Mormon Discussion Podcast

We sit down with Jim Bennett, son of former Utah Senator Bob Bennett, to discuss Jim’s response to the CES Letter. This interview takes place over several different days and comprises looking at the troublesome issues the CES Letter presents and reviewing where Jeremy Runnells and Jim Bennett disagree. I try to play a mediator between Jim and the ideas of the CES letter. Granting ground where I think Jim offers a reasonable response as well as pushing back where I think the CES Letter presents a credible case. In part 7 we revisit our 6 part interview and talk about how tone and format plays a part in his response to the CES letter as well as a very different tone and format he had with our conversation. Very quickly Jim addresses how my publicizing the 6 part interview and my commentary and the commentary of other voices framed these 6 parts was frustrating to him as he felt he was misrepresented in what he conceded and what he didn’t. This sent us down an unplanned road of the discussing how tenable and vulnerable Mormonism’s narrative may be in a long form real time conversation. This was my favorite out of the whole set of conversations.The post Jim Bennett and Bill Reel and the Issues of the CES Letter Part 7 appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

We sit down to complete the trifecta third part interview with my best of friends Mekael and Kelsey.  We pick up where these two meet and how their relationship blooms and what led them to have met me and our incredible friends Chris and Dawn.  We spend some time discussing what things look like on this side of the journey including growth and development,  how we have built a new tribe better than the one we left, and how important Authenticity and Vulnerability have been in creating community! IF you want to reach Mekael or Kelsey, email me at reelmormon AT gmail DOT com and I will forward it on and if your in Southern Utah and want to meet my awesome friends and me, let me know. The post Mormon Discussion: 332: Mekael & Kelsey Part 3 appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

In episode 2 my beautiful friend Kelsey tells us her story.  How she was loved and supported by an incredible family and but inside Mormonism we still have to look a certain way and fit a certain mold.  Kelsey tells us how she knew she was lesbian very early but always shoved it down in order to please those around her as well as fit into her Mormon faith system.  She too married a man and and made a go of it trying so hard to do this Mormon thing.  In the end it didn’t work nor was it ever going to. The post Mormon Discussion: 331: Kelsey Part 2 appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

Today we sit down with my dear friend Mekael.  This episode is part 1 of a 3 part series.  Mekael helps us see into her life where from the time she is a child she seeks to fit in, to make her family proud and to make her faith system proud of her.  But she was destined not to fit.  Discovering she was a lesbian trapped in a religious system that simply could not sit comfortably with who she was at her core.  She tells us of her childhood and her struggle to fit in and how she in an effort to make those around her proud and to fit in she tried so hard to do this Mormon thing.  She married a man and for almost 20 years she tried to make that work.  Her emotional well being took hits along the way and eventually it became too much.  After consider taking her life, she made the decision to lean into who she was at her core.  Her marriage dissolved and we leave off at the end of episode 1 recognizing that we all deserve to have a safe space to be who we are and to be valued and seen and honored for our story. The post Mormon Discussion: 330: Mekael Part 1 appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

Doing this podcast and being a public voice, people reach out to you to share “secret” information.  Today I tell you what I am hearing from inside the Church Office Building is being discussed in regard to future changes.  I also share a deeply unhealthy story of how the Church allegedly informed Kem Gardner with inside information about how City Creek Mall was going to diminish the value of his Gateway project and how Kem thanked the Church by alledgedly gifting a impressive piece of property to the Church and specifically Elder Uchtdorf. Below are the predictions I am making based on those inside sources and the story line of the alledged details of City Creek versus the Gateway Project   City Creek Mall Story * Gateway Project starts around 2002 and includes a state of the art Mall. This project is headed up by the Boyer Group headed up by Roger Boyer and Kem Gardner * The Church purchases the land for City creek Mall in 2003 by a private real estate arm of the Church. * The Church allegedly informs Kem Gardner out of respect for their relationship that he should consider getting out of the Gateway Project as its value is going to be diminished. * In 2004 Kem Gardner sells his interest in the Boyer Group allegedly for 43 Million dollars * In 2006 The Church announces is City Creek project * The Church allegedly gets push-back from Nordstrom’s and other Anchor stores it needs for City Creek to be a success and seeing the writing on the wall regarding City Creek falling flat on their face, rushes in and offers Nordstrom’s and other Anchor stores an incredible deal to lure them in. Allegedly the deal was the first 10 years of the lease of space in City Creek Mall would be free and the employees who worked at that store would have their wages paid for 3 years. * Kem Gardner allegedly grateful for the information, allegedly gifts a upscale log cabin to the Church, specifically, Elder Dieter F Uchtdorf for a reported price of $1 Changes allegedly being discussed at present inside the Church Office Building These changes are being discussed which means some will happen and some won’t.  Some will likely happen in the next year or two and others will trickle in over the next decade or two.  Also simply discussing these compels the Church to push them back 1. Church trying to make room for members to partake of Coffee and Tea 2. Having the Garment worn inside the temple only 3. To revamp the Missionary system making Service Missions and/or Local Missions prominent 4.  Decentralize the financial responsibilities of the Church geographically. 5. Women will be given significant increased roles (Women giving blessings to be formally seen as approved), recent change for Mothers of Young Children to serve as ordinance workers for example of a small change heading that direction. 6. Increase dramatically in visible charitable giving to outside charities and outside humanitarian efforts 7. Changes to the office/mode of operation of Patriarch being discussed 8. Heavenly Mother will be given a significantly increased role in the conversation and theology within correlated Mormonism. 9.  Significant changes made to ensure Bishops and Stake Presidents receive significant training. (Anything from multiple weeks of in-depth training to even a full-time trained clergy in regards to Bishops and Stake Presidents) 10.  RS General Presidency continually has its visibility increased and effort made to add value to their voices and the voice of women.  (while maintaining the top 15’s own authority and nepotism to ultimately lead the Church) 11.  Create a group of women that would act similarly to the quorums of Seventy (travel and be involved in committees and have a voice in decision making at levels lower than the top 15) 12. Age for women going on missions to be lowered to 18 as well or men moved back up to 19 to make them equal in this regard. 13.  Separate Marriages from Sealing to allow a couple to be married publicly and sealed immediately afterward in a separate act. 14.  Additional Policy adjustments to protect the Church’s public image in Sex abuse cases. 15.  I was missing a #15 in the audio but will add it here – Your going to see further adjustments to the scriptures to remove sections of language from the D&C, heading etc. and or add in language to headings ect. to confront the growing evidence against the former claims of the Church and a growing discomfort with our overreaching. 16.  The Ward Library and the calling of Librarian eliminated in areas that have quality access to technology. 17.  Adjust callings that have room to not require Priesthood to allow for female leadership (Ex: Sunday School Presidency) 18.  Do away with or control who speaks in Fast and Testimony Meeting 19. Allow equivalent aged Girls to pass the Sacrament where the congregation lacks adequate priesthood. 20.  Remove multiple cultural boundaries imposed as Mormonism but which are acknowledged as American culture and unnecessary.  (Ex: allowing a wider range of instruments used in Church meetings) 21.  A New Handbook of instruction is coming 22.  Temple Recommend bar-codes will be connected to a photo so the uses of recommends by someone other than who the recommend belongs to can be thwarted. 23.  Young Adult/Older Teen service Projects away from home that give a young member a significant experience making the world better but also connected directly to the Church.  A mini service mission per say 24.  There are now concrete discussions occurring asking how we move towards more inclusivity towards LGBTQ members. The post Mormon Discussion: 329: Take Your Vitamin Pills and Get Some Rest appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

We sit down with Jim Bennett, son of former Utah Senator Bob Bennett, to discuss Jim’s response to the CES Letter. This interview takes place over several different days and comprises looking at the troublesome issues the CES Letter presents and reviewing where Jeremy Runnells and Jim Bennett disagree. I try to play a mediator between Jim and the ideas of the CES letter. Granting ground where I think Jim offers a reasonable response as well as pushing back where I think the CES Letter presents a credible case. In part 6 we tackle the Prophetic Mantle including the lack of Prophesy, Seer-ship, and Revelation, The Church lack’s of wisdom and Vulnerability, and the significant harm it does with little willingness to be open to admitting its wrong. We also tackle whether Priesthood power has any measurable influence. We lastly speak on Spiritual witnesses and whether they are a reasonable way to decide truth when compared with our fundamentalist splinter group cousins and their experiences and the spiritual experiences the rest of the world is having. The post Jim Bennett and Bill Reel and the Issues of the CES Letter Part 6 appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

  We sit down with Jim Bennett, son of former Utah Senator Bob Bennett, to discuss Jim’s response to the CES Letter. This interview takes place over several different days and comprises looking at the troublesome issues the CES Letter presents and reviewing where Jeremy Runnells and Jim Bennett disagree. I try to play a mediator between Jim and the ideas of the CES letter. Granting ground where I think Jim offers a reasonable response as well as pushing back where I think the CES Letter presents a credible case. In part 5 we tackle Race and the Priesthood, The Church’s changing stance and present Doctrine and policies on Homosexuality and LGBT issues, and end beginning to get into the Prophetic mantle of LDS Prophets, Seers, and Revelators.  The post Jim Bennett and Bill Reel and the Issues of the CES Letter Part 5 appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

  We sit down with Jim Bennett, son of former Utah Senator Bob Bennett, to discuss Jim’s response to the CES Letter. This interview takes place over several different days and comprises looking at the troublesome issues the CES Letter presents and reviewing where Jeremy Runnells and Jim Bennett disagree. I try to play a mediator between Jim and the ideas of the CES letter. Granting ground where I think Jim offers a reasonable response as well as pushing back where I think the CES Letter presents a credible case. In part 4 we tackle Joseph Smith’s Polygamy in depth.  The post Jim Bennett and Bill Reel and the Issues of the CES Letter Part 4 appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

  We sit down with Jim Bennett, son of former Utah Senator Bob Bennett, to discuss Jim’s response to the CES Letter. This interview takes place over several different days and comprises looking at the troublesome issues the CES Letter presents and reviewing where Jeremy Runnells and Jim Bennett disagree. I try to play a mediator between Jim and the ideas of the CES letter. Granting ground where I think Jim offers a reasonable response as well as pushing back where I think the CES Letter presents a credible case. In part 3 we tackle The Book of Abraham and begin to get into Joseph Smith’s Polygamy.  The post Jim Bennett and Bill Reel and the Issues of the CES Letter Part 3 appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

We sit down with Jim Bennett, son of former Utah Senator Bob Bennett, to discuss Jim’s response to the CES Letter. This interview takes place over several different days and comprises looking at the troublesome issues the CES Letter presents and reviewing where Jeremy Runnells and Jim Bennett disagree. I try to play a mediator between Jim and the ideas of the CES letter. Granting ground where I think Jim offers a reasonable response as well as pushing back where I think the CES Letter presents a credible case. In part 2 we tackle other issues in the Book of Mormon including the presence of 19th century material in all of Joseph translation productions, the 11 witnesses, and anachronisms. We then start to get into the Book of Abraham and touch on ideas like Prophetic fallibility and Spiritual witness, topics we hope to dive into deeper as we continue the conversation. The post Jim Bennett and Bill Reel and the Issues of the CES Letter Part 2 appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.