Episode 102 - A Ba-nuke-a, if You Will

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This week on The Great & Spacious Podcast, we crack open the vault of Bible B-sides with a deep dive into the Apocrypha—and we do it with a cocktail that’s as mysterious and intense as the lost books themselves. Abish leads the intro and introduces Second Esdras on the Rocks, a pantry-friendly drink garnished with forbidden fruit and theological rebellion. The hosts spiral into TikTok rabbit holes, AI fever dreams, and a passionate breakdown of why Pedro Pascal in thigh-high boots is the spiritual awakening we didn’t know we needed.

Scriptures: [00:21:30]
Moroni takes us through Doctrine & Covenants sections 90–92, where Joseph Smith is officially told he’s still the most specialist boy in the kingdom, and the First Presidency gets formed—but let’s be real, he’s still in charge. Section 91 brings us to the Apocrypha, which is described as “true and also not true,” because God apparently invented postmodernism. And in section 92, Frederick G. Williams is voluntold to join the United Firm, aka the early church’s “totally not communism” economic experiment, where everyone shares their stuff but Joseph still gets the mansion.

Church Teachings: [00:37:05]
aaaAAAaaa covers what the Church teaches (or more accurately, doesn't teach) about the Apocrypha. It’s basically a “read it if you feel like it, but don’t ask us to officially care.” He dives into a BYU article that admits a lot of apocryphal books actually vibe with LDS theology—like sealed books, end-time prophecies, and angelic beef—but D&C 91 scared everyone off. The segment turns into a righteous rant about scriptural cherry-picking, and the gang asks the obvious question: if Joseph stole his best ideas from these books, why are we pretending they’re optional reading?

History: [01:12:40]
Abigail finally escapes the Nazis (for now) and instead gives us a detailed and surprisingly tender history of George Albert Smith, the 8th president of the church and perhaps the only one with actual compassion. Born into Mormon royalty, raised with relentless pressure, and plagued by clinical depression, Georgie was a hymn-singing, three-piece-suit-wearing sad boi who just wanted to help people and avoid being in charge. Too bad the church made him a PR puppet anyway. We get breakdowns of mental breakdowns, a hilariously fake-sounding missionary story, and a deep appreciation for a man who may have had a touch of the tism but a whole lot of heart.

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