Glass Box Podcast

We are finally finishing up the Huge Niblet! We cover the last two chapters of Approaching Zion by Hugh Nibley followed by our own conclusions about Nibley and what he accomplished. We then finish with some happy news about an environmental lawsuit in North Carolina.    Show notes Approaching Zion , by Hugh Nibley    The Closing of the American Mind: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Closing_of_th...

Here in the USA, it's right before Thanksgiving and right after a bad election so it's time to talk about Gaslighting. We discuss what it is, how to spot it, and how to fight it. For Media of Great Price, we talk about the 1944 movie Gaslight , which is where the term originates. We close out with happy news about a new way to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere. Enjoy!    Show Notes :    Gaslighting:  h...

Welcome to another Huge Niblet episode. And yes, it's a bit huge. (You saw the time stamp!) In the A segment, we discuss Hugh Nibley's 1969 diatribe titled Science Fiction and the Gospel as well as the article that likely triggered his rage induced lecture. Then we move into our penultimate Approaching Zion discussion. Following that, we have some excellent news about Gen Z women leaving religion....

It's October and so you finally get a Halloween themed media episode to round out the month. First we talk about Robert Louis Stevenson and his book Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde . We discuss some of the major themes as well as some of the many, many, MANY movie depictions that have been done of it. Then we talk about the incredibly amazing metal album by A Wake in Providence titled I Writ...

It's that time of year again! We go through the entirety of General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Brad Wilcox was an idiot, Oaks was legalistic, and Bednar fawned over Ezra Taft Benson. But there were so many other talks that slipped through the cracks; that's why we're here. Yes it's long, and yes it's thorough. And now we don't have to think about it for another...

Fear! What is it? How does it work? How can it be used to control us? That's our main segment, fear and mind control. Then we dive into the next installment of Huge Niblet and Approaching Zion for 2 essays/talks about fear and Nibley's envisioned perfect society. We wrap with happy news about coal power taking another hit.   Do you want to help set up and run our discord server?! Reach out to us o...

Shannon talks about books again! We are back on the subject of dystopian literature today and we deliberate over the 1992 book Children of Men , written by PD James. We also watched the movie based on the book and we talk about the differences and similarities to each. After that we share some happy news about nuclear power. Enjoy!    Show Notes :    The Children of Men , by PD James: https://en.w...

The weirdest chapter in Approaching Zion makes for a kinda' weird A segment about intelligence and genius. We talk about the history of ranking intelligence and its influence on eugenics before discussing more modern conceptions of intelligence and genius from a nature AND nurture perspective. Then we get into Hugh Nibley's eulogy of Donald Decker. It's a standalone chapter, very different from ev...

Yes, it's time to dissect this horrific document telegraphing the downfall of American democracy. We examine bits and pieces to see what the cabal of Christian nationalists want to turn the nation into over the next conservative presidency. Then we chat about the Mike Judge movie Idiocracy and it's prophetic warnings. We wrap with happy news about the Harris-Walz campaign polling quite well among...

Just that! We talk Sunstone because it's the best Mormon Con around and we want to spread the good word! We discuss a few of our favorite sessions, some fascinating things we learned, and how Sunstone recharges our batteries in the Mormon studies space. Then we talk about Lego helping PTSD sufferers. We wrap with a brief chat about some changes we're making to the Patreon page; long story short, n...

We do a quick dive into moral agency and free agency in Mormon culture. Leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have recently changed the definition of agency to suit their totalitarian needs. We explore the evolution of the phrase 'free agency' into 'moral agency' and springboard into a discussion about Ernest L. Wilkinson, the most influential BYU president in the institution'...

Since this is another Huge Niblet episode, we decided to talk a little bit about philosophy. More importantly, we discuss Diogenes the Cynic and what the philosophical meaning of the word "cynic" is. Then we cover 3 chapters in Approaching Zion, all while keeping the question, "Was Hugh Nibley a modern day cynic?" in mind.  Show notes :  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynicism_(philosophy)#cite_ref...

Happy Pride Month! To celebrate, we interviewed the amazing Shelly Johnson from Latter Day Lesbian podcast. She talked about the balance between navigating tough situations between the church's control over family and resisting its influence in these family situations. In Media of Great Price, we discuss the book Closeted: My Life As a Gay BYU Student , by Jonathan Alder. After which we tell you a...

Let's talk about the Law of Consecration. First we will start with the background leading into it, as well as what it means and how it's applied in early magic and occult before Mormonism. Next, we cover two chapters in Approaching Zion by Hugh Nibley that are on, you guessed it, the Law of Consecration. We end with some happy environmental news that should make everyone feel good. Enjoy!      Sho...

In 1977, a book was published that shocked much of the world. It was an almost instant bestseller and ended up being translated in 20 languages and has sold more than 21 million copies today. The book has been described as one of the most influential novels of the modern feminist movement. The book? The Women's Room by Marilyn French. We will talk about the author, the book, and the impact it had....

Part 2 of Episode 150! Yay!! And now for something completely different. This episode is a bit of a departure from our regular show. We invite Alex Criddle and Cody Noconi, researchers into the psychedelic origins of Mormonism, to respond to the recent debate on the Mormon Book Reviews channel between ourselves and Mormon apologist, Brian Hales. Brian attempts to provide the apologetic response to...

Part 1 of Episode 150! Yay!! And now for something completely different. This episode is a bit of a departure from our regular show. We invite Alex Criddle and Cody Noconi, researchers into the psychedelic origins of Mormonism, to respond to the recent debate on the Mormon Book Reviews channel between ourselves and Mormon apologist, Brian Hales. Brian attempts to provide the apologetic response to...

Every General Conference the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announces new temples. We walk through the history surrounding a few of the worldwide temples, along with some of the subtle international political maneuvers necessary to open the door to a new temple project. Wherever the church wants a temple, leaders must curry the favor of local and national politicians and regulators, d...

It's that time of year again. We go through all the talks from #GeneralConference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from top to bottom.   Show Notes:    EntheoMagus Documentary Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0uHmmToTec   Documentary screenings: April 27-28, 2024 in Salt Lake City, UT At the Natural Law Apothecary. April 29, 2024 At Brewvies   May 11, 2024 Portland, OR a...

We're very excited to invite a panel onto the show to discuss the forthcoming documentary about psychedelics in early Mormonism, EntheoMagus! We're joined by the creators, Brandon Crockett, Cody Noconi, and Alex Criddle, to discuss the documentary, its genesis, and the overall future of the Smith-entheogen theory. Two sets of screenings are coming in late April and early May so if you're in the SL...

Scripture study!!! Well, sort of. We're talking about the codenames contained in the Doctrine & Covenants sections 78, 82, 92, 96, 103, 104, and 105. Names like Gazelam, Ahashdah, Pelagoram, Mahalaleel, Mahemson, Shederlaomach, and (most importantly) Talents, all appear concerning the Secret Combination of the United Firm, or United Order. We discuss the history of the names, who's involved, and w...

It's time for our next installment of Huge Niblet's Approaching Zion! He spends basically the entire section lamenting higher education and any information from sources other than the "p"rophet's counsel. Does he want us to be zealous, or learned? Nobody knows! But before that we have a quick debrief and error correction from the last episode of Mormonism Live with Dan Vogel and Bryce discussing t...

We did it! We FINALLY did it! After years and years and years of requests from many listeners we have finally taken a look at Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's very first Sherlock Holmes book —  A Study In Scarlet . We look at the time period Doyle was writing it and why he would take on Mormonism in his first book. We also take a look at the impact the story had on how Mormons were treated in film. And si...

It's time to take a look at the early Utah economy as created by Brigham Young, a ruthless capitalist in his own right. We take a brief look at the beginnings of the California Gold Rush and how much the Mormons were involved, as well as the battle for control between Bloody Brigham and Samuel Brannan. Which also leads us into Part 1 of our deep dive into Approaching Zion by Hugh Nibley. We discus...

The Community of Christ, formerly the RLDS church, has named its new president! We bring on guest Evan Sharley to help us navigate the history of the RLDS/CoC, the climate into which Stassi Cramm is ascending to the office of prophet/president, and the current issues within the Community of Christ which converge to give a bleak impression of its future. Then we review the movie Whale Rider, a hear...