Hi everyone, it's John Delin welcome to another edition of Mormon Stories podcast. It is January 19th 2021

And I am doing something that I rarely do. I am re recording an episode yesterday

I recorded an episode on Mormon Stories podcast kind of a monologue about a book called the Miracle of forgiveness by Spence study Kimball and

I didn't feel good about the recording after as soon as I recorded it. I felt like it was

ranty. I felt like it was angry and in the I was so angry that this book is still being sold at Desiree book that I called on on

listeners to to burn the book to ban it into burn it. You know, some people love the presentation because they were they're angry at the book too and it's caused so much harm.

But I also received feedback from listeners who either felt like the presentation was just angry and ranty and not helpful.

I even received feedback from a German listener a heartfelt German listener who said, you know, John, I just have to tell you I'm from Germany and when you start talking about book banning and book burning, you remind me of

of kind of kind of an aseism and in the Hitler regime in World War II and that just really shook me.

And I was already feeling bad about the episode but that just made me realize, you know, yes, we can be angry. Yes, we can be upset.

Yes, there are people being harmed every day within a Mormon context as well as people being helped every day in a Mormon context. But regardless, you know, John, what type of voice do you want to have? I asked myself and I want to be a voice that's constructive and that holds the church to account but also is trying to come from a healing place.

So I thought, should I read it this thing or should I just rerecord it? I decided to rerecord it. And so what you are seeing now is a rerecording of this episode. And the episode is called the miracle forgiveness. Why it should be removed from desert book and how you can help.

And I'm going to do my best to be really concise in this presentation. But for those of you who don't know for those of you who have never been Mormon or for those of you who are young and don't remember.

Once upon a time there was a Mormon prophet here in Revelator named Spencer Bekimble. Spencer Bekimble happened to be the prophet or president of the church during most of my childhood and teenage years. And he was very much beloved as this kind of shortman who was kind of cute looking and oftentimes seemed to speak from a place of love. But this book that he wrote and published became one of the four or five most important books.

In Mormonism in the 70s, 80s, 90s and beyond. Obviously we've talked a lot about Mormon doctrine, which was almost like scripture to Mormons back then. Some of the other books were James Talmud's Jesus the Christ and articles of faith and an Marvel's work in wonder. But you know this book Miracle Forgiveness was so important that it was one of the few books that Mormon missionaries were allowed to read while they were on their missions.

And it was it's the type of book that to this day Mormon bishops or state presidents or mission presidents when they're dealing with a member of the church who is sinned, who has masturbated or who has committed premarital sex or who is gay.

This is the book that would be given to them by the bishop to help them set them on the path of repentance.

And so this is a super important book and to be honest, I had the impression that this book was no longer offered at Deseret Book.

And so it kind of went off my radar a little bit. But then I had a listener reach out to me and call my attention to the fact that this book is still being sold at Deseret Book today in 2021.

And as of yesterday, January 18th, 2021, I went up to Deseret Book, the website, and I found that sure enough, this book is being sold today at Deseret Book.

And I just have to say this is not just a unfortunate book. This is not just a sad book. This is not just an outdated book.

This is a really, really, really harmful book that I believe has contributed to anxiety depression and even suicidal ideation and likely, you know, death by suicide for tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of Mormons over the years.

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