Siblings in Zion

Siblings in Zion

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Siblings in Zion episodes

  • High to Kolob

    'I'm learning to be a less anxious person after leaving Mormonism'

    Sister Lisa is indoctrinated into the cult of cannabis. The siblings discuss the conservative demonization of the substance, the attitude they have towards it now, how it truly affects them both, experimenting with conscious thought, dealing with mortality after leaving religion, and fear in general.

    Philosophy of consciousness, the possible choice to exist or not exist, the choice to bring more life into the world, the concept of eternity, reincarnation, memories ...

    They get far out, maaaaan! Not that far out ... but they do consider just how far out they may be willing to go ...

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    Website: siblingsinzion.com

    Instagram: instagram.com/siblingsinzion

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@siblingsinzion

    39 min
  • Endowment of Power

    The siblings discuss the 'sacred not secret' temple practice of Washing & Anointing, sister Lisa's personal experiences in the temple, the evolution of these practices over the lifetime of the LDS church - such as head to toe washing of water and olive oil to just a drop of each on the head. And then comes the 'Endowment of Power'...

    We're talkin' ponchos, jumpsuits, temple dresses, aprons, silly hats, multiple versions of super boring and repetitive movies, healthy breasts and bowels and marrows, the ridiculousness of believing Adam & Eve were real, women giving priesthood blessings (what ?!) ...

    Mormon trigger warning: you will hear recordings of the temple endowment ceremony ... and some loud laughter!

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    Website: siblingsinzion.com

    Instagram: instagram.com/siblingsinzion

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@siblingsinzion

    55 min
  • Baptism for the Dead

    Since the 1840s, the most common temple activity in which a Mormon person can participate is proxy baptism, or 'Baptism for the Dead'. Why do they do this? Good question. It's not as creepy as it may sound to the uninitiated, but it's still creepy.

    In this episode, the siblings talk about their own experiences being baptized in the name of dead people over and over as adolescents, the significance of being baptized by their father, and feeling the 'spirit' while being dressed in white and surrounded by marble and gold.

    The list of famous names who have been posthumously baptized into the LDS church may surprise you.

    They also discuss the invasive questions asked of young people in 'worthiness interviews' before being allowed in the temple, examine arguments for and against the validity of such a practice from the biblical Christian and LDS perspectives, and preview the other weird activities that occur in the temple that will be covered further.

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    Website: siblingsinzion.com

    Instagram: instagram.com/siblingsinzion

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@siblingsinzion

    53 min
  • The Ballad of Sister Lisa

    In this special edition of the show, we present a condensed version of the two episodes of Dan's educational entertainment podcast The Fundamentals (now known as Everywhere You Go is Bullsh*t) in which Lisa was a guest, discussing Mormonism.

    Lisa joins Brother Dan, Darren McCarthy & Martin Wallace to share her personal story of growing up in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, being baptized by her brother, attending BYU-Idaho, and serving a full-time mission for 18 months before eventually beginning to question the claims of Joseph Smith, the origins of the Book of Mormon, and the history of the church.

    She also talks about the structure of missionary life bleeding over after she returned, her struggle to conform to the expectations of women in the church, some of the very weird things she used to believe, and the process of learning and accepting the incompatible truths that would lead her to resign her membership and seek a life of her choosing.

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    Website: siblingsinzion.com

    Instagram: instagram.com/siblingsinzion

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@siblingsinzion

    Hear more episodes on a variety of interesting subjects from The Fundamentals, now known as Everywhere You Go is Bullsh*t: everywhereyougoisbullshit.com

    1 hr 28 min
  • Moderation in All Things

    It's the end of the first recording session for the show, and the siblings have partaken of the sweet berry wines throughout the evening. So, they discuss their relationship with the things the church has prohibited and demonized through the Word of Wisdom (more on that in a future episode), the further interpretation of it over time, and the seemingly arbitrary adherence to it as written.

    They note the hypocrisy of demonizing marijuana while swallowing prescription drugs and diet coke, virtue signaling in the congregations, and spill the tea on when they started swearing as kids and drinking caffeine โ€ฆ and worse!

    They weigh the positives and negatives of alcohol use in particular, and the differences in the views of someone who is experienced and someone who is new to the experience. Dan describes the highest he has ever been ... in front of his Mother ...

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    Website: siblingsinzion.com

    Instagram: instagram.com/siblingsinzion

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@siblingsinzion

    26 min
  • Apostasy in Japan ๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต

    In June of 2019, Dan & Lisa met in Japan after being apart for about 10 months. Lisa had taken the opportunity to work as a teacher in China after her shelf began to break in order to contemplate the act of removing herself from the church. Before she came back, she wanted to spend time with the only person she knew who truly understood the struggle and they arranged to spend time in Japan before she returned home.

    They recap their experience in Tokyo, Kyoto & Fukuoka; and express their love for the culture, food, temples, vending machines, metro system, musical toilets, Highballs, and the unusual quiet. Also, they walked their asses off.

    Following that, they present a candid conversation recorded on the last night in Japan, just after deciding to produce this podcast. They discuss eternal progression, testimonies, faith before reason, seer stones (magic rocks), and burning garments (Mormon underwear).

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    Website: siblingsinzion.com

    Instagram: instagram.com/siblingsinzion

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@siblingsinzion

    42 min
  • Clean & Pure (Patriarchal Blessings)

    In this episode Dan and Lisa read their super special, verrry unique Patriarchal Blessings (also known as Mormon horoscopes) and dissect them into what is standard Mormon jargon, what is total BS, and what is likely influenced by knowledge provided to the patriarch beforehand. As you might expect, there are some differences between blessings and expectations for males and females.

    They also hit some serious mental hurdles attempting to make any sense of what the pre-mortal life could possibly have been. What the hell is a spiritual body?!

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    Website: siblingsinzion.com

    Instagram: instagram.com/siblingsinzion

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@siblingsinzion

    51 min
  • And It Came to Pass ... (Introduction)

    Welcome to Siblings in Zion! In this inaugural episode, Brother Dan & Sister Lisa introduce themselves and their intentions for this podcast. They were both born & raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ten years apart. Within the last year, both have found themselves officially resigned as members of record, and now officially apostates!

    *Let us be clear: we are not 'anti-Mormon' and we do not accept this designation. We are opposed to bad ideas and the behaviors they facilitate.

    Lisa is a returned missionary, and was much more devout than Dan ever was. After Dan avoided the topic of Mormonism for years on his educational entertainment podcast The Fundamentals (now known as Everywhere You Go is Bullsh*t), he finally decided to dive in and learned all about what he was really supposed to believe, just how much he did not know, and started asking Lisa about the major issues from a believer's perspective.

    In this episode we talk about experiences of Mormon gossip, racism, superiority complexes, and the male childhood anxiety of knowing the pressure of serving a mission is building. They also spontaneously break out in hymns.

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    Website: siblingsinzion.com

    Instagram: instagram.com/siblingsinzion

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@siblingsinzion

    The Fundamentals (now Everywhere You Go is Bullsh*t): everywhereyougoisbullshit.com

    41 min

About Siblings in Zion

From the publisher's feed

Ex-Mormon siblings Brother Dan and Sister Lisa discuss Mormonism, LDS culture, religiosity, atheism, mortality, personal growth & the examined life.