Mormon Stories - LDS

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Direct download: MS2022DonationRequest.mp3
Category:Religion -- posted at: 2:34pm MDT

Mark Schultz was a 3-time NCAA champion, Olympic champion and 2-time World champion wrestler. He also joined the Mormon church in 1991 shortly after being hired as a BYU wrestling coach. Mark coached wrestling at BYU for around a decade.

A few months ago, Mark started studying factual LDS church history - focusing specifically on Joseph Smith's polygamy revelation in D&C Section 132 - and lost his Mormon faith. He reached out to John this week requesting to tell his story.

Episode Show Notes


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Direct download: MormonStories-1711-MarkSchultzedited.mp3
Category:Religion -- posted at: 2:28pm MDT

In Parts 1 and 2 of this series Mike, John, and Nemo explored the history and controversies over whether the Book of Abraham is a literal translation of Egyptian as claimed by Joseph Smith.
 
Now for Part 3 they are back to look at what the text of the Book of Abraham actually says, including many prime LDS doctrines. What have been the consequences of believing those doctrines? Does the Book of Abraham merit being considered “revelation” and therefore binding to believing Saints today?
 
LDS Discussion Essay on Book of Abraham

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Direct download: MormonStories-1707-LDSDBookOfAbrahamPt3.mp3
Category:Religion -- posted at: 12:00pm MDT

Carol discusses ways that she has enabled herself mentally and spiritually to stay in the Church, despite periods of inactivity and varying levels of hope. Has she gone through a “faith crisis” as many know it? What did she keep and what has she thrown away? Why does she stay?

How does Carol feel she makes a difference by staying in and also how and why has she been able to avoid excommunication, a common fate for those who undertake advocacy in the Church and come under the ire of leadership?

Carollynnpearson.com


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Direct download: MormonSories-1709-CarolLynnPearson2022Pt2.mp3
Category:Religion -- posted at: 12:00pm MDT

Carol Lynn Pearson is an amazing woman and still-active member of the Church who has done more advocacy for feminism and LGBTQ rights than any other member and for far longer through her songs, books, poetry, speaking engagements and other appearances (even Oprah)!
 
Carol Lynn Pearson is the example and embodiment of pure love. Anyone would do well to follow her example. 
 
In today's episode, Carol describes how she finds both feminine and masculine traits in the divine, and in such a lovely way that even hard-core atheists can find beauty and inspiration in her thoughts.
 
 

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Direct download: MormonStories-1708-CarolLynnPearson2022.mp3
Category:Religion -- posted at: 12:00pm MDT

Today we’re going through various apologetics and theories around the Book of Abraham to reconcile it being considered scripture along with what we know the literal interpretation of these things to be. What problems do these apologetics create in other areas for believers?  Do these theories hold water without a strong bias to believe in spite of all evidence? Do some apologists even admit it?
 
LDS Discussion Essay on Book of Abraham
 

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Direct download: MormonStories-1707-LDSDBookOfAbrahamPt2.mp3
Category:Religion -- posted at: 12:00pm MDT

The best way to consume Mormon history is through original source documents, but where do you find them? In this episode we will review a list of primary sources for early Mormon history that are accessible and affordable to the budding historian.

John's List:

Episode Show Notes


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Direct download: MormonStories-1706-OriginalMormonHistorySourcesJohnLarsen.mp3
Category:Religion -- posted at: 7:00pm MDT

Welcome back for part two!

A trip to Europe gives Kelsey a chance beyond her mission to see more of the outside world and the goodness and happiness that others have found while clearly outside of Mormonism. The trip also gives her the chance to tune in to herself and trust her intuition. Not ready to give up on her religion just yet, Kelsey returns home after the trip and ends up working with LDS Public Relations in various projects while also holding the calling of Relief Society President as she works through her active doubts.

Kelsey moves back to LA and finally realizes how much of a “box” LDS doctrines & beliefs put herself in. Kelsey takes us on a journey of personal discovery as she learns who she really is & to trust her own authority, leading her to the freest and fulfilled life she’s experienced thus far.

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Squad Goals: Courses.kelseyedwards.co (For teen girls about making/keeping good friends) 

Episode Show Notes


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Direct download: MormonStories-1705-KelseyEdwardsPt2.mp3
Category:Religion -- posted at: 12:30pm MDT

Kelsey Edwards has a unique upbringing as a child actor who was homeschooled by her Mormon parents. Driven by a desire to do what’s right and excel, Kelsey develops a perfectionism that goes beyond religious adherence into body image and leads to disordered eating. Kelsey is able to recover with help from her parents, only to be thrown into another family crisis as her father succumbs to an opiate addiction after chronic back pain and leaves both the Church and the family. As many children do, Kelsey feels she shares blame for the destruction of her family and re-commits to the LDS religion for strength and comfort. 

When her family moves to Provo, Utah, Mormon purity culture has costs for Kelsey’s self-esteem and body image as she continues pursuing performance at high school and BYU. Kelsey’s first doubts come as she serves a mission in Birmingham Alabama and grapples with the spirituality and fulfillment members of other faiths feel. Kelsey realizes belief in “eternal families” is far from unique to Mormonism but what IS unique about the Mormon version is the dark element that it’s predicated on a God deliberately separating families first.

Join us for the rest in Part 2!

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Squad Goals: Courses.kelseyedwards.co (For teen girls about making/keeping good friends) 

Episode Show Notes


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Direct download: MormonStories-1704-KelseyEdwardsPt1.mp3
Category:Religion -- posted at: 9:41am MDT

Nearly since its founding, leaders of the LDS Church have excommunicated members for wrongdoing. In earlier times, such punishments might have lasted only weeks. Over the course of succeeding decades, this practice became more severe, constituting a wrenching removal from the community. Gaining readmittance often required intense penance and evidence of significant change stretching over a prolonged period of time. Sometimes this process even involved the leaders' colleagues. Justice and Mercy offers in-depth examinations of several high-profile case studies in church discipline, using journals and other sources close to the participants to provide candid detail.

Today we interview author Gary James Bergera and Editor Bryan Buchanan.

The book can be purchased here: Justice & Mercy

 


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Direct download: MormonStories-1703-TransgressionsOfMormonLeaders.mp3
Category:Religion -- posted at: 12:34pm MDT

Today we get to meet Special Guest Scott Dyer from Rameumptom Ruminations, a podcast centered on Mormon theology & interpretations of scripture through the lens of philosophy, literature and art under the Mormon Discussions Podcasts umbrella.

John and Scott discuss Brian Harris, a recent guest on Rameumptom Ruminations who was an employee at church headquarters in the correlation department. Brian offers us a chance to pull back the curtain and learn a little bit more about what goes on behind the scenes. How does the church gather and use data from its members? How far up the chain does that data go? What goes into the creation, revising, or scrapping of church programs?

Rameumptom Ruminations Playlist on YouTube

Episode Show Notes

 


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Direct download: MormonStories-1702-InsiderLookAtChurchOperations.mp3
Category:Religion -- posted at: 12:00pm MDT

Starting Book of Abraham! Join us at noon today for the intro to the issues around the "translation" of this controversial piece of Mormon scripture.

LDS Discussion Book of Abraham Essay

Episode Show Notes

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Direct download: MormonStories-1670-BookOfAbrahamLDSDiscussions.mp3
Category:Religion -- posted at: 12:00pm MDT

When Douglas Stilgoe, AKA "Nemo the Mormon" on YouTube, no longer felt he could publicly sustain Mormonism's top leadership of apostles & prophets due to multiple acts of demonstrable dishonesty, he lost one of Mormonism's highest privileges: the ability to attend the Temple.

For Mormons, Temple worship goes FAR beyond religious ceremony. It is the gate by which believing Mormons qualify for Exaltation, the highest level of Heaven & privilege in the after-life according to Mormon theology, and by which marriages & family relationships are "sealed" together for eternity. Thus, losing the privilege of Temple worship doesn't just risk an individual's OWN eternal reward, but also puts one's eternal marriage and other family ties in jeopardy, some even to the extent of believing that faithful spouses and children will be "reassigned" to a faithful stranger who will replace the unbelieving spouse or parent in Heaven.

It is also synonymous with personal "worthiness", so any Mormons not permitted inside are often thought to be committing or in the process of repenting from egregious sins, such as adultery. Mormons who are not considered "worthy" to perform Temple ordinances themselves are also barred from even attending ordinances - like weddings - of any friends and family that take place there, another significant source of pain and alienation for some.

Naturally, Doug found it problematic that for believing Mormons, such important things as Exaltation and Eternal Family can be held hostage and denied for something as simple as refusing to agree to sustain leaders who, by virtue of a supposedly secret ordinance known as the "Second Anointing," are exempt from any accountability towards members of the Church, even for bold, deliberate acts of harm and dishonesty.

...or are they?

This episode documents attempts made by Doug (Nemo) to get to the bottom of whether Mormon doctrines & practices meant to instill accountability from its earliest days and scripture are still applicable today, or whether they've become mere ritual, devoid of any meaningful significance other than virtue-signaling conformity and a continued commitment to blind obedience. As a squeaky wheel unable to be assuaged or silenced by local leadership, Nemo surprises everyone (including himself) when he manages to bypass the usual gatekeepers and break through the glass ceiling separating Mormonism's apostles and prophets from the rank-and-file, successfully garnering the attention of none other than second highest-ranking apostle and next in line to become prophet, Dallin H. Oaks.

How did it go? Tune it to find out!

Nemo the Mormon YouTube Channel

  • "Evidence of Dishonesty" - Nemo's document (coming soon!)

Nemo's Coverage on Mormonism LIVE with Bill Reel, Radio Free Mormon, and John Dehlin

Episode Show Notes


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Direct download: MormonStories-1700-NemoVsOaks.mp3
Category:Religion -- posted at: 10:00am MDT

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