Mormon Discussion’s podcast production is certainly not connected to The Mormon Church aka The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It also is most assuredly not approved or endorsed by Intellectual Reserve, Inc or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Any of the awesome content or the solid opinions expressed, implied or included in Mormon Discussion Inc’s awesome podcast lineup and production are solely those of Mormon Discussion Inc. and/or its program hosts and not those of Intellectual Reserve, Inc. or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Mormon Discussion Inc is a 501(c)(3) and is in the arena of journalistic work and is part of a free press. A free press is fundamental to a democratic society. It seeks out and circulates news, information, ideas, comment and opinion and holds those in authority to account. The press provides the platform for a multiplicity of voices to be heard. At national, regional and local level, it is the public’s watchdog, activist and guardian as well as educator, entertainer and contemporary chronicler. Under the “fair use” defense, however, another author may make limited use of the original author’s work without asking permission. Fair use is based on the belief that the public is entitled to freely use portions of copyrighted materials for purposes of commentary and criticism.
The fair use privilege is perhaps the most significant limitation on a copyright owner’s exclusive rights.
Subject to some general limitations discussed later in this article, the following types of uses are usually deemed fair uses:
- Criticism and commentary: for example, quoting or excerpting a work in a review or criticism for purposes of illustration or comment. A book reviewer would be permitted to quote passages from a book in a newspaper column, for example, as part of an examination of the book.
- News reporting: such as summarizing an address or article, with brief quotations, in a news report. A journalist would be permitted to quote from a political speech’s text without the politician’s permission.
- Research and scholarship: perhaps quoting a short passage in a scholarly, scientific, or technical work for illustration or clarification of the author’s observations. An art historian would be able to use an image of a painting in an academic article that analyzes the painting.
- Nonprofit educational uses: for example, when teachers photocopy limited portions of written works for classroom use. An English teacher would be permitted to copy a few pages of a book to show to the class as part of a lesson plan.
- Parody: that is, a work that ridicules another, usually well-known, work by imitating it in a comic way. A comedian could quote from a movie star’s speech in order to make fun of that star.
I just listened to the RFM episode entitled Unanswered Prayers. I appreciate what you have to say about the arbitrariness of supposed “answered prayers”. Elder Hales’ example of the coat for the missionary in France being something more than a coincidence, in contrast to the death of a missionary, was right on point. My husband and I served a mission at an MTC outside of the U.S. and while there, a missionary in a nearby area died from carbon monoxide poisoning. Not only were his parents’ prayers not answered but neither were those of the president and his wife, and all those who had prayed in the temple on a regular basis for the safety of the missionaries.
After being a member of the church for 45 years, I started to lose my faith on that mission. The hierarchy of the church and its manner of leadership was completely uninspiring, to say the least. I received more spiritual nourishment from listening to podcasts of people of other faiths, and LGBTQ folks who told their stories, than I did from the MTC Devotionals or Sunday meetings. Within a year of our return my faith is completely gone.
Thank you for your stories. I have especially enjoyed podcasts opening my eyes to the history of the church. David Bokovoy and Robert Ritner have been particularly helpful.
Having a husband and children who are still nuanced believers, I am careful to hold back on my most critical observations about the church. I don’t have much opportunity to have conversations with anyone about these challenging church issues, so I thoroughly enjoy listening to your podcast, and I get a kick out of the music you choose to go with your episodes. I think it’s because of you RFM, I have started listening to opera and I love it.
Bill Reel has also had some great episodes. Thanks again!