Clayton Pixton - Podcast Details

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Impressions of a Prophet: Joseph Smith The MartyrdomJoseph Smith, having temporarily escaped over the Mississippi to Iowa, is encouraged by Emma, Hyrum, and others to return and turn himself in at Carthage. Prophecies their death and goes. Farewell to Emma and signed blessing, military escort, Hamilton Hotel, strong mob presence, Governor Ford refuses to see them, has them accompany him as he publicly reviews troops, finally speaks with Joseph and prisoners, agrees multiple times to not leave them in Carthage if he leaves town, Joseph prophesies that men who have come to get a look at him will one day wallow in blood, court places him...

2025-12-0252 min

Impressions of a Prophet: Joseph Smith On Location: Adam-ondi-AhmanWell this video lacks some polish to say the least. But hopefully it gives you a taste of the amazing and sacred place, Adam-ondi-Ahman, in western Missouri. As I say in the video, it's the place Adam dwelt after he was expelled from the Garden of Eden and where he will come again prior to the Second Coming of the Savior. I personally love this place for the special spirit that I feel here. And I love the hymn William W. Phelps wrote about it. Incidentally, you can find a better recording of that hymn...

2025-10-2208 min

Impressions of a Prophet: Joseph Smith The Road to CarthageWilliam Law and the Nauvoo Expositor publish many things meant to harm Joseph Smith and the Church, call for Nauvoo city charter to be revoked, after lengthy deliberation city council resolves to destroy press, Sheriff John P. Greene carries out order with overabundance of volunteers, Law and other proprietors later set fire to building, citizens extinguish fire, arrest warrants are issued to Joseph & Hyrum for rioting in streets and destruction of press, for first two warrants Joseph is able to stand trial before friendly judge, line of aggression is set up by enemies of the Church between Carthage and...

2025-09-1651 min

Impressions of a Prophet: Joseph Smith The Relief SocietyIn this episode Susan tells us the story of the origins of the largest female organization in the world, the Relief Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The original idea from some women in Nauvoo was to create a benevolent society (common in that time). Eliza R. Snow was asked to write up a constitution for it, which she did and then took to Joseph Smith to review. He responded by saying the Lord had something better for them, that would be organized not as a society of man (women), but under the priesthood itself...

2025-08-2649 min

Impressions of a Prophet: Joseph Smith Joseph Smith for PresidentLeading up to the presidential election of 1844, Joseph Smith and other church leaders counseled about who should get their vote. None of the alternatives seeming desirable, it was finally proposed that General Joseph Smith run himself. This he did, eventually finding a running mate in Sidney Rigdon. Neither of them were known to ever actively campaign. But Brigham Young, then kind of leading the newly organized Council of Fifty, gets Joseph to agree to let him ask for political volunteers to campaign for Joseph. These include, then, the likes of Brigham Young, Wilford Woodruff, Orson and Parley Pratt, Orson...

2025-08-1054 min

Impressions of a Prophet: Joseph Smith The Nauvoo TempleIn this episode Susan talks about a central focus of the prophet and the saints in Nauvoo - the temple. We know from a previous episode that Joseph had received revelation and instituted baptisms for the dead, and a font was built for that purpose on the site of the Nauvoo temple, sheltered by a wooden structure with a pitched roof. Around that structure the temple was built, much of the time with armed guards to protect it and its workmen. Where was the endowment first given (it wasn't in the temple), and to whom? What was...

2025-07-2242 min

Impressions of a Prophet: Joseph Smith Nauvoo, the City BeautifulIf you visit Nauvoo today (2020s), you'll see a small agrarian town. But in its heyday when it was the gathering place for the saints, it was a thriving center of religious, civic, business and cultural life, whose population briefly rivaled that of Chicago. In this episode Susan tells us some fascinating facts about life in Nauvoo at this time. Some quick facts: Nauvoo is largely the result of the vision of Joseph Smith, who wanted it to be a "light unto the world". Typical houses often had their own garden and included a shop of...

2025-07-0850 min

Impressions of a Prophet: Joseph Smith Commerce and Baptism for the DeadIn this episode we talk about the history of the place we now call Nauvoo, the reason so many died there when the saints first arrived, and a glorious revelation that followed regarding those who have died without baptism. What were the two names for Nauvoo before it was Nauvoo? Why did the saints buy it? Why were the saints dying in such large numbers when they arrived? What revelation did Joseph Smith receive regarding those who had died without baptism? Who performed the first baptism for the dead and for whom? Where did the baptisms take...

2025-06-2243 min

Impressions of a Prophet: Joseph Smith Quincy and the Call of the TwelveAs the latter-day saints were running for their lives from Missouri, following the Extermination Order, east to Illinois, the town they came to was Quincy, just over the Mississippi River. What makes Quincy remarkable is the kindness of the people there, who took in more than triple their population and, in contrast to people they had lived among previously, continued to support them and seek their relief until the saints were able to move on, in this case, just north to what came to be Nauvoo. Quincy also was known for helping slaves escape to the north...

2025-06-0555 min

Impressions of a Prophet: Joseph Smith Alexander DoniphanWe take a moment in our account to talk about a great friend to the saints and a remarkable man - Alexander Doniphan. While others in positions of influence were seeking to harm the saints Doniphan, a lawyer, stood up for them and stood up for justice, showing an integrity seemingly lacking in others at the time. At a moment when Joseph Smith and others were about to be killed, he defied his superior officer and refused to carry out the order and threatened that officer with legal action if he carried it out, effectively saving their lives.

2025-05-1455 min

Impressions of a Prophet: Joseph Smith Prisoners for Christ's SakeAs we discussed last time, Joseph Smith and others were taken prisoners in Far West on Oct 31 of 1838. A death sentence was passed on them, but they were effectively saved from execution by Alexander Doniphan. While their lives were spared, they were incarcerated for the next five months. Why were they taken prisoners in the first place? What happened to Far West after the prisoners were taken? How did their trial in Richmond, Missouri go? Which three prisons were they incarcerated in? What were conditions like? What revelations were received in prison? Which apostle visited...

2025-05-0243 min

Impressions of a Prophet: Joseph Smith The Missouri Extermination OrderLearn about the events that led up to the infamous Extermination Order by Governor Boggs of Missouri in 1838. It reads in part, "the Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated or driven from the State if necessary for the public peace—their outrages are beyond all description". What made Governor Boggs, and indeed many Missourians, believe they were justified in expulsing fellow American citizens from an entire state and depriving them of their property and other rights, even their lives in some cases, without any compensation or justice? What good-faith efforts were ma...

2025-04-1547 min

Impressions of a Prophet: Joseph Smith On Location - Independence, MissouriThis is a video-only episode (except the little explanation version I do separately). For the video go to: https://youtu.be/9ModX2-auQo (YouTube). If you happen to be listening on Spotify then click the little switch to go to the video version. In this episode I take you on location to Independence, Missouri! We believe this is the place the Lord designated as the center place for the gathering of Israel in the last days and as the place that the New Jerusalem will be built, which will be a great center of the Church, along...

2025-04-1301 min

Impressions of a Prophet: Joseph Smith Call of the Twelve and Clay CountyAfter the saints got kicked out of Independence, Missouri, fleeing north over the river to Clay County (Missouri - mostly Liberty), and had been there a couple of years, it became apparent that the local residents there didn't want the saints among them any more than did their cousins in Jackson county, and legal and extra-legal means were used to expel them. It was even voted in a ___ meeting that they be sent to hell. Then they decided Wisconsin would suffice, but Alexander Doniphan, a Liberty lawyer and general, used his influence to create two new counties to the...

2025-03-0439 min

Impressions of a Prophet: Joseph Smith The Fall of Zion and Zion's CampFrom the last episode we learned why around 1200 saints had moved from Kirtland, OH to Independence, MO, with more on the way. In this episode we learn about how the locals, who were largely frontiersmen and former southerners, didn't love the idea of the northerner religious saints moving in and kind of taking over (for some reason). Unfortunately the way the differences were handled on the Missourians' side was to resort to mob violence and other such unlawful means to make their feelings known and to force the saints out of the area. Members of the Church...

2025-02-2549 min

Impressions of a Prophet: Joseph Smith Independence - The New JerusalemThe Lord revealed the "center place" for the gathering of the saints in the last days, and the place of Zion, the New Jerusalem, in 1831 to Joseph Smith. The place was Independence, Missouri - a city at that time on the western boundary of the United States (west of that was all Indian territory). At that time it was occupied by white settlers, with whom the idea that the land was consecrated for the Lord's people did not sit well. In this episode we talk about how the Lord made this land known to His...

2025-02-1144 min

Impressions of a Prophet: Joseph Smith Blessings Predicated on RighteousnessIn this episode Susan does a study on the lives of several of the men who knew the prophet Joseph, to see how their faithfulness over the years affected their blessings. (Susan has studied EVERY person who knew the prophet Joseph.) Here we talk about Heber C. Kimball, James E. Talmage (who was not contemporary with the prophet), Brigham Young, John Taylor, Orson Hyde, Thomas B. Marsh, Parley P. Pratt, Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris, John W. Boynton, David Whitmer, William McLellin, William Law, and Almon W. Babbitt. Some (1) never faltered in their loyalty to the...

2025-02-0452 min

Impressions of a Prophet: Joseph Smith 11: The Kirtland Safety Society and the Fall of KirtlandIn this episode we delve into the Kirtland Safety Society and how when it failed, many members of the Church left, some temporarily and some permanently, including members of the Quorum of the Twelve. The Kirtland Safety Society was basically a bank that was founded by Joseph Smith and other principal leaders of the Church. We talk about its founding, its collapse with the national banking crisis of 1837 (the same year it was formed), and what members of the church did in response. Why did they think it was a good idea to form it...

2025-01-2845 min

Impressions of a Prophet: Joseph Smith Kirtland RevelationsRevelations to Joseph Smith given in Kirtland, Ohio - Stories of how they came to be, how they were copied, who they were to, what they were about, the most and least popular, the "White Horse Prophecies", visions in the Kirtland Temple, and the Tragedy of Kirtland (Kirtland Safety Society). YouTube (Video) Spotify Apple Podcasts Amazon Music YouTube Music Website Facebook Instagram Susan Easton Black on Amazon Susan Easton Black at Deseret Book Clayton Pixton on Spotify

2025-01-1443 min

Impressions of a Prophet: Joseph Smith Gathering to Ohio, Tar and FeatheringIn February of 1831, the Lord having just previously commanded the people of the church to gather to Ohio, Joseph and Emma arrive (first) in Kirtland. Two months later Emma gives birth to twins, both of whom die within a few hours. Shortly thereafter Joseph and Julia Murdock’s twins are born but Julia dies in childbirth, and Joseph gives the twins to Joseph and Emma, who adopt them. Their names are Joseph Smith Murdock (Smith) and Julia Murdock (Smith). Joseph is instructed by the Lord to translate the bible, and selects as his scribe Sidney Rigdon, a recent...

2025-01-071h 03

Impressions of a Prophet: Joseph Smith Organization of the ChurchApril 6, 1830 "The Church of Christ" is officially organized in Fayette, New York in the home of Peter and Mary Whitmer. Just one month prior, the Book of Mormon had been published. Between then and the Church's organization believers in the Book of Mormon would meet on weekdays but go to their old churches on Sunday. Some members had been baptized before the organizational meeting on April 6. A revelation (Doctrine and Covenants Section 20) was given at that founding meeting, which contained basic principles including the duties of members and of the priesthood, their meetings, and the sacrament, and...

2024-12-3143 min

Impressions of a Prophet: Joseph Smith The Book of Mormon - a Witness for ChristLearn the amazing story of how the Book of Mormon came forth, and some popular theories. Translation "by the gift and power of God", printing by E. B. Grandin in Palmyra, NY, its sale, various theories on how Joseph Smith produced the book, how often it speaks of Christ, His several names as stated in the Book of Mormon, what it reveals about the nature of God, what it says about how to find happiness and peace, how to know for yourself if it is true, etc. Glad to have you back! YouTube...

2024-12-1752 min

Impressions of a Prophet: Joseph Smith Oliver Cowdery and David WhitmerThis episode is about Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer, two of the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon (along with Martin Harris). Both men performed great service in the early days of the restored Church. Both in time separated themselves from the Church and the prophet Joseph Smith. Oliver Cowdery at the end of his life responded to efforts to seek him out and joined the Church before his death. David Whitmer never did come back in his lifetime. Both men stayed true to their testimonies of the Book of Mormon their whole lives. Good to...

2024-12-1056 min

Impressions of a Prophet: Joseph Smith Emma SmithEmma's birth in Harmony, PA (1804), her father Isaac Hale, family more well-to-do than Smiths, meets Joseph, they elope, she has 11 children in all, 5 of which live to maturity, accompanies Joseph to Hill Cumorah, writes for Joseph as he translates plates until Oliver Cowdery is sent, testifies of veracity of Book of Mormon, revelation is given to Emma (Doctrine and Covenants Section 25) where she is commissioned to make a collection of sacred hymns, Joseph and Emma move to Hyrum, OH, Joseph is tarred and feathered, son Joseph Murdock Smith dies, they move to upper floor of Newel K Whitney's store...

2024-12-031h 05

Impressions of a Prophet: Joseph Smith Martin Harris - Uncompromising Witness of the Book of MormonMartin Harris' father (Nathan) has money, his occupation, Martin's youth in the Quaker church, he manages his father's business, marries cousin Lucy Harris, war of 1812, becomes "gentleman farmer", investigates many churches, finally describes himself as an "unchurched Christian", hires Joseph Smith Sr. and Hyrum, meets Joseph, gives him money for his journey to Harmony, PA to translate, Martin takes characters from plates to New York, Martin's and Lucy's marriage strained over Joseph Smith and the gold plates, Martin takes 116 translated pages to Palmyra, breaks covenant with the Lord (to show them only to a confined group of people), pages...

2024-11-2649 min

Impressions of a Prophet: Joseph Smith Angel Moroni and a Period of PreparationJoseph Smith's youth after the First Vision, Porter Rockwell, visit by Moroni, the Hill Cumorah, family discussions about the Nephites, death of Alvin Smith, Joseph meets Martin Harris, marries Emma Hale, translation of the plates, publishing of the Book of Mormon, popular theories on how it came to be, etc. Thanks for being here! YouTube (Video) Spotify Apple Podcasts Amazon Music YouTube Music Website Facebook Instagram Susan Easton Black on Amazon Susan Easton Black at Deseret Book

2024-11-2336 min

Impressions of a Prophet: Joseph Smith The Birth of Joseph Smith to the First VisionBirth of Joseph Smith, what brought the Smiths to move to Palmyra ("the Cradle of the Restoration"), Caleb Howard, Joseph is carried to Palmyra by a stranger, Joseph Senior's occupation, the Smith Farm, the Burned-Over District, Reverend George Lane and James 1:5, the Sacred Grove, the First Vision, accounts of the First Vision, the original Pearl of Great Price, etc. Welcome back :) YouTube (Video) Spotify Apple Podcasts Amazon Music YouTube Music Website Facebook Instagram Susan Easton Black on Amazon

2024-11-0548 min

Impressions of a Prophet: Joseph Smith 1: The Ancestry of Joseph Smith - John LathropLittle intro to the podcast, the status of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today (2020's) then Susan tells us about the spiritual gifts of some of Joseph Smith's ancestors, including John Lathrop, Asael Smith, Solomon Mack, Joseph Smith Sr., and Lucy Mack. Thanks for being here! YouTube (Video) Spotify Apple Podcasts Amazon Music YouTube Music Website Facebook Instagram Susan Easton Black on Amazon Susan Easton Black at Deseret Book Clayton Pixton on...

2024-11-0150 min

Impressions of a Prophet: Joseph Smith 3: Test for Slug

2024-07-1603 min

Impressions of a Prophet: Joseph Smith 10: Kirtland Revelations

2024-05-1043 min

Impressions of a Prophet: Joseph Smith 2: The Birth of Joseph Smith to the First VisionThis is the second of 26 episodes. You're on your way...

2024-05-0200 min

Impressions of a Prophet: Joseph Smith Impressions of a Prophet Podcast - TrailerA taste of what the podcast is like and some of the topics we'll cover. 26 episodes total, covering the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during the lifetime of the prophet Joseph Smith. We hope you'll join us! YouTube (Video) Spotify Apple Podcasts Amazon Music YouTube Music Website Facebook Instagram Susan Easton Black on Amazon Susan Easton Black at Deseret Book Clayton Pixton on Spotify Clayton Pixton on Apple...

2024-04-0102 min

Should Be Known 43: Why Do You Care?It is apparent that one property of self-deception is a need to have others validate your wrong-ness (as right-ness). You can't be settled or peaceful about your untruthfulness, to use a term I like to use. You must constantly seek justification from others, or attempted justification, we might say, since it is not real and is never satisfied. The scriptures are filled with examples of people who weren't satisfied to ignore the testimony of the prophets or the righteous and go about their lives. They needed to cancel them - kick them out of their cities, or...

2023-08-1132 min

Should Be Known 42: Temptation, Willpower, and LegsI discuss the mechanics of willpower and choice in the face of temptation. Basically, #1, in the face of temptation, should you have gotten yourself out of the situation or otherwise avoided it in the first place, or can you now? When Joseph in Egypt found himself in a bad situation with Potiphar's wife, he "got him out". He has been described (by Niel A. Maxwell) as having had good legs. So first avoid the situation or get out of it in the first place. Does a certain situation present temptations for you and you know it? Then avoid that...

2023-06-2624 min

Should Be Known 41: Dogs and StressAbstract: Dogs, who are not accountable before God and do not have the capability to make choices regarding good and evil, nevertheless get angry/aggressive, can have anxiety, low self-esteem, fear, etc., like a human can. This to me tells us that emotional stuff we deal with such as depression and anxiety are not necessarily (if ever?) a result of our own moral choices. If a dog, or a young child, can be self-deceived (be going against one's own knowledge of good and evil, on some level), knowing that they themselves are not accountable before God for...

2023-03-3100 min

Should Be Known 40: Anger, Depression, and ChoiceWell the text below isn't super close to the words I actually uttered forth in my podcast, but here they are anyway. Enjoy and thanks for listening/reading! Monday, May 20, 2022 Offense a Conscious Choice? More on the idea that it’s not totally accurate to say that getting offended or getting angry is a conscious choice. (Or getting anxious or …) Friday, June 2, 2022 Insight vs. New Information and Logic So I’m thinking about insight versus kind of actual new information, or might we say, conclusions or whatever. So wha...

2023-03-0138 min

Should Be Known 39: Self-Deception is Not Necessarily SinSBK039 Self-Deception is Not Necessarily Sin Transcript by Microsoft Office 365 dictate/transcribe – not super great, had to do tons of editing just to turn many many separated fragments on separate lines into sentences and paragraphs, not to mention the wrong words and everything, but here you go! *music* All right, good enough. Welcome to the Should Be Known Podcast, I am Clayton Pixton. If you're new and episode 39 is your very first episode, we talk about principles of psychology on this podcast, but not the ones that I guess you may be...

2022-08-0329 min

Should Be Known 38: Filling In the Gaps and FaithMonday, February 21, 2022 There’s still a huge gap. I understand depression involves a lie, and anxiety. I understand a little about self-deception. But as it turns out all ways we err involve self-deception, not just depression and anxiety. I don’t understand how people get depressed and anxious. I don’t feel like I can explain the whole thing. Gotta keep trying. Maybe read some about it. I think Wendy Treynor had a good explanation for depression, in part at least. It is a rejection of the self. Or it involves or results from a rejecti...

2022-03-0228 min

Should Be Known 37: The Source of Principles of PsychologyWhere do we look for the true principles of psychology? Why not the scriptures? The concepts there are actually true, while those from the philosophies of men may or may not be. I use the term "philosophies of men" to mean the ideas of the great thinkers of our time and times past. They may be great thinkers. But many of their ideas may be wrong. On the other hand, the ideas put forth in the scriptures ("ideas") are actually true and accurate. While I enjoy reading and listening to the thoughts of thoughtful men and women over the ages as...

2022-02-0131 min

Peach Lemonade: the podcast Ruth Long & Jeremy TaylorWell everyone, this is it! Thank you so much for coming along with us. Here is an extra long episode about us, your hosts. We've spent months talking about everyone else, it's finally our turn. We go through how we first met, our shower routines, and our Urban Dictionary name definitions. We thank all of our guests and listeners, and especially Analisa Harvey and Clayton Pixton. Don't forget to stay tuned all the way to the end to hear our special announcement!Be sure to follow our pod insta @peach.lemonade.the.podcastYou can find Analisa’s art @analisah.art on...

2022-01-201h 17

Peach Lemonade Ruth Long & Jeremy TaylorWell everyone, this is it! Thank you so much for coming along with us. Here is an extra long episode about us, your hosts. We've spent months talking about everyone else, it's finally our turn. We go through how we first met, our shower routines, and our Urban Dictionary name definitions. We thank all of our guests and listeners, and especially Analisa Harvey and Clayton Pixton. Don't forget to stay tuned all the way to the end to hear our special announcement! Be sure to follow our pod insta @peach.lemonade.the.podcast You can...

2022-01-201h 17

Should Be Known 36: What Do We Do?Sunday, January 17, 2021 So if the instant you cross the line you have to justify yourself, or in the instant you cross the line you are justifying yourself, then it's just like a property of being on the wrong side of the line. And it's a trap, because you are deceived as to the fact that you are in the wrong and you are deceived as to the way to get out, and it sucks you in. Maybe good has its own rewards. Namely peace and happiness, and all the fruits of the Spirit. But evil has...

2021-02-1536 min

Should Be Known 35: Leave It AloneFull Notes: You know this thing where you can’t tell the violation from its justification—do we just say that certain things go together - depression and failure to forgive oneself, sin and it’s attendant self-justification, uh, what else? Basically everything where you’d say you do the bad thing and then you justify it by self-deceiving. That’s everything. So rather than one happening first, they both come together somehow and you can’t tell which one comes first. Very confusing. But sometimes the truth isn’t immediately intuitive. Take the theory of relativity and quantum phy...

2021-01-1619 min

Should Be Known 34: Taking a Crack At It(Full Notes) Why would a person believe a lie, I ask again? Cognitive might recognize that the thoughts are unhelpful and negative or whatever (it doesn't even know they're false), but it doesn't know why. It doesn't know why a person would continue believing something ridiculous. It doesn't know why it's sticky. Doesn't only pride explain that? Let's think here. Self-justification is great, and it's wonderful to be self-justified. But wouldn't we trade it for happiness and peace, if we knew what we were doing? But it's hard to change, and the reason is pride, is it not? Ha...

2021-01-0228 min

Should Be Known 33: Pride and Maladaptive Behavior(Full Notes) Tuesday, November 17, 2020 Sometime talk about Freud's subconscious and self-deception. Saturday, November 21, 2020 Without looking up what Freud said about the subconscious (it's been a long time), one thing I think that plunges certain things at least into our subconscious is self-deception. Like when we do perverse things to ourselves and others, it's not the same as some automatic action like blinking or breathing. No, there's self-deception involved. It seems to me like self-deception drives stuff like that into our subconscious. The author of my psychology book makes it all...

2020-12-1029 min

Should Be Known 32: Fine Line or Day and Night?(Full Notes) Tuesday, November 4, 2020 To the question, is there a different quality of anxiety that is bad and one that is good or whatever, I say, the anxiety itself is indifferent. It’s not a quantity either that is bad or good. It’s that the bad contains a lie. It’s the lie that’s bad, not the anxiety itself. Something like that. Wednesday, Nov 5, 2020 Any time you talk about the “fine line”, is it not about whether evil is involved? Excess this or that - is it not about whether there’...

2020-11-1721 min

Should Be Known 31: Which Comes First – the Act or Its Excuse?You know how with that question the answer is something like "neither" or "both" - in any case it's not necessarily one before the other? (Kind of like the chicken and the egg question I suppose.) Well what if depression is like that? There's the abuse of the self as the act, you might say, and the feelings and everything that come along with depression as the excuse. Or you might say the giving into the lie as the act and the feeling of worthlessness as the excuse. Or maybe the psychology as the act and the physiology as...

2020-11-0422 min

Should Be Known 30: If Not for the Light of Christ(Full Notes) Friday, October 2, 2020 Depression is hard. Anxiety is hard. Schizophrenia I'm sure is hard, and the list goes on. Again, the thing is, self-deception results from our choices but it also results from not our choices. And how do you tell the difference? Who knows the choices a person has made besides that person and God? Maybe somebody, but probably not. Period. Sunday, October 4, 2020 Let's go on this idea that depression is caused by the idea, the thought, that you are worthless, and everything that flows from that. The idea is that...

2020-10-1920 min

Should Be Known 29: It All Begins With A Lie(Full Notes) Saturday, August 29, 2020 I said that it is a delusion that you're worthless. It's correct that it's untrue. But it's only untrue because God loves us with a perfect love, right? If not for that, we'd be in real trouble, yes? I think about all this stuff, if not for the atonement of Jesus Christ, we would be in real trouble. There's a logical way in which that works, seems to me. If you're smart, and insightful, you can see that this life is kind of meaningless and certainly your own life wouldn't matter too mu...

2020-09-2719 min

Should Be Known 28: A Continuum(Full Notes) Wednesday, August 12, 2020 Just read in Bill Bryson’s book how chemistry got on a firm footing with the invention of the periodic table. Psychology needs one of those. Seriously. Can the principles of self-deception do this? What are some indubitable examples of self-deception? My first answer was depression and anxiety. But what’s easier? From a distance those ones seem pretty obvious. Their sufferers think they’re generally worthless or that something bad is always going to happen, respectively. Who thinks that? Depressed and anxious people. But come on, really, you’re worthless...

2020-09-1531 min

Should Be Known 27: More Scientific(Full Notes) Saturday, July 4, 2020 The thing with the learned behaviors mentioned in the last podcast is that it can be explained in terms of self-deception. Again about animals being used for experimentation for psychology. I don't know. I know I don't like it, and I'd far prefer to see how far we can get by studying self-deception, as opposed to the brain, personally. Saturday, August 1, 2020 So with every case there is probably an element of the trap and an element of personal responsibility, or an element of being a vic...

2020-08-2322 min

Should Be Known 26: Neither Condemning Nor Excusing(Full Notes) Saturday, June 13, 2020 I really think there’s something to learning attitudes and behaviors from parents in more subtle ways than we sometimes imagine. I would like to understand the mechanics of this. Why not try to describe this? Surely someone has already. Tuesday, June 16, 2020? I've been reading from 'Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith'. I don't know that I've read more lucid speech, more clear and simple and to the point, and on-target. Very inspiring, not to mention informative. So the thing with learning from our parents (or ca...

2020-08-0927 min

Should Be Known 25: Paradoxes Aren’t Real(Full Notes) Tuesday, May 19, 2020 It is a choice or is it automatic? When is it a choice and when is it not? Tuesday, May 26, 2020 Remember Jordan Peterson's two true perspectives? The one is like a right-wing point of view. And the second is like a left-wing point of view. Surely this is the same as the objective vs subjective I kept seeing as an undergraduate philosophy student. Thursday, May 28, 2020 I’m thinking of the two sacrament meeting talks I heard in New York that one day - both on...

2020-07-1229 min

Should Be Known 24: Depression is Natural and Spiritual(Full Notes) Sunday, May 3, 2020 Well it looks like as it went I just couldn't feel good about saying that anxiety is sin, and that depression is sin. Couldn't feel good about it. I guess that tells me I need to get off that track, don't be thinking that, or saying that. So I won't. And I want everyone to know that I can't feel good about it, so I don't want you to worry about it either. So don't. So then what does this say about anxiety? That all the psychology books are right...

2020-07-0122 min

Should Be Known 23: It’s All The Same Stuff(Full Notes) Thursday, April 23, 2020 So apparently we can sin ignorantly (see the angel’s words to King Benjamin and President Benson and who knows who else.). And the atonement of Christ covers for it (“his blood atoneth for [their] sins”). What does that mean? It means for one thing that a thing can be wrong to do whether we know it or not. The law exists independent of our knowing it. And it displeases God whether we know it or not. But since the atonement covers for it (if we don’t realize it, that is) becaus...

2020-06-1416 min

Should Be Known 22: The Status on AnxietyFull Notes: Tuesday, April 7, 2020 What I’m talking about, self-deception, is not a contributing factor to mental illness. If it were a contributing factor you could take it away and still have mental illness. No, it is common to all cases. It’s common to us all. Again, it’s like internal combustion in gasoline engines, or lift for something that flies. There all the time. Therapy is probably great, I guess, but isn’t therapy really hard to do for some people, and maybe less effective for some people? Wouldn’t some people soon...

2020-06-0421 min

Should Be Known 21: Fun More SeriouslyMonday, Mar 23, 2020 They were talking about the brain today, on my psychology podcast. People. More research is needed, he said. More research is always needed. When are we going to understand the brain, I ask you? Does the brain really cause our behaviors like you’re thinking? Or doesn’t it reflect our behaviors? Don’t we cause our behaviors? I think we do, more than “the brain”. Just a personal opinion. What does it mean to look beyond the mark? It’s the same as seeking for things we can’t understand, is it not? Surely. And w...

2020-05-2319 min

Should Be Known 20: Killin MeTuesday, March 3, 2020 YouTube. Some will say since every case of depression is different it's no use to try to help people in any broad way with their own depression. It has to be only individual, only by a professional. And professionals are great, when you can afford one and have time for one and when they know what they're doing. But to say that there shouldn't be any broad knowledge about psychology, to say there shouldn't be any DIY psychology, would be like saying there shouldn't be a YouTube for fixing cars. YouTube is great for fixing your...

2020-05-0426 min

Should Be Known 19: Stop Blaming the BrainJust including all my notes here... Wednesday, February 19, 2020 I was listening to the car parts episode. That was a good one. I think we need to take more seriously the duty or whatever to be able to explain how something works, like depression and anxiety. We take time, and I’m thinking of a textbook, going through each individual theory and explaining how it accounts for why something or other happens, but we don’t take enough time synthesizing the insights of those theories to explain in a real, substantive, helpful way how they help to e...

2020-04-2631 min

Should Be Known 18: The Essence of DepressionMajor breakthrough. For me, at least. Depression is not forgiving yourself, just as you get spiritually sick (and maybe physically) if you fail to forgive another. That's the big insight. Terry Warner already did the work of explaining how when we don't forgive another we get spiritually sick. Apparently we can do the same exact thing, only with ourselves, and that's depression. We are self-reflective beings, which makes that possible. Forgiveness, whether of another or ourselves, is only possible through the atonement of Jesus Christ. And that whether you realize it or not - works the same.

2020-04-1331 min

Should Be Known 17: SpiritThere are two kinds of things in the world: physical matter, and spiritual matter. Science deals with the first. Not the second. Psychology is largely a spiritual thing, sorry science. For life to exist, you need the spirit to be present. It's the breath of life. "Artificial intelligence", as it's called, is great, but it will never have consciousness, because you need the spirit for that. Wendy Treynor is not afraid to admit to there being spirit, so to me she's closer than a lot of people in understanding depression and psychology in general. If...

2020-04-0416 min

Should Be Known 16: People These DaysIn this episode we consider the "hardness" or what we're saying about depression and anxiety, namely that the individual bears some responsibility for their depression and anxiety, and is a participant in it, even if, before God, one is not condemned. But I think it's hard to hear, and I wonder how we should deal with that. I think we just have to be as kind as possible about it.

2020-03-1922 min

Should Be Known 15: Things I Don’t KnowThere are many things I don't know. Most things I don't know. Here are some. But in defining my questions and wrestling some of them, I think we make some progress (in understanding anxiety and depression).

2020-03-0222 min

Should Be Known 14: They Are All WrongI'd like to say that one definition of a philosophical question is a question that has no answer, because the question is wrong. I believe we should ask this about all questions in philosophy and psychology - is the question wrong in the first place? We talk about some of the implications of that here.

2020-02-1629 min

Should Be Known 13: Wendy Treynor on DepressionI came across this theory of depression and it's very similar to what I'm putting forward and similar to what Alice Miller said. So I like it and I think it makes for a good jumping off point, at least. See what you think. Depression is conceived of as a result of self-rejection, and the solution is therefore to stop rejecting yourself. Happens over time.

2020-02-1018 min

Should Be Known 12: Car PartsAllow me to draw an analogy. Car mechanics as psychology. Not everybody understands what makes a car go, but some people do, and the experts definitely should. They should be able to explain all the main parts and principles, including small details (engine, transmission, wheels, fuel, gas pedal, spark plugs, valves, etc., etc.) In the same way, I believe we should be able to explain why a person is depressed. I believe we have some of the parts and principles (negative thoughts, learned behaviors, brain chemicals, etc.) I think self-deception is one of the major principles. It's not everything, but it's...

2020-01-2518 min

Should Be Known 11: Psychology’s DisconnectUh, does anybody else notice that the theories of psychology say one thing and the practice of psychology says another? Seriously. The theories supposedly espoused by the establishment seem to be all about brain chemicals, while the practice of therapy seems to be about faulty thoughts. If psychological disorders are about chemical imbalance then why does talk therapy work? (And if they're all about faulty thoughts why does medication work?)

2020-01-2516 min

Should Be Known 10: AnxietyAnxiety is considered the most common psychological disorder in the US, effecting almost 1 in 5. In this episode we try to crack it. I wouldn't say it's cracked, but we make some headway. Is not anxiety founded on a basic lie (designed to make us miserable)--that the world is going to end because of whatever you're worrying about? (Same with depression--that you are worthless?) We all know who lies come from, don't we. I think that's real.

2019-12-2316 min

Should Be Known 9: Seek, Knock, AskDespite what so-called "science" may tell you, you can ask whatever question you want. Science is not the only way to get answers, it's one way. Another way is through divine revelation. I testify that the Holy Ghost reveals today as well as in times of old. In this episode we talk a little about a popular psychology book which to me bespeaks the depravity of the field in our time. This stuff makes me mad, can you tell?

2019-12-2318 min

Should Be Known 8: Alice Miller on DepressionAlice Miller was a Swiss thinker and psychoanalyst. Her book The Drama of the Gifted Child describes depression as the result of a person's suppression/repression of their emotions due, according to her, to a parent in childhood making that necessary. I think there's something to her theory, though her view of parents is pretty dark in general. To her they must be evil to do that, I guess. So they're all evil. Anyway, for all the sensation she seemed to cause back around 1981, I don't see her thoughts represented in modern theories of depression. What happened?

2019-08-1226 min

Should Be Known 7: What Depression Really IsTheories are postulations of what we can't see meant to explain what we can see. There are several theories of depression out there, some of which I think are given more credence than they deserve. Here's a theory of depression to consider. See what you think.

2019-07-2225 min

Should Be Known 6: What Psychology Today NeedsThe field of psychology today is, in some ways, frankly, groping in darkness. While there are many practical principles I believe that have been found and are being employed successfully in therapy and such, any real guidance as to the theory of things is just kind of absent. It that too harsh to say? In this episode we talk about where psychology is today and what it needs to really succeed.

2019-05-2728 min

Should Be Known 5: Examples of Self-DeceptionIt's high time we discussed some examples of self-deception (besides what we discussed in episodes 2 and 3). And why not just jump to a couple of the most important and universal - depression and anxiety?

2019-03-1933 min

Should Be Known 4: The Light of Christ and Self-DeceptionI would like to propose that one great source of light we violate when we self-deceive is the light of Christ. Also known in scripture as the spirit of Christ, this light proceeds from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space, gives us our knowledge of right from wrong, is the very light and life of men, and is the very law by which all things are governed. To me this means that we can't escape it. When we go against this light, whether consciously or not, we must self-deceive, in order to justify ourselves. That's...

2019-03-1815 min

Should Be Known 3: Terry Warner and Self-DeceptionC. Terry Warner, a philosophy professor at Brigham Young University until his retirement, has made unprecedented strides in the area of self-deception, especially as it relates to social interactions. I have seen no one else treat his subject better. Studying self-deception without talking about Terry Warner would be a little like studying physics without talking about Einstein. I am greatly indebted to him for my knowledge in this area and will forever be grateful I was ever able to study under him.

2019-03-1738 min

Should Be Known 2: Religious Self-Justification and Self-DeceptionIf there is a God and if His kingdom is on the earth, then it follows that if we act against His word or His anointed, we must of necessity justify our behavior, according to my theory (that we justify ourselves through self-deception whenever we go against the truth). The word becomes less valid and the anointed of God become less authoritative to us. In my growing up life I observed what seemed to me to be clear self-justification/self-deception of this type. I think it helped me be extra cautious of it in myself, and served as further...

2019-03-1710 min

Should Be Known 1: IntroThis is going to be quite the podcast. As I write this I have 9 episodes recorded. They contain the clearest and most correct treatment of self-deception that I know of, and to me self-deception is a great missing key to psychology. I'm excited to share it with you and trust we will receive more knowledge and understanding as we continue on this journey. My methodology is a little different in that am seeking truth from sources way outside traditional psychology, but I believe that is where the gold is. I hope you enjoy and maybe...

2019-03-1707 min

The Cricket and Seagull Fireside Chat "Hymns Anew," Music from Beyond the Zion CurtainObviously not every accomplished LDS musician lives in Salt Lake or Utah counties, but it can be a little harder for those musical luminaries out shining their lights on distant (depending where you are) hills to catch the eye, or ear in this case, of the Saints.This week we called Kansas City, KS, to explore "Hymns Anew," a modern acoustic treatment of LDS hymns by singer/arranger/producer Clayton Pixton and several of his talented siblings who are scattered all over the US.That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull...

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2008-10-2416 min