Mormon Land

When Brigham Young University teams play on the road, they, like any visiting opponent, expect to encounter their share of jeers from the home crowd. But what happens when the razzing turns raunchy and the boos give way to bigotry? That occurs all too often at Cougar games. Obscene choruses, often emanating from opposing student sections, break out, mocking BYU’s sponsoring religion, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and members of that faith. Why have Latter-day Saints and their beliefs become the target of such openly prejudiced chants? Do Catholics and Notre Dame run into the same hostility? And what, if anything, could or should BYU and Latter-day Saint leaders do in responding to such discrimination? Answering those questions and more are Salt Lake Tribune sports writer Kevin Reynolds, who covers the Cougars and wrote about this issue in a recent special report, and Britain Covey, a practicing Latter-day Saint who starred at BYU’s rival school, the University of Utah, plays for the world champion Philadelphia Eagles and has deep familial ties to BYU.

Since America’s founding, Christianity has been a “load-bearing wall” of democracy, but in recent decades it has given up that role — and that, argues writer and scholar Jonathan Rauch, has led to the country’s current crisis. In his latest book, “Cross Purposes: Christianity’s Broken Bargain With Democracy,” the self-described gay, Jewish atheist critiques secular Americans who think Christianity should be abandoned and Christian Americans who blame secular culture for their grievances. He shows why the two must work together — and points to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as an example of how to do it. On this week’s show, Rauch, a senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution, discusses why he believes top Latter-day Saint leaders, including senior apostle Dallin H. Oaks, have landed on a prescription for compromising and healing a polarized nation’s ills.

As a candidate, he promised “mass deportations” of undocumented immigrants. And now, as president, he is setting the wheels in motion in an effort to do just that. While President Donald Trump’s next move — and that of immigration enforcement agents — is uncertain, this much is sure: The country is on edge — so much so that the governing First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints expressed concern about the “complex challenges and hardships now faced by members who are undocumented immigrants living in the United States” and outlined guidelines for the faith’s local lay leaders to follow. Questions abound: The church stresses obedience to the law, but how does that jibe with its desire to show compassion to all of God’s children and keep families together? How do human-made borders have any relevance in a divinely created world without such barriers? And, at a basic level, how far should a church, with a rich immigrant history, go in supporting or resisting a sweeping crackdown? Discussing the issue on this week’s show are Sam Brunson, a Latter-day Saint law professor who has written recently about the topic, and Erikala Herrera Urena, a Latter-day Saint immigrant from the Dominican Republic who lives near Atlanta and is now a U.S. citizen.

Laurie Lee Hall, a former stake president and head architect for sacred temples, shares her inspiring journey as a transgender Latter-day Saint. She discusses her transition and the personal costs, including her marriage and church membership. Hall emphasizes the importance of understanding gender identity and advocates for compassionate healthcare. She reflects on the varying degrees of support within her former faith, the emotional complexities of her journey, and her newfound spiritual freedom beyond religious boundaries.

Tony Semerad, a Salt Lake Tribune reporter specializing in lawsuits and the LDS Church's economic activities, delves into the monumental tithing lawsuit against the church. He explains how nine plaintiffs accuse leaders of misusing donations intended for religious and charitable work to fund commercial projects, like a mall in downtown Salt Lake City. Semerad breaks down the legal arguments presented in court, discussing issues of deception versus religious freedom, and the potential ramifications if the case advances to a class action.

Barbara Jones Brown, director of Signature Books and co-author of a critical work on the Mountain Meadows Massacre, and Darren Parry, former chair of the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation, dive deep into the controversial Netflix series 'American Primeval.' They discuss the show's historical inaccuracies regarding the Mountain Meadows Massacre and misrepresentation of Native American tribes. The conversation highlights the complex relationships between Mormon settlers and Native Americans, urging a thoughtful reflection on these tragic historical events.

Brigham Young University has a “unique and compelling faith-based mission to develop disciples of Jesus Christ,” says school spokesperson Carri Jenkins. To that end, the school has long required students and faculty to hold a “temple recommend,” which attests to belief and behavior standards set out by BYU’s owner, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Under the leadership of the church’s commissioner of education, Clark Gilbert, the school has added extra layers of rules, meant to ensure devotion to beliefs beyond what the church expects of its members — namely a firm “testimony” of the faith’s current teachings on marriage, family and gender. To a number of faculty members, the extra demands feel onerous and unfairly compel employees and prospective employees to embrace a conservative interpretation of church doctrine. Here to discuss BYU’s new approaches to hiring and firing, as well as the atmosphere on campus are Latter-day Saint historian Benjamin Park, author of “American Zion: A New History of Mormonism,” and Latter-day Saint researcher Jana Riess, author of “The Next Mormons: How Millennials Are Changing the LDS Church” and columnist for Religion News Service.

While Russell Nelson, the 100-year-old leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is, by his own admission, slowing a bit, the pace of news in the global faith he oversees is hardly letting up. The headlines from 2024 prove it. Temples top the list. The centenarian prophet-president dedicated the church’s 200th temple and has now announced more than half of its 367 planned or existing temples. The Utah-based faith also bought the church’s first temple — the historic edifice in Kirtland, Ohio — from a sister sect. The Angel Moroni statue returned to its perch on the Salt Lake Temple, but the yearslong renovation work still going on inside the iconic six-spired structure came under fire. Meanwhile, temples planned for places across the U.S. encountered community pushback, often over the height of proposed steeples. Money also drew attention as the church’s publicly reported reserve fund added billions to its bottom line and lawsuits accusing Latter-day Saint higher-ups of fraudulent financial practices wended their way through the courts. Speeches from Relief Society leaders about women’s authority, careers and motherhood stirred up controversy, while Latter-day Saint women gained national recognition as social media stars. Nothing, though, caused more of a sensation than the church’s crackdown on the wearing of temple garments and its unveiling of new “sleeveless,” full-slip and half-slip styles. On this week’s show, Emily Jensen, web editor for Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, and Patrick Mason, head of Mormon history and culture at Utah State University, discuss an eventful 2024.

Steve Young — yes, that Steve Young, the Hall of Fame quarterback and former Brigham Young University star who earned multiple MVP awards and Super Bowl rings with the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers — is talking about love and faith. In 2022, he wrote “The Law of Love,” in part to dispel the idea that love should be transactional. “If I do this, God will love me, or God will reward me.” Rather, Young wrote, love is about following Christ, helping to heal others and embracing all people, no matter where they are in their personal journeys. He drew on his football experiences and revealed much about his own shyness, anxiety and insecurity. Now Young is back with a follow-up book, “The Law of Love in Action,” that moves from theory to practice, from believing to doing. He turns to Latter-day Saint scriptures as well as other faith traditions and personal experiences — his own and those of dozens of others. On this week’s show, Young explains why he continues to think about these issues, and why it’s important to love without expectation, how not to “over-elevate” obedience, why perfectionism is a problem and how the “law of love” can improve everyday living.

Dan McClellan was working full time as a scripture translation supervisor for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2023, when he quit his post of 10 years to go all-in as a podcaster and social media influencer. Rather than peddling parenting or workout tips, McClellan, who has a doctorate in theology and religion, has attracted more than 1 million followers with his hot takes on the Good Book. Through it all, the author of “The Bible Says So,” due out in April, is particularly interested in rooting out misconceptions about what the text teaches. On this week’s Yuletide “Mormon Land,” McClellan help us better understand the evolution of the story of the Nativity and how the rendition enacted in countless Christian households this season — scenes dominated by toddlers donning bath robes and lightsabers doubling as shepherds’ hooks — strays from the descriptions found in the Gospels and historical records.