Glass Box Podcast

Spring of 1842 was a world-shaping event, the introduction of the endowment ceremony by Joseph Smith to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We've talked about it and a few of the more recent changes to the endowment a few times, but this is the overview. What it was when it was introduced, how it changed under Brigham Young, and many of the changes that have happened since his death, all under one (long) segment. Then we talk about Heretic, a movie about two missionaries in a cat-and-mouse game with a well-educated anti-Mormon playing by his own rules. Then we wrap with happy news from ABC and Jimmy Kimmel responding to the government shutdown and SNAP running dry.   Show Notes:  https://addfaith.org/blog/faith/belief/keystonelds/top-10-abandoned-temple-practices-in-latter-day-saint-history/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExVTljWWlzYnQ3cVF2bk1mcHNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR4ldMRGSktTbiKihaWAr75MQpqYcXLwOH1L_n2_hMARqtaV3AFEhm_CQGyvAQ_aem_A-UXdJKWRl0r9HF-XTHanQ https://mormonr.o

At long last Shannon gets to talk about the book she's been planning on since the last Halloween episode — The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. We first discuss the Aesthetic Movement of the 19th century and a tiny bit of the life of Oscar Wilde before we jump into the book itself. Then Bryce gifts you with an abbreviated history of metal music. Get a notepad ready to take notes because he gives you a LOT of information! Happy Halloween!  Show Notes:     The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde:  Oscar Wilde Official Website: http://www.cmgww.com/historic/wilde/  Oscar Wilde: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Wilde  Aestheticism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aestheticism  Decadent Movement: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decadent_movement  The Aesthetic Movement by Fiona McCarthy: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2011/mar/26/aestheticism-exhibition-victoria-albert-museum  Aesthetic Movement in England by Walter Hamilton: https://archive.org/details/aestheticmovem

It’s that time of year! 195th Semi-annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We see what slipped through the cracks!   David Bednar Q12 – Moral Agency means doing what you were coerced to agree to do   B. Corey Cuvleier Q70 – The correct name   Matthew S. Holland Q70 – Jonah, Adam and Eve, and Biblical literalism   Carlos A Godoy Q70 – He’s helping impoverished Africans who pay their tithing   Dale G Renlund Q12 – Surgeon-scholarship-recipient really like Rusty Nailz   John D Amos Q70 – Put more Tonys in it   Ozani Farias Q70 – Read your sticks   Dallin Oaks rounding it out – A prophet-elect ascends; no more new temples; make more big Mormon families Saturday Evening for Patrons!   Patrick Kearon Q12 – Stop sinning already and embrace your hundredth start   J Anette Dennis FC RS GP – Depression and atheism   Steven C Barlow Q70 – His brother mowed some lawns   William K Jackson Q70 – Counting and Accounting; white supremacists making lists  

It’s that time of year! 195th Semi-annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We see what slipped through the cracks!   Jeffrey R. Holland – Book of Mormon is miraculous and stop being so mean to me about it   James E Evanson Q70 – Go on your mission, even if you have to settle for a service mission   Ulisses Soares Q12 – Temperance and quoting MLK Jr.   Peter M. Johnson Q70 – Priesthood ban blindsided him   D. Todd Christofferson – FSY and Family Proc; masturbation is evil   Andrea M. Spannaus SC YM GP – We’re a doomsday cult; the end is coming   Henry B Cryring – Proving steel in pre-Columbian Americas   Other appearances: Chris Shelton interviewed us in the beginning of a series on Mormonism on his Speaking of Cults series. He has had MANY different fascinating people on so go take a look! Here is the whole playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpGuS7GcsgA&list=PLGrPM1Pg2h72ADIuv8eYmzrJ-ppLOlw_g   Email: glassboxpodcast@gmail.com  Patreo

It’s that time of year! 195th Semi-annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We see what slipped through the cracks!   Ronald Rasband Q12 – Family: A Proclamation to the World is ‘doctrine’   Chad Webb FC SS GP – Gospel not a ‘list of demands’   Jeremy Jaggi Q70 – Chaplain’s altar is Mormon symbol   Kevin Brown Q70 – Moral agency; we are agents   Gerrit Gong Q12 – Fortune cookies are American?   Michael Cziesla Q70 – Funeral potatos and green jello are weird   Quentin Cook Q12 – Tale of Two Cities; we live in turbulent times   Other appearances: Chris Shelton interviewed us in the beginning of a series on Mormonism on his Speaking of Cults series. He has had MANY different fascinating people on so go take a look! Here is the whole playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpGuS7GcsgA&list=PLGrPM1Pg2h72ADIuv8eYmzrJ-ppLOlw_g   Email: glassboxpodcast@gmail.com  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GlassBoxPod  Patreon page for documentary: https:

It’s that time of year! 195th Semi-annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We see what slipped through the cracks!   Saturday Morning talks:   Gary A. Stevenson Q12 – Be peacemakers no matter what   Tracy Y. Browning SC PGP – Primary songs are the key to cult mind-control   Ronald Barcellos Q70 – Morals of David v. Eliab   Brik V. Eyre Q70 – Comfort then Convert   Kelly R. Johnson Q70 – Forensic accounting   Dieter Uchtdorf Q12 – Up a down escalator   Other appearances: Chris Shelton interviewed us in the beginning of a series on Mormonism on his Speaking of Cults series. He has had MANY different fascinating people on so go take a look! Here is the whole playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpGuS7GcsgA&list=PLGrPM1Pg2h72ADIuv8eYmzrJ-ppLOlw_g   Email: glassboxpodcast@gmail.com  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GlassBoxPod  Patreon page for documentary: https://www.patreon.com/SeerStonedProductions BlueSky: @glassboxpodcast.bsky.so

We invite back Chris Shelton MSc from his YouTube channel by the same name to talk all about cults. He’s here to share his model of human behavior, the REM (Reason/Rationalization, Emotion, Morality) and we get lost deep into the weeds discussing it and related cult topics. After that, we wrap up the Givens with the final installment of The Christ Who Heals. We go through the entire part 2 of the book and tell what book/author we’re reviewing next year. After that we talk about windows being turned into solar panels!   Links: https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1838-1856-volume-e-1-1-july-1843-30-april-1844/55#full-transcript https://uncorrelatedmormonism.com/19-similarities-between-joseph-smith-and-emanuel-swedenborg/ https://www.theguardian.com/science/2008/feb/09/darwin.eye https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathsheba_W._Smith   Happy News: https://www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/clear-coating-turns-windows-into-solar-panels   Other appearances: Chris Shelton interviewed us in t

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released 3 new Gospel Topics Essays in July. We go through each of them, discuss the information that’s missing, chat about the propaganda woven into every line, and speculate as to the impetus behind the new essays. For ease of listening, the Book of Mormon Translation starts at 13:31, the Plural Marriage starts at 1:01:24, and Joseph Smith’s Character starts at 1:53:15. After that we chat Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, a post-apocalyptic wasteland movie about two warring cult leaders. Then we wrap with happy news about metalheads fighting bullying in schools! Show Notes:  https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/book-of-mormon-translation?lang=eng https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/plural-marriage?lang=eng https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/joseph-smiths-character?lang=eng https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Question:_Why_were_the_gold_plates_needed_at_all_if_they_wer

Are Mormons Christian? According to most Christians, no. According to them, Jesus Christ is literally in the name of the church! We dig into the bedrock on this issue to see what does or does not qualify as “Christian”. After that, we dive into the final of the Givens trilogy, The Christ Who Heals. It’s more or less a 130-page missionary discussion with a few dribbles of ancient theologian writings. After that we talk about a statue being built to Robert Smalls in South Carolina.   Show Notes:  Jesus in Islam: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_in_Islam  Jewish views on Jesus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_views_on_Jesus  Buddhism and Christianity: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism_and_Christianity  Bodhisattva: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhisattva  The real reason mormons aren’t in the Christian Club: https://wheatandtares.org/2022/10/28/the-real-reason-mormons-arent-in-the-christian-club/  Nicene Creed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicene_Creed    Happy News:  R

You asked for it and you got it! We interviewed Belle Holsinger who we talked about last episode in our Sunstone recap. She gave us the absolutely riveting information from her presentation at Sunstone titled “Bearing witness: The castration and murder of Henry Jones and his mother, Hannah Jones Gailey Hatch.”   Following our time with Belle, we watched The Godfather because what OTHER movie is as fitting? We then closed with some incredible new breakthroughs in cancer research. Enjoy! Show Notes:    Belle’s Contact information: BelleSingerBook@gmail.com   MOGP: The Godfather  IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068646/  Where it’s streaming: https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-godfather-part-i    Happy News: Trojan horse bacteria sneak cancer-killing viruses into tumors:   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250816113522.htm  Other appearances: Chris Shelton interviewed us in the beginning of a series on Mormonism on his Speaking of Cults series. He has had MANY differe

We went to Sunstone Symposium in SLC, like we try to do every year! It was fantastic and a great place to meet good folks, visit old friends, and learn new things along the way. We discuss some of our favorite sessions and experiences from this year’s Mormon conference.   Check out Sunstone and consider attending next year! https://sunstone.org/   Other appearances: Chris Shelton interviewed us in the beginning of a series on Mormonism on his Speaking of Cults series. He has had MANY different fascinating people on so go take a look! Here is the whole playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpGuS7GcsgA&list=PLGrPM1Pg2h72ADIuv8eYmzrJ-ppLOlw_g    Email: glassboxpodcast@gmail.com  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GlassBoxPod  Patreon page for documentary: https://www.patreon.com/SeerStonedProductions Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/glassboxpodcast BlueSky: @glassboxpodcast.bsky.social  Other BlueSky: @bryceblankenagel.bsky.social and @shannongrover.bsky.social  Instagra

Your two favorite long winded podcasters are talking about word vomit and verbosity today, which is particularly fitting since today’s Sword of Laman segment covers the last part of the 2nd Givens book, The Crucible of Doubt. We then cleanse your palette with some good news out of Illinois. Enjoy!    Sword of Laman:  https://freshairarchive.org/segments/richard-dawkins-argument-atheism   Happy News: Illinois keeps 988 lifeline for LGBTQIA+ youth even after national extension hangs up: https://khqa.com/news/local/illinois-to-keep-988-suicide-crisis-lifeline-for-lgbtqia-youth-after-national-extension-hangs-up-federal-funding-cuts-trump-administration-governor-jb-pritzker-idhs-secretary-dulce-m-quintero-mental-health-behavioral-services-counseling-support-teens    Other appearances: Chris Shelton interviewed us in the beginning of a series on Mormonism on his Speaking of Cults series. He has had MANY different fascinating people on so go take a look! Here is the whole playlist: https://www.yout

The Church History Library of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints just dropped a revelatory bomb on the Mormon history community and we’re gunna talk about it. John Taylor (prophet 1880-1887) wrote a revelation saying that the new and everlasting covenant is actually “everlasting” and cannot be revoked or abrogated. However, the prophet after Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, wrote the First Manifesto bringing the church into compliance with the law of the land. However, plural marriages continued to be performed. The Reed Smoot hearings turned the eyes of the nation to the kingdom of god in Deseret and every clandestine plural marriage put a lie to the Manifesto. Church leaders are excommunicated and it leads to the formation of the Fundamentalist Latter-day Saints. The church has suppressed this revelation in its vaults for nearly a century while openly denying that it even existed. After that we chat about more secrets hiding in plain sight with the movie National Treasure. We wrap with happy news ab

Let’s talk leaders. What qualities does a great leader have? What’s the difference between a good and great leader? And we talk about three leaders in history. In our Sword of Laman segment, we cover the next few chapters of the Givens’ book. And to clear your palette, we share a news article about a charitable move Bill Gates is making. Enjoy!    Show Notes:  What is Ethical Leadership and Why is it Important?: https://professional.dce.harvard.edu/blog/what-is-ethical-leadership-and-why-is-it-important/#The-6-Main-Principles-of-Ethical-Leadership  What Great Leaders do that Good Leaders Don’t:  ​​https://www.forbes.com/sites/dougsundheim/2023/04/13/what-great-leaders-do-that-good-leaders-dont/  Elizabeth I: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_I# Queen Elizabeth I: The controversies and accomplishments: https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-famous-people/queen-elizabeth-l-0011092  Elizabeth I, Religious Questions and the fate of Mary, Queen of Scots: https://www.britannica.com/biogr

Not only is it Pride month but it’s also been almost 10 years since the Mormon church issued their policy against the children of LGBTQIA+ parents. We take a look at the effects that policy had, the increasingly draconian measures the government is taking, and we read between the lines of Mormon church policies. We also look at the measures people are taking to improve the lives of LGBTQIA+. For Media of Great Price, we watched the lovely 2018 movie Rafiki about two lesbian women in Kenya. And we end with good news out of Paris about a new monument. Happy Pride Month!    Show notes:  https://www.aclu.org/news/lgbtq-rights/why-utah-no-utopia-lgbt-equality-despite-progress https://archive.thinkprogress.org/the-utah-compromise-is-a-dangerous-lgbt-trojan-horse-db790ad3b69e/ https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/handbook-changes-same-sex-marriages-elder-christofferson https://kutv.com/news/local/group-holds-mass-resignation-from-lds-church-in-slc-saturday https://www.sltrib.com/religion/lo

We’re talking about the bane of the Q15’s existence! Doubts of the members. We discuss the terrible way they are dealt with which leads into the second installment of the Givens’ trilogy — The Crucible of Doubt — Reflections on the Quest for Faith. Following that we have some good news out of El Paso where the Consulate General of Mexico gave out free measles vaccines to children and adults in El Paso, Texas.    Show  Notes:    Jana Riess: Who is leaving the LDS church? Eight key survey findings: https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2024/03/08/jana-riess-who-is-leaving-lds/  When Doubts and Questions Arise by Adam Kotter, Ensign March 2015: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2015/03/when-doubts-and-questions-arise?lang=eng  Christ is Risen: Faith in him will move mountains, by Russell M. Nelson, April 2021 General Conference talk: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2021/04/49nelson?lang=eng    Happy News:  https://www.ktsm.com/news/consulate-general-of

Fasting! In all its forms and purposes. We take a wander through world religions to see how fasting plays a part in almost all of them. Mormon fasting is far less peculiar than we thought. Then a few episodes of South Park that provide wonderful commentary on fasting, the economy, and witch hunts. We round out with happy news about land being returned to Indigenous people and burn through listener mail that’s been piling up.  Show notes:    Fasting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasting  Fasting: https://www.britannica.com/topic/fasting  Religious Fasting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_fasting  Fasting in Islam: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasting_in_Islam  Ramadan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramadan  Native Teachings are about a way of life: https://mushkiki.com/programs-services/fasting/   Fasting in Jainism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasting_in_Jainism   With Lent almost over, here’s why religions fast: https://www.cnn.com/2017/04/07/world/religious-fastin

We’re finishing The God Who Weeps by Terryl Givens and Fiona Givens. This is the first book in a trilogy of Mormon theology and we want to leave room in the year to get through it all. What does today hold for us? We start with a long discussion on the pre-mortal existence, transitioning into existence, then ascending to perfection thanks to Mormon beliefs. We didn’t realize until pretty late in the project that the 5 chapters of the book are structured around the different stages of the Mormon Plan of Salvation (PoS), but it become clear pretty early on in our discussion. All told, the book is a marker of modern orthodox Mormon belief: pray, pay, and obey. They even have an ultra-conservative take on abortion that makes the official stance of the church seem like bleeding-heart liberals in comparison. Then we talk about The Meaning of Life, a Monty Python movie from 1983 that has a much more healthy way of looking at the random cosmic soup that led to human existence. We wrap with some happy news about the

April 2025 General Conference Sunday Afternoon session. Patrons of the show get the appendix of Saturday Evening session at the end of the record.   Ulisses Soares – Reverence; Moses and the burning bush; you-damn-kids talk; pray for guidance from the Holy Ghost for AI, don’t weaken your connection to God with AI!!!   Michael Strong Q70 – Killed a kid on a bike during his mission, was really sad that he had to spend the night in jail until a ‘compassionate’ fellow missionary stayed with him   Scott Whiting Q70 – Hazed as a deacon and sat on a cactus; Garden of Eden, “blessed Eve”, crying repentance   Christopher Kim Q70 – JS translated an ancient record, includes God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas; Laman and Lemuel were sooooo evil and dumb; moral agency, we can choose to harden or soften our hearts, submission vs respect   Patrick Kearon – Gifts, “you really are that you might have joy,” repent ye, repent ye   Benjamin M Z Tai Q70 – Cancellation of a sealing after div

April 2025 General Conference Sunday Morning session.   David A Bednar – Joseph Smith totally restored the one true church; and other sundry sacrament meeting talking points   Steven Shumway Q70 – Do your callings, no matter how demanding they may be   Tamara Runia FC YW GP – Cry for repentance; Jesus is excited every time he sees us on our knees   Gerald Causse PB – Dude who controls the church’s wealth is moved by seeing people suffering in poverty   Gerrit Gong – Jesus Wept; Easter, Palm Sunday, holy week; mortal and moral agency and alignment with Bednar   John McCune Q70 – Tithing, temple attendance, the world is ending, Rusty is a terrible dad who abandoned his daughter on her death bed   Dallin Oaks – The most flacid GC talk he’s given in years; Plan of Salvation, sacrament meeting talk, returning to the Celestial Kingdom, 10 virgins, trusting in the lord will keep you safe   Other appearances: Chris Shelton interviewed us in the beginning of a series on Mormonism. Here’s the most rec