This episode is basically a standalone Saints episode! Why? You may ask. Because the book covers a massive and controversial time of early Mormonism, when Joseph Smith incited a civil war and lost. We compare the Saints book to the documents of the time and see how it shakes out with the following issues: excommunications of Oliver Cowdery, David and John Whitmer, and William W. Phelps, land disputes, The Salt Sermon, the Danites, the Army of Israel, the July 4th Oration, the Gallatin election d...
Jul 05, 2023•3 hr 24 min
Happy PRIDE month, y’all! The main segment for today breaks down the history of the Children’s Primary Program and its first president, Louie “Ma” Felt and her lifelong partner, May Anderson. Then we discuss a sex scandal in the form of a gay witch hunt in the 1890s spearheaded by Rudger Clawson. The case is far more complicated than first blush would indicate and it serves as a case study for how the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has always had fucked up priorities when it comes t...
Jun 21, 2023•2 hr 22 min
Another installment of cult mind control and Saints: The Standard of Truth! We start with discussing Thought control in Hassan’s BITE model of undue influence. That springs us into the period of 1836-1838 of early Mormon history from the church’s new “history” book. The Kirtland Safety Society, the uprising of Warren Parrish, a heist in Salem, Fanny Alger, so many controversies it’s hard to keep them all straight! Speaking of not keeping things straight, happy PRIDE month! Our happy news covers ...
Jun 07, 2023•3 hr 35 min
The Plan of Salvation, Plan of Happiness, MORMON HEAVEN! We take a look at the doctrine and teachings compared to the text of Doctrine & Covenants 76. This revelation was given in the early years of Joseph Smith’s religious movement and the theology evolved significantly over time. Rusty’s heaven looks a bit different. After that we chat about Noah, a unique take on the Biblical flood story. We wrap with talking about a superhero compendium book! Happy News: https://www.them.us/story/the-dc-...
May 26, 2023•2 hr 58 min
Behavior control from Steven Hassan’s BITE model of cult mind control. We discuss how Mormonism controls our behavior today and historically. That leads us into our next installment of Saints: The Standard of Truth review. The book covers 1832-1836 from the tarring and feathering of Joseph Smith to the Kirtland Temple Dedication ceremony. Then we wrap with some happy news about organizations fighting against book bans in schools and public libraries! Show Notes: Steven Hassan: https://en.wikiped...
May 10, 2023•3 hr 54 min
EXMO LEX WahOOOOO!!! We finally find a proper excuse to invite Exmo Lex onto the show to discuss ExMormon tiktok and social media. She shares a bit of her story and experiences online while discussing the future of Mormon-related social media. After that we chat about a whole bunch of media in aggregate for Media of Great Price segment. We wrap the show with some happy news about innovation in the space of battery-density and how it bodes well for slowing climate change. Happy News: https://thed...
Apr 26, 2023•1 hr 59 min
Yes, it’s that time of year again. We discuss General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in granular detail. Every single talk, every slur, every logical fallacy, all contained herewith. Enjoy! If you can, that is. Other Appearances: Mormons on Mushrooms: https://www.mormonsonmushrooms.com/podcast/episode/7dc1c6bf/roughly-stoned-bryce-blankenagel-part-1-naked-mormonism-the-glass-box Check out Joseph Smith vs Joseph’s Myth, where Aron and Bryce discuss the Joseph Smith ...
Apr 12, 2023•3 hr 40 min
With a new year under the control of Revision Rusty M. Nailz we have a new Temple Endowment for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! What’s new? What’s not new?! Why did they make the changes?!?! We dive deep into the new endowment with comparisons from older versions to see what’s slipped through the cracks about the new Mormon ritual. After that we review a movie with another secret combination as its center, Angels and Demons, based on the Dan Brown novel. Then we wrap with happy ...
Mar 29, 2023•3 hr 34 min
Next on the block is the “Emotion” component of Steven Hassan’s BITE model of cult mind control. This launches us into the next installment of Saints: The Standard of Truth, covering the visionary era of the early Mormon movement and the move from New York to Ohio. Sidney Rigdon and Parley P. Pratt are introduced, as are the Partridge family, including 7 and 11 year-old Emily and Eliza. The book casually introduces the subject of polygamy, presumably to smooth over the subject in the coming chap...
Mar 15, 2023•2 hr 53 min
This is kind of an unusual episode. Shannon’s still in recovery so Bryce is making a solo run for better or worse (definitely the latter). We run through the stories of some early African-American members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Their stories are remarkable, their struggles real, their histories vague but inspiring. We try to place their stories within the larger context of slavery in Utah and what life might have been like at the time. Thank you to Century of Black M...
Mar 01, 2023•1 hr 26 min
CULTS! Well, one specifically. We start this episode with a brief rundown of Steven Hassan’s BITE model of cult mind control. We hone in on the element of “Information” control within the larger BITE model to discuss how important controlling information is to the longevity of any cult. That leads us into our longer segment where we finally begin our review of Saints: The Standard of Truth, the new authoritative history book of early Mormonism published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-da...
Feb 15, 2023•4 hr 2 min
Who even is Lavina Fielding Anderson?! In this classic deep dive we examine the life of Lavina Fielding Anderson and her contributions to the Mormon academic field. Her story serves as a case study of how far individuals can pressure the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from the inside before the institution’s immune system responds. She’s a powerhouse of a scholar, a pioneer in feminist Mormon studies, and an advocate for those who’ve survived ecclesiastical abuse. The Mormon Allianc...
Feb 01, 2023•3 hr 28 min
It’s finally time for our long-awaited deep dive into New Mormon History. Put simply, NMH was a movement within the history department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to confront controversial history and turn away from the apologetic and polemical Old Mormon History. The leading figure, Leonard Arrington, was the right person for the job. But, he didn’t have the business chops to fight forces much larger than him in the form of Mark E. Petersen, Ezra Taft Benson, and Boyd K. ...
Jan 18, 2023•3 hr 31 min
Education is a battleground for the hearts and minds of the future. The Church Education System of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was founded in 1980, but the history of education in Mormonism is far more complex. We do a deep dive into how the CES started and the sordid pasts of the various educational institutions attached to the Church at some point. There’s also a tangential deep dive into seminary and the legal sphere of “released time” classes carving out exemptions where ...
Jan 04, 2023•2 hr 44 min
Guess what! This is the end of our deep dive into The Millennial Messiah , by Bruce R McConkie! It’s party time! We go over the last 4 chapters and then discuss our conclusion. Then, we will watch the 2010 movie Legion, with a mormon lens because it works WAY too well with that. Then we’ll finish off the episode with some good news about a BYU protest! MOGP: Legion (2010) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1038686/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3 FInd where it’s streaming: https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/legion ...
Dec 21, 2022•3 hr 22 min
What even is the Law of Consecration?! Well it’s a covenant that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints make during the temple endowment ceremony, but what actually is it? We go through a deep dive of the Law of Consecration, discuss a bit of its history, and pontificate about it’s impact and possible future use in Mormon culture today. After that we review Gate to Women’s Country by Sheri S. Tepper, a wonderful dystopian fantasy novel with some hard-hitting social commentary...
Dec 07, 2022•2 hr 14 min
Our long-awaited deep-dive deconstruction of Adam-God Doctrine, or theory, depending on who you ask. What is it? Who taught it? Why is it controversial? How is it treated by the corporate Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today? ‘As we are, god once was, as god is we may someday become’ is a tried-and-true Mormon doctrine and the Adam-Eve-Gods Doctrine fits perfectly within this logical loop. As the title of the doctrine alludes to, Heavenly Father took the form of Adam with one of his...
Nov 23, 2022•4 hr 3 min
History comes to life! Today we interview Mark Elwood, the creator of the graphic novel series The Glass Looker. These novels seek to illustrate Joseph Smith’s magic and treasure digging in beautiful and colorful relief. The book just dropped so grab yourself a copy! After that we continue talking fictionalized history with the movie Ford v Ferrari and we wrap the show with some happy news about republicans losing a book ban fight. Show Notes: The Glass Looker https://theglasslooker.com/ MOGP: F...
Nov 09, 2022•1 hr 50 min
It’s time for the next installment of The Millennial Messiah by Bruce R. McConkie! Before that, we talk about Zion. What was it, what did/does it mean to various faith traditions, and what’s the Mormon slant of Zion? McCranky spends this entire episode discussing how incredibly awesome the future Mormon theocracy, Zion, the New Jerusalem, built upon the American continent, is going to be! We wrap up with some happy news from Salt Lake City attempting to mitigate homelessness in Zion. Show Notes:...
Oct 26, 2022•2 hr 51 min
It’s that time again! Every 6 months we review every talk given over the pulpit in General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This Mormon Con sees the best and brightest in Mormon hierarchy speaking in 10-30 minute segments, accompanied by the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. In total, we review all 10 hours of talks “to see what slipped through the cracks”! Other Appearances: We both appeared on Jimmy Snow first ever Exmormon General Conference: https://www.youtube...
Oct 12, 2022•4 hr 38 min
What does Joseph Smith’s book say about Joseph Smith’s church? We take a look into the Book of Mormon to see what it has to say about the modern Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The BoM has a lot to say about organized, wealthy religion so how does a religion based on it accumulate so much wealth into its organization? After that we discuss the SMBC book Religion; Ruining Everything since 4004 B.C. and discuss a recent speech by Biden about abortion health care. MOGP: Religion: Ruini...
Sep 28, 2022•2 hr 23 min
Girl’s Camp! We talk about the history of how it came to be, the experiences of many folks who attended, and discuss the evolution of the program since its inception. What happens there? Who gets (has) to attend? Why don’t young women get to do the same kind of stuff Scouts do? Tune in and all answers shall be revealed! After that we review the most recent Tarzan movie and wrap the show with a new paper proposed as forthcoming EU legislation to reduce slave labor. Show links: History of LDS Yout...
Sep 14, 2022•2 hr 53 min
What a fun grouping of topics! We do a relatively long deep-dive into the history of how the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has dealt with organic evolution and how the stance has changed over time. Of course, the Book of Mormon is predicated on eugenics, as is the history of Utah, so we also include this more controversial subject as it is related. Then we dive into Bruce R. McConkie’s Millennial Messiah where he continues to harp on his favorite topic, the end times. Turns out the...
Aug 31, 2022•3 hr 51 min
Numerology 101! What is it? How many is it? Why is it? We do a quick deep-dive into the esoteric field of numerology and how it influenced Joseph Smith and early Mormonism. We even find out our own numbers just for the fun of it! After that we talk about The Number 23 starring Jim Carrey in a very non-Jim Carrey role, witnessing him driven to madness by, you guessed it, the number 23. We round out with a brief signal boost of the recent sex abuse scandal with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter...
Aug 17, 2022•2 hr 4 min
We’ve discussed Mormon endtimes on numerous episodes, but this time we will also discuss some results. Mormonism breeds dangerous men; men who believe the end of the world is coming. Bruce R. McConkie loved the idea of the endtimes. He wrote about it so much that we decided to cover what Mormon Doctrine says are the signs of the endtimes. Then, because we know you just can’t get enough of McCrankie, Shannon will give the 5th segment of Millennial Messiah which, surprise surprise, is all about th...
Aug 03, 2022•3 hr 10 min
Finally, the long-awaited deep-dive of Paul H. Dunn! Dunn was a General Authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a consummate liar. He tweaked or fabricated dozens of stories with a spiritual bend which caused Mormons to feel the spirit that what he was saying was true. He also committed financial fraud by cashing in on his high church rank and grandiose public personality. When all this came to light, shelves of believing Mormons came crashing down worldwide, and he was ...
Jul 20, 2022•2 hr 10 min
Yes, it’s time for our next installment of the Millennial Messiah by Bruce R. McConkie. Before that, however, we’re doing a deep-dive into the history of the BYU center in Jerusalem. We discuss how it came to be, the hurdles overcome, and the strange and mysterious ways in which Mormon God works. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints punched far above its weight class in the sphere of international politics to shoehorn this place onto the Mount of Olives! Then we round out the episode ...
Jul 06, 2022•3 hr 19 min
EPISODE 100!!! We’re celebrating this achievement with a different style of show. We’re talking all about hymns and music. What does music do to our brains? How can it be used for benevolent or, conversely, malevolent, purposes? Why is music easier to remember than just about any other media we create or consume? We also discuss some history of hymns and folk music in the Mormon culture and tradition as markers for significant events or used to ensure conformity or battle public perceptions. We ...
Jun 22, 2022•1 hr 45 min
I'm uploading this as a token of gratitude for all you listeners showing up for 100 episodes! Plus, people have been asking for our review on the main feed but UtBoH is just too big a topic for the regular show, so here's a standalone episode taken from our YouTube broadcast! This is the next installment of our quarterly live Q&A broadcasts! We have our lovely patrons to thank over at https://www.patreon.com/GlassBoxPod for helping us reach our goal to make these possible. This time around w...
Jun 21, 2022•2 hr 37 min
Hey it’s Pride Month! We all hear about Prop 8 and how the LDS church paid a boatload of money to make it go their way. We thought the actions the church took in the past which led to these actions needed to be brought to light. We also discuss Patriarch Joseph Fielding Smith who was called to the office while known to be gay, then was fired from the job once the bigots spoke out against him. Then, in our Media section, Shannon brings you a large list of books you should look into written by Mar...
Jun 08, 2022•3 hr 12 min
