Mormons Not Christian Says Pete Hegseth's Department of War? - Mormon News 6.11.26 | Ep. 2159

From Mormon Stories Podcast by Dr. John Dehlin

June 11, 2026 · 2h 58m

About this episode

The episode discusses recent news in Mormonism, including temple announcements and changes in religious recognition by the Department of Defense.

This week on Mormon Stories News, John Dehlin along with Julia, and Brooklyn of the OSF team, break down some of the biggest stories making headlines in Mormonism. President Nelson announced the Springfield, Missouri temple on April 2, 2023, yet ground was just broken for it on June 6, 2026. Why the delay? Have other temples been delayed? What is the average amount of time for a temple to be finished between its first announcement to dedication? What are the membership numbers that will fill these temples? On June 7, 2026 General Authority Seventy Kyle S. McKay spoke at a Stake Conference in Yukon, Oklahoma. Shortly after the video was posted, however, Mormon church leaders quickly removed it. Join us as we go over the most controversial parts of his talk! June has been dubbed “Fidelity Month” by Governor Cox. Cox did not announce the declaration with a news release, nor did he post it on social media as he has done at the beginning of June in the past years. But does Utah WANT this change? Is Cox trying to replace Pride Month? On June 4th the Department of Defense made some changes to the recognized list of religions. The list included several “Christian” denominations such as…

People in this episode

Host: John Dehlin

Guests: Julia, Brooklyn

Topics covered

Mormonism
temple announcements
religious recognition
Fidelity Month
membership numbers
controversial talks

Keywords

Mormon news
temple delays
Fidelity Month
LDS Church
Kyle S. McKay
Edward Smart
Governor Cox
religious denominations

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: LDS Church, Department of Defense, Governor Cox

Places: Springfield, Missouri, Yukon, Oklahoma