Mormons Not Christian Says Pete Hegseth's Department of War? - Mormon News 6.11.26 | Ep. 2159

This week on Mormon Stories News, John Dehlin along with Julia, and Brooklyn of the OSF team, break down some of the biggest stories making headlines in Mormonism.

President Nelson announced the Springfield, Missouri temple on April 2, 2023, yet ground was just broken for it on June 6, 2026. Why the delay? Have other temples been delayed? What is the average amount of time for a temple to be finished between its first announcement to dedication? What are the membership numbers that will fill these temples?

Link: https://www.ky3.com/2026/06/07/groundbreaking-held-saturday-new-springfield-missouri-temple/

On June 7, 2026 General Authority Seventy Kyle S. McKay spoke at a Stake Conference in Yukon, Oklahoma. Shortly after the video was posted, however, Mormon church leaders quickly removed it. Join us as we go over the most controversial parts of his talk!

June has been dubbed “Fidelity Month” by Governor Cox. Cox did not announce the declaration with a news release, nor did he post it on social media as he has done at the beginning of June in the past years. Instead, Cox tucked the PDF file into a list of declarations on the governor’s website. But does Utah WANT this change? Is Cox trying to replace Pride Month? What are LGBTQ rights like in Utah?

Link: https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2026/06/04/cox-declares-june-fidelity-month/

On June 4th the Department of Defense made some changes to the recognized list of religions, dropping 180 religions including Atheists, Pagans, and Wiccans. The list also included several “Christian” denominations such as Lutheran, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Methodists, etc. However, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was not listed among the “Christian” denominations. This caused quite a stir among the members of that faith and it seems that backlash pays off. Join us as we cover this story and the outcome of the backlash.

On June 6th Edward Smart, the father of well-known Elizabeth Smart, shared a public Instagram Post about his current status with the LDS Church.

Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/DZOKguqAXzu/

The LDS Church is making changes to the Sacrament Meeting rooms! This story first broke with Rebecca Bibliotheca of Mormonish Podcast who shared that architectural plans for two LDS meeting house remodels reveal that the sacrament altar is now to be placed front and center under the pulpit. The plans will be in place by 2028 and this will be the new structure going forward.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsG7DUi9G4k

In 2026, BYU Football player Parker Kingston was charged with first-degree felony rape in Utah. The incident was reported by a 20-year-old woman in February 2025. Kingston has pleaded not guilty and the case is proceeding through the Utah court system. News has been released concerning the request for a new judge for the case. Join us as we share more on that story.

Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1l9PzgwVQZ9biN6a0UbfLYeDghq5aey0f/view

An invested citizen was able to attend a Utah City Council Meeting in which someone shared their concerns about the American Fork Police department in their handling of Reckless Ben (previously covered on Mormon Stories). This insider video gives a closer look at the concerned citizens of American Fork.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/live/jVT2sj_uEoY

The Great Salt Lake is in critical condition with historically low water levels due to long-term drought and heavy water diversion for agriculture and urban use. These changes threaten key ecosystems and create toxic dust storms that impact air quality across the Wasatch Front. Governor Cox said he discussed with President Trump a potential federal funding around $1 billion. Join us as we discuss the problem and how the LDS church is helping.

Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/05/us/great-salt-lake-utah.html

Show notes: https://www.mormonstories.org/mormons-not-christian-says-pete-hegseth/

Timecodes:
00:00:00 - Introduction
00:02:30 - Utah City Council Meeting
00:09:45 - Ballerina Farm
00:18:26 - Changes to the Sacrament rooms
00:19:06 - Rebecca’s clip
00:26:15 - How much will all of this cost?
00:32:24 - Tempest in a teacup (comments)
00:38:35 - Department of Defense
00:39:07 - ABC4 Coverage
00:45:15 - Why were these religions removed?
00:56:37 - What Hegseth thinks of Mormons
01:01:41 - LDS quotes pushing back
01:05:18 - The revised list
01:07:10 - Fireside with Kyle McKay
01:10:37 - Revenge of the Grasshoppers
01:15:39 - Racial Comments
01:25:50 - Creating horse poop as an attorney
01:28:49 - Attorneys and Businessmen
01:38:45 - Daughter’s Appearance
01:47:11 - Edward Smart
01:53:10 - Penalties in the temple
01:59:23 - Fidelity Month
02:05:17 - Reading the Declaration of Fidelity Month
02:19:08 - New LDS temple groundbreaking
02:28:17 - Time between announcement to dedication
02:31:17 - New Judge in BYU Athlete SA Case
02:43:42 - Saving the Great Salt Lake
02:54:39 - Closing Remarks

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