This Week in Latter-days

A number of articles were published this week about people who leave the Church, so were there some common threads within these articles? Absolutely, and it makes for some interesting discussion.

Did you KNOW that a Mormon would make a great Secretary of State because reasons? LDS Living says so, and really captures the things that make Mormons unique.

Gospel doctrine lessons are receiving new scholarly supplements for 2017, but will teachers and students notice and/or employ them? Will we take the time to get away from the "cartoon version" of the gospel?

The Light the World Christmas campaign by Mormon.org is in full swing, and we couldn't be happier. Actual calls to serve!

A naked dude runs around the Logan Temple grounds, looking for a wife. He did not succeed, unless the measure of success was whether he got arrested, which he did.

Other news: Our t-shirt contest winner! Liberia gets its stake back; refugee talk; McKay Coppins goes to The Atlantic; Church loses petition to take sexual abuse case off of the Navajo reservation.

It's Thanksgiving week, and Al is back in the studio with us. We've got a great grab bag of news for you, including:

All sorts of silly articles from LDS Living, like an assembly of Thanksgiving GIFs that only Mormons would understand even though they are super generic, or a strange obsession with an LDS family's Family Feud appearance, or new visitor center presidents.

In important simian news, a man dressed as a gorilla is terrorizing apartments at BYU-Idaho. This is serious business, folks.

BYU-Idaho also hired its first female vice president mere decades after its founding. The progressive movement is in full force in Rexburg.

At the other BYU that's not in Hawaii, some students recorded interviews about the black experience on campus. It's pretty interesting. Watch it below.

The Friend magazine is getting some new features for 2017. Find out more right here.

Remember Elder Holland's great talk in October 2016 General Conference about home teaching where he told the story of a father who accidentally killed his son and was comforted by a home teacher? Our buddies at LeadingLDS interviewed the father and the home teacher. Compelling stuff.

Other news: Triple combination in Croatian, family history coloring book, no more lesson calendar features on LDS.org, Hartford Temple dedication, and Geoff slipping into a depression.

Irene Kim Stone joins us to talk about post-election issues, like Mitt Romney potentially being Secretary of State, Steve Bannon saying not-nice things about Mormons, kids being shunned for their parents being Democrats, and more!

The Church quietly removed Elder Boyd K. Packer's famed "Little Factories" talk from lds.org and withdrew a pamphlet (that was still available?!) from the LDS store. This is a sad day for us all, but it also leads us into a great discussion on LDS sexuality.

Also, Irene walks us through her General Authority power bracket, which is a thing, or it should be a thing. Basically, she's not in love with Elder Bednar, which is silly, because Elder Bednar is awesome.

The Church announces new Book of Mormon videos like the recently completed Bible Videos series. These will be cool, and you can be a part of it, too!

Other news: Saints in Orange County, California build a scale replica of the tabernacle; woman jailed after beating her husband with Jesus; Idaho Falls Temple reopening; Winnipeg Temple groundbreaking; new LGBT center in Provo; y más!

Also, a giveaway! Listen to the whole show!

Well, it's morning in America? Weird week. We can't help but talk about the election a bit, so please indulge us. And then, we think, we are done! Unless something else wacky and wild happens.

However, of interesting note, Evan McMullin peaked too early and came in third place in Utah. Trump still carried Utah handily, though by a significantly lower percentage than in 2012. Also, 61% of Mormons voted for Trump.

In happier news, the open house and dedication dates for the Paris France Temple have been announced! You have to wait until late spring next year, but it's happening. The greatest cultural celebration of all time.

Are we quietly talking more about Heavenly Mother? It appears we might be, but is it intentional? Is it planned? Is it a pivot away from male-centric discourse?

Other news: suspicious water bottles found in Church building (bombs); Mormon channel shows interfaith tutoring program secretly designed to convert Baptist youth; Church Christmas campaign announced; Teaching in the Savior's Way training; more donations to help refugees.

In hard-hitting analysis, should modesty and/or temple garments be a concern on Halloween? Did you skank it up for funsies? Let us know in the comments.

Junior high kids mercilessly tease a classmate for having a Democrat mom. Isn't this just important corrective behavior?

Has there really been a "mass exodus" from Mormonism? The data says not really, but it's still a concern.

James the Mormon, who might someday get sued by the Church for using "Mormon" in his stage name, raps open a Deseret Industries! It's the best thing of the week! Video embed below.

An enterprising YSA ward in Provo decides to assign a point value to courtship success in an effort to stimulate dating in the ward. And John Dehlin loves it!

President Uchtdorf sleeps in and winds up attending a refugee branch in Salt Lake.

Will Evan McMullin win Utah? Probably not. Time for our last pre-election political rundown.

Among religious groups, Mormons have the highest rate of those with some college education without completing a degree. Why?

Other news: Anniversary of the Handbook 1 changes from last year; LDS and Jewish leaders meet in Jerusalem; why doesn't the media care about hate speech toward Mormons? Elder Bednar dedicates the Star Valley Wyoming Temple; and more!

Former Relief Society General President Julie B. Beck offers a prayer at a Trump-Pence rally in Utah, and many across the interwebs are dismayed. But is this anything to be dismayed over? Is there too much intermingling with even former Church callings and religion? Or is it really just because this is about Trump? We have answers.

Speaking of politics, all-around unpleasant ogre Lou Dobbs sent a Twitter tirade over to Evan McMullin, saying he was a product of the "Mormon Mafia." The Twittersphere responded in kind, and the results were wonderful.

Also in politics, Elder D. Todd Christofferson messed up and donated to a friend's campaign for a local school board. General Authorities have been banned from making political contributions since 2011. Elder Christofferson owned up to the mistake and we can all move on. OR CAN WE?

Lastly, LDS Daily wants to help you learn how to vote. Their five-step process will turn you into the most amazing, informed person ever.

BYU formally adopts changes to its Title IX and Honor Code process, removing the former from association with the latter, and granting victims of sexual assault amnesty as far as perceived Honor Code violations go. This is huge news for BYU.

The Church rebrands its stillborn "Mormonsandgays.org" website into "Mormon and Gay," a subdomain much more clearly part of LDS.org, including interviews with gay Latter-day Saints. There's some terrific stuff here.

And in assorted news: General Authorities and Officers release videos affirming their love for everyone; you can visit a swanky FamilySearch center in Layton; Jon Schmidt's daughter remains missing; the Church dubs a website an "online art exhibit; and more!

Jana Riess chimes in about the Church's purported failings when accommodating disabled persons, but especially in light of a friend's visit to a temple open house. Unfortunately, it seems to be a one-sided attempt at click bait more than anything.

What are we to make of the Church's recent letter encouraging members to vote down initiatives on physician-assisted suicide and recreational marijuana? Is this a step too far? Is this past the "moral" test? Some are calling for the Church to lose its tax-exempt status for being so overtly involved in such things. There's some great discussion to be had here.

In (very) quick political news, Mormon candidate Evan McMullin has now tied Donald J. Trump in Utah, according to a new poll. Utah was also dubbed a battleground state by CNN, something that doesn't happen very often.

Remember when the Church was involved in continuing the so-called "Zion Curtain" in Utah? The "curtain" is the barrier between where alcohol resides and where patrons eat in a restaurant, intended to remove booze from view. Well in a new theater, there is now a "Zion Ceiling" to prevent folks above a lobby from seeing down into the nefarious world of liquor.

In other news: The Mormon Tabernacle Choir announces its Christmas concert guest; the Fort Collins Colorado Temple is dedicated; the Mount Timpanogos Temple celebrates 20 years in operation with no fanfare whatsoever; BYU is set to raise tuition—again; the Mormon Channel hops on the Ted Talks bandwagon many years too late with "Hope Works"; the Church donates to Utah State University's Mormon studies program.

Welp, it's been an interesting week on the politics front, and relevant to you, our Mormon audience, because of the Mormon fallout from Donald Trump's latest comments. Plus, Evan McMullin is now surging in the polls. Even Glenn Beck has sort of endorsed Hillary! Everything is topsy-turvy!

While we're at it, you might see some LDS political memes featuring the "words" of prophets. Many of them are not true. Do your due diligence.

Should apostles retire? Following a General Conference in which an aged President Monson barely spoke, as well as what some perceived as backwards remarks by members of the Twelve in the so-called "Mormon Leaks" videos, some (as in, Salt Lake Tribune writers) wonder whether we should allow emeritus status for the Twelve. What do you think?

Interested in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's Christmas concert? Tickets will no longer be as lottery! First come, first served. Get in there!

KSL has a recap of what's happened since the Church's call to aid refugees six months ago.

In wonderful, settling news, BYU is now back up to 2012 enrollment levels. In related news, the number of missionaries is down from its 2014 peak. There appears to be an inverse relationship here.

Other news: President Uchtdorf does his own Facebook! The Hartford Connecticut Temple open house is underway! BYU police might be passing off police records to the Honor Code office! And so much more!

General Conference has come and gone, but we're not done with it. So per tradition, we set most of the weekly news aside and focus on the good news! We will dissect every General Conference talk and go over our insights and feelings. We love doing this show every six months and hope you'll spend some time with us.

Also, you might have seen some "Mormon Leaks" videos. We have a few thoughts on those, too.

It's our pre-General Conference show! We have a recap of the Women's Session from last weekend and some thoughts on what we'll see this coming weekend. Also, temple announcement predictions. Please join us on Facebook and Twitter this coming weekend as we enjoy #ldsconf together.

In other news, Mormons for Hillary is a bonafide thing now, and it has even roped in a few Republicans. We'll try not to dwell too long on the political, but since we recorded this post-debate, it's been on our mind.

A blogger at By Common Consent argues that you actually want the Church to be a corporation, as many deride the "corporate" nature of the modern, correlated Church.

Is a new Church-built office building in downtown Salt Lake City "sacred ground," according to Bishop Causse?

Elder Holland formally denounces female genital mutilation, marking the first time a lifer General Authority has done so.

Also, rapping missionaries. See the video below.

Links:

* Mormons for Hillary formalized

* Elder Holland denounces female circumcision

* You really do want a corporate church

* New SLC building is sacred ground?