Glass Box Podcast

In this episode, we talk about Mormon priestcraft and show just how much they fit into their own description, all while denying it, of course. (Mormons and their leaders are awfully good at that!) This will lead us directly into part 2 of Bruce R McConkie’s book Millennial Messiah. We have an enjoyable time also discussing Martin Luther and the rise of Protestantism. We will also talk about why we think McCrankie hated Catholicism so much.  Then we’ll close it out with some amazing news about a successful Malaria vaccine. Enjoy!  Show notes:    Main topic: Priestcraft Priestcraft:  https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/gs/priestcraft?lang=eng The Dangers of Priestcraft:    https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/teaching-seminary-preservice-readings-religion-370-471-and-475/the-dangers-of-priestcraft?lang=eng  A Popular History of Priestcraft In All Ages and Nations:    https://archive.org/stream/popularhistoryof00howiuoft/popularhistoryof00howiuoft_djvu.txt   MOGP: Millennial Mes

Hey guess what. It’s Gen Con time. AGAIN! It keeps showing up every six months. Go figure. In this episode we talk about what slipped through the cracks of this General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And yes, the timestamp is accurate. It’s a long listen, but hearing us dissect #GenCON is much, much, MUCH better than actually watching the 10 hours for yourself, right? This episode has a general content warning as there are talks involving some damaging concepts including death of a child, suicide, and, of course,  LGBTQ+ issues because those mormon leaders just won't stop being bigots. So fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy night!   Show notes:  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GlassBoxPod  Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/glassboxpodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/GlassBoxPod  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glassboxpodcast/  Merch store: https://exmomerch.creator-spring.com/ Be sure to use discount code GLASSBOX for a tithing off your order!!!

It’s time to break into our next long-form review of Mormon literature; Bruce R. McConkie’s Millennial Messiah! We get an idea for the purpose and objective of the book as well as McCrankie’s pet issues right off the bat. He speaks of the heresies integral to false prophecy and warns of the various movements and political groups are anti-Christ. But before we crack open the spine of this tome, our main segment is a brief deep-dive into Mormon prophecy. What is it? From where does it come? How reliable are Mormon prophecies and can they be trusted? And the greatest question with which some believers may wrestle, what’s Joseph Smith’s batting average? We round out the show with some happy news about government diversity in Portugal!   Show notes:  Mormon Prophecy: https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/archive/publications/the-truth-about-the-god-makers/ic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_prophecies_of_Joseph_Smith https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/journal-march-september-1838/41 https://www

As March is Women’s History Month in the USA, we knew it was time to talk about some amazing and strong women who have had a powerful effect on all of our lives. First we look at a fascinating figure integral to a transitory period of church history, Emmeline B. Wells, who pioneered women’s suffrage in Utah. Then, in MOGP we talk about the documentary RBG.  Following that, we round out the episode talking about the 120 3D printed statues of women scientists in the “#IfThenSheCan – The Exhibit” at the Smithsonian March 5-27. Enjoy!  Show notes:  Emmeline B. Wells Journals:  https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/news/chpress-publishes-emmeline-b-wells-diaries?lang=eng Emmeline B. Wells: “Am I not a Woman and a Sister?” by Carol Cornwall Madsen https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol22/iss2/3/ Emmeline B. Wells Romantic Rebel by Carol Cornwall Madsen https://rsc.byu.edu/supporting-saints-life-stories-nineteenth-century-mormons/emmeline-b-wells Woman’s Exponent archive https://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/digital

One of the most influential leaders of the modern Mormon church, Bruce R. McConkie, made a name for himself with his seminal 1958 work Mormon Doctrine, an encyclopedia of Mormon doctrine and theology. It immediately made waves in the community and the rest of the leadership decided to censor McConkie and the book was pulled from the shelves. With significant edits to address leadership complaints, the book was republished in 1966 and again massively edited and published in 1979 after the priesthood ban was lifted. We explore the life of Bruce McConkie and discuss the impact of Mormon Doctrine and McConkie, as well as the reasons for censure and highlighting necessary edits to tone the book down. Yes, this is the deep-dive on Bruce McConkie and Mormon Doctrine you’ve been waiting for and this episode launches us into our next long-form book review of Millennial Messiah by Bruce McConkie!   Mark your calendars! Our next Live Q&A!! is March 7th!!! 6:00 PM (MST)    Show notes:    The Bruce R. McConkie Story:

Much is said and thought of John C. Bennett from Nauvoo Mormon history, but what do the documents actually say? Today we go through a brief deep dive into this fascinating figure. He became a close friend and then personal greatest enemy of Joseph Smith throughout a complicated sequence of events. Bennett is most renowned for his 1842 expose, The History of the Saints, which he wrote after his abrupt removal from all church, government, and military appointments. We deal with the charge that he was providing abortions and what the implications which follow actually mean. After that we review Reign of Fire, a Christian Bale and Matthew McConaughey dragon movie with surprisingly deep interpretations. We wrap with some happy news from the Lego company to help children undergoing medical procedures.   Mark your calendars! Our next Live Q&A!! is March 7th!!! 6:00 PM (MST)  Interview read for patrons: https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/interview-3november-1841/1 Other Bennett Sources: https://w

YES! WE’RE FINALLY DONE!! The Miracle of Forgiveness has been a grind and we’re finally putting this monster of a book to rest. However, we can’t do it alone so we are joined by the incredible expertise of Natasha Helfer. She’s been working in sex and relationship therapy within the Mormon space for two and a half decades and she helps us contrast Spencer W. Kimball’s statements about sex and gender with modern science. Be sure to follow her at the links provided below. We hope you enjoy this celebration along with us before we crack into Bruce McConkie for our next long-form review! Show Notes:  A veritable gagglefuck of links to find Natasha Helfer! MMHA: https://mormonmentalhealthassoc.org/ Symmetry Solutions: https://www.symmetrysols.com/ Home page: https://www.natashahelfer.com/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/amp/tag/natashahelfer Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/natashahelfermft Or Google her to find plenty more projects! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GlassBoxPod  Facebook page: https://www.facebo

The Black 14 was a group of athletes at University of Wyoming in Laramie who stood up to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and BYU. They suffered the wrath of withering public ire, but their story is immortalized as emblematic of the struggle for racial justice and equality in the 1960s and 70s. Join us as we learn their story and discuss Brigham Young University’s fight to keep discriminating when it became illegal to do so. After that we discuss Small Foot, a movie about asking questions and breaking out of the shell in which people are raised. We round out the show with some happy news about gender and sex equality in Israel of all places.   Show Notes:    Resources concerning the Black 14 https://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/black-14-race-politics-religion-and-wyoming-football https://www.newspapers.com/image/598921419/?terms=byu%20protest&match=1 https://www.newspapers.com/image/636296214/?terms=byu%20protest&match=1 https://www.newspapers.com/image/536317000/?terms=byu%20pro

Yes, a show about New Year’s Resolutions for 2022! We discuss what resolutions the Mormon church should consider for the new year and some of the hold ups of accomplishing them. We have some resolutions of our own though! Then we get to the penultimate segment of Miracle of Forgiveness by Spencer W. Kimball. There’s light at the end of the tunnel and it feels good. Then we round out the show talking about clean flying goals for Denmark!   Show Notes:    Happy News:  https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-59849898    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GlassBoxPod  Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/glassboxpodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/GlassBoxPod  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glassboxpodcast/  Merch store: https://exmomerch.creator-spring.com/ Be sure to use discount code GLASSBOX for a tithing off your order!!!   iTunes reviews: We need more! 

It’s the last episode of the year and since we had a blast doing an all media episode last year, we decided to make it a tradition! We each brought something to the table in each category — books, movies, and music — and we had a great time discussing them.  We hope you enjoy them too. Have a fun holiday season!    Books:  Shannon’s book: Eva, by Peter Dickinson Bryce’s book: Understanding History, by Louis Gottschalk Film:  Shannon’s movie: Spy Game  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0266987/?ref_=tt_rvi_tt_i_5  Bryce’s movie: Uncut Gems  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5727208/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt    Music:    Bryce music: The Uneraseable Past by Cattle Decapitation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmYcFP1vTdk   Shannon’s music: The Planets, by Gustav Holst: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OD_HzdZwKk    Metal version of Neptune, The Mystic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUePYhmdLAA   Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GlassBoxPod  Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/glassboxpodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/Gl

We take on the next recommendation from the 2019 NPR broadcast Hidden Brain episode. Shannon tells us how our beliefs can be informed by people we trust and how resilient they prove. Then we get into the next segment of Miracle of Forgiveness by Spencer W. Kimball telling us about the benefits of forgiving folks who wrong us. Then we wrap with happy news about green power from India!   July 22, 2019 episode: Facts Aren’t Enough: The Psychology of False Beliefs.    https://www.npr.org/2019/07/18/743195213/facts-arent-enough-the-psychology-of-false-beliefs   The Misinformation Age: How False Beliefs Spread, by James Weatherall and Cailin O’Connor https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300234015/misinformation-age    The Vegetable Lamb of Tartary (because it is too funny!):  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetable_Lamb_of_Tartary   Happy News: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/india-achieves-target-of-40-power-generation-capacity-from-non-fossil-fuel-sources/articleshow/88057024.cms  

Our main segment features a piece done by NPR on their Hidden Brain podcast a few years ago. We discuss the type of mindset people need in order to be influenced for various purposes. Hope and fear feature in informing the mindset of a receptive brain when facts simply aren’t enough. After that we get into the next segment of The Miracle of Forgiveness by Spencer W. Kimball. We read a couple of the most infamous passages from the book including the level of sin assessed on survivors of sexual assault and the implication that those who choose to end their own lives are unforgivable. This is a heavy segment but we lighten it up with some fun and a poetic reading by Shannon from the book. We finish the episode with happy news about black Santas! Be sure to join us next Monday Nov 29th at 6 p.m. MST for our first live hangout!   Main topic: Facts Aren’t Enough: The Psychology of False Beliefs, From the podcast, Hidden Brain: A Conversation About Life’s Unseen Patterns.   https://www.npr.org/2019/07/18/743195213/

Let’s chat about some funny Mormon stories! We start from the earliest days of the church. We hear about missionaries raising the dead, Joseph Smith training a dove to eat grain out of his ear, and then going for a swim while covered in phosphorus oil. After that we talk about funny stories told about Mormons by the genius minds of Matt Stone and Trey Parker in the Mormon South Park episode and The Book of Mormon musical. We wrap with a story about lasers saving agriculture and discussing some listener mail.   Main topic:  http://www.sidneyrigdon.com/dbroadhu/OH/miscoh08.htm http://www.sidneyrigdon.com/dbroadhu/OH/miscoh03.htm http://www.sidneyrigdon.com/dbroadhu/NY/miscNYSi.htm#072044 http://www.sidneyrigdon.com/dbroadhu/NY/miscNYSb.htm#060635 http://www.sidneyrigdon.com/dbroadhu/NY/wayn1830.htm#062230 http://www.solomonspalding.com/docs/Wil1878a.htm#Moss1   Happy News:   https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkoetsier/2021/11/02/self-driving-farm-robot-uses-lasers-to-kill-100000-weeds-an-hour-saving-land-and

Welcome to today’s show. This episode contains another installment in the dangerous shitshow that is the Miracle of Forgiveness. Because the chapter we discuss is about bishop’s interviews, for our main segment, we interviewed Sam Young to talk about his Protect LDS Children movement — now named Protect Every Child. We also go over some of the answers you, our wonderful listeners, gave us on our survey about bishop’s interviews. Then to cleanse ourselves and you, we finish up with some happy news about cleaning up trash in the Pacific Ocean. And we should point out a content warning for the main segment as well as MoGP.  Show Notes:    Main topic: Sam Young’s Blog: https://invisiblescubit.com/  https://protectldschildren.org/   Happy News:   20,000 Pounds of Trash Removed From Pacific Garbage Patch: ‘Holy mother of god. It worked!’: https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/20000-pounds-of-trash-removed-from-pacific-garbage-patch/   WE MET OUR FIRST PATREON GOAL!! Quarterly live Q&A’s are now on the program!  Mo

It’s that time again. Every six months we see what slipped through the cracks of General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We watched it so you don’t have to, and yes, the timestamp is accurate. It’s a long listen, but hearing us dissect #GenCON is way better than actually watching the 10 hours for yourself, right? There’s also a point in the episode with a content warning as one of the talks focused on mental health and suicide, conveying some deeply damaging and problematic concepts.   Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GlassBoxPod  Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/glassboxpodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/GlassBoxPod  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glassboxpodcast/  Merch store: https://exmomerch.creator-spring.com/ Be sure to use discount code GLASSBOX for a tithing off your order!!!

We have a fun episode for you this week! We begin with a vicious anti-Mormon story about Henry Caswell (Caswall) and the Greek Psalter incident in Joseph Smith’s Nauvoo church. Hugh Nibley considered this one of the longest-running anti-Mormon stories and spent a good deal of print trying to debunk it (unsuccessfully I might add). Then we talk a Nic Cage movie from 2000, Gone in 60 Seconds because why the hell not. Then we wrap up with some happy news about recent cannabis legislation. Next few episodes are going to be pretty heavy so we wanted to keep things light and fun today. If you’d like to contribute to the next Miracle of Forgiveness segment concerning bishop’s interviews, please consider filling out the survey linked below or send us an email about your experience to glassboxpodcast@gmail.com   Bishop’s Interviews Survey: https://forms.gle/LrhBWKkyX8DeGanh8    Happy news: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/u-s-house-approves-marijuana-banking-reform-as-part-of-defense-spending-bill/   Patreon: https://

Bishop’s Interviews Survey: https://forms.gle/LrhBWKkyX8DeGanh8 The recent updates to the recently openly-published church handbook contain some fascinating details, some of which have stirred controversy and caused Mormons to leave the church! Shannon walks us through a few of the prominent changes and helps put them in context by comparing the 2020 Handbook to the 2006 Bishop’s Handbook. Then it’s off to the next segment of Miracle of Forgiveness. Spence tells us about repenting or perishing, abandoning sin, and awakening to sins we’re committing. He also spends some time justifying the holocaust and genocide of Native Americans after which he commits egregious sins against founding member of the church, Oliver Cowdery. Then we wrap with some happy news about the job market in climate studies and activism! Be sure to chime in for our survey about bishop’s interviews if you’d like to contribute your voice to the next segment of Miracle of Forgiveness.  Show notes:  Bishop’s Interviews Survey: https://forms.g

Apostle, and glorified school teacher, Jeffrey R. Holland gave a speech at BYU recently titled The Second Half of the Second Century of BYU. It’s made waves within the community for its viciously anti-human and bigoted bend, but there are many deeper messages and a truly disturbing historical context for the speech. Let not the fire of muskets keep us from seeing the true evil within. After that we invite Devin Sunde onto the show to discuss his upcoming graphic novel, Love & Sects! See his kickstarter below. Then we round out the episode with a story of students standing and protesting on campus for a teacher who was the victim of bigoted school policy.   Show notes:    The Second Century of BYU by Spencer W. Kimball https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/spencer-w-kimball/second-century-brigham-young-university/ This Time of Crisis: THe Race-Based Anti-BYU Athletic Protests of 1968-1971 by Gary James Bergera https://issuu.com/utah10/docs/uhq_volume81_2013_number3/s/10418366 BlackLatterDaySaints race in the ch

Shannon brings us some interesting information derived from a recent study about feeling the spirit™. The study was conducted on a small population of believing Mormons which produced some interesting results. After that we jump into Miracle of Forgiveness discussing sins of omission and suicide. We wrap up talking about some new tech that harnesses water from the air! Show notes:    Main topic:    Article on Jeffrey Anderson’s study: https://unews.utah.edu/this-is-your-brain-on-god/  Sunstone Podcast Episode 2: https://sunstonemagazine.com/sunstone-podcast-episode-2-jeffrey-s-anderson/  If you get goosebumps while listening to music: https://awarenessact.com/if-you-get-goosebumps-while-listening-to-music-your-brain-could-be-unique/    Brain connectivity reflects human aesthetic responses to music:  ​​https://academic.oup.com/scan/article/11/6/884/2223400?login=true    Happy News: A new technology for producing water from air in Oregon: https://www.opb.org/article/2021/08/10/warm-springs-leaders-back-hig

We decided it was time for us to prove we are actual human beings! Shannon and Bryce were able to attend the Sunstone Symposium in Sandy, Utah, along with our friend Julianne Briscoe, and we had an amazing time. We met extremely interesting people — both new friends and old friends — and learned new things that gave us some exciting ideas for us to explore on the podcast. We hope you enjoy our special episode!    Show notes:    Sunstone: https://sunstonemagazine.com/  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GlassBoxPod  Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/glassboxpodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/GlassBoxPod  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glassboxpodcast/  Merch store: https://exmomerch.creator-spring.com/ Be sure to use discount code GLASSBOX for a tithing off your order!!!