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Postmormon Postmortem
By Hannah and JessReligion & Spirituality
Postmormon Postmortem episodes
- Fanny Stenhouse and the Fight Against Mormon Polygamy: Tell It All, Part 2
When Fanny Stenhouse arrived in Salt Lake City, she was already struggling with her belief in Mormon polygamy. Then came the day Brigham Young asked her to place another woman's hand in her husband's.
In part two of Fanny's story, we return to her memoir, Tell It All, to hear what she witnessed in Utah: the early Mormon temple ceremonies, the efforts to persuade reluctant wives, the marriages of young girls to older men, and the devastating experiences of women living in plural marriages.
After years of trying to reconcile her faith with everything she had experienced, Fanny left Mormonism and became an outspoken opponent of polygamy.
53 min - Krew Zaugg: Inside the Former Mormon Missionary’s Sentencing
On October 26, 2026, former Mormon missionary Krew Zaugg was sentenced in Idaho Falls, Idaho, following the sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl. Originally charged with rape and lewd conduct with a child, Zaugg pleaded guilty to battery with intent to commit a serious felony.
More than 40 people turned up to support Zaugg, and family, friends, coaches and religious leaders submitted letters attesting to his character. The prosecution asked for 20 years, the defense argued for probation, and the victim's family pleaded for justice.
57 min - The Mormon Apostle Who Refused to Fall in Line: Moses Thatcher
In 1896, Mormon apostle Moses Thatcher refused to sign a political manifesto requiring church leaders to seek approval before accepting certain public offices. Within months, he was removed from the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
We look at the disputes that led to his removal and the church's efforts to stop his political career.
28 min - The Righteous Need No Masks
Mormon apostle Quentin L. Cook says anonymity is a spiritual risk, and believing Mormons are dropping their usernames. Who does that advice cost most?
On November 1, Mormon apostle Quentin L. Cook told young adults that one of their greatest protections against bad choices is not wearing a mask of anonymity. Within days, believing members were switching to their real names. We look at Cook’s 2012 talk on masks, the Ward Radio victory lap, Matthew Watkins’s meeting with HR, and Ziff, an active Mormon who has written under a pseudonym for years. Cook can say this from the position of an apostle. The members listening may not be able to afford to take it.
Support the show: Venmo: @postmormonpostmortem buymeacoffee.com/postmormonpostmortem
Ad-free listening from $2/month: patreon.com/postmormonpostmortem
TikTok & Instagram: @postmormonpostmortem postmormonpostmortem.com
14 min - The Mormon Church Lied About Polygamy. Fanny Stenhouse Wrote It All Down.
In 1849, Fanny Stenhouse converted to Mormonism in England, married a missionary, and emigrated to Utah. Along the way, she discovered how much the church had concealed from its European converts.
From Fanny's 1874 memoir, Tell It All, we follow her journey through years of growing disillusionment. Her account includes John Taylor's public denials of polygamy while he had multiple wives, the pressure on converts to gather to Zion, and the disastrous 1856 Willie handcart journey.
Fanny's story reveals what happened when converts who had sacrificed everything for Mormonism began discovering what they'd actually signed up for.
SHOW NOTES, including all sources mentioned in this episode, are available on Patreon.
Paid memberships start at $2/month for AD-FREE listening.
https://patreon.com/postmormonpostmortem
TO SUPPORT THE SHOW (Thank you!)
Venmo: https://venmo.com/postmormonpostmortem
Buy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/postmormonpostmortem
Patreon: https://patreon.com/postmormonpostmortem
FIND US HERE
Website: https://postmormonpostmortem.com
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@postmormonpostmortem
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@postmormonpostmortem
Instagram: https://instagram.com/postmormonpostmortem
Facebook: https://facebook.com/postmormonpostmortem
Theme song | Vocals: Hannah W. | Guitar: Dr. Dave | Audio: Mick
1 hr 6 min - The 1974 Texas Mormon Missionary Murders: Robert Kleasen and the Venison Dinner
In October 1974, Mormon missionaries Gary Darley and Mark Fischer disappeared near Austin, Texas, after visiting Robert Kleasen, a member of their ward with a history of violence. Their bodies were never found.
Hannah and Jess examine Kleasen's past, the murder investigation, the evidence that led to his conviction, the legal ruling that overturned it, and the decades-long efforts to bring the case back to court.
SHOW NOTES, including all sources mentioned in this episode, are available on Patreon.
Paid memberships start at $2/month for AD-FREE listening.
https://patreon.com/postmormonpostmortem
TO SUPPORT THE SHOW (Thank you!)
Venmo: https://venmo.com/postmormonpostmortem
Buy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/postmormonpostmortem
Patreon: https://patreon.com/postmormonpostmortem
FIND US HERE
Website: https://postmormonpostmortem.com
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@postmormonpostmortem
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@postmormonpostmortem
Instagram: https://instagram.com/postmormonpostmortem
Facebook: https://facebook.com/postmormonpostmortem
Theme song | Vocals: Hannah W. | Guitar: Dr. Dave | Audio: Mick
57 min - Ezra Taft Benson Saw Communism Everywhere
Ezra Taft Benson saw communism inside American life and wrapped it in scripture. When an apostle’s politics arrive with a title, how was a Mormon member supposed to tell which one they were hearing?
Jess and Hannah trace Ezra Taft Benson’s anti-communism from the 1936 First Presidency statement to the John Birch Society, his link between the civil rights movement and a communist takeover, and a 1965 general conference passage missing from the published report. Hugh B. Brown and David O. McKay show how other Mormon leaders judged the same threat differently.
SHOW NOTES, including all sources mentioned in this episode, are available on Patreon.
Paid memberships start at $2/month for AD-FREE listening.
https://patreon.com/postmormonpostmortem
TO SUPPORT THE SHOW (Thank you!)
Venmo: https://venmo.com/postmormonpostmortem
Buy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/postmormonpostmortem
Patreon: https://patreon.com/postmormonpostmortem
FIND US HERE
Website: https://postmormonpostmortem.com
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@postmormonpostmortem
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@postmormonpostmortem
Instagram: https://instagram.com/postmormonpostmortem
Facebook: https://facebook.com/postmormonpostmortem
Theme song | Vocals: Hannah W. | Guitar: Dr. Dave | Audio: Mick
35 min - Immigrant Mormons Asked for Help. Here’s What The Church Said.
What is the Mormon Church doing about mass deportation and family separation? Immigrant Mormons have asked for housing assistance, help finding work, sanctuary, and leaders willing to defend them publicly.
We compare Mormon immigration policy with Catholic, Episcopal, and Southern Baptist responses, examine what immigrant members told The Salt Lake Tribune, and revisit the church’s earlier opposition to enforcement-only immigration laws. In Idaho, a divided membership didn’t stop the church from opposing an abortion ballot measure with a letter and $1 million. What’s stopping it here?
SHOW NOTES, including all sources mentioned in this episode, are available on Patreon.
Paid memberships start at $2/month for AD-FREE listening.
https://patreon.com/postmormonpostmortem
TO SUPPORT THE SHOW (Thank you!)
Venmo: https://venmo.com/postmormonpostmortem
Buy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/postmormonpostmortem
Patreon: https://patreon.com/postmormonpostmortem
FIND US HERE
Website: https://postmormonpostmortem.com
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@postmormonpostmortem
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@postmormonpostmortem
Instagram: https://instagram.com/postmormonpostmortem
Facebook: https://facebook.com/postmormonpostmortem
Theme song | Vocals: Hannah W. | Guitar: Dr. Dave | Audio: Mick
19 min - Young Women Are Leaving the Mormon Church. What’s Driving Them Out?
Why are young women leaving the Mormon Church? Research points to questions about politics, purity culture, gender inequality, and women’s authority—but researchers disagree about what the numbers tell us.
We look at Mormon retention data, Jana Riess’s research, and BYU’s findings on why young people leave. We revisit teachings that told Mormon mothers to quit their jobs, the church’s newer celebration of working women, and what General Conference offered women questioning their faith.
SHOW NOTES, including all sources mentioned in this episode, are available on Patreon.
Paid memberships start at $2/month for AD-FREE listening.
https://patreon.com/postmormonpostmortem
TO SUPPORT THE SHOW (Thank you!)
Venmo: https://venmo.com/postmormonpostmortem
Buy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/postmormonpostmortem
Patreon: https://patreon.com/postmormonpostmortem
FIND US HERE
Website: https://postmormonpostmortem.com
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@postmormonpostmortem
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@postmormonpostmortem
Instagram: https://instagram.com/postmormonpostmortem
Facebook: https://facebook.com/postmormonpostmortem
Theme song | Vocals: Hannah W. | Guitar: Dr. Dave | Audio: Mick
27 min - The Singer Swapp Standoff, Part 2: A Bomb to Raise the Dead
In January 1988, Mormon fundamentalist Addam Swapp bombed a Mormon stake center in Marion, Utah, claiming God had commanded him to do it. He and the Singer family barricaded themselves inside their heavily armed cabin, convinced that a violent confrontation with police would bring John Singer back from the dead.
In Part 2 of the Singer–Swapp story, we cover the bombing, the 13-day armed standoff with the FBI, the death of Lieutenant Fred House, and the criminal trials that followed. Drawing on court records, contemporary news reports, and the family's own writings, they examine the revelations, polygamy, religious extremism, and Mormon doctrines behind one of Utah's most notorious standoffs.
Start with Part 1 for the story of John Singer and his fatal 1979 confrontation with Utah law enforcement.
SHOW NOTES, including all sources mentioned in this episode, are available on Patreon.
Paid memberships start at $2/month for AD-FREE listening.
https://patreon.com/postmormonpostmortem
TO SUPPORT THE SHOW (Thank you!)
Venmo: https://venmo.com/postmormonpostmortem
Buy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/postmormonpostmortem
Patreon: https://patreon.com/postmormonpostmortem
FIND US HERE
Website: https://postmormonpostmortem.com
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@postmormonpostmortem
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@postmormonpostmortem
Instagram: https://instagram.com/postmormonpostmortem
Facebook: https://facebook.com/postmormonpostmortem
Theme song | Vocals: Hannah W. | Guitar: Dr. Dave | Audio: Mick
1 hr 37 min
About Postmormon Postmortem
From the publisher's feed
Mormonism gave you a complete universe, with charts, diagrams, and a plan for everything. Leaving can dismantle all of it at once. Postmormon Postmortem is hosted by Hannah and Jess, two women who…
left the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and wanted more honest conversations about what comes after. We cover Mormon history, doctrine, culture, true crime, institutional harm, religious trauma, and the messy work of rebuilding a life outside the church. Whether you're freshly out, years removed, or trying to understand someone you love, you're in the right place.