Radio Free Mormon

I had a blast doing some magic at the 2022 Sunstone Symposium! Even though this is just the audio, I was pleased to find it entertaining to listen to. I hope you enjoy it!

RFM and Bill sit down with Movie Director Richard Dutcher to explore his career directing the movies God’s Army, Brigham City, & States of Grace. We take a look at these films through the perspective of Richard’s faith journey and take an evening to get to know the man who kicked of Mormon cinema. RESOURCES: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Dutcher https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0244756/ https://youtu.be/9ZHKEOeHAcA https://youtu.be/9ZgNxauxz-8 https://youtu.be/7HntR1RjEYc https://youtu.be/TKINAOCVvKg https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1979/05/trust-in-the-lord?lang=eng (12:00) https://mormondiscussionpodcast.org/2015/06/michael-reed-and-the-symbol-of-the-cross/ (Richard mentioned the use of the cross in his movies so this might help give context)

Throughout multiple talks including one released just a few days ago, Sister Bonnie Cordon, Young Women general president, has spoke about the loss of her Grandson, Derek within Church approved channels. What she doesn’t say is that the death of this child is surrounded by horrific details that contradict witness statements that involve allegations of child abuse, arrests, homicide, and aggravated Child Abuse charges. We expose this story shining a light on the details of a story where nothing adds up. Everyone in the Church seems willing to use this story to promote the LDS Church but no one wants to clearly explain what happened to this little boy. RESOURCES: Bonnie Cordon General YW President – www.churchofjesuschrist.org/learn/young-women-general-presidency?lang=eng Elder Holland joking about Cordon’s being poor www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dp8dfu3TEG0&t=3180s 2019 BYU Women’s Conference – https://youtu.be/8xGA6KpBk5I?t=5672BYU Devotional Feb 4th 2020 –  https://youtu.be/cLLShkcaWWM?t=935 www.thechurchnews.com/2020/2/4/23215865/sister-cordon-byu-devotional-prayer BYU Devotional Feb 4th 2020 –  https://youtu.be/cLLShkcaWWM?t=935 Hear Him Recent       https://youtu.be/oxpr87qHhzULDS Mag getting in on the action – https://latterdaysaintmag.com/how-president-cordon-learned-to-hearhim-after-her-grandsons-death/ The 4 Page Report – https://www.myflfamilies.com/childfatality/reports/2016-344471.pdf page 1 w/ highlights – https://mormonismlive.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Cordon1.png page 2 w/ highlights – https://mormonismlive.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Cordon2.png page 3 w/ highlights – https://mormonismlive.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Cordon3.png page 4 w/ highlights – https://mormonismlive.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Cordon4.png Point out the important facts and anomaliesGently Shook him and put hand over his mouth – we know from the obituary that little Derek had a learning disability, which assuredly would make it more difficult for a 2.5 year old to grasp what might be happening as he wakes up from a nightmare in a strange place. Was she possibly admitting in part to a minimized version of what she did or is it a misdirection that takes away focus from the father?The Father imposes he only was present and aware of the situation once it had gone southMidnight and leaves hotel at 12:53 AM  (almost an hour from initial event to leaving for the hospitalMedical Team made CONCLUSION Hana shook the child too hard and that the father was neglectful in not responding fasterThe Family did not call 911 in a in the face of an emergency in a foreign city.The Family did not try to grab their sister who is a “RN” (Registered Nurse) who is also on vacation in the same hotel as they are.The mother, Hana drove alone to the hospital with the childHana is arrested on December 9th and charged with Aggravated Child Abuse (child hasn’t died yet as he passes away the following day on the 10th).Sometime between the event and the date of this report on May 2017 the State Attorney isn’t going to prosecuteNeither parents could give an explanation that was consistent with the injuries and the investigation after 5 months deemed the mother action’s impulsive and violent and the father’s inaction having led to this child’s death, all while the entire Cordon family is on vacation in a different state with their RN sister across the hall.11 month old these parents were allowed to go back to in spite of this being a “very high risk” case with “out of control” parenting (THIS IS A QUESTION) 12. From December 9th 2016 to May 11th 2017, the State of Florida has maintained that this was a homicide caused by the parents of Derek Cordon to little Derek with the parents offering no satisfactory explanation. Contradictions between the report and what other sources such as LDS material saysBonnie H. Cordon was named the Young Women general president on March 31, 2018. https://youtu.be/8xGA6KpBk5I?t=5672  – Weird that she says “Suspicion that someone was getting away with something” when that seems to be exactly what happened but not about the same thing. – they are all at the airport together going home.“he unexpectedly passed away”   Something “Stepford Wives” about these women (I asked myself “Where would people never notice a town full of robots?”. Connecticut.)Feb 4th 2020 BYU Devotional https://youtu.be/cLLShkcaWWM?t=935 “In the middle of the fourth night, little Derek stopped breathing, and his parents rushed him to the hospital” – That is not what happened.  Why does she want the story framed this way?  Surely since she was there, she knows that Hana drove the child to the hospital alone. She says she stayed behind with the family.  Surely she remembers her son was there with her. Surely she is aware that they didn’t rush but instead took almost an hour to head there?Surely she finds it strange that her son and daughter in law didn’t rush to grab his Registered Nurse Sister across the hall. (AND WHY DIDN’T BONNIE?) She prayed that little Derek would feel good enough to rejoin them for family activities?  The injuries were serious – How could she be naive enough to think this was some minor health issue?Why is she creating a narrative where the Holy Ghost helps her through her ignorance about to share with her that her grandson has died now knowing how serious this whole thing is.  Why is she hijacking this story for the purpose of creating a faith promoting story that ignores the facts?“The Answer was so far from my thoughts” juxtaposed with this talk is in 2020 and surely she grasps the full scope of her grandson’s deathHer expressions of surprise and shock and lacking understanding till then Holy Ghost helps her is insane.While she attributes it to the Holy Ghost she admits she knew Derek died almost 48 hours before he died.  Don’t allow her to sweep that under the rug giving credit to Mormonism’s Holy Ghost.  She knew how bad this was. Hear Him Recent       https://youtu.be/oxpr87qHhzU“We were on a family vacation, and an unexpected situation happened where our grandson…. Was ……. Ah…. all of a sudden stopped breathing, and we lost him.Again she admits sort of grasping that she knew that while he wouldn’t die for another 48 hours almost that he was lost.She says they spent three days with him in a hospital but records indicate the event took place around midnight on the night of the 8th/morning of the 9th and that he arrived at the hospital on the early morning of December 9th 2016 and he was pronounced deceased on December 10th at 7:40 PM and the obituary agrees ( https://www.sundbergolpinmortuary.com/obituary/Derek-Cordon )Obituary https://www.sundbergolpinmortuary.com/obituary/Derek-Cordon “Although he struggled to learn how to talk, many of his first words and phrases were about trucks, such as “two-ton tanker truck” Cordon XMAS https://mormonismlive.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CordonXmas.png

The LDS Church has appointed a new Church Historian named Elder Kyle S. McKay. True to form, the new Church Historian is a lawyer. What makes Elder McKay different is that he was also my missionary companion in Japan from January to February of 1980! Join me as I talk not only about old times, but why it is the LDS Church has a predilection for putting lawyers in charge of their history department!

This week RFM and Bill sit down with the creator and musical artist known as Weird Alma. Weird Alma has brought us musical parodies such as Gaslighting, S.C.M.C., Tapirback Rider, You’re (Several Months Shy of) Fifteen, and many more. Weird Alma shows us firsthand that humor and music can play a role in our processing and healing from religious trauma. Resources: https://www.ldsdiscussions.com/116pages https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morrisite_War https://gdoc.pub/doc/e/2PACX-1vRh7CxIlETHNYtH5jk0MXsWc5FVChckAUODY2QDGjLCjDGYWFgzOlGq1JORs4EZsbDzh63DvdShYNU1 http://johnlarsen.org/podcast/Archive/MormonExpression276.mp3 Weird Alma the artist is not associated with Mormon Discussion Inc. or the Mormonism LIVE Show.  His song’s contain similar tunes and lyrics to other well known songs.  He holds that said use of music falls under FAIR USE and under the realm of Parody.  Parody is a literary or musical work in which the style of an author or work is closely imitated for comic effect.  Eric Herman offers his parody songs for free hence his music is not for commercial use.  The only monetary gain for Mormon Discussion Inc (a Federally approved Non-profit) is youtube advertising which it is sharing per youtube’s agreement with the original artists.

Mormonism LIVE: 089: Manipulation, Money, & Mormon Sex Abuse On this Episode Bill 7 RFM take a look at the recent Sex Abuse Scandal trying to explore the legal process and try to better understand the LDS Church’s perspective. We look at the Arizona Law, talk about the when , how, and why about the Church’s helpline. They sort through why the Church imposes non-reporting in states that give a choice. And they finish talking about the newest press release on the issue released during their live show. Resources: Confession in LDS Doctrine and Practice https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/commentary/2022/08/12/brenton-erickson-gerardo-sumano/? fbclid=IwAR0jfW9LUQzC5zKcwBXVaoaa7rhcOrwFIRAHs3lr2h6LTIykF_rjmWVBm6w https://apnews.com/article/Mormon-church-sexual-abuse-investigation-e0e39cf9aa4fbe0d8c1442033b894660 https://apnews.com/article/Mormon-church-sexual-abuse-takeaways-f01fba7521ddddffa89622668b54ac10 https://www.deseret.com/2022/8/5/23292405/i-survived-abuse-church-help-line-ap-story-broke-my-heart-latter-day-saints-associated-press-mormon https://www.deseret.com/faith/2022/8/17/23310740/statement-from-church-on-arizona-sex-abuse-case-mormon-lds https://www.deseret.com/utah/2022/8/12/23303040/utah-lawmakers-seek-end-clergy-exception-child-abuse-reporting-latter-day-saint-catholic https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/church-provides-further-details-about-arizona-abuse-case

A USAF sergeant explains how the strict demands of Mormonism broke him as a young man, making him feel completely alone and unaccepted by God, even causing eating disorders. After every solution the Church offered failed, he finally found healing through secular means.

Today we dive deep into the idea that Mormonism grooms compliance. We start by showing it is the baseline of our theology and belief system. We show how it is reinforced by our stories and songs, show all the pervasive ways it shows up in our faith system. And even how the Leaders impose such on each other. And then discuss how unhealthy such is. A.) Obedience is the First Law of Heaven or the ground zero of theology/commandments “Obedience is the first law of heaven, the cornerstone upon which all righteousness and progression rest. It consists in compliance with divine law, in conformity to the mind and will of Deity, in complete subjection to God and his commands” (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 539).D&C 130: 20-21 – There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated— 21 And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.It is important to obey God even when we may not fully understand the commandment (see Moses 5:5–6; 1 Nephi 3:7). B.)  The constant teaching that answering NO is not allowed and how it is a “Thought Stopping Technique”  It starts young Don’t say no to a boy at a danceAt a young age, girls getting used to complying to the men in their livesWhat 8 year old says no to baptism.  Isn’t it strange that no one says no.  If everyone says yes, is it really a choice? It is persistent – Don’t say no to a calling“Just as service in the Church is not sought, it is not turned down,” Oaks“I often hear about members who refuse Church callings or accept callings and fail to fulfill their responsibilities. Some are not committed and faithful. It has always been so. But this is not without consequence . . . My brothers and sisters, if you are delinquent in commitment, please consider who it is you are refusing or neglecting to serve when you decline a calling or when you accept, promise, and fail to fulfill.” oaks “While we do not ask to be released from a calling, if our circumstances change it is quite in order for us to counsel with those who have issued the call and then let the decision rest with them.” – Boyd K PackerGet married youngDon’t put off having children, don’t use birth control, have lots of childrenIt culminated in the temple Do you covenant to obey your husband as he obeys God?Bow your head and say yes“Give all your time, talent, and EVERYTHING you possess to the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints.”Contention is of the devil – making disagreement bad and the higher authority always winsGod commanding Adam to sacrifice animals (Moses 5: 4-7). Adam follows the command for many days until eventually an angel appears and asks why Adam is performing the sacrifices. Adam respond, “I know not, save the Lord commanded me.” – you do not need a reason to obeynon-levite steadying the arkFollow the Prophet – he can’t lead us astray – What does this even mean since there are numerous occasion where false doctrines have been taught and believed?President Harold B. Lee (1899–1973) taught this same principle: “You keep your eye upon him whom the Lord called, and I say to you now, knowing that I stand in this position, you don’t need to worry about the President of the Church ever leading people astray, because the Lord would remove him out of his place before He would ever allow that to happen” (The Teachings of Harold B. Lee, ed. Clyde J. Williams [1996], 533).President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008) gave similar assurance to Church members: “The Church is true. Those who lead it have only one desire, and that is to do the will of the Lord. They seek his direction in all things. There is not a decision of significance affecting the Church and its people that is made without prayerful consideration, going to the fount of all wisdom for direction. Follow the leadership of the Church. God will not let his work be led astray” (“Be Not Deceived,” Ensign, Nov. 1983, 46; emphasis added).“When the Prophet speaks, … the debate is over” (Ensign, Nov. 1978, p. 108).Perpetual inadequacy instead of critical thinking – You are broken and fallen and need us more than we need you so get in line.For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.Agency doesn’t work the way we thought.  Agency is only to provide a space to choose God at all times – ”You have agency in order to show willing compliance”Elder Bednar teaching such – https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=mmErOV9oQZ8&fbclid=IwAR1VJnnc3mTGNCvhteMfPZqe0-uLPS9xczTMEe2E9C_i5bP5_mH6bx0Erw4 Having a sustaining vote but in which a “NO vote” means nothingIt’s wrong to criticize the Leaders of the Church, even if the criticism is truestay away from “unauthorized” or “unapproved” sources – Thought stopping technique – trust us.  Do not consider criticism to see if they are validWant Happiness? Align Your Will with God, Sister Oscarson Says“At times members may participate in ‘selective obedience,’ claiming to love God and honor God while picking and choosing which of His commandments and teachings— and the teachings and counsel of His prophets — we will fully follow,” Robert D Hales“STAY ON THE COVENANT PATH” = Obedience is the first law of heavenFeeling obligated to Clean the bathrooms for free of a multi hundred billion dollar organizationYou will lose your eternal family for eternity if you don’t complyMissions for men are not a choice  Another link  C.) We make heroes out of those who proceed with the horrific and label people bad or sinful who might object out of conscience Abraham and IsaacNephi and LabanD&C 132: Emma will be destroyed D.) Church Leaders impose that we obey them at all costs Elder Bednar – Moral Agency vs Free Agency E.) Leadership teach each other to be compliant Apostolic charge – “Always be willing to subjugate his own thoughts and accept the majority opinion not only to vote for it but to act as though it were his own original opinion after it has been approved by the majority of the council of the twelve and the First Presidency.”

Major News in Mormonism happened this week when a photograph surfaced alleging to be the Prophet Joseph Smith. So Bill and RFM dug into the story and followed the trail examining the Photographs, Portraits, Daguerreotypes, and other depictions both known to be Joseph for certain and also alleged to see if we could get to the bottom of what Joseph Smith really looked like.RESOURCES: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2012/12/small-and-simple-things/what-did-joseph-smith-really-look-like?lang=eng What Did Joseph Smith Really Look Like? 8 Images That Provide Us With Clues Hidden Things: What did Joseph Smith Actually Look Like? https://www.thechurchnews.com/archives/1997-12-06/what-did-joseph-smith-really-look-like-128922 Book – Images of the Prophet Joseph Smith: Davis Bitton – https://www.amazon.com/Images-Prophet-Joseph-Smith-Bitton/dp/1562362232 https://ensignpeakfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Skulls-and-Crossed-Bones-A-Forensic-Study-of-the-Remains-of-Hyrum-and-Joseph-Smith.pdf https://www.knowbrotherjoseph.com/death-mask-unreliable AI can analyse a portrait and calculate what the actual person may have looked like in real life, based on techniques and styles common at a given time or in a given place. This is what AI thinks Joseph and Emma Smith may have looked like from latterdaysaints All the pieces fit from latterdaysaints http://silverepicent.com/photofound/photofound/Photograph_Found/RLDS_Painting.htmlhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5aUTj-VvRM – Historical discussion of the Joseph Smith photo discovery https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rspFgoyU5Hg – amateur facial analysis of the Death Mask and the newly discovered photo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzk4Z4Wrz38 – 2nd amateur facial analysis of the Death Mask and the newly discovered photo.

RFM and Bill sit down with Ronald Huggins, author of the new book “Lighthouse: Jerald and Sandra Tanner, Despised and Beloved Critics of Mormonism” & Sandra Tanner who is featured in the book to discuss some of the interesting stories that went into the published work. And towards the end of the show we discuss Bill recently dealing with a threat from the son of one of the General Authorities who heads up the SCMC (Strengthening Church Members Committee) as well as Bill’s recent interaction with FAIR regarding God’s carnal intercourse with Mary, the Mother of Jesus