The Latter Day Lens
Your home for authentic, faith-promoting, entertaining discussion of current events. In the podcast we tackle the tough topics that most people avoid and showcase how faithful members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints apply gospel principles in their everyday experiences. New episodes each Wednesday.
Episodes
116 episodes
Episode 114: Oligarchy, ProPublica's Prophecy, a Lost Deportee, and the IVF Parenthood Question
In this episode, Shawn, Matt, & Marc engage in a lively discussion covering various topics. They dive headfirst into the murky waters of corruption, questioning if all forms are equally damaging, sparked by AOC's critique of fellow Democrat...
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51:06
Episode 113: Police Training Gaps, CBT for Crime Reduction, Trump's Tariffs, and Four Strains of LDS Thought
We experienced some technical difficulties this week ...please be patient with the broadcast.Welcome to Latter-day Lens with Shawn, Levi, and Matt! This week, we're tackling some heavy hitters that touch our communities and our faith. Fr...
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54:17
Episode 112: Politics, College, and General Conference: A Lively Debate
This episode of "The Latter-Day Lens" features a spirited discussion between Matt, his daughter Melanie, and friends Shawn and Jacob. The conversation moves through several engaging topics with the perfect blend of humor, disagreement, and thou...
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1:05:58
Episode 111: Beyond Divides: College Worth, Church Growth, Happiness, and Immigration
In this conversation, Shawn, David, and Matt discuss various themes around social division and unity, including the perceived value of college education, the success metrics of their religious community, global happiness trends linked to trust,...
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1:01:27
Episode 110: Trump's Speech to Congress, Partisan Views of Foreign Countries, Suing Church Members, America's Christian Heritage
In this episode of the Latter Day Lens Podcast, hosts Matt, Shawn, and Marc engage in a lively discussion that begins with light-hearted banter about cooking and personal anecdotes. The conversation then shifts to a critical analysis of Trump's...
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53:16
Episode 109: Ukraine, DOGE, Lazy federal employees, Cloud hosting of explicit images, The latter day lens on racism
This episode opens with a listener challenging hosts Shawn and Sam for previously dismissing Matt's concerns about Trump's Ukraine policy. The listener cites seven recent Trump administration actions that appear to validate Matt's predictions, ...
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1:15:24
Episode 108: Republicans and traditional gender roles, Disappointed Trump voters, Germany's move to the right, The abundance movement
SummaryIn this episode of Latter Day Lens, hosts Matt and Shawn engage in a candid conversation about their recent disagreements, the importance of reconciliation, and listener feedback. They explore LGBTQ+ issues within the church, discuss...
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52:53
Episode 107: Immigration, COVID-19, Integrity, Post WWII International Order
One listener pointed us to
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1:06:39
Episode 106: The Economy, Robocalls, Ranchers Rights, Promoting the Family
In this episode of Latter Day Lens, hosts Matt, Shawn, and Levi engage in a deep discussion about immigration laws, the complexities of undocumented immigration, and the economic implications of these policies. They explore the nuances of fisca...
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1:03:25
Episode 105: Can Manufacturing be Saved, Andy Reid's Favorite Trilogy, Unequal Justice, Peace in Politics
In this episode, hosts Matt and Shawn, along with guest David, engage in a deep discussion about racism, implicit bias, and the complexities of social justice. They explore the nuances of microaggressions, the role of education in combating rac...
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1:13:44
Episode 104: Implicit Racism, Transgender Ban, Deep Seek, Trump's First Week
In this episode of Latter Day Lens, hosts Matt, Shawn, and Marc engage in a lively discussion that begins with personal anecdotes about oil changes and transitions into listener feedback regarding the podcast's branding. The conversation then d...
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58:15
Episode 103: Same Sex Marriage in Thailand, Freeze on US Foreign Aid, Transgender Dorms, Germany's AfD (Alternative fuer Deutschland)
The Thought Provoker:Melanie is up first this week. I got a Breaking News notification from BBC about how Thailand has legalized same-sex marriage, which brokered the question: why do we care? As global powers, how much is it our respons...
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56:58
Episode 102: Seditious Conspiracy, Shari Franke, Dementia
Topic 1: The special counsel released their findings from their investigation into Trump's behavior on Jan. 6, 2020. We now know that Trump broke the law in his attempt to overturn the 2020 election. By the...
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53:20
Episode 101: BYU Faculty Challenges, Partisan Optimism/Pessimism in 2025, A Felon in the White House
The Salt Lake Tribune has a story about why a sizable number of faculty members at BYU are afraid. In the article and on
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47:21
Episode 100: Sam's final episode
In this episode of the RM podcast, hosts Matt, Sam, and Shawn engage in a lively discussion sparked by listener questions. They explore the impact of foreign relations on the growth of the church, the role of workplace safety regulations li...
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39:06
Episode 99: Special Guest Host, New Year’s Resolutions
In this special episode of the RM podcast, the hosts celebrate their 99th episode recorded together in person. They discuss various topics including family dynamics, the implications of government subsidies on the automotive industry, t...
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52:40
Episode 98: Does American Democracy Require Christianity? Defeating Drug Cartels, How to make big changes
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50:21
Episode 97: Lina Khan, NBA YoungBoy, SNL, Syria
In this episode of the RM podcast, hosts Matt, Shawn, and Levi engage in a lively discussion about various topics, including the role of government in gambling, parenting, and the implications of monopolies in the market. The conversation begin...
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1:09:02
Episode 96: The US Senate vs Airline CEOs, The cost of healthcare in the US, Government vs Private Sector Efficiency, Guardrails for gambling
SummaryIn this episode of the RM Podcast, hosts Matt and Shawn welcome guest Levi to discuss various topics including political trust, civil disobedience, the healthcare system, and consumer rights. The conversation begins with light-he...
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1:05:16
Episode 95: Warning Labels, Biden pardons Biden, Abraham Lincoln and the Book of Mormon vs Gandhi and MLK Jr.
The Thought Provoker:Matt: I recently learned that reusing a single use plastic water bottle or microwaving food in a plastic container is exposing me to micro- and nanoplastics. Some of these materials...
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41:57
Episode 94: Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Dominica and foreign aid, The Diploma Divide
Keywordsvoting philosophy, electoral college, popular vote, cultural narratives, faith and obedience, Caribbean travel, Dominica, Hurricane Maria, America First, soft power, education divide, global relations, foreign aid, political science...
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57:51
Episode 93: New Takes on the 2024 Election, Mormonism in canonized scripture
In this episode of the RM podcast, the hosts discuss the recent election results, focusing on the Republican sweep led by Trump. They analyze the factors contributing to this outcome, including the performance of Kamala Harris and the implicati...
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37:23