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!
Links mentioned in this episode:
- Video of Panel Part 1
- Video of Panel Part 2
- Video of Panel Part 3
- Jump to Part 2 of Discussion, Episode 75
- Radio Free Mormon and his Call to Elder Dyches of the SCMC
- VICE: The Mormon Church Has Been Accused of using a Victim’s Hotline to Hide Claims of Sexual Abuse
- Deseret News: Latter Day Saint Spokesman Denounces news story about church’s abuse response
- Deposition Notes RE: Kirton McConkie involvement in the Bishop’s Helpline
- Panel of Women at BYU: How to respond to a Dismissive Priesthood Leader
- Episode art found here
- 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
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
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.
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!
Gina Colvin and I make a case for Secular Lent as she teaches me about her own Lent practices and what she has learned during her deep dives into what Lent is all about. We share our own thoughts on what spirituality means to us as we have left Orthodox Mormonism behind. Be inspired by Gina’s philosophical views of the Liturgical year, the meaning behind each season, and the beauty within the rituals and meditations. What does fasting mean? Why may it be important even after we have left religion behind? As always, please enjoy the full video of this conversation on Patreon, just search Mormon Happy Hour or follow the links in the show notes. Gina Colvin also invites you to join her on March 30th in SLC as she hosts “Farewell to God: A Lenten Retreat” something that sounds a lot like a KonMari to God! Details in the show notes.
Welcome, Jami Good, a delightful and insightful long time listener and supporter of the show, here to run down the latest headlines within Mormonism! Together, we hit all the hot topics, including Bill Reel’s pending excommunication, changes to mission types, worthiness interviews on This American Life, Leah Remini to take on Mormonism, post-Mormon AZ Senator Kyrsten Sinema, and a few other goodies you are sure to chuckle at with us! As always, if you’d prefer to watch this interview instead of just listen, head over to Mormon Happy Hour on Patreon!
Colleen and Lesley take a chronological approach through the past 2 weeks of sexual abuse hot topics in Mormonism. We vent our way through Sam Young of the Protect LDS Children movement called to a disciplinary court and the results of that court still undetermined. Don’t miss McKenna Denson calling out her alleged rapist, former Missionary Training Center President Joseph Bishop in front of his local congregation. Next, beloved Progressive Mormon Columnist for the SLTrib, Robert Kirby, responds to Denson’s call-out and social media erupts. MormonLeaks is sued by Brigham Young University, and also this past Tuesday, drops a leaked memo from Kirton McConkie, the LDS Church’s law firm. The memo addresses 6 cases of sexual misconduct and how the church [MIS] handles them. And we wrap up the vent fest with two brave women who are speaking out about the unsafe conditions of LDS missionaries, including their own harrowing experiences of sexual assault. Full video of the episode is available on Patreon.
This week Colleen brings 3 guests on to discuss several hot topics in Mormonism. First up, Blaire Ostler, a queer Mormon woman, takes on the Exclusion Policy addition to both the Missionary and Seminary manuals. Second, Marie Kent from My Book of Mormon Podcast hashes out Utah Prop 2, the legalization of medical marijuana. And lastly, New Name Noah Mike Norton gives us an update on what we should be calling the church formerly known as The Mormons. Don’t miss Mike’s upcoming plans for Sam Young’s pending excommunication for asking the LDS Church to stop asking children sexually explicit questions. But those can only be found with all the other full-length videos on our Patreon page!
The Angels on Fire showcase the #andsoIstayed hashtag begun by Jennie Willoughby, ex-wife of Trump Secretary, Rob Porter and how this experience is relevant within her LDS culture. Colleen shares updates for Missionaries and their usage of social media to communicate with friends, family, and prospective spouses. Miranda and Colleen discuss common experiences within local Exmo Support groups with predators. Check out a new hilarious Instagram account @the_angelmoroni and their video “When Mormon Prophets are DTF.” Don’t miss the full episode video live on Patreon!