What would you say if you were a Mormon Missionary and you were approached by a well spoken, respectful atheist asking you how you came to be so certain about the Truth of Mormonism?
Street Epistemologist Anthony Magnabosco did this very thing with two Mormon Missionaries. Spoiler alert: he didn’t accept their free picture of Jesus or a free Book of Mormon.
A year ago today, the LDS Church enacted a policy placing restrictions on the membership of children living in same-sex households. The year since has been one of anguish for those affected, those that love them, and the membership as a whole as they try to grapple with these messages from their leaders. Listener Jeff Burr volunteered to help us make the following video in commemoration of the policy and its effects, based on Heather’s recent minisode/song on the latest Infant General Conference.
Music: “Creep” by Scala and Kolacny Brothers (Radiohead Cover)
Quote References (in order of appearance):
“…and this is about family, this is about love and especially the love of the savior.”
“…on November the fifth, the church made some changes to its handbook in relation to same sex marriage and its policy towards the children of same sex married partners.”
“…we regard same sex marriage as a particularly grievous sin.”
From “Elder Christofferson Provides Context on Handbook Changes Affecting Same-Sex Marriages”
Todd Christofferson, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Michael Otterson, Managing Director, Church Public Affairs
“…as if none of this ever mattered, as if nothing in our contemporary life mattered, as if this is all supposed to be just exactly the way I want and answer every one of my questions.”
From “The Tempe Rescue” devotional.
Given By Jeffrey R. Holland, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
By popular demand, here is Heather’s moving remix of Scala & Kolacny Brothers’s cover of “Creep,” featured at the end of our latest General Conference episode. Consider it a nod to the upcoming 1-year anniversary of the infamous policy change. Feel free to share it.
In 1984, Elder Ronald E Polman delivered a talk titled “The Gospel and the Church” in General Conference. It emphasized the importance of an eternally divine gospel being delivered through a man-made fallible church. The Brethren did not like this message, and made him re-write the talk to make the church as eternally divine and infallible as the gospel. They also made him re-deliver the talk in front of an empty tabernacle to record it and pass it off as the original. But thanks to home VCRs, they got caught. And today you can hear all about it, including clips from both the original talk and the re-written message. So listen in as Glenn and Scott (aka Jesse) are joined by Rock Waterman and James Rogers two discuss A Tale of two Poelmans.
*This recorded conversation was previously released in January 2011 on another podcast but has since been removed. Now it is back where it belongs.
What happens when you stand up and vocally oppose at LDS General conference? Why would anyone even want to consider such a thing?
Matt sits down with Scott, Micah, and Don — the organizers of the Any Opposed campaign — to talk about their recent vocal opposition at LDS General Conference.
Scott presents the brief but fascinating history of dissent in the General Conference of the Mormon church. For more information, check out anyopposed.org
In the spirit of appreciation, gratitude, and satire, Glenn reads an open letter to President Uchtdorf in response to his recent General Conference talk.
Glenn sits down with Anthony Magnabosco and a few podcast listeners who joined us live to talk about Street Epistemology, and God, and Truth, and Language, and burning bosoms and stupors of thought and other Mormon ways of verifying belief.