Using a recent article in the Church Magazine “Liahona” (Formerly the Ensign) published by the LDS Church, RFM and Bill Reel dissect whether the Church acts in good faith with how it imposes its narrative and who it blames when that narrative is pointed out as not accurate.  When the Church is informed that it is being inaccurate how does the Church respond, both in its rhetoric in terms of who it blames for the problem and what it says it will do about the problem, as well as what it actually does to correct the problem.  The Video version of this episode and all other episodes can be found on youtube at this url  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5n_8_6j00PSeju0hu2CFXQ
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Swedish Rescue – https://www.mormonstories.org/podcast/swedish-rescue-audio/

Blaming the artists for inaccurate depictions https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2015/10/joseph-the-seer?lang=eng

Del Parson’s experience with getting Church art approved https://mormonartist.net/interviews/del-parson/

images more current still obscuring the stone and the hat https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2017/12/joseph-smith-strength-out-of-weakness?lang=eng

Even after saying they will correct the problem of inaccurate art depictions they again in 2021 display a deeply inaccurate artistic depiction. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2021/01/what-greater-witness-can-you-have-than-from-god?lang=en

RFM and Bill Reel have a guest on today, Chris Bloxham, who gets us started by telling us a funny story from his mission. After that we give our callers a chance to share their funny mission stories, and finish off having RFM share a funny story from his mission.

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There are five rules to the game of Mormonism; all of them from the perspective of church leaders:

Rule No. 1–We are going to hide stuff from you.

Rule No. 2–We are going to try to keep you from finding the stuff we are hiding from you.

Rule No. 3–We are going to lie about hiding stuff from you.

Rule No. 4–You can’t blame us for hiding stuff from you.

Rule No. 5–If you talk about the stuff we are hiding from you, we will hide you. (See Rule No. 2)Once you understand the five “rules of the game,” everything else falls into place.

RESOURCES:

https://youtu.be/4hAL-qLOISs

https://www.deseret.com/2008/8/2/20379462/be-cautious-about-lds-history-articles-elder-oaks-says?fbclid=IwAR22qAPf6HvVfRVyLX_faN2NGYRqvuxMQj-VUA1I20y_votqlxiy-egQMgI

https://youtu.be/Eqi-ll1PSr0?t=1

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/teaching-seminary-preservice-readings-religion-370-471-and-475/the-mantle-is-far-far-greater-than-the-intellect?lang=eng&fbclid=IwAR3UdfA0Yy1EIhOpnaIr42oeR8pTPuSmNs-PdFd6NpL5gjX78e1wG8FSqas

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1986/01/truth-and-more?lang=eng&fbclid=IwAR3lTzVmfLSDIN22CSFzqtYRVpraCSTlnzt0U1k_zvoHGh8G9PwX9SfygG4

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/russell-m-nelson/truth-and-more/?fbclid=IwAR0cxr5OaF7YED0mPLTq57yGcYg5C2SCHgY94bhxST_OzJxo92Fe6Yy5dnk

https://youtu.be/lsi3wLiyiEE?t=520

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/church/news/president-oaks-counsels-young-couples-defending-the-gospel-on-the-frontline-?lang=eng&fbclid=IwAR22qAPf6HvVfRVyLX_faN2NGYRqvuxMQj-VUA1I20y_votqlxiy-egQMgI

https://youtu.be/Uj2VWhuW50w?t=2666

https://youtu.be/RPeIgjZ0EQg?t=742

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1993/04/keep-the-faith?lang=eng&fbclid=IwAR3lTzVmfLSDIN22CSFzqtYRVpraCSTlnzt0U1k_zvoHGh8G9PwX9SfygG4

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/2015-10-2060-elder-vern-p-stanfill?lang=eng&fbclid=IwAR3_4rgQQtelIZwdX-Dm5w6LqIWum5E78RDrDY2He8BeKhjRbi3v-j9zttI

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2019/10/56andersen?lang=eng&fbclid=IwAR3J7TtWjDfYfVjO6xcFXNa1-M5XXsU_luV2H4tj-vKGYOAXRF8TKRR0ci4

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2012/10/can-ye-feel-so-now?lang=eng&fbclid=IwAR0_-V_9p9yrxkD9zcCcVpT-szyykb_vcN54k1x83hpb4Zvf5CEOEHN0zzk

In todays Episode Jonathan Streeter fills in for Bill Reel and takes RFM on a journey discussing the first miracle in Mormonism. They discuss the role that Demonic possessions and exorcisms play in religion generally and how such things have influenced Mormonism specifically

Episode outline

• Cold Open – Anatomy of a Performance Exorcism
  • Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnkLBZZuNmI
  • Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RuCLB6vM3M
• Exorcism discussion
  • Why exorcism? 
    • Scriptural precedent
    • Christ Example
  • How can exorcism be explained?
    • Psychology of belief and the reverse exorcism
      • Source: https://youtu.be/BR-eMMCp7tg?t=834

• Sociology of Possession: https://archive.org/details/policing-the-devil-and-possession
• The usefulness of Exorcism
  • Demonize ideas dangerous to belief
    • Example: Demonization of Doubt – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWsqNZgwIYE&t=10s
  • Consolidate power
    • Example: Demon attacks prophet and fails: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVv90VfY9t8
    • Mystical Manipulation and spiritual supremacy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=He9H500yGZA
  • Psychological utility
  • Spiritual bypassing
    • Facebook Adultery: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTM3M-51rZo&t=4s
  • Demonize taboo behavior
    • Demons enter through video games: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BXrk-B4u7A
    • Demons enter through masturbation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXAqGYfFBxc
• American roots of possession in Africa
  • Pastor AA Allen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k6iOtFegq8
  • AA Allen Acolyte endorses TB Joshua: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dp7CUc88azA
• Examples of fraudulent exorcism   
  • Man answers cell phone in middle of possession: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6iJ_SZPjto
• The First Miracle of the Restoration
  • Ensign Article: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1989/01/the-knight-family-ever-faithful-to-the-prophet?lang=eng
  • History of the Church, 1:82–83: https://byustudies.byu.edu/further-study-lesson/volume-1-chapter-9/

Resources for background:

• Possession in Mormonism Podcast: https://mi.byu.edu/mip-71-taysom/
• Paper about possession and Exorcism in Mormonism: https://archive.org/details/satan-mourns-naked-upon-the-earth-locat

Moroni 7:27 asks Has the day of Miracles Ceased? The answer in the scriptures is nay. Yet What happens when we take a look at what LDS Leaders suggest as the miracles that are happening. We use two Sound clips at the backdrop of todays discussion. One is David Bednar’s recent BYU devotional where Elder Bednar imposes that miracles are happening today just as in days of old and gives us 8 quotes that are supposed to be evidence of the miracles except there aren’t any…. unless you are counting smiles, hours served, phones answered, and a person was were they were supposed to be.  The second clip revolves around Wendy Nelson informing us that President Nelson was prompted prior to Covid in 2020 to cancel all of their bookings for the year.  But when this “miracle” is examined it seems to contain deep factual problems and negative theological ramifications.

RESOURCES:

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/moro/7?lang=eng

https://youtu.be/Az6-7yzZOLs?t=1https://www.thechurchnews.com/podcast/2021-01-05/sister-wendy-nelson-sheri-dew-president-nelson-prophet-three-years-201007

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3yRp2C7BN8&fbclid=IwAR07EbuLdC4cgIibxrFlAruDHq7TuvqkinwLO3eKB_Th6reMy-GHct93fd8

www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAt4Od0teNg&fbclid=IwAR35-eQ-732TcFVmpQeXAceXtYTZ6MycK378lzYfqqiOBow4Vq7M-70DwWc

www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJZ4JaCOIL8&fbclid=IwAR27aNOPG308McVU-E5-TaaZiizQddoIXCh3h6cA6kp0QVQlzRJ9HND8HdQ

We once again develop this weeks episode around Director of the Church History Library, Keith Erekson. Except this time we address his expertise as a hoax expert. No Seriously, this guy is one of the worlds experts on discerning hoaxes. He has written articles, given presentations, and taught in academia about such helping people for years to to discern and deconstruct hoaxes. But catch this….. he has been unable to apply those same tools to his religious beliefs and that is the topic for tonight’s episode

RESOURCES:

https://www.keitherekson.com/2020/03/how-to-detect-a-hoax/

https://www.keitherekson.com/2020/03/how-to-analyze-a-hoax/

https://www.keitherekson.com/2021/01/how-to-talk-about-rumors-and-conspiracy-theories/

Tonight RFM and Bill Reel take a look at how Director of the Church History Library, Keith A. Erekson, frames apologetics, inoculation, and publicly frames the criticisms of the Church. What tone does he use? What approach does he take with the critic and their criticisms? What approach does he take with the issues? How does he interact with the members of the Church in terms of transparency? Vulnerability? Honesty? and Forthrightness? Is this an improvement or is it a deeper layer of deception? We do this by examining his recent Fireside w/ multiple stakes published on the Fredrickson Stake Youtube Channel

Keith Erekson is the head of the vaults where historical items are saved in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He and his two assistants are the only folks with unfettered access to these archives and storage.

RFM and Bill Reel take a look at the December 2020 Changes to the General Handbook of Instruction within the LDS Church. This Second part starts with a special Guest, Wendi Wilcock Jensen, as we dive into the handbook section on Energy Work. From there we discuss the changes involving Transgender people, Changes on the approach to abuse, a new section on Prejudice, and then we conclude with The new section on seeking reliable information and use a soundbite from a Mormonland Podcast interview to show that it is actually the LDS Church that is unreliable, non-credible, and deceptive.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/general-handbook/title-page?lang=eng

Soundbite parody in the voice of Gordon Bitner Hinckley at the beginning is from the TikTok artist Mitch Shira also under the name “genie_man”. Please Check out his work !!!

RFM and Bill Reel take a look at the December 2020 Changes to the General Handbook of Instruction within the LDS Church. There is a major bombshell in this episode dealing with the hierarchy of doctrine when comparing the handbook with the teachings of the living prophets and the holy scriptures.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/general-handbook/title-page?lang=eng

Mormon Apologists have forever pointed out that one criticism of Mormon Truth claims is Joseph Smith’s use of the female name Alma for a males name. After citing the criticism, Mormon Apologists immediately follow up with evidence of Alma’s use as a Male name in the ancient eastern world. But is this really an argument being made that deserves a rebuttal? Was Alma really only a female name in Joseph Smith’s day? Did he know any male Alma’s? And are LDS Leaders and Apologists honest around this issue? That and more and your phone calls on this episode of Mormonism LIVE !