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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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?

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.

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?