Lesley Butterfield is back again to discuss her recent Commentary published in the Salt Lake Tribune entitled “LDS Church Officials are Practicing Spiritual Extortion.” Lesley speaks from a place of personal heartache as she describes how the Policies and Doctrine elicited by LDS Officials are indeed abusive. Her experiences are all too common. Lesley ends with a powerful declaration of what her Heaven will be full of, in contrast to the Mormon Heaven spoke of by Prophet and President Russel M. Nelson in the most recent LDS General Conference. This was previously Exclusive Patreon content and is now released public. Check out the video of this episode on Patreon today!
Links mentioned in this episode:
- VIDEO of this episode on Patreon
- SLTrib: Commentary: LDS Church officials are practicing spiritual extortion
- Pres Rusty Nelson’s Recent “Sad Heaven” talk in Conference
- VENMO for Mormon Happy Hour one time donations
- Music by bensound.com and by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 - Transition pieces found here
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This is the second half of the panel discussion Lesley, Bryce and I have regarding the SCMC. Don’t miss Episode 73 (The Call to the SCMC) and Episode 74, Part 1 of our Debrief Panel after the call. All three videos are available on Patreon right now!
Lesley Butterfield, Bryce Blankenagel and I create a very strong case for why we all should care about the Strengthening Church Members Committee and their top secret files obtained through secret spies and online moles. We learned quite a few things during our call to the SCMC office, call in Episode 73, and we bring in current events that make these discoveries even more significant. The recent Vice piece chronicling the sex abuse case in West Virginia and how they focus on the LDS Church “Helpline” becomes a vital tie in. And did you catch the Panel of Women at the Women’s Conference at BYU who told all the women in the church how to submit when Priesthood leaders are being dismissive? Yuck! It is aaaaaalll related! Be sure and listen to Episode 75 as well, as this is a 2 part discussion. The videos for these episodes are already on Patreon, where subscribers got a super early release!
Today, 3 Mormons are back to call the Strengthening Church Members Committee. This Committee serves the church leadership as an Orwellian group of dutiful spies who track down the activities of members who have been deemed apostate. These files contain screenshots of online activities and other evidence of apostasy. Once a member gains the level of public attention that is deemed problematic to the LDS highest authority, the member’s local leaders, Bishops and Stake Presidents, are given the go-ahead to begin disciplinary action. As you may remember from MHH Ep57, myself, Lesley Butterfield and Bryce Blankenagel are still members of record and have not yet resigned for unique reasons. So we decided to call Elder Dyches this morning to obtain what information was found in our prospective SCMC member files. Listen in to see how it went and what new information we gained! Lesley asks specifically about what recourse members have who are abused by the very local ecclesiastical leaders that Church HQ refers us back to when we raise concern. Don’t miss Part 2 where we discuss this call and all the new information and its significance later today.
Crystal Legionnaires made waves one year ago when she stood and shouted “Stop Protecting Sexual Predators” in the Conference Center during a live session of conference. This year, she carefully chose a new demonstration to promote a message of importance for the quality of life of all LGBTQ individuals who are harmed by the policies and doctrine enforced by LDS Leadership. She shares with us the thought and planning before the day, the response during the walk, and what she has heard in the aftermath. Crystal includes a tender story of a woman who stopped to help her feet during the walk. If you’d like to watch the video of Crystal’s chat, head to Mormon Happy Hour on Patreon!
Part 2 brings 3 guests all with extensive experience and expertise, all unique and fascinating, with Cannabis! First up, learn all the benefits it can bring to your mental health, backed by scientific research! Best of all, learn what it can do to conquer an upbringing in Mormon sex shaming and unlock mind-blowing orgasms! Who doesn’t want amazing sex? Next, listen as Chelsea tells us what she has learned through decades of use and from being closely engaged in a local grower of cannabis in WA State. And last of all, a special friend I’ll call Candy because of her skills making the KanniKandi in her very own kitchen! If you missed the videos of my exploration with cannabis, head over to Patreon to check those out!
Tarot reading and other mystical arts were largely discredited in my Mormon youth, often with allegations of utilizing Satanic powers. Join Sara Hanks herself as we explore her journey into the world of Tarot and the evolution of thought and belief between being an active Mormon and a Tarot card reader. We compare Mormon supernatural fortune telling, such as Patriarchal blessings and Priesthood blessings, and discuss just how mystical Mormonism really is. Bonus! Sara gives me, Colleen, my own reading! Check it out on Patreon/MormonHappyHour right now! If you want to learn more about Cultivating Spirituality Beyond Religion, check out the show notes for a course by the lovely Sara Hanks, registration ends April 28th! Don’t miss a chance to learn how to grow your spiritual garden!
Blaire Ostler took her traditional post outside the LDS Conference Center during their biannual General Conference, holding her sign inviting attendees to “Hug a Queer *Mormon) *this year she did modify it to say “Latter Day Saint.” Join her as she shares with us her passionate queer response to the recent monumental reversal of the 2015 LGBTQ Exclusion Policy of the LDS Church that labeled “same-sex” couples as apostates and exiled their children from membership in the church. Blaire speaks to bi-erasure, what real love of others looks and feels like, and what the response to her Hug Campaign has been. Her passion and her heart are a beautiful feeling to experience! As always, watch this interview instead of just listen by visiting Mormon Happy Hour on Patreon! Your Patreon support means everything to me! Thank you!!!
Michael Smith returns with his irreverent interruptions to discuss the recent LGBT Exclusion Policy Reversal that was announced. We also introduce a VERY important Instagram account that is raising awareness in an area Colleen passionately advocates to change, the BYU Honor Code office! And lastly, since it is the very weekend of LDS General Conference, please enjoy some hopeful conference rumors! Don’t miss the bonus content with Michael, which you get a teaser of in this episode! Head on over to Patreon to catch all the videos from this episode!