Libsyn Directory

Ep 171 — Death Penalty pt. 2 Mormon Violence, Religion and DP, Ethics and Morals

Release Date: 03/10/2025

Glass Box Podcast

Spring of 1842 was a world-shaping event, the introduction of the endowment ceremony by Joseph Smith to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We’ve talked about it and a few of the more recent changes to the endowment a few times, but this is the overview. What it was when it was introduced, how it changed under Brigham Young, and many of the changes that have happened since his death, all under one (long) segment. Then we talk about Heretic, a movie about two missionaries in a cat-and-mouse game with a well-educated anti-Mormon playing by his own rules. Then we wrap with happy...

Ep 188 — The Picture of Dorian Gray | History of the Devil’s Music

Glass Box Podcast

At long last Shannon gets to talk about the book she’s been planning on since the last Halloween episode — The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. We first discuss the Aesthetic Movement of the 19th century and a tiny bit of the life of Oscar Wilde before we jump into the book itself. Then Bryce gifts you with an abbreviated history of metal music. Get a notepad ready to take notes because he gives you a LOT of information! Happy Halloween! Show Notes: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde: Oscar Wilde Official Website: Oscar...

Ep 187.4 — Sun Afternoon Oct 2025 General Conference

Glass Box Podcast

It’s that time of year! 195th Semi-annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We see what slipped through the cracks! David Bednar Q12 – Moral Agency means doing what you were coerced to agree to do B. Corey Cuvleier Q70 – The correct name Matthew S. Holland Q70 – Jonah, Adam and Eve, and Biblical literalism Carlos A Godoy Q70 – He’s helping impoverished Africans who pay their tithing Dale G Renlund Q12 – Surgeon-scholarship-recipient really like Rusty Nailz John D Amos Q70 – Put more...

Ep 187.3 — Sun Morning Oct 2025 General Conference

Glass Box Podcast

It’s that time of year! 195th Semi-annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We see what slipped through the cracks! Jeffrey R. Holland – Book of Mormon is miraculous and stop being so mean to me about it James E Evanson Q70 – Go on your mission, even if you have to settle for a service mission Ulisses Soares Q12 – Temperance and quoting MLK Jr. Peter M. Johnson Q70 – Priesthood ban blindsided him D. Todd Christofferson – FSY and Family Proc; masturbation is evil Andrea M. Spannaus SC YM GP...

Ep 187.2 — Sat Afternoon Oct 2025 General Conference

Glass Box Podcast

It’s that time of year! 195th Semi-annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We see what slipped through the cracks! Ronald Rasband Q12 – Family: A Proclamation to the World is ‘doctrine’ Chad Webb FC SS GP – Gospel not a ‘list of demands’ Jeremy Jaggi Q70 – Chaplain’s altar is Mormon symbol Kevin Brown Q70 – Moral agency; we are agents Gerrit Gong Q12 – Fortune cookies are American? Michael Cziesla Q70 – Funeral potatos and green jello are weird Quentin Cook Q12 –...

Ep 187.1 — Sat Morning Oct 2025 General Conference

Glass Box Podcast

It’s that time of year! 195th Semi-annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We see what slipped through the cracks! Saturday Morning talks: Gary A. Stevenson Q12 – Be peacemakers no matter what Tracy Y. Browning SC PGP – Primary songs are the key to cult mind-control Ronald Barcellos Q70 – Morals of David v. Eliab Brik V. Eyre Q70 – Comfort then Convert Kelly R. Johnson Q70 – Forensic accounting Dieter Uchtdorf Q12 – Up a down escalator Other appearances: Chris Shelton...

Ep 186 — REM Model of Human Behavior w/ Chris Shelton | The Christ Who Heals pt. finale

Glass Box Podcast

We invite back Chris Shelton MSc from his YouTube channel by the same name to talk all about cults. He’s here to share his model of human behavior, the REM (Reason/Rationalization, Emotion, Morality) and we get lost deep into the weeds discussing it and related cult topics. After that, we wrap up the Givens with the final installment of The Christ Who Heals. We go through the entire part 2 of the book and tell what book/author we’re reviewing next year. After that we talk about windows being turned into solar panels! Links: Happy News: Other appearances:...

Ep 185 — 3 New Gospel Topics Essays | Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Glass Box Podcast

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released 3 new Gospel Topics Essays in July. We go through each of them, discuss the information that’s missing, chat about the propaganda woven into every line, and speculate as to the impetus behind the new essays. For ease of listening, the Book of Mormon Translation starts at 13:31, the Plural Marriage starts at 1:01:24, and Joseph Smith’s Character starts at 1:53:15. After that we chat Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, a post-apocalyptic wasteland movie about two warring cult leaders. Then we wrap with happy news about metalheads fighting...

Ep 184 — Are Mormons Christian | The Christ Who Heals pt. 1

Glass Box Podcast

Are Mormons Christian? According to most Christians, no. According to them, Jesus Christ is literally in the name of the church! We dig into the bedrock on this issue to see what does or does not qualify as “Christian”. After that, we dive into the final of the Givens trilogy, The Christ Who Heals. It’s more or less a 130-page missionary discussion with a few dribbles of ancient theologian writings. After that we talk about a statue being built to Robert Smalls in South Carolina. Show Notes: Jesus in Islam: Jewish views on Jesus: Buddhism and...

Ep 183 — Hatch & Jones, Victims of Mormon Violence w/ Belle Holsinger | The Godfather

Glass Box Podcast

You asked for it and you got it! We interviewed Belle Holsinger who we talked about last episode in our Sunstone recap. She gave us the absolutely riveting information from her presentation at Sunstone titled “Bearing witness: The castration and murder of Henry Jones and his mother, Hannah Jones Gailey Hatch.” Following our time with Belle, we watched The Godfather because what OTHER movie is as fitting? We then closed with some incredible new breakthroughs in cancer research. Enjoy! Show Notes: Belle’s Contact information: MOGP: The Godfather ...

More Episodes

It’s time for part 2 of our Death Penalty series! Since this is a Mormon podcast, we first look into the history of Mormons and the death penalty. Joseph Smith and Brigham Young both ordered assassinations and fostered environments where random acts of violence became inevitable. The State of Deseret, Utah, has a comparatively bloody, theocratic history. Then we take a broader view of religion and capital punishment. After that, we look into the ethics/morals of capital punishment and give you a look at the Innocence project. We wrap by discussing your responses from Survey #1 as well as our own viewpoints on the subject.

Survey #2: After listening to these episodes, we’d like to hear if your insights or opinions have changed and how. https://forms.gle/Vjn48xzWgCWcJR8r8

Show Notes:

Trump v United States: Oral argument on the former president’s immunity claim: https://www.c-span.org/program/public-affairs-event/trump-v-united-states-oral-argument-on-the-former-presidents-immunity-claim/640481

23-939 Trump v United States (7/1/2024) https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-939_e2pg.pdf

Account of hearing between circa 3 and 9 June 1837 state of Ohio v Joseph Smith for threatening to take life: https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/account-of-hearing-between-circa-3-and-9-june-1837-state-of-ohio-v-js-for-threatening-to-take-life/1#facts

Joseph, in the Elder’s Journal, discusses the Kirtland Bank and Warren Parrish and Grandison Newell’s charges against hi: https://bhroberts.org/records/5tcqZf-vSQSfc/joseph_in_the_elders_journal_discusses_the_kirtland_bank_and_warren_parrish_and_grandison_newells_charges_against_him

Orson Hyde, Life lessons learned: https://rsc.byu.edu/vol-3-no-2-2002/orson-hyde-life-lessons-learned

Danites: https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/topic/danites

Danite Manifesto: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Danite_Manifesto

The Danite Constitution and Theories of Democratic Justice in Frontier America: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5074&context=byusq

Journal of Mormon History Vol 30, No. 2, 2004: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1043&context=mormonhistory

General Smith’s views of the powers and policy of the government of the United States circa 26 January - 7 February 1844: https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/general-smiths-views-of-the-powers-and-policy-of-the-government-of-the-united-states-circa-26-january-7-february-1844/12#full-transcript

Journal of Mormon History Vol 33, No 1, 2007: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1049&context=mormonhistory

The Coming Storm: The murder of Jesse Thompson Hartley: https://user.xmission.com/~research/mormonpdf/storm.pdf

The wound the never healed: https://www.prestopreservation.com/uploads/5/2/5/3/52533793/morrisite_story_small.pdf

Official position on capital punishment of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints: https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/official-statement/capital-punishment

The Movement to Abolish Capital Punishment in America 1787-1861: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1847110?read-now=1&seq=8

“Caedite eos. Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caedite_eos._Novit_enim_Dominus_qui_sunt_eius.

The convict's visitor: or, Penitential offices, (in the ancient way of liturgy) consisting of prayers, lessons, and meditations; with suitable devotions before, and at the time of execution. : [Four lines from Luke] / By William Smith, A.M. Rector of Trinity Church in Newport: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=evans;cc=evans;rgn=main;view=text;idno=N18328.0001.001

Arguments for and against the death penalty

“Under sentence of death”: The movement to abolish capital punishment in Massachusetts: https://www.jstor.org/stable/366478?read-now=1&seq=7

The 2% death penalty: Press Release: https://www.jstor.org/stable/366478?read-now=1&seq=7

10 facts about the death penalty in the U.S.: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/07/19/10-facts-about-the-death-penalty-in-the-u-s/

The Death Penalty — Your questions answered: https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/death-penalty/the-death-penalty-your-questions-answered/

Death penalty issues: https://www.theadvocatesforhumanrights.org/Death_Penalty/Issues

10 reasons why the death penalty is wrong: https://www.humanrightscareers.com/issues/why-death-penalty-is-wrong/

Arguments for and against the death penalty: https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/resources/high-school/about-the-death-penalty/arguments-for-and-against-the-death-penalty

Death penalty debate: https://www.britannica.com/procon/death-penalty-debate

John Brown:

John Brown: The First American to Hang for Treason: https://werehistory.org/john-brown/

John Brown (abolitionist): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Brown_(abolitionist)

John Brown a Biography: https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/john-brown

A Look Back at John Brown: https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2011/spring/brown.html

Bleeding Kansas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleeding_Kansas

Pottawatomie Massacre: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pottawatomie_massacre

John Brown’s Raid on Harper’s Ferry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Brown%27s_raid_on_Harpers_Ferry

John Brown’s Provisional Constitution: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Brown%27s_Provisional_Constitution

The Rosenberg’s

Historical Federal Executions:

https://www.usmarshals.gov/who-we-are/history/historical-reading-room/historical-federal-executions

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_and_Ethel_Rosenberg

Atom Spy Case/Rosenbergs: https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/atom-spy-caserosenbergs

The Rosenberg Trial: teacher handout: chrome-extension://oemmndcbldboiebfnladdacbdfmadadm/https://www.fjc.gov/sites/default/files/trials/Rosenberg%20Teacher%20Handout.pdf

Espionage Act of 1917: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Espionage_Act_of_1917

The Origins of the Espionage Act of 1917: Was Judge Learned Hand’s Understanding of the Act Defensible? By Geoffrey R Stone: chrome-extension://oemmndcbldboiebfnladdacbdfmadadm/https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=13818&context=journal_articles

Espionage Act of 1917 and Sedition Act of 1918 (1917-1918):https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/historic-document-library/detail/espionage-act-of-1917-and-sedition-act-of-1918-1917-1918

The Espionage Act’s constitutional legacy: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/the-espionage-acts-constitutional-legacy

Hi-Fi Murders

Hi-Fi Murders: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hi-Fi_murders

How the Hi-Fi Murders changed life in Ogden: https://www.abc4.com/news/top-stories/how-the-hi-fi-murders-changed-life-in-ogden/

Innocence Project: https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/policy-issues/policy/innocence

Public Officials and Advocates Respod to SCOTUS’ Decision to Overturn Richard Glossip’s Conviction: https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/news/public-officials-and-advocates-respond-to-scotus-decision-to-overturn-richard-glossips-conviction

RIchard Glossip: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Glossip

Other appearances: Chris Shelton interviewed us in the beginning of a series on Mormonism: Speaking of Cults … Mormonism is a Compliance Culture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCeW3jvP-RE&t=2973s

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