[irrelig]Wherein we discuss the folly of Mormonism from the point of view of a female who lived through it. Britta engages us in a lively discussion about what it’s like to grow up Mormon while simultaneously being female, marry in the Temple, and then subsequently regain her mind and leave the church behind. If you enjoy this episode, you’ll enjoy her blog even more.
It’s all in episode 70, which wraps up Guest Month. Don’t worry, though, we have more guests in store, some already recorded, some waiting in the wings. We’ll just space them out a bit more from here on out. First up on deck: the Mormon Brothers from our LDS Temple episode.
49 Responses to “70: Mormonism from a Female Perspective”
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- Sunday in Outer Blogness: Independence Day Edition! | Main Street Plaza - [...] Britta has declared her independence from the CoJCoL-dS! I found her blog through her Irreligiosophy interview — along with…
Thanks, Chuck and Leighton. I was wanting this episode and you deliver it on my birthday. I look forward to opening this gift up for a listen tomorrow on my ride to work!
BTW your interviewing skills are well polished now.
Being the one true podcast we knew it was your birthday and miracled this episode into existence just for you. In return, we expect the sacrifice of one (virgin) Thai child.
Chuck and Leighton can actually bend the space-time continuum to deliver podcasts on time. This is the one true podcast.
Did Chuck and Leighton use their powers of discernment to deliver this birthday miracle? Do they sit knee-to-knee while recording these podcasts? Do they rub oil on each others inner thighs? Yaaaaa! Mental images…. nooooooooooooo
Loved it. Always interesting to hear the female side of wacky religious shit.
Great show guys.
Another quality show guy (minus that horrible intro from Leighton). There are some factors that tend to have a tremendous effect on the way a person perceives similar life events. Gender is one of those. Capturing both the male and female vantage points is a huge plus. While hearing another guy’s perspective can be reassuring or affirming, a female’s is almost always enlightening. (I image a women might find the opposite to be true.)
I’m looking forward to you guys playing catch up on the Skunk Dick of the Week. Kudos on a job well done!
Interesting show. she sounds a lot like my wife when she cam to the conclusion that the LDS faith was crap. luckily I was well on my way down that road already so we where able to stay together. We did the whole Mormon think also, got married in the temple and paid our tithing and crap like that until about two years ago when we both finally started listening to that little voice in our heads. we both left and it has been similar to your guest’s story.
great show guys (and gal)
I love that Chuck and Leighton did not have the FullMormonExperienceTM (mission, temple marriage, etc.) yet understand it enough to know what questions to ask. They get some details wrong — the mirrors are in the sealing room, etc. — but that’s OK. But because they didn’t get the FullMormonExperienceTM they have a more “raw” reaction to Mormon Craziness. And then we get those great laughs. Fun stuff.
Thanks to Britta for coming on the podcast — great stuff.
Best interview yet! I’m pretty sure (it’s been years since I last went) that the women are forced to wear the veil in the “prayer circle” near the end of the ceremony… just a little more misogyny from the church. The whole “Men can know their wife’s “secret name” but not vice-versa” is true and really never made sense to me back in my TBM days.
Really interesting to hear a woman’s perspective.
Thanks for the great podcast… absolutely loved it. You must have Britta back. I would love to hear more about her early experiences in the church. Most of your interview focused on her marriage and her temple experience. I would love to hear about her experiences growing up. How she was conditioned for early marriage. How the church f**ks with the minds of young women. Forced testimonies and girls camp. etc… Whether she agrees or disagree. Nice to hear a female voice on the show.
Hey can you guys slow it down a little. I can’t keep up with this shit. Fuck you too, Leighton.
Awesome interview! I was surprised to see a show pop up so soon… wow š
Great interview, but you need to have Britta back on ā you didnāt even find out if she can make a decent sandwich!
Iāve been in a sacrament meeting where someone voted āopposedā to a sustaining. The person doing the sustaining just said something like āthe opposing vote has been noted and the person who opposed will please meet with the bishopric after the meeting to discuss his concerns.ā They probably took him out back and kicked his ass!
I loved Britta…and if she is in the Austin area I will buy her a drink. Awesome podcast.
Another entertaining and enlightening interview and a great way to end FYF month.
I continue to be amazed by the sheer weirdness of the stuff that people go through in the name of religion. Scary for those forced to go through it and for those of us looking on.
Britta was a great guest – it would be really good to have her back as her insights and experiences are just fascinating (and quite frankly disturbing…).
Adieu to Interview month….
I actually know somebody that ran out of their own temple marriage ceremony. I’ve asked why but they won’t give give details just “it was creepy as hell and i didn’t like it”. They no longer consider themselves mormon, and I think, may now be atheists.
Great podcast! You guys have opened my eyes to a world I never knew about growing up. I wish I had known back then. Britta was a great interview, even following PZ.
Britta, I am really sorry you had to go through all this inanity and I am thrilled you found the strength to leave this mess behind and find happiness.
I read a good reply to the “atheism is another religion” canard at pharyngula:
“It’s not a religion; it’s a personal relationship with reality!”
It’s been a great month at the One True Podcast.
I couple years ago I went to a sort of Mormon wedding. The bride had fallen away but was trying to get back to Mormonism and the groom seemed rather ambivalent. But they had a Mormon bishop perform the ceremony and he explained at least three times in the actual ceremony that this was a temporal marriage and that they would not be together in the afterlife.
I think I prefer the temple ceremonies where we can all agree that I neednāt attend.
This was great. Listening to her deconversion experience and her feelings about it was pretty much exactly what I went through, especially the part about finding happiness once she finally got out of it.
And the temple experience…ugh. It was bizarre, and though I went through the temple ceremonies several times on my mission (mostly while I was in the MC), I could never figure out why people thought that was such a ‘spiritual’ experience.
Speaking of birthdays, I think July 1 is Chuck’s birthday? If so, happy birthday!
I’m really enjoying the month of interviews. Keep it up!
If it is your birthday, have a good one Chucklie.
My birthday is in April, but hell, I’ll celebrate today too!
Is there any chance you guys could start up a forum page where your members can post items and exchange ideas and leave general comments and such? Just wondering. Love your show, adore you both! Your podcast is my favorite favorite favorite. If I were a Japanese ad exec. my ad copy for your show would be the following: Super-extra-terrific-funny-sparkle-pretty-fresh-smart-happy-bonus-ultra! Please keep it up!
An Irreligiosophy forum is a possibility. My biggest concern is that between the podcast, work, and starting a new business this year neither Leighton nor myself would have the time to moderate it. Which means it would either be a total free-for-all or we’d need volunteer moderators from our listeners. I also wonder if we’ve reached enough critical mass to support an ongoing forum.
I’ll moderate it!!! That would be awesome…I can feel the power already!
I’m willing to be a guest moderator. Do I get beer?
I’d be willing to help too
If anything, a forum might increase regular site visits… I would definitely be down with one.
I would have thought giving the “fans” of Irreligisophy something they wanted (like a forum) would go against everything this podcast is all about. Don’t stop letting us down this late in the game…
I’m not so sure. I imagine having a forum would give us more ways to screw with fans.
Chuck, i’m so sorry to post about another podcast in this thread, but I’m not able to post on the page for the actual podcast and i’m a new (and utterly devoted) listener/fan.
You guys did a show about the 9 year old rape/incest victim from Brazil who’s doctors and mother were excommunicated for the unspeakable sin of suggesting that a 9 year old rape victim’s physical and mental and emotional health had any value in comparison to the fetuses housed within her worthless body. It was a terrific show, however you were wrong about one thing. The 9 year old victim was not the only person involved in this case which the Catholic archbishop, Jose Cardoso Sobrinho, in his infinite moral wisdom, spared being excommunicated. Can you take a wild guess who the other person was? (I’ll hum the Jeopardy theme, you take a minute….) Give up? Okay, answer below:
Why, the pedophilic, incestuous, rapist step-father, of course!
I have three words for the Catholic church: MORAL EPIC FAIL
sorry, I accidentally put my actual name in the above post, please don’t steal my identity you atheist haters and mail me a pipe bomb okay! But I’m so excited about the forum, I’ll totally volunteer to help mod. Let’s do this!
Sorry, one last thing to add about Brazilian archbishop, Don Jose Cardoso Sobrinho, who “swiftly excommunicated” the doctors and the MOTHER of a 9 year old rape victim. He defended his decision by saying, “A graver act than (rape) is abortion, to eliminate an innocent life.” Well, not only does that statement make me want to fly down to Brazil and strangle this pontificating little turtle turd, it proves that Catholic church isn’t just immoral, it is an amoral institution. Okay, ’nuff said. sorry bout the non sequitur.
Yet another good interview –you guys keep this up and i might actually buy you a beer next time i’m in Salt Lake
I love the Irreligiosophy podcast. Like an evil cuckoo’s egg laid by Satan himself, Irreligiosophy has pushed all other freethought / skeptical podcasts out of the nest for me. Great job – and the interview with Britta was fantastic. Your interviewing skills are definitely improving, and Leighton’s misogyny becoming almost muted enough to be socially acceptable.
Keep up the good work.
I think the forum (currently in the pre-existence) should be called “Writin’ Delightsome” š
Oh my god! Glen Beck started his own college…he’s totally copying you guys.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677#38069824
@hottpocket: were you seriously expecting the Catholic Church to side with a raped child?
@Chloe: This is why I miss The Skunk Dick Of The Week segment. Words fail me when I see news like that and I need the Irreligiosophists to express my anguish and disgust
I’m definitely signing up for ‘Underwater Conspiracy Weaving’ when it starts!
Happy 4th of July to everyone in the USA from Down Under!
Ever since the Dawkins forum got closed down, there has been a real vacuum. There are a number of atheist forums, but most are very shallow and silly. The exception being the forum at Iron Chariots which has good quality but low participation. I’d love to see you guys try one, I think you have achieved the threshold level of followers. Much will depend on the moderator and her/his ability to promote real discussion. Good luck.
Good episode, guys. I learned that Mormon women are regarded as inferior beings which exist to serve their husband and crap out lots of kids.
Actually, now that I think about it, I already knew that. I distinctly remember learning something though…
Anyway, good times.
When I was converting to Mormonism as a dumb 16 year old, I had a conversation with the bishop like the one described on the show, where he asked all the purity questions. It’s true that these can be open to interpretation they way they are asked. What he said exactly was “Do you have a problem with masturbation?”
I thought for a second, and decided that I really like masturbating. So I answered no!
Same question regarding fornication, which I was really enjoying with my g/f at that time, and again I answered no.
You’d think if he had super bishop powers he would have noticed my deception. Oh well.
I vote for forum.
I began listening to this podcast -from the beginning- only about a month ago. I’m finally into the 30s, and although I my original plan was to listen in order, I had to skip ahead to hear this one.
Britta had an interesting story to tell; it was interesting hearing a female’s perspective. What I found even more interesting was how much the guys didn’t know about it!
Good job!