[dropcap]P[/dropcap]lease give a warm welcome to Jared Gillins, whom we haven't heard from since our dynamite Christmas stories episode!

Last week, we learned that the Church is combining Handbooks 1 and 2 into a single Handbook. One handbook to rule them all! So what will change in this new handbook? What might be removed? We know what we know and we don't know what we don't know, but we can speculate to no end, as is our specialty.

http://www.thisweekinmormons.com/2020/01/church-announces-new-combined-general-handbook-of-instructions/

We've spoken a lot in recent months (and years) about preventing abuse and Church leaders' responsibilities to in reporting abusive situations to the proper authorities. The Church has rolled out new requirements to protect youth, but a terrible story dating back to 2011 demonstrates the human failings in protecting kids. A father confessed to sexually abusing his children, but his bishop did not report the confession to the authorities. It was not until 2017, and many abuses and victims later, that investigators caught up to the man. Will the new guidelines prevent situations like this?

New research by the Salt Lake Tribune, which our beloved Kurt Francom will decry as being inherently anti-Church just for conducting the research (love you, Kurt!), shows that a majority of Utahns want tax-exempt religious organizations to be required to report income. However, a small minority of self-identified active Latter-day Saints want the same.

Also keeping with the headline-grabbing Tribune, apparently nursing mothers are no longer welcome at BYU Women's Week, a change from years past. Our gut reaction is to disagree with this, but we also recognize some of the rationale behind the move. So is it a fair decision or does it make attendance exclusive?

Who watched the Super Bowl? Who watched the Halftime Show with Shakira and Jennifer Lopez? Who was enraged at the wanton displays of sexuality and filthiness? Let's talk about the reaction among Christian circles in the wake of what many have felt was an overtly sexual production (primarily due to a pole upon with J Lo actually did not dance).

Williard "Mitt" Romney, better known by his excellent pseudonym, has spent the past few weeks sitting in the chambers of the U.S. Senate listening to impeachment arguments. Senate rules dictate that only water and milk - served in a glass - are allowed in the room, but Mitt, ever the rogue, was caught sipping BYU Creamery chocolate milk. And we almost trusted this man with the presidency. SHAMEFUL.

And now, Competing Figures in Mormonism! Alex "The Tattooed Mormon" Carraway