Today on an abbreviated version of the show, Brandt and Jenny discuss Mormons Behaving Badly, Ed Smart coming out as gay and analogizing it to his daughter's ordeal, and updates on the locations of new temples in Utah and Texas. We also spend a lot of time on two interesting pieces this week, one from Jana Riess and another from Peggy Stack, with more to chew on than we have time. Plus so much more on the Report!

SIGNATURE BOOK OF THE MONTH

Pedestals and Podiums: Utah Women, Religious Authority, and Equal Rights by Martha S. Bradley

HEADLINES

* Ed Smart, dad of kidnapping survivor Elizabeth Smart, says there's no gay 'cure'

* Kristin Chenoweth Says Faith, LGBTQ Activism Don't Always Go Together

* Family Search, owned by the LDS Church, adds same-sex couples to its database

* Former Salt Lake Figure Skating chief charged with soliciting sex from underage girl

* LDS Church releases locations of Orem, Taylorsville temples

* The stubborn faithfulness of liberal Mormons

* Can Latter-day Saints disagree with their church on gay marriage? Case of the lost wallet may offer clues.

THE MORMON NEWS REPORT ON PATREON

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Today on the show, Brandt and Jenny take care of a few items of business, have some follow ups on major stories such as the BYU-Idaho Medicaid debacle, the McKenna Denson / Joseph Bishop case, and conversion therapy now back on the docket in Utah. But the big story this week is a history lesson - the Equal Rights Amendment is on the minds of many in Utah. Where did it come from? What does it mean? And why is there tension between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the ERA? All that plus more on the Report!

SIGNATURE BOOK OF THE MONTH

Pedestals and Podiums: Utah Women, Religious Authority, and Equal Rights by Martha S. Bradley

HEADLINES

* Big dig for Salt Lake Temple renovations, but what will be uncovered? (KUTV)

* Layton Deseret Industries building evacuated after report of accidental dynamite donation

* Saints by Sea: BYU database collects stories of Latter-day Saint maritime immigration (Daily Herald)

* Lawsuit alleging rape at the LDS Church’s Missionary Training Center could end in settlement (Fox 13)

* LDS Church releases statement on refugees after media inquiries (Daily Herald)

* Utah banning ‘conversion therapy’ with Mormon church backing (ABC News via AP)

* In our opinion: Why Utah should not pass the current version of the Equal Rights Amendment (Deseret News)

* LDS Church announces it still opposes Equal Rights Amendment as supporters rally at Capitol

* Michelle Quist: LDS Church and its newspaper dredge up tired old arguments against the ERA

THE MORMON NEWS REPORT ON PATREON

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* Email: [email protected] 

* Twitter: @TheMormonNews (Brandt)

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Today on the show, Real Housewives of Salt Lake City is coming! A new missionary handbook is here - what does that mean? Pres. M. Russell Ballard talks with the Associated Press about The Church and the Boy Scouts (and confirms some heresay!) and finally, BYU-Idaho will no longer require Medicaid. Why is this a big deal? All that plus more on the report!

SIGNATURE BOOK OF THE MONTH

Sidney Rigdon: A Portrait of Religious Excess by Richard S. Van Wagoner

HEADLINES

* Introducing: The Dialogue Podcast Collective! 

* The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints evacuates 63 missionaries in Bolivia (ABC 4)

* Mormon leader: We didn’t leave Boy Scouts, they left us (Associated Press)

* LOOK OF MORMON Real Housewives’ next location announced as Mormon capital Salt Lake City as franchise heads to Utah (The Sun UK)

* Ex-stake president in Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints pleads guilty in $1.5M scam (Fox News)

* 'Sisters for Suffrage' exhibit celebrates 150 years since Utah women won the right to vote (KUTV)

* First Presidency Announces a Session Change to April 2020 General Conference (Church Newsroom)

* LDS Church to open 8 new missions, stretching from Texas to Tanzania (Salt Lake Tribune)

* Church revises missionary handbook for the first time in 10 years. Here’s what has changed (Church News)

* BYU-Idaho requiring students on Medicaid to also buy student health plans, won't say why (Idaho Post-Register)

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You have questions? We do too. And thoughts. Join Brandt and Jenny, two people heavily involved in the old youth program as they try to make sense of this new program. What exactly are we doing? Who is doing it? How was the roll-out? We look at what we (and others) liked, didn't like, have the most excitement about and the most concerns. SIGNATURE BOOK OF THE MONTH Sidney Rigdon: A Portrait of Religious Excess by Richard S. Van Wagoner

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* Twitter: @TheMormonNews (Brandt)

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It's special announcement time! We've talked a lot the past few years about Light the World, the Christmas initiative of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We have heard from quite a few people that they would love the Giving Machines to be more available for people throughout the world to participate. Today on the show, the MNR's own Jenny Noonan Dye has a very special announcement about a very unique way for people to be involved via proxy with the Giving Machines. A great show as always, so check it out!

SIGNATURE BOOK OF THE MONTH

Sidney Rigdon: A Portrait of Religious Excess by Richard S. Van Wagoner

Proxy Giving Machines Contact Information

* @ProxyGivingMachines (Instagram)

* [email protected]

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* Twitter: @TheMormonNews (Brandt)

* Twitter: @formerlyphread (Jenny)

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Image via The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Today on the show - #LightTheWorld Giving Machine Locations are announced, Slavery in the LDS New Testament Curriculum, updates on Mormons Behaving Badly, what does it mean for religious freedom and expression on the job, and we dig through the confusion and terrible massacre of a Mormon family in Mexico. All that plus more on the Report!

SIGNATURE BOOK OF THE MONTH

Sidney Rigdon: A Portrait of Religious Excess by Richard S. Van Wagoner

HEADLINES

* Introducing: The Dialogue Podcast Collective! 

* #LightTheWorld Giving Machines Expand to 10 Locations During Christmas Season (Church Newsroom)

* Mormons criticize LDS curriculum’s treatment of slavery in the New Testament (Jana Riess, Religion News Service)

* Former LDS Church Historian Dean Larsen dies at 92 (Peggy Fletcher Stack, Salt Lake Tribune)

* Man sentenced to death for killing 6 members of LDS family (KUTV)

* Church Shares Renovation Plans for the St. George Utah Temple (Church Newsroom)

* Washington County Utah Temple Site Announced (Church Newsroom)

* Councilor with LDS church pleads guilty to filming woman in Opry Mills Mall dressing room (Fox 17 Nashville)

* Is religion off-limits on the job? What the law says may surprise you. (Salt Lake Tribune)

* Everyday Example: Religion in the Workplace

* The LeBaron Family Massacre

* Murders in Mexico: How a Diverse Religious Community with Utah Ties Ended Up in La Mora (Interview with Dr. Cristina Rosetti, KUER)

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* Twitter: @TheMormonNews (Brandt)

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Image via Brandt

It's been one heck of a week. Join Jenny and Brandt as they break down a lot of political stories with a Mormon twist, look into some demographic trends in Utah (and what it has to do with the Church), and discuss a very cool campaign for #LightTheWorld 2019. All that plus more on the show!

SIGNATURE BOOK OF THE MONTH

Sidney Rigdon: A Portrait of Religious Excess by Richard S. Van Wagoner

HEADLINES

* Site Announced for Moses Lake Washington Temple (Church Newsroom)

* Mormons still heavily committed to GOP despite Trump effect, according to Pew study (Jana Riess, Religion News Service)

* Boy Scouts to boost annual youth fees by more than 80% (Salt Lake Tribune)

* One of every 6 Utahns moved last year — ranking No. 6 for mobility (Salt Lake Tribune)

* Mendenhall mailer makes religion a last-minute issue in race for SLC mayor. Half of voters say they're aware of the candidate's religion (Utah Policy)

* Robert Gehrke: Erin Mendenhall’s mailer shows Latter-day Saint voters in Salt Lake City hold sway, even if they are the minority (Salt Lake Tribune)

* Rocky Anderson’s attack on Mormonism feels all too familiar to Muslims (Luna Banuri, Salt Lake Tribune)

THE MORMON NEWS REPORT ON PATREON

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* Twitter: @TheMormonNews (Brandt)

* Twitter: @formerlyphread (Jenny)

* Facebook: Mormon News Report Podcast

Image via Salt Lake Tribune

We are back! Today on the show, does Mormonism have its own Hollywood? Missionaries lose an integral part of the pre-mission experience, Mormons and Columbus Day, AMMON BUNDY makes an appearance, we dive deep into a disturbing arrest of a Bishop arrested for possession of sexually explicit images with children, and a thorough discussion on a stalled gay conversion therapy ban in Utah (and the Church's involvement). All that plus more on the Report!

HEADLINES

* An indigenous, LDS perspective on Columbus (The Daily Universe, BYU)

* ‘One of a kind’: Mac ‘Mr. Mac’ Christensen dies at age 85 (Deseret News)

* Utah Latter-day Saint meetinghouse evacuated after eight sickened by carbon monoxide (Deseret News)

* Lights. Camera. Prayer. A Mini-Hollywood Grows in Utah. (New York Times)

* Utah Scouting will shrink and change with the exit of the LDS Church, but supporters say it will survive (Salt Lake Tribune)

* In U.S., Decline of Christianity Continues at Rapid Pace (Pew Research Center)

* Convicted fraudster Rick Koerber sentenced to 14 years in prison, amid protests (KSL)

* Utah bishop arrested on child porn charges; investigators say he may have sexually abused children (Salt Lake Tribune)

* Church Issues Statement Opposing Proposed Utah Psychologist Licensing Act Rule (Church Newsroom)

THE MORMON NEWS REPORT ON PATREON

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* Twitter: @TheMormonNews (Brandt)

* Twitter: @formerlyphread (Jenny)

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We made it. The last session of General Conference. Join Brandt and Jenny as they break down some great talks, and some major breaking news from President Nelson pertaining to temple recommend questions and April 2020 General Conference.

SPEAKERS

* Henry Eyring

* Hans Boom

* M. Russell Ballard

* Peter Johnson

* Ulisses Soares

* Neil Anderson

* President Russell M. Nelson

THE MORMON NEWS REPORT ON PATREON

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Sunday mornings are traditional "devotional-type" messages for General Conference, and Brandt and Jenny dig into the messages and themes of the morning.

SPEAKERS

* Gerrit Gong

* Cristina Franco

* Dieter Uchtdorf

* Walter Gonzalez

* Gary Stevenson

* Russell M. Nelson

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Image via Standard Examiner