Why Is The Mormon Church Suing John Dehlin? RFM:455

In this episode of Radio Free Mormon, host and licensed attorney Tyler Golightly dissects the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' lawsuit against John Dehlin, the creator of the podcast Mormon Stories. Golightly argues that the lawsuit, filed for trademark and copyright infringement, is a strategic distraction from the church's true motive: reclaiming control over the term 'Mormon,' which it has spent the past decade actively distancing itself from under President Russell M. Nelson. Despite Dehlin complying with nearly all of the church’s demands—including changing his logo’s color from blue to orange, removing light-ray motifs, and adding multiple disclaimers across platforms—the church still filed suit. Golightly highlights the irony and inconsistency in the church’s public statements, which claim Dehlin refused to add a disclaimer, while the complaint reveals he already did so in multiple formats. The host critiques the church’s selective use of evidence, such as showing only blue church logos to exaggerate visual similarity, and questions the legal merit of pursuing a case after 20 years of inaction. He suggests the lawsuit is less about intellectual property and more about suppressing a label the church once condemned as a 'victory for Satan.' The episode concludes with a call for critical thinking about media narratives and the power of language in religious identity.