Mormon Stories Podcast

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Today we identify and analyze four problematic patterns in Joseph Smith's "revelations": 1) Using revelations to convince others to submit to his requests, 2) Using revelations to get out of a jam, 3) Changing revelations to fit Joseph Smith’s evolving theologies, and 4) a look at Biblical errors made in Joseph Smith's revelation. Today we are joined by Mike of LDS Discussions and @NEMOTHEMORMON.

LDS Discussion Essay on Joseph Smith's Revelations.

Episode Show Notes

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Originally published February 23, 2023.

For the first time, a sitting Mormon bishop joins Mormon Stories to discuss the church's activity rates and its misleading membership statistics. Serving in Mexico, he noticed questions and doubts rising among members with access to information, faced pressure to fudge the numbers in his ward's quarterly report, and pushed back.

Full episode and show notes: https://www.mormonstories.org/mormon-bishop-on-misleading-church-statistics/

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For the first time ever, a sitting Mormon Bishop joins us to discuss the current situation with the Church's activity rates and its misleading membership statistics.

He began watching Mormon Stories despite being an active Bishop and noticed questions and doubts arising among Mexican Saints, especially among English-speaking members as they had more access to information, such as through WhatsApp conversations between leaders discussing the SEC filing in Mexico. Obispo faced pressure to fudge numbers in his Ward Quarterly Report but pushed back, even calling Church Headquarters to find out policies.

Obispo also discusses discrepancies between Mexican membership statistics and census data, as well as the pressure to bring people back through programs like "Finding Lost Members." The interview covers topics such as tithing, welfare, and fast offerings. Obispo wants the Church to do better and believes in doing what is right, even if he may face consequences for sharing.

Episode Show Notes

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Is the Mormon Church honest in all of its dealings? The Securities and Exchange Commission announced charges against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for obscuring the Church’s money and misstating Ensign Peak’s control over the Church’s investment decisions. To settle the charges, Ensign Peak agreed to pay a $4 million penalty and the Church agreed to pay a $1 million penalty.

SEC Order Against Ensign Peak Advisors & The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

If people want to help they can call the Senate finance committee and urge them to take action and have a hearing on this issue.

Senate Finance Committee phone: 202-224-4515

Senate Finance Committee fax: 202-228-0554

Religion Unplugged article with full Senate Finance Committee memo Whistleblower Details New Allegations About $100 Billion LDS Fund

Mark Pugsley's Law Firm

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Nate Byrd discusses his experiences as a Black Mormon and how he navigated his identity in a church with a history of white supremacy. He talks about being the only Black family in his wards and the pressure to conform to white norms, including attending BYU and marrying a Black Mormon. He also shares his experiences with racism at BYU, both from white students and from the church's teachings on race.

Byrd discusses his journey of self-discovery and how he channeled his anger into making things better for Black students at BYU, including starting a Black Student Union. He also talks about his TikTok channel, where he discusses the cringey and racist things he experienced at BYU, and his intentions to help others in similar situations. Byrd concludes by reflecting on the challenges of reconciling his faith with the church's history of white supremacy and how he continues to grapple with these issues.

Episode Show Notes

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Radio Free Mormon joins the usual crew (Mike, John & Nemo) as they discuss evidence for prophecies that appear to have been backdated after the events of the supposed prophecy already happened. They explore how scholars can identify and analyze backdated prophecies and their significance. Specific examples of backdated prophecies are explored in the Book of Mormon and D&C, as well as Joseph Smith's manipulation of Isaiah and the Bible to support his claims. 

LDS Discussion Essay on Backdating Prophecy

Episode Show Notes

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LDS Discussions is made possible by generous donors!
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Dallin Seely from YouTube channel @TheDashleys grew up as a multigenerational Mormon. When he was seven years old, his father passed away from stomach cancer. Despite this tragedy, the church provided a lot of support to him and his family. The early death of his father leads Dallin to experience intense scrupulosity as he worries that he will never see his father again in heaven if he isn't "worthy" according to LDS Standards. A strict Bishop exacerbates Dallin’s scrupulosity but is somewhat alleviated when a new bishop tells him that his worthiness was not determined by others. When he came home from his mission, he was encouraged to get married, but he continued to have doubts about the church's teachings, such as the priesthood ban for black members. 

Dallin felt the Holy Ghost told him to marry a certain woman, but he falls in love with Ashley, another faithful woman but who seems a bit less "proper" to Dallin for things like expressing humor through sarcasm. Dallin follows his own heart and marries Ashley anyway. The couple deals with the church’s inherent sexism, including in the temple and the teaching of “the patriarchal order” in the Mormon church. Continuous marriage struggles lead them to seek therapy. This led to the healthiest time in their marriage, as they were able to have emotional intimacy and talk about their feelings, including Ashley's feelings about General Conferences and sexism. They did not want to teach their daughter to feel inferior to men. Dallin and Ashley tell how they learned to embrace their true selves and how they are raising their children in a way that eliminates guilt and fear. 

TheDashleys on YouTube

Ashley Dallin Films

Thedashleys (@thedashleys) | TikTok

The Dashleys (@thedashleys) • Instagram photos and videos

Episode Show Notes

Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today:

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PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117 

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There are so many super cool events coming to Utah I can't even stand it.  Here are a few you should know about:

• Mixed Faith Marriage Workshop (Marriage on a Tightrope) (Begins 2/19/23).  Details and registration here.
• Sunday THRIVE Provo - (2/19/23 11am, FREE!).  Provo Towne Center Mall.  Details here.
• Unveiling Dr. Clandestine w/ Signature Books (2/22/23, 7pm).  508 W. 400 N. Salt Lake City.  Website here.
• THRIVE St. George (2/24-2/26).  Register here.
• Steven Hassan Speaking at Lost & Found Club (3/17/23).  Check here for more details.  Faith Journey Meet-Ups Facebook Group here.
• Steven Hassan is speaking at THRIVE Unite in Lehi and Ogden (3/18/23).  See here for a THRIVE Unite event near you!  Other cities include Idaho Falls, Denver, Seattle, Zurich Switzerland, Calgary CA, Portland, Omaha.  More to come!!!
• Recovery from Mormonism All-day Workshop w/ World-Renowned cult expert Steven Hassan and John Dehlin (Alpine, UT - 3/19/23).  Details and registration here.
• Mormonpalooza (4/1-4/2, Salt Lake City).  Details and registration here.
• THRIVE Women's Conference (6/2-6/3, Ogden, UT).  Details and registration here.
• Vintage THRIVE (55+, 8/11-8/14).  Details here.
• THRIVE Cruise (10/15-10/22, Galveston and Western Caribbean).  Details here.

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PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117 

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Join John, Margi and special guest Randy Bell in exploring a lesser-studied era of Joseph's life and his family connections to nearby Dartmouth. Do many supposedly unique Mormon doctrines have their origin not with Joseph, but at Dartmouth?

Episode Show Notes

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PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117 

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For Heather Gay, becoming a cast member on “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” was like “drawing a line in the sand” with her identity as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When she joined the Bravo show in 2019, she realized her move to quietly quit the faith would become very loud. - The New York Times

Heather Gay visits John and Margi in studio and brings along a familiar face for fans of Mormon Stories and The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, Dre Robinson! Heather tells the story of how her memoir, Bad Mormon, came to be, the challenges she faced to write and publish it (and trademark it), her hopes for the future and what she and Dre are working on now.

From the publisher:

Between attending orthodox services, embarking on an eighteen-month mission, attending Brigham Young University, and marrying into a "royal" family, Heather was the definition of a "good Mormon." However, when the doting wife's husband unexpectedly filed for divorce, she was left out in the cold by her church and her community. In this funny, brash, and unbelievably vulnerable book, Bad Mormon recounts Heather's experiences as a single mother to three girls, navigating life post-divorce and post-Mormonism."

Episode Show Notes

Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today:

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[email protected] 

PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117 

• Insta: @mormstories
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• Join the Discord