Welcome to the Nursery: No Testimony Required
Welcome to Infants on Thrones.
Before there were hundreds of episodes, there were a handful of former Mormons, some microphones, and a lot of questions.
What began as an irreverent exploration of guilt, belief, and Mormon culture became a decade-spanning experiment in humor, skepticism, storytelling, and thinking out loud.
These twelve listening experiences offer a guided tour through some of the conversations, comedy, and creative experiments that shaped Infants on Thrones.
You don't have to listen in order. You don't have to agree with us. You don't even have to like us. But we hope you'll enjoy the ride.
No sustaining vote necessary.
Where It All Began
In 2012, six friends with Mormon backgrounds began recording conversations about the beliefs, traditions, and cultural assumptions that had shaped their lives.
These first three episodes capture the beginning of that experiment.
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Ep 1 – Introduction
Meet the original Infants and hear how this strange little podcast got its name. Everyone has to start somewhere.
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Ep 2 – Guilt
Tom, Bob, Randy, Matt, and Glenn examine guilt, shame, and the influence of religious belief on our emotional lives. One of the very first conversations that established the show's character.
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Ep 4 – Apostasy
Glenn explores the stories of apostasy and restoration that shape Mormon identity, with contributions from guests and fellow Infants.
Sacred Cows, Musical Numbers, and Other Infantile Adventures
Infants on Thrones developed a habit of taking things we once considered sacred and examining them with irreverence, curiosity, and an occasional show tune.
These four productions capture the creative and comedic side of the original show.
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Ep 93 – Little Factories
Boyd K. Packer's infamous talk "To Young Men Only" receives the full Infants on Thrones treatment. Glenn, Tom, Matt, and Jake explore the remarkable theological implications of little factories.
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Ep 169 – Saturday's Warrior Smackdown
Mormon theology! Predestination! Family drama! Musical numbers!
Randy, Matt, John Hamer, and Glenn present the original sing-along Smackdown of the Mormon musical Saturday's Warrior.
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Ep 231 – Disney Songs for Alienated Mormon Kids
When the LDS Church introduced its controversial 2015 policy affecting children of same-sex couples, the Infants responded the only reasonable way they knew how: with Disney song parodies.
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How to Marry a Mormon
Long before Infants on Thrones, Glenn wrote a gloriously cheesy Mormon screenplay.
Years later, the Infants decided to give it the treatment it deserved. An epic two-part production.
Small Packages, Big Heresies
Not every great Infant production requires a two-hour conversation. Sometimes the most memorable ideas come in small, delightfully ridiculous packages.
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Ep 614 – Carl the Casual Satanist:
The Complete Collection
Brother Jake introduces Carl, a perfectly ordinary fellow experiencing an inconvenient crisis of Satanic faith.
What happens when a believer begins questioning everything he was taught about the Devil? All four mini-episodes together.
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Ep 616 – Church House Rock:
The Complete Collection
Schoolhouse Rock meets Mormon doctrine, history, and irreverent musical comedy.
All four original Church House Rock parodies in one convenient collection. Educational? Sometimes. Catchy? Absolutely.
Down the Rabbit Hole
Behind the comedy was always a serious curiosity about belief, history, evidence, and human experience.
These two multi-part explorations represent the more investigative side of Infants on Thrones.
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Who Wrote the Book of Mormon?
Did Joseph Smith write the Book of Mormon? Did others contribute? How do historians evaluate competing authorship theories?
Glenn and Randy explore the questions with historian John Hamer and professor Craig Criddle.
Two original investigations featuring different perspectives and theories.
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The Placebo Effect
What happens when belief itself changes how we experience the world?
Cultural anthropologist Chelsea Shields Strayer joins the Infants to explore faith healing, cultural interpretation, expectation, and the fascinating science of the placebo effect.
- Ep 104 – The Placebo Effect – Part 1
- Ep 105 – The Placebo Effect – Part 2
- Ep 113 – The Placebo Effect – Part 3
Three original conversations exploring the complex relationship between culture, belief, and experience.
The Conversation Continues
More than a decade after the first Infants on Thrones recordings, the questions haven't gone away.
Neither has the pleasure of sitting down with old friends to laugh, disagree, reconsider, and explore.
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Ep 952 – You Can See Everything:
Can You Tell a True Believer
from a Con Artist?
Glenn, Tom, and Brother Jake reunite for a conversation about Elizabeth Holmes, missionary zeal, deception, self-deception, and the stories we tell ourselves about other people.
It's an old-school Infants conversation exploring some very contemporary questions. And it's a glimpse of what comes next.
And That's Just the Beginning
Infants on Thrones has never been only about Mormonism.
It's been about belief and belonging, certainty and doubt, friendship and change, sacred cows and ridiculous musical numbers.
The people behind the microphones have changed over the years. So have the conversations.
But one thing remains: we still enjoy asking questions and laughing along the way.
Welcome to Infants on Thrones.
We hope you'll stay awhile.