Bigfoot and Dragon Dads: Ex-Mormon Reveals Church Secrets

Jake Abhau is a former Mormon missionary who left the church when his son came out as gay. He was kind enough to open up about his own journey as well as the complexities of Mormonism, exploring its history, beliefs, and cultural dynamics. In addition to revealing a few juicy secrets from the inside, we discuss the controversial figure of Joseph Smith, the legacy of Brigham Young, racism within church doctrine, and some cult-like aspects of Mormonism.

Find the Dragon Dads support group for fathers with gay children on this Facebook page.

More information available here:'Dragon Dads' Support Gay Kids In Mormon Communities

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Chapters

00:00 Introduction to 'New Name Moses'

01:58 The Secret Name and Temple Rituals

04:43 Growing Up as a Non-Utah Mormon

07:52 Cultural Differences in Mormonism

09:35 Joseph Smith and the Origins of Mormonism

16:08 Community and the Role of Religion

20:51 Leaving the Church and Its Impacts

26:33 Polygamy and Historical Figures in Mormonism

30:20 The Helen Mar Kimball Controversy

34:45 The Assassination of Joseph Smith

35:47 Polygamy's Decline and Its Modern Implications

38:28 The Brigham Young Era

43:13 Racism and the Book of Mormon

45:01 Temple Garments and Their Significance

46:50 Brigham Young's Outlandish Beliefs

51:28 The Whale Egg Incident

56:07 Secrets of the Mormon Temple

58:40 Understanding Mormon Temple Practices

01:05:10 Secrecy and Scandals in Mormonism

01:10:10 Coming Out: A Personal Journey

01:22:50 Family Dynamics and Community Support

01:32:25 Leaving the Church and Finding Community

01:32:56 Meeting with a Mormon Apostle

01:35:37 The Impact of Proposition 8

01:37:26 Confronting Church Leaders

01:39:02 Experiencing Pride for the First Time

01:45:08 A Life-Saving Encounter at Pride

01:45:58 The Tragic Loss of Stockton Powers

01:49:03 The Birth of Mama Dragons and Dragon Dads

01:52:46 Media Attention and Growing Community

01:57:36 Navigating Life After Religion

02:00:33 Finding Spirituality Beyond Religion

Keywords

Mormonism, Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, polygamy, community, cult dynamics, racism, temple garments, religion, faith, Mormonism, LGBTQ+, Temple Recommend, Cult, Scandals, Coming Out, Community, Spirituality, Activism, Gender Identity