LDS Church Caught Lying, Charlie Bird Breaking Point, Bishop Charged - Mormon News 9.4.26 | Ep. 2189
Description: On today’s episode of Mormon News, Meggan and John break down another busy week of headlines involving The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Charlie Bird says he is pulling back from sharing his journey to fatherhood after receiving horrific messages about his future family, including messages invoking LDS teachings. We look at the broader Mormon conversation surrounding Charlie and Ryan’s plans to become parents and where criticism of their family has gone.
CHARLIE BIRD RESPONDS TO HORRIFIC BACKLASH
https://www.instagram.com/p/DcqxX85mPeb/
A former LDS bishop in Utah is facing serious criminal charges after an undercover investigation led police to search his phone. According to court documents, Eric Hans Monson has been charged with three counts of exploitation. We look at what investigators say they found and why police specifically raised concerns about his former Church leadership position.
FORMER LDS BISHOP FACES FELONY CHARGES
https://www.abc4.com/news/crimes-against-children/former-lds-bishop-csam-charges/
The LDS Church’s massive investment portfolio is nearing another record high. New reporting from the Salt Lake Tribune looks at Ensign Peak’s latest numbers and what the Church’s stock holdings tell us about the continued growth of its financial reserves.
ENSIGN PEAK NEARS ANOTHER RECORD HIGH
https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2026/08/28/lds-stock-fund-nears-record-high/
The fight over the Heber Valley Utah Temple is heading to the Utah Supreme Court, and a Red Ledges resident is speaking publicly about the dispute and what it has meant for people living near the proposed temple site.
HEBER VALLEY TEMPLE FIGHT HEADS TO UTAH SUPREME COURT
https://www.parkrecord.com/2026/08/31/red-ledges-resident-breaks-silence-ahead-of-utah-supreme-court-heber-valley-temple-arguments/
Meanwhile, interest in the renovated Salt Lake Temple is enormous (or is it?). The Church says more than one million reservations have already been made for the public open house.
ONE MILLION SALT LAKE TEMPLE TOUR RESERVATIONS
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/one-million-spaces-reserved-salt-lake-temple-tour
And finally, Salt Lake City International Airport is adding a new Gateside by TSA PreCheck experience. We look at what’s changing and why the airport story is getting attention in Utah.
SLC AIRPORT ADDS GATESIDE BY TSA PRECHECK
https://www.sltrib.com/news/2026/09/02/slc-airport-adds-gateside-by-tsa/
Show notes can be found on the Mormon Stories blog here:
https://www.mormonstories.org/charlie-birds-breaking-point-former-lds-bishop-charged/
Timecodes:
00:00:00 - Introduction to stories
00:05:44 - (Clip) Analyzing Mormonism
00:16:50 - Overview Breaking News Stories
00:18:50 - (Clip) Charlie and Ryan’s announcement
00:20:50 - (Clip) Jackson Paul
00:24:41 - (Clip) Greg Mattson
00:30:04 - Ashley Ruth’s Substack article
00:37:00 - (Clip) Sky on Faithful Anyway
00:41:19 - Charlie Bird’s response
00:56:03 - Former Bishop found with child ab*se material
01:01:20 - Affidavit of probable cause
01:05:20 - LDS Church losing money over time?
01:09:55 - Top seven holdings of the Church
01:13:53 - Heber Temple arguments
01:17:33 - (Clip) Thomas S. Monson
01:22:49 - Salt Lake Temple transformation
01:23:09 - (Clip) INSIDE the Salt Lake Temple
01:27:35 - (Clip) Salt Lake Temple meeting
01:29:15 - (Clip) Inviting people to come to the temple
01:32:30 - (Clip) The building to challenge all buildings
01:34:34 - (Clip) Uchtdorf
01:36:00 - (Clip) Uchtdorf on giving to those in need
01:39:50 - (Clip) We are the one true church
01:41:23 - (Clip) Soliciting volunteers
01:42:30 - 1 million spaces reserved
01:47:18 - Dale Renlund
01:51:40 - (Clip) Oaks on not apologizing
01:54:30 - (Clip) Pre-check at airports
01:57:30 - Final remarks
___________________
At Mormon Stories we explore, celebrate, and challenge Mormon culture through in-depth stories told by members and former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as scholars, authors, LDS apologists, and other professionals.
Our overall mission is to:
1. Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology
2. Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis
3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions
🤝Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today
One-time or recurring donations: https://donorbox.org/mormon-stories?default_interval=m
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories
Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/mormonstories
Paypal: https://paypal.me/mormonstories
Contact us:
📧 MormonStories@gmail.com
📬PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117 Close description
Charlie Bird says he is pulling back from sharing his journey to fatherhood after receiving horrific messages about his future family, including messages invoking LDS teachings. We look at the broader Mormon conversation surrounding Charlie and Ryan’s plans to become parents and where criticism of their family has gone.
CHARLIE BIRD RESPONDS TO HORRIFIC BACKLASH
https://www.instagram.com/p/DcqxX85mPeb/
A former LDS bishop in Utah is facing serious criminal charges after an undercover investigation led police to search his phone. According to court documents, Eric Hans Monson has been charged with three counts of exploitation. We look at what investigators say they found and why police specifically raised concerns about his former Church leadership position.
FORMER LDS BISHOP FACES FELONY CHARGES
https://www.abc4.com/news/crimes-against-children/former-lds-bishop-csam-charges/
The LDS Church’s massive investment portfolio is nearing another record high. New reporting from the Salt Lake Tribune looks at Ensign Peak’s latest numbers and what the Church’s stock holdings tell us about the continued growth of its financial reserves.
ENSIGN PEAK NEARS ANOTHER RECORD HIGH
https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2026/08/28/lds-stock-fund-nears-record-high/
The fight over the Heber Valley Utah Temple is heading to the Utah Supreme Court, and a Red Ledges resident is speaking publicly about the dispute and what it has meant for people living near the proposed temple site.
HEBER VALLEY TEMPLE FIGHT HEADS TO UTAH SUPREME COURT
https://www.parkrecord.com/2026/08/31/red-ledges-resident-breaks-silence-ahead-of-utah-supreme-court-heber-valley-temple-arguments/
Meanwhile, interest in the renovated Salt Lake Temple is enormous (or is it?). The Church says more than one million reservations have already been made for the public open house.
ONE MILLION SALT LAKE TEMPLE TOUR RESERVATIONS
https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/one-million-spaces-reserved-salt-lake-temple-tour
And finally, Salt Lake City International Airport is adding a new Gateside by TSA PreCheck experience. We look at what’s changing and why the airport story is getting attention in Utah.
SLC AIRPORT ADDS GATESIDE BY TSA PRECHECK
https://www.sltrib.com/news/2026/09/02/slc-airport-adds-gateside-by-tsa/
Show notes can be found on the Mormon Stories blog here:
https://www.mormonstories.org/charlie-birds-breaking-point-former-lds-bishop-charged/
Timecodes:
00:00:00 - Introduction to stories
00:05:44 - (Clip) Analyzing Mormonism
00:16:50 - Overview Breaking News Stories
00:18:50 - (Clip) Charlie and Ryan’s announcement
00:20:50 - (Clip) Jackson Paul
00:24:41 - (Clip) Greg Mattson
00:30:04 - Ashley Ruth’s Substack article
00:37:00 - (Clip) Sky on Faithful Anyway
00:41:19 - Charlie Bird’s response
00:56:03 - Former Bishop found with child ab*se material
01:01:20 - Affidavit of probable cause
01:05:20 - LDS Church losing money over time?
01:09:55 - Top seven holdings of the Church
01:13:53 - Heber Temple arguments
01:17:33 - (Clip) Thomas S. Monson
01:22:49 - Salt Lake Temple transformation
01:23:09 - (Clip) INSIDE the Salt Lake Temple
01:27:35 - (Clip) Salt Lake Temple meeting
01:29:15 - (Clip) Inviting people to come to the temple
01:32:30 - (Clip) The building to challenge all buildings
01:34:34 - (Clip) Uchtdorf
01:36:00 - (Clip) Uchtdorf on giving to those in need
01:39:50 - (Clip) We are the one true church
01:41:23 - (Clip) Soliciting volunteers
01:42:30 - 1 million spaces reserved
01:47:18 - Dale Renlund
01:51:40 - (Clip) Oaks on not apologizing
01:54:30 - (Clip) Pre-check at airports
01:57:30 - Final remarks
___________________
At Mormon Stories we explore, celebrate, and challenge Mormon culture through in-depth stories told by members and former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as scholars, authors, LDS apologists, and other professionals.
Our overall mission is to:
1. Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology
2. Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis
3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions
🤝Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today
One-time or recurring donations: https://donorbox.org/mormon-stories?default_interval=m
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories
Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/mormonstories
Paypal: https://paypal.me/mormonstories
Contact us:
📧 MormonStories@gmail.com
📬PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117 Close description