[leighton]

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Podcast Summary, Episode #3: Glenn Beck: An Unlikely Mormon

Glenn Beck – An Unlikely Mormon

 

Glenn was recorded while doing a speech in front of a Salt Lake City, Utah audience. It details his conversion story in depth. From his youth of despising the LDS (Latter Day Saint) religion to his “inevitable” conversion to mormonism. It is rife with painful bits of mormon culture.

 

Prologue

 

  1. Neither Charley nor I had ever even heard of Glenn Beck until he came out crying on national television concerning the death of the LDS prophet Gordon B. Hinkley.
  2. The LDS religion has a sub-cult of “hero worship”. Possibly due to some embarrassment for being mormon and therefore they can look up to these famous idols and say, “Hey, they’re LDS too.”

 

Main Story

 

  1. Glenn Beck was raised Catholic, mother committed suicide, and he fell away from religion entirely.
  2. Beck proud that he stumped 19-25 year old missionaries who when sent/forced to go on a mission aren’t extensively trained in theology. 
  3. Beck accepted into Yale, brags about reading great deal of philosophy; Plato and Kant. Never discusses the finer points of Philosophy; unsatisfied that there has been no progress in the last 5,000 years. Wrong about the progress and the timeframe.
  4. Beck wrong about Dead Sea Scrolls. They weren’t hidden because the truth was being suppressed, but because the Essenes were raising a rebellion, and the end of the world, against the Romans. The Nag Hammadi Library is a closer relation to the truth being suppressed.
  5. Beck is an alcoholic, demands intervention from God, and finds that intervention in a woman who frequents his area and he discovers IN A BAR! The almighty God couldn’t put an actual roadblock in his way? The dumbing down of miracles in modern day religion. 
  6. Beck quotes Thomas Jefferson about questioning theology boldly, but he leaves out, “…question boldly even the existence of God…” 
  7. Beck is wrong concerning atheism claiming it is, “I deny you because I don’t know you.” This is not atheism because it is presupposing that there is a divine being.
  8. Mormons have a huge difficulty with their early history with anything contrary to their beliefs little more than Satan’s attempts to belittle the church. 
  9. Beck attempts to bring up a strong point concerning the LDS religion, “Who would choose to be persecuted and thought to be in league with the devil?” What about Gays/Lesbians and atheists?
  10. When Mormons talk about paying tithing they always begin with how hard it was for them to pay it in the first place, couldn’t afford it, and then once they paid it things turned around for them. Beck attempts to use this same analogy, but falls flat on his face. 

 

Epilogue

 

  1. Next week we will have Becky Garrison of The Wittenburg Door, author of three novels, participant of two documentaries, etc. on the show to discuss our varying views of religion.
  2. Correction: Becky Garrison is the Senior Contributing Writer not the Senior Editor of the Wittenburg Door.

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