S5E39 Dead and in Hell Part 1

4 snips

Sep 18, 2025

The hosts discuss a legendary remark by Brigham Young regarding a U.S. president's fate, diving into its historical context. They also explore Brigham Young's complex feelings about government, revealing his suspicions during tumultuous times. A humorous listener email about labor prompts entertaining anecdotes, while the importance of names sparks engaging banter. Additionally, the motivations behind the Mormon Battalion's formation and the political dynamics of the period come to light, setting the stage for future discussions on these pivotal historical figures.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

ANECDOTE

Listener Email While In Labor

Sarah emailed while in labor and later sent a photo of her toddler getting the priesthood.
Garrett and Richard apologized for delays and joked about a one-labor email policy.

ANECDOTE

Claims About Joseph Smith's Shooter

Brian asked which person bragged about shooting Joseph Smith and Garrett highlighted Frank Worrell's claims.
Garrett summarized Worrell's later pursuit and death while recounting early post-martyr taunts.

INSIGHT

Historic Fear Shapes Mormon Reactions

Latter-day Saints feared federal officers because earlier officials threatened extermination.
That fear shaped their hostile initial reaction when U.S. military recruiters appeared in 1846.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

We begin the episode with apologies to Sarah, who emailed us while in labor… again. Gerrit then sets the stage for a multi-part deep dive: Brigham Young, James K. Polk, and the Mormon Battalion with a question about the oft-repeated story that in General Conference Brigham Young announced a U.S. president “died and went to hell.”

Standard of Truth Tour dates for the summer of 2027: ⁠ https://standardoftruth.com/tours
Our 2026 tours are sold out, but if you would like to join us in the future here is a link to our 2027 tours
⁠
Sign up for our free monthly email that is rarely monthly: ⁠ ⁠https://standardoftruthpodcast.substack.com⁠
If you have any questions or possible topics of discussion for upcoming podcasts, please email us at: ⁠⁠questions@standardoftruthpodcast.com

Rex's Elders Quorum President's Show Notes:
00:02:47 – General Banter
00:14:10 – Baby naming digression
00:18:46 – Listener email reading
00:23:59 – President Hinckley, and improvised remarks during a church meeting.
00:29:29 – Brigham Young and the U.S. president, question raised about which president Brigham Young referenced, opening into deeper historical analysis.
00:33:51 – Secretary of Defense texts and politics, Discussion of a Secretary of Defense text message reference, bridging to political tensions in LDS history.
00:37:55 – Brigham Young’s perception of government problems, exploration of Brigham Young’s uneasy feelings about U.S. government actions and underlying suspicions.
00:43:30 – James Polk and the Mormon Battalion, quoting Polk’s journal about calling Mormons into military service, with historical and political implications.
00:48:49 – Party politics and Mormon voters, Analysis of Democrats vs. Whigs, Mormons as consistent Democrat voters, and shifting political dynamics.
00:52:46 – Close elections and minority status, Reflection on razor-thin election margins, using comparisons to modern U.S. states like Texas.
00:55:09 – Email reading recap, Lighthearted commentary on how emails were read, with jokes about voice impressions.
00:57:46 – Figuring things out in real time, Hosts note that they essentially just “lived through” the lesson while talking—meta humor about their own podcasting style.
01:01:04 – Postmaster positions and patronage, Historical detail about the importance of postmaster appointments and thousands of federal jobs.
01:06:09 – Closing thoughts and unfinished material, Discussion of Alexander McCrae’s anger, acknowledgment that time ran out, and teasing future continuation.