MormonTalk

090 - From the Hip, A Layer of Shiny Coins

Dave & Mike — Sat, 07 Aug 2021 19:56:49 +0000

Another episode “from the hip”, as we discuss a variety of (somewhat) recent church news, focusing the bulk of our conversation on the issues tied to Huntsman’s law suit against the church for misrepresenting its use of tithing funds.

089 - From the Hip, Rusty's Easter Message

Dave & Mike — Sun, 01 Aug 2021 17:01:32 +0000

In our first “From the Hip” episode, we talk about the church news that we stumbled upon while surfing the web during the April, 2021 church conference. One of the gems we found was Rusty’s Easter Message.

088 - Green Jell-O With Carrots

Dave & Mike — Mon, 12 Jul 2021 20:19:52 +0000

Over the years, a unique culture developed within and around Mormonism and its adherents, from unique foods (like green Jell-o with carrot shavings) to peculiar behaviors and figures of speech. We take some time in this episode to address some of our favorite “Mormonisms”, while simultaneously poking fun at ourselves for having been a part of it.

087 - Our Lord and Savior Joseph Smith

Dave & Mike — Sun, 27 Jun 2021 20:57:47 +0000

The leaders of the LDS church – and thus, most of the members – claim their savior is Jesus. However, a little low-effort, surface digging (like Joseph’s treasure hunting) reveals that that sneaky little Joseph Smith secured a bit of glory for himself before he passed on. He just may have a bit more of a “savior” status in the church than you might expect.

086 - The Church That Saves

Dave & Mike — Tue, 25 May 2021 00:09:51 +0000

We’ve all heard the arguments, usually from evangelical Christian churches, that the Mormon church isn’t “Christian”. As former members, we pressed back heavily on such claims, thinking of them as ridiculous. “After all, look at the fetchin’ NAME OF THE CHURCH! Gosh!”, we’d say, along with other clever quips. But when you dissect it a little, what does it mean for a church to be “Christian”, and does the Mormon church really qualify? Jump into the episode to join us in the shenanigans.

The Threesomes 07 - "Cindy"

Dave & Mike — Wed, 05 May 2021 17:18:57 +0000

After a VERY long publishing delay (read: COVID-19 experiences and other fun stuff), we’re back at it adding episodes. Here’s another Threesomes segment, this time with Dave’s friend, Cindy. Join us as we talk through Cindy’s journey, which ended with her making the decision to leave the church – all costs included – and discover that there may just be some light at the end of the tunnel.

085 - Power of Voodoo

Dave & Mike — Sun, 14 Mar 2021 14:03:11 +0000

Before his death, one of the gifts Joseph Smith Jr. left behind is the mysterious role of “patriarch” in the church. Evidently, these men are able to channel god’s personal crystal ball(s) and disseminate his will to recipients under their divinely guided hands, providing details about their pre-mortal life, offering promises and guidance for this life, and peering into the life beyond. Termed a “patriarchal blessing”, these personalized revelations from god become little “liahonas” for the members, and serve to exacerbate feelings of elitism and pride coupled with inadequacy, unworthiness, and confusion.

084 - How to Train Your Mormon

Dave & Mike — Sun, 28 Feb 2021 17:35:00 +0000

Borrowing from the movie titled How to Train Your Dragon, in this episode we pay homage to beloved Pavlovian techniques as we discuss the methods used in Mormonism to “train” people to be good, obedient members. Ring that bell!

083 - Not Anti-Anti-Mormon

Dave & Mike — Thu, 11 Feb 2021 00:24:27 +0000

One of the dreaded labels for a discerning member of the LDS church to wield against a malcontent is the term “anti-Mormon”. But what does that really mean? Is something anti-Mormon because it contradicts the doctrine or history of the church, or does it perhaps have something more to do with one’s level of loyalty to the current leadership?

082 - Apologizing for the Lord

Dave & Mike — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 11:02:06 +0000

Over the decades, the church has employed different styles of apologetics in their efforts to “defend” their truth claims. We give the history of apologetics a quick review in this episode, ending with a discussion about how it’s evolved and where we sit today.

081 - Plop Plop Fizz Fizz, Part 2

Dave & Mike — Sun, 31 Jan 2021 14:09:09 +0000

This is our (much delayed) response to the second part of Rusty Nel’s effervescent offering. That piece, of course, was his surgeon-sponsored prescription to pray. Do you feel relieved of gaseous build-up?

080 - Plop Plop Fizz Fizz, Part 1

Dave & Mike — Sun, 17 Jan 2021 14:44:27 +0000

In case you missed it, Rusty Nel gave an earth-shaking, glorious, revelatory message to the world back in November. In this two-part episode, we address the two core messages of his presentation — gratitude and prayer — and how they’re about as unique and helpful for solving problems at a personal and global level as taking a couple of effervescent lozenges.

079 - Burnin' For You

Dave & Mike — Wed, 13 Jan 2021 19:35:59 +0000

We admit the title of this episode is an insensitive play on words, but we address the infamous Branch Davidians sect, led by David Koresh, and some of the similarities between Koresh and Lil’ Joe. A few of the parallels between the Davidian and Mormon cult leaders may surprise you!

078 - Suffer Buffer, Part 2

Dave & Mike — Sat, 09 Jan 2021 21:39:36 +0000

Part 2 of our exploration around how the concept of suffering is addressed by LDS church teachings.

077 - Suffer Buffer, Part 1

Dave & Mike — Sun, 03 Jan 2021 09:58:45 +0000

The LDS church teaches that suffering is an integral part of our existence on earth and necessary for several reasons, including honing our character, proving our obedience, and strengthening our faith. We address this harmful teaching in a two-part conversation.

076 - The Factses on Taxes

Dave & Mike — Sun, 13 Dec 2020 18:54:46 +0000

In the United States, there are five key qualifications that a religious organization has to meet in order to be given tax exempt status. In this episode, we take a peek at those 5 qualifications and do our best to judge whether or not the LDS church meets the criteria.

075 - Promises, Promises

Dave & Mike — Thu, 03 Dec 2020 22:33:19 +0000

The church makes many promises to its members. Of course, no promises are as well-known as the infamous promise from Moroni in the Book of Mormon. Check in as we chat about that promise and the philosophy of the church in general about promises based on the behaviors and obedience of its members.

074 - Poltergeist Heist

Dave & Mike — Mon, 16 Nov 2020 21:57:03 +0000

We take a break from our recent string of Threesomes episodes to publish a previously recorded conclusion to our "First Principles and Ordinances of the Gospel" theme. We couldn't wrap things up without discussing the fourth and final piece of that celestial pie -- the Gift of the Holy Ghost. Join us as we jump into a frivolous-yet-serious discussion about the church's doctrine behind this strange and very important concept!

073 - Baptism Sophism

Dave & Mike — Thu, 08 Oct 2020 00:10:43 +0000

Moving on through our discussion of the "first principles and ordinances" of the Mormon faith brings us to the ordinance of baptism. Where did this practice come from, and what does the church teach about it? Is the Mormon church's version of baptism similar to other churches, or are there significant differences? Do you think Dave and Mike can find ways to make fun of the church's teachings around it (i.e. is water a combination of hydrogen and oxygen)?

072 - Pseudologia Fantastica

Dave & Mike — Thu, 24 Sep 2020 23:28:30 +0000

It may sound like a spell from the Harry Potter movies, but it's just a fancy way of saying "pathological lying". We take a side-step for a moment from discussing the next "principle and ordinance of the gospel" (baptism) to chat a little about how Joe Jr. was a mythomaniac (another word for compulsive liar) and used a combination of the familiar, intriguing, and mysterious to build the foundation of what would later become the Mormon church.

071 - Shame Sham

Dave & Mike — Tue, 15 Sep 2020 22:38:25 +0000

Moving on to discussing the 2nd "principle and ordinance of the gospel", we address the LDS concept of repentance. Of course, we can't talk about repentance in Mormonism without including its cousin, worthiness. The church has used these twin weapons as task master whip and battering ram to shame members and keep them in-line since its inception. Unfortunately, as with many LDS teachings, it results in untold damage to the church's membership.

070 - Germinating Termination

Dave & Mike — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 12:36:52 +0000

The 4th Article of Faith in the Mormon church begins, "We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ..." In this episode, we talk about some of the problems and contradictions inherent in the church's teachings about faith, and how faith is ultimately used as a tool to gaslight members and terminate critical thinking.

069 - Left-foot Lehi and the False Start Band

Dave & Mike — Thu, 27 Aug 2020 00:17:58 +0000

We all know that the Book of Mormon is full of anachronisms (we poked fun at the story of the Jaredites in a prior episode), but you don't have to read that far to discover the shenanigans. In this episode we have some fun talking about some of the stories readers experience in the early pages of the book.

068 - Anchors and Parkay, Part 2

Dave & Mike — Tue, 28 Jul 2020 23:04:25 +0000

We conclude our 2-part episode on the church's teachings about how to find "objective reality" in the world. Is the church's suggestion the best method, or is there a balance to be found between reasoning and emotion?

067 - Anchors and Parkay

Dave & Mike — Thu, 09 Jul 2020 22:47:16 +0000

If you're old like us, you'll remember a series of commercials on TV about Parkay margarine. The premise was that it tasted like butter and had the texture of butter, but it was actually something quite different. Likewise, the church claims it has "real butter" with regard to the greatest questions in life, and that those answers can become like an "anchor" to those looking for truth. But is the butter really margarine, and is the anchor really a ball-and-chain?

066 - Scarlet Fever

Dave & Mike — Thu, 02 Jul 2020 00:07:19 +0000

Starting at a very young age, the Mormon church instills its members with the notion that sex is "carnal", evil, and filthy. Rather than a natural, normal, healthy phase of human development, sexual exploration and expression - especially outside of marriage - is taught as something to restrain and divorce from one's behavior. From a "level of sin" perspective, only murder and denying the Holy Ghost rank higher. We explore some of the church's teachings in this episode, and how the leaders use guilt and shame around sexuality as control mechanisms. In the best cases this leaves many members guilt-ridden, and in the worst cases it causes irreparable damage and dysfunction. At least the church's founder, Joseph Smith Jr., was an example of sexual morality and fidelity, right?

065 - Just Scripture Twistin'

Dave & Mike — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 01:23:48 +0000

If there's one thing Joseph enjoyed doing, it was twisting scriptures! Whether it was expressing the epitome of humility by retroactively adding himself to past prophesies, or just creating scriptures from nothingness, good ol' Addendum Boy couldn't seem to help himself. His three-year project to replace some of the "plain and precious things" that had been lost from the Bible has become one of the most well-known examples of that pastime. Join us as we chat a little bit about the background and outcomes of the "Joseph Smith Translation" of the Bible.

064 - Planting Idol-a-Trees

Dave & Mike — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 22:45:34 +0000

One of the things the leaders of the LDS church and its members are very proud of proclaiming is that - unlike the rest of the world - their religion teaches not to "idolize" anything or anyone other than God himself (and perhaps his son, Jesus Christ). Besides the blatant visual or physical evidences to the contrary (such as the golden statues of Moroni on the tops of multi-million dollar temples), is there a deeper, more elusive doctrine or culture that may contradict the claim? Does the church "plant trees of idols" in the hearts and minds of the membership?

063 - Trust Busters

Dave & Mike — Tue, 09 Jun 2020 23:08:04 +0000

The LDS church requires its members to extend significant trust to its leaders. "The Brethren" at the top are sustained as "prophets, seers, and revelators" who literally speak for God. Local leaders, while not looked upon as prophets, are still trusted as being led by the "spirit", having highly sensitive judgment (aka, "discernment"), and being a safe, trustworthy resource to their flock. Members are encouraged to embrace confirmation bias, and to hold their trust in the leadership and doctrine above any personal concerns or questions they may have about the church's truth claims. Unfortunately, history has shown us that much of the trust the members have placed in the church, its doctrines, and its leaders has been misplaced. In the best case, this misplaced trust creates disappointment. In the worst case, it irreparably harms families, breaks hearts, and destroys dreams.

062 - Not-so-Special Witnesses of Christ

Dave & Mike — Tue, 02 Jun 2020 23:28:36 +0000

When the church was very young, Joe and Ollie called 12 apostles, hearkening back to the good ol' days of Jesus and his traveling band. Ollie told the 12 that they had the obligation to see the face of God, one reason of which was to be able to testify to the members of the church and to the world at large that they had "seen his face". Since then, the concept has been watered down to the idea of simply "witnessing of his name". What does that even mean? And do the current apostles still claim to have seen Jesus, or has that been eliminated from the expectations of their office altogether? Let's dig a little deeper, and have fun while we're at it (as usual).

061 - Dead Men's Bones

Dave & Mike — Thu, 28 May 2020 12:17:56 +0000

The church claims to be "the only true and living church on the face of the earth". What makes a church true? Beyond that - what makes it "living"? Join us as we take a look at this conundrum. Along the way, we consider the pertinent message from a famous pirate, "It's not gettin' in to the Land of the Dead that's the problem... it's gettin' back."

060 - What's the Point?

Dave & Mike — Wed, 20 May 2020 18:51:44 +0000

Did you ever hear of the "17 Points of the True Church"? It all stemmed from a talk given by a guy named Floyd Weston. "Back in the day" (especially from the late 70's to early 80's), it became a sort of cultural phenomenon in the church that a lot of members used to help "prove" the church was true. Although it isn't referenced much these days, it's a great example of the logical fallacies that have been used in the past (and are still used today) in the church's efforts to prove the veracity of its truth claims. Time to pick it apart.

059 - Keystoned

Dave & Mike — Thu, 14 May 2020 00:00:43 +0000

You've probably heard the Book of Mormon called the "keystone" of the LDS religion. Join us in a small "stoning session" as we throw rocks at some of the truth claims and anachronisms in "the most correct book on earth", coupled with some important messages from The Brethren. We've included a special "hip hop" sound bite for your entertainment.

058 - Look to the Source, of Course!

Dave & Mike — Tue, 05 May 2020 21:52:19 +0000

According to Jeff "Jowls" Holland, if you don't believe the Book of Mormon is true without accounting for its origin, you've been "deceived". Well then, let's look to the source, shall we?

057 - Sieg Heil, Pukedork!

Dave & Mike — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 22:18:31 +0000

Join Dave and Mike in a comic-filled review of one of the talks given during this recent General Conference.

056 - The Dream Within a Dream

Dave & Mike — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 23:06:52 +0000

You're probably familiar with the account of Lehi's dream in the Book of Mormon. Since the Book of Mormon could be described as something that was "dreamed up" by Joseph Smith (sprinkled heavily with ripped-off content from other contemporary sources), we might aptly call Lehi's dream, "the dream within a dream". Dave and Mike discuss the symbolism in the dream and how it directly impacts core doctrines of the church, specifically with regard to how members should live their lives and view the world and people around them.