Episodes

Saturday Feb 18, 2023
5.6 History, narration, and theological work
Saturday Feb 18, 2023
Saturday Feb 18, 2023
Our church’s framing of the apostasy and restoration is changing, and Miranda Wilcox wrote about it! How we narrate our religious history affects our general understanding of Christian history, and can help us better appreciate the centuries of progress between the ancient apostles and 1820.
Link to our Face in Hat discord server!
Narrating Religious Heritage: Apostasy and Restoration, by Miranda Wilcox
https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/narrating-religious-heritage/
Joseph Smith and the Possibility of Comics
Reviewed by Theric Jepson
Dialogue 56, no. 1, Spring 2023 (in press)
Pillar of Light, by Andrew G. Knaupp (Author), Sal Velluto (Illustrator)
https://www.cedarfort.com/pages/pillar-of-light
The Glass Looker, by Mark Elwood
https://theglasslooker.com/about/
Joseph Smith and the Mormons, by Noah Van Sciver
Ada Palmer and the Weird Hand of Progress, by Gregory Barber
https://www.wired.com/story/ada-palmer-sci-fi-future-weird-hand-progress/
Remnant or Replacement? Outlining a Possible Apostasy Narrative, by Nicholas J. Frederick and Joseph M. Spencer
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5076&context=byusq
1st Nephi 11-14
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/1-ne/11
John the Baptist wiki
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_the_Baptist
How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role From the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe (The Hinges of History), by Thomas Cahill
Martyrs' Crossing, by Melissa Leilani Larson

Friday Dec 23, 2022
5.5 Holy Matrimony, Holy Grail
Friday Dec 23, 2022
Friday Dec 23, 2022
So, was Jesus married? Our holiday edition of our series on open questions follows Christopher James Blythe’s article on the same question. Conspiracy, Assassin’s Creed, Dan Brown, this one’s got it all. Lots of great links in the show notes! See you next year!
Link to our Face in Hat discord server!
Dialogue Podcast Network
https://www.dialoguejournal.com/podcasts/
Was Jesus Married?, by Christopher James Blythe
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5137&context=byusq
The full issue: Yet to be revealed, open questions in Latter-Day Saint theology. Edited by Eric A. Eliason and Terryl L. Givens
https://byustudies.byu.edu/journal/60-3/
The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, by The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holy_Blood_and_the_Holy_Grail
Wiki on the book!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holy_Blood_and_the_Holy_Grail
Identical ancestors point
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Identical_ancestors_point
Terrible Revolution: Latter-day Saints and the American Apocalypse, by Christopher James Blythe
LDS Church Issues Statement Regarding "The Da Vinci Code"
https://www.ksl.com/article/266159/lds-church-issues-statement-regarding-the-da-vinci-code
Evil along the Mississippi: Stories from Nauvoo, by Christopher James Blythe
https://irreantum.associationmormonletters.org/17-1-evil-along-the-mississippi-stories-from-nauvoo/
Introducing Introductions to Mormon Thought. The first two books are linked there and below: Eugene England: A Mormon Liberal, by Kristine Haglund, and Vardis Fisher: A Mormon Novelist
https://www.press.uillinois.edu/wordpress/introducing-introductions-to-mormon-thought/
https://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=p058332
https://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=83xxc9pb9780252044090
Dialogue Book Report #19: Strange Mormon Fiction: Dave Butler and William Morris

Saturday Dec 03, 2022
5.4 Agency and its opposition
Saturday Dec 03, 2022
Saturday Dec 03, 2022
Agency is critical to the plan of salvation, and the adversary wanted it gone. But how? Philip L. Barlow wrote a banger of an article in Dialogue looking at prevailing theories, and argues the theology yields critical implications for how Mormons interact with government, politics, and church organization. It’s a great read!!!
Philip L. Barlow has a doctorate of theology (Th.D.) from the Harvard Divinity School and serves on the boards of directors for the Society for Mormon Philosophy and Theology and the Dialogue Foundation. How cool is that?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Barlow
Link to our Face in Hat discord server!
Dialogue Podcast Network
https://www.dialoguejournal.com/podcasts/
Article for today: “Shards of Combat: How Did Satan Seek to Destroy the Agency of Man?”, by Philip L. Barlow
https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/shards-of-combat/
The full issue: Yet to be revealed, open questions in Latter-Day Saint theology. Edited by Eric A. Eliason and Terryl L. Givens
https://byustudies.byu.edu/journal/60-3/
Darlene Young’s “A plan of salvation” isn’t yet published, but will appear in Irreantum’s next issue, “The Plan”.
https://irreantum.associationmormonletters.org/
Moses 4:3
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/pgp/moses/4?lang=eng#p3
Bonus! Jaywalking chat was cut from the episode, but enjoy Adam Ruins Everything - Why Jaywalking Is a Crime

Sunday Oct 30, 2022
5.3 Eternal individuation and King Follett
Sunday Oct 30, 2022
Sunday Oct 30, 2022
We welcome William Morris aka Wm, founder of A Motley Vision, onto our show to talk about the BYU studies article, The King Follett Discourse: Pinnacle or Peripheral?, by James E. Faulconer and Susannah Morrison. We talk about the nature of individuality, intelligence, and our own eternal destiny, as revealed by Joseph Smith and studied by prophets and scholars ever since. We even may have come to a new conclusion on the discourse as a whole? Join us!
Link to our Face in Hat discord server!
Dialogue Podcast Network
https://www.dialoguejournal.com/podcasts/
Article for today: The King Follett Discourse: Pinnacle or Peripheral?, by James E. Faulconer and Susannah Morrison
https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/the-king-follett-discourse-pinnacle-or-peripheral/
The full issue: Yet to be revealed, open questions in Latter-Day Saint theology. Edited by Eric A. Eliason and Terryl L. Givens
https://byustudies.byu.edu/journal/60-3/
Motley Vision website
The Darkest Abyss: Strange Mormon Stories, by William Morris
https://www.amazon.com/Darkest-Abyss-Strange-Mormon-Stories/dp/1948218682
Email subscription for Wm
https://buttondown.email/motleyvision
God has created “both things to act and things to be acted upon”, 2 Nephi 2:14
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/2#p14
Science the Key to Theology: Volume One: Preliminaries, by Steven L. Peck
https://www.amazon.com/Science-Key-Theology-One-Preliminaries/dp/0998605204
The Marvelous Clouds: Toward a Philosophy of Elemental Media, by John Durham Peters
https://www.amazon.com/Marvelous-Clouds-Toward-Philosophy-Elemental/dp/022625383X
Dark Watch and other Mormon-American stories, by William Morris
https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Watch-other-Mormon-American-stories-ebook/dp/B00WQHCCFG
Talking to Dante in the Spirit World,by Daniel Cooper
Hemingway in Paradise and Other Mormon Poems, by Scott Hales
https://www.amazon.com/Hemingway-Paradise-Other-Mormon-Poems/dp/B09WQBHBQG
Thanks to our sponsor! Check out Beyond the Witch's Woods: Book One of the Kingdom of Adair, by Nathan K Caulder

Monday Oct 17, 2022
5.2 Divinization and Deity
Monday Oct 17, 2022
Monday Oct 17, 2022
It’s a two for one today as we look at two BYU studies articles on whether God ever has or is currently progressing, and on progression in the afterlife. Go deep with us! It’s so much fun! Plus Hadestown makes an appearance!
Link to our Face in Hat discord server!
Thanks to our sponsor! Check out Beyond the Witch's Woods: Book One of the Kingdom of Adair, by Nathan K Caulder
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BF2Q4TJX/
Two articles in this episode:
What Is the Nature of God’s Progress?, by Matthew Bowman
https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/what-is-the-nature-of-gods-progress/
How Limited Is Postmortal Progression?, by Terryl L. Givens
https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/how-limited-is-postmortal-progression/
Both from the full issue: Yet to be revealed, open questions in Latter-Day Saint theology. Edited by Eric A. Eliason and Terryl L. Givens
https://byustudies.byu.edu/journal/60-3/
Brain cells in a lab dish learn to play Pong — and offer a window onto intelligence, by Jon Hamilton
Heike's Void, by Steven Peck (Author)
https://www.amazon.com/Heikes-Void-Steven-Peck/dp/1948218550
The Plan, a play by Eric Samuelsen
https://sunstone.org/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/155-06-31.pdf
Slaughterhouse-Five: A Novel, by Kurt Vonnegut (Author)
https://www.amazon.com/Slaughterhouse-Five-Novel-Modern-Library-Novels/dp/0385333846
Hilbert's paradox of the Grand Hotel
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilbert%27s_paradox_of_the_Grand_Hotel
Infinity - Here Come the 123s, by They Might Be Giants
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=pTpEB-Y2Ai0&list=OLAK5uy_ltENVxaQXfqCtKD-WTW_t38dlM81kvy-E
How To Count Past Infinity - Vsauce
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrU9YDoXE88
Infinity is bigger than you think - Numberphile
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elvOZm0d4H0
(Aaron) I couldn’t quite verify it, but it’s rumored that Matthew Bowman’s The Mormon People: The Making of an American Faith states that James Talmadge was one of the first Mormon’s with a Ph.D.
https://www.amazon.com/Mormon-People-Making-American-Faith/dp/081298336X
Talking to Dante in the Spirit World, by Daniel Cooper
Hadestown! It’s the best. Here’s a spotify link.
https://open.spotify.com/album/1J1yxODbNlqKbwRqJxYJUP
Hades! Also the best. Get it on steam or it’s free right now on xbox if you have game pass!
https://www.supergiantgames.com/games/hades/
Joseph Smith and the Mormons Hardcover, by Noah Van Sciver
https://www.amazon.com/Joseph-Smith-Mormons-Noah-Sciver/dp/141974965X
Next time! The King Follett Discourse: Pinnacle or Peripheral?, by James E. Faulconer and Susannah Morrison
https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/the-king-follett-discourse-pinnacle-or-peripheral/
Our related previous episode: 2.2 Canonization and the King Follett Discourse
https://faceinhat.podbean.com/e/22-canonization-and-the-king-follett-discourse/

Saturday Sep 24, 2022
5.1 Open Questions, an intro to season 5
Saturday Sep 24, 2022
Saturday Sep 24, 2022
Welcome to season 5! In this season we are studying the recent BYU Studies Quarterly issue 60:3: “Yet to be revealed, open questions in Latter-Day Saint theology.” In each of the articles, an unsettled, open question is presented along with viewpoints from LDS authorities, theologians, and scholars. The goal is not to resolve or debate but to present and discuss, a take we appreciate. Join us! Our first episode is on the article “Oh Say, What Is Truth?”: Approaches to Doctrine, by Michael A. Goodman.
Link to our Face in Hat discord server!
Full issue: Yet to be revealed, open questions in Latter-Day Saint theology. Edited by Eric A. Eliason and Terryl L. Givens
https://byustudies.byu.edu/journal/60-3/
Introduction to a BYU Studies Quarterly Special Issue on Open Questions in Latter-day Saint Theology, by Eric A. Eliason and Terryl L. Givens
https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/introduction-3/
“Oh Say, What Is Truth?”: Approaches to Doctrine, by Michael A. Goodman
https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/oh-say-what-is-truth/
Optimistic Nihilism - The philosophy of Kurzgesagt, by Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell
People of Paradox: A History of Mormon Culture, by Terryl L. Givens
https://www.amazon.com/People-Paradox-History-Mormon-Culture/dp/0199915989
Argument - Monty Python

Tuesday Jun 28, 2022
4.8 Mormonism and Judaism
Tuesday Jun 28, 2022
Tuesday Jun 28, 2022
Mormons love the Old Testament and everything about the Jewish faith and culture. Join us as we go into the history of Judaic influences on the LDS faith, and the sometimes complex relationship between our faiths.
Link to our Face in Hat discord server!
Colonialism - The Board Game Struggle, by No Pun Included
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQuFSxs9VXA
Wiki: Judaism and Mormonism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism_and_Mormonism
What Is Cultural Appropriation?, by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
https://www.britannica.com/story/what-is-cultural-appropriation
The Complicated Relationship between Mormons and Jews, by Matthew Bowman (free registration and free trial required)
Reverence vs Chutzpah, by thmazing
https://motleyvision.org/2013/05/01/reverence-vs-chutzpah/
Selections from Jews and Words by Oz and Oz-Salzberger, by thmazing
https://thmazing.blogspot.com/2013/03/selections-from-jews-and-words-by-oz.html
Jews and Words, by Amos Oz and Fania Oz-Salzberger
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0300156472/
Cats, Feces, Zombies, Jews, Wars, Princesses, Prophets, Exes, Screenplays, blog post by thmazing
https://thmazing.blogspot.com/2013/03/cats-feces-zombies-jews-wars-princesses.html#lineage
What Is It About Mormonism?, by Noah Feldman (subscription required)
https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/magazine/06mormonism-t.html
(Aaron) I couldn’t find the reference for Spencer W. Kimball sharing a joke with the Lord, but I did find the awesome list of jokes and stories about Spencer W. Kimball. Highly recommended!
Spencer W. Kimball: A Man of Good Humor, by Edward L. Kimball
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2389&context=byusq

Saturday Jun 11, 2022
4.7 Joshua and Jericho
Saturday Jun 11, 2022
Saturday Jun 11, 2022
A fun primary lesson led to a deeper discussion of historicity and truth in the book of Joshua.
Link to our Face in Hat discord server!
What Do We Mean When We Say that the Scriptures Are True? By Michael Austin
https://bycommonconsent.com/2021/05/23/what-do-we-mean-when-we-say-that-the-scriptures-are-true/
Wiki: the conquest of Caanan
Come follow me: Joshua
On Writing Heike’s Void, by Steven L. Peck
https://www.associationmormonletters.org/2022/06/on-writing-heikes-void-by-steven-l-peck/
Heike’s Void, by Steven L. Peck
https://www.amazon.com/Heikes-Void-Steven-Peck/dp/1948218550
Wiki: Battle of Jericho
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Jericho
Song of solomon footnote
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/ot/song/1?lang=eng#note
Americapox: The Missing Plague, by CGP Grey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEYh5WACqEk
Ada Palmer and the Weird Hand of Progress, by Gregory Barber
https://www.wired.com/story/ada-palmer-sci-fi-future-weird-hand-progress/
Thoughts to Keep in Mind: The Historical Books in the Old Testament
Mormon Literature at the 57th Annual MHA Conference, by Liz Busby

Tuesday Apr 19, 2022
4.6 Critical reading and the Divine Feminine
Tuesday Apr 19, 2022
Tuesday Apr 19, 2022
Reading scientific papers requires a critical mindset, but often ‘critical’ has a negative connotation. How can we apply critical reading to scriptures and conference addresses? This is especially relevant in the context of recent conference addresses and discourse in the Mormon community on Heavenly Mother (see especially Dialogue’s spring issue, “Heavenly Mother in Critical Context”).
Link to our Face in Hat discord server!
Infographic: How to read a scientific paper, by Natalia Rodriguez
https://www.elsevier.com/connect/infographic-how-to-read-a-scientific-paper
Answering Gospel Questions
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/answering-gospel-questions?lang=eng
How to Tell a True War Story, by Tim O’Brian
https://www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/~cinichol/CreativeWriting/323/OBrienWarStory.pdf
The things they carried, by Tim O’Brian
https://www.amazon.com/Things-They-Carried-Tim-OBrien/dp/0618706410
Your Divine Nature and Eternal Destiny, By Elder Dale G. Renlund (see footnote 10)
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2022/04/36renlund
Dialogue, Spring 2022. “Heavenly Mother in Critical Context.”
https://www.dialoguejournal.com/issues/spring-2022/
In Defense of Heavenly Mother: Her Critical Importance for Mormon Culture and Theology, by Margaret Toscano
Abbott & Costello 7 x 13 = 28
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzxVyO6cpos
Queer Mormon Theology: An Introduction, by Blaire Ostler
https://www.amazon.com/Queer-Mormon-Theology-Blaire-Ostler/dp/1948218410
Mother's Milk, by Rachel Hunt Steenblik
https://www.amazon.com/Mothers-Milk-Rachel-Hunt-Steenblik/dp/0998605220
Finding Mother God: Poems to Heal the World Hardcover, by Carol Lynn Pearson
https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Mother-God-Poems-World/dp/1423656687
Dove Song: Heavenly Mother in Mormon Poetry. Edited by Tyler Chadwick, Dayna Patterson, and Martin Pulido

Wednesday Feb 02, 2022
4.5 Universalism and Heresy
Wednesday Feb 02, 2022
Wednesday Feb 02, 2022
Dr. Eugene England and Elder Bruce R. McConkie really didn’t agree on many points regarding the nature of God and the destiny of souls. For today’s show, we highly recommend Rebecca England’s essay linked in the show notes! We cover it briefly but it’s worth your time!
D&C 1:30
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/1?lang=eng&id=30#p30
The vision: D&C 76
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/76
“The Vision”, by Matthew McBride (includes quote from Brigham Young and his brother Joseph)
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/revelations-in-context/the-vision?lang=eng#p12
D&C 19:11-19
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/19?lang=eng&id=11-19#p11
So Ask No More…, by Mario R. Montani. Translated by Gabriel González.
(Spanish) https://irreantum.associationmormonletters.org/y-no-preguntes-mas/
(English) https://irreantum.associationmormonletters.org/so-ask-no-more/
A Professor and Apostle Correspond: Eugene England and Bruce R. McConkie on the Nature of God, by Rebecca England
The Seven Deadly Heresies, by Bruce R. McConkie
https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/bruce-r-mcconkie/seven-deadly-heresies/
Stretching the Heavens: The Life of Eugene England and the Crisis of Modern Mormonism, by Terryl L. Givens
https://www.amazon.com/Stretching-Heavens-Eugene-England-Mormonism/dp/146966433X
Here’s a direct link to the quote that blew Aaron away, from Articles of Faith by, James Talmage, pg 421
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/42238/42238-h/42238-h.htm#Page_421
Printed vs. audio version of The Seven Deadly Heresies
https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Primary_sources/Bruce_R._McConkie/Seven_deadly_heresies