few years later, after seeking some counsel from a mentor and friend, Benjamin decided to apply to law school and begin to forge a career path toward practicing law. He was quickly accepted into the James E. Rogers School of Law at the University of Arizona, and graduated with a Jurist Doctorate degree in 2014.  Benjamin now resides in Spanish Fork, UT.  He has a great love for the House of Israel, and likes to write and speak about gospel topics.

    His presentation is titled:
What is a Mitzvah?

Anna Knecht is a Wife and Mother, raising a family in their Rockland desert home in Southern Utah. She is often found giving tours, sharing the gospel, and showing hospitality to those who come across, or are introduced to, their unique homes found nestled in the side of a large sandstone Rock Village. 
Anna has a passion for seeking truth within the scriptures, and extrabiblical endorsed texts (books mentioned in the Bible, but not included in the canon – like Enoch and Jasher). She has a love of Biblical astronomy and homemaking. She and her husband have made a point of researching the Old Testament and studying and living the Hebrew festivals with her Children and grandchildren. Anna and her husband love working with the youth and sharing their home with many.

    Her presentation is titled:
It Is The Honor of Kings to Seek Him

Nathan Dilts is a disciple of Jesus Christ, striving to walk in His way and keep His commandments. His life long passion for teaching the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, particularly to youth, has been expressed over the past 25 years as a missionary, Sunday School teacher, Aaronic Priesthood advisor and Seminary teacher. Nathan’s greatest education comes from raising his seven children with his beautiful wife in their red desert home. Nathan is the facilitator on the Red Rock Seminary podcast.

    His presentation is titled:
Foundation to Fulfillment to Fullness

Joshua Erickson was raised in an LDS home in Utah, by a father who was a scholar and lover of the Restoration and all things Israelite. His father has now passed away, but planted a loving seed in Joshua for those things. The seed grew slowly in earlier years, but has now blossomed and is continually growing. He is hoping to plant similar seeds in his own children (he has nine). Joshua is intently interested in the fulfilment of the promises of the Restoration, and the connection of those promises to the ancient promises given in the Hebrew Scriptures. He wasnts to see all of the branches of the Restoration blossom, bear good fruit, and claim thier place and blessings as children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Born and raised in Utah (one of seven siblings) Joshua served as a proselytizing missionary in Atlanta, Georgia as a young man after which he started a family and attended graduate school at UCLA. He is a chemist by training and profession, and loves his job. He and his family currently live in Lehi, UT. He is also the secretary of the Zarahemla Foundation, and author of the book, Wine of your Own Make.

    His presentation is titled:
The Law of Moses Before Moses

Don Bradley is an author and independent historian specializing in the beginnings of the Latter-day Saint Restoration. He completed a Bachelor’s in History at BYU and a Master’s in History at Utah State University, where he wrote his thesis on “American Proto-Zionism and the ‘Book of Lehi’: Re-contextualizing the Rise of Mormonism.” Don has performed an internship with the Joseph Smith Papers Project working with the earliest Joseph Smith sources. He was the primary researcher for Brian C. Hales’ Joseph Smith’ Polygamy series. He has published on the translation of the Book of Mormon, plural marriage before Nauvoo, Joseph Smith’s “grand fundamental principles of Mormonism,” and the Kinderhook plates, and has forthcoming works on the Kinderhook plates and the First Vision. He lives in Springville, Utah.

Don is the author of The Lost 116 Pages: Reconstructing the Book of Mormon’s Missing Stories

    His presentation will be titled:
TBD

Elior Walker is a grateful disciple of YHWH Yeshua and a student of Joseph Smith Jr. When he isn’t studying the profound metaphysical and interpersonal beauty of the Doctrine of Christ, he is geeking out on the Hebraic context of the First Temple Israelite religion, and its restorations during the early Christian and Latter-day dispensations. Elior has a YouTube channel dealing with these topics called Hebraic Restoration/Doctrine of Christ.

    His presentation is titled:
Realizing At-One-Ment: The Torah, Her Rituals, and the Doctrine of Christ