This Week in Mormons

What a time! The TWiM Sisters are back up in this hizzy with recaps on all the great stuff you love. However, of course, there's news. FamilySearch, the LDS Church-owned genealogy website, made some waves when it announced it will include same-sex couples in its database, the result of a multi-year effort. Tired of lame hymns? Eager to hear new hymns? Composer of your own hymns? The Church has announced a program to create a new, unified global hymnbook that will also include user submissions. So get in there any make your own hymn! After the Trump administration set out to separate undocumented parents, many of whom are asylum seekers, from their children, the Church spoke out against the move, reminding us the families come first. Plenty of Mormon kids leave BYU and are shocked that the working world involves attendance at happy hours, grabbing coffee with potential mentors, and engaging in all sorts of appearances of evil. Alas, such is not a sin. In fact, it's a crucial part of professional growth, and a great article at By Common Consent has some fun with the whole thing. Church photography has changed a lot. No more are Church photographers staging sacrament meetings. Instead, there's an effort to take candid photos of real people engaged in real life, and it's awesome. Hey, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir had a gay conductor, if only for one night. New Apostles Gerrit W. Gong and Ulisses Soares are keeping it real. The Church has also implemented new standards for interviewing youth. It's a process of refinement. Lastly, LDS Living has the Mormon myths you never knew you needed to know about, but now must make a part of your life.

The Sisters are back! Arianne had a baby boy and will regale you with tales of the wonderment of children. She is super grateful that the Church has severed ties with Boy Scouts. Speaking of, the Sisters have their thoughts and predictions on what will replace the current youth programs. Will there be overlap across genders? Will they meet separately? Tiffany 101 has the call. In a big story, some doof created a fake Mormon Newsroom site that contained an alleged "apology" from President Nelson about the pre-1978 priesthood ban. All of this was in the runup to the "Be One" broadcast celebrating the 40th anniversary of Official Declaration 2. ? Do the ways Mormon women care for each other following the birth of a child reflect sexist policies in that men are not included? Why can't men bring meals? Why do we assume women are the ones to cook and share? The perpetrator claims he was not trying to hurt anyone and merely wanted to "start a discussion." BYU's Marriott School has appointed its first female dean, Brigitte C. Madrian. Madrian was previously serving at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. The New York Times shares a piece about what Islamophobic politicians (yes, they exist in spades) can learn from Mormons, because Mormons are awesome to Muslims all the time! Remember in early May when we learned of DNA being used to find the Golden State Killer? Now we've learned that the DNA came from the largely LDS community of Rexburg. Outstanding! Per this episode's title, President Russell M. Nelson has encouraged youth (and all of us?) to take a seven-day social media fast in an effort to remove ourselves from the false sense of identity that social media foments. So, the Church apparently has $32 billion in stocks. What does this mean to you? If anything, it means we can hire freaking custodians for our church buildings. Come on! Oh, and the Church randomly called a new Seventy as if they got the tally wrong during General Conference.

[dropcap]A[/dropcap]fter playing will they/won't they for a few years, the delicate dance is ending with the Church severing its ties with Boy Scouts. What does this mean for the future of youth programs in the Church? How do you feel about sunsetting Scouting? Plenty of drama in Mesa, Arizona as the Church moves to demolish homes within the Temple Historic District to make way for a revamped temple compound, including a new visitors center. Preservationists have accused the Church of acting in bad faith. Either way, the Church actually owns most of the homes, so demolished they shall be. Al has plenty to say about Ministering. Plenty. Isn't it fun that meetinghouses now restrict access to social media networks on the building's wifi? Except Facebook. Why is Facebook exempt? Provo and Salt Lake City are the worst places to live in the US if you're single! This cold partially be because there are no bars. On his World Tour, President Nelson shared a great story about how the announced temple in Bengaluru, India came to be. Check it out. Also on the tour, the prophet denounced dowries and encouraged those experiencing poverty to pay tithing as a "way out." Volunteers (i.e. missionaries) in Turkey have been temporarily reassigned due to political unrest in the country. Will they return? Who knows! (God does.) The Houston Texas Temple is back! It's back, kids! The Church has reminded us to take care of the earth. This is for you, Scott Pruitt. Remember that survey on missionary safety? The results have been announced! And changes are being implemented! Also, these excellent videos:

The Sisters hop on to talk about Mother's Day and all it entails, and Arianne plans on welcoming a new baby this coming weekend! Remember when she said she was itchy? Turns out that's a more serious thing than we anticipated. Why do people flip out when you tell them you don't have a name yet picked out for your coming baby? What's up with that? And Arianne has a full rundown of awful Mormon Corridor names while Tiffany encourages her to embrace her inner professional wrestler. There are still stories to discuss, however. For example, are Mormon mommy bloggers creating a false perception of reality? Deseret News wonders whether the blogs are hurting more than they are helping. That said, here are some mommy bloggers you should know! By Common Consent is a venerable Mormon blog, and the Sisters have fallen in love with author Jessie Jensen. How well do Mormon women cover the unique pressures they face navigating LDS culture, professional ambition, and family responsibilities? Oh yeah, and there was that one time the Church found out about a philandering mission president in Puerto Rico named Philander, and the actions they took, which involved releasing and excommunicating him.

[dropcap]A[/dropcap]rianne's husband falls victim to a mass release in the wake of the major changes during General Conference. How's it been in your ward and stake? Almost lost in the hubbub of General Conference were some major changes to preventing and dealing with abuse, replete with an adjustment to bishop's interviews with youth, allowing another adult to be in the room. How on earth did youth treks become such a thing? And are they a thing outside of the Mormon Corridor? The Sisters have plenty of experience on this front, and the Deseret News has some other insights. Garments are changing - again! So much change! Tiffany gets down with her bad self with the new Stretch Cotton style. In the darker side of Ancestry DNA tests, a woman's test revealed her paternity to be that of her fertility doctor, a former temple and mission president. Ooops. Call Maury Povich. As the saga of the Joseph Bishop scandal continues to unfold, for some reason, the Church's dossier about the accuser includes personally identifiable information about a daughter given up for adoption. This daughter has no bearing on the case, and she was surprised to find her name in the dossier. The secret of funeral potatoes is out! Everyone is losing their mind! Founder of Days for Girls honored at the Smithsonian. Yippee! There's a singles ward mockumentary coming. In Rexburg. *sigh* Jeff Flake is on his way out of the Senate, and he has an impossible dream.

After one of the most eventful General Conference in recent memory, we've assembled a terrific panel to work through the talks, as well as the huge changes that came during the meetings. Please welcome Kurt Francom of LeadingLDS, Wes Eggett of Talks on Talks, and the inimitable TWiM Sisters, Arianne Smith and Tiffany Hales. In case you missed it, aside from some great talks and Easter, some major announcements were made: * The first apostles of Asian and Latin American descent are called * Elders quorum and high priests group to be combined under elders quorum * The Home and Visiting Teaching programs are to be phased out in favor of "ministering" * Seven new temples in Argentina, India, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Russia, Virginia, and Utah So yeah, way more to unpack than we planned on. You can also watch our live stream of the podcast below.

We're thrilled this week that the host and creator of BYUtv's Relative Race, Dan Debenham, sits down with us to talk about the success of the show, family history, producing content with LDS standards but not for an LDS audience. All of your burning questions will be answered, including the mystery of the super intense Relative Race offices. But hey, there's also some news. Sadly, we've seen a story this week about a former Missionary Training Center president who reportedly sexually abused sister missionaries. If the revelation alone isn't enough, one of these former missionaries confronted him and recorded the entire thing. The Church released a statement on the issue, and we're sure this is a story that is just barely starting to develop. In the #MeToo era, the reckoning is likely to continue. Do you cleave unto the First Presidency message in the Ensign and Liahona to do home teaching every month? Well tough garbage, because President Nelson will have none of this nonsense! The First Presidency message is done. What's replacing it? Nothing officially, but in an era of wide access to social media, Face to Face broadcasts, email marketing, and LDS.org, a monthly message became unnecessary. In other weird news, Arizona lawmakers are moving to build a memorial on the capitol grounds for John D. Lee, the man regarded by most historians as the primary agitator responsible for the Mountain Meadows massacre. So... great job, Arizona? Garments have changed in a very interesting way, but more importantly, the intended shelf life of garments is only a year. What? The Bangkok Thailand Temple looks awesome. No further explanation necessary. But if you want one, here it is.  

A very pregnant Arianne makes compels her kids to read the Book of Mormon, rewarding them with a trip to Disneyland wherein she tells the children they need to put their heads down and power through. Grandpa abandons them like a fool. Grandpa, you fool! Apparently trek involves carrying around porta-potties, which is what Tiffany was tasked with doing. Apparently trek means you get to use a sort of real bathroom. That is not trek. Trek is weak. But the movie, Trek, is not. Have you visited the revamped Mormon Battalion site in San Diego? Arianne and her family did. It's awesome. Remember The Other Side of Heaven? It's getting a sequel! What? Another story to tell? Oh yes! Girls camp is getting a massive revamp, with a new manual and focus on allowing the youth to plan and carry out activities. Going away are attempts to have big, dramatic, emotional spiritual experiences. Also, if you loved the movie Once I Was a Beehive, check out our interview with the stars. Back in February, Mormonism experienced its own #MeToo episode, when White House staffer Rob Porter, a Mormon, was forced to resign amid abuse allegations by his ex wives. The episode shined a light on how bishops deal with abuse situations, with many stories surfacing about too light of a hand used on the abuser for fear of damaging career or reputation, and sadly, to women simply not being believed. Have you checked out The Salt Lake Tribune's new podcast, "Mormonland"? It's pretty good. Subscribe to it. Novelist Tara Westover discusses her experience growing up in a fundamentalist Mormon household, only to shock her family by attending BYU and pursuing a PhD later at Cambridge. She has a new book and discusses her experience on a recent episode of Fresh Air. Hey! Chile and Colombia are both getting brand-new temples, and they'll be dedicated near the end of the year! Lastly, DNA tests are a bit controversial, but one of them connected a woman to a father she didn't even know existed. What?!

[et_pb_section bb_built="1"][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text] The Sisters (both church sisters and shared-genes sisters) return! Arianne talks about her pregnancy and Tiffany has a new temple assignment. The Winter Olympics are upon us, and with them, Mormons' interest in how many of their own are competing. Well, per the Deseret News, the 2018 games will have five LDS athletes at the games, four of them representing the United States and one representing Ireland. The latter going by the nickname "Bubba," which means we all must support him. Speaking of the Olympics, Provo singer April Meservy's cover of U2's "With or Without You" has been picked up by Canadian figure skaters Eric Radford and Meagan Duhamel as music for their performance. Check it out below. LDS Living has been kind enough to inform us about 16 "unique" Church callings Mormons have had. The best is probably the Taco Committee Member, but the Road Kill Coordinator is huge. We've had a few passings. Elder Von G. Keetch passed away at the end of January from complications with cancer. Also, famed billionaire and philanthropist Jon Huntsman Sr. passed away at age 80. The Salt Lake Tribune also has a terrific article on Huntsman's philanthropy. Ladies, are you interest in new temple garment styles?! They exist! Embrace Stretch Cotton! In huge story making the rounds, BYU professor Benjamin M. Ogles spoke at a recent BYU Devotional, stressing that victims of sexual assault have hope, and that it is upon all of us to prevent assault and thwart any culture that accepts it. Lastly, you might remember Josh and Lolly Weed, a married LDS couple doing something many found peculiar: staying in a marriage when Josh is openly gay. When they became famous years ago, they served as a fascinating case study on some of the possibilities open to gay Latter-day Saints, even with their detractors. Now, however, Josh and Lolly have admitted it was impossible to keep up the charade and pretend they were truly happy, and they are divorcing. Do you support This Week in Mormons on Patreon? You should! Just ONE DOLLAR a month can make all the difference. A buck!   [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

It's difficult when someone we care about leaves the Church, even more so when it's a family member. That's what happened with the TWiM Sisters when their sister, Ciarran Burch, left the Church. How did Tiffany and Arianne react? What steps did they take to ensure the family would remain close even when Mormonism plays an outsized cultural role in familial relations? What recommendations does Ciarran have for those who also see siblings and friends leave the Church? We don't publish this episode to condone leaving the faith. We wish everyone, especially those who struggle, could find a comfortable place within Mormonism. But sometimes it doesn't go that way despite our hopes and prayers, and the best thing we can do is love that person and maintain a positive relationship. The Sisters have done just that. We hope this episode will provide some guidance for those of you in a similar situation.

There's lots to unpack since we last joined you. Thomas S. Monson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, passed away on January 2 due to age. Monson was a mainstay for Mormon millennials, and his presence will be missed. Of course, not all was smooth sailing. In the sea of obituaries that came out remembering President Monson's life, the New York Times stood out because of its "mean-spirited" coverage of the fallen leader. Mormons were so upset that the Times dared mention opposition to gay marriage and female ordination that a Change.org petition started circulating. The Times eventually responded, but this did not assuage the anger of a body politic that really does have a persecution complex. In the interregnum, or rather - interim, we had to remind ourselves what happens to the First Presidency when a prophet dies. After waiting two weeks, the First Presidency was finally reorganized, with Russell M. Nelson as President of the Church. What stunned many, however, was his choice in counselors. Dallin H. Oaks was called as the First Counselor in the First Presidency, and Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor to President Monson, shifted over to Second Counselor. What of Dieter F. Uchtdorf? He's not in. And that sent some ripples through Mormondom, concerned about his emotional state and the future of the Church. (He's just fine, thank you.) Still, many view the so-called "demotion" of Uchtdorf as something of a deliberate slight against his open, gregarious nature. (Some dare call him a "progressive.") And comparisons to Hugh B. Brown, the only other First Presidency counselor not retained during a prophetic handover unrelated to health issues. We are here to tell you that it's all going to be OK, folks. It's all going to be OK. Why do we base our involvement in the Church on whether President Oaks or Elder Uchtdorf is helping run the show? How does that reflect on your personal discipleship and willingness to serve in the kingdom? Naturally, there's some other random news: during the apostolic interregnum, mission calls went out on the letterhead of the Twelve instead of the First Presidency, which is kinda cool; Ann Romney supports Mitt's potential bid for the Senate; Matt Holland, son of Jeffrey R. Holland and president of Utah Valley University, will serve as a mission president in Raleigh, North Carolina; the Genesis Group receives new leadership; Mormons are weirdly approving of Donald Trump; and

Merry Christmas, everyone! We hope you are having a wonderful holiday season. Let's spend an hour together. Allow Al and Geoff to lull you into peace with their dulcet tones. There's all sorts of temple news, not least of which is the recent announcement that worthy priests will now be able to officiate in baptisms for the dead, just as they do for live baptisms outside of the temple. The news was met with its fair share of snark, mostly because the increased duties for girls are those of existing temple workers, so... passing out towels has become the go-to mockery. Either way, the kids will have more to do! Building on that, Keepapitchinin has an excellent rundown of the history (or lack thereof) of women in specific temple roles. Also, apparently Mormons baptized US president Donald Trump's deceased grandparents and parents in the temple. Because they are dead, as Al would (and will) say. AND the Cedar City Utah Temple was dedicated. President Eyring is an open-mouth smiler. In fun semi-political news, students attending BYU's Jerusalem Center now face travel restrictions in the wake of changing US policy regarding Jerusalem as the recognized capital of Israel. Neat. Hey, speaking of Jerusalem, LDS Living culturally clueless post makes it rain with a about Judaism, coupled with a picture of the Dome of the Rock, which is an Islamic holy site. Well done! Are you excited to learn about how the Mormon Tabernacle Choir finds its guest performers and takes care of them? Look no further than Ron Gunnell, the smooth fixer of all things MoTab. Ron's story is the most wonderful thing of the week. Listen to how much Al loves it! Jana Riess has found something to complain about! We love you for sticking to form, Jana. Is this too Daily Wire of us in terms of snark? Anyway, priesthood and Relief Society lessons are changing in 2018, and Riess has some reservations. Are they justified? What do you think about lessons largely based on General Conference talks? A few petitions have circulated about changing Church policy to require bishops to have someone else in the room during youth interviews about sexual topics. Many parents are uncomfortable with children learning about sexual things alone with a bishop. What's your take?

Tiffany and Arianne regale us with stories of Black Friday shopping, British Royals obsessions, Thanksgiving tales, holiday hymns, and the dedication of the Meridian Idaho Temple! Yes, there are Thanksgiving hymns. Arianne has a "me" problem with the Light the World campaign. It's all about mom guilt! Miss the big news about Al's and Geoff's kids last week? The Sisters will see you a child and raise you... uh, a baptism in eight years. In the "news," LDS Living has a super important list of 19 famous people who have been given a copy of the Book of Mormon, including Abraham Lincoln! Another year, another Lego enthusiast builds temples from those cute little Danish blocks. This time, the budding architect has built a totally-not-to-scale replica of the Sale Lake Tabernacle. But does it have a self-supporting roof?! Keeping with LDS Living, here are four reasons Mormons are ALWAYS late. So much great stuff out of the Meridian Idaho Temple dedication! We have stories and thoughts and prayers and happiness all around. US President Donald Trump visited Utah this week, touring Welfare Square with Church leaders President Henry B. Eyring, Russell M. Nelson, Gerard Causse, and others. Here's a rundown of other US presidents who have visited Utah. Oh hey, an ISIS sympathizer reportedly took a threatening picture in front of the San Diego California Temple, and the police went bananas. Single Mormons are desperate to wed, so the Mutual app has some new video that makes fun of going home for Christmas when single. Neat.

Legendary recording artist who happens to be Mormon (but not "Mormon recording artist") Peter Breinholt sits down with Geoff and Al for an extensive interview covering his involvement with the Light the World initiative (#LighttheWorld—use it), including how you can be involved in 25 days of service and music. In addition, we discuss Mormons' relationship with less "worshipful" music and how that could and should change, navigating faith crises, staying relevant as a musician in an evolving scene, and much more. Peter even plays us a few songs. Big thanks to the folks at Boncom for setting all of this up. Go support Peter and #LighttheWorld this Christmas season by attending one of his concerts: * Dec. 7 at the Central Utah Educational Services Student Christmas Concert, Richfield, UT - REQUEST TICKETS * Dec. 15 at the Rose Wagner Theater, Salt Lake City, UT - 8 PM - GET TICKETS * Dec. 16 at the Rose Wagner Theater, Salt Lake City, UT - 4 PM - GET TICKETS, and 8 PM - GET TICKETS

Everyone join us in celebrating Tiffany's 50th birthday! She has a closet with more square footage than her children's bedrooms! The Meridian Idaho Temple open house comes to a close, and the Sisters have some great insights into the process of giving tours, including when guides are to speak (or not), the ol' walk and talk, throwup in the celestial room, ruined oil paintings, and the way the public generally trashes a temple during an open house. In news, Newsweek totally blows a headline about Elizabeth Smart's efforts to improve Mormons' views on sex, staying she is "wary of religion" when in reality, she is wary of people using religion as an excuse for poor behavior. Totally different things! We recommend you send a tweet to Cristina Maza, the piece's author, and sound off about how bad this is. Elder D. Todd Christofferson reorganizes a stake that he had discontinued ten years prior. The stake was closed as a result of population loss in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Lindsey Stirling continues her dominance on Dancing with the Stars. Dominance! The Sisters' favorite legal squabble, that of Sodalicious v Swig, ends in a settlement. BORING. Remember last week's podcast when we talked about a weird video highlighting "weird" food RMs ate on their mission? The Sisters can't get enough! Watch it below. An Arizona family plans to visit every temple in the world. Good luck making it to Kinshasa! What the eff is up with this post about Taylor Swift in a "Mormon Temple Dress"? Awful Photoshop and all. ?? SISTER SWIFT GIVEAWAY! BECAUSE HER ALBUM DROPPED TODAY AND I’M FREAKING OUT ?? Ok, if you were here last December you know this giveaway ended up being one of the funniest things to happen on Instagram. You’ll also remember it ruffled some feathers. SO if you think this is tacky (which is kinda is ?????) or it makes you mad… shake it off! Just keep scrolling and I love you, sis! ? NOW FOR THE REST OF YOU… ARE YOU READY FOR IT? Whoever can come up with the best church analogy using a Taylor Swift lyric or title wins a $100 @qnoor_templdress gift card! To Enter ?? Follow @qnoor_templedress ?? Like this post ?? Comment with your Swifty Church analogy and tag your girl squad because we don’t any Bad Blood when they find out they missed this. One entry person and be creative! Note: OBV this is a crap photoshop job. I’m in no way trying to make it seems like @taylorswift is an actual @qnoor_templedress mod...