Recapping Mormon Land’s biggest stories of 2022 | Episode 266

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints made national and international headlines during the year — and The Salt Lake Tribune and “Mormon Land” were there for all of them — from the purported discovery of the only known photograph of founder Joseph Smith to a heinous abuse case in Arizona and the church’s stunning support of the federal Respect for Marriage Act. There were many other developments as well: employee layoffs and unease at Brigham Young University campuses; flattening and, in some cases, shrinking church membership; the release of “Under the Banner of Heaven”; more revelations about church wealth; an apostle’s advice on Heavenly Mother; a high-ranking leader’s apology for controversial remarks on the former Black priesthood/temple ban; a new book about Joseph Smith’s wives; and a Latter-day Saint influencer’s push for birth control. And, finally, 98-year-old Russell Nelson becomes the faith’s oldest ever church president. On these week’s show, we discuss the biggest Latter-day Saint stories of 2022, the positive and negative reactions they generated, which ones surprised us, which ones went unnoticed — along with what they meant at the time, why they were significant, and how they may shape the future.