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On October 1st 2016, the final day of the LDS Church\'s October General Conference, a dozen or so videos were leaked online\\xa0that show the\\xa0briefings of various topics given to the church\'s\\xa0top leadership, and one of a general staff meeting of the Church History Department. All videos were from 2007 to 2012, and all were officially recorded by the church for record keeping purposes as well as for viewing by those in these leading groups who may not have been present. The videos range from just a few minutes in length to an hour or longer, with topics as diverse as marijuana legislation, to world affairs, to the rise of piracy, to new scientific findings that challenge the notion of human\'s having "consciences," to how to hold onto the Church\'s single young adults, religious freedom, and the Church\'s influence in the U.S. Congress. In addition to presentations, the videos show various exchanges among members of the Quorum of the Twelve as well as with\\xa0the presenters.

The videos have created a stir among many Latter-day Saint discussion groups, causing some consternation for some, reasons for optimism among others. In this episode, three keen observers of the church and discussions among various constituencies, Boyd Jay Petersen, Kristy Money, and Mark Crego, join Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon for an overview of the videos and the discussions, especially noting themes, purposes, and inter-personal and other dynamics they see at play in the videos and among those speaking in them.\\xa0

They raise a lot of issues, but we know there are more! Please join in the discussion at the Mormon Matters website!