Glass Box Podcast

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Ep 173 — Joseph Smith Wasn’t a Polygamist | O Brother, Where Art Thou? 0

Apr 1, 2025

It’s time to examine Joseph-Smith-polygamy skepticism. After the recent Journal of Mormon Polygamy conference, we decided to seriously consider the evidences used by this cohort of Mormon studies, leading us to understand that polygamy was a creation of Brigham Young and the Utah Mormon movement. After that we discuss O Brother, Where Art Thou? An Oddessy movie interweaving many storytelling archetypes and tropes. Then some good news about automotive subsidies coming in the form of tariffs.

Show notes:

Joseph Smith Wasn’t a Polygamist video playlist

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zL19uMsnpSU&list=PLmuYPN2xUIM0zw-bwR1MEAJ7gcRL9zuSH&index=5&t=745s

Journal of Mormon Polygamy

https://journalofmormonpolygamy.org/jmp

MOGP: O Brother, Where Art Thou

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0190590/

Where it’s streaming: https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/o-brother-where-art-thou

Other appearances: Chris Shelton interviewed us in the beginning of a series on Mormonism. Here’s the most recent episode on what Mormons can teach us about organizing a cult: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDxjD7ucajI

Email: glassboxpodcast@gmail.com

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GlassBoxPod

Patreon page for documentary: https://www.patreon.com/SeerStonedProductions

BlueSky: @glassboxpodcast.bsky.social

Other BlueSky: @bryceblankenagel.bsky.social and @shannongrover.bsky.social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glassboxpodcast/

Merch store: https://www.redbubble.com/people/exmoapparel/shop

Or find the merch store by clicking on “Store” here: https://glassboxpodcast.com/index.html

One time Paypal donation: bryceblankenagel@gmail.com

Venmo: @Shannon-Grover-10

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Ep 172 — All About Cults feat. Chris Shelton | Don’t Look Up 0

Mar 19, 2025

We have a guest for our main segment this time. Chris Shelton is a cult expert content creator who eats, breathes, and sleeps high-demand, coercive groups. We discuss everything from what makes a group a cult, how to identify them, is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints a cult, and proper ways to approach conversations about high-demand groups. Be sure to check out our series collaborating on Chris’s YouTube channel linked below. After that we discuss Don’t Look Up, a 2021 movie about the cult of politics and a major natural disaster that affects everybody across the globe. To wrap up we have a brief chat about a gene-related study on mice and speech patterns before closing out with a review of all our listener mail from the Death Penalty series.

Next Live Show: Mon, March 31, 2025 6:00 PM (MT)

Bryce’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@bryceblankenagel7707

Show Notes:

Chris Shelton:

Chris’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChrisSheltonMsc

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Shelton_(author)

MOGP: Don’t Look Up

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11286314/?ref_=hm_rvi_i_1

Where it’s streaming: https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/dont-look-up-2021

Happy News:

https://www.iflscience.com/scientists-put-a-human-language-gene-into-mice-and-curious-things-unfolded-78418

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-56579-2

Listener Mail link: https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/how-some-european-prisons-are-based-dignity-instead-dehumanization

Other appearances: Chris Shelton interviewed us in the beginning of a series on Mormonism: Speaking of Cults … Mormonism is a Compliance Culture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCeW3jvP-RE&t=2973s

Other links:

Email: glassboxpodcast@gmail.com

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GlassBoxPod

Patreon page for documentary: https://www.patreon.com/SeerStonedProductions

BlueSky: @glassboxpodcast.bsky.social

Other BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bryceblankenagel.bsky.social and https://bsky.app/profile/shannongrover.bsky.social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glassboxpodcast/

Merch store: https://www.redbubble.com/people/exmoapparel/shop

Or find the merch store by clicking on “Store” here: https://glassboxpodcast.com/index.html

One time Paypal donation: bryceblankenagel@gmail.com

Venmo: @Shannon-Grover-10

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Ep 171 — Death Penalty pt. 2 Mormon Violence, Religion and DP, Ethics and Morals 0

Mar 10, 2025

It’s time for part 2 of our Death Penalty series! Since this is a Mormon podcast, we first look into the history of Mormons and the death penalty. Joseph Smith and Brigham Young both ordered assassinations and fostered environments where random acts of violence became inevitable. The State of Deseret, Utah, has a comparatively bloody, theocratic history. Then we take a broader view of religion and capital punishment. After that, we look into the ethics/morals of capital punishment and give you a look at the Innocence project. We wrap by discussing your responses from Survey #1 as well as our own viewpoints on the subject.

Survey #2: After listening to these episodes, we’d like to hear if your insights or opinions have changed and how. https://forms.gle/Vjn48xzWgCWcJR8r8

Show Notes:

Trump v United States: Oral argument on the former president’s immunity claim: https://www.c-span.org/program/public-affairs-event/trump-v-united-states-oral-argument-on-the-former-presidents-immunity-claim/640481

23-939 Trump v United States (7/1/2024) https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-939_e2pg.pdf

Account of hearing between circa 3 and 9 June 1837 state of Ohio v Joseph Smith for threatening to take life: https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/account-of-hearing-between-circa-3-and-9-june-1837-state-of-ohio-v-js-for-threatening-to-take-life/1#facts

Joseph, in the Elder’s Journal, discusses the Kirtland Bank and Warren Parrish and Grandison Newell’s charges against hi: https://bhroberts.org/records/5tcqZf-vSQSfc/joseph_in_the_elders_journal_discusses_the_kirtland_bank_and_warren_parrish_and_grandison_newells_charges_against_him

Orson Hyde, Life lessons learned: https://rsc.byu.edu/vol-3-no-2-2002/orson-hyde-life-lessons-learned

Danites: https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/topic/danites

Danite Manifesto: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Danite_Manifesto

The Danite Constitution and Theories of Democratic Justice in Frontier America: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5074&context=byusq

Journal of Mormon History Vol 30, No. 2, 2004: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1043&context=mormonhistory

General Smith’s views of the powers and policy of the government of the United States circa 26 January - 7 February 1844: https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/general-smiths-views-of-the-powers-and-policy-of-the-government-of-the-united-states-circa-26-january-7-february-1844/12#full-transcript

Journal of Mormon History Vol 33, No 1, 2007: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1049&context=mormonhistory

The Coming Storm: The murder of Jesse Thompson Hartley: https://user.xmission.com/~research/mormonpdf/storm.pdf

The wound the never healed: https://www.prestopreservation.com/uploads/5/2/5/3/52533793/morrisite_story_small.pdf

Official position on capital punishment of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints: https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/official-statement/capital-punishment

The Movement to Abolish Capital Punishment in America 1787-1861: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1847110?read-now=1&seq=8

“Caedite eos. Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caedite_eos._Novit_enim_Dominus_qui_sunt_eius.

The convict's visitor: or, Penitential offices, (in the ancient way of liturgy) consisting of prayers, lessons, and meditations; with suitable devotions before, and at the time of execution. : [Four lines from Luke] / By William Smith, A.M. Rector of Trinity Church in Newport: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=evans;cc=evans;rgn=main;view=text;idno=N18328.0001.001

Arguments for and against the death penalty

“Under sentence of death”: The movement to abolish capital punishment in Massachusetts: https://www.jstor.org/stable/366478?read-now=1&seq=7

The 2% death penalty: Press Release: https://www.jstor.org/stable/366478?read-now=1&seq=7

10 facts about the death penalty in the U.S.: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/07/19/10-facts-about-the-death-penalty-in-the-u-s/

The Death Penalty — Your questions answered: https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/death-penalty/the-death-penalty-your-questions-answered/

Death penalty issues: https://www.theadvocatesforhumanrights.org/Death_Penalty/Issues

10 reasons why the death penalty is wrong: https://www.humanrightscareers.com/issues/why-death-penalty-is-wrong/

Arguments for and against the death penalty: https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/resources/high-school/about-the-death-penalty/arguments-for-and-against-the-death-penalty

Death penalty debate: https://www.britannica.com/procon/death-penalty-debate

John Brown:

John Brown: The First American to Hang for Treason: https://werehistory.org/john-brown/

John Brown (abolitionist): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Brown_(abolitionist)

John Brown a Biography: https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/john-brown

A Look Back at John Brown: https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2011/spring/brown.html

Bleeding Kansas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleeding_Kansas

Pottawatomie Massacre: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pottawatomie_massacre

John Brown’s Raid on Harper’s Ferry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Brown%27s_raid_on_Harpers_Ferry

John Brown’s Provisional Constitution: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Brown%27s_Provisional_Constitution

The Rosenberg’s

Historical Federal Executions:

https://www.usmarshals.gov/who-we-are/history/historical-reading-room/historical-federal-executions

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_and_Ethel_Rosenberg

Atom Spy Case/Rosenbergs: https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/atom-spy-caserosenbergs

The Rosenberg Trial: teacher handout: chrome-extension://oemmndcbldboiebfnladdacbdfmadadm/https://www.fjc.gov/sites/default/files/trials/Rosenberg%20Teacher%20Handout.pdf

Espionage Act of 1917: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Espionage_Act_of_1917

The Origins of the Espionage Act of 1917: Was Judge Learned Hand’s Understanding of the Act Defensible? By Geoffrey R Stone: chrome-extension://oemmndcbldboiebfnladdacbdfmadadm/https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=13818&context=journal_articles

Espionage Act of 1917 and Sedition Act of 1918 (1917-1918):https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/historic-document-library/detail/espionage-act-of-1917-and-sedition-act-of-1918-1917-1918

The Espionage Act’s constitutional legacy: https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/the-espionage-acts-constitutional-legacy

Hi-Fi Murders

Hi-Fi Murders: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hi-Fi_murders

How the Hi-Fi Murders changed life in Ogden: https://www.abc4.com/news/top-stories/how-the-hi-fi-murders-changed-life-in-ogden/

Innocence Project: https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/policy-issues/policy/innocence

Public Officials and Advocates Respod to SCOTUS’ Decision to Overturn Richard Glossip’s Conviction: https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/news/public-officials-and-advocates-respond-to-scotus-decision-to-overturn-richard-glossips-conviction

RIchard Glossip: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Glossip

Other appearances: Chris Shelton interviewed us in the beginning of a series on Mormonism: Speaking of Cults … Mormonism is a Compliance Culture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCeW3jvP-RE&t=2973s