The Cultural Hall Podcast

Margaret Olsen and Caroline Kline join The Cultural Hall to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. Founded in 1966 by Eugene England and a group of Stanford graduate students, the journal was created to explore the intersection of academic intellect and Mormonism. As an entirely independent publication, it tackles complex church history and theology outside of institutional boundaries. The journal features a wide range of genres, encompassing sociology, theology, history, poetry, fiction, and art critiques.

Over its six decades, Dialogue has published landmark pieces that fundamentally shifted church discourse. In 1973, Lester Bush published a pivotal article on Mormonism’s racial restrictions, proving the policy traced back to Brigham Young rather than Joseph Smith. This specific research directly influenced President Spencer W. Kimball. The following year, the 1974 “Pink Issue” brought Mormon feminism to the forefront and helped birth the Exponent II publication.

Today, Dialogue operates as a safe space for members who have deep questions or feel alienated by institutional silence. Olsen and Kline share how the journal’s willingness to publish raw personal essays fosters intellectual maturity, providing explicit platforms for LGBTQ and Indigenous perspectives. The journal is completely free online, publishing four times a year through the University of Illinois Press, with physical color subscriptions available for print readers. Beyond the written word, the organization hosts a podcast and twice-monthly Sunday Gospel Study sessions.

The post Dialogue – A Journal of Mormon Thought – Caroline Kline – Margaret Olsen – appeared first on The Cultural Hall Podcast.

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The 196th Semiannual General Conference ran Saturday and Sunday, October 3 and 4, with four sessions at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Mountain. There was no Saturday evening session, a change that took effect in April 2026. President Henry B. Eyring conducted Saturday morning, and President D. Todd Christofferson led the sustaining of Church leaders. At the Thursday, October 1 leadership meeting, one new Area Seventy was sustained and one was released.

Sources: Church Newsroom: Saturday morning summary  |  Church News conference hub  |  Church Newsroom: leadership meeting  |  ABC4: what to expect  (Oct 1-4, 2026)

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President Christofferson closed the Saturday morning session by saying he felt compelled to speak boldly about the explosion of gambling in recent years. He said cell phones have made it more pervasive and that it hits youth and young adults hardest. In his words, gambling is morally wrong, easily becomes compulsive, and crowds out things of value while fostering greed. See 4A for the prediction-markets angle.

His ask went beyond “don’t.” He urged members to use the time and money saved for doing good and being “anxiously engaged in a good cause.” He said even gambling for fun leads in the wrong direction.

Background for the conversation: the General Handbook’s opposition specifically includes sports betting and government lotteries. A Salt Lake Tribune column from 2025 cited the Next Mormons Survey, where the share of Latter-day Saints calling gambling morally wrong fell from 56% in 2016 to 44% in 2022-23. So this talk pushes against a real drift among members.

Sources: Church Newsroom  |  Church News  |  KSL  |  Salt Lake Tribune (2025 background)  (Oct 3, 2026)

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President Dallin H. Oaks invited members worldwide to believe in, act on and share the truths of the Book of Mormon. The Newsroom’s summary quotes him: “Strong faith requires more than strong desire. It means daily trying, one step at a time, with prayer and scriptural learning.” He said overcoming doubt is a long process that takes both faith and humility.

He also said knowledge comes through both scientific and spiritual methods, that God expects us to learn by both, and that secular learning should not limit spiritual understanding. He urged members to renew covenants by partaking of the sacrament weekly. Good tie-in for the AI item in Culture & Curiosities, since both are about how we learn.

Sources: Church Newsroom: President Oaks’ teachings  (Oct 3-4, 2026)

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President Oaks spoke Sunday morning on why the gospel and Christ’s grace are for everyone. He said the Church is home to the Savior’s restored doctrine and authority, and he used the Book of Mormon to make the case, including 2 Nephi 9:5 on Christ dying for all. The Newsroom framed his talks as an invitation from the prophet to the world.

Sources: Church News  |  Church Newsroom  (Oct 4, 2026)

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President Eyring’s Sunday morning talk, “Fear Not, I Am With Thee,” set a comfort theme that Church News tied to other talks about courage in trying times. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve, spoke Sunday afternoon on “Christ-Centered Unity.” He called the sacrament the one ordinance that is not individual, because the congregation is addressed together, and said it is a weekly reminder that no one is alone.

Sources: KSL: Sunday afternoon summary  |  Church News: comfort and courage  (Oct 4, 2026)

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Elder Clark G. Gilbert said disciples need both truth and love and that standing for truth with kindness takes more courage than standing for it harshly. He gave five suggestions: avoid contentious settings, find common ground, be a light by keeping your own covenants, hold to truth even in outreach, and stay anchored in Christ. He predicted this combination will mark Christ’s disciples in the last days.

Worth pairing with Elder Rasband’s talk (1K), since both are about how to treat people who see things differently.

Sources: KSL: Sunday afternoon summary  |  Church News: talk summary  (Oct 4, 2026)

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Elder David A. Bednar spoke on being sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise. He compared ordinances to a passport, saying ongoing faithfulness is what makes the credentials work. His headline line for members whose spouses have left the covenant path: no faithful disciple will be deprived of an eternal blessing because of someone else’s unrighteous use of agency. He also said the ratifying happens over time and is not a single event.

Sources: KSL: Sunday afternoon summary  |  Church News: talk summary  (Oct 4, 2026)

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Elder Ulisses Soares called fasting an act of worship and tied fast offerings to love for the Lord. Elder Gérald Caussé said testifying is a “duty and privilege” of every disciple. Bishop Sean Douglas of the Presiding Bishopric invited the rising generation to prioritize a mission. Elder Kevin J. Hathaway said some miracles come only after long waiting and that the Lord is not delayed in His deliverance. Sister Tamara Runia described hard experiences as a kind of sculpting of the soul.

Saturday afternoon: Elder Patrick Kearon compared the faith journey to piloting a glider, warning that if you are not actively climbing in lift, you are descending. Elder Dale G. Renlund used a heart-transplant patient complaining about cold oatmeal to make a point about perspective during hardship. Elder Patricio Giuffra called tithing evidence that we accept the law of sacrifice.

Sources: Church Newsroom: Saturday morning summary  |  Church News conference hub  (Oct 3, 2026)

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Elder Gary E. Stevenson directed his talk to Primary children. Brother Gabriel W. Reid of the Sunday School presidency joked that a headline once called him an NFL player next to a presidency of scholars, then said you are good enough to teach if you love the Savior and your students. Elder Paul H. Sinclair urged members to be quick to help and slow to judge. Elder Moisés Villanueva told of his mother paying full tithing while raising eight children.

Sister Andrea Muñoz Spannaus gave young women seven suggestions, including limiting cell phone use and protecting sleep. That lines up neatly with the gambling talk, since both point at phones.

Sources: KSL: Sunday afternoon summary  (Oct 4, 2026)

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The semiannual World Report video came out September 30 in 11 languages and airs on the Church satellite system between conference sessions. It covers the past six months.

Highlights: President Oaks spoke September 16 at the Washington National Cathedral, calling for civility and common ground in protecting religious freedom. Elder Bednar ministered in Chile and Argentina, Elder Stevenson visited Australia, New Caledonia, Samoa and American Samoa, and Sister Kristin M. Yee met members across Germany, Austria, Cyprus and Spain. The America250 effort delivered 250 food donations to food banks, reaching all 50 states by June. Sister Camille N. Johnson announced an added $65 million in August, bringing the three-year women and children commitment to $184 million, which the report says benefits more than 52 million people. The Newsroom also previewed a story on children in Argentina getting custom hearing aids through Light the World Giving Machine donations.

More from the report: the Navajo Nation in Arizona hit its 100th solar home, with Heart of America having equipped more than 450 homes across the reservation. Ghana got motor tricycle ambulances for maternal care, and a refugee camp there has a 3D printing lab. BYU-Pathway enrollment in Nigeria grew from under 3,000 to more than 20,000 students in four years. And a digital archive called “Native Saints: Washakie Ward” documents a Shoshone congregation in northern Utah that was established in 1880.

Sources: Church News: World Report summary  |  Church Newsroom: World Report  |  Church Newsroom: Argentina preview  |  LDS Daily: World Report stories  (Sep 28-30, 2026)

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The Salt Lake Tribune led its Saturday summary with Elder Ronald A. Rasband’s afternoon talk about loved ones who have drifted from the faith. He said persuasive pressure and coercive efforts “can cause a greater rift,” and urged members to entrust wayward family members to Jesus Christ, with the Savior’s line “I’ve got this!” His closing charge: “Never, never give up on those you love.”

Good pairing with Elder Gilbert’s “Teach Truth With Love” talk and with Elder Bednar’s message to members whose spouses have left the covenant path. The Tribune also noted that only one woman spoke in the Saturday afternoon session.

Sources: Salt Lake Tribune: Saturday summary  (Oct 3, 2026)

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Rosemary K. Chibota, president of the Primary, spoke Sunday morning on “A Child of God.” She was sustained in April as the first person from the African continent to lead any of the Church’s general organizations, and she began serving in August. Born in Malawi and raised in Zimbabwe, she is 58, lives in South Jordan, Utah, works in human resources for the Church, and with her husband, Joel, led the Alabama Birmingham Mission from 2022 to 2025. Her counselors are Nina M. Garfield and Theresa A. Collins.

The Salt Lake Tribune ran a story Sunday headlined as the first African leader of a churchwide organization addressing conference. I only had her talk title and not her remarks, so pull a quote from the talk itself before the show.

Sources: Church News: Sunday morning session  |  Salt Lake Tribune: new Primary presidency  (Oct 4, 2026)

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Elder Gerrit W. Gong got a laugh in conference with a dad joke: Why did the temple worker cross the road? To help those on the other side.

Sources: Verlin, heard live during conference  (Oct 3, 2026)

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The Church announced October 2 that it is giving $7.047 million to American Red Cross blood and disaster response work, plus $850,000 for Super Typhoon Sinlaku relief, about $7.9 million in all. Here is where it goes: $2.937 million for blood services medical equipment, $2 million for the Red Cross Sickle Cell Initiative, $800,000 for 50 Power Red collection machines, $710,000 for blood laboratory improvements in Murray, Utah, and $600,000 for four emergency response vehicles.

Presiding Bishop W. Christopher Waddell said the Church is grateful to strengthen the Red Cross’s ability to care for people facing serious illness and communities recovering from disasters. Red Cross CEO Cliff Holtz thanked the Church for its “unwavering partnership and extraordinary generosity year after year.” Members donate about 97,000 units of blood a year, and since the first Church-hosted drive in 1996 the Church has collected more than 1 million units, making it the Red Cross’s largest blood drive contributor. Past gifts were $5.1 million in 2025 and $7.35 million in 2024.

Sources: Church Newsroom  |  KSL  |  Deseret News  |  American Red Cross  (Oct 2, 2026)

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Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson, who was born in Pocatello and calls herself “a fellow tenacious Idaho woman,” held a three-day ministry in southeastern Idaho, September 25 to 27. She toured The Village, a foster care resource center in Blackfoot, along with the Blackfoot Community Food Pantry and the Idaho Falls Area Humanitarian Center. More than 900 people came to a Friday evening gathering at the Blackfoot Northwest Stake Center and nearly 1,000 women attended Saturday in Idaho Falls.

The Village’s director, Jacque Burt, said they want foster children to “walk out with a suitcase” instead of a garbage bag. President Johnson said of the Savior’s love: “Typically, the way Their love is expressed is through someone else.” Fits well beside the World Report’s $184 million women and children commitment.

Sources: Church Newsroom  (Sep 25-30, 2026)

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Keith B. McMullin died Wednesday, September 30, at 85. He served as Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, and was CEO and president of Deseret Management Corporation from April 2012 to December 2023, the company that owns Deseret News, KSL and Deseret Book. Before that he spent 20 years in the Church Welfare Services Department, 10 of them as managing director, and served as a bishop, stake president and mission president in Germany.

He married Carolyn Jean Gibbs in June 1964 and they had eight children. Colleague H. David Burton remembered that he weighed decisions by “how to benefit people,” and others recalled an unusual affinity and love for people. Funeral details were not in the Deseret News report.

Sources: Deseret News  |  Church News  |  KSL  (Sep 30-Oct 1, 2026)

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The Church marked the 100th anniversary of Institutes of Religion on September 26 in Moscow, Idaho, where it began. In 1926, President Heber J. Grant sent J. Wyley Sessions to the University of Idaho area to start what were called collegiate seminaries, and he taught just 25 students with no building or curriculum. Hundreds of young adults came to a young single adult conference at the University of Idaho and the ICCU Arena, with Elder Peter M. Johnson speaking and University of Idaho president Scott Green welcoming guests.

Today institute runs in more than 2,700 locations in over 170 countries and 39 languages, and combined seminary and institute enrollment topped one million in 2026. For the first time, more young adults are enrolled in institute than youth in seminary. President Oaks called institute “one of the greatest opportunities to learn, gather and lift others.” The event was just before the window, but Church News published the story September 30.

Sources: Church News  (Sep 26-30, 2026)

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Church News checked in with members on the new Sunday class schedule that began in September. The main changes are shorter class periods of 25 minutes and the same weekly meetings for all organizations, ending the alternating schedules. Members quoted from Kiribati, Australia, Brazil, Texas, Missouri, Idaho, Scotland, Wales, Ecuador and France said the shorter lessons forced them to be more prayerful and focused. A member in Kiribati said the change required being “more prayerful and intentional” and teaching only the essentials.

Young adults and newer members in Ecuador and France said weekly gatherings left them feeling less lonely. No complaints appeared in the article, which is a fair thing to note: this is the Church’s own newspaper, so it may be worth asking listeners what they are actually seeing in their wards.

Sources: Church News  (Sep 27, 2026)

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Church News profiled disability activity programs for adults with intellectual or physical disabilities. In Arizona, five programs serve 250 to 300 people across 29 stakes, and East Mesa meets weekly with about 40 participants. In Las Vegas, the Skye Canyon Stake leads six stakes in monthly meetings. The Dayton Ohio East Stake hosts monthly games, breakfasts and dances, and in Draper, Utah, about 70 people ages 14 to 68 gather every Thursday for karaoke, carnivals and life skills.

Draper leader Karen Leavitt called it her “two hours in heaven every week,” and an Arizona youth counselor said the experience motivated him to serve a mission.

Sources: Church News  (Sep 30, 2026)

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Church News reports the Church grouped eight global humanitarian organizations into four consortia, so partners that used to compete for funding now work as teams. They cover vitamin and nutrition access across 12 countries, maternal and newborn care and water in Ghana, maternal care and immunizations in Sierra Leone and Zambia, and agriculture and women’s economic opportunity in Nepal. Named partners include Vitamin Angels, Helen Keller International, Save the Children, Catholic Relief Services, iDE and CARE.

The women and children initiative totals $184 million over three years, aiming to reach 52 million people. Elissa Gifford, the Church’s Director of Humanitarian Services, said working at this level of collaboration “is different.” Good companion to the Red Cross gift in 2B.

Sources: Church News  (Sep 30, 2026)

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Tyler Griffin, associate dean of Religious Education at BYU, told KSL that AI can strengthen faith if students use it to support their own inquiry, not replace it. His suggested practice: write your own questions first, then use AI to find related scriptures and talks. He said students are already using chatbots to prepare Sunday School lessons, and that he gave up hiding white-text instructions in assignments to catch AI misuse.

He noted that Elder Gerrit W. Gong has warned that AI can foster laziness, dependency and dishonesty, quoting Elder Gong: “Please do not let AI replace you in work that would otherwise help you stretch and grow.” Griffin’s image: outsourcing your learning is like “having somebody go skiing for you.” His question to ask: are we adding to AI’s intelligence, or just making AI smarter by giving it our agency?

Sources: KSL  (Oct 4, 2026)

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Actor Rainn Wilson, who is making a documentary about what God means in the modern world, spent a 2.5-hour rehearsal with the Tabernacle Choir while in Salt Lake City for FanX. He met Elder Peter M. Johnson, played the Tabernacle organ, sang with the choir, and attended Music and the Spoken Word. Choir member Andrew Barnett said he was “so kind and just so down to earth.” Wilson himself said of the experience, “This is a lot of work.” No release date has been announced for the documentary.

Sources: KSL  (Sep 30, 2026)

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KSL aired a conference-weekend documentary on October 4 about Latter-day Saints in Cambodia, tracing the Church from a handful of refugee converts who first met missionaries in refugee camps after the Khmer Rouge genocide to nearly 18,000 members today. The Church was officially recognized there in 1994 and now has two missions and two stakes. The film covers humanitarian work including a heart center in Siem Reap and a surgical center under construction at a children’s hospital in Phnom Penh.

Sources: KSL  (Oct 4, 2026)

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Beyond the moral argument, President Christofferson’s talk landed in a live political fight. He said smartphones put wagering anywhere, pulling young people away from studies and relationships, and called gambling “built on the desire to obtain something for nothing.” AP and the Salt Lake Tribune both framed the talk as aimed at the explosion of sports betting and online prediction markets.

The political backdrop: officials in the Trump administration have argued that platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket are finance, not gambling, and should not be restricted by states like Utah. Utah has led the push to treat them as gambling, a federal judge ruled in August that state officials can enforce strict anti-gambling laws against these platforms, and new Utah legislation this year tightened the rules. Other churches are on the same side: the Southern Baptist Convention called sports gambling “inconsistent with biblical principle” in 2025, and the United Methodist Church calls it “a menace to society.”

Questions for the table: does a conference talk change behavior when the Next Mormons numbers show members drifting on this, and is this the Church picking a side in a federal-versus-state fight?

Sources: Associated Press via ClickOrlando  |  Salt Lake Tribune  |  ABC4  (Oct 3, 2026)

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NPR reports that some Latter-day Saint women in Arizona’s 5th Congressional District are refusing to back Republican nominee Mark Lamb, a former Pinal County sheriff. The Arizona Republic published a multi-part investigation alleging affairs, explicit messages to a woman outside his marriage, and racist remarks, and that he threatened law enforcement action against a woman who might speak publicly. Voters Kimberly Tait, Holly Andersen and Suzanne Lunt told NPR they will oppose him despite the district voting Republican by about 20 points last time.

His campaign slogan is “God, Family, Freedom,” and one voter said of him, “The candidate and all that they represent is the antithesis of that.” His Democratic opponent is nurse Elizabeth Lee, whose internal poll has her trailing by 3 to 5 points. Question for the table: does the Church’s emphasis on chastity move votes, and how does it square with the Church’s own recent political letters?

Sources: NPR via GPB  (Oct 4, 2026)

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In a federal filing Monday, September 28, John Dehlin’s lawyers cited comments by Church attorney David Jordan on a Keystone podcast, where Jordan said “Nobody owns the word ‘Mormon.’” Dehlin’s side argues the Church uses trademark law as “a tool of coercion,” and points to the Church’s 2022 challenge to Heather Gay’s “Bad Mormon” trademark application as a contradiction. Gay said, “Don’t be intimidated into backing down the way I was.”

The Church says the case is about confusing branding such as logos, colors, fonts and photographs, not the word itself, and that it respects Dehlin’s First Amendment right to criticize. Background: the suit was filed in April, Dehlin changed his logo from blue to orange and added disclaimers after a November 2025 cease and desist, and Dehlin has moved to dismiss. The judge has not ruled. You covered this in episode 1051, so this is the update.

Sources: Salt Lake Tribune  |  Deseret News: Church response  |  LDS Daily  (Sep 28-30, 2026)

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Taylor G. Petrey, a religion professor at Kalamazoo College, argues in a Salt Lake Tribune commentary on October 1 that six years of strong Church statements against racism have not turned into congregational action. He notes that President Nelson’s 2020 call to “lead out in abandoning attitudes and actions of prejudice” has rarely been mentioned in church settings, and says he has “never heard any reference to any of these statements” there.

He cites recent apologies from General Authority Kyle McKay and Brad Wilcox over racist remarks and a 2023 BYU study of ongoing discrimination, and notes Latter-day Saints show the highest support among Christian groups, 60 percent, for the idea that diversity strengthens America.

Sources: Salt Lake Tribune  (Oct 1, 2026)

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BYU won 17-10 at TCU on Saturday night, October 3, to improve to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the Big 12. Quarterback Bear Bachmeier ran for two touchdowns, a 9-yarder in the second quarter and a clinching 21-yarder with 2:06 left, capping a 72-yard, 10-play drive. He ran 15 times for 66 yards but went just 11 of 24 for 62 yards through the air, and BYU had only 216 total yards to TCU’s 259. Matthias Dunn added a 49-yard field goal. TCU tied it at 7 on a 13-yard pass to Kari Ashley with 27 seconds left in the half and added a 44-yard field goal at 0:32, but missed on an onside kick. Safety Faletau Satuala’s fourth-down interception set up an early score. TCU fell to 2-3 and 0-2 in the Big 12.

Injuries: running back LJ Martin (2 carries, 16 yards) and linebacker Isaiah Glasker were both ruled out at halftime. On Sunday, coach Kalani Sitake said Martin, Glasker and Cannon DeVries were walking on their own power without crutches, which is encouraging but not a diagnosis. Salt Lake Tribune columnist Gordon Monson wrote that the offense was “terrible” and that BYU “will have to play much better from here on out.” It was also BYU’s first Saturday game on general conference weekend in 21 years.

Sources: CBS Sports  |  Salt Lake Tribune: injuries  |  Salt Lake Tribune: Monson  |  ClutchPoints: injury update  |  TCU Athletics  (Oct 3-4, 2026)

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BYU hosts Iowa State on Friday, October 9, at LaVell Edwards Stadium (Deseret News also lists Oct. 9), then Notre Dame in Provo on October 17. Iowa State lost 31-17 at home to Utah on September 26. One schedule listing showed October 10, so confirm kickoff time and date before saying it on air. BYU had its bye week September 26 after beating Colorado State 41-23 on September 19.

Sources: BYU Athletics: 2026 schedule  |  Deseret News: look ahead  (Sep 26-Oct 4, 2026)

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In the AP Top 25 released October 4, BYU moved up two spots to No. 8 after beating TCU, and Utah moved up one to No. 12 after a bye week. Missouri’s 45-17 win over Florida shook up the poll around them. BYU’s offense gave the voters little to cheer about, so the bump says more about teams above them losing. Richie may want the exact points from the AP site. Note that the AP and Coaches polls differed last week (TCU’s release called BYU No. 9).

Sources: KSL (headline)  (Oct 4, 2026)

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The Big 12 announced a “Respect the Game” sportsmanship campaign on October 2 after repeated vulgar chants aimed at BYU and the Church at conference events, including an incident at Colorado State in September. The league will run 30-second spots at all events and longer videos on positive stories like BYU’s Cougs Care service projects. It has already fined Colorado $50,000 in 2025 and Oklahoma State $50,000 in 2026 over fan conduct.

Commissioner Brett Yormark said creating environments of respect and belonging is a priority. Worth asking: are commercials enough, or do fines have to climb?

Sources: Deseret News  |  Salt Lake Tribune  |  Yahoo Sports  (Oct 2, 2026)

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Utah, 4-0 under first-year coach Morgan Scalley, had its bye week and still moved up one spot to No. 12 in the AP poll as teams around it lost. Running back Wayshawn Parker, who ran for a career-high 174 yards in the 31-17 win over Iowa State, was named co-Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week. Scalley credits culture, “execution and unselfish approach,” and admits second-half consistency needs work.

Next: Kansas at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday, October 10, at 8:15 p.m. Mountain (9:15 Central) on ESPN, billed as a whiteout, then at Colorado on October 17. Utah later hosts BYU on November 7, the Holy War date to circle.

Sources: KSL Sports  |  Deseret News  |  Roundtable: Kansas kickoff  (Sep 27-Oct 4, 2026)

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Utah State lost its first Pac-12 game 37-18 at No. 22 Boise State on Saturday, October 3, and is 1-4 (0-1). Boise State scored on three of its first four possessions. Bright spots: running back Javen Jacobs ran 10 times for 139 yards in his first 100-yard game and caught a touchdown, receiver Eli Wood had seven catches for 102 yards and a score, and quarterback Grady Brosterhous went 12 of 18 for 129 yards and two touchdowns. Linebacker Asher Cunningham and safety Brevin Hamblin each had 11 tackles.

Next: the first Pac-12 home game at Maverik Stadium, Friday, October 9, at 7 p.m. Mountain against Washington State, on The CW.

Sources: Utah State Athletics  (Oct 3, 2026)

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Michigan lost 20-14 at Minnesota on October 3, its second straight loss after falling to Iowa in the final seconds a week earlier. Minnesota took the Little Brown Jug in the 100th game, and its first home win over Michigan since 1977 per Eleven Warriors. Michigan managed 180 total yards, 79 rushing, 11 first downs and no second-half points, and quarterback Bryce Underwood went 10 of 21 for 101 yards with two interceptions. Three Michigan turnovers swung the game.

First-year coach Kyle Whittingham called the results “unacceptable” and the offense “completely ineffective most of the time.” He said “everything’s in play,” including coaches, defended offensive coordinator Jason Beck while promising an evaluation, and said Underwood still gives the team the best chance even after considering freshman Tommy Carr. Michigan is off October 10, then hosts Penn State on October 17. The Utah angle: the man who built Utah’s Pac-12 and Big 12 era is now facing the toughest stretch of his 40-plus years of coaching.

Sources: Eleven Warriors  |  On3: Whittingham press conference  |  Yahoo Sports  |  ESPN  (Oct 3-4, 2026)

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Kansas City won 30-27 at Las Vegas on Sunday, October 4, to improve to 4-0. Running back Kenneth Walker III ran for about 175 yards and two touchdowns, including a 76-yard run to close the third quarter, and Patrick Mahomes hit Tyquan Thornton for a 55-yard touchdown. Las Vegas quarterback Kirk Cousins threw for 365 yards, and the Raiders drove 65 yards from their own 1-yard line in under 90 seconds before Xavier Nwankpa intercepted Cousins to end it. Punter Matt Araiza put all five punts inside the 20.

Coach Andy Reid said Thornton’s ankle injury “doesn’t look good” after he was carted off, and described Rashee Rice’s hamstring as a tweak. Mahomes called Thornton “one of the best teammates I’ve had.” Yardbarker counts only four healthy receivers left on the roster. The Chiefs have a bye in Week 5, then host the 0-4 Chargers on October 18.

Sources: Raiders.com recap  |  NFL.com: What we learned  |  Yardbarker: Reid injury update  |  Arrowhead Pride  (Oct 4, 2026)

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Puka Nacua (BYU, Orem High) came back from a hip injury that kept him out of Weeks 2 and 3, and the Rams beat the Eagles 24-20 in Philadelphia on Sunday, October 4. Nacua scored on a 2-yard run in the second quarter, and the Rams then trailed 20-10 at halftime before scoring 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter on two Kyren Williams touchdown runs. Coach Sean McVay had said all week that Nacua looked “strong, sturdy, explosive.” Nacua opened the season with 5 catches for 74 yards against Fred Warner’s 49ers. The Rams are 2-2 and host Buffalo on Monday, October 12.

Fred Warner (BYU) and the 49ers beat the Broncos 24-14 on Sunday to improve to 4-0, leading the NFC West. They visit Seattle on Sunday, October 11. I could not confirm Warner’s individual stat line for this game, so check the box score before citing numbers. The two BYU stars meet again when the Rams visit San Francisco on December 13.

Still unconfirmed for the week: Taysom Hill and Zach Wilson (Saints), Tyler Allgeier (Falcons), and other BYU alumni. I found no reliable stat lines for them.

Sources: Rams.com: McVay expects Nacua to play  |  KSL Sports: Nacua expected in Week 4 lineup  |  NFL.com: Week 4 what we learned  |  Game data: Rams at Eagles and Broncos at 49ers, Oct 4, 2026  (Oct 4, 2026)

The post Just Got Back from Pajama Church and Boy are my arms Tired AoN 1075 appeared first on The Cultural Hall Podcast.

Molly is back from the frozen glaciers of Iceland and ready to dish out some wild stories in this week’s Articles of News. From dealing with the messy realities of passing away without a transparent will to recounting an unforgettable, R-rated testimony meeting from her very first Sunday as Relief Society President, we cover a lot of ground.

Plus, it’s General Conference weekend—which means pajama church, BYU football scheduling drama, and our best bets on what topics will hit the pulpit.

Episode Highlights

Estate Planning & Glaciers: Molly recaps her Diamond Beach vacation and gets real about the chaos of leaving your family without an airtight will.

Fast Sunday Wildcard: What happens when a brand-new attendee takes the mic on Fast Sunday to share a graphic life story? Molly gives us the front-row scoop.

Gospel Foundations: Richie gets called up to sub for the Gospel Foundations class, sparking a chat about how wards handle new converts.

Conference Bets: We talk pajamas, viewing snacks, and predictions—including potential talks on sports betting and getting married young.

Ballot Box Guidance: The Church weighs in on abortion-related constitutional ballot measures in Nevada and Idaho.

The LDS Education Gap: We break down wild new Pew Research data showing LDS birth rates plummeting from 24 per 1,000 in the 1980s to just 5 today. We also look at the massive gap in weekly church attendance between college-educated members (86%) and non-degree holders (59%).

Grand Blanc Rebuilds: A year after a tragic truck attack and fire destroyed the Grand Blanc, Michigan meetinghouse, the local ward breaks ground on a new building.

Mormon Wives Exhaustion: We are officially tired of Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives drama, but we still tackle the cast departures and the new Orange County spinoff.

Missionary Accident: Sending our best to Sister Addison Woodward, who was severely injured in a pedestrian-auto accident while serving in the Tennessee Knoxville Mission.

Silicon Valley Splurge: The Church’s real estate arm just dropped $296.7 million on The Village Residences in Mountain View, California.

Time Capsule Unearthed: Bangerter Highway expansion means a 1980s ward building gets demolished, but not before a hidden time capsule is found in the cornerstone.

Global Church Donations: Tech labs, desks, and medical gear are heading to Tonga, Brazil, Paraguay, Guatemala, Rwanda, and the Philippines.

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In this episode of The Cultural Hall, Natalie Brown joins us to dismantle the traditional checklist for the “perfect” life. Natalie shares her personal journey of chasing down a tenure-track academic career in English, only to watch the job market collapse and her meticulously crafted five- and ten-year plans fall apart. It’s a jarring realization when the promised formula for success and salvation turns out to be largely unavailable—and it forces a complete reevaluation of identity.

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But what happens when things don’t go according to plan in a culture that treats happiness as evidence of righteousness? We get into the toxic side of performative happiness within church culture. Natalie explains how this relentless pressure to project a flawless life leaves almost no room for genuine grief, lamentation, or vulnerability. Grieving the loss of our ideal lives isn’t a sign of failure; it’s a necessary step for genuine healing, echoing a long biblical tradition of mourning that modern culture often tries to ignore.

This pressure to look perfect has also driven us toward hyper-individualism. Natalie points out that we often try to hoard resources in our own “personal mansions,” pretending we don’t need anyone else. But this illusion shatters when local infrastructure—like our neighborhood schools—begins to fail. We discuss the urgent need to stop pretending everything is fine behind closed doors, to re-engage with our local communities, and to actually pool our resources to support one another in a society where we are deeply interdependent.

Part of that community support means financially backing the creators and writers who do this hard work, because moral support alone doesn’t pay the bills in a tough market.

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Richie T and the News Wizard, Verlin, are back to break down the latest news in and around the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While Verlan is holding things down in Arizona, Molly is off enjoying the waters of Lake Powell.

Verlin kicks things off with a recap of babysitting his seven- and four-year-old grandsons while his son Nate took a much-needed baby moon to the Caribbean. 

Things get interesting when Richie recounts a recent Sunday School experience. A substitute teacher with his own YouTube channel led an 80-chapter deep dive into Proverbs and the Songs of Solomon, heavily referencing a “thousand points of the true church”. Richie challenged the room on whether church is for heavy doctrine or building community, which resulted in an intense follow-up phone call from the teacher’s octogenarian father. The caller called Richie a jerk, sparking a great debate on whether facts or the Spirit actually convert people. The guys also tackle the “church of sameness,” using the identically dressed Tabernacle Choir as a prime example.

The guys tackle some listener questions, including a stake presidency discussion on whether to pay tithing on Social Security—ultimately landing on personal interpretation of the word “increase”. Music in the church is also evolving; a recent Stake Conference incorporated diverse cultural sounds with a guitar duo, brass instruments, percussion, and even a Primary kid playing the ukulele.

We highlight a few fascinating interviews and upcoming releases, including Robin Ritch’s insights on women as disruptors in the 70s, a new book about happiness, and the highly anticipated October documentary on the daguerreotype of Joseph Smith. Verlan’s guilty pleasure, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, gets a quick shoutout, and we play a reality TV edition of Smooch, Marry, Kill featuring Dancing with the Stars, Survivor, and The Amazing Race. Plus, a nod to the “Best DJ in Utah” and their impressive 705 star reviews.

In sports, BYU football is rolling at 3-0 and ranked #9 after taking on Colorado State and Arizona, with TCU up next. Utah is also holding strong at 3-0 with a #15 ranking. Finally, we mark a major historical milestone: September 21st is the 203rd anniversary of the angel Moroni appearing to Joseph Smith.

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Robin Ritch, a tech executive who formerly ran the Deseret News, Church News, and Utah Business, brings a refreshingly nuanced perspective to navigating faith, culture, and personal growth. Growing up in a mixed-faith Catholic and LDS home in the Pacific Northwest, she learned early on how to balance differing viewpoints without losing her own spiritual footing.

In this episode, we dive deep into the core concept of Robin’s book, Using Friction to Grow. She unpacks the pivotal years between 1968 and 1974—a defining era when LDS women faced massive cultural shifts, the civil rights movement, and the loss of Relief Society autonomy. Robin argues that friction isn’t something to run away from; much like tires on a road, it’s exactly what we need to gain traction and move forward.

If you’ve ever felt tension between your personal spiritual experiences and the cultural norms in your ward, you aren’t alone. Robin shares incredible insights from women who navigated those exact challenges and chose to stay. She emphasizes that a real faith journey requires taking ownership of your relationship with God, rather than waiting for the institution to be flawless.

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@robin.ritch.

www.robinritch.com

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Remember the daguerreotype that broke the Mormon internet back in July 2022? The one that had everyone in the comment sections intensely debating whether it was actually Joseph Smith? We are getting as nerdy as humanly possible about it today.

For nearly two centuries, the world has debated Joseph Smith’s true likeness. Now, after 25 years of investigation, experts uncover stunning evidence that may bring audiences to the moment they can finally see Brother Joseph Again.

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Patrick, Daylan, and Joseph drop into the Hall to talk about their new documentary project, Brother Joseph Again. We get into the raw reactions of seeing a face that didn’t quite match the polished, rugged frontier prophet we are used to seeing in historical paintings. Daylen, the film’s director, breaks down the massive amount of combined research, the forensic analysis involving Joseph’s death mask, and why this journey isn’t just about historical curiosity—it’s about understanding the actual man who lived in the trenches and building a real relationship with him.

We also talk about the heavy lift of independent filmmaking. Daylen left his corporate career and sold his house to make this happen. If you want more high-quality, deep-dive historical projects that don’t just quote from manuals, you have to vote with your wallet. The film hits theaters on October 9th.

What We Cover:

Why that initial leaked image caused such a conflicted, visceral reaction.

The deep forensic science comparing the daguerreotype to Joseph’s death mask.

The stark difference between the “sanitized” historical Joseph and the real man.

Why seeing the Prophet as a real, imperfect human actually strengthens a spiritual connection to him.

The wild financial risk of funding an independent cinematic project like this.

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Hey everyone, and welcome to another episode of The Cultural Hall! I’m really excited about this one because we are finally solving a mystery. A couple of months ago, I told you all a story about DJing a wedding at a house that had some very unique door handles—exact replicas of the ones on the Salt Lake Temple. Well, the secret is out! It was the home of Brad and Marjorie Lowder (Marjorie is the youngest daughter of President Russell M. Nelson). I’ve been providing DJ services to the Daybreak community generally for ten years now, along with countless other spots across the state, but DJing that wedding at the Lowders’ house was an unforgettable highlight.

Today, Brad and his twin brother Carris join me to talk about a brand new project they’ve started. After surviving a minor heart attack at 58 and losing his own dad at 67, Brad hit his 68th birthday and had a huge wake-up call. He did the math and realized he needed to make some serious lifestyle changes if he wants to be around to dance at his three-year-old granddaughter’s wedding. To keep himself accountable, he and Carris launched a new podcast called Live Longer, Live Stronger.

In this episode, we dive into:

The Wake-Up Call: Brad’s realization that he needed to overhaul his daily habits to make it to 93.

Healthspan vs. Lifespan: Why it’s not just about adding years to your life, but making sure you have the mobility and health to actually enjoy them.

Lessons from a Centenarian: The incredible example of longevity and purposeful living set by President Nelson, from his habit of always taking the stairs to his focus on daily movement.

The Power of Purpose: Why simple things like serving others, staying connected with family, and having a reason to get out of bed are the true secrets to aging well.

No Snake Oil: Why their new show isn’t about selling supplements or being preachy—it’s just a couple of guys sharing what they are learning along the way.

This conversation is a fantastic reminder that we only get one body, and it’s up to us to be good stewards of it. Take a listen, and let me know what you think!

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