The Atonement is all about suffering. Or is it? In this episode, Stephen Carter stumbles across a new atonement theory that would stop any Sunday school lesson in its tracks. Yet, it fits perfectly into the Plan of Salvation.
E169: Where Do We Go From Here? Part II
In Part II of Gregory Prince’s article, he explores what he thinks the LDS Church has done right and what kinds of changes both it and its members will need to go through to meet current and future challenges.
The Man in the Hole at General Conference
The filming of General Conference began humbly, with one man sitting in a hole he’d carved out beneath the Tabernacle floor. Frank Wise was a young British convert to the Church who grew up wandering the film studios around London. When he emigrated to Utah and joined the Church in 1939, he was immediately hired …
E168: Where Do We Go From Here? Part I.
Gregory A. Prince has been watching the LDS Church for 75 years. And it has changed. A lot. Some changes have been constructive; some have been devastating. What does Prince see as the best way forward from where we are now? What will this path demand of the Church organization and its members?
Episode 118: Believers and Skeptics panel
Join Bryan and Lindsay for a special bonus episode! We were honored to talk with professors (and students) from Montana State (and several other universities ) about how we do responsible Mormon history. The panel, Believers and Skeptics in Mormon History has a youtube video which can be found here! Shownotes: Become a recurring donor …
Are Mormon Missionaries Allowed to Kiss?
Today, the answer is “No!” But that was not always the case. The current missionary handbook reads: “Do not flirt or associate inappropriately with anyone. Limit physical contact with someone of the opposite gender to a handshake.” But in 1887, missionaries had a lot more freedom. Edward Davis, who was a missionary in England at …
When the Mormons Let Their Freak Flag Fly
Just before Joseph Smith made a brief escape from Nauvoo over the Mississippi River into Iowa, he made a strange request. He asked his followers to take up their glue guns, their knitting needles, and their macrame rings to make a giant craft project—namely a sixteen-foot-long flag. He wanted to carry this “flag for the …
Episode 117: The Gunnison Expedition and Massacre
In this episode, Lindsay and Bryan discuss several expeditions, including the Stansbury Expedition and the Gunnison Expedition and Massacre. Each of these events had a profound effect on early Mormonism. SHOWNOTES: Howard Stansbury’s Expedition around the Great Salt Lake: An Examination of the Route and the Maps by Jesse G. Peterson John W.Gunnison’s Letters To …
Is This the First Gay Mormon Play?
The Sunstone Review reviewed what may be the earliest instance of gay Mormon theater, “Emmett: A One-Mormon Show,” written and performed by Emmett Foster, which was staged in 1983 at The Public House in New York City. Emmett’s mother has been married nine times. His sister tries to hide her smoking habit while she ogles missionaries. …
E167: Why I Stay.
Carol Lynn Pearson is known for her long-standing advocacy for the LGBT community in the LDS Church. This episode presents her thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses of the Church, and why she continues to engage with it.