Send us a text

In this episode, the Shawn, Levi & Matt discuss a range of topics including peaceful protests, the role of church leaders in political matters, the influence of the church on political views, and the concept of mobilization in revolutions. They also delve into the ethics of prediction markets, the nature of bribery in politics, and the intersection of science and spirituality, particularly focusing on the idea that all spirit is matter and the implications of dark matter in understanding connections between individuals.
The Thought Provoker:

First this week. Dallin H. Oaks was sustained as the new President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. At the time of his call to the Quorum of the Twelve in 1984 he was on the short list of people who might have been nominated to be on the US Supreme Court. Justice Griffith argues that the work he can do to bridge the political divide in the US right now is more important than anything he might have done on the US Supreme Court. Many church members think that President Oaks was called at this time to help heal political divides in the United States. Is that a myopic viewpoint?  

Next up, In a recent episode, On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti explored serious problems with prediction markets. The biggest concern is that people can profit by making bad events happen. Since platforms avoid gambling laws, users have no protection when things go wrong.  Given the harms these platforms cause, should governments create more laws to regulate their behavior?

Finally, Accusations have surfaced that Tom Homan, set to be a border czar, was given $50,000 cash by undercover F.B.I. agents in exchange for promises of government contracts if Donald Trump won the election. Though Mr. Homan denies illegal actions, the Trump administration reportedly shut down the F.B.I. investigation. Should the US Congress or the Justice Department open an investigation into the allegations?

The Big Question: Doctrine and Covenants 131:7–8. 7 There is no such thing as immaterial matter. All spirit is matter, but it is more fine or pure, and can only be discerned by purer eyes; 8 We cannot see it; but when our bodies are purified we shall see that it is all matter. Physicists generally agree that dark matter is an invisible and hypothetical form of matter that makes up about 27% of the universe's total mass-energy content, significantly outweighing the ordinary, visible matter (which is only about 5%).

Chapters
00:00 Protests and Pep Rallies: A Lighthearted Start
02:52 The Role of Church Leadership in Political Divides
05:51 Mobilization and Influence: The 3.5% Rule
08:37 Political Stances and Church Doctrine
11:39 The Power of Defining Political Issues
17:20 Name-Dropping and Intellectual Influence
18:44 The Importance of Acknowledging Sources
20:15 The Ethics of Prediction Markets
21:14 Federalism and Gambling Regulations
24:58 The Role of Business in Local Governance
27:51 Personal Experiences with Prediction Markets
30:44 The Influence of Information on Market