The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, has been around for almost two centuries. It has ebbed and fluctuated in such a predictably adaptive manner throughout it's relatively short life in the religious realm. This Church has a very sordid past, which it does a very good job of teaching for itself, whether the history is slanted or not, is yours to decide. Join me on a journey through the history of the LDS Church through the eyes of the people that were actually there. We will learn about the founding members, where the practices came from, where the Book of Mormon (Mormon Bible) came from, and most importantly, we will examine Joseph Smith in every aspect possibly available to us today.

On this episode, propaganda flies all directions about the Mormons. A New York Tribune article from January 1844 made waves across the nation with some vicious claims about the Mormon empire in Nauvoo. The article was picked up and reprinted in many news outlets, especially in the cities neighboring Nauvoo. In answer to this, the Quincy Whig received pushback from Mormons for publishing the Tribune article, but the Whig made a commitment to journalistic integrity. A Mormon wrote a letter to the editor of the Whig which they indulged him by publishing it. After all of this, Hyrum Sidekick-Abiff Smith, in the midst of a legal dispute over polygamy and slander, published an article in the Times and Seasons which carved out a future of Mormonism that openly practiced polygamy.

Links:

COME TO THE #BICYCLEDAY EVENT IN SALT LAKE CITY APRIL 19, 2020!!!
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/psychedelics-and-early-mormonism-what-hides-in-plain-sight-tickets-86967244369

Quincy Whig
http://www.sidneyrigdon.com/dbroadhu/IL/whig1844.htm#0228

New York Tribune republished articles
https://www.newspapers.com/search/#query=new+york+tribune+mormon&dr_year=1844-1844&offset=11

The Federalist Papers
https://www.congress.gov/resources/display/content/The+Federalist+Papers#TheFederalistPapers-9

Show links:

Website http://nakedmormonismpodcast.com
Merch Store https://groundgnomes.launchcart.store/shop
Twitter @NakedMormonism
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Naked-Mormonism/370003839816311
Patreon http://patreon.com/nakedmormonism
Music by Jason Comeau http://aloststateofmind.com/
Show Artwork http://weirdmormonshit.com/
Legal Counsel http://patorrez.com/

Direct download: NM_192_Reg.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:00pm EDT
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On this episode, money issues in Nauvoo become the springboard for a discussion of the Book of the Law of the Lord. What is contained in the enigmatic pages of this unique artifact? What was the purpose of creating it? What happened with the controversy surrounding it? Find out the answers to these questions and more about a rare Mormon artifact you didn’t know you needed to know about! Yes, I know that was clickbaitish, but it’s a really cool book more people should talk about! Also, Apostle Boyd K. Packer didn’t want the world to see it so you know it has to be good!

Links:

Book of the Law of the Lord (BoLoL) full text
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/the-book-of-the-law-of-the-lord/45

JS 1842 journal included as part of BoLoL
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/journal-december-1841-december-1842/1#full-transcript

The Book of the Law of the Lord by Alex D. Smith
https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/23292635.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3A46913c1b0a3f9d0ca5e5348d325ec76d

Confessions of a Mormon Historian: The Diaries of Leonard J. Arrington edited by Gary J. Bergera
https://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Mormon-Historian-Arrington-1971-1999/dp/1560852461

Show links:

Website http://nakedmormonismpodcast.com
Merch Store https://groundgnomes.launchcart.store/shop
Twitter @NakedMormonism
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Naked-Mormonism/370003839816311
Patreon http://patreon.com/nakedmormonism
Music by Jason Comeau http://aloststateofmind.com/
Show Artwork http://weirdmormonshit.com/
Legal Counsel http://patorrez.com/

Direct download: NM_191_Normies.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:31am EDT
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On this episode, we discuss Joseph Smith’s public and private denials of polygamy. It was a controversial practice in Victorian-era America and he had concluded by the final year of his life that it would lead to the next mass-exodus of Mormons, or possibly the ruin of the sect altogether. Some have used his statements to claim he never engaged in polygamy. We deal with a few of the arguments and discuss the context surrounding his multiple statements against polygamy to inform a skeptical reading of the sources. Yes, he fought polygamy, but only when it got out of his control. We also discuss Jacob Cochran and the free-love sect referred to as the Cochranites, as well as the many parallels between it and Mormonism.

Links:

Joseph Smith polygamy denials
https://faenrandir.github.io/a_careful_examination/joseph-smith-polygamy-denials/

Cochranites
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Cochran

Publications about Cochranites
http://olivercowdery.com/gathering/JCochran.htm#1834-000

Jacob Cochran legal troubles 1819
https://www.newspapers.com/image/585594796/?terms=Jacob%2BCochran

Exposes of Cochranism
http://olivercowdery.com/gathering/JCochran.htm

Orsimus F. Bostwick and Buckeye’s Lamentation for Want of More Wives
http://mormonpolygamydocuments.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/JS0170.pdf

Show links:

Website http://nakedmormonismpodcast.com
Merch Store https://groundgnomes.launchcart.store/shop
Twitter @NakedMormonism
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Naked-Mormonism/370003839816311
Patreon http://patreon.com/nakedmormonism
Music by Jason Comeau http://aloststateofmind.com/
Show Artwork http://weirdmormonshit.com/
Legal Counsel http://patorrez.com/

Direct download: NM_190_Normies.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:00pm EDT
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On this episode, we get back into our historical timeline. It’s a busy time in Nauvoo, constant accusations of polygamy rage inside and outside the kingdom on the Mississippi. The Council of Fifty are scrambling to name a good Vice President for Jo’s POTUS campaign. Money problems affect every project in the city and more resources are being funneled into the Temple construction project. Church leader, King Follett, was just crushed by a bucket of rocks while digging in a well. Tensions between Nauvoo and the neighboring cities of Carthage and Warsaw were reaching a fever pitch. Property values were skyrocketing but nobody was buying with gold and silver, everything was bartered for or purchased with stocks in failing Nauvoo Companies like the House Association. Crime was at an all-time high and the city court system seemed to exist only to protect those who would obey the prophet and disobey the laws. Laws and ordinances were passed not based on what was best for the city, but upon what Joseph Smith or his cronies were feeling like that day. Complaints made by citizens of the city couldn’t be assuaged without interfering with the leadership’s extensive liberties. The City Council debates hog laws and reveals the church leadership trending towards aristocracy. Lyman Wight sends 2 letters to the leadership, one public the other private, describing the situation in the Pineries Mission and the next steps of the church which informs the first meeting of the Council of Fifty where they debate the next Mormon settlement (California, Texas, Oregon, Great Basin, Mexico, Canada, &c.).

Links:

History of the Church Source—and text—Critical Edition by Dan Vogel
http://www.signaturebooks.com/product/history-of-joseph-smith/

Warsaw Signal March 1844
http://warsaw.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?t=30053&i=t&m=between&fn=warsaw_signal_usa_illinois_warsaw_18440320_english_2&df=241&dt=250
http://warsaw.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?t=30053&i=t&m=between&fn=warsaw_signal_usa_illinois_warsaw_18440313_english_2&df=241&dt=250
http://warsaw.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?t=30053&i=t&m=between&fn=warsaw_signal_usa_illinois_warsaw_18440306_english_2&df=241&dt=250

Nauvoo Neighbor March 1844
http://boap.org/LDS/Nauvoo-Neighbor/1844/3-13-1844.pdf

Council of Fifty Minutes
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/council-of-fifty-minutes-march-1844-january-1846-volume-1-10-march-1844-1-march-1845/47#full-transcript

“Bicycle day” event 19 April 2020 at Salt Lake City Library followed by a tour of Gilgal Gardens
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/psychedelics-and-early-mormonism-what-hides-in-plain-sight-tickets-86967244369?fbclid=IwAR3hXoNtOcUwzHPCYVYJLTHDxFJaSED5pk_uXgZCgd-v3SxSda2iMDmiPAc

Utah Psychedelic Society
https://www.meetup.com/Utah-Psychedelic-Society/

Show links:

Website http://nakedmormonismpodcast.com
Merch Store https://groundgnomes.launchcart.store/shop
Twitter @NakedMormonism
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Naked-Mormonism/370003839816311
Patreon http://patreon.com/nakedmormonism
Music by Jason Comeau http://aloststateofmind.com/
Show Artwork http://weirdmormonshit.com/
Legal Counsel http://patorrez.com/

Direct download: Ep_189_Reg.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:00pm EDT
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On this episode, we conclude reading through our recently-published paper in the Journal of Psychedelics Studies on psychedelics in early Mormonism. Parts 1 and 2 established the foundation for what will be discussed in this part 3. We examine entheogens in the early church, the Kirtland-era, and Nauvoo-era endowment practices. Joseph Smith sending missionaries to Texas is viewed through the psychedelic lens in attempting to acquire a steady supply of peyote. After Smith’s death, the sharp drop off of visionary experiences in factions of Mormonism is particularly noteworthy. Frederick M. Smith, grandson of Joseph, practiced use of peyote and even advocated for their use, serving as a direct influence on the early 20th-century psychedelic movement coming out of Harvard. Peyote and entheogen use in modern factions of Mormon-related religions also present some interesting ethical and legal questions. The paper is wrapped up with a conclusion after which we bring on a guest to discuss an event coming 19 April 2020.

Find the paper here:
https://www.academia.edu/40786304/The_entheogenic_origins_of_Mormonism_A_working_hypothesis
https://akademiai.com/doi/pdf/10.1556/2054.2019.020

“Bicycle day” event 19 April 2020 at Salt Lake City Library followed by a tour of Gilgal Gardens
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/psychedelics-and-early-mormonism-what-hides-in-plain-sight-tickets-86967244369?fbclid=IwAR3hXoNtOcUwzHPCYVYJLTHDxFJaSED5pk_uXgZCgd-v3SxSda2iMDmiPAc

Utah Psychedelic Society
https://www.meetup.com/Utah-Psychedelic-Society/

Show links:

Website http://nakedmormonismpodcast.com
Twitter @NakedMormonism
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Naked-Mormonism/370003839816311
Patreon http://patreon.com/nakedmormonism
Music by Jason Comeau http://aloststateofmind.com/
Show Artwork http://weirdmormonshit.com/
Legal Counsel http://patorrez.com/

Direct download: Ep_188.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:00pm EDT
Comments[0]

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