Real Mormonism

Send us a text

Summary
In this episode of the RM Podcast, hosts Matt, Shawn, and Sam engage in a lively discussion covering a range of topics from political dynamics within the Democratic Party to the importance of sports in American culture. They delve into the implications of recent events, including the case of Kirk Gibson and the moral obligations of sports teams like BYU. The conversation also touches on the fragility of democracy, the role of prophecy in the church, and the ongoing debate between the letter of the law and the spirit of the law. The episode concludes with predictions for the future and reflections on civic engagement.
Takeaways
Democratic Party can replace candidates without a primary election.
Voting for president is actually voting for electors, not individuals.
Kamala Harris's educational background is often misunderstood.
BYU's success raises questions about moral obligations in sports.
Kirk Gibson's story highlights resilience in the face of illness.
Sports serve as a powerful connection point in American culture.
The need for accountability in online communities is pressing.
Civic engagement is crucial to maintaining democracy.
Prophecy assures the church's stability, but agency is essential.
The balance between the letter and spirit of the law is complex.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Identity Crisis
01:57 Democratic Party Dynamics and Electoral College Explained
06:03 Kamala Harris and Ivy League Misconceptions
07:57 BYU's Winning Streak and Moral Obligations
10:01 Kirk Gibson's Charity Gala and Personal Reflections
12:59 The Power of Sports in American Culture
16:59 Discussion on a Disturbing Case of Abuse
20:02 Secret Combinations and Societal Responsibility
24:59 The Fragility of Democracy and Civic Engagement
30:03 The Role of Prophecy in Church and Government
34:00 Letter of the Law vs. Spirit of the Law in Sports
40:02 Final Thoughts and Predictions for the Future

Keywords: politics, democracy, sports, Kirk Gibson, BYU, Kamala Harris, electoral college, charity, civic engagement, law

Send us a text

Mailbag:  One listener writes, “hey so interesting discussion about raffles in the church. I suspect the church’s policy has nothing to do with the morality of raffles and more to do with their legal non Profit status." Here is what the church says in the handbook. Here is what the church says about games of chance. President Hinckley had strong language about games of chance.  Here is a fun story from The Friend

Matt is up first this week. For some reason, Laura Loomer spends more time with Donald Trump than his wife does. She is a white supremacist and an Islamophobe, and she has been traveling with Trump not only to rallies but to the presidential debate. Would it be morally wrong to support a candidate for president who surrounds himself with such despicable people?

Next up, Sam.  How much do presidential debates matter?

Finally, Shawn. The National Minimum Drinking Age Act, signed by President Ronald Reagan in 1984, required all states to set their alcoholic drinking age at 21 years old or risk losing some amount of federal funding for highway construction. The threat worked. All states moved quite quickly to comply with the law. Because transportation funding is often "must-pass" legislation in Congress, lawmakers may be able to tag on a provision intended to force states and cities to make building homes easier. "States with high-price, low-construction counties would have to figure out how to overrule local zoning codes themselves or lose federal transportation funding." Skyrocketing home prices and rents are largely a result of a severe shortage of housing. Should young lds couples be concerned about not being able to own a home until much later in life? Would local deregulation of building restrictions be a good solution? 

The Big Question:  It was clear in the debate this week is that after nine years of talking about health care, Donald Trump still does not have a health care plan. He has some concepts he is thinking about. I think we should take this opportunity to help Donald Trump develop a good health care plan. This link explains the US healthcare system. I think that there are two big flaws with the US healthcare system. One, health insurance is tied to employment, and two, the federal government pays for the most expensive costs in the health system. That is Medicare, Medicaid and the military are covered under U.S. government health insurance. Those are the people who are most likely to use health care, and they those are the people with healthcare costs that are probably the most expensive. One solution to both of the

Send us a text

Shawn is up first this week. The Ancient Tradition is a podcast hosted by Dr. Jack Logan who is a professor who has researched religious traditions throughout the world. In her study she found reputable scholars that kept pointing out similarities in all these traditions all over the world that indicate there was one original ritual system.  She references reputable academic scholars in religion, cosmology, archeology and Several argue that the evidence is so profound that they concluded it is incontrovertible that religions of today were descendants of some common source.
Why are lds members so interested in this? If the findings are true are they big deal, little deal or no deal?

Next up, Matt.   A car dealership raffled off a brand new Toyota Camry as a fundraiser for schools in their community. This fundraiser raised over $300,000. It's a good way to make a small donation go a long way, if you think about it. The church has long taught that games of chance and gambling are spiritually harmful. The church handbook specifically states that we cannot use raffles to raise funds for things like young men's and young women's camp. Is it morally right to use raffles as a way to raise money for charitable causes in our communities?

Finally, Sam. 

The Big Question:  I was touring the National Park where the US Constitution and the Declaration of Independence were assigned, the tour guide told the story of a man named James Forten. Shortly after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, he was in the streets of Philadelphia and noticed a regiment of soldiers from Rhode Island marching through town, and it caught his attention because this was a regiment of all black soldiers. Seeing somebody who looked like him as a member of the militia that was going to take on Great Britain inspired him to join the cause. He was captured, and one of the Officers of the British Army was impressed with him and offered to free him and employ him in his home in Great Britain. James was being offered a chance at freedom from bondage in exchange for a very extravagant lifestyle in Great Britain. James turned the offer down and returned to prison. Because he was so inspired by the cause of the revolution. Eventually, James was freed and became a prominent, wealthy, industrialist in the city of Philadelphia after the Revolutionary War. In political science, we have this concept called descriptive representation. James's story is reflective of the idea of descriptive representation. It is that even when you do not know much about policies or issues that are going on in politics, when you see somebody involved in politics who is similar to you, it makes you feel like you are being represented in the cause. It inspires patriotism and it inspires people to be more supportive of elected officials. Simply seeing a black militia fighting in the Revolutionary War was sufficient to persuade James Forten that he should give up opportunities provided to him by the Kingdom of Great Britain and fight for the liberation of the colonies. So far, women and Asian Americans have never seen somebody like them sitting in the White House as president of the United States. Simply seeing an Asian American woman in the White House Would persuade millions of Americans that the American Dream is a reality for them, not just something on paper, but something that could actually be realized in their own lifetime. The big question: Is that a good enough reason to vote for Kamala Harris for president of the United

Send us a text

Mailbag:  BYU Football AD, Tom Holmoe must be listening to our podcast.  He answered that BYU has both a responsibility to uphold the honor code AND to win!

The Thought Provoker:
Sam is up first this week. Much has been made about my comments last week re Imagine Dragons, including several commenting that Imagine Dragons is one of the worst bands overall.  What makes for a great band?  How should Imagine Dragons rank?  Is there prejudice among Church members because of Dan Reynolds’ political views and former member status?

Next up, Matt.  Shawn likes to mock Kamala Harris’ focus on voting rights. He says they are not under attack. Well, this week Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton raided Latino Democrats' homes looking for evidence that they registered non-citizens to vote. The only evidence of a crime is that these individuals helped people register to vote, something most would consider a patriotic practice. In addition, Republican states are reducing the number of places where a person can vote and they are placing restrictions on what happens in voting locations. These laws specifically target communities of color. Do we have a moral obligation to make it easier for people to exercise their constitutionally guaranteed right to vote?

Finally, Shawn. Deion Sanders talks about fatherhood. Is this a passé or a popular statement to make in society today? 

The Big Question: This week, Provo cancelled its football game against rival Timpview because of threats made on social media. When I lived in Logan, I noticed an Instagram account dedicated to getting public officials fired, mostly because of how the school’s sports teams were performing. I reported some of that content to Instagram and they said that it did not violate its terms of service.  President Nelson has been very clear about our obligation to promote peace, especially on social media. High school sports seems to bring out the worst in people. If social media has no interest in policing their own platforms, what can we do to help promote peace on social media? How can we help these people to remember who they are even when their team is losing to a cross-town rival?

Send us a text

Mailbag: One listener writes, “ I have heard a professor talking about his 13 points he uses to accurately predict presidential elections, is this dime Store political science, the real thing or something in between?”
The Thought Provoker:
Matt is up first this week. Many people are complaining that Twitter has become more divisive and less fact-based than before Musk purchased it. In addition, many unsavory characters are using Twitter to spread false information. From fake celebrity endorsements, to bots developed by Israeli and Russian intelligence services designed to amplify false information and manipulate ordinary Americans, Twitter has become an angry and dangerous place. How can people enjoy a platform like Twitter without succumbing to political manipulation?
Next up, Sam.  Last year, BYU experienced a rare losing season, 5-7.  What is your preseason win/loss prediction?  As the Church’s University, does BYU (and Sitake) have a moral obligation to win?
Finally, Shawn. a Judge has found RFK Jr. Can Bring his Censorship Lawsuit Against Biden Administration citing: “there is “ample evidence” to show he has been censored in the past at the direction of government actors and “substantial risk” that the censorship will continue.”.
Lastly,  a year ago a judge prohibited the Biden administration from working with social media companies about "protected speech," a decision called "a blow to censorship" by one of the Republican officials whose lawsuit prompted the ruling. My question is, should government censorship be used for the good of the country?
The Big Question: We all know that Trump lies, but simple fact-checking of his RNC acceptance speech suggests that most of his platform is based on misinformation or exaggerations of the truth. It turns out that crime is down in the Biden Administration, immigrants are not taking jobs from anyone—in fact there is a surplus of about 2 million jobs, Europe is contributing more to the defense of Ukraine than is the United States, and Trump’s tariffs actually raised the cost of goods considerably. Trump helped cause the inflation he complains about. When it comes to taxes and spending, Democrat Presidents had larger tax cuts and lower budget deficits than did President Trump. Meanwhile, conservative radio personality Dan Rea said that Kamala Harris’s acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention sounded like the kind of speech

Send us a text

The Thought Provoker:

Sam is up first this week. Trump recently stated that tariffs are a tax on a foreign country. What do you think about tariffs?

 Next up, Shawn.  Before Joe Biden endorsed Kamala Harris, Aaron Sorkin wrote an op-ed in the New York Times saying Democrats should nominate Mitt Romney: "Nominating Mr. Romney would be putting our money where our mouth is: a clear and powerful demonstration that this election isn’t about what our elections are usually about it, but about stopping a deranged man from taking power." Is it impossible to think that a political party would ever do something altruistic like this? 

Finally, Matt. NASA has given Boeing hundreds of millions of dollars to fund the development of a class of partially reusable spacecraft designed to transport crew to and from the International Space Station (ISS) and other low-Earth-orbit destinations. Now the crew of one of these vessels is stuck in outer space. What was supposed to be an 8 day mission may take 8 months because the spacecraft is flawed. Boeing is a private corporation that is poorly managed, yet receives billions of dollars in contracts from the federal government. Who should taxpayers hold accountable when private companies waste their hard-earned money? 

The Big Question: A recent study was published that looks at what happens when a state adopts ranked choice voting. They find that in the elections after Alaska adopted rank choice voting, 1) the moderate candidate won the Senate race, who otherwise would have lost, 2) some Democrats and independents who favored the moderate Republican more than the Democrat were able to support her at all stages of the election, along with others who voted for her to stop the more conservative Republican candidate, and 3) Alaskan voters are largely favorable toward the new rules, but that certain kinds of populist voters are likely to both support Trump and oppose the rules.  The big question is, based on this should more states adopt rank choice voting?

Send us a text

We are a bit delayed recording our weekly episode. Please enjoy this interview of Elder Meredith that Matt recorded with his sister Melissa for the This Week in Mormons podcast.

Send us a text

Here’s the rundown for tonight. A listener from Texas texted” I usually dread election cycles but I’m really looking forward to it this time around with Sean, Sam, and Matt. I love your open minded example of listening to different ideas and perspectives. As a mom to 5 young adults all over the political spectrum, I feel like you are modeling a good pattern for how to navigate diverse ideas and respect.”

Along those lines, another asked, “Given that Donald Trump is a demented narcissist and Kamala is not a white man a lot of listeners may be looking for a write-in candidate this November. Would you each please lay out your Presidential platform for us? What would be your priorities as President?”  Would any of us be a good write-in candidate?

Mailbag:  

The Thought Provoker:

Shawn is up first this week. President Obama signed the stock act 12 years ago banning members of congress from using non public info to gain unfair advantages in the market. Now republican senator hawley is pushing for votes on the pelosi act which would go even further and would prohibit members of Congress and their spouses from holding or trading individual stocks and force them to divest from private business. 

https://youtu.be/fyeLVWGqNW4?si=XwDoHvJOvfnKnYe7

ABC News did an in depth report about corruption in congress and the rising trend of internet groups like the autopilot app, tracking and exposing the stock trades of Nancy Pelosi and other lawmakers then becoming very wealthy themselves by mimicking their investments. 1. Was Obama's stock act good? 2. Is the Pelosi act good? 

Next up, Matt.  Venezuela’s leader is refusing to give up power and life is so bad for many Venezuelans that they’re leaving the country. President Maduro’s crack down on the opposition will likely make even more people leave the country leading to another wave of migration. Should the US intervene militarily to force Maduro our of power in Venezuela?

Finally, Sam. The White Horse Prophecy

Send us a text

The Thought Provoker:

Matt is up first this week. Some first-generation Gen Z Americans are giving up on the American Dream. Rather than a land of promise, they said, they see skyrocketing costs of living and health care, as well as loads of student debt and a chaotic political system. And just one generation in, some first-generation Americans said they’re moving out of the U.S. or seriously considering it. Are healthcare and housing costs in the US killing the American Dream? 

Next up, Sam.  Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance was criticized this week for old clips surfaced of him calling some Democrats “childless cat ladies” and “suggesting parents should have more political power than non parents.”  Also, on several Sunday shows, Democrats took shots at Trump’s VP candidate suggesting Trump may be considering replacing Vance (He isn’t, but those comments could be seen as a response to Republican criticism of Biden after the first debate.)  Did Trump adequately vet Vance?  Does Vance weaken the ticket?  

Finally, Shawn. 1 in 5 gen z’ers (ages 15 to 24) are not studying or working. Gen z is 2x as stressed as millennials with more anxiety and more bipolar disorders. They reject hustle culture and don’t believe they can own property or earn.  With less hope, they don’t want to focus on the future but rather on the present. Scriptures talk about anxiety in two ways. 1. Be anxiously engaged in a good cause and 2. Be anxious about the welfare of others (souls). Matt likes using government to influence the behavior of its citizens. Should there be a national campaign for gen z to forget themselves and their passive technologies and become engaged in selfless, good things? 

The Big Question: President Biden unveiled a plan to reform the Supreme Court and ensure no president is above the law. He would like a constitutional amendment stating that there is no immunity for crimes a former president commits while in office, term limits for Supreme Court Justices (18 years), and a binding code of conduct for Supreme Court Justices (just like we have for every other court). These proposals have broad bi-partisan support. Should we oppose any of these on moral grounds?

Send us a text

Mailbag:  There is a new way to reach out to the show. Have you heard of fan mail? Each episode at the top of the show notes there is a link to send us a text message. Reach out and let us know what you think.

The Thought Provoker:

Sam is up first this week. The party decides.  

Next up, Shawn.  Watching all of our political leaders over the past few weeks has caused me to reflect on what are the right reasons for choosing a leader.  We’ve talked in past episodes about choosing leaders based on their righteousness or based on who will uphold and defend righteous principles like the free exercise of conscience, the right and control of property, and the protection of life. I’ve developed a formula for myself on how to choose a leader and I want you both to apply the formula to your chosen leaders (Matt: Biden and Kamala, Sam: Trump). Rate from 1-10 these categories:

1. Altruism  (is their motive selfish and Corrupt or pure for the general welfare) 
2. Morality 
3. Policy
4. Strength/leadership

Finally, Matt. The Republican National Convention was an opportunity for the GOP to showoff for the American public. It is a four day infomercial carried on every major television network. Based on the speakers I saw, here is my perception of the current Republican Party. Sarah Huckabee Sanders playing the victim accusing the left of attacking her because she is a mother, Peter Navarro attacking the justice system right as he was released from prison, A warning for viewers about explicit content as Kid Rock took the stage,  and other B-list celebrities who promote criminal activity and the Slut Walk. It seems clear to me that Republicans are no longer the party of Reagan. What happened to family values, pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps, and holding criminals accountable for their crimes? Sam, the values you promote on the podcast were nowhere to be found at the RNC, are you ready to switch parties?

The Big Question: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is creating beachfront rentals for local working individuals and families with smaller households on the beach near BYU-Hawaii. Normally, a landowner would turn such rare open shoreline into luxury homes or high-end vacation rentals for the wealthy rather than rental dwellings priced for firefighters and teachers. Rental housing is the best way to increase a sustainable housing supply in Lā‘ie that most working people can afford over the long term. Given the current market prices for beachfront land, selling these homes would likely price out many local working individuals and fami