This Week in Mormons

http://media.blubrry.com/thisweekinmormons/thisweekinmormons.com/podcast/TWiM_EP117_For_the_North_and_the_South.mp3Download the MP3 of the showFirm for the Constitution, But Not the Government A busy week in Mormondom! Much to cover. Stories: LDS Church is the fastest growing religion in most of the US Gay member of Romney team forced out W Craig Zwick used his Church email account to solicit funds for Mitt Romney Corning, NY produces mean people BYU wins a massive pharmaceutical case Mormons sat out the Civil War Dumb hiker “saved by faith” Better hiker saved by awesome Joel Osteen declares Mormons Christians Archuleta sings in Rolling Stone Rededication of Buenos Aires Temple

http://media.blubrry.com/thisweekinmormons/thisweekinmormons.com/podcast/TWiM_EP116_Barry_the_Mac.mp3Download the MP3 of the show Lots of hot news this week. Let’s get right down to it. Clickers for Clicks AND Cliques: An Episcopal priest tours the Kansas City Temple Brigham City Temple dedication dates The media comes after McKay Coppins Mitt Romney’s underwear Romney adds gay adviser to staff. Who cares? Gay rights activists feel that the Church is softening its stance Circling the Wagons – again Montana governor slams Romney on polygamy Kirby goes mainstream The whiter the skin, the closer to God? Dems are anti-Mormon? Jews love us!

http://media.blubrry.com/thisweekinmormons/thisweekinmormons.com/podcast/TWiM_EP115_Occupy_Zarahemla.mp3Download the MP3 of the show Were Mormons socialists back in the day? A guy at Salon.com thinks so. Some updates from the Newsroom on same gender attraction. The New York Times follows around two missionaries in Uganda. Fascinating and pretty accurate portrayal of the realities of a mission. GOP to Mitt Romney: Own your Mormonism How crazy is scrutiny towards the Church going to get in the next six months? We have some thoughts. Assorted: MLB Mormon update 2012, historic chapel gets razed, and a super cute little girl sings “Redeemer of Israel” Links: New York Times and missionaries Newsroom: Same-gender attraction When Mormons were socialists Be a Mormon, Mitt MLB Mormon update Historic chapel to be razed

http://media.blubrry.com/thisweekinmormons/thisweekinmormons.com/podcast/TWiM_EP114_After_Hours.mp3Download the MP3 of the show Part 2 of our General Conference recap! What more shall we learn? Before that, though, we still have some news. It’s listed below. Stories: McKay Coppins’ take on black people Mitt Romney has a tense moment at a town hall EchoHawk steps down Rick Warren on Mormons Raul Labrador gives it to NBC Bomb near a church Tour inside the Kansas City Temple Lawrence O’Donnell – jackweed It Gets Better  

http://media.blubrry.com/thisweekinmormons/thisweekinmormons.com/podcast/TWiM_EP113_Loud_Laughter.mp3Download the MP3 of the show Join us for the first half of our General Conference recap! We get from Saturday Morning through the Priesthood session. So much great stuff was taught over the past weekend. Love was felt. The spirit was hearkened. Passive voice was used. We still have some assorted news, but we’ll just link to it at the bottom. Let’s keep the spirit of Conference going. Stories: Criticism of proxy sealings Joanna Brooks on sealings Conference infographic Behind the Church’s media efforts Utah isn’t most religious state BYU on the right side of gay students Muslim BYU-H president Hipster Jesus  

http://media.blubrry.com/thisweekinmormons/thisweekinmormons.com/podcast/TWiM_EP112_Liahonaroo.mp3Download the MP3 of the showEyesore Much? Elder Holland visits Harvard. Will Apostles play a greater role in actual testifying to the masses in the future? Conference predictions! Porn? Public Affairs? Judgment? What are your Priesthood Session traditions? Chuck-A-Rama? Dairy Queen? The grocery store? Mormons replace Bonnaroo. The Shins are not holy enough. Orange County LDS teens have their own prom. Way to reach out to the community, guys. Neighbors take issue with the massive new MTC building. Do LDS neighbors have an obligation to support an eyesore in their neighborhood? Are primary songs sexist? Assorted: City Creek opens and the First Presidency attends; Mitt Romney’s cousin is somehow important; Apostles explained; first YSA stake outside of Utah to be organized in Virginia; a day in the life of two sister missionaries Rub my belly: First YSA stake outside of UT Mormon Apostles? Liahonaroooooo Holland rocks Harvard City Creek opens The Provo City Center Temple – Official Park Romney is mean A day in the life of missionaries Mammoth storehouse Mormon teens have own prom Priesthood traditions HUGE MTC building

http://media.blubrry.com/thisweekinmormons/thisweekinmormons.com/podcast/TWiM_EP111_Theres_No_Apostrophe_There.mp3Download the MP3 of the showScotty Renner! Geoff gives us a recap of his trip to Palmyra, NY, replete with some updates on Bottgate. Al does some investigative reporting on how to pay one’s tithing online. Have you seen YSACentral.com? You can PAY to have a site created that replicates Facebook! The Mormon Bachelor is starting up again. Do we get involved? Various: President Uchtdorf flies with the Blue Angels! A Volunteering infographic! Church-wide email about temple baptisms! The Church does Facebook Timeline! Provo sells 100. S to the Church! Gladys gets interviewed by BET! A nine-story MTC building! And on a serious note, a missionary in Brazil was hit by a bus. Our thoughts are with him and his family. Links: YSACentral will change social media forever Volunteerism in the Church Uchtdorf goes flying 100 S. goes to the Church Church-wide email about temple baptisms Huge MTC building The Mormon Bachelor finalists! Gladys interviewed on BET New, good book about the Church Embrace the Church’s Facebook timeline Missionary hit by bus in Brazil

http://media.blubrry.com/thisweekinmormons/thisweekinmormons.com/podcast/TWiM_EP110_I_Declare_Excommunication.mp3Download the MP3 of the showHave menstruating women been banned from doing baptisms in the temple? Peggy Fletcher Stack and Obama’s David Axelrod say yes. Al gives us a beautiful reading of Leviticus 15. Check out the infographic to your left. The Church put it out. It’s nifty! A bishop who failed to report sexual abuse gets sentenced. Feminism and women’s roles in the Church. What’s good? What’s bad? Joanna Brooks has some thoughts. The Church is trying to buy a piece of 100 S. in Provo. Could this be the Main Street Plaza debacle all over again? Assorted stuff – A new For the Strength of Youth pamphlet; the Church has loads of schools in Tonga; awesome Mormon movie; and homeless people get a job at SXSW. Links: Mitt, chauvinism, and feminism Plea deal for LDS bishop No temple menstruation, please David Axelrod tweets temple menstruation Mitt goes Bubba Reservations for the Kansas City Temple For the Strength of Youth Closing 100 S. More schools in Tonga than anywhere else! Meetinghouse controversy in Queens Homeless 4G hotspots

http://media.blubrry.com/thisweekinmormons/thisweekinmormons.com/podcast/TWiM_EP109_Slate_or_Blade_or_Wesley_aka_Teancum_Got_Greedy.mp3Download the MP3 of the showHe Just Got Too Happy With That Javelin So much zany fun this week! The controversial City Creek mall is slated to open in a few weeks, not without some drama. A hardcore action Book of Mormon movie! The next Titanic! An LDS “priest in training” gets in some hot water by showing a wee too much skin. Jesse Stay, the Church’s lead tech guy, has an article on Techcrunch, which is a pretty big deal. Hungary’s fascist government officially recognizes the Church. Does Mitt’s Mormonism fuel his perceived inauthenticity? Slate’s Political Gabfest jumps into the baptism mess, Southern Virginia University gets a new president, the Church sues over some singed land, and contraception is working just fine. Times and Seasons also gave TWiM some love! Links: “Mormon Mall” set to open Book of Mormon action! Hungary recognizes the Church Tune in to Babestation 2 Jesse Stay on Techcrunch SVU’s new president Does Mormonism fuel Mitt’s authenticity gap? Romney loves contraception Church sues over some burns Another Joanna Brooks profile What Mormons can teach the IRS Times and Seasons lists us on Bottgate! Slate jumps on baptisms

http://media.blubrry.com/thisweekinmormons/thisweekinmormons.com/podcast/TWiM_EP108_Bottgate_the_Bottracist.mp3Download the MP3 of the showQuite the unfortunate week for Randy Bott, famed and beloved religion professor at BYU. His statements to the Washington Post spark controversy about racism. Are Mormons actually wary of publicly supporting Mitt Romney? The answer may surprise you. The Jews/Hindus/Everyone temple baptism drama continues, but at least some bloggers are fighting back against unrealistic demands by the “affected” communities. Martin Luther will insult you! Great site. Why dey do dat? Our new segment. Also, some temple news, lying to bishops, waiting out the RLDS church, and another LDS Tech conference. Links: Bottgate Original Post article Planned protests Joanna Brooks responds Church Newsroom response Mormons wary of publicly supporting Mitt Temple Baptism recap Terrific explanation of baptisms Otterson on importance of temple baptisms Mark Paredes – enough is enough Martin Luther insults Register for the LDS Tech conference Manaus open house

http://media.blubrry.com/thisweekinmormons/thisweekinmormons.com/podcast/TWiM_EP107_Tommys_Prize_Winning_Birds.mp3Download the MP3 of the showLook At That Mountain West This Week in Mormons is the premiere Mormon-centered podcast. On this week’s show: Tough week for the Church in the aftermath of having baptized more Holocaust victims Elizabeth Smart gets married Awesome Slate profile of Yeah Samake, the LDS man running for president of Mali State-by-state breakdown of LDS population by county Why do Mormons love Pinterest, and are we late adopters of technology? Santorum aides are angry about Mitt Romney not being questioned more about his Mormonism Links: Yeah Samake Church toughens policy on unsanctioned temple baptisms Mormon map of America Mormons and Pinterest All Dead Mormons Are Now Gay Liz Smart and the Ugly Scotsman Santorum’s Mormon gripes Robert Jeffress decides to vote for a Mormon WSJ profile of Mormon welfare

http://media.blubrry.com/thisweekinmormons/thisweekinmormons.com/podcast/TWiM_EP106_Look_Ammon.mp3Download the MP3 of the showBe Mine Great show this week! Defending the priesthood; opposition to the Paris Temple; why I’m a Mormon Democrat; Holocaust victims baptized (d’oh); Otterson speaks on affinity fraud; MoTab performing in Arizona – and more! Clicks: Mormon Midrashim Opposition to Paris Temple Why I’m a Mormon Democrat Holocaust victim baptized Otterson on affinity fraud MoTab heads to Jan Brewer country BYU student found dead in Australia Mormonism and the presidency – don’t worry Scriptures for kids!

http://media.blubrry.com/thisweekinmormons/thisweekinmormons.com/podcast/TWiM_EP105_Bow_Tie_Failure.mp3Download the MP3 of the showWhat's Wrong With This Picture? Prop 8 is struck down by another court. What is the Mormon response? Using ward lists for politics. McKay Coppins gets it mostly right, save a few fact-checking issues. The rise of Joanna Brooks continues. She receives a great profile on CNN. Why are amazing men still single? Don’t ask us. We’re not amazing. But we are single. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg hates on the Church for owning KSL, which sells lots of guns to lots of people. Assorted: The Romanian IMF chief is Mormon and proud, temple updates, a lame dating quiz, and “Mom, I’m Dating a Mormon” starts. Touch for info: Prop 8 overturned Church response to Prop 8 ruling Joanna Brooks on CNN Bloomberg hates KSL Ward rosters and politics Why amazing men are still single Lame dating quiz Romania’s jowel king Connecticut temple LDS Tech updates

http://media.blubrry.com/thisweekinmormons/thisweekinmormons.com/podcast/TWiM_EP104_Aurally_Yours.mp3Download the MP3 of the show We address our alleged criticisms of LDS church leaders. Seeking understand is quite different from railing against Salt Lake. Elder Marlin K. Jensen has some frank words to share about the state of the Church and how levels of attrition are the highest they’ve been since pioneer days. How is the Church dealing with this? It’s pretty interesting. A man says the Church stole his paintings Updates on how the Honor Code at BYU suppresses freedom of religion. A number of mainstream media stories highlight three great aspects of the Church – garments, tithing, and the nature of the afterlife. Mitt Romney basically denied the First Vision. Great job, Mitt! Links: Elder Jensen and dealing with the modern age Tackling tough aspects of Mormon history Response to BYU not supporting religious freedom The Church – art thief McKay explains garments Mormons and tithing GQ takes on tithing Hell for Mormons NYT – Mormon cuisine BYU is the hottest campus in the nation The best BYUSA candidate ever

http://media.blubrry.com/thisweekinmormons/thisweekinmormons.com/podcast/TWiM_EP103_Forever_Alone.mp3Download the MP3 of the showThe Church seems to approach the battle against gay marriage differently in different states. Minnesota is the latest non-Mormon-heavy state to receive nothing more than a letter read over the pulpit. Why a massive undertaking in California but passive resistance in Minnesota for a moral issue? Political Beat: Mitt’s finances are discloses, the Church apparently owns Burger King, and Mitt’s “surge” in South Carolina mostly consisted of YSA and BYU kids from DC who were bused down (Incidentally, our boy McKay doesn’t even know use the Church’s proper name), Newt’s pastor says Mormons are a cult. Familiar? The Kansas City Temple gets its open house and dedication dates. Jimmer Fredette is your 2011 Mormon of the Year. Yay. Rah. Jimmergasm. Elizabeth Smart is getting married to a cliche Scotsman. Geoff offers his Scottish insider insights. Have you seen the “Dear John” section of DearElder.com? Hilarious. Tidbits: Seminary turns 100, Deseret Books continues to destroy local businesses, “Joseph Smith” on Facebook, and the Top 10 Mormon films. Links: Different approaches to preserving the sanctity of marriage YSA bused to SC Jimmer is Mormon of the Year Romney’s tithing KC open house Dear John Elizabeth Smart’s beau Joseph Smith’s Facebook page Newt thinks we’re a cult Seminary turns 100 Goodbye, family-owned LDS bookstore Top 10 Mormon Films