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