The Plan of Salvation, Plan of Happiness, MORMON HEAVEN! We take a look at the doctrine and teachings compared to the text of Doctrine & Covenants 76. This revelation was given in the early years of Joseph Smith’s religious movement and the theology evolved significantly over time. Rusty’s heaven looks a bit different. After that we chat about Noah, a unique take on the Biblical flood story. We wrap with talking about a superhero compendium book!   Happy News: https://www.them.us/story/the-dc-book-of-pride-jadzia-axelrod-interview    Other Appearances:    Check out ..read more

Behavior control from Steven Hassan’s BITE model of cult mind control. We discuss how Mormonism controls our behavior today and historically. That leads us into our next installment of Saints: The Standard of Truth review. The book covers 1832-1836 from the tarring and feathering of Joseph Smith to the Kirtland Temple Dedication ceremony. Then we wrap with some happy news about organizations fighting against book bans in schools and public libraries!   Show Notes:    Steven Hassan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Hassan  Freedom of Mind Resource Center: https://freedom ..read more

EXMO LEX WahOOOOO!!! We finally find a proper excuse to invite Exmo Lex onto the show to discuss ExMormon tiktok and social media. She shares a bit of her story and experiences online while discussing the future of Mormon-related social media. After that we chat about a whole bunch of media in aggregate for Media of Great Price segment. We wrap the show with some happy news about innovation in the space of battery-density and how it bodes well for slowing climate change.   Happy News:  https://thedriven.io/2023/04/21/worlds-largest-battery-maker-announces-major-breakthrough-in-batter ..read more

Yes, it’s that time of year again. We discuss General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in granular detail. Every single talk, every slur, every logical fallacy, all contained herewith. Enjoy! If you can, that is.   Other Appearances:    Mormons on Mushrooms: https://www.mormonsonmushrooms.com/podcast/episode/7dc1c6bf/roughly-stoned-bryce-blankenagel-part-1-naked-mormonism-the-glass-box   Check out Joseph Smith vs Joseph’s Myth, where Aron and Bryce discuss the Joseph Smith story: https://youtu.be/oD2Xhg6F-Js   Come see us on Aron Ra’s YouTu ..read more

With a new year under the control of Revision Rusty M. Nailz we have a new Temple Endowment for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! What’s new? What’s not new?! Why did they make the changes?!?! We dive deep into the new endowment with comparisons from older versions to see what’s slipped through the cracks about the new Mormon ritual. After that we review a movie with another secret combination as its center, Angels and Demons, based on the Dan Brown novel. Then we wrap with happy news about the Bible possibly being banned in Utah public schools.   Happy news: https://www.st ..read more

Next on the block is the “Emotion” component of Steven Hassan’s BITE model of cult mind control. This launches us into the next installment of Saints: The Standard of Truth, covering the visionary era of the early Mormon movement and the move from New York to Ohio. Sidney Rigdon and Parley P. Pratt are introduced, as are the Partridge family, including 7 and 11 year-old Emily and Eliza. The book casually introduces the subject of polygamy, presumably to smooth over the subject in the coming chapters when the practice becomes more controversial and widespread. We end the segment discussing Ezra ..read more

This is kind of an unusual episode. Shannon’s still in recovery so Bryce is making a solo run for better or worse (definitely the latter). We run through the stories of some early African-American members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Their stories are remarkable, their struggles real, their histories vague but inspiring. We try to place their stories within the larger context of slavery in Utah and what life might have been like at the time. Thank you to Century of Black Mormons project at the University of Utah for creating a wonderful resource with biographies of these ..read more

CULTS! Well, one specifically. We start this episode with a brief rundown of Steven Hassan’s BITE model of cult mind control. We hone in on the element of “Information” control within the larger BITE model to discuss how important controlling information is to the longevity of any cult. That leads us into our longer segment where we finally begin our review of Saints: The Standard of Truth, the new authoritative history book of early Mormonism published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Part 1 discusses the early history of the Joseph Smith family, the supernatural visitation ..read more

It’s finally time for our long-awaited deep dive into New Mormon History. Put simply, NMH was a movement within the history department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to confront controversial history and turn away from the apologetic and polemical Old Mormon History. The leading figure, Leonard Arrington, was the right person for the job. But, he didn’t have the business chops to fight forces much larger than him in the form of Mark E. Petersen, Ezra Taft Benson, and Boyd K. Packer. The main segment is long as we chronicle the rise, fall, and resurrection of the New Mormon ..read more

Education is a battleground for the hearts and minds of the future. The Church Education System of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was founded in 1980, but the history of education in Mormonism is far more complex. We do a deep dive into how the CES started and the sordid pasts of the various educational institutions attached to the Church at some point. There’s also a tangential deep dive into seminary and the legal sphere of “released time” classes carving out exemptions where religion can be taught in public schools. Then we discuss the modern battlefield of public education ..read more