Latter-day Faith: Recent Episodes
Dan Wotherspoon
Latter-day Faith is a weekly podcast hosted by Dan Wotherspoon, PhD, that explores faith and its realities for this time in human history. Although each discussion maintains awareness of its primarily Latter-day Saint audience, the conversations, sensibilities, and variety of guests featured are drawn from many religious traditions.
We are delighted to welcome Valerie Hamaker back to the show! Early on in the discussion between Valerie and LDF host Dan Wotherspoon, we get caught up about the shake up this past March that was started by church leaders who disapproved of the content of her podcast, Latter-day Struggles. They couldn't understand see how her work was actually a boon for the Mormon community through its forthright conversations about matters troubling Latter-day Saints, and how she worked with them, using her background and skills as a licensed therapist, to see broader perspectives and find healing. Faced wth looming excommunication from the church, she and her husband, Nathan, withdrew their membership. Our main focus in relating a short synopsis of these events is to talk about reactions to the news by Latter-day Struggles listeners and members of discussion groups. Has it affected her work with those seeking understanding and healing.
The bulk of the conversation in this episode focuses on how a person can differentiate in healthy ways from family members, institutions like the LDS Church, and most of all our spouses or partners. How can we be ourselves in places and situations in which people don't see things the same way? Why is differentiation so important?
Ultimately the conversation focuses on marriage relationships that have been affected by differing views, or from trauma that is hard for a partner to recognize and understand. As couples work through these things in healthy ways, their love and commitment allows them to fully accept each other. Everything about being partnered is a crucible for change and growth!
Though it talks about hard things, this conversation is upbeat and optimistic about all of us discovering ourselves and bettering our relationships. Listen in! There is lots of wisdom in this episode.
Every person who finds the Latter-day Faith podcast has wrestled and is still wrestling with Mormonism in some way. We each find ourselves in in our own unique relationship with the LDS church, its teachings, and its members (often including our family members). How did we end up where we are now? If we are still attending meetings, why? If not, why? What factors have tipped the scale for us in making that decision.
Whether or not we are attending, how are we feeling about our decision? Are we enjoying our interactions? Are we holding good or ill feelings toward the church (even for those of us who do remain actively engaged)? Are we angry, sad, at peace? What keeps us wrestling the way we do? Our Latter-day Faith virtual firesides for the month of May focused on these questions, and each one was well attended and featured lots of sharing and active discussions. For confidentiality reasons we never record our firesides, but because these two were so special, Latter-day Faith hosts Dan Wotherspoon, Terri Petersen, and Mark Crego decided to bring the discussion into a podcast episode, which was recorded early in the morning Memorial Day Monday (fresh on the heels of the Sunday fireside). Listen in! What follows is a combination of discussions of the main topics they noted during the firesides as well as each panelist sharing their own experiences and thoughts about these plus several other issues related to Latter-day wrestling. Enjoy!
The famous creeds of Christendom focus solely on who Christ is, including his relationship with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, his resurrection and role in bringing about salvation. But the do not include any of this teachings or personal qualities, or the principles he focused on during his ministry. This show's guest, Russ Hinckley, recognized this and decided to try his hand at creating a new creed, The Christ Creed, that focuses on how he interacted with people, institutions, and types of power during his ministry. For instance, the first two parts of this new creed are "Eat with Everyone" and "Restore Sight and Promote Healing." Russ and LDF host Dan Wotherspoon discuss in depth these and several others emphases in his creed. Each is rich, encouraging us to see in new ways, reminding us to rethink why we act the way we do with each other and the institutional church. Russ's approach is fresh and mixes good scriptural study with experiences from his life. Listen in on this insightful conversation!
In this wonderful episode, writer Stephanie G shares with Terri Petersen her experiences as a Latter-day Saint in a patriarchal system. Together, she and Terri mourn what was lost to them through the church's purity and modesty culture, leading to body image issues, irrational notions that they are in charge of men's thoughts, and more.
In another section, they discuss the frequent rhetoric from men about their needing women, but only for the service they provide, and never their ideas and self empowerment. They also talk about how many women feel "unsafe" in situations in which they are forced to counsel or be interviewed by men. A particularly poignant section is introduced by Stephanie G reading parts of an essay describing her feeling compelled to engage in a temple assignment while she was postpartum, with her body aching to be with her child, including having her breasts leak onto her body and through a temple shield. Her descriptions are powerful reminders about the war between what we think we must do and what women's bodies, their temples, are compelling them to care about.
They also talk about what advice they would give to their younger selves, focusing primarily on claiming God's grace and giving grace to themselves. They talk about messages they inherited from having to face the prospect of living polygamy and how it complicates for the church its messaging about Heavenly Mother. Stephanie G also shares ways that she imaginatively inserts the Mother God into scriptural and other stories that have left her out.
They close with a discussion about dealing with their anger over experiences stolen from them through their imbibing messages that support patriarchy and women's secondary importance in God's plan. How are they now trying to use that anger more productively as they continue to engage with Mormonism.
This is a rich and powerful episode! Don't miss it!
Many of this show's listeners are aware of the incredible podcast, "At Last She Said It." Its co-hosts, Susan Hinckley and Cynthia Winward, are long-time friends personally and have been on this show several times. They are always insightful and well-spoken, but we are so excited that they now have moved from the spoken to the written word. In this episode, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon and LDF board member Mark Crego celebrate with them the very recent release of their book, At Last She Said It: Honest Conversations about Faith, Church, and Everything in Between (Signature Books, 2025). Through a great conversation, we learn what went on behind the scenes from conception to completion of the book, with a focus on what it includes and why. At every step, Cynthia and Susan give background on the book's five sections and the essays and dialogues within them. We discuss why they have chosen on the podcast and now in the book to discuss openly many of the "p-words" that women (and more and more, men) have long had difficulty with, among them patriarchy, priesthood, presiding, and polygamy. The book also features essays other difficult topics (and we have discussions on some of them), including God, Grace, Obedience, Fear, Worthiness, the Temple, and "when women are the problem." All in all, the book contains twenty-six essays, all of which discuss their subjects in ways that are personal and self-revelatory as well as insightful. Don't miss this conversation among old friends that not only features important things but also easy banter and laughs! Join in the fun!
We are in a time of profound divisions, where our religions and particularly our politics are tearing the very fabric of our society. How can we continue like this? How does our faith survive when so many within our religious communities are in conflict with each other? How do we heal this rift?
In this episode, Terri Petersen interviews Ben Heaton, sharing their insights from years of meditation and yoga practice in the Hindu tradition. Terri was intrigued by an essay Ben wrote on a Facebook group focused on the "Inner Path", and it gave her hope that by embracing ideas in the Bhagavad Gita, we might find a way to heal our divides.
We had yet another LDS General Conference this past weekend--the semi-annual tradition of listening to the talks that will inform our sacrament meetings as well as priesthood and Relief Society meetings for the next six months.
Conference is a challenging time for many in faith journey originating in the Latter-day Saint tradition. While our Latter-day Faith podcasts have not tended to focus on Conference, Terri Petersen and Mark Crego were both affected by the recent conference with mixed feelings of the good, the not so good, and perhaps the outright challenging talks. In other words, it was in many ways typical.
Terri and Mark take the approach that Conference is kind of a pot-luck dinner: there are some truly helpful talks--delicious dishes, and there are the ones to avoid. Part of the challenge is that we both bring to conference our expectations and hopes for something more, but in the end, we discovered that our attachment to our hopes and expectations can prevent us from truly connecting to the messages that can help us. Take a listen!
Each person's life journey includes intense wrestles with the matter of "authority." When we are young, we are in a position in which we must defer to another's authority in order to survive. As we grow, we soon become self-conscious, taking into account how we are viewed by others. And in order to fit in, we will often defer our own authority to that of the group. At first it will be to our immediate friends and acquaintances. Heidegger noticed that we give away our authority to larger, more diffuse cultures and societies, referring to it as "the tyranny of the they." In our maturation processes, we hopefully will come to understand these pressures on us and begin to form a firm sense of our own self and can more easily walk our particular path without relying on others for the final word about what we should do and think. Our religious lives bring extra complications with regard to authority. When we view certain texts or particular leaders as spiritually and ethically authoritative, it becomes even harder to stand our ground because we worry that we might be upsetting God should we stray from its or their directives. This podcast discusses our views of God and how these are typically quite influential when it comes to whether we yield our authority to these texts and people. Do we view God as completely "other," external to us, and distant, or can we allow ourselves to believe that God is a part of us, intimately caring, compassionate, and ever encouraging us Godward? If the former, we are more likely to allow authority figures more sway, perhaps complete sway, over our thoughts and actions. If the latter, we can typically differentiate from these others and begin to trust our own experiences over their interpretations and directives. Certainly, these will align with each other at times, but when they don't, we will follow our own light. LDF host Dan Wotherspoon is joined by board members Mark Crego and Terri Petersen in a li
In this terrific episode, Terri Petersen interviews Jana Spangler and usual LDF host Dan Wotherspoon about "mysticism." The ultimate goal of their conversation was to take this word and topic and drop it down from the clouds (how many people imagine it) and into our lives here and now. Through great questions from Terri and sharing their personal experiences, Jana and Dan emphasize that mysticism basically means getting in touch with the Divine/God/the Universe directly. Instead of staying in the realm of talking about God with words that can't capture the depth and wideness of of the Divine, when we give ourselves permission and imagine that what underlies and gives life to all things can be accessed directly we are never again the same. When we are able to touch it, everything in the foreground changes. As the mystic and spiritual teacher James Finley says, what happens isn't that we can see more of the nature of things as much as it is we are able to see all things by utilizing more of ourselves. Mystical experience teaches us directly about our actual depths. A fun part of the discussion focuses on the question, "Can Mormons be mystics?" The answer, of course is a resounding "yes," but the perspectives everyone brings to that question reveal various layers to that answer. Listen in! You are a mystic, after all, just like everyone is, you just may just not know it yet.
Loneliness has been on the rise for the past few decades and has reached epidemic status. A widespread sense of hopelessness, helplessness, and depression is also pervading today's culture. We don't know if anything can be done to save our world, nation, and communities, with many of us wanting to throw our hands in the air and hide from everything. This episode dives directly into these issues, focusing on the ways that community and group involvement can help alleviate these severe issues and effect both external and internal change. In it, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon is joined in conversation by three wonderful guests, Jordan Harmon, Laura Marre, and Becca Kearl, each of whom are working as activists in these areas. Each share their own journeys with these issues, as well as how their spirituality has aided them in this work and also how this work has returned the favor changing them spiritually in wonderful ways. It is an episode full of ideas! Learn about resources. Regain hope! Listen in!
In this episode, Mark Crego, Dan Wotherspoon, and Terri Petersen explore how to approach the Doctrine and Covenants in this year's Come Follow Me curriculum. Acknowledging both the inspiring and troubling aspects of these revelations and church history, they discuss how to navigate our faith journey while engaging in the complex and difficult texts. Sometimes verses in the D&C can be triggering. What does it mean when we speak of "the only true and living Church upon the face of the whole earth?" When we read "by mine own voice or the voice of my servants, it is the same," do we really think it means that they are the same words? How do we handle the scriptures on polygamy? On the other hand, we can find verses that uplift and sanctify us, like from sections 88 or 93, where our view of god and humans is expanded to a shared eternal life. This conversation explores the issues in a way that helps us understand the context and method of scriptures like the Doctrine and Covenants, and provides some tools that we can use to engage more meaningfully in this year's Sunday School classes, and in our personal exploration of scripture. Together, Dan, Terri, and Mark encourage approachtes that allow for faith and critical engagement, making space for personal discernment and growth. Check it out!
In this wonderful episode, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon introduces two powerful Mormon women who just happen to be single. They are Diana Brown and Mallory Everton, and they are now talking about many, many aspects of what that means on their podcast, "The Soloists."
In this conversation, they speak open-heartedly about their lives, including their feelings about how their paths look different from what they had imagined as teenagers and young adults. They talk about early concerns about whether they were not worthy in some way to be partnered up, or if they had done something wrong along the way that kept them from being married. But the journey they share about here has led them past such concerns, noting how their singleness has taught them so much about themselves, and led them to deep reflection and spiritual sensibilities that they might not have found had their lives followed "The Plan."
They also share about their relationships with the LDS Church and community, God, what they struggle with, how it has affected their dating lives, and what keeps them tethered to the faith tradition they were raised in. They are remarkable, and this is an episode you should listen to whether you or a loved one is single within the church. The spiritual insights here stand firmly on their own. Check it out!
Doctrines that were set during the founding years of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints enthroned as eternal (and how it is in heaven) many things that were true of life in those days but would later change. Among these was defining different roles for men and women, and also the priority of procreation. If families were going to survive in those days where most everything the family needs was produced by its own labor, the more children you had, the better. And since women were the ones who carried and gave birth to children, they, by necessity, were consigned to work that could be done while pregnant and raising children too young to work. Men's work was more physical, and it concentrated on labor that needed to be performed outside the house. What happens when these necessities change but the doctrine taught as what God wants and what heaven is all about does not? A term for the friction caused by increasingly larger mis-matches between theology and the evolving ideas/needs used by Dr. Carrie Miles, our LDF guest for this episode, is the problem of "syncretism." Two systems (our examples here are doctrine and changing economic patterns and societal shifts brought on by them) clash and each must learn to somehow manage the tensions the other. How successfully churches accommodate these shifts is a key factor in determining if a religious system stays relevant to those who are being raised in later generations. As we know, the LDS Church has had great difficulty in retaining its younger members as well as others who feel these tensions most acutely. More and more Latter-day Saints come to feel that they are not "safe" within Mormon congregations and within a church at large that does not successfully manage the crisis of syncretism. As a way of talking about this issue of "safety," Dr. Miles draws on the “Polyvagal Theory “first introduced by Stephen Porges, which maps the effects on individuals when they feel disturbed. Any and all the body systems controlled by the vagus nerve react unconsciously to stress and any feelings of danger or a sense that something is “off.”
In short, the storyline of this LDF episode is the tale of church members feeling less and less safe—physically emotionally—the greater the gap becomes between teachings and the rhetoric from those who present them, the less safe people feel in the Church when their own life situations, experiences, beliefs, and primary values don’t match with formal LDS positions, which have been taught as “eternal” even though they were heavily shaped by the assumptions, gender roles, and sense of sexual morality of the society in which the church emerged.
This is a fascinating conversation! Listen in!
This episode features a wonderful conversation between LDF board member Terri Petersen and author Larry Jordan, who wrote the book, The Way: Meaningful Spirituality for a Modern World detailing his spiritual journey from active but low-belief Christianity to more mystical understandings of Ultimate Reality informed mostly by eastern religious traditions. In many ways, the book is an attempt to unite eastern and western spirituality.
They have great exchanges on many topics, ranging from the two worldviews, how quantum physics is describing reality in much the same way mystics do, the role of myths/stories and what difference it makes if God is a person or not, or if Biblical miracle stories really happened, and more! Enjoy!
New Years season is fraught. It can mark new beginnings with fresh energy and purpose. But for so many of us who have been making and trying to keep resolutions, it can quickly become a downer as our determination and drive flounders and our old physical and mental habits and patterns reassert their power, leaving us feeling like a failure. For this reason, some folks simply throw out the whole idea of resolution and goal-setting, which is very understandable!
But can this time of year be a boon for all of us if we refocus just a bit, becoming a time for renewal for our body, mind, and soul? We naturally want to (and it's good to) want to change and grow, but are we going about it in the wrong way? How do we act without falling into age-old traps? In this episode, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon is joined by two wonderful friends, board members, and occasional LDF hosts, Terri Peterson and Mark Crego to share ways to avoid seasons of “failure” and instead receive the boon that this season can bring. They each share their past experiences with goals and resolutions and the role they have played in their journeys, but also how they view such things now and how they approach New Years differently. This episode is full of stories that we can each relate to in some way. They also share reflections on certain sayings of Jesus, wisdom from the Bhagavad Gita and mine from other sources as well as their own personal experiences things they come to understand more deeply.
Listen in!
Also, see if you can attend one of this month's virtual firesides (January 16th and 19th), with will be centered on these topics! Join as a listener or come and tell us your stories, past and present, about resolutions, goals, intentions, and renewal!
In this episode, Mark Crego and Terri Petersen explore the universal themes of light and fire as celebrated across diverse cultural, religious, and spiritual traditions. From the twinkling Christmas lights of Christianity to the lamps of Diwali in Hinduism, the menorah of Hanukkah in Judaism, and the kinara of Kwanzaa, light has long symbolized hope, renewal, and the triumph of good over adversity. We delve into how these traditions connect humanity to something greater—be it divine presence, communal unity, or the rhythm of the cosmos. Their conversation spans light and darkness throughout religious and cultural traditions, finding balance between them. Through personal reflections and a deep dive into these global traditions, they uncover shared truths: light as a source of inspiration, fire as a force of transformation, and both as symbols of connection and renewal. Yet, they also address concerns, such as the risks of dualism that pits light against darkness and the potential for hierarchical domination when institutions claim ownership of light. Closing with the warmth of Christmas, they tie these themes together, inviting listeners to embrace light—not to dominate darkness but to foster balance, understanding, and love. This holiday season, let the light you share illuminate not just your home but the lives of those around you!
In this terrific episode, Terri Petersen interviews someone that we guess many of you know: David Hayward, known best online as “The Naked Pastor.” David is an artist, blogger, leader of a community called “The Lasting Supper,” and has many books that are collections of his thoughts and cartoons.
During their conversation, we are privileged to get an overview of David’s faith journey, his decision to leave formal ministry and step into his current roles, and the focus of his spirituality now. The bulk of the discussion focuses on faith “deconstruction,” framing it in terms of Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’s stages of dying (and grief), 1) Denial; 2) Anger; 3) Bargaining; 4) Depression; and 5) Acceptance. A brief but very interesting segment also draws parallels between a faith crash and people being confronted with their addiction. When we first sense we must deal with it, we will stiffen up, get defensive, hold on with all we have, come up with excuses, etc. before finally yielding to the fact that we thought we had our faith and/or religious life together but really didn’t.
Listen in! You’ll really enjoy it!
When we are feeling down and helpless in the face of frightening trends, events, and horrors, one of the possible causes is that we have become passive, possibly just throwing up our hands and retreating into our own cocoon to ride things out. Or perhaps, instead, we vent our frustrations to others, pointing out who is at fault, and calling for action that we rarely get involved with ourselves.This second way may not feel like depression but it can be just internally harmful as ineffective as hiding, fretting, and imagining things can’t change. But what if they can? What if we can help change things in ways that will help us recover our energy and optimism?
In this terrific episode, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon chats with George Handley, a well-known and effective voice in LDS environmental theology, education, spirituality, about also through his getting involved groups, organizations, local government, and attaching to various causes. How might we find what it is we feel “called” to do and also become effective change agents?
In this discussion, George tells his own story of his writing, thinking, and working with environmental groups before he felt called to also get involved in local government, where he is now serving now on the Provo, Utah, City Council. He also speaks about the wonderful, grounding, and fulfilling work of tackling practical issues (in ways that our particular gifts can be most effective) and seeing results. Though we can’t control the exact outcome from our work, our influence will still be felt. And by continuing even in the face of disappointment our efforts will help shape future iterations in these areas. Dan and George also speak about the ways involvement of this kind can help us spiritually.
The conversation here is dynamic and full of wisdom (grounded wisdom), and we think it will connect deeply with you.
Listen in!
This wonderful episode features LDF host Dan Wotherspoon in conversation with two of his (and his wife Lorri's) great friends, Shauna and Roger Anderson. The idea of doing this episode was spurred by fantastic sacrament meeting remarks that Roger gave recently that the Wotherspoons found to be among the most moving and eye-opening talks they can remember. Certainly the ideas presented were wonderful, but it was remarkable for the way Roger was able to speak frankly about difficult things in a way that both disarmed audience members and helped them think in new ways.
In the episode, you will learn what some of the things he said, as well as about the effects the talk had on some, but mostly we want to highlight that it is possible to be powerful and effective when we speak from our hearts, our experiences, our hard-won truths. Both Shauna and Roger do this in remarkable ways.
We know you will enjoy meeting and learning from these brilliant but humble people (who had to be talked into doing the show)!
In this short episode, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon offers a few of his reactions to the recent presidential election. Without trying to demonize anyone who may have voted differently than he did, Dan speaks to the situation of just how evident it is (and has been for years, but perhaps never so completely clear) that instead of people choosing their politics based on their religious beliefs or core principles, so many of us now let politics alter our religious thinking and behavior. Through Bible passages and a reminder from the Book of Mormon, he offers a few thoughts about what he believes are core messages of Jesus and the way leaders should lead.
The primary purpose of this short episode, however, is for him to share a few of his "what now?" hints for helping ourselves manage angst in our souls and be able to return to spiritual equilibrium and a clear vision that nothing about what happens anywhere should take us away from our core calling to return good for evil, love and compassion whenever we see hate and "othering," openness when we see smallness, etc. The episode is pretty raw and recorded on very little sleep, but we hope you will forgive that and listen in. Enjoy!
AI (Artificial Intelligence) is increasingly becoming part of our everyday lives as it is now enhancing the way businesses and health care providers work, as well as assisting in financial fraud detection, cybersecurity, and much more. Its contributions in those areas are mostly invisible to us. But now with the rise of informational/conversational programs like ChatGPT, Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, and others, more and more of us are including AI-based chatbots more directly in our daily lives--including our spiritual lives. In this episode, Mark Crego and Jeff Pratt join LDF host Dan Wotherspoon in a conversation about integrating ChatGPT in our spiritual journeys, as both guests use it regularly for this purpose but in quite different ways.The discussion first provides an orientation to what ChatGPT and other chatbot programs do, the sources of information they draw on, and how their security provisions make them "safe" for us to use even as our chats inevitably involve us sharing personal information about ourselves (though not things like bank account, social security, passwords, or other protected info like that). Following this basic information, Mark and Jeff share the way they have been using ChatGPT to enhance their understanding of scriptural texts, as well as in their spiritual journeys. In sharing about these, they actually play snippets (in the computer voice they have chosen) parts of conversations they have had, and they also demonstrate in real time how they query it. They even did a real-time request that asked for a prayer that includes words of encouragement for a project Dan is working on.
It is all quite fascinating, and its likely many of us will warm to the idea that AI can, indeed, assist us in our spiritual walks. Listen in!
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has just announced changes to LDS garment styles, including options that don’t require shoulders to be covered, along with the option to wear a garment “shift” that doesn’t require women to have their legs covered but instead can wear the bottoms under a dress or skirt. Several of the changes relate to women’s health issues that often arise in garment wearers who live in tropical or high-humidity areas of the world. It also noted that there were going to be more choices for garment fabrics. A Salt Lake Tribune article about the announcement raised several other issues that are pertinent to the change. One is that it “will make it harder for others to judge who is or is not wearing garments.” It goes on to mention a 2023 survey that found 59 percent of women saying they felt judged about how they wear them. A broader issue that was raised is that these new styles still feel “like church leaders are trying to control women’s clothing choices.” Another piece of the change is interesting for its timing. It was only in April of this year that LDS leaders were emphasizing the importance of wearing garments “as instructed in the temple” and it is “not left to members’ individual inspiration and interpretation.” That emphasis also added to worthiness to enter the temple new wording about how individuals are keeping their covenant to wear garments, along with a statement to be read by the ecclesiastical leader conducting the temple recommend interview.
Many ask what led up to this very quick turnaround of that emphasis. It now seems that the church is now emphasizing “the symbolism of the garment” as “more important than the style.” Was it activism by women, surveys that showed how Millennials and Generation Z wear their garments (or don't wear them), or something else?
Listen into the great discussion in this episode between LDS podcast host Cynthia Winward, Latter-day Faith board member and frequent guest Terri Petersen, and LDF host Dan Wotherspoon. It’s terrific!
In the October 2024 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ, Church president Russell M. Nelson indicated that the reason the Church is building so many new temples is related to preparations for Christ's Second Coming. "Why are we building temples at such an unprecedented pace? Why? Because the Lord has instructed us to do so. The blessings of the temple help to gather Israel on both sides of the veil. These blessings also help to prepare a people who will help prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord!" Throughout the talk he mentions several times and in different ways how we can prepare to that great event through temple worship, and declares: "The best is yet to come, my dear brothers and sisters, because the Savior is coming again! The best is yet to come because the Lord is hastening His work...
I bear my solemn witness that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I am His disciple. I am honored to be His servant. At His Second Coming, “the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.” That day will be filled with joy for the righteous! Through the power of the sacred priesthood keys I hold, I declare this truth to you and to all the world!
With such strong language, which many Latter-day Saints will hold to as direct prophecy of things to come (and that it will come soon!), we will hear in our wards and stakes, and perhaps in our gatherings with LDS family members and groups echoes of President Nelson's message of a soon-approaching return of Jesus Christ to the world where he "will govern from both old Jerusalem and the New Jerusalem 'built upon the American continent.' From these two centers, He will direct the affairs of His Church." Many Latter-day Saints have already begun to share their thoughts on this new emphasis, and in this podcast episode, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon speaks about his own reactions to President Nelson's message and what it means going forward even if we might be skeptical an imminent Second Coming. He also offers a framing about why he thinks this emphasis is happening now. He then suggests ways that we "fellow travelers" who are actively sorting through so much related to our spiritual and church lives might be able to share our thoughts effectively on those occasions we might not agree with how the Second Coming is being spoken about. Listen in!
So many of us stumble through life without a genuine sense of who we are and what we should do. One of things that brings us the greatest joy and peace is when we finally connect with what our soul seems to be calling us toward. What are our gifts? What are the through-lines that seem to be showing up again and again in most things we do? Are there practices we can undertake that might help us drill down and name exactly what that those are?
This episode is about discernment, especially in relation to our careers, as well as when we meet forks in the road or in some other way are forced to make decisions about what's next. It features LDF host Dan Wotherspoon in conversation with his friend and fellow spiritual traveler, Megan Popa about discerning ways to match what we do in the world with what we sense might be our life's calling. It's a difficult process, and it usually only truly discovered over the course of a lifetime. Still, it is helpful to be able to recognize as early as we can the outline of what that might be. Megan shares about her life path and the various types of work she has done and is doing now, and through this telling we meet a woman continually narrowing down options in search of discovering that which truly matches her soul's calling. Dan speaks a bit about this, too, but also presents several possible exercises we might do in an effort to clarify who we are at our cores and ways we might find a path that is in harmony with what we discover.
LDS Church teachings about deity suggest that God is very actively engaged in our lives and the world more widely. Many members of the church pray to God for blessings large and small. They try to live in ways that will please God, and avoid those that won't. These notions and actions indicate that they believe in what might be labeled an "interventionist" God.
This sense of things sometimes presents a problem for believers when God doesn't seem to answer their prayers, especially when it comes to who lives and who dies. In the same way that other theists will often do, Latter-day Saints have created "explanations" to comfort themselves or others when things don't go their way, and even more widely when any formula that implies "if I do this, God will do that."
The question at the heart of this podcast episode is whether or not a belief in this type of God is as spiritually healthy for people as understanding God much more broadly, perhaps allowing the notion of God as a "person" to drop away, shifting to a stance that invites them to re-define God more as the creative, animating power of the universe. Listen in as LDF host Dan Wotherspoon and his friend, frequent conversation partner, and driving force behind the podcast, Mark Crego, discuss this topic. Their spiritual experiences lead both of them to find greater peace from opening themselves to this wider view of God without at all dismissing the notion that God is also a person. It may get nerdy at times (or maybe a lot!) but it's an important topic that they try to approach in a pastoral way.
Listen in on a conversation between three longtime confidantes, LDF board member Terri Petersen and her friends, Nancy and Susan as they discuss their changing relationships with the LDS Church and with their loved ones. As will become clear through listening, these three friends are at different places in their spiritual journeys, yet their love and respect for each other has not changed. But each spot brings its own set of relationship issues when children decide to move on from the church, or, in the case of Nancy, a parent opts out while their spouse and children remain in the fold. Learn of their stories within and without formal Mormonism. What have they learned along the way that they can offer as advice to others going through similar challenges. What are the worst things someone can do? What are the best? All three of these chums have ultimately managed such challenges quite well, remaining in close contact with family members who may not agree with others' decisions but have chosen to remain steady in keeping their relationships a priority.
As you listen, I bet you will find in these three friends reminders of people you know and love even though it might be difficult at times.
The question, "What is the Gospel of Jesus Christ?" might not lead many people to think deeply. For a large number of Mormons and other Christians, our answer is tied up with the messages of their religious tradition and its belief system. Instead of focusing on God and the kind of relationship Jesus modeled with the Father, so often our focus is on our "beliefs" about God and making sure we get it right. Instead of falling in love with God, we settle for a mediated and second-hand relationship. In this episode, Mark Crego, Terri Petersen, and LDF host Dan Wotherspoon discuss the question of the nature of gospel in many different ways. What is the "good news" of the gospel? How did the teachings and life of Jesus get so lost along the way, with most of us focusing on the story that emerged over time and with all its added and distorting layers? What should we focus on instead? The conversation does wander into different questions, at times, but hopefully they are also interesting. Listen in!
This episode is a joy. In it, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon chats with his friend Stan Bennion about Stan's life and experiences as a Latter-day Saint whose sense of adventure led him and his family to live in interesting places. Stan has had the good fortune to be able to marry his fascination with new and interesting things to his Mormon life in ways that allow him to be more fully himself in church than many people feel able to do. We hope his story and sense of things might help others find this sweet spot as well. The topic thread that emerges from the conversation is about transactional and transformational ways of living the gospel. He shares great sense about how it is essential to grow up viewing the world in mostly transactional ways. It helps us be safe, gives us a sense of what's fair and not fair, and helps bring a little bit of order out of chaos. But he also lays out some of the pitfalls that can arise when we hold too tightly to this way of being, how it can warp our perceptions and inhibit our growth Godward.
The transition from the Old Testament to the New Testament was from a world dominated by transactions, including in its sense of and rules for justice, to a new vision taught by Jesus's changes everything. Everything and everyone become more significant, and as we come to understand new ways of seeing them and ourselves, wonderful things unfold in us. In taking us through a few elements of the Sermon on the Mount and then a couple of Jesus's parables, Stan brings this message to life. Enjoy!
This is a wise and inspiring episode, which uses as a springboard the recent emphases on garment wearing and its relationship to worthiness, including a new statement to be read during the temple recommend interview. It is a conversation between LDF board member Terri Petersen and show favorite Jody England Hansen that addresses these things through a tour of the history of garment wearing in the church, but even more so the garment as symbol within a symbolic ritual, with symbols by definition belonging to each of us individuals for its meaning.
The temple endowment’s ritual is an ascension story, taking us from one state of being and relationship with the Divine to progressively higher and wider ways of relating to and loving God. With each section, we are forced to confront ourselves and ask what are the things that are holding us back as we take this Godward journey? It is also a wisdom journey, because how can we gain such a boon without our taking responsibility for ourselves and our decisions?
One of these responsibilities is making our own decisions about how and when we wear garments. Wearing garments can be problematic for the health of our bodies, and this is especially true for women’s bodies. Whether it is because of climate conditions, immune systems, allergies, or body shapes and sizes that don’t work well with the standard cut of the garment, wearing these as one’s underwear at all times (with very few exceptions) can cause many difficulties. Shouldn’t it then be up to each individual to decide how and when she or he wears garments? Why would anyone want to give up her or his own body autonomy because of church statements (which are changing all the time) made most often by men if they know it is harmful to them (physically but at times psychologically as well)? The garment as symbol is to be understood by each of us individually. It follows that part of our own growth to greater wisdom and love should apply to how we choose to wear them. Listen in! This conversation is incredible—and important.
In this episode, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon shares something he delivered at the most recent Salt Lake City Sunstone Symposium. He spoke as part of a panel in a long-running Sunstone session titled, "Why I Stay." Instead of giving the "why" of his decision to stay actively involved in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Mormon life, he spoke about "how" he manages it. Ultimately, it is because he has figured out the way to be himself at church and in other LDS gatherings. But it was a long and rocky journey from faith crash to rebuilding to confidence, which he shares in this episode. We hope you will listen!
In this wonderful podcast episode, LDF board member Terri Peterson interviews author and podcaster Noah Rasheta about Buddhist teachings that transcend faith boundaries and can help people live with greater clarity and equanimity whether they are formally religious or not. With Terri's prompting, Noah shares his journey as a Latter-day Saint on through his introduction to Buddhism and how well it fit his seeker's temperament. What really stands out in this exchange is Noah's ability to brilliantly and in a plain-spoken way outline the key concepts that underpin Buddhism. The conversation is chock full of "aha" moments, and shows us the value of asking questions that we likely would have never thought about if we live and think only within one religious system. Listen in! You will be very glad you did!
Most people who come to this podcast have likely, at some time in their life, wondered what their lives would be like were they to step away from Mormonism--and not just the church but, perhaps, everything else that one might call "religious" in nature. What if there is no God? What if there is no need for saving ordinances? What would it be like to not feel pressure to assent to specific beliefs?
In her new book, No Nonsense Spirituality: All the Tools, No Faith Required (SacraSage Press, 2024) Brittney Hartley walks us through her own journey that included the total deconstruction of her LDS worldview before she was able to find a beautiful and fulfilling way to live again. Hers is a life without God, Ordinances, Specific (prescribed) Beliefs, or Formal Church structure, but it is in no way bleak or void of meaning, personal ethics, family and individual rituals, contemplative practices. Nor does it reject the importance of feelings of awe or a sense of the transcendent. As she leads us through the book, we can see that she is definitely spiritual but secular.
In this episode, Brittney joins LDF host Dan Wotherspoon to talk about her journey and how she, as an athiest, came to be grateful again for the various tools that we typically associate with religion. Some chapters teach us about secular spirituality, the importance of "order" in a chaotic world, finding meaning and purpose, community and love, sacred stories, and human flourishing. It's a great discussion that allows anyone who is convinced of the need for formal religion and all it entails to expand their vision. The beautiful things they will find in Brittney and how she lives and centers her life can serve as a counter narrative they might keep in their minds when they or others around them start to claim that authoritative voices, specific beliefs, certain ordinances, etc. are necessary in one's life now and for their hopes for the eternities. If "salvation" is really "transformation" into more loving, kind, patient, and joyful beings, we should consider what Brittney has to say. Listen in!
In this wonderful conversation, Latter-day Faith board member Mark Crego talks with Chris Kimball, the author of Living on the Inside of the Edge: A Survival Guide (By Common Consent Press, 2023) about his experiences with the LDS temple recommend processes. Their focus is on the notion of "worthiness," which most Latter-day Saints view as the purpose of the recommend interview. Should it be? Are their other ways to understand it that do not automatically place the bishop in the judgment seat of another's ability to worship in the temple? What might that look like? During his time as an LDS bishop, Chris became increasingly uncomfortable in these interviews--so much so that he was traumatized by it and no longer seeks a recommend. Listen to his story and more about his choices in this regard. (He also writes about it at length in his wonderful book noted above.) Mark and Chris focus on different notions about worthiness, as well as tools within LDS scripture and teaching for assessing one's own "fit" for the temple. Also, how might we approach the matter of our own sense of "worthiness" in the eyes of God, as well as in the church, which are definitely not the same thing! Listen in to this fantastic, expansive episode!
This episode, co-hosted by Dan Wotherspoon and Terri Petersen, brings to the forefront once again the insights and helpful ideas in Jon Ogden's 2017 book, When Mormons Doubt: A Way to Save Relationships and Seek a Quality Life. Jon joins the hosts to discuss his approach to saving relationships through understanding the primary things that we and others choose to focus on in our lives. Are we driven primarily by the search for what is "true"; is he focusing on what is "good"; is she motivated by the search for spiritual health? When we come to understand these focuses and are able to recognize another's highest values as valid and do, indeed, represent something that is worthy to pursue. When we can see the internal calculus by which we all weigh our decisions and approaches to the world, the things that we thought we were in conflict about lose their power to destroy our relationships with others. In the discussion, Jon points out what happens should we pursue our highest values in an unbalanced way, helping us see common pitfalls so we might better avoid them. This discussion is high-level but approachable. Its jargon-free. And the things it highlights are important and wise. Listen in!
As someone is experiencing a shift of faith, it is very common to find a need to change their prayer practices. Likely, their view of God has changed, which leads to confusion about how to approach this new Being or Source. What used to be simple and connective no longer feels the same. Should they stop praying altogether? Many do. In this episode, Terri Petersen and Mark Crego join LDF host Dan Wotherspoon for a discussion of these shifts, as well as how their forms of prayer and experiences in prayer have changed? They discuss common understandings of prayer and how "blessings" or "answers" that come after prayer are often shared--in many cases in ways that discourage others who have not had their prayers answered. They talk about "public" prayers and "private" ones, and the functions of each. If personal prayer is intended to draw us closer to God/Spirit/Creative Energies, how have they found their deeper connections with divinity? What are their past and present prayer practices? What experiences have they had in prayer? This is a great episode! Listen in!
In this wonderful episode, Faith Journey Foundation board member and great friend of the show Terri Petersen speaks with her friend, Christy (pseudonym) about her church life as a active woman with children, who also happens to be divorced. As you can imagine, in a church that touts the vital importance of families, it is not always a comfortable experience when one's family is now differently configured.
Christy shares powerfully about both her internal wrestlings with a change from the "plan" she had thought she'd follow for the rest of her life (and in the eternities), as well as the struggles the Church as an institution has in speaking to and including divorce women. She is a wise, articulate, open, and insightful soul, whose words here will pierce every person's heart—man or woman, divorced or married. How should we speak to or interact with someone who is going through a divorce, or who already has one finalized? What should we say and NOT say? How can we help them feel more included and welcomed in our wards? How might Primary and YM/YW leaders tailor what they say when children of divorced parents are in their classes? Can we learn to see these families as still whole, just different? What messaging do or should we give by the way we act around them? Might we learn to invite them to sit with us? Because of certain realities of men's ministering to single women and their families, how can men still be involved with the children, modeling for them what gospel maturity looks like? You will find discussions of all these matters, plus many others, in this episode. We highly recommend it to everyone. There is so much to learn, and in the specificity of Christy's life, it somehow feels more universally applicable. Listen in!
If we are not careful, it is very easy to become lazy in our scripture studies--reading but not pausing long enough to really see and understand what it is saying. In the course of our years as Latter-day Saints, we generally have developed ready answers to what this or that passage is about, and we groove those interpretations into our minds. But are the long-standing ways we interpret scriptures always revelatory of what they actually mean?
This is especially true when it comes to the topics of Grace and Mercy. Many of us don't quite believe in either, thinking that we must qualify in some way before we can receive either. This isn't what the Book of Mormon teaches about them, and in this episode, Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon and the wonderful and insightful Danny Kofoed discuss its most profound ways of understanding God's true graceful and merciful nature.
The previous episode (#176) discussed the first of these topics: Grace
This one presents the Book of Mormons teachings on God's Mercy and how it can transform our lives.
Listen in!
If we are not careful, it is very easy to become lazy in our scripture studies--reading but not pausing long enough to really see and understand what it is saying. In the course of our years as Latter-day Saints, we generally have developed ready answers to what this or that passage is about, and we groove those interpretations into our minds. But are the long-standing ways we interpret scriptures always revelatory of what they mean?
This is especially true when it comes to the topics of Grace and Mercy. Many of us don't quite believe in either, thinking that we must qualify in some way before we can receive either. This isn't what the Book of Mormon teaches about them, and in this episode, Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon and the wonderful and insightful Danny Kofoed discuss its most profound ways of understanding God's true graceful and merciful nature.
This episode discusses the first of these topics: Grace
The one after that presents the Book of Mormons teachings on God's Mercy and how it can transform our lives.
Listen in!
Latter-day Faith Podcast has just passed its 4th anniversary, and one of its early listeners who is now a great friend, Terri Petersen, suggested we need an interview show in which she’d ask questions of LDF host Dan Wotherspoon and his great friend and partner for the whole Latter-day Faith enterprise, Mark Crego. Terri reached out to many other listeners and asks her own as well as many of their questions. In the interview's first episode, the focus was on slightly broader themes about the show and its audience and Mark’s and Dan’s hopes for what Latter-day Faith is and hopes to be doing going forward, but the very skillful also Terri started drilling down to some of the more nitty gritty stuff, pulling out many stories from their lives and faith journeys within Mormonism. This second episode goes even more to that tire-meets-the-road level, including “how” they engage in their wards, families, friends, and with those who have left full engagement with Mormonism. She also takes them into how someone might disagree with what certain leaders say or push while still "sustaining" them, their views about scripture and how it is engaged within today's church, and also Dan's and Mark's views of God.
We hope you will listen in!
Latter-day Faith Podcast has just passed its 4th anniversary, and one of its early listeners who is now a great friend, Terri Petersen, suggested we should do an interview show in which she'd ask questions of LDF host Dan Wotherspoon and his great friend and partner for the whole Latter-day Faith enterprise, Mark Crego. Terri reached out to many other listeners and asks her own as well as many of their questions. In this interview first episode, the focus was on slightly broader themes about the show and its audience and Mark's and Dan's hopes for what Latter-day Faith is and hopes to be doing going forward, but the very skillful also Terri starts drilling down to some of the nitty gritty stuff, pulling out many stories from their lives and faith journeys within Mormonism. The next episode will be more about "how" they engage in their wards, families, friends, and with those who have left full engagement with Mormonism. Terri and those who reached out have many questions in this area, so we hope you will join in for it, too! Listen in!
LDS general conferences are often difficult for Latter-day Saints who are experience shifts in their faith, but at the same time wonderful boons to others. Certain talks can be painful reminders of ideas and ways of approaching God and life that we who are in the midst of faith journeys have come to find unhealthy; just as many are exhilarating to others and and fill them with hope. The key determiner in how certain messages will strike our hearts is "us." We come to conference in all sorts of states of mind, and we are often only primed to receive what's said with certain ears. If we expect to find close-minded pronouncements, we will find them. If we are able to sit in a greater space of peace, we will find much that sings to us, as well. As LDS host Dan Wotherspoon was engaging with early April's conference, his mind hit upon the metaphor of "word shakers," which he had encountered in a powerful novel, The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak. It is contained within a short parable within the book itself and refers to those who climb trees that are made of words (and we are trees also constituted to a large degree by words), and help shake down those that are stuck or that aren't landing and being picked up by the people below in the way they deserve to be. Trees made of horrendous words ugly ideas have word shakers helping spread them to those waiting below, and likewise, wonderful, expansive, empowering words have their shakers, too. In the context of general conference, we might imagine church leaders as perched in the branches of the Gospel Tree containing so many wonderful words that make it so beautiful. They will search the branches for words they want to shake down. Their choices of what to shake are dependent upon their own ways of interpreting the Gospel message, as well as their particular temperaments, where and when they were raised or discovered the Gospel, and what has worked "for them" as they grew and developed into who they are and what they see. But, ultimately, it is we who hear the words being shaken who determine whether or not we will be influenced by them and make them a part of us, or if we will reject them because we find them lacking the words and ideas of the Gospel that most resonate with us. In this episode, Dan reflects upon this metaphor as well as how general conference strikes various people in various ways, but ultimately his goal is to suggest how we can all use conference as a powerful time for self-examination and, eventually dialing down to what we value most--and why that is. Like all "inner work," our processing of conference messages must begin by examining the emotions that stir inside of us when we hear them. And it is through these reflections that we gain greater self-knowledge, a clearer sense of whether or not these reactions come from a healthy place, a place of wholeness and peace, or if there is something we may need to look at and examine more closely. Inner work "works" when it brings things to our attention things we might have bypassed and ignored that are nevertheless affecting us in in profound ways. And when we encounter those and gain a clearer picture of what they are, we find ourselves in a state where we might begin to heal the wounds they reveal. General Conference = Great Catalyst (for gaining more self-knowledge and healing). What have the word shakers released into our worlds during the two days of conference, and why are certain ones falling from the same Gospel Tree affecting us the way they are? Maybe this metaphor will provide us a more neutral way to view the role given to those who share from the conference pulpit.
At the Relief Society's Anniversary Conference held March 17, 2024, Sister J. Anette Dennis made a statement that ignited a firestorm online, including on the LDS Church's own Instagram page. Here is the statement in question:
“There is no other religious organization in the world, that I know of, that has so broadly given power and authority to women. There are religions that ordain some women to positions such as priests and pastors, but very few relative to the number of women in their congregations receive that authority that their church gives them. “By contrast, all women, 18 years and older, in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who choose a covenant relationship with God in the house of the Lord are endowed with priesthood power directly from God. And as we serve in whatever calling or assignment, including ministering assignments, we are given priesthood authority to carry out those responsibilities. My dear sisters, you belong to a Church which offers all its women priesthood power and authority from God!.”
In this episode, Dr. Julie de Azevedo Hanks, a prominent therapist and church commentator, joins LDF host Dan Wotherspoon to talk about the energetic and anguished conversations among Mormon women in response to Sister Dennis' remarks. In it, Dr. Hanks provides an overview of the things that have transpired in the past eight days (from when this episode is posted) and she and Dan speak about the current controversy as well as broader issues related to women's empowerment within Mormonism. Listen in!
The Book of Mormon has become a fraught topic for many Latter-day Saints who are in the midst of a faith shift. Those who are no longer certain what to think about this foundational scripture will often not feel comfortable studying it. And this is especially a problem this year, as the Book of Mormon is the Sunday School text for 2024. In this brief episode, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon, offers some of his perspectives that acknowledge all of the text's (and its origin story's) problems yet ultimately suggests some of the ways he feels it is still worthy of more study, more questioning, more wrestling. He suggests that if we are to "kill Nephi," we should really know what we are doing--as completely dismissing the Book of Mormon is a very serious matter. Listen in!
In mid-December 2003, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints added two new entries to the Gospel Topics section of its website. One addresses those Latter-day Saints who have questions or doubts, or who are undergoing a difficult faith journey. The other offers advice to those who love them or are someone who has been approached by these persons as they wrestle with gospel things.
These are important additions to the LDS library as they represent the first genuine attempt to discuss such questioning and questioners in depth. Each of the two sections do very well in many areas, and at times fail in the way they speak on certain aspects, often because of certain blindspots apparent in the write-ups and that might exacerbate rather than aid those it hopes to assist.
Two great guests, Jana Spangler and James Jones, join LDF host Dan Wotherspoon in offering perspectives on these now-official documents.
This is a two-part podcast, with Episode 171 addressing the write-up on helping others with their journeys, and Episode 172 exploring the advice being given those who are actively questioning aspects of the church, gospel, and/or their place within Mormonism.
Listen in!
In mid-December 2003, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints added two new entries to the Gospel Topics section of its website. One addresses those Latter-day Saints who have questions or doubts, or who are undergoing a difficult faith journey. The other offers advice to those who love them or are someone who has been approached by these persons as they wrestle with gospel things. These are important additions to the LDS library as they represent the first genuine attempt to discuss such questioning and questioners in depth. Each of the two sections do very well in many areas, and at times fail in the way they speak on certain aspects, often because of certain blindspots apparent in the write-ups and that might exacerbate rather than aid those it hopes to assist. Two great guests, Jana Spangler and James Jones, join LDS host Dan Wotherspoon in offering perspectives on these now-official documents. This is a two-part podcast, with Episode 171 addressing the write-up on helping others with their journeys, and Episode 172 exploring the advice being given those who are actively questioning aspects of the church, gospel, and/or their place within Mormonism. Listen in!
Merry Christmas, everyone! For this week's show, we are replaying three previous Latter-day Faith episodes related to Christmas!
Episode 168 is an encore of the episode released last December, "Looking Fresh at the Creche," featuring Jody England Hansen. Episode 169 is an encore of the episode first released in December 2019, "Christmas: Birthing the Christ Within," featuring Phil McLemore.
Episode 170 is an encore of the episode released in December 2021, "Christmas Insights from Catholicism," featuring Mathew Schmalz. All of these are terrific and worthy of an additional lesson as you prepare spiritually and in other ways for Christmas! Listen in!
This episode celebrates Thomas McConkie's incredible new book, At-One-Ment--Embodying the Fullness of Human-Divinity, and dives into several of its topic areas that LDF Host Dan Wotherspoon chose as potentially helpful to this listening audience. In both a personal and descriptive tone they discuss the importance of training our minds to "concentrate," for it is the primary key that can unlock our ability to live in a state of endless energy, depth, beauty, love, and connection. Tom also talks about "transfiguration." In another important section of the conversation, Tom describes for us certain "energy centers" in our bodies (such as our needs for safety/security, pleasure, esteem/affection, and to experience power within situations) and how these centers often get activated (with negative effects) within our daily lives. He also discusses ways to mitigate in healthy ways the discomfort they create within us. Another topic here is ways to convey what we can expect as we step more fully into a life as a "human-divine." What is it like? What kinds of experiences await? How does yielding to the transfiguring power of the Sacred World affect us?
Throughout, both Tom and Dan share from their own personal experiences as travelers stumbling through adolescence before being captured by Spirit and drawn into these kinds of lives. Listen in! And rush to purchase, At-One-Ment--Embodying the Fullness of Human-Divinity!
Note: This two-part episode (Episode 166 is Part 2) is a departure from the usual focus of Latter-day Faith, which emphasizes teaching about and encouraging healthy faith development through introducing listeners to wise and powerful teachers in this area as well as to spiritual practices that can help us face our struggles with faith and church, families, communities, and with the world. In this podcast episode, Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon and his guest, Annika Rau, seek the same goals but take us into a dark area that will force us to wrestle with our ideas about God and prophets, presented in the context of “sexual grooming” and its relationship to the establishment of polygamy early in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Please take care of yourselves. This podcast might not be a safe listen for you, and if you determine that to be the case, do not listen! If you do choose to listen, please stop whenever you might need to. Be kind to yourself. Breathe deeply. Practice self-care at every moment. Bless you.
________________________
Sexual grooming is the use of various techniques that allow someone to isolate a child or another person for the purpose of gaining trust so the groomer can initiate sexual contact with them and to then instruct the victim to keep their sexual relationship a secret. Sexual grooming often involves family members, as well, with the groomer establishing a trusting relationship with them that makes it much less likely they will suspect sexual assault is occurring while also rendering them more likely to reject any story they might be told by the victim.
The specific focus of this conversation is the relationship between sexual grooming of both the women he married and, very often, their family members and the establishment of polygamy early in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is vital for all of us to wrestle with the many difficulties involved in hurtful practices instituted and practiced by Joseph Smith, Jr., whom Latter-day Saints consider a prophet of God. We must also wrestle about what, if anything, did God have to do with this practice and the grooming of children/young women that was essential if it were to take hold.
Religious and other charismatic leaders within other traditions as well as in politics have also used grooming techniques to further the fulfillment of their sexual desires. Grooming is an absolute evil and it is something we must learn to recognize should someone try to groom us or anyone we love or have direct concern for. Thus, a focus early in this episode is on grooming techniques themselves before turning to the grooming/polygamy question.
How might we be able to view Joseph Smith as both a prophet and sexual abuser? Can we? Must we “cancel” him because of this fact of his life history so we can completely ignore every other one of his qualities and positive contributions to many lives, and, as a by-product, the rest of the world? Do we need to wrestle with our conception of God and God’s character as most of us have at one time, or even now, taken it at face value that God might require sexual conquest of this type?
This episode seeks to inform about grooming and the techniques Joseph and other early church leaders used in helping Joseph convince four of his youngest brides(under the age of 20) to “consent” to this practice, including sexual contact. It does not seek to influence anyone that such conduct is incompatible with claims to be a “prophet” (in whatever sense we might have seen him). It does seek to convince that God had nothing whatsoever to do with polygamy and the grooming it required but everything to do with offering love, comfort, hope, optimism, insight and every other grace to the children and women who found themselves in unwanted relationships. May our struggles with these things bring us into deeper relationship with God/the Universe/Love even if it means we must face very dark and sad facts.
Note: This two-part episode (Episode 166 is Part 2) is a departure from the usual focus of Latter-day Faith, which emphasizes teaching about and encouraging healthy faith development through introducing listeners to wise and powerful teachers in this area as well as to spiritual practices that can help us face our struggles with faith and church, families, communities, and with the world. In this podcast episode, Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon and his guest, Annika Rau, seek the same goals but take us into a dark area that will force us to wrestle with our ideas about God and prophets, presented in the context of "sexual grooming" and its relationship to the establishment of polygamy early in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Please take care of yourselves. This podcast might not be a safe listen for you, and if you determine that to be the case, do not listen! If you do choose to listen, please stop whenever you might need to. Be kind to yourself. Breathe deeply. Practice self-care at every moment. Bless you.
______
Sexual grooming is the use of various techniques that allow someone to isolate a child or another person for the purpose of gaining trust so the groomer can initiate sexual contact with them and to then instruct the victim to keep their sexual relationship a secret. Sexual grooming often involves family members, as well, with the groomer establishing a trusting relationship with them that makes it much less likely they will suspect sexual assault is occurring while also rendering them more likely to reject any story they might be told by the victim.
The specific focus of this conversation is the relationship between sexual grooming of both the women he married and, very often, their family members and the establishment of polygamy early in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is vital for all of us to wrestle with the many difficulties involved in hurtful practices instituted and practiced by Joseph Smith, Jr., whom Latter-day Saints consider a prophet of God. We must also wrestle about what, if anything, did God have to do with this practice and the grooming of children/young women that was essential if it were to take hold.
Religious and other charismatic leaders within other traditions as well as in politics have also used grooming techniques to further the fulfillment of their sexual desires. Grooming is an absolute evil and it is something we must learn to recognize should someone try to groom us or anyone we love or have direct concern for. Thus, a focus early in this episode is on grooming techniques themselves before turning to the grooming/polygamy question.
How might we be able to view Joseph Smith as both a prophet and sexual abuser? Can we? Must we "cancel" him because of this fact of his life history so we can completely ignore every other one of his qualities and positive contributions to many lives, and, as a by-product, the rest of the world? Do we need to wrestle with our conception of God and God's character as most of us have at one time, or even now, taken it a face value that God might require sexual conquest of this type?
This episode seeks to inform about grooming and the techniques Joseph and other early church leaders used in helping Joseph convince four of his youngest brides(under the age of 20) to "consent" to this practice, including sexual contact. It does not seek to influence anyone that such conduct is incompatible with claims to be a "prophet" (in whatever sense we might have seen him). It does seek to convince that God had nothing whatsoever to do with polygamy and the grooming it required but everything to do with offering love, comfort, hope, optimism, insight and every other grace to the children and women who found themselves in unwanted relationships. May our struggles with these things bring us into deeper relationship with God/the Universe/Love even if it means we must face very dark and sad facts.
This has been a tough week in Mormonism, with new rehearsals of old ideas entering the LDS universe that seem to portray God and we humans as less that loving and beautiful. In this environment, Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon shares his convictions, based on his own experiences, in an effort to encourage and celebrate everyone and the Love that is the animating force of the universe. God is Loving. We are all beautiful
One portion of Dan's words speak to the sense he has that what we are seeing in terms of the intensity and increasing frequency of warnings of eternal judgments and the status of LGBTIA+ as needing correction is the continuation of the struggle between an old paradigm trying to remain dominant while a new one gains strength.
It is often difficult for Latter-day Saints to understand the distinction between Jesus and Christ as they are used in many other Christian traditions. They also struggle to understand how God can be considered a person if God doesn't have a distinct and tangible body. Mormons often speak of knowing that God knows each of us personally, but don't fathom how this could be true if God is considered Trinity.
This episode, featuring Mark Crego and LDF host Dan Wotherspoon introduce how the concept of "Christ," understood by Trinitarians as naming how God is "incarnate" and "immanent" within all things, and how focusing on a definition like that might help LDS folk actually draw closer to God rather than more abstract and distant.
Following up on a the notion of "abiding" they discussed in a July Latter-day Faith episode (number 158), they discuss here what it might mean to "abide in Christ." Both of them, who through study and personal spiritual practices which has led them to experience radically deep connection with Earth, the Universe, and all life, consider Joseph Smith's naming of that which is in, through, and around, all things, the "Light of Christ" (D&C 88:6-13), is appropriate, much more so than if he had chosen to label that which connects us with everything else, the "Light of Jesus Christ." How can we learn to think of Jesus, the individual, as someone who fully reflected the "Christ" immanence and energies, rather than focusing on his "only begotten" status and his specialness compared to us? Can we benefit from concentrating on him as an exemplar and guide and how it is through following the path and having the transformative experiences he had as a very important aspect of his being our "savior"? Listen in! You will like it, especially after the shock of thinking in this way wears off.
This episode features a wide ranging conversation between LDF host Dan Wotherspoon and his good friend and historian James Harris about the life and ministry of Elder James E. Talmage. Just before and then in the first few decades of the twentieth century (1862-1933), Elder Talmage served the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in myriad ways. He is among the earliest academics/scholars to come into the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (1911), but even before his time in the quorum he was kept busy leading what is now known as the University of Utah, head of its geology department, as well as being heavily consulted by LDS leaders on a myriad of topics. (All this while he was also married and raising a family, as well!) He is most widely known among church members for three books he produced at the request of the First Presidency: The Articles of Faith, Jesus the Christ, and The Great Apostasy, all of which have been very influential in the lives of Latter-day Saints and the narratives they tell about these subjects. What most don't know is much about the man himself--and that is where the expertise of James Harris comes in. From him, we get a nice overview of his schooling and church service that intersected with many interesting leaders and issues. But through story and reflection, Harris helps us get a better feel for the man. We lift him up here as a potential example for many who struggle to be their authentic selves within an organization that often doesn't feel welcoming to secular knowledge. His steadiness and ability to see things from large perspectives, even if some of his colleagues didn't, or in some cases vociferously disagreed with him, is worth considering There is much in this conversation that one might label, "sidetrips," as during the course of things, Dan and Jim reflect on wider issues and things they find helpful or interesting that were prompted by something in Elder Talmage's life. Listen in!
This episode features a terrific discussion between Erik Walters and LDS host Dan Wotherspoon on how we can mine for greater meaning and impact wonderful scriptural metaphors and symbols. Here they focus on Lehi's vision (and Nephi's additions) of the Tree of Life, Iron Rod, Great and Spacious Building, and more. Next they take upon the ubiquitous metaphor in today's LDS church of "the covenant path." And finally the metaphors of kingdoms of glory: celestial, terrestrial, and telestial.
You will be struck by Eric's ability to bring new and invigorating life to these very familiar symbols that, too often, get fixed in place for Latter-day Saints by the common interpretations shared in the church. Once someone has heard the LDS explanation, she or he will often stop there, accept it, and not think too much more about it, especially how much richer these metaphors can become with just a little more effort. You will also be fascinated by Eric's faith journey, which includes beautiful revelations and speaks of how he found his way to what he is being called to.
Listen in! You will be glad you did!
In this episode, Jana Riess and Kathryn Knight Sonntag join LDF host Dan Wotherspoon in talking about "worship." What is worship, or what does it mean to be in worship mode, and how do these differ from reverence, prayer, or gratitude? Do Latter-day Saint worship practices differ from those of other faith traditions? If so, in what ways? Have LDS forms of worship changed over the past 200 years? Why and how? How does worship affect the worshipper individually? The wider world?
Join Jana, Kathryn, and Dan for this dynamic and, at times, personal discussion of their experiences in worship!
We often use shortcuts in our daily interactions with people, events, and actions, simplifying what is actually far more complex. We decide this or that ahead of time, and we let that guide what we will focus on. We often label people in a certain way based upon some previous experiences with them (or descriptions given by others) and never really give them a chance to emerge in front of us as whole, experiencing, wrestling (like us) others. We see them as caricatures more than individuals, and, of course, we know many others see us the same way. How might we learn to see and experience more in all our interactions--not only with people but also groups, movements, theories, and other powerful forces?
In this episode, Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon goes solo (rather than in conversation with guests) to explore dynamics like these and how we might learn to better appreciate the full picture of all the things we encounter. The notion of "seeing with more of ourselves" is a paraphrase from a topic Cynthia Bourgealt has spoken and written about, which Dan extrapolates from and shares his own experiences in consciously trying to be more present with the "wholes" of things, drawing on input that often goes unnoticed by us as we go about our way, information that doesn't begin and end with just our cognitive faculties. He argues, following many many others who have embarked on contemplative paths, that we are part of a whole that interconnects with every particular things, whether its a person or things we find in nature.
How can we allow this insight and energetic connection to be more present and poignant in each moment? What wonderful things unfold within us as we do so?
Listen in!
The spiritual concept of "abiding" (in God and God in us) is quite rich. It means to "be here with," and its Greek origins and scriptural usage also suggest other meanings such as "remain," "continue," "endure," "be present with," and more. But even as much as we can understand the concept of through word study and through mental faculties, to really get what "abiding" means requires experience. We can talk about abiding in God and vice versa but we can only truly grasp it through direct participation.
In this episode, Faith Journey Foundation board chair and theologian and student of scripture and language, Mark Crego, joins LDF host Dan Wotherspoon in a conversation about abiding, at times as a counter-point to the concept of "presiding." What leadership type would we respond best to? Their conversation also yields a great way to think about the phrase "endure to the end."
Mark and Dan also get into certain LDS theological concepts about God's and our nature that in some ways make it easier to approach this topic than do some other Christian understandings of humanity and the Divine.
It is a rich discussion. Listen in!
In this episode, we focus on ideas for building up spiritual communities that reflect unity, love, and acceptance. How might such become places in which everyone regardless of their theological positions, views about scripture or church strengths and weaknesses, or understandings and stances on today's big social issues can all worship and enjoy community together?
We have help on this topic today from two guests from Christ Moravian Church in Calgary, Canada. The first is Jeff Pratt, who was raised a Latter-day Saint and continued to be one, along with his family, for many years before they sought and found a congregation that met their spiritual and community needs better than their Mormon ward and the wider LDS church. Our second guest is Stephen Gohdes, the wonderful and insightful pastor of the Christ Moravian church the Pratt family has become part of.
In this conversation, we will hear about both of their stories to faith and how God has led each of them in their journeys, along with their insights about many things related to community flourishing. It's a terrific discussion on many levels. We know you will thoroughly enjoy learning from them!
It is Pride Month, and given the current and intense politicalization of the rights of transgender individuals, we are pleased to present here an encore of a conversation between Laurie Lee Hall and LDF host Dan Wotherspoon. Originally presented under the umbrella of how different people view God as gendered or not, Laurie Lee shares her experiences as a transgender woman and Latter-day Saint. She shares her story of presenting as a man for the first fifty years of her life, all the while feeling her spirit is female. During this time, she became an architect who worked for the LDS church for many years designing temples, meeting houses, and other church buildings. She was also married with children and served a full term as a stake president.
She eventually knew that she could no longer live with her outside presentation being at odds with her true self and shared her truth with her family, general authorities, and those with whom she served in her stake. This led to many upheavals, including divorce, losing her job with the church, as well as her church membership.
All along the way, Laurie Lee had very powerful experiences with God that she touches on here. She also shares the outline of her life and relationships today.
This is a powerful episode--one that would be good to share with those who do not understand transgender experience. So many people follow along with the political attacks on these persons, as well using their religious beliefs as weapons and excuses for not truly trying to understand transgender individuals and the violence that is being done to these fellow children of God through their rhetoric and actions. Listen in!
If we truly believe that all people in their essence are divine/good, why do we so often forget that in our interactions with others? Why do we make judgments that harm our relationships? Are there processes we can learn that will help us process things that happen without becoming defensive and, instead, meet these things with compassion for others and ourselves? In the 1980s and '90s, a psychologist, Marshall Rosenberg, developed a set of principles and practices he named Non-Violent Communication (NVC), which is designed to help us refrain from negative judgments of others. In this episode, psychologist and therapist Ben Bailey lays out the basics of the NVC model and together with LDF host Dan Wotherspoon introduces how it can help in LDS and interpersonal settings. Listen in! The model and practices are fascinating, and can really be game changers for all our relationships.
President Russell M. Nelson's recent LDS General Conference talk, "Peacemakers Needed," focuses on the strong need for Latter-day Saints, and basically everyone else, to more actively strive for peace in our interactions in the world at large, and especially with each other personally. Noting the hostility and name-calling and dismissiveness of others dominating public discourse (as well as too often our own family lives), he made a clear call for all of us to treat each other better. Yet, he and we all know that attaining the qualities of a peacemaker is not a simple thing. It requires a great deal of desire, inner reflection, and practicing if we are to meet each other in spirit and in the way we must if we are to ever heal our relationships--and, indeed, the world. His is a call for genuine transformation of our hearts. But, do we know how to be peacemakers? It is one thing to set it forth as worthy work, but it is another to actually know how we might actually begin to embody the spirit of a peacemaker. That's where this discussion begins.
With the wonderful Selina Miller Forsyth, this Latter-day Faith Podcast looks at several of the "skills" that peacemakers require. It primarily looks at things we all need to work on in general but notes as well the places where Latter-day Saints might have extra difficulty. One of these is learning to differentiate between "healthy conflict" and "contention." The Book of Mormon phrase about the "spirit of contention" being of the devil (3 Nephi 11:19) is so well engrained in the LDS tradition that many of us are startled and react with fear whenever any sort of disagreement arises in church settings, and even within our own families. Often we don't really know how to discern between important conversations that involve disagreement, putting forth different positions, passion, and intensity with "contention." Another skill of a peacemaker is "emotional regulation." We must learn to be good with ourselves, centered in a sense of security and safety as well as confidence if we are to ever be able to practice genuine peacemaking that does not dismiss or demonize persons who bring something into our world that we don't agree with or have been taught is wrong but that we haven't really wrestled with ourselves. If we allow our emotions to flood our consciousness, blocking out everything but our current discomfort, it's impossible to interact in healthy ways, impossible to be a peacemaker in such situations. Peacemakers must also learn the skill of "listening." So many of us simply do not know how to truly listen to each other, to put aside our own ego, our own agendas, and to actually encounter them and what they are saying in an interested, calm, centered way. What does "listening" actually mean? Are there ways we can learn to listen in the way peacemakers can? This is a terrific conversation. It doesn't come close to offering even a tenth of what there is to be said about each of these areas, and both Selina and LDF host, Dan, are well aware of that--yet it is a start. And it's a conversation we invite you to join in! Let's create more shows to share even more ideas about this really big but oh-so-personal topic, and especially how we might gain the skills to genuinely become persons of peace. Join us!
This episode is the second in a series of conversations LDF host Dan Wotherspoon had with Annika Rau about New Testament events, with this one focusing on insights in the stories of what happened Thursday through Sunday of Holy Week. In it, they begin with the Last Supper (and also an event that had happened six days earlier) and move through Gethsemane, the betrayal(s), and on to crucifixion and Easter. As a capstone to the discussion, Annika shares a beautiful take on the miracle of the loaves and fishes and the multiplying of love. It is not to be missed. Please join in! There is so much here worth slowing down to consider as we move through our days leading up to Easter.
This episode features a conversation between LDF host Dan Wotherspoon and Abe Collier, who heads a small international aid NGO currently working in Ukraine. It is set up to be another in what will be a series of episodes on the way people discern what God/Life/the Universe seems to be calling them to do. in this discussion, Abe shares with us his LDS background along with various inflection points that ultimately led him to his work. It's a beautiful story, but one also one that contains confusion and sadness and various trade-offs he was called to experience. But, as you will witness in his story, he has found peace and a beautiful sense of fulfillment in what he is doing. He has wisdom far beyond that of most people his age, and it is a real pleasure to introduce him and his work to the Latter-day Faith audience. Listen in. As is always true, the very specificity of a life journey allows us to notice and connect with things in our selves that simply talking in general terms usually can't. Enjoy!
"What do I want to be (or do) when I grow up?" Early on, our answers to such queries are the ones we pick up from our parents, wider family, friends, religious traditions, and important authority figures in our lives. If we are to have a truly fulfilling life, however, we must begin to find our way to what it is we are actually being "called to" by our life. Can we discern for ourselves what our particular life experiences seem to be pointing us towards--a quest that when engaged with our whole heart and mind will bless the world in the way only we can do?
In this episode, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon converses with Valerie Hamaker, the host of the Latter-day Struggles podcast about this sort of journey. It started out with a slightly different plan of talking about "faith journeys" through the lenses of various developmental models but ended up being more about Valerie's own discernment journey that led her to the work she is doing in the world with Latter-day Saints who are struggling to reorient their faith lives during a time when their journeys are taking them places they hadn't previously imagined they would go.
Valerie and Dan mention how faith development models have helped them as they have traveled into uncharted territories, and hopefully this element of the conversation will encourage others to look into such models themselves. But the true beauty of what you will encounter here is how God/Spirit/Life has worked in Valerie's life to bring her to this place where she has found a place to stand and do the work it seems her life was leading her toward. It's a thrilling story of a searcher who has looked both outward and inward to discern her calling. Please listen in!
For some, the miracles of Jesus presented in the Gospels are problematic. Many question their veracity. Did these actually occur, or are they stories that sought to grab the attention of people living in a pre-industrial world? Perhaps "something" happened but surely there are better explanations today than Jesus healing, raising from the dead, and casting out evil spirits. In short, especially for those in the midst of a shift of faith, the miracle stories are far more difficult to make peace with than are his teachings. But what if we didn't care about whether or not they occurred or how early Christians (and many contemporary ones, too) "explain" them? Are there powerful ways to view them through other lenses? In this episode, Annika Rau joins LDF host Dan Wotherspoon in such an exercise. Specifically, Annika speaks about the way she has learned to see them as "invitations." If we pay close enough to the various stories, each in its own context, we are able to see broader themes and concepts that illustrate the way that Jesus operated in the world. Who did Jesus heal? In what ways were these miracles tailored to each individual according to her or his specific needs? Did Jesus require something of the individuals before healing? Why were there such a variety of methods through which he healed? And so many more things to notice. If we were to pay attention to such broader matters, how might that help us in our journey to be more like him? The conversation in this episode draws us into the person of Jesus as well as into much deeper looks at fundamental spiritual questions. Among other things, if features a wonderful discussion of a healing episode found in Mark 8: 22-26, and a broader set of things we might explore in the story of the woman taken in adultery (John 8). And it models ways that we might each seek for new things to notice in these stories (as well as in other events, settings, and details found the Gospels). Listen in! You will really enjoy this terrific conversation!
In this episode, therapist Julie Keanaaina speaks with LDF host Dan Wotherspoon about psilocybin, which has recently been legalized in Oregon for therapeutic uses, with many other states considering something similar. There have been many stories from studies of its use in television news magazines, newspapers, and other media formats, each affirming the positive effects it has had on patients who are suffering from the effects of trauma, as well as those with depression, including situational depression due to difficult health diagnoses.
What is psilocybin? Where does it come from? How has it been used culturally in the past, and what does the future seem to hold? How does it work? What are its benefits? If someone were interested in exploring its use for themselves, what would the dosing and treatments be like--especially if they would like to work with Julie's group in Portland, Oregon?
This being a faith journey and spirituality podcast, Julie and Dan also discuss how it can be used as a way to access the reality that embraces more than what we can access through our five senses or process through our conscious minds. And so much more!
Enjoy this terrific and informative introduction to this spiritual tool that has been around for centuries but is just now coming into its own these past few decades. We think you will find it fascinating!
In this wonderful, wide-ranging interview, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon speaks with Michael Hicks, a recently retired professor of Music at BYU, about his life, and especially his growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 60s and 70s. During this period, Michael became very active in the Jesus movement of the time, which has often been referred to as the time of the "Jesus Freaks." After several wonderful and exhausting years that included his playing the guitar and singing songs of Jesus at every school break, being part of a band made up of young Christians, joining a group that became known as Wineskins that served each Sunday at a state hospital and then opened up a gathering spot for anyone to come in an chat about anything (but especially Jesus) and then transforming into a home for alcoholics and addicts, Michael began to have conversations with a young Mormon woman and eventually joined the church. And that's when new adventures started! Very interesting ones.
All of this is talked about frankly and revealingly in his new book: Wineskin: Freaking Jesus in the '60s and '70s, a Memoir (Signature Books, 2023). In this interview, Michael and Dan talk about many of these but also only hint at many parts that would be difficult to share in anything but the written word, especially how they all wove together in creating the Michael of today. Learn about his Jesus experience that set his life on an entirely new track. Learn how very difficult experiences with this family, Wineskins, and Mormonism have been transmuted into gold. Michael is someone very much worth getting to know!
Latter-day Saints the world over are studying the New Testament this year. Much of value can be gleaned from following the Come Follow Me lessons and questions, but it falls quite short for those wanting to explore Jesus from wider perspectives.
This episode, our first of 2023, teases a few of these additional perspectives as our guest, Mark Crego, examines the religious and cultural setting of Judaism during Jesus's time, as well as in the regions in which he taught. Who were the Sadducees, Pharisees, Scribes, Essenes, Zealots, etc.? How did they form? What did they emphasize? What are their key teachings and motivations? In getting to these questions he takes us through the history of Judaism as it emerges from captivity, often quite changed from its leaders' encounters with Babylonian, Persian, Greek, and Zoroastrian philosophies and teachings. It's a fascinating ride!
The final third of the episode discusses what both Mark and LDF host Dan Wotherspoon believe is the key teaching of Jesus, and how it can be kept in mind as we engage not only with Sunday School classes, but also in our regular encounters with family, friends, and strangers. Enjoy! We think you will!
The Creche (the Nativity scene) is a staple in many homes and public places during the Christmas season. We most likely were taught when we were young about each person depicted in the scene, learned that Jesus was born in a manger (hence the animals present in most creche's), and in all of that came to understand via osmosis how our individual families relate to Jesus's birth and the wider Christmas story. For many of us, those impressions and story elements formed and hardened into "our" story. But has that story gone stale? Does it still move our souls in the way it might have once upon a time? Has our growing into adulthood and experiencing faith shifts kept us from leaning into Christmas, allowing worries about historicity of the story and mismatches in the Gospel accounts to come to the forefront?
In this episode, our wonderful guest, Jody England Hansen, shares ways that she has reanimated the season by various approaches to the use of the creche--Creche Afresh! She shares various rituals that can surround our putting out the pieces and figures, ones for just ourselves but also for involving children of all ages. The ultimate take-away from our discussion is that it takes more than just a mother to birth God into the world! We are all needed, and by reflecting on the nativity scene we can each find how we are called to that.
I think you will find this episode to be very interesting, informative, thought-provoking, and powerful. Perhaps your Christmas will be better from taking the time to listen in today!
When we struggle with previously held beliefs, various actions and teachings of authority figures, and/or religious teachings and practices that seem to not be loving--or even harmful--we can find ourselves wondering if all our work of pulling-apart and examining each element that has made up our worldview will ever end. It is a frightening process, full of many ups and downs. Part of the deep angst we can feel during these times of confusion is our concern that perhaps we will have to give up everything, including spirituality.
In this terrific episode, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon is joined by Brittney Hartley, a spiritual director who specializes in working with folks who want spirituality “without the nonsense.” Brittney tells us of her own deep wrestles with faith, belief, religion, questions of meaning, including if anything means anything at all! Ultimately, however, she has emerged from the other side of these struggles with a greater and richer spirituality than ever before, just one that is not reliant upon beliefs, religious structures, or outside authority figures (except ones we might choose for ourselves).
In course of the discussion, Britney works through nine important topics that provide grounding for a wonderful life—showing how each can come alive and add vitality to our lives even if we give up on truth claims and religious trappings. These are:
Rituals
Death
Morality and Ethics
Rewriting your sacred story
Meaning and purpose
Shadow and Inner Child Work
Awe and Transcendence
Community and Inspiration
Self-Actualization and Human Flourishing
This is an important episode that many listeners will connect with in deep ways, and if this path is not really for them, it will be for others in their circle. Formally religious or not, listen in!!!
In Part 2 of this very powerful two-part episode, Jana Spangler and Jody England Hansen join LDF host Dan Wotherspoon for a discussion of the close relationship between mental and spiritual trauma and our bodies. Much of what they offer is also true of physical trauma, but their primary focus is on how to recognize, understand, and find healing for our bodies and minds by exploring what is less obvious than specific bodily injuries.
So often, we don’t even notice how mental, emotional, and spiritual trauma affects our bodies, nor understand how it is these very bodies hold wonderful keys for healing and new creation. Do we find ourselves acting and reacting in ways that don’t align with our cognitive understandings? Why is this? Is it possible that our bodies have learned to become hyper-aware of potential threats to our well-being, and will therefore trigger reactions we don’t understand? I’ve already dealt with has happened to me. Are we, perhaps, having trauma reactions that override our conscious situational awareness that tells us we are in a safe situation?
Trauma causes both subtle and noticeable reactions, sometimes storing memories of bad experiences in certain areas of our bodies. And the best path to healing from these traumas and how they not only affect us but also others who can’t understand what’s going on with us as we react emotionally or physically in inexplainable ways. And, as we do pay attention to our bodies, we can often find clues to the originating events and fears that are manifesting in us. From there, if we are to heal, we will need to go inward, inside our life experiences, and sometimes even into the life experiences of those who have hurt us. Inner work is never easy, but it always pays off as we learn to face our pain and fears. It is from this work, that new neural pathways, and new understandings, new equanimity, and refreshed hope will spring forth.
There is no way to adequately describe the insights, recognitions, and validations this discussion holds. You will definitely want to listen to this episode and share it with friends and family who may not understand you—or even themselves.
Links to things referred to in the podcast
Bessel van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, (Penguin, 2015)
Teresa Pasquale, Sacred Wounds: A Path to Healing from Spiritual Trauma (Chalice Press, 2015)
Film: The Wisdom of Trauma, available at thewisdomoftrauma.com
To learn more about the traumatic experiences that were part of the debacle of Natasha Parker’s excommunication proceedings, listen to Latter-day Faith Episode 90–91, “Witnessing Even When Things Hurt so Badly”
In this very powerful two-part episode, Jana Spangler and Jody England Hansen join LDF host Dan Wotherspoon for a discussion of the close relationship between mental and spiritual trauma and our bodies. Much of what they offer is also true for physical trauma, but their primary focus is on how to recognize, understand, and find healing for our bodies and minds by exploring what is less obvious than specific bodily injuries.
So often, we don't even notice how mental, emotional, and spiritual trauma affects our bodies, and also understand how it is these very bodies hold wonderful keys for healing and new creation. Do we find ourselves acting and reacting in ways that don't align with our cognitive understandings? Why is this? Is it possible that our bodies have learned to become hyper-aware of potential threats to our well-being, and will therefore trigger reactions we don't understand? I've already dealt with has happened to me. Are we, perhaps, having trauma reactions that override our conscious situational awareness that tells us we are in a safe situation?
Trauma causes both subtle and noticeable reactions, sometimes storing memories of bad experiences in certain areas of our bodies. And the best path to healing from these traumas and how they not only affect us but also others who can't understand what's going on with us as we react emotionally or physically in unexpected ways is to recognize where our bodies are hurting. And, as we do, we can often find clues to the originating events and fears that are manifesting in us. From there, if we are to heal, we will need to go inward, inside our life experiences, and sometimes even into the life experiences of those who have hurt us. Inner work is never easy, but it always pays off as we are able to face our pain and fears. It is from this work, that new pathways, new understandings, new equanimity, and hope will spring forth.
There is no way to adequately describe the insights, recognitions, and validations this discussion holds. You will definitely want to listen to this two-part episode and share it with friends and family who may not understand you--or even themselves.
In this episode, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon is joined by the wonderful, gifted, powerful author Carol Lynn Pearson to talk about her most recent book and the ideas that underlie it. The book, The Love Map: Saving Your Love Relationship and Incidentally Saving the World, is the flowering of a more-than-forty-year interest that Carol Lynn has had in the deep energies of the soul and universe that are at play in both societies and individual human lives. In this book, she focuses on the chakra system, which outlines seven energy centers in our bodies, each with its own different but vital contribution to our well-being, both physically and spiritually.
Carol Lynn uses the metaphor of "kingdoms" in speaking about the contributions of (and potential dangers inherent in) each chakra, but focuses on the fourth kingdom, the "heart" chakra, as the most important for our love relationships. But learning to live and flourish in this kingdom only comes after all sorts of inner wrestles, especially with ego and the dangerous (and wonderful) energy of the third kingdom in which "power" is preeminent.
Through compelling narrative and first-person voice, The Love Map, traces the journey of human history as Carol Lynn describes the type of energy that is ascendent in different chronological epochs, as well as through developments in the life of Joanna, a young woman, the narrator, whose three-year marriage is nearing collapse. The book is a depiction of Joanna's hero's journey. The book's voice and prose allows us to understand ourselves and human development writ large through dramatic encounters with each energy in a way that isn't accessible through more academic approaches. We "experience" our lives in these kingdoms, and we are grateful to Carol Lynn for teaching us of these kingdoms through story, which includes humor, heartaches, and faced fears.
You don't want to miss this book! Nor this conversation!
The title of this episode is the title of a poem written by this week’s guest, Selina Forsyth. The poem, which she reads here, contains several wonderful metaphors that most of us can definitely relate to. In many ways, a work like this poem can aid us in actually coming to know our own selves better.
The episode certainly contains conversation about the covenant path and spiritual journeys—rich territories in and of themselves. But it features much more. It discusses the creative process and its many parallels with revelation, instruction, and experiencing things at a much deeper level than when in our typical waking lives. In fact, for those who have struggled with meditation or other spiritual practices, diving into the world of creation/co-creation and working with our hands, our voices, and our imagination can often be a catalyst that assists us in coming to know more of what mystics know. It has paid off for Selina, and as an example, she credits it with a complete change in how she understands scripture.
As the discussion turns to the poem itself, it raises several issues. One is the power of religious narratives and accompanying rituals have to, in some cases, lull us into a sense of being above the fray, and actually harming our sense of urgency to explore God and Spirit more deeply. In other sections, Selina and LDF host Dan Wotherspoon discuss various other things including the less formal stories we tell, and how goodness is far more powerful and affirming of God’s presence in our lives than are ideas and theories and teachings.
It’s a terrific discussion! Come meet the wonderful and powerful Selina!
This episode is a follow up to Latter-day Faith 137, “The Hero’s Return,” which was released this past August. That episode featured a discussion between Stephen Carter and LDF host Dan Wotherspoon about an aspect of the Hero’s Return model that is one of its lesser studied elements: the decision by the hero/heroine to return to their society of origin, bringing with them the insights and power they have gained from their journey. In this follow-up, Dan Wotherspoon adds a few additional insights about that pivotal decision that weren’t explored in the first podcast.
In order to help understand the cycle and the return better, Dan introduces and tells the story of Jonathan Livingston Seagull, penned by Richard Bach some fifty years ago. The fable is about a seagull who understands that there is more to a gull’s life than being in the large flock that follows fishing boats and feeds on its scraps. Jonathan gains the sense that the key to unlocking a higher form of life is through flight for flight’s sake, and through great effort, experimentation, risk, and practice he comes to new and rich understandings. After more and more training by other gulls on a similar journey, Jonathan differs from many of them by eventually choosing to return to the flock in order to serve other gulls who are interested in flight more than fighting for fish discarded by boats.
Dan then focuses on the struggle to return, which most heroes only do reluctantly and that requires them facing different inner and outer obstacles. And if and when they do return, he introduces Joseph Campbell’s notion of their ability to be a “master of both worlds.”
There is much in this episode that relates closely to spiritual journeys in general, including Mormon ones. Listen in!
We often hear the terms "holy" and "holiness," and we have a general sense of what they mean. But it is always good to look at familiar terms and concepts through different lenses, different eyes, and this is what we have done in this episode. In it, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon is joined by Mark Crego and Kajsa Berlin-Kaufusi, both of whom are scriptural scholars as well as partners with Dan in the Faith Journey Foundation, to examine "holiness" from many angles. Does something "holy" necessarily entail that it is accessible only by those who qualify themselves first through holding certain beliefs or behaving in certain ways? Is being "holy" better understood as a state one reaches, or is it perhaps understood best as an ongoing process? What are the linguistic roots of the word "holy," and how do these connect with language and ideas we are familiar with today? Is "holiness" achieved or uncovered, revealed? How have these concepts affected Latter-day Saint lives? What teachings and emphases come the closest, and which miss the mark?
These questions and many other aspects of holiness come forth in this wide-ranging but focused discussion among friends. We hope you will tune in for it!
Today’s show focuses on the Prosocial movement, a network of people who are studying and testing and putting into action practices guided by principles that put people first. Our guest, Jordan Harmon, a therapist with strong Latter-day Saint roots who practices in Utah, is part of this movement and brings it into focus for those of us who may never have encountered it. In the process, we learn what study has shown to be key factors in the success of groups whose goals are focused on the well-being of people, the biosphere, and this planet with its limited resources. He draws us into the work taking place in many fields, including his own, and leads us through the movement’s guiding principles. In the final third of the discussion, he and Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon turn their attention to religion and how certain ideas, ideals, concepts, and phrases might align with prosocial notions and practices. And, of course, as they discuss religion, Mormonism and some of its notions make their appearance.
Listen in! You will learn a lot and find yourself chewing on many of the conversation’s wonderful morsels.
Many of us understand the basic structure of what Joseph Campbell has named "the hero's journey" and the wrestles and transformations it requires. But one element that is usually underemphasized is the final step in the journey, which is when the hero returns to community. In most cases, the journeyer comes back to the society and culture she or he had left, but even in the cases when it isn't back where they began, their journey isn't complete until they bring their transformed selves back to the real world, back into community. They left "home" because their society was sick, but now, through their journeying, they have obtained the secret elixir, some sort of healing knowledge and power that can overcome the disease and inspire others to go find it for themselves.
In this terrific conversation, Stephen Carter joins LDF host Dan Wotherspoon to discuss various aspects of the hero's return. Does the hero have to physically leave her or his community in order to complete their journey? And if they can't or do not want to separate physically, what sort of things are helpful in assisting them in gaining a different kind of distance and some breathing room to do their healing and gain new perspectives? How will the hero know they are ready to fully reintegrate into community? Are there clear internal signals for them to watch for?
This episode also contains an intriguing take on "judgment." How does a lens of judgment affect our experience in community, as well as in our healing work?
Listen in! You will be glad you did!
Elder Bruce R. McConkie once proclaimed, “Obedience is the first law of heaven,” which is an interesting statement when compared with Jesus’s declaration that the first of all laws is love. Has the modern Church followed Elder McConkie’s path, overemphasizing obedience over love? More recently, President Russell M. Nelson has proclaimed that “Obedience brings blessings, and exact obedience brings miracles.”
All of this is interesting for when we examine that actual scriptural meaning of “obedience” we find that it means nearly the opposite from claims like this. Can we turn “obedience” into mindfulness and love? This episode explores the dangers of “exact obedience” and the joys of turning obedience upside down.
Listen in on this conversation between two Faith Journey Foundation chairs: Mark Crego and Dan Wotherspoon
We all live our lives within mythic structures, and we always will. But early on, as James Fowler states, we take these overarching stories as literally true (he names his Stage 2 "Mythic-Literal"). Then life, in ways that we can comprehend, serves up alternate mythologies. We begin to see the stories of others as genuine options for us to adopt, or to at least appreciate deeply. In that dilemma of seeing more than one story or mythic framing being as capable of leading people to experience rich and joyful lives, with strong values and a dynamic sense of purpose, we must begin to shift our perspective. We are now forced to see our myths as "value stories" rather than factual truth, and as we do so we begin to enter into a new relationship with them.
Making this shift is extremely difficult. At first, most of us want to hide or re-cocoon ourselves solely within our story as being THE right or best one. This transition toward comfort with our overarching stories and sense of the world/universe/purpose as being mythic can take a very long time. But it is a shift worth making, because all of a sudden the world and universe come alive for us in ways we can’t, in our fearful modes, imagine. Now we find ourselves playing on a much larger stage, and the call for us to embark upon the hero’s journey, the quest to overcome what scares us or holds us back, becomes louder. It is likewise only through such journeys that we can heal ourselves, which then allows us to heal the communities we are part of.
In this episode, my wonderful friend Charles Randall Paul (Randy) and I dive deeply into the importance and value of myth (debunking any thought of it as “not true”) and the excitement of being in a broader world in which we are now able to be creators and teachers and livers of our highest values and experience harmony between our old and ever-emerging selves in ways that enliven our family and community bonds and experiences and, hopefully, model for others the boons of these journeys into the unknown that lead us back transformed in powerful ways.
I hope you’ll join us in this important conversation, our attempt to assist us all in “unlearning” any pejorative thoughts about myth as being less powerful or vital than “facts.” I also hope you’ll find attractive, as well, what we do in the sections that help bring alive gorgeous aspects of Mormonism’s foundational myths.
This episode was originally aired June 26, 2019. It is definitely worth revisiting!
The image above is a representation of the Judgment of Paris, a foundational Greek myth discussed in the episode.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints makes many claims about the importance of priesthood. It also claims that conferral of the priesthood is only to be given to men, only needed by men, not women. Why is that? Yet when LDS leaders actually talk about priesthood's power in relation to men's spirituality and the special gifts it holds, their messaging seems to be describing things that are good qualities and attributes for all people, for anyone who seeks to be a good disciple of Christ. So what is it about men that they need the priesthood boost whereas women don't? What do men lack that seems to be inherent in women?
In the spirit of inquiry and clarity rather than in service of an agenda related to priesthood conferral upon and ordination for women, this episode features a discussion about such things between Ian Thomsen and LDF host Dan Wotherspoon. They discuss specific messages by leaders as well as the kinds of explanations one often hears in LDS circle that employ some form of "gender essentialism," which hinges on essential differences between men and women, as part of the reasoning. Yet no real explanation for a men-only priesthood emerges when pressed. Such things are usually asserted rather than examined or argued for. Ultimately, this sort of approach to justifying the exclusion of women from priesthood (essentially saying they already have the spiritual qualities and don't need ordination) leads to a need to really ask fresh what, exactly, is priesthood? Is priesthood "power" distinct from priesthood "authority"?
Do our current teachings about priesthood rely on scriptural precedent? Do practices from early LDS history and within Mormonism's own scriptural record match with what we see today regarding a universal priesthood for all men? Is there a place for non-priesthood-ed men within the church? Is that even conceivable within today's church assumptions? What role do cultural notions, especially older ones, play in keeping us today from asking important questions in these and other areas? If we are here on earth to thrive and grow spiritually and ultimately develop as God has, it sure would be helpful to understand what priesthood is.
Listen in! These are important things to think about.
At the end of last week, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the long-standing right to bodily autonomy for women, including the right to medical abortion. With the end of the protections put forth in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, we are now entering a time in which each state has the right to determine when to allow abortion legally. The ruling was lauded by some, including many Latter-day Saints, and it was met with anger and devastation by many who champion reasonable access to abortion.
How might we as Latter-day Saints improve our understanding of the issues and strong feelings held by proponents on both sides of the debate? What does our religion say about the reasons that we are here on earth and how God acts in the universe and with us individually? Most surveys of Latter-day Saints suggest that they are primarily pro-life, but what are some LDS principles that guide those who take a pro-choice stance? How does this position fit within their wider spirituality, as well? Does Mormonism's theology of God entail sensibilities that give more room to its adherents than what is typically entailed in the God described by wider Christianity?
In this episode, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon is joined by the wonderful and powerful Jody England Hansen and Jana Spangler in the discussion outlined above. Listen in!
Following up on last week's episode about different ways that ideas or things can be "true," in this show LDF host Dan Wotherspoon is joined by his Faith Journey Foundation partner and longtime friend Mark Crego to discuss other aspects of what "true" can mean. Here the focus moves primarily to "true" when it comes to people, families, members of our congregations, and others. Dan and Mark also spend some time on the issue of "exclusivity" when it comes to propositional truth claims as well as individuals. What shall we do when some entity or person is described as the "only" way to salvation, one's one and only true love, and so forth. In that section, Mark introduces us to great ideas and phrasings from Marcus Borg and John Hick.
Please enjoy! Tell others about this discussion!
Within the contexts of Latter-day Saint testimony meetings and the congressional hearings now starting regarding the events and planning leading up to and following the January 6th, 2021 demonstrations/insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, it is good to talk about the nature of "truth" and all the factors involved in believing or speaking of something as "true." In this episode, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon goes solo, sharing a few framings that can help us see claims of truth in greater context, as well as through more graceful eyes, when we are forced to confront the reality that not everyone sees "facts" or values various things differently than we do.
The largest section of Dan's musings center around the phenomenon that is endemic to many Latter-day Saint meetings and other gatherings in which people say the "know the church is true." What are some of the possibilities that they might be thinking of when they proclaim that as "knowledge." What is "church" in these contexts? Can imagining in new ways what's going on internally with them help us enjoy and appreciate their testimonies even if this sort of statement doesn't come to mind within us as something to testify of?
The other main section focuses on the way that social factors play into the construction of our world views, those things that we consider as "true" or "truer" or "more likely" than other views. In taking a look at that, can er more easily confront the challenges and hangups we have that are keeping us from fully flourishing spiritually?
Listen in!
In the wake of the shootings that are happening around the country, and in particular in Texas and Oklahoma most recently, it is easy to feel overwhelmed, depressed, and helpless in the face of all the conditions that have led the shooters to the point they reached in which mass slaughter feels like a way for them to express their pain and go out of this world. At times like these, we need reasons to hope--hope that things can and will change and that love and goodness will ultimately triumph. But even more needed than these "outcome" oriented sorts of hopes, is learning to uncover within us a much deeper source of hope within which we naturally swim but so often fail to notice and connect with.
With this in mind, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon called upon his friend who has taken a wonderful faith journey for most of her life, Janaki LeFills, to talk about Hope at this profound level. In the conversation, both Janaki and Dan share their own experiences and insights regarding the nature of Hope, and Janaki also brings in some of the work of Cynthia Bourgeault as a third voice in the discussion.
May everyone find hope during these trying times, and we encourage you to give this episode a listen.
Latter-day Saints take scripture seriously, and often very literally: as if the events in scripture literally happened. Yet the word "Literal" as it applies to scripture takes on richer meaning when we embrace the "literature" aspect of scripture. Scripture is literature--story, poetry, wisdom sayings, etc.--created by a community in the past, reflecting their experienced with God. It then is accepted by a community in the present, as its symbolic, moral, and spiritual narrative.
This week, while Dan Wotherspoon is on vacation, Mark Crego and Kajsa Berlin-Kaufusi explore together the literal and spiritual experience with scripture.
For many, Latter-day Saint teachings about God as consisting of embodied beings and being a literal Divine Couple have been very empowering as it carves out space for the divine feminine. But descriptions of God fall short—trying to use words for what is indescribable. But even more vital than how we “think” about God is how we “experience” God. Even if we are taught that God is gendered, do we experience God that way? As we seek God and feel we’ve connected with the Divine, is the element of gender part of it? Some say they do and it is while others report it that they don’t.
Several weeks ago, Latter-day Faith hosted two “virtual firesides” on this very topic. In preparation for a larger discussion those evenings, we asked four thoughtful people to prepare a few thoughts about God and the question of gender, and then we had them lead off in these firesides. All provided powerful glimpses into their own thinking about God as well as wonderful framings for the discussions. And most shared personal details about how their thinking and experiencing of God changed in their lives.
Because we do not record our virtual firesides (as we want all who participate to feel safe should they choose to share things so close to their hearts), we have decided to release two episodes featuring their presentations along with some discussion with LDF host Dan Wotherspoon.
Part 1 (released a week ago) features conversations with Derek Knox and Kajsa Berlin-Kaufusi.
Part 2 (this episode) features Susan Hinckley and Laurie Lee Hall.
You will be so glad you experienced these conversations!
For many, Latter-day Saint teachings about God as consisting of embodied beings and being a literal Divine Couple have been very empowering as it carves out space for the divine feminine. But descriptions of God fall short—trying to use words for what is indescribable. But even more vital than how we “think” about God is how we "experience" God. Even if we are taught that God is gendered, do we experience God that way? As we seek God and feel we've connected with the Divine, is the element of gender part of it? Some say they do and it is while others report it that they don’t.
Several weeks ago, Latter-day Faith hosted two "virtual firesides" on this very topic. In preparation for a larger discussion those evenings, we asked four thoughtful people to prepare a few thoughts about God and the question of gender, and then we had them lead off in these firesides. All provided powerful glimpses into their own thinking about God as well as wonderful framings for the discussions. And most shared personal details about how their thinking and experiencing of God changed in their lives.
Because we do not record our virtual firesides (as we want all who participate to feel safe should they choose to share things so close to their hearts), we have decided to release two episodes featuring their presentations along with some discussion with LDF host Dan Wotherspoon.
Part 1 features these conversations with Derek Knox and Kajsa Berlin-Kaufusi.
Part 2 features Laurie Lee Hall and Susan Hinckley.
Tune in this week and next! You will discover great insight and wisdom, and you will be moved by the courage of the presenters in sharing elements of their very personal journeys.
Whether we are a parent, grandparent, brother, sister, aunt or uncle, we'd all love the children in our lives to grow up healthy in every way. We likely have thought a lot about their physical and emotional health, but how often do we consider their spiritual health? Spiritual development definitely goes hand in hand with emotional development, encouraging children to recognize what they are feeling, be able to verbalize it, and to learn techniques for grounding themselves during the storms of life that surely come for us all, with children being no exception.
But more than emotional maturity, wouldn't it be wonderful to also help them develop ways to become more whole-hearted, expansive, joyful, and life-embracing at each stage of their development? Whether we want to use terms associated with religious traditions or not, it is important to provide them with help recognizing and being able to name what it feels like to be completely loved and grounded in the more subtle aspects of life, such as being in communion with nature or whatever else that fosters a sense of deep connectedness with things beyond their immediate field of focus. There are many benefits of having children develop and come to trust their "inner compass" as an aid in making choices in their lives, even when they are complicated.
This episode features two wonderful guests, Jon Ogden and Amanda Suarez, who are both grounded spirituality and also immersed in understanding child and human development. They are two of four founders for an organization called "Uplift," which provides resources for parents and others who want children to experience spirituality in healthy ways that open them to the world's widest contexts. Throughout their conversation with LDF host Dan Wotherspoon, they discuss approaches for developing these qualities and awarenesses for three age groups: teens, kids, and "littles." As children in each age range have different capacities, Uplift provides ideas, videos, art, and ideas for helping convey spiritually expansive things at a level that each child can understand.
The discussion has many touchstones to Jon and Amanda’s work with Uplift, but it is geared to be something interesting to all listeners rather than just a pitch for what their foundation provides. It's a great episode. Not one to be missed! So don't!
In this fascinating episode, Dr. Michael Ferguson joins LDF host Dan Wotherspoon for a journey into the field of neuroscience and how its insights relate to spirituality and spiritual journeys. Michael is pioneering the new field of "neurospirituality", and now teaches courses on it at Harvard Divinity School and Harvard College, along with an appointment in neurophysiology at Harvard Medical School, where he is conducting several research projects. As you will learn from listening in on this conversation, he is eminently qualified to unpack for us what he is learning and hoping to continue to learn from this fascinating intersection.
In addition to getting to know Michael personally through his sharing about his own journey toward making these studies his primary focus, he also shares openly about his experiences within Mormonism as a gay man, including the effects of conversion therapy treatments. We also get a great glimpse of his own deep spirituality.
In their wide-ranging discussion, Michael and Dan discuss the nature of spirituality and what the brain is doing while someone is experiencing a peak spiritual experience. Michael differentiates between spiritual "states" and spiritual "traits," which is a theme that plays out in several sections and that holds great promise for not only understanding more about the reasons some people seem to experience more intense spiritual states, but also about subtleties between different states and his hopes to study various practices associated with these differences and how they map in the brain so he and his colleagues might be able to use the maps associated with depression and other neuro- and psychological symptoms in an effort to find ones that seem to affect the same areas in hopes of tailoring certain practices to affect these places in a positive way. Michael also shares his interest in a particular spiritual trait that he calls "spiritual acceptance," which describes the levels of openness individuals have to allowing that there is perhaps more going on in the wider universe than what our brains, logic, and language can describe.
Along the way, Michael introduces what the brain is revealing about how deeply wired spiritual pathways are, which brings to light the question of how spiritual experiences may have influenced brain development and vice versa. He and Dan also discuss mysticism and spiritual writings that describe various subtleties along a deep spiritual path that seem to match well with what neuroscience is discovering. For instance, part of their discussion focuses on the poem, “The Dark Night of the Soul,” by St. John of the Cross, which has suggested a metaphor for one stage along a spiritual journey, as well as descriptions of the inner life as one moves toward God from Teresa of Avila, an influential sixteenth-century nun with a gift for describing the subtleties of various spiritual states. There are parallels in what she writes to what neuroscience is starting to understand.
This is a very inadequate introduction to this two-part episode. May is still serve to whet your appetite for a great listening and spiritual adventure. Don't miss out!
124: Spirituality and Neuroscience, Part 1
In this fascinating episode, Dr. Michael Ferguson joins LDF host Dan Wotherspoon for a journey into the field of neuroscience and how its insights relate to spirituality and spiritual journeys. Michael is pioneering the new field of "neurospirituality", and now teaches courses on it at Harvard Divinity School and Harvard College, along with an appointment in neurophysiology at Harvard Medical School, where he is conducting several research projects. As you will learn from listening in on this conversation, he is eminently qualified to unpack for us what he is learning and hoping to continue to learn from this fascinating intersection.
In addition to getting to know Michael personally through his sharing about his own journey toward making these studies his primary focus, he also shares openly about his experiences within Mormonism as a gay man, including the effects of conversion therapy treatments. We also get a great glimpse of his own deep spirituality.
In their wide-ranging discussion, Michael and Dan discuss the nature of spirituality and what the brain is doing while someone is experiencing a peak spiritual experience. Michael differentiates between spiritual "states" and spiritual "traits," which is a theme that plays out in several sections and that holds great promise for not only understanding more about the reasons some people seem to experience more intense spiritual states, but also about subtleties between different states and his hopes to study various practices associated with these differences and how they map in the brain so he and his colleagues might be able to use the maps associated with depression and other neuro- and psychological symptoms in an effort to find ones that seem to affect the same areas in hopes of tailoring certain practices to affect these places in a positive way. Michael also shares his interest in a particular spiritual trait that he calls "spiritual acceptance," which describes the levels of openness individuals have to allowing that there is perhaps more going on in the wider universe than what our brains, logic, and language can describe.
Along the way, Michael introduces what the brain is revealing about how deeply wired spiritual pathways are, which brings to light the question of how spiritual experiences may have influenced brain development and vice versa. He and Dan also discuss mysticism and spiritual writings that describe various subtleties along a deep spiritual path that seem to match well with what neuroscience is discovering. For instance, part of their discussion focuses on the poem, “The Dark Night of the Soul,” by St. John of the Cross, which has suggested a metaphor for one stage along a spiritual journey, as well as descriptions of the inner life as one moves toward God from Teresa of Avila, an influential sixteenth-century nun with a gift for describing the subtleties of various spiritual states. There are parallels in what she writes to what neuroscience is starting to understand.
This is a very inadequate introduction to this two-part episode. May is still serve to whet your appetite for a great listening and spiritual adventure. Don't miss out!
In this encore presentation of an episode recorded one year ago, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon is joined by the wonderful Kajsa Berlin-Kaufusi for a discussion of Easter, especially how we might lean more deeply and intently into the cycle of dying and rebirthing that is at the spiritual center of this holiday. There are many wonderful teachings around Easter, and Kajsa and Dan honor those and the focuses that are typically presented in church settings. But this episode focuses more on the big picture, which (not coincidentally) also takes us inward and seeking greater intimacy with Christ. How can we experience more life before death? Can each day, each moment, be a resurrection?
This week's episode features Susan Hinckley and Cynthia Winward, the hosts of the incredible At Last She Said It podcast. In conversation with LDF host Dan Wotherspoon, they share many things about their experiences with it over the two years since its launch. How is it being received? Who is listening? What are the primary themes that come up again and again? In the course of the dialogue, they discuss how women too often feel unseen and unheard within the church. How they are restless. About their concerns for their daughters coming into an environment that doesn't feel safe or encouraging of their full expression as women. The guests and host also have a conversation about how women who are so used to being powerless at church often also feel powerless in their own spiritual lives.
The conversation also turns to practical concerns, such as how they would react should any church leaders ask them to stop recording the podcast (and how quite a few listeners worry about that situation possibly arising for them). They also talk of the harms of patriarchy and how it will need commitment by both women and men if it is going to be lessened or dismantled entirely.
Dan also turns the tables by asking them the question that they ask their podcasts guests: What do you know? (At least know today.)
Listen in! This is a rich discussion that we know you'll enjoy and gain much from!
As we release this episode, we are in the midst of the senate confirmation hearings (battles?) over the potential elevation of the Hon. Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court. Many Latter-day Saints are also looking toward the upcoming April 2022 General Conference--most with excitement, but others with deep trepidation about possibly hearing messages that might lead them or loved ones to feel "othered," shamed, or in despair. At times like these, alongside all the other stresses in the world at large and/or our own lives in particular, we are not always at our best. We can easily become cynical, outraged, depressed, and the temptation is to want to hide from the cacophony that surrounds us. But is there hope for managing all this better?
Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon thinks so. He goes solo in this episode that is designed to offer a sense of comfort, and perhaps even optimism in our lives even when they are difficult. His approach is to teach about and encourage each of us to seek an even deeper grounding in Spirit--or whatever term we prefer that describes the source of energies and courage that are beyond us and that can sustain us.
He discusses why we might want to seek this deeper grounding and why they are especially important in today's world when there is so much division and outrage and dissembling that are all so easy to get caught up in. He discusses daily practices in general and why they are important, and the benefits of them that can come to us. He addresses the fruits of spiritual centering and how it yields far better results than when we seek to do better and then going about it primarily through our own willpower.
Can we develop new attitudes toward everything that comes our way? He is in good company in suggesting the answer is a resounding "YES." Listen in! See what you think!
Reported percentages vary, but many Latter-day Saints who disaffiliate to some degree from Mormonism also lose their faith in God or even a spiritual path. There are quite a few reasons why many step away from a Latter-day Saint life, but why is it so hard for so many to even want to hold on to belief in some higher power, let alone continue to have a desire to connect with this Source? These are the questions that Phil McLemore and LDF host Dan Wotherspoon take on in this episode. They also discuss the general lack of passion for the gospel that seems to describe what we find in the church today, and also the lack of passion even for spiritual pursuits of any kind. What is going on? Are there remedies?
Listen in to what Phil and Dan come up with in this slightly-longer-than-usual but still very engaging episode!
This episode is primarily an exploration of the concept of "intention," especially as it relates to our spiritual journeys. But in the end, it is best summed up by the question, "What Do We Really Want"? Of course, if each of us drills down to discover what we value the most, and explore the reasons for these values and how they have been present in our life paths so far, no two of us will end up with the exact same answer. Not only that, we should hold somewhat loosely to our answer because if we are engaging intentionally with our lives and spiritual journeys, we will not be the same people we were when we last visited the question.
In the episode, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon is joined by two wonderful and insightful friends and fellow retreat leaders, Mark Crego and Jana Spangler, for a discussion of "intentions." Do intentions differ from goals or motivations? And if so, how? In our faith lives, we generally inherit the institutional intentions for us, which are very often aligned with what our parents or other important figures in our lives have for us. But how well has/does a church prepare us for the hard spiritual work of discovering and uncovering what drives us most deeply? Do most institutional religions even point us toward this kind of work as a thing to expect to undertake as we continue maturing?
This episode features some ideas for ways to become open to this kind of work, and then to allow us to fully embrace the challenges. The panelists discuss many things that will resonate with some listeners and not with others, but they assure us that this is okay and it shouldn't be another (dang) reason to judge ourselves harshly. Each discussant comes at the nexus of what "intention" means to them, and how it plays out in their own hearts and journeys--and you will be able to recognize their differences based on their temperament, training, study, personalities, and life stories.
Please listen to this episode! It's a great one!
In this episode, LDF host, Dan Wotherspoon, speaks about three approaches to life's questions that he has found to work well for him in his spiritual journey. He first introduces key elements of William James's Pragmatism and how following it ultimately yields a greater sense of empowerment. He then reflects on the superiority of "Questions" over "Answers." Finally, he moves into a discussion of how actively using our imagination helps yield the most important important kinds of knowledge.
Listen in to get to know Dan a bit better, especially with regard to his approach to matters of truth and goodness. Enjoy!
In this episode, the wonderful Margaret Toscano joins Latter-day Faith podcast host Dan Wotherspoon for a conversation about scripture in general, and the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament in particular. They discuss reasons why we should worry far, far less than Latter-day Saints normally do about whether the characters in the Bible and the events described therein actually happened. Margaret shares about her deep love for scripture, some of the ways she studies it, and the importance of our imaginations in our approach to it.
Dive in with them! It will provide a boost as we continue to study the Biblical text this year in Sunday School!
This wonderful and timely episode features James Jones, a black Latter-day Saint currently studying at Union Theological Seminary in New York, talking about his just-released video course: "LDS Anti-Racism 101: Abandoning Attitudes and Actions of Prejudice." This hour-long course features James sharing from scripture and prophetic calls of other forms to confront racism in its overt as well as subtle forms. Structuring it in the "head, heart, and hands" formula, he teaches how to raise our Awareness, be more thoughtful and open in our Associations, and put our particular gifts into Action.
This conversation between James and LDF host Dan Wotherspoon also features the story of the complicated background story to its production and publication, one that features Deseret Book withdrawing from the project due to concerns over James' online history of calling out racism and other forms of marginalizing in remarks from LDS general authorities, but ultimately modeling a very good way of confronting institutional mistakes and making restitution. James and Dan also discuss a few course particulars regarding racism in wider societal context, and talk through a form of micro-aggression that most of us would never even think about. Plus, they talk about a whole lot more!
Listen in! Do it because you "should" but also for the wisdom and fresh-eyes you will receive and that will bring more love into your heart and spark ways for you to be more authentic and confident in speaking and acting prophetically in your own life.
This episode features a conversation between Mat Schmalz and LDF host Dan Wotherspoon about images, rituals, and meditations surrounding the Christmas season. Mat, who teaches religious studies at the College of the Holy Cross, in Worcester, Massachusetts, is a cradle Catholic and has for the past twenty years or so also engaged with Latter-day Saints, and here shares openly, and in a very approachable way, about Catholic traditions centered on the Christmas story.
In the first section, Mat teaches us about three holy days in the Catholic calendar: the Annunciation, Advent, and Epiphany—the symbols at play in these, other traditions surrounding them, and more. Mat also shares about Christmas Mass, the time he met Mother Teresa, and some of the emphases Catholicism place with regard to the various individuals and animals present in the Nativity narrative. He also shares about the direction his own meditations have taken him.
This is a great conversation between two friends that also includes questions from Mat about various LDS subjects. A shared spirit in their exchanges is how readily each shares their "holy envy" about things more emphasized in the others' tradition.
Listen in to learn, and to perhaps find ideas that can help shape your experiences this Christmas season and in seasons to come.
Merry Christmas!
This encore presentation of a show first released in December 2019 continues a conversation between Phil McLemore, a yogi in the lineage of Paramahansa Yogananda and also a Latter-day Saint, and LDF host Dan Wotherspoon. This time, its focus is on Christmas and its various symbols and the opportunities the season provides for better understanding Jesus and, more widely, Christ, the divine consciousness of God in every part of creation. Phil and Dan first discuss the importance of understanding things related to our divine development through myth and symbology rather than worrying if this or that story or account of something miraculous really happened historically. It’s an important shift to make, allowing us to read scripture, situations, others, and all of life with new and fresh eyes, for in each is much that we can draw on for strength and insight for our journeys.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the divine feminine more widely, then take front stage as Phil pulls wonderful wisdom from every aspect of what she represents as a virgin, as pregnant with Christ consciousness, as giving birth, and much more. The turn next to what the inn and innkeeper represent. What about the cave/stable? How can we look at the shepherds and the wise men/magi (and their gifts) more expansively? Elizabeth and Mary, each carrying in her womb a powerful, God-conscious child can also be seen as much more than simply cousins communing together during their pregnancies. And more!
Yogi Phil then takes us into greater depth, sharing some of the teachings and practices of Yogananda in relation to Christmas, and he then offers us a powerful meditative practice that will help take us deep in the meaning of this holy season and the patterns and archetypes playing themselves out in its stories and symbols, and even more importantly, within each of us as we journey toward divine consciousness and communion. Will we allow ourselves to be open to its many gifts?
So often we read scripture through lenses that don’t allow them to affect us all that much. We read for the stories depicted, perhaps the history. We will notice teachings and perhaps other things about the writers. But none of these ways place the emphasis on us and our transformation, or on insights that these suggest when we approach them spiritually.
In this episode, Mark Crego, and LDF host Dan Wotherspoon discuss scripture and a few ways to look at them that can aid our own self-discovery of certain depths, but even more so our own discovery of our selves and our hearts, pains, and shadows.
This is the Christmas season, and Mark uses two scriptures that are traditionally seen as connected to the Nativity and the Messiah coming into the world and expands them in ways that open up different possibilities. Some of it is background, but even more so it can free us up to "enter into" scripture and allow our imaginations to fill in aspects of it (and to do this without apprehensions) or even serve as divination tools for our own spiritual work.
This is a terrific and insightful discussion! Please listen. Your Christmas season can take on new colors and lead you to new depths!
Terri Peterson is a recovering perfectionist. She says she came to it naturally as the oldest child in her family, but it moved into full throttle following a family tragedy about which church teachings offered comfort but, at least the way she began to understand them, also stressed the importance of doing and being obedient, and causing her to choose the most extreme ways of demonstrating her desires to be righteous.
In this episode, she joins LDF host Dan Wotherspoon to tell her story and unpack the negative effects of this perfectionism in not only her spiritual life but also her family relationships. But hers is also a journey to peace, to a bigger understanding of God, a recovered sense of her own eternal nature, and learnng that she should pursue things that interest and fulfill her as a person, even if they are not fully church related. She is now a docent at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC, as well as a certified yoga teacher. Terri has also learned the spiritual power in being vulnerable, uncertain, patient, and allowing things to unfold. She has also begun sharing about things that represent "the real her" in her ward and other church settings.
Terry's story will touch so many of you (and those you share this episode with) who have likewise struggled with trying to be perfect and occupied and always on the go. It will also be important to those who love someone who is entrapped by this ultimately futile striving for God's love through demonstrated obedience and outward presentation.
Do not miss this one! And DO share it with those you love!
This episode provides a chance for listeners to bask in the presence of two powerful wise women elders, Lyndsay Pulsipher and Theresa Roth. Brought on the show by LDF host Dan Wotherspoon, a huge admirer of the way each of them meet the world, including life among the Mormons, Lindsay and Theresa share about their lives and spiritual paths, as well as the practices that allow them to center in love even when interacting with difficult people and situations. In addition, both women are life-long educators and share wonderful insights from these careers as well as from their own families.
These is one of these episodes that is difficult to describe and simply must be experienced. Settle in and bask.
In this episode, the wonderful mentor, coach, and educator, Melanee Evans, joins host Dan Wotherspoon for a deep dive into our spiritual core (our "home"), the creative nature of thought, "living from inside-out," and other profound concepts and their connections to our real, lived-lives, and especially how they offer us a way to true joy and peace. The conversation begins with Melanee sharing about her unique upbringing and life since that ultimately led her to find and study the ideas she shares here. All along, Dan shares his excitement for these concepts and the many new ways to expound on the key idea at the foundation of most contemplative, eastern, and many other traditions--and here at Latter-day Faith. And for fans of Elder Marlin Jensen, you'll get to know him a bit better as Melanee shares about the very important role he has played in her life.
You won't want to miss this conversation. It's a long one and can be listened to in chunks, but most likely you will be sucked right in and find yourself listening to all of it in one sitting!
LDS community dynamics in the U.S. (and also in certain other places in the world) have shifted greatly in the past two decades, as someone's politics have largely overshadowed their religious identity. As our guest this episode, Stephen Carter, argues, we now likely know more about someone who identifies themselves as a political conservative (or a liberal or a progressive) than from their being a Latter-day Saint. This has led to many fascinating changes.
Among the largest of these, we are now seeing more and more church members who have been radicalized politically beginning to doubt the inspiration of the prophet and other leaders, whereas it was generally those more politically liberal who were the wrestlers with that question. Stephen also suggests that it is now political conservatism that is driving Mormonism than Mormonism influencing members' political leanings. And this is true not only in the LDS church but many others as well. Where can we find escape from politics these days?
Stephen argues that the current trend is toward "short-form" religions rather than traditional ones with large, sweeping, mythic arcs that suggest answers for where we came from, why we are here, and where we are going (or, at least, what is the highest form of human flourishing. Drawing on work by scholar Amanda Montell, he notes that it seems that folks leaving traditional worship spaces and communities are gravitating toward fitness groups, such as SoulCycle and CrossFit, and to internet influencers, gurus, etc, that don't require giving ascent to a full religious/mythic worldview so much as gaining "results now." The jolt once recognized as Spirit is now the positive feelings we gain as we note our self-improvement, and when in communities that have formed among those who "gather" in these ways, in person or online, and are not "high-cost" groups.
Tying back to the today's politics and religion intermingling, Stephen proposes that now more than ever, we need spaces and community ties that are free from political cultishness and that look forward to future generations and provide them. He believes religions and religious participation might need to be what saves the future by working on "hearts knit in love" and that have a sense of what the big-picture world is and true peace and joy.
Ultimately, he proposes that it is worthwhile (to us and to the future) to continue to engage with others in religious spaces, even if we sometimes don't like it at all and fail to receive spiritual uplift. It is the continuation of the religious space and community that is vital. And, of course, at each point in the conversation, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon argues that it is still very possible to experience joy and life- and people-affirming love while at church and in settings dominated by a religious worldview.
Please enjoy this fascinating tour through several topics woven together masterfully! And don't let the argument for "Why We Should Attend Church Even If We Might Not Like It" scare you off!
"Authority" takes many forms. According to the gospel writer Mark, people responded to Jesus's teaching in the following way: “And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes. (Mark 1:22). What does that mean? What is going on between the speaker and the hearer that would cause the latter to react like this? And how does this sort of authority differ from authority that is embedded in one's particular position?
What does it mean when someone or some text is described as "authoritative"? What is the obligation of a member of a group that sees certain people or scriptures in that way? Are they required to agree with everything that person or text says, or is there room for each person to weigh these words, this person, or this text against their own lived experience and what it leads them to think or believe is true and/or inspired? And, if so, are there bounds to what they can say about their disagreements within group settings?
What about "priesthood authority"? Does it differ from "priesthood power"? If so, how? What might Joseph Smith have meant when he wrote from Liberty Jail that "the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness. That they may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man." Is someone acting out of alignment with the principles of righteousness no longer "authorized" to serve within the priesthood office to which he (or she--coming soon?) has been ordained? That doesn't seem to be the case. So what is it that is lost?
In this episode, you will find an expansive conversation between LDF host Dan Wotherspoon and his partner in Latter-day Faith and the Faith Journey Foundation, Mark Crego, on these and other aspects of "authority." What are the qualities of someone who we might designate as an "authority" for us? Does this make them "authoritative" in our lives in all things? And, finally, what about the title of "general authorities" that is granted to certain LDS male church leaders? How do most Latter-day Saints view that title with regard to their own spiritual lives? Is there a different (and better) way to understand this title?
Tune in!
Activation Warning: This episode contains discussions of suicidal ideation. If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, there is always professional help available to assist you, both in the short and long term. If you’ve reached a crisis point, please reach out to a trusted person or call a suicide hotline. Do not be alone with these thoughts running through your mind!
The title of this episode mentions mental illness, but the real emphasis is on the first part: Living and Loving and Growing Strong. As you will hear, today's guest, Diane Bartholomew, is incredible and her spiritual walk powerful and inspiring. As you get to know her a bit here, you will see that the struggles with depression and bi-polar disorder (type 2) she's faced have opened her up to a deep and abiding sense of being unconditionally loved, first within her family, and also by God, and how this love has empowered her to fight and grow into an open-hearted and inviting person who meets challenging situations thoughtfully and powerfully.
The discussion also goes into how uninhibited journaling has been an important spiritual practice as she experiences life's ups and downs. She and Dan also talk about the dynamics of interpersonal relationships within groups as well as in one-on-one conversations, which Diane prefers and really leans into. In this we can all learn so much.
Meet the incredible Diane! This conversation is one that is sure to inspire and stay with you as you meet your challenges, whatever they are.
Dr. Julie de Azevedo Hanks is the guest for this podcast discussion that focuses on moving our homes and families, and in doing so wider communities, toward genuine gender equality. In it, she introduces us to a model she created as part of her doctoral dissertation, which she calls the “Partnership Model of Family Organization.” She shares fascinating ideas about families and linking with others that match LDS ideas of Zion and even the life of gods, as well as acknowledging how the organization structure and the gendered roles it perpetuates work against full actualization of the church’s members.
After introducing the larger societal structure as a “dominator” one in which everything is ranked in importance and power, in which men’s work is valued more than women’s, in which nurturing takes a back seat to breadwinning and climbing the ladder, etc., Julie proposes “partnership” instead. She takes us through eight elements of partnership families and how we can work toward their actualization in our own homes and relationships. LDF host Dan Wotherspoon jumps in (interrupts?) with questions, connections, and angles, keeping us tied to real, lived reality as Latter-day Saints rather than focusing on the 10,000-foot, more theoretical view. It’s a great dynamic!
You’ll learn a lot, recognize yourself in much of what’s discussed, and thoroughly enjoy this episode. Dive in!
This episode releases two weeks after LDS Apostle Jeffrey R. Holland addressed BYU faculty, administrators, and staff, during which he reiterated the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ position on marriage as being only between a man and a woman. He also addressed the activism on the BYU campus supportive of LGBTQ+ students, especially the participation of those who work for the church-supported institution, directing them to refrain from taking part in them. For many students, faculty, and others in the wider Latter-day Saint community who are welcoming and fully accepting of those who identify as queer, these remarks along with the apostle’s delivery tone were especially hurtful. How do those so affected become re-centered and come closer to peace after such an (unnecessary) setback?
In this episode, Lisa Hansen, the director of Flourish Counseling whose clientele are LGBTQ+, joins LDF host Dan Wotherspoon to talk about "resiliency." What does that term mean? Look like? And how do we develop it within ourselves? It is a deep and rich subject, one only coming into focus in psychological circles within the past decade. Lisa very skillfully introduces us to this concept and quality with a particular emphasis on the extra difficulties experienced by minority communities, especially our queer brothers and sisters.
If you think you already understand resilience, you don’t. This conversation is rich and full of many “oh my gosh, I hadn’t thought of that” moments. This is an episode to listen to multiple times and to share with those who are open to better understanding LGBTQ individuals, as well as themselves.
Listen in!
In this episode, Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon reflects on the life of his wonderful friend, mentor, sounding board, and wise soul Curt Bench who passed away recently. In sharing about Curt and the pivotal role he played in Dan's life, his hope is that we each will take time to consider the people who have made a genuine difference in our lives, especially those who found joy in who we are and have helped us come to understand ourselves more deeply and perhaps point us toward our genuine spiritual gifts. Dan also reflects on the importance of finding more of those kinds of people in our lives. Sometimes they will fall into our orbit naturally, but we also shouldn't hesitate to actively try to develop friendships that might be transformative for us.
In the final section of this episode, Dan reads an essay of Curt's that is found in the 2021 book, Why I Stay, volume 2 (Signature Books). In it you will get to meet Curt in his own words as he describes his journey within Mormonism and how he had found fulfillment there even amidst everything that is less than ideal. A part of that journey was his finding examples of others who inspired him in much the same was that Curt inspired Dan.
This is a very personal episode. Thank you for allowing this indulgence.
No two life paths are the same, and this is also true with spiritual ones. Here at Latter-day Faith we talk a lot about "inner work" and practices that are often associated with Christian mysticism. Yet, as Marty Erickson, this week's guest, points out, not everyone wrestling with Mormonism or struggling to discover their own spiritual way relates to the mystic path. Where are they to go? How might they discover the spiritual practices and stories and journey that is right for them?
This episode discusses certain ideas that might prove helpful in this discovery process, but even more than that explores such liminal spaces--their difficulties as well as the gifts of the wrestle. Toward the end, Marty draws wonderful and illuminating parallels between spiritual and social justice work.
You will love this conversation! Listen in!
Levi Peterson is one of Mormondom's most celebrated authors and writing teachers who, in this episode chats with LDF host Dan Wotherspoon shortly after the release of his latest collection of short stories, Losing a Bit of Eden. His most famous novel is The Backslider, and he has written, among many other things, a celebrated biography of LDS historian Juanita Brooks (who was the first to document in a scholarly way the events of the Mountain Meadow Massacre) and a wonderful autobiography, A Rascal By Nature; A Christian by Yearning.
In their conversation, Levi shares a bit about his writing process and the ideas that launched several of his works, his upbringing as a faithful Mormon for whom the church and certain teachings never quite fit but how and why he continued to regularly attend church and gather with fellow Latter-day Saints. He shares about his encounters with Juanita Brooks and how he became fascinated by her and knew that she deserved a thoughtful and scholarly biography, as well as about longtime friendships with Mormon writers and scholars and their impact on his life, especially Lavina Fielding Anderson and Eugene England. Finally, he speaks about the arc of Mormonism and Mormon culture during his lifetime and reflects on certain LDS leaders.
This is a fun, wide-ranging conversation that you will enjoy immensely as you come to get a feel for Levi, now 87 years old, and his personality and charisma. He and his works truly deserve celebration and continued reading.
Listen in!
In this departure from our usual type of show, this episode takes a short look at the evolution of from the founding of Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought to the beginnings of Sunstone and its symposiums. Featuring Sunstone's director of publishing, Stephen Carter, he and LDF host Dan Wotherspoon (a former editor and executive director of Sunstone) then talk about the 2021 Salt Lake Sunstone Symposium that runs from July 28th to the 31st.
Listen in to see if attending it this year, in person or virtually, is something you are interested in. Plus learn of the most excellent opening session in the evening of the 28th! We'll make you listen to find out what that is! (Or, if you want to be that way, you can go to Sunstone.org and find out.) Ha ha!
For our 100th Latter-day Faith episode, my good and wise friend, Mark Crego, who is also my partner in making this show and our many events and gatherings possible, get together to reflect on what we started a bit over two years ago. How well does it match with what we started out to do? How have things shifted, and what has brought these on? And, ultimately, how do we see LDF and the Faith Journey Foundation going forward?
It's a bit of navel gazing to be sure but still a worthwhile discussion. Hope you will listen in!
For many, the way the sacrament is practiced within Mormonism can feel stale and perfunctory rather than spiritually fulfilling. The LDS practice is very simple, beginning with a hymn, followed by the reading of set prayers (but very rarely feeling like prayer and supplication, an attempt to unite us in common purpose), then being followed by boys and men (only) passing the emblems--plain bread and tap water--to the congregation. It concludes with thanks from the pulpit for those who administered the ordinance, and then the regular flow of sacrament begins again. (Of course, during the pandemic, the sacrament has been moved to the end, following the end of the meeting being streamed to those watching from home.)
In this episode, Jody England Hansen and LDF host Dan Wotherspoon, two people who often speak and teach together about ritual and religious practice, offer perspectives that they hope will help everyone deepen their experiences during and surrounding the sacrament. Following their sharing pieces of their own journeys to where they are now in their thinking and practice of the sacrament, they turn the focus toward the sacrament as a "communal meal," a time of sharing and building community among those who choose to unite within God's love and "Way" of being. They speak of the deep yearning we all feel to be connected, to be included, to live with purpose that allows the free flow of that love, that grace. Along the way, they reflect on the ideas that often obscure us from moving into the ritual’s true purpose, the power of simplicity in this ordinance, and much more.
The episode contains stories, reflections, and rich insights. It is definitely one to listen to--perhaps again and again!
Mormonism's theology is "queer" in the sense of peculiar, different, and unique in its connections between ideas and the particularity of spirit and matter, along with various practices. Blaire Ostler, in her new book Queer Mormon Theology: An Introduction (By Common Consent Press, 2021) plays on that meaning, while also laying out how in many ways that queer theology has a lot of room for "queer" people: those who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex, asexual, pansexual, or in other ways than simply cis-gendered and heterosexual. She takes a very expansive view of scriptural and other teachings about God, Jesus, Christ, Families and more and paints a very open, graceful gospel, while acknowledging that institutional and cultural Mormonism is currently anti-queer and harmful for those who so identify. But does that always need to be the case?
In this episode, Blaire joins Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon for a far-ranging discussion of aspects of the book and her thinking, as well as her own personal journey to understand and embrace her sexual identities as both bisexual and intersex and how her life has brought her to a place from which she can stand both as a Latter-day Saint and a queer person and write propose such beautiful theology.
Please listen in! You'll find this a very mind- and heart-expanding episode.
In this special Father's Day episode, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon interviews his dad, Jim. James Richard Wotherspoon has lived a remarkable life. Born blind (as was his brother, Robert), Jim has achieved quite a lot in his 87-plus years. He became one of the first (if not the first) blind person to earn the rank of Eagle scout. He and his brother both mainstreamed at Berkeley High School, where he excelled in his courses, as well as music and chess. He then attended the University of California at Berkeley where he earned his doctorate in history (as well as met his wife, Beverly, and started a family). They then all moved to Sacramento, California, where he taught history at American River College for 43 years.
In addition to his life triumphs, he faced many setbacks as well, including a heartbreaking divorce and reactions from church leaders, ultimately staying away from activity for 35 years. He is fully back and involved now, and most impressive of all is his attitude and the spirit of grace and forgiveness that radiate from him.
You'll be glad you listened in!
Samuel Brown lives the life of a physician-scientist whose life journey has brought him step by step and new experience by new experience from rebellion, rationalism, and atheism to a place where, as he says, "[that] we might make sense of our thinking within a world charged by the presence of God." He is not naturally social or comfortable with others but through the decades has come to appreciate the importance of community bonded through commitment to a shared path, open-hearted sharing, and service, as well as the people themselves. But it is a forty-year story that brings him to where he is now: "all in."
Sam shares this story in a new book of essays, Where the Soul Hungers: One Doctor's Journey from Atheism to Faith, (Neal A Maxwell Center and Deseret Book, 2021), which he discusses here with LDF host Dan Wotherspoon. In it, they discuss the arc of Sam's life, as well as many interesting takes he has arrived at through his medical and also gospel studies (leaving many more un-noted here but in the book). Among the things he speaks on his why how we frame things is more important than the questions we ask, if there is more to learn from the story of Solomon's wisdom and judgment in the case of the contested baby, from David and Goliath, from baking bread, from ritual and empowering our senses to take us to wonderful views and understanding.
Here we are celebrating a wonderful book and the journey of an even more remarkable man. Join us!
There is no question that we are living during a time in the world that is unlike any other. Brought on by the dawning of the information age, and especially the rise of the Internet and ever-increasing access to it and all the social media and other technologies it has hatched, it is no wonder that societies, cultures, religions, and we ourselves have been thrust into major growing pains--some of which are here ahead of our collective and individual maturity to manage easily as all of it has disrupted our previous comfort levels. Luckily, we have the records of previous major societal upheavals that we can gather lessons from them, with one of them being the good news of major shifts in consciousness that follow in the decades after.
In this episode, Caleb Jones, an information engineer, joins LDF host Dan Wotherspoon to talk about many aspects of this time of flux. Caleb keys in on the "Second Great Awakening" that brought forth so much societal change, including the birthing of many religions such a Mormonism. He draws parallels from it and other "Awakenings" to help elucidate the present, especially regarding trends in Mormonism and individual Latter-day Saint lives. In all of this, he and Dan raise questions (and propose tentative thoughts) that can be important guides for our own soul work. May it serve you well in this way as you listen in!
1 Corinthians 13 is one of the best known and most powerful chapters in the Bible. At the end of the chapter before it, Paul says he is going to talk to the people of Corinth about a "more excellent way," and he then launches into his famous discourse on love (translated as "charity" by the King James authors) and its transcendence above all other gifts and qualities. The chapter also contains a gorgeous section about spiritual growth and where it can lead.
In this episode, Mark Crego takes us through the many things Paul is saying by highlighting our attention on the Greek words and phrasings in the original text and that expand our understanding of so many new things that English translations simply miss. Things we assumed we already grasped in the chapter are opened to view. The qualities of love Paul describes take on a new vitality, his litany of things that Love does not do opens to subtleties that show the apostle's awareness of the temptations that we too often yield to while showing our love to others. Mark's unpacking of this chapter reveals a Paul at his best, and our appreciation for what he'd come to know through his experiences with God and people grows exponentially.
It is difficult to describe her just how interesting and empowering this episode is. Be ready to take notes! And please share this with others!
Sean McKee is a wonderful member of the Latter-day Faith community, and is someone with a wonderfully diverse spiritual background. In this episode, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon draws Sean out on his life and religious journey. In his telling, we learn a lot about other traditions he's been part of, gain insights on the development of religion more generally, and come to understand what elements of Mormonism ultimately drew him to throw in with the Latter-day Saints.
Sean's Mormonism also involves spiritual supplementing with several other groups, personal contemplative practices, and he also "makes things happen" within his ward and stake. Throughout we experience a strong sense of his goodness, his energy and quest to understand and to grow, as well as his brilliant mind. Listen in! Get to know, as the LDF episode introduction says, a true "fellow traveler."
There are aspects of Mormon culture and emphases among Latter-day Saint teachings that make it very difficult to for many to understand, let alone, experience true Grace. Katie Langston was one of these people, constantly worrying if she was "doing enough," if she was "worthy" in the eyes of God, if she were innately evil. Ultimately, she was diagnosed with "scrupulosity," a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder that zeros in on such thoughts. As she reached the end of her rope, she began to experience hints of Grace in the form of people in her lives, and then, ultimately, through a powerful, direct experience of God's love. God let her know, in no uncertain terms, that she was loved unconditionally, and has always been and always will be. There is nothing that she could ever do to cause God to cease loving her.
She continued to journey within Mormonism for many years before ultimately receiving a "call" to ministry, one that she has chosen to live out within the Lutheran tradition. She has written a memoir about her many experiences along the way, Sealed: An Unexpected Journey into the Heart of Grace, which was just recently published. A long-time friend and collaborator with LDF host Dan Wotherspoon, this episodes celebrates Katie's book and the powerful and powerfully written story of her life up until now which has brought her to the cusp of ordination. It is honest, wise, gut-wrenching, humorous at times, and provides a wonderful introduction to a Grace-filled world. Don't miss out!
This past week, the wonderful Mormon mental, spiritual, and sex therapist Natasha Helfer Parker was scheduled to defend herself in a membership council called by the stake presidency in her former stake in Kansas (even though she had moved to Salt Lake City sixteen months earlier). Six friends, including Jana Spangler and Jody England Hansen, two of the women in this podcast episode, were also scheduled to testify on her behalf, and many more were holding a support vigil in a pavilion on the stake center's property, including our other panelist, Shandra Harris. Many things went haywire that evening--as well as in the weeks leading up to that scheduled council--and this podcast shares those stories here. Ultimately, neither Natasha, Jana, Jody, nor four others who had been approved to give testimony before the stake presidency were allowed to participate as promised. It was an emotionally and spiritually painful evening for all there as well as for many others who witnessed it vicariously. The toll from this devastatingly wrong-headed and massively mis-executed council is yet to be measured.
In addition to going through the events herein, we have chosen to focus on the vital spiritual role of witnessing, even when it's witnessing the abuse of others. Being witnessed is a big part of what allows someone to stay strong and, perhaps, eventually find comfort and peace. Witnessing involves, as Jody shares in this episode, the ability to stay in the present moment even in times of great suffering. Witnessing also extends past the event(s) as continued care for others' well being, especially as they experience the inevitable ups and downs that come with continued processing of their grief and anger.
No one wishes that any of the events that occurred around Natasha's council ever happened. It was unfair and abusive from the very beginning. But we all also know that for our own physical, mental, and spiritual well-being that we must ultimatelyfind our way to healing, for it is in these processes that we discover our own true strength, along with a new, larger, more magnificent God than our old paradigms had ever allowed us to imagine. May this discussion be a stepping stone on the healing journeys for all who choose to listen.
This past week, the wonderful Mormon mental, spiritual, and sex therapist Natasha Helfer Parker was scheduled to defend herself in a membership council called by the stake presidency in her former stake in Kansas (even though she had moved to Salt Lake City sixteen months earlier). Six friends, including Jana Spangler and Jody England Hansen, two of the women in this podcast episode, were also scheduled to testify on her behalf, and many more were holding a support vigil in a pavilion on the stake center's property, including our other panelist, Shandra Harris. Many things went haywire that evening--as well as in the weeks leading up to that scheduled council--and this podcast shares those stories here. Ultimately, neither Natasha, Jana, Jody, nor four others who had been approved to give testimony before the stake presidency were allowed to participate as promised. It was an emotionally and spiritually painful evening for all there as well as for many others who witnessed it vicariously. The toll from this devastatingly wrong-headed and massively mis-executed council is yet to be measured.
In addition to going through the events herein, we have chosen to focus on the vital spiritual role of witnessing, even when it's witnessing the abuse of others. Being witnessed is a big part of what allows someone to stay strong and, perhaps, eventually find comfort and peace. Witnessing involves, as Jody shares in this episode, the ability to stay in the present moment even in times of great suffering. Witnessing also extends past the event(s) as continued care for others' well being, especially as they experience the inevitable ups and downs that come with continued processing of their grief and anger.
No one wishes that any of the events that occurred around Natasha's council ever happened. It was unfair and abusive from the very beginning. But we all also know that for our own physical, mental, and spiritual well-being that we must ultimatelyfind our way to healing, for it is in these processes that we discover our own true strength, along with a new, larger, more magnificent God than our old paradigms had ever allowed us to imagine. May this discussion be a stepping stone on the healing journeys for all who choose to listen.
Matt Jones has been a faithful Latter-day Saint his entire life, recently serving as a bishop. Yet in the years leading up and into his calling, he struggled with his beliefs regarding Jesus. What he had previously thought about Jesus as son of God and all that follows from that stance, he could no longer affirm. Ultimately, he relaxed and simply let his worries and doubts fall from the front of his eyes and soul--and served. And, guess what? He found Jesus again. A much better, richer, more experiential understanding of Jesus as Christ, one that brings peace to his soul.
Please listen in as Matt tells his story in conversation with LDF host Dan Wotherspoon. There's a good spirit in their exchanges, plus a bit of teasing between two old friends.
In this brief but powerful discussion, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon is joined by the wonderful Kajsa Berlin-Kaufusi for a discussion of Easter, as especially the idea of how we can lean more deeply and intently into the cycle of dying and rebirthing that this holiday features. There are many wonderful teachings around Easter, and the participants honor those and the focuses that are typically presented in church settings. This episode focuses more on the big picture, which (not coincidentally) also takes us inward and toward intimacy with Christ. How can we have more life before death? Can each day, each moment, be a resurrection?
I'm excited to offer as an encore one of the earliest LDF podcast episodes. It is one that really highlights the mission of Latter-day Faith, which is to encourage listeners in taking their faith journeys into new spiritual terrain. The offerings in this episode are great reminders that we can't think our way to genuine peace and compassion, patience and hope, nor can we rely on our own willpower to shed the natural man and be transformed into the kind of beings Jesus is calling us towards. I know you will enjoy visiting (or revisiting) this episode!
As my good friend Jana Spangler and I talk in this episode about the quality of “spiritual maturity,” we note the difficulty involved in a subject like this because such maturity is more of a thing that we might notice in other people and, perhaps, ourselves, yet it is hard to explain in words (and definitely not something someone should claim about themselves). But we pushed on anyway! Our approach was to discuss three qualities or hallmarks that we believe are universal across all spiritual traditions and communities.
Jana leads us through discussions of transformational vs transactional relationships with God and others. We move next to someone’s ability to examine what ego needs are playing out with others and ourselves, leading us in our relationships and soul work to over-identify with these needs and trying to protect others and us from seeing them rather than coming to center in our highest selves. Our final topic is differentiation. How comfortable are we with expressions of genuine difference, whether they be in others’ experiences vs ours or even another’s critique? Are we able to validate the positions of and see those who differ from us as fellow travelers rather than enemies who are standing in the way of our vision becoming normative? Do we lead out always with love and compassion first? Are we comfortable enough with ourselves to be okay even in settings in which we might feel a bit like an outsider?
This episode contains many terrific insights. Jana knocks everything out of the ballpark here. Prepare for a good and potentially important transformative listen!
Cheers!
Dan
This is a fascinating podcast episode that talks about religion and Mormonism in an unfamiliar yet insightful way. Our guide is Latter-day Faith podcast favorite Stephen Carter who draws parallels between the physical technologies we use all the time, including to this listen to this podcast, and “social technologies” that, like the other, are set up to bring about certain results. He and LDF host Dan Wotherspoon spend a good amount of time helping listeners come to a comfort level with talking about things such as democracy, monogamy, and religion as “technologies.”
From there, Stephen takes us through a model he has constructed outlining one part of the Mormon technology. (See Diagram below) As he demonstrates, the LDS church has a clear idea of what it hopes its members will become and designs a strategy for community, for focused direction, and promises that if we follow the plan the goal it outlined for us will be realized. It is a terrific way to then explore how, like all technologies, this one breaks down at times and common challenges that arrive for various members as they experience things that challenge the model. It’s a great section of the episode, especially for those in the middle of their wrestle.
There were similar technologies at play within the Judaism at Jesus’s time, along with others arriving with the Roman occupation and strategies for overthrowing it. Yet even as Jesus was surrounded by these technologies, he recognized how every social technology if left to do its own thing will surely leave many individuals behind, or even crushed by its momentum. It is at this point that Stephen unfolds what he sees as Jesus’s work as a tech "saboteur" and his strategies for mitigating these negative effects. What Stephen comes up with are each very evident in the Gospels but don’t receive the reflection they deserve—especially for those seeking to follow him and do the same work, love others in the same way.
There is nothing easy in this sort of journey, but it ultimately is the only one through which we can truly assist others and become what we know we can be (and that just so happens to match what Mormon technology set forth as its ultimate goal).
This episode celebrates Carol Lynn Pearson's recent book, Finding Mother God: Poems to Heal the World, but does so much more. Carol Lynn and Kathryn Sonntag join LDF host Dan Wotherspoon to talk about the deep ache that not only we, but also our societies and the world, have to fully reclaim the presence and energies of the Mother (Divine Feminine, Mother Creator, Nature, Wisdom, Mother in Heaven, etc.). Yet, too often, we fail to recognize this pain, as well as all the ways things are out of balance because of her having been sidelined.
The podcast episode features Carol Lynn reading several of her poems, Kathryn reading an excerpt from her writings on Mother, the cycles of life and death, and the Tree of Life, as well as extended conversations about reclaiming partnership, healing, chaos and decay, and (just a bit near the end) today's political climate. Plus more!
You do not want to miss this chance to listen to these powerful women about their experiences, motivations, and all the things that propel them forward in the creative work they do.
The notion of "gifts of the spirit" is very familiar within Christianity, and perhaps even more in Mormonism as its books of scripture include two additional enumerations of the list first found in I Corinthians 12. Yet, how well do we understand the notion of gifts, especially the ones in Paul's (and other) lists? Additionally, even given our familiarity with the idea of these gifts, do we stop short of genuine exploration?
In this second of two parts of this Latter-day Faith episode, Mark Crego and host Dan Wotherspoon dive into such things, and much more. One focus throughout is a concern that through poor understanding much of the messaging about gifts of the spirit has led many to feel that they have been left out, causing them pain and doubt and feelings of unworthiness. If nothing else is taken away from this conversation, our hope is that this idea can be put to rest.
Listen in! The conversation gets nerdy here and there, and you get to listen in to two people who come at matters differently, but perhaps the interaction itself will also be interesting and instructive.
The notion of "gifts of the spirit" is very familiar within Christianity, and perhaps even more in Mormonism as its books of scripture include two additional enumerations of the list first found in I Corinthians 12. Yet, how well do we understand the notion of gifts, especially the ones in Paul's (and other) lists? Additionally, even given our familiarity with the idea of these gifts, do we stop short of genuine exploration?
In this Latter-day Faith episode, Mark Crego and host Dan Wotherspoon dive into such things, and much more. One focus throughout is a concern that through poor understanding much of the messaging about gifts of the spirit has led many to feel that they have been left out, causing them pain and doubt and feelings of unworthiness. If nothing else is taken away from this conversation, our hope is that this idea can be put to rest.
Listen in! The conversation gets nerdy here and there, and you get to listen in to two people who come at matters differently, but perhaps the interaction itself will also be interesting and instructive.
It's is so easy for us to sit in the proverbial catbird seat and scream for others to be accountable for their words, actions, lifestyles, etc. But what about our accountability for these same things? And to what and about what are we accountable? In what ways does the notion of accountability keep us from recognizing God's hand in our lives, and, even more so, the call and yearning of our deepest, eternal selves?
This episode features a conversation between the brilliant therapist and teacher Julie de Azevedo Hanks and LDF host Dan Wotherspoon that digs deeper into the notion of accountability. The two of them overview LDS notions of accountability starting with the designated age for baptism, 8 years old, and its being referenced as the "age of accountability" on to ultimately how it is used with regard to repentance. But mostly they work to bring out the vital role it has in spiritual development (which includes all aspects of human development). Hint: even though it seems more fun to imagine no accountability to anyone or anything--living out of this kind of freedom--it's a false freedom that cannot provide the ground for genuine soul rootedness.
This discussion also includes tie-ins to recent and ongoing events and rhetoric in Washington, D.C., and around the United States. What might we learn to see and do regarding these things that would reflect a more fully realized sense of accountability?
Don't miss out on this discussion!
The thoughtful and brilliant Fiona and Terryl Givens have just launched a new book titled "All Things New: Rethinking Sin, Salvation, and Everything in Between." And it's terrific. In this episode, they and LDF host Dan Wotherspoon talk about the ideas in the book and how these feed into a beautiful whole, a reality we can trust and that leads us to a clearer vision of God and ourselves. When we begin from the firm foundation of God's love, and especially so if we have experienced it in direct ways not mediated though "doctrines" and well-worn lenses, we come to understand what the gospel of Jesus says about topics such as justice, repentance, worthiness, church, and so many more.
They also discuss how, interestingly, their approach in this book, grounded through close reading of scripture and great literature along with deep dives into the history of Christian formation and transmission, led them to the same sense of the Divine that mystics describe, simply coming to them through different methodologies.
It's a wonderful conversation in two parts. Don't miss it!
The thoughtful and brilliant Fiona and Terryl Givens have just launched a new book titled "All Things New: Rethinking Sin, Salvation, and Everything in Between." And it's terrific. In this episode, they and LDF host Dan Wotherspoon talk about the ideas in the book and how these feed into a beautiful whole, a reality we can trust and that leads us to a clearer vision of God and ourselves. When we begin from the firm foundation of God's love, and especially so if we have experienced it in direct ways not mediated though "doctrines" and well-worn lenses, we come to understand what the gospel of Jesus says about topics such as justice, repentance, worthiness, church, and so many more.
They also discuss how, interestingly, their approach in this book, grounded through close reading of scripture and great literature along with deep dives into the history of Christian formation and transmission, led them to the same sense of the Divine that mystics describe, simply coming to them through different methodologies.
It's a wonderful conversation in two parts. Don't miss it!
We constantly hear phrases such as "Come unto Christ" or "We mush gain a personal relationship with Jesus Christ." But when we think about these words as they are hurriedly dashed off, they really don't mean much if we've never given place for them within our own inner lives, never experienced the gifts and grounding that they are pointing toward. In an effort to add deep perspective to Jesus and our relationship with him as Christ during this Christmas season, Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon invited Phil McLemore, one of his longtime teachers and good friends, to offer insights from his own contemplative experiences with Jesus and how it is possible to come to know and see the world through his/Christ consciousness. It's a wonderful discussion that offers far far more than we can easily comprehend while still conveying a sense of the truth and beauty and boons in finding our way to these experiences.
We constantly hear phrases such as "Come unto Christ" or "We mush gain a personal relationship with Jesus Christ." But when we think about these words as they are hurriedly dashed off, they really don't mean much if we've never given place for them within our own inner lives, never experienced the gifts and grounding that they are pointing toward. In an effort to add deep perspective to Jesus and our relationship with him as Christ during this Christmas season, Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon invited Phil McLemore, one of his longtime teachers and good friends, to offer insights from his own contemplative experiences with Jesus and how it is possible to come to know and see the world through his/Christ consciousness. It's a wonderful discussion that offers far far more than we can easily comprehend while still conveying a sense of the truth and beauty and boons in finding our way to these experiences.
TW: Suicide is discussed at length in this episode. If you feel it wouldn't be healthy for you to listen in, please don't. Should you feel that no one in your life can be trusted with all that you are going through, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Hotline, 800-273-8255, or hurry to schedule an appointment with a recommended therapist.
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Grieving a dead loved one is always difficult, but sometimes the grief process is complicated by factors that aren't typically in play when an elderly relative passes naturally and peacefully. Suicide often invokes in friends and family member feelings of guilt about "what might I have done differently" or shame because of the loved one's having chosen to end their life and how that might reflect on us. Other complicating factors can be intense feelings of anger and abandonment, shock, loneliness because of difficulty sharing what we are experiencing with others (coupled with, too often, their reticence in discussing this person's life that ended that way), and wrestling with emotions about this person's (or now our) incomplete life. Grief will often be tougher when it a death was sudden, contaminated by crime, or by our sometimes feeling relief that this person is now gone. We can easily get tangled up.
This episode features three panelists, Lisa Hansen (a wonderful therapist), Jana Riess (someone who has in several instances suffered losses that are very complicated), and Latter-day Faith host, Dan Wotherspoon (who is currently struggling with four deaths in his family or close circle that have occurred in the past three and a half months, two by suicide). Our hope in presenting this discussion is that you will come away with not only great advice and perspectives but also a sense of not being alone in your own grieving or feelings that you aren't grieving the right way, that you should be past the emotions that still play out in your mind and heart, that your failing as a human being, and more.
It is a powerful episode. Please listen and share with others.
LDS general conference ended just four days ago, and we thought it important to highlight different talks and messages from it that have applicability to the Latter-day Faith emphasis on inner work/inner transformation. One such talk this conference was President Nelson's Sunday morning address, "Let God Prevail." In this episode, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon is joined by a terrific panel of Lyndsay Pulsipher, Mark Crego, and Terri Petersen to discuss the talk's messages, which can be understood many different ways, and at different levels, and especially the concepts that have deep spiritual resonance.
The host and panelists selected to talk about three different but related subjects addressed in President Nelson's talk: the concept of allowing God to prevail in our lives (and the world and its history?), his very strong remarks against racist thinking and action, and the theme that he carried throughout of "gathering." It's a wonderful discussion that takes these subjects into really profound areas, and that suggests that even through there is a really obvious surface reading of his remarks in these areas, the concepts are rich and deep and empowering should we ponder them and seek to find the treasures for our own faith and personal development. You should definitely listen in!
Please enjoy this Encore release of a fascinating podcast from November 2019.
In the October 2019 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as the year before at a BYU Women’s Conference, Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve introduced the phrase, “covenant belonging.” In doing so, he offered us a term that suggests much deeper meaning is embedded in the now-common phrase, “covenant path.” His messages about what covenant belonging might mean are absolutely beautiful and empowering.
Sensing this richness, Faith Journey Foundation board member and frequent guest on Latter-day Faith (and Mormon Matters previously) Mark Crego and LDF host Dan Wotherspoon came together for the discussion that is featured in this episode. In it, Mark takes us through the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) in order to discern the nature of the Covenant that God made with Israel. Moving from Adam to Noah to Abraham and Moses, he demonstrates that although each figure’s covenant with God had different specifics, each still falls under the larger framework of Covenant (singular). This one Covenant is essentially that God will be our God, and we will always be His/Her/Their people. It’s a fundamental fact for every person on earth, and it is not a covenant of “works” but of “grace.” The Covenant undermines the typical quid pro quo understanding of most Latter-day Saints that suggests IF we keep our covenants (plural) THEN we will receive God’s blessing/approval/reward. The Covenant, instead, is not a transactional agreement. Through dynamic and excellent scriptural exegesis, Mark unpacks for us how the idea of God always considering Israel (and we are all Israel: all who wrestle with the Divine) as God’s own has been present all throughout the Biblical narrative, ultimately repeated in the teachings of, and made manifest in the flesh by, Jesus Christ. God longs for us to come closer and be more intimate with Divine life, magnifying our joys all along the way.
This episode’s discussion is an example of how scriptural and pastoral theology can serve to enrich and clarify our own sense of who we are, drawing into the notion of the Covenant all persons regardless of their religion or no-religion, and shows that is it not contingent upon where a person might be along his/her/their faith path. The episode will likely be one that you will want to listen to more than once. What it unfolds is a thrilling vision, and affirms to us the inspiration that Elder Gong received (through his study and wrestles) as absolutely worth hearing and considering.
We hear people throughout the religious world use the language of “blessings” when something difficult in their lives is resolved in a wonderful and, what seems to them somewhat mysterious, way. For some who are attuned to trying to experience the heartbeat of the cosmos, we will hear about all of life as a blessing, the very large and very small, all the good and all the bad, light and dark, life and death, things unexpected, desired, dreaded, or confusing. For others who think of God in quite personal terms, as a being that somehow pays really close attention to us and all other individuals on the planet, they sense that blessings are a result of actions they have taken, thinking of them being doled out by this personal God according to some formula that they don’t fully understand but are sure is in play.
A common refrain from some is that it was God, following their prayer of desperation, who helped them “find their keys,” healed their loved one, or perhaps led them safely home through a terrible storm. They will testify to this in a spirit of gratitude, certain that God was definitely the primary actor in such things. However, for many who hear their testimony of God’s particular care, such expressions that seem to move beyond “this happened” to why they were particularly gifted with this result bring up many questions: Why didn’t my loved one recover from their illness, be warned of an impending accident so they might not have been so badly injured, or worse, from what happened on the highway? Some become fraught with questions and frustration: So God cared about their keys being found just in time to make it to the important meeting—or the temple session they wanted to attend—yet doesn’t care enough to rescue others who are imprisoned in sexual slavery, who are murdered or raped or abused, who lose their livelihood from circumstances far beyond their own control? It all can make some stop believing in a God at all and, sometimes, at least for a while, imagining life is meaningless and everything that comes up in life is purely random.
In this encore episode originally presented in July 2019, Susan Hinckley, along with host Dan Wotherspoon, explore the idea of blessings and the various ways people think and speak about them. In an effort to “seed” reflection, they explore notions and orientations to blessings like those things mentioned above, as well as reveal their own struggles with the evolution of their ideas about blessings in their own journeys. Are they something that are sort of “earned” by righteousness, or is there a more mysterious sort of calculus in play, such as that suggested by Elder Dale G. Renlund in a recent General Conference address when he proposed: “[Y]ou do not earn a blessing—that notion is false—but you do have to qualify for it.”? Or is a better way of approaching life’s various movements in terms of “grace,” a term for that which is given freely to all things and persons simply through the energies that create and infuse all life? Is that best approach found in the idea of “original blessing,” a concept that allows for both God and creation’s own mysterious work drawn from the story of Creation in Genesis 1 in which God creates and at each step of separation and differentiation declares it “good,” and, ultimately, after the creation of humans, pronounces the result “very good.”
Please enjoy this discussion! May it stimulate wonderful reflection on this “close to home” topic!
We're excited to present Part 2 of the discussion about deconstructing and reconstructing faith between Caleb Jones and LDF host Dan Wotherspoon. The conversation in this one turns to some of the trends that are showing up in the religious world that definitely need attention if Mormonism is to have a better chance of keeping its young adults, especially, and also a wide variety of Latter-day Saints who come across difficult questions and/or are no longer moved by LDS worship styles and an "answers" approach to religious questions. Caleb then turns to a way of approaching the plan of salvation that he believes holds more promise for this generation that is exposed to so much information, including a strong dose of science. The discussion also includes Caleb's stunning framing for "revelation" that argues that people, in particular those who are marginalized in some way, ARE revelation.
You do not want to miss out on this concluding section of Dan's interview with Caleb!
Ultimately this is an episode about faith journeys, but one that focuses on opening ourselves to change--including the type of elements that lead us into deconstruction of previously held and cherished ideas. It features a discussion with Caleb Jones, whose temperament and interests led him to take a very thoughtful and thorough approach to faith reconstruction. As is teased in the beginning of this episode, Caleb identifies as both a nerd and a geek. His mind is very systematic, and in his sharing about his journey laid out so well we can notice and lift up certain universal elements of faith journeying in a way that many others, Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon included, don't usually pause to examine nearly as carefully. He's brilliant and very insightful, and I know you will love learning from him. Be sure to listen in!
Episode 073 that will be released next week is Part 2 of this discussion.
I am joined this week by three wonderful guests--Kathryn Sonntag, Jim Smithson, and Dave Longhurst--in talking about the concept and potential reality of Zion. How does this idea motivate each of us? How do we understand scriptures that speak of Zion being a state in which people are of "one heart and one mind"? About what it means to "live in righteousness"? And about what it means and how do we come to live in ways that there is "no poor among us"? How do we understand the three elements in one of the temple covenants: the Church, the Kingdom of God, and Zion? What are the relationships each has with the others? And much more! This episode is packed with powerful ideas presented beautifully, with many of them being new to me. I hope you'll choose to listen in! Its seriously good!
At this time of energetic protesting of police brutality and renewed pushes toward justice, fairness, and the reform of systems and mindsets that work against black Americans, it is important those of us who are working toward these goals understand as much as we can about the black community, including the history and lives of the individuals who were subjected to slavery and its many horrors. One window into this world is the collection of and scholarship about the negro spirituals, the songs and chants, many including dance, that arose during the chattel slave experience in America. For some, including many black people, the spirituals are an embarrassment, evidence of exhausted, down-trodden people hoping for a release from this world into the reward of heaven. Those who feel this way do not understand the spirituals!
In this episode, Arthur C. Jones, a black scholar, organizer, performer, and expert on the spirituals, joins Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon to introduce key elements of these songs, including the influences on their formation, the various roles they played in the lives of the slaves, including subversive messages, signals about secret gatherings and the underground railroad some contain, and much more. At various times during the conversation, Art sings lines or verses of spirituals and unpacks meanings that we would very miss if we were not ourselves enslaved during these times. What emerges from this musical tradition are messages of freedom, comfort, mourning, solidarity, faith, and empowerment--all of them elements that are essential in today’s movements toward equal rights and treatment for all.
Listen in as Art shares his own professional and personal journey that led him to interest in, and his calling to teach about the spirituals. His journey, though specific to him, resonates with anyone who is on a search to discern what it is that God/Spirit/Mystery/Universe is calling them to do in service of the greater good. You don’t want to miss this episode!
The most urgent call in today’s time of pandemic and highly energized demonstrations against racial injustice is for each of us to take stock of ourselves and approach with humility and a repentant heart not only the tragedy and outrage permeating the safety of our internal worlds, but also the beautiful visions for paths to ahead that are being offered. If we are to rise to this moment, we must not stick our heads in the sand or retreat via shallow excuses into a false type of peace, but instead we must lean in. We must read, study, listen and turn to trustworthy voices and educators and allow deep into our hearts their piercing insights and critiques, especially the ones that are painful for us to face). Theirs are the voices of the prophets, not only those who write "on subway walls and tenement halls,” but who are also placed among us in every walk of life, from educators to clergy to economists to activists and community organizers, and, occasionally, politicians. Bless you John Lewis. What love animates all of you and allows you to stay the course of speaking truth to power while refusing to demonize even your harshest persecutors and detractors?
This episode features a conversation between Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon and Joanna Brooks. Joanna’s recent book, Mormonism and White Supremacy: American Religion and the Problem of Racial Innocence (Oxford University Press, 2020), is at the same time scholarly, substantive, unblinking, courageous, and graceful. Full of grace. In Joanna's hands, we come to understand the history of Mormon attitudes and the choices its leaders have and continue to make that fail to recognize fully the equality of all persons, we learn as well as are given the chance to grieve these things while also learning not to demonize the people and failures of faith and courage that have brought us here, nor must we demonize ourselves for our own blindness and the refuge we white Latter-day Saints have taken within carefully constructed systems of "white innocence." As Joanna shares herein: just because we are guilty of so much that we have never imagined, it doesn’t mean that we aren’t still lovable, that we aren't irredeemable, nor that God isn’t actively loving and encouraging us to continue a path Godward.
We cannot continue to see salvation as something solely personal. Christ took upon himself “the sins of the world.” We have too long imagined that as limited to our personal sins, those we commit in our hearts and immediate interactions. This must come to an end. We must continue Christ’s work to redeem the sins of the entire world, including its systems that harm so many—not only externally but also inwardly. We are now being drawn more and more toward greater solidarity with the unfairness of those systems that have favored white persons over black, indigenous, and other persons of color. We must look inward rather than retreating to our bubbles that keep us from having to see how harmful our systems of law, commerce, criminal justice, education, health care, and much else can be to the not only to the bodies but also the souls of others, and ourselves. We must be able to see how these systems favor the wealthy over the poor, those with good health and access to health care over those who do not, those who enjoy food security over those who struggle to provide even basic sustenance for themselves and their children are showing themselves to be. Our own processes toward redemption cannot be successful without soul-work that learns to witnesses, stand in solidarity with, and work toward relieving all forms of suffering.
Listen in! Read Joanna’s new book, along with others of hers and those folks she recommends!
At one and the same time, in today's U.S. culture, as well as around the world, the majority of people are coming together in this time of pandemic and efforts to reform racial injustice, while also, when it comes to politics, most observers report a level of hostile polarization that we have rarely seen. Animosity toward those we disagree with is high. And then there's religion, which at its core is generally unifying, centered on beautiful principles that call us to see each other as fellow human beings under God or, if not theistic, in the universe of relations. If that's so, why this antagonism to those "other people" who dare to choose this or that political leader or set of policies and emphases. Are they stupid? Deceived? Evil?
LDF host Dan Wotherspoon is joined today by two Latter-day Saint friends, Jenne Alderks and Walt Wood, whose political views often differ from each other but who don't have it in their hearts to demonize and completely dismiss those who differ with them. In the episode, Dan, Jenne, and Walt wrestle with the dynamics at play today, especially in the areas of politics and religion, while also keeping an eye on our needs to self-examine continually, especially in the ways that can lead to deep, personal changes (as we determine needs) and more generosity in today's highly polarized social landscape. What is the role of social media in causing this polarization? What is it that underlies the anger that is such clear display these days? How might understanding that lead us to wider perspectives and greater compassion toward others?
How can everyone along any spectrum find scriptural or other forms of authoritative support for their version of things, leaving religion without its full power to call us toward community and the interests of the group over those of us individually? What causes societal shifts? And when a society comes together over something, why do the enthusiasms die down and individualistic tendencies return to transcendence? And much more!
There's much in this episode to think on and that, hopefully, can lead us all to greater self examination and the type of deepened spirituality which can lead us to call our opponents "blessed." Listen in!
Latter-day Saints who are experiencing shifts in their faith and spiritual understandings often begin to ask questions about religious practices, including ordinances that we are taught as being essential to our salvation. Here is an important group of D&C verses that seems to suggest just that:
And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God. Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest. And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh; For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live. (D&C 84:19–22)
This passage can be read at different levels. Is it actually saying that participation in Mormon ordinances are an essential requirement for us if we want to gain the deepest kinds of spiritual insight and empowerment? The panel in this podcast seeks to broaden that idea. If we can learn to view ritual in other than purely transactional terms—“If I do this, then I will get that”—are there affirming ways we can view ritual participation and priesthood ordinances and how they can be important aids for our spiritual journeying? Can we imagine different ways we might interpret “the mysteries of the kingdom,” “the key to the knowledge of God,” and “the power of godliness?”
In this episode, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon calls on his friends Mark Crego and Lindsay Pulsipher to have a discussion of these things, and more! In the early going, they discuss the nature and structure of rituals of various types and from many wider cultures, and point to what they have in common with each other. They discuss what ritual "is trying to do" and why, to use Wotherspoon's phrase, "ritual makes sense" even as it appeals to something deeper in us than what our minds can work out by themselves. In other sections the panel speaks about the transformational qualities of rituals rather than their being something that we must "do" in order to gain salvation or simply as part of "making and keeping covenants." They dial in on how ordinances and ritual, when seen correctly, expresses the key aspect about God's covenant with us, which is that God invites us into full relationship and will always welcome us no matter how far we stray. (And, like the chosen people in the Hebrew Bible, stray we will!) In the final portion, they each share ritual moments they've had and offer final reflections on what they understand as going on within them during such times.
It's a terrific discussion with much to chew on! Please listen in!
This episode and the previous one features the third and fourth discussions on the topic of Evil by a panel comprised of Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon and the wonderful and brilliant Kathryn Sonntag and Danny Kofoed.
Part 3: The focus in this section is turning back to the scriptures, Jesus's time, the language he spoke, and the agrarian society he taught to open ourselves up to new definitions of good and evil. Rather than evil as sinister and fed by hurtful designs, Jesus' teaching considered it in agricultural terms of being ripe or unripe, fruitful or unfruitful--incapable or not of nourishing, expanding, reproducing, contributing. The panel also considers Paul's phrase that talks of the "wages of sin" as death. There is much more going on in that phrase than simply meaning, as Mormons generally go to first, a spiritual death that will keep us from God in the next life.
Part 4: This section takes on two topics. First is a brief look at what has been termed "natural evils": hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, tornados and other things that are often termed "acts of God." Is God actually involved in such things that often bring great destruction and loss of life? Is weather that leads to these things, as well as droughts and famines, etc., as taught in scriptures, God's way of communicating God's dissatisfaction with the way we are living? What are ramifications for our spiritual lives when we live out of a worldview that treats such things this way?
The bulk of Part 4 is a deep dive into structural evils: corporate, institutional, political, military, patriarchal, capital-driven, ecclesiastical, etc. How can we better become aware of these things and their effects, often leading us to compromise our values in order to "get ahead" or be held in great esteem by others? What are some of the common-denominator evils in every kind of system or institution? How might we work toward deeper truths and the values that can bless others as we become closer to the Divine and emulating the ways that God works?
Listen in! Both of these are really terrific, thoughtful discussions!
This episode and the next one features the third and fourth discussions on the topic of Evil by a panel that features Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon and the wonderful and brilliant Kathryn Sonntag and Danny Kofoed.
Part 3: The focus in this section is turning back to the scriptures, Jesus's time, the language he spoke, and the agrarian society he taught to open ourselves up to new definitions of good and evil. Rather than evil as sinister and fed by hurtful designs, Jesus' teaching considered it in agricultural terms of being ripe or unripe, fruitful or unfruitful--incapable or not of nourishing, expanding, reproducing, contributing. The panel also considers Paul's phrase that talks of the "wages of sin" as death. There is much more going on in that phrase than simply meaning, as Mormons generally go to first, a spiritual death that will keep us from God in the next life.
Part 4: This section takes on two topics. First is a brief look at what has been termed "natural evils": hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, tornados and other things that are often termed "acts of God." Is God actually involved in such things that often bring great destruction and loss of life? Is weather that leads to these things, as well as droughts and famines, etc., as taught in scriptures, God's way of communicating God's dissatisfaction with the way we are living? What are ramifications for our spiritual lives when we live out of a worldview that treats such things this way?
The bulk of Part 4 is a deep dive into structural evils: corporate, institutional, political, military, patriarchal, capital-driven, ecclesiastical, etc. How can we better become aware of these things and their effects, often leading us to compromise our values in order to "get ahead" or be held in great esteem by others? What are some of the common-denominator evils in every kind of system or institution? How might we work toward deeper truths and the values that can bless others as we become closer to the Divine and emulating the ways that God works?
Listen in! Both of these are really terrific, thoughtful discussions!
This episode features the second of a four-part discussion on the topic of Evil. In it, Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon is joined by the wonderful Kathryn Sontag and Danny Kofoed to talk about several topic areas in regard to evil. The first two parts are being released the week of June 7th, with Parts 3 and 4 the following week.
Part 1: The focus is the nature of evil itself. Is it something that exists eternally, outside of creation and independent of it, or is it a relational concept, relying on the existence of things in relation to each other to even have meaning? The panel also focuses on "the problem of evil" which comes into play (and has side-railed many a person's faith) for theists when we ask, "If God is perfectly good, and also all-powerful, why is there evil in the world?" It's a rich discussion area in philosophy of religion but also in our own lives, especially when tragedy strikes. Does Mormonism have an different take on the question than most Christian faiths? Is these even a problem that is solvable?
Part 2: In this section, the discussion turns to the question of Satan/the Devil/Lucifer. Is this being and his minions responsible for temptations that lead us away from the true path? Or is there something else going on within us that gives us the impression of external forces at play when we find ourselves thinking and doing things that we know are not spiritually healthy? Are both things at play? Why is it important to at least consider evil as being fully personified in a being with will and destructive motive? Regardless of the factuality of the idea of a real Satan character, is it helpful or harmful psychologically to believe in one? What do we gain or lose should we just pick one or the other position?
This episode features the first of a four-part discussion on the topic of Evil. In it, Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon is joined by the wonderful Kathryn Sontag and Danny Kofoed to talk about several topic areas in regard to evil. The first two parts are being released the week of June 7th, with Parts 3 and 4 the following week.
Part 1: The focus is the nature of evil itself. Is it something that exists eternally, outside of creation and independent of it, or is it a relational concept, relying on the existence of things in relation to each other to even have meaning? The panel also focuses on "the problem of evil" which comes into play (and has side-railed many a person's faith) for theists when we ask, "If God is perfectly good, and also all-powerful, why is there evil in the world?" It's a rich discussion area in philosophy of religion but also in our own lives, especially when tragedy strikes. Does Mormonism have an different take on the question than most Christian faiths? Is these even a problem that is solvable?
Part 2: In this section, the discussion turns to the question of Satan/the Devil/Lucifer. Is this being and his minions responsible for temptations that lead us away from the true path? Or is there something else going on within us that gives us the impression of external forces at play when we find ourselves thinking and doing things that we know are not spiritually healthy? Are both things at play? Why is it important to at least consider evil as being fully personified in a being with will and destructive motive? Regardless of the factuality of the idea of a real Satan character, is it helpful or harmful psychologically to believe in one? What do we gain or lose should we just pick one or the other position?
Last week’s killing of George Floyd has affected all of our lives. For those who have decided to tune in deeply, we understand that his slaying by the knee of a warped and indifferent police officer is just one of hundreds of similar incidents, such as the police slaying of Breonna Taylor while she laid in bed in her own apartment, and of the long-delayed justice (only know starting its wheels) for Ahmaud Arbery murdered by jogging in a certain kind of neighborhood. Add in the potential and very real danger the Central Park bird-watching Christopher Cooper who was put in because of a woman's racial panic that led her to make a demonstrably false report to police about being threatened by a black man, the police choke-hold death of Eric Garner several years ago, and we cannot help but realize we are being invited in a most intense way to examine the systematic and personal racism that has led to extremely unfair and, too often, violent actions against persons of color, especially black women and men. The fact that this awakening is taking place during a worldwide pandemic is good but also very scary. Good because many of us have fewer distractions that will take our attention away from these crimes and the demonstrations in our streets and around the world. Scary because of the additional health risks that come from people crowding together to protest these and all the thousands of deaths and enslavements of black persons going back more than 400 years.
We are grateful that three black counselors, therapists, and educators agreed to come on Latter-day Faith to share their experiences and open a door to the world they have lived in their entire lives and the toll it has taken on them and other black people. This is an episode in which we are taught, taken into new heart and mind spaces, and challenged to examine the world in new ways. But it is also an episode that is full of hope alongside the pain and frustrations shared. Our great thanks to LaShawn Williams, Kimberly Applewhite, and Jameson Holman for being on the show and sharing with us so much of themselves, of their learning, and of their experiences, including those within their faith home, Mormonism.
Included in this conversation are great sections about whether or not it is truly "safe" for black persons to share their experiences with white people, and especially to be vulnerable with regard to their own emotions. It is exhausting to constantly have to scan your environment and the settings in which you are being asked to share, judging whether this person or group is only wanting to hear from you in a way that won't lead them to become uncomfortable and defensive. The panelists also address what is harmful and hurtful and ignorant in statements such as, "Well, all lives matter" and "When I see you, I don't see color." These black Mormon therapists also reflect on the LDS Church’s recent statement about what is happening in the world right now, especially with regard to the sins of racisms, the need for repentance, and about demonstrations that in some cases have become destructive and even violent.
As part of all this, you will hear the “vomit analogy” (unforgettable!) as it relates to white persons’ general and specific hesitations to talk directly about race and privilege. So often we will work to avoid at all cost such discussions (both external and internal). The conversation also talks about PTSD and how it applies to black experiences and how it in many cases leads to devastating health (physical as well as mental) effects. But, again, even in all of this you will also find reasons for hope as we and people all over the world find ourselves finally ready to really look at the devastating effects of societal, institutional, and personal racism.
This is an unforgettable listen! You won’t always be comfortable as you engage with it, but you will, inevitably, be very glad you did.
This episode features a discussion between LDF host Dan Wotherspoon and the wise and engaging Lyndsay Pulsipher. In it, they talk about Lyndsay's upbringing and fascinating background that features life in different locales with experiences and insights gained from each, a blending of two sets of children into one family, along with Lyndsay's career and general sense of the world. They then focus most intently on her faith journey within Mormonism that she always felt welcomed to blend with spiritual practices discovered in her wide reading and in other traditions. Lyndsay speaks about her experiences with centering prayer (with a Tibetan twist), her interest in and practices regarding angels/family members from the post-mortal realm, and her development of Sabbath Day rituals that enhance her devotions during this special day of the week.
Lyndsay's life and spirituality are simply beautiful. We know you'll enjoy this chance to get to know her! Listen in!
This episode features the magnificent poet, playwright, author and "wise woman elder" of Mormonism, Carol Lynn Pearson! It's always a pleasure to be exposed to her writing and thinking and hard-won insights about life, God, core values, and so much more. Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon took the opportunity provided by the recent release of her new children's book (that has incredible messages for adults, too), I'll Walk with You. in the first half of the discussion, Carol Lynn takes us through various stages of her life as a writer and public voice on women's issues, LGBT+ educating and supporting, and several others. She then tells us the story of how this particular book came to be, followed by her reading it. It's an experience not to be missed! After that, she and Dan devote the remaining time to life in this time of coronavirus/covid-19 and what they both hope will continue to happen right now now as well as when we emerge from more stringent social distancing. What should we take to heart that this pandemic has taught us and, even more important, what should we re-think, re-imagine, or jettison going forward?
We hope you will listen in! An hour with Carol Lynn is always well spent!
Four years ago, Danny Kofoed made discoveries in the Book of Mormon that have radically changed his views about it. As he re-read the book from cover to cover in preparation for lessons he would teach in Gospel Doctrine class, he found in there much greater richness, especially with regard to what it says about God and the type of relationship God is calling us to, than he had ever imagined. In the many years between the previous times he'd studied the book, really difficult circumstances that were far beyond Danny's control led to his being able to see more clearly than ever just how loving and accessible God really is, and it was this centering that had unfolded in his life that allowed him to see this God presented over and over again within that the Book of Mormon pages. It is so easy to think about the portions of the Book of Mormon that talk about performance of ordinances and other more mechanical ways that we too often feel we must do or follow in order to approach God, as well as the warnings we find of "if you don't do x, y, and z you're not going to make it," and similar rhetoric. Yet in every conversion story, and in much of the reflections by prophets and leaders found in various places, the key idea is God's absolute merciful and loving nature and that we are all invited to experience the Divine directly, for ourselves, without organizational or behavioral hoops.
In this two-part episode, Danny joins Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon to talk about his journey and all that led him to a place to appreciate the wonderful theology present in the Book of Mormon. And, most specifically in this conversation, Danny takes us into one of the most powerful sections of the book: Alma and Amulek's encounter with Zoramite worship and their message to those who had been left out of it, not allowed to join in the worship that they had been taught to think was the only way they could approach or please God. Crestfallen and despondent, they were able to open up their hearts to the messages of God's character as merciful and desiring communion with them in every place, on any day, and in all moments of their lives.
By emphasizing the Zoramite context, Alma's "experiment" about planting a seed allows us to see what the seed actually is (and what it IS NOT) in a way we likely would miss otherwise, and how seeing this expands the power of these Book of Mormon passages far beyond what we taught as missionaries and/or encounter in Sunday School. The seed is not about truth claims that relate to a church or ordinance or anything as small as that. The seed spoken of is a seed that, if well attended to, can spring up into a full tree that will nurture and sustain us ever and always. It's the kernal and experiences held within its casing that can truly transform us from inside out.
Listen in! Danny's passion is inspiring and infectious, and even if you might not always decide to listen to shows related to the Book of Mormon, the message in this episode far transcends the book's stories and settings. Give it a try. You won't be sorry.
Four years ago, Danny Kofoed made discoveries in the Book of Mormon that have radically changed his views about it. As he re-read the book from cover to cover in preparation for lessons he would teach in Gospel Doctrine class, he found in there much greater richness, especially with regard to what it says about God and the type of relationship God is calling us to, than he had ever imagined. In the many years between the previous times he'd studied the book, really difficult circumstances that were far beyond Danny's control led to his being able to see more clearly than ever just how loving and accessible God really is, and it was this centering that had unfolded in his life that allowed him to see this God presented over and over again within that the Book of Mormon pages. It is so easy to think about the portions of the Book of Mormon that talk about performance of ordinances and other more mechanical ways that we too often feel we must do or follow in order to approach God, as well as the warnings we find of "if you don't do x, y, and z you're not going to make it," and similar rhetoric. Yet in every conversion story, and in much of the reflections by prophets and leaders found in various places, the key idea is God's absolute merciful and loving nature and that we are all invited to experience the Divine directly, for ourselves, without organizational or behavioral hoops.
In this two-part episode, Danny joins Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon to talk about his journey and all that led him to a place to appreciate the wonderful theology present in the Book of Mormon. And, most specifically in this conversation, Danny takes us into one of the most powerful sections of the book: Alma and Amulek's encounter with Zoramite worship and their message to those who had been left out of it, not allowed to join in the worship that they had been taught to think was the only way they could approach or please God. Crestfallen and despondent, they were able to open up their hearts to the messages of God's character as merciful and desiring communion with them in every place, on any day, and in all moments of their lives.
By emphasizing the Zoramite context, Alma's "experiment" about planting a seed allows us to see what the seed actually is (and what it IS NOT) in a way we likely would miss otherwise, and how seeing this expands the power of these Book of Mormon passages far beyond what we taught as missionaries and/or encounter in Sunday School. The seed is not about truth claims that relate to a church or ordinance or anything as small as that. The seed spoken of is a seed that, if well attended to, can spring up into a full tree that will nurture and sustain us ever and always. It's the kernal and experiences held within its casing that can truly transform us from inside out.
Listen in! Danny's passion is inspiring and infectious, and even if you might not always decide to listen to shows related to the Book of Mormon, the message in this episode far transcends the book's stories and settings. Give it a try. You won't be sorry.
The title of this episode plays of the name of a new and wonderful podcast, At Last She Said It, co-hosted by Susan Hinckley and Cynthia Winward and produced with help from their wonderful friend Jeralee Renshaw. In it, Susan and Cynthia join LDF host Dan Wotherspoon to talk about women's experiences in the church and how they are often so very different from those of men. It is a terrific discussion, often fun and loaded with "aha's," but also moments that note great sadness and difficulties many Latter-day Saint women encounter as they seek to find and use their voice and, too often, even their place at all within Mormonism.
The conversation rotates through topics such as the types of situations in which women and men experience things quite differently, from dynamics in Relief Society and other classes to formal meetings and councils with men presiding and women having no genuine authority to make decisions. It moves into spirituality and thoughts on how men's and women's religious and spiritual lives are affected by their standing within the organization and its many extensions, including "Mormon culture." They discuss how might women lead congregations and pastor their individual ward members differently than do most men? Finally, the panel speaks of obligations that can fall on those who see and can articulate their particular situations within the church. Must they speak up, teach, and help raise awarenesses that might lead to lasting changes, especially ones that will assist the rising generations of women who seem to be voting with their feet that current structures, limits on influence, and gender dynamics must change?
This is a rich discussion! Please listen in!
By titling this episode, "Living Atonement," LDF host Dan Wotherspoon signals that the discussion herein focuses on the Atonement as a process rather than an event, and how "at-one-ment" is a life stance for transformation rather than a name for something Jesus performed/did/completed that we somehow "take advantage of" should we "qualify" for its benefits. The very thoughtful Bob Sonntag joins Dan for this conversation and frames atonement in really thought-provoking ways, with language and a heart that cannot help but inspire and draw us in.
His views about what atonement means draws us into discussions of this time of pandemic, facing our fears and the yawning abyss we fear, and also a way to frame our weaknesses and distance from God in very matter-of-fact but also ennobling ways. His primary emphasis is on relationships, along with gathering and healing the separations and tragic woundedness inherent in all lives. His scriptural and historical study has led him to understand Jesus and his mission, as well as what Joseph Smith and what he was actually teaching, much differently from when he was younger and his lenses were very much church/organizational focused and and at age 28 feeling "dried up." What he centers in now feels true and whole and inspiring. You will be very glad you spent an hour with Bob!
This episode focuses on one person's journey though Mormonism that formed for him a wonderful foundation from which he learned to explore more deeply not only into its teachings but also those of eastern spirituality, especially through Hinduism and Kriya Yoga. It is designed to invite listeners into it as a way to discover touchstones and spiritual shifts that likely resonate with their own journeys. Certainly, no two non-linear spiritual paths can be fully alike, but it is so helpful to know particulars of another's movement into deeper and more expansive experiences.
The man willing to share his journey herein is Ben Heaton, a physician, spiritual seeker, and facilitator of important discussions. Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon joins in to witness Ben's story, as well as to add insights from his own journey and spiritual awakenings. Their conversation explores profound things that are, nevertheless, quite accessible because of Ben's sharing so openly and with very little, if any, jargon that we all know can often be off-putting.
Listen in!
It is easy to say we “belong” to a group, even a church or a religious tradition, but what does that really mean? How many times have we said or thought to ourselves, “Sure, I belong,” but yet we’ve still kept one foot pointing toward the door in case this belonging thing starts getting really difficult? In this Latter-day Faith podcast episode, host Dan Wotherspoon welcomes his longtime friend Jana Riess whose wonderful writing and voice of reason has led her to become an insightful and impactful Mormon author, editor, and blogger, to talk with him about what it can mean to “belong” to a community of faith. And especially when we are disappointed in important aspects of it.
Jana and Dan take as their jumping off point the reaction they and many others within LDS online conversation circles had to the most recent LDS General Conference, which was a sense of feeling let down. Though very little that happened at conference was acutely painful for sensitive listeners, the fact that it came and went without really addressing (with very few exceptions) what is happening in the world today vis a vis the novel coronavirus and Covid-19 led many to feel greatly disappointed. Many who watched and listened carefully experienced sadness over opportunities missed and frustration about organizational and correlation processes that, even if it wanted to, likely hindered the church’s ability to pivot from such a heavy emphasis on the First Vision anniversary so as to make room for announcements and at least several addresses focused more on the specific physical, mental, and spiritual needs of today.
It is within this context of sadness, disappointment, and frustration that Jana and Dan jump into the importance of “belonging,” even when it’s not easy. They share their own experiences along the way that led them each to firmly decide to “belong” to this church—as a community, and even an organization whose leadership and fellow-member stances at times leaves them feeling alienated. How do they face situations that require them as “full belongers” to welcome the difficult along with the wonderful? What kind of spiritual gifts can flow from this kind of stance?
In the final section of the conversation (that is actually more monologue--sorry!), Dan takes the conversation about belonging into more esoteric territory, at times confusing Jana (and, we’re sure, some listeners!). His reasons for doing this was driven by his reactions to conference, his meditations during Holy Week and Easter, as well as about Passover and how stories shape individuals into a “people.” His week had been dominated by insights and working with the difficult spiritual notion of accepting "accountability" for not only our personal, but also our community’s sins and failures.
As a guide for his reflections, he took a Speaking of Faith podcast he’d long held in high esteem that features Krista Tippett’s interviewing Rabbi Sharon Brous about Judaism’s High Holy Days, and especially Yom Kippur, the “Day of Atonement,” which follows ten “Days of Awe” kicked off by Rosh Hashanah. In sharing about his experiences, he tries to describe a kind of ownership of all of Mormonism he experienced that deepened his sense of belonging to this tradition, its history, its journey full of high- and low-points, and the mix of such things playing out in full force today. Finally, he shares how in these experiences he gained a possible glimpse of something that helped begin to make sense for him what Jesus might have been experiencing as he took upon him the sins of all.
There is much to chew on in this episode! If you can’t fully follow it’s move into spiritual and still-being-worked out sensibilities, you won’t be alone, and for that we also apologize! Perhaps even just a glimmer of what comes at the end will mean something for you.
In this second part of the discussion of prayer and additional types of prayer practices, Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon along with JoDee Baird, Julie Keanaaina, and Marianne Pond. Featured in this episode is introducing the practice of "centering prayer" and discussing its various elements.
The panel introduces other wonderful stances that are especially helpful in spiritual lives, especially in the area of what we can do with all those pesky thoughts that still press in on us while we are meditating or engaged in a wordless prayer practice.
The final section introduces a possible place in a person's prayer life that includes praying or reading set prayers. And the panelists definitely share about their experiences of overcoming negative attitudes (mostly learned in Mormonism) toward this prayer practice. They also share some of their favorite prayers and readings of this kind. And in the final few moments, Dan, Julie, and Marianne talk about some advantages of creating a prayer routine, especially designating a room, chair, mat, and postures. It is certainly not a requirement for an enlarged and more meaningful prayer practice, but each of the panelists speak of their good experiences in returning again and again to a specific space and posture.
Listen in!
The practice of prayer is fundamental in most of the world's faith traditions. And yet within most of these faiths, one finds that there are many forms this practice can take. Mormonism, still less than 200 years old, hasn't yet developed names and clear ways of referencing types of prayers and stances before God that are contained in its scriptures and other texts that have emerged from it. We believe that is yet to come. What has happened instead is that many Latter-day Saints who are answering the call of their deepest longings to connect with the Divine--God but also within themselves--are doing so with the aid of prayer forms and descriptions that have emerged in other traditions. None of these forms conflict with Mormonism's sense of God and ourselves as, at the core, divine, uncreated, capable of enlargement, nor with the fundamental qualities of both God and our deep selves such as being fully loving, compassionate, patient, trusting, recognizing the divine in everything/everyone, and being ever in the process of expanding to include in relationship more.
In this episode, Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon invited three friends who have experienced wonderful things through prayer practices drawn from elsewhere. It features JoDee Baird, Julie Keanaaina, and Marianne Pond sharing, along with Dan, their journeys with prayer, the ways their practices have expanded, and the spiritual benefits and widened experiences that have resulted. Part 1 also approaches one form of prayer called "Centering Prayer" and begins to talk about it in broad terms and about its intentions but closes right before actually teaching it. Its teaching along with another type of praying that each has found powerful come in Part 2, which will be available the following day.
Listen in! Be with people virtually who have explored and expanded their prayer lives and forms and who convey through words and tone and emotion something ultimately ineffable and only able to be truly understood through our own personal experiences. Welcome!
It's LDS General Conference week, and in this episode Ian Thomson and Stephanie Dix join Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon in discussing the ways each of them prepare for it. As God- and Church-wrestlers, these semi-annual gatherings (and this time virtually only!) sometimes are greeted with less-than-enthusiastic attitudes, perhaps fear of the possibility of hurtful or tone-deaf messages, perhaps confusion as we recognize internal shifts that cast conference and the speakers and messages differently than the way we held them before. Each and every member approaches conference weekends with anticipations unique to them.
Ian, Stephanie, and Dan's conversation centers around the panelists own journeys with conference, how they thought of it at earlier times in their lives, what has shifted in them through the years as their journey took them into new perspectives, and more. Each of them also speaks of framings they hold today as they approach conference. Where do they, if they do, find optimism about possibly wonderfully delivered and inspired messages and announcements? How do they temper tendencies toward cynicism and dismissing entire talks or sessions as being ruined or tainted by poorly thought out or insular speech and/or declarative stances? They share experiences in which they felt their hearts and minds shift more toward gratitude and appreciation rather than critique. All in all, it is just a terrific exchange that works toward ways to "get the most out of" conference, whether it is through particular spiritual practices, not engaging with it live but only later in print, or whatever it may be.
Listen in as you ready yourself for this most unusual conference to come!
In this episode, Latter-day Saint historian Ron Barney joins LDF host Dan Wotherspoon to talk about the actual historical records related to Joseph Smith's "First Vision." And the documents show that how we generally talk about this event now is far from how it was seen and spoken and written about in the early days of the church, and by Smith himself. Today's assumptions about a clean history of magnificent visitation by God the Father and Jesus Christ are the result of a long line of decisions that chose to canonize in today's Pearl of Great Price the 1838 version.
This conversation differs from many that simply teach the various accounts and allow those who read or listen to puzzle for themselves how these various tellings agree or disagree with each other. In no way does this discussion tell anyone what to think in these areas, but instead concentrates on the history of the documents, the circumstances in which they were created, if they were written or overseen and corrected by Joseph Smith himself, who Smith's scribes were and what scribal choices ended up in the established version (things such as when the event took place, and more!)
Throughout it all, Ron and Dan talk openly about the complexity of all things surrounding the First Vision while also sharing how they hold these documentable complications in a way that allows them to also incorporate elements of faith that are too often easily dismissed by the skeptical world. Even though no one can ever really know the nature of what Smith experienced in the grove or in any of his visions/visitations, both believe the record quite concretely shows that real spiritual and/or revelatory things occurred that affected him greatly and from which he drew great strength throughout his short but action-filled life. There are too many parallels with other theophanies that led to great movements to dismiss Smith's out of hand simply because he at tames shared different details.
General Conference is coming up, and it is said it will celebrate the 200th anniversary of the First Vision. Immerse yourself in Smith's world as Ron shares fabulous details and offers a clear-eyed view of the documentary record itself as it relates to things church leaders likely will focus on this weekend. This episode is definitely worth your time and attention!
In this really insightful episode, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon turns loose his wonderful guest, Jordan Harmon, a Latter-day Saint therapist who brings a wide variety of insights to his work with clients and who has developed specialties in therapeutic practices based on behavioral science. What's especially interesting is Jordan's journey that began with a very low opinion of behavioral therapies for several reasons, but primarily because they have often been abused, such as in LGBT+ conversion therapies and in our criminal justice system. Over the course of his work with clients, he slowly began to gain respect for behavioral science, especially how it has evolved into something that takes in the whole of a person involving deep listening and empathy.
In each segment, their conversation features tie-ins to Mormon scripture, themes, insights, and application, as well as certain deficiencies and how these can translate into harmful forms of spiritual counseling. Jordan and Dan discuss questions about agency: how much agency do we really have (we are in a situation of both being an actor but also very much being "acted upon") , and how might we increase it in relation to our deep values? Jordan openly shares about a difficult time as he and his wife tried to work with one of their children, and in the process of that section offers terrific insights into parenting approaches that can also assist us as we interact with our own parents and other loved ones. At the end, they also speak a bit about the LDS concept of Zion and how behavioral science might inform it.
You will really want to listen to this episode! It is definitely one that leads to us into deep thinking about ours and others' difficulties, while also offering validation and framings that are very helpful.
Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon is joined by his two Faith Journey Foundation partners, Mark Crego and Susan Hinckley, for this episode reflecting on the times we are now facing vis a vis covid-19/coronavirus. We are all very likely undergoing big shifts in our daily routines, as well as being hindered in various plans for travel, certain kinds of recreation, and dealing with shut down schools and universities, and more. Dan, Mark, and Susan reflect on this moment in time, sharing about their current lives and what's being impacted, but ultimately they focus on the kind of spiritual shifts that are happening within them. Even though we are being forced to make changes and give up certain freedoms and opportunities, might this time be a Lenten-type season for us (and we actually are in that season of the Christian calendar)? What are other framings that might be helpful at this time and place?
Listen in! This episode is being released just a few hours after being recorded, but even with a bit less post-production than usual, there is a great spirit and much good thought in what is offered. Share with us about your experiences in the comments section!
Wishing all of you and your dear ones the very best during this difficult season!
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has recently released policies (and made policy reversals) regarding LGBTQ+ persons that have brought on protests, with activists staging events on the Brigham Young University campus, near the Church Office Building in downtown Salt Lake City, as well as across from the LDS temple in New York City. And there are no signs that these gatherings and expressions of grief and disagreement will die down anytime soon. In the midst of these troubled times, we at Latter-day Faith have decided to add to the mix some thoughts on activism, its role and place within the ongoing Restoration, in spiritual journeying writ large, as well as about the spirituality that is inherent in and available to those who find themselves called to make their voice heard in the public arena.
In this episode, Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon discusses with his friend, a well-known and powerful activist on LGBTQ+ issues, Jody England Hansen, about her journey to arrive at a point in her life and spiritual development that she can sustain a life of active involvement in social issues that are in service of those who are being harmed by various societal and cultural practices being able to make themselves and their pain more visible in ways that might lead to positive changes. In all of this, Jody recognizes how her choosing to engage in these ways is sustained by her understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, many teachings of the Restoration, and especially through her inner work with herself and the Divine. What perspectives assist her the most? How have they come to be part of the very fiber of her being and to be understood as vital spiritual practices? What cautions does she have for activists that might help keep them from demonizing those persons and situations against which they are fighting? How might we all draw from her many decades of practice and hard-fought wisdom keys to allowing ourselves to hear the Divine call to grow, expand, and be God’s hands and mouthpieces when we are prompted?
Jody is powerful, articulate, and clearly grounded in Spirit when sharing about these things. Please listen in on this conversation. This is one of the most powerful LDF episodes to date!
In this terrific episode, Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon brings on his good friend and a Jungian analyst, Christine Chao, to talk about the psychological insights of Carl Jung and, especially, how they relate to good mental, social, and spiritual health. In their conversation, Christine introduces us to Jungian terms and ideas, many of which we likely already heard of yet don't really understand all that well. If you've heard of concepts such as the collective unconscious, archetypes, complexes, dream analysis, individuation, Shadow, and others, Christine wonderfully elucidates these, illustrating them from her own life experiences as well as those of her colleagues and Jung himself. Following this tour through many of the basic insights, the discussion turns to difficulties she and others have with Jung the individual and also with some of his teachings. In this section we can find many similarities with Mormons who are forced to wrestle with bad ideas and hurtful teachings from Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and other LDS leaders while still seeing and understanding the brilliance and power they also brought into the world. C.G. Jung understood human as well as spiritual development, and this episode closes with the way he responded near the end of his life to questions about whether or not he believed in God.
Listen in! You'll love meeting Christine and will find much here to chew on.
In this terrific episode, Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon is joined by Dr. Lisa Tensmeyer Hansen, a psycho-therapist and longtime friend, to talk about the nuts and bolts of our brains, our conscious and subconscious minds, our theological notions about God and the meaning of our lives, and the overlay of spirituality upon it all (or is it the underpinning of it?). Lisa takes us into the brain and how it processes experiences and stores memories, how our subconscious minds carry both incredible wisdom and traumatic memories, and how we can access these and heal (and how the areas of the brain activate when we do). We also move into how we create God (Spirit, Life) via our own experiences and theologies in ways that often determine whether we will remain stuck in certain kinds of suffering or move on to new understandings that are based in deep and overpowering experiences of divine love, acceptance, and peace. We also discuss hypnosis and hypno-therapy and how that works and is often effective in calling out of us and our subconscious minds deep meaning and wonderful, healing insights.
This is a most excellent episode! Listen in!
In this episode (Part 2 of 2), we continue our discussion of the divine feminine with panelists Kristen Rogers-Iversen, Kathryn Knight Sonntag, and Brittney Lowe Hartley. Whereas the first segment featured each participant's search for and journey with the feminine divine, as well wide-ranging conversations about goddesses in faith traditions besides Mormonism, various other female deities or aspects that are reverenced, symbols such as the Tree of Life, etc., this discussion zeros in more directly on ways to talk about her in communities that have failed to emphasize Mother. For Mormonism, is it or isn't it a blessing that not much direct teaching on the feminine divine has come forward in comparison to the lists of qualities and attributes of Father in Heaven? What opportunities and spiritual blessings are open to us with a Mother that is much more mysterious? How might we know when the time is right to say speak up about Her? How do we know when the setting isn't optimal for being received well? What are some prerequisites to sharing effectively from the pulpit or in classroom settings, or even among family members and other groups that are predominantly Mormon? What are the best strategies for pushing this discussion in the church and helping it grow spiritually through paying closer attention to the divine feminine?
Each panelist shares wonderful insights! Listen in!
Goddess figures have abounded world wide and at every stage in history. Many are tied to creative and generative powers, Wisdom, accessibility, Presence, and more. In all cultures, the prominence of Mother or the Goddess waxes and wanes depending on group needs, and especially when authoritative, declarative, military, masculine powers take the fore. Yet, even during these times, each culture features groups of people who in some way keep her dearly needed presence alive. Such is the case in Mormonism, with many continuing to seek the divine feminine, most often in the figure of Heavenly Mother but in others, as well. This episode, the first of a two-part discussion about the feminine divine, features three wonderful panelists, Kristen Rogers-Iversen, Kathryn Sonntag, and Britney Hartley, who share their journeys with Mother, and with nature, the earth, embodiment, motherhood, and more. Each brings unique perspectives and questions to the forefront. The conversation here focuses on their longings, quests, research, deep dives into symbols of the divine feminine, such as the Tree of Life, personal and communal spirituality, mysticism, and faith journeys that require us to find balance between the feminine and the masculine. It's a wonderful, vulnerable, at at times challenging and wistful discussion. Please listen in!
In this episode, the brilliant Stephen Carter joins with LDF host Dan Wotherspoon to talk about two types of stories that don't easily play well with each other, yet are both very much needed. How might we learn to hold these in a healthy tension? Stephen's doctorate is in narrative studies and he is always on the look out to notice the types of stories that capture imaginations and direct lives. And often with specific attention on the ones that influence Latter-day Saints. The two he brings up today he names "Circle" and "Line" stories, and he and Dan explore what can happen when one dominates the other in an individual human life as well within the collective.
"Line" stories indicate direction. I tell myself a line story that indicates what my values and goals are, the direction I should move in order to get there, and what I should be on the look out for that might prove to be tough obstacles I need to avoid or conquer. For good and ill, line stories also provide for us ways to judge our progress toward these goals. By themselves, however, we can't really define and have a firm grasp on what is or isn't meaningful.
"Circle" stories are directionless. We are all living a circle story--our lives and what we are learning, how we are changing, who we are becoming--but in themselves don't really direct us. Instead, they require us to self-examine, to wrestle, to conquer fears, and to allow what we value and want to reveal themselves as fruits from our struggles. And all the criteria for judging how we are doing come from inside rather than through those that dominate the line story. The "meaning" of our lives comes from Circle stories.
Mormonism nods toward the importance of Circle stories and has deep resources for talking about them, but it primarily emphasizes Line stories as our guides and evaluation criteria. The Plan of Salvation is laid out clearly, and the goal is the celestial kingdom. We are to raise children who will follow this same path, hold these same values. We are to listen to these particular guides but not those. But how would it look if the Circle story gained equal footing, got equal attention in church or in general conference addresses? Both types of stories are essential for a balanced, meaningful, and joyful life. By naming these types and exploring how they work, might we be of service in re-balancing our religion and lives within the church? Stephen and Dan believe so.
Listen in! This stuff is rich!
After listening to last week's podcast on the Book of Mormon, longtime Latter-day Faith collaborator Mark Crego suggested we record a follow up that deals more directly with how to engage with the book within our own hearts (including the things in the text that trigger us!) and communities. If it is the "word of God" and most folks take that concept to mean that practically everything in the book is pretty darn close to The Truth, how might we engage with them?
To help us see things more clearly, Mark proposes four paradigm shifts we each to internalize and that also can be communicated well to others. The discussion then turns to examine in depth what it is that the scriptures themselves say about the writings and revelations contained in them, including the Book of Mormon. Again, these can be important ideas to hold and recall when and if we feel we need to speak up and help widen a discussion. Finally, our discussion focuses on what the real purpose of the Gospel is, which is to bring us the Good News of the “Revelation of Jesus Christ”; that God in Jesus Christ, is fully God and fully human; and that God is incarnated and present in all beings. This means that God is present in Christ, and in you and in me, and in Scripture (expanded to include the inspired texts we find everywhere. Check out 2 Nephi 29).
No podcast or tip can ever help us skip the hard work of our internal wrestles with God, ourselves, and scripture. What they can do, however, is help us understand what we are going through and why it is required of us in order to become transformed into the likeness of Christ. This is an excellent episode serving those purposes. Listen in!
The Book of Mormon occupies a key place in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and very much so in many persons' faith journeys. For some, encounters with the book completely changed their lives, offered meaning and a sense of a God who is alive and still speaking. But for many Latter-day Saints themselves, the book has become problematic. Some question its historicity, its origin stories, its teachings, as well as struggle with how it is seen within the tradition, and especially how it is talked about on Sundays and in other gatherings. For them, the Book of Mormon has become a stumbling block, and for many of these perhaps a reason they feel they can no longer associate with the church and LDS community.
In this episode, Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon is joined by his longtime friend, mentor, and discussion partner, Charles Randall Paul (Randy), to consider the Book of Mormon with different lenses, many of them personal. Their discussion begins with each of them sharing the story of their "love affair" (one that hasn't always felt easy) with this book. They then move on to discuss it on different levels and from different approaches that have helped them retain a positive relationship with it, regardless of its historicity or other problematic areas. Randy shares how he has been helped by considering the many genres one finds in the book (in the same way as one finds in the Bible and the sacred texts of other traditions). And then they both reflect upon the term "scripture" and what it means for something to be considered as such. What is going on within us as individuals when we grant something the status of scripture, and what roles do scriptural texts and what they contain function within a faith community?
The discussion herein might be summarized as reflections on each of the participants' life-long wrestles with the Book of Mormon, including their gratitude for all it has brought to their lives, even despite the pain of frustrations and loss they've felt or certain transitions their encounters with the text and its context have forced upon them.
Because many Latter-day Saints, as well as many people in general, have not been taught evolution very well, they will often dismiss it out of hand, especially when it it encroaches upon their understandings of the origins of human beings. Likewise, it is very unlikely that they have explored the evolutionary process, along with the environment, all of nature, and persons in a web of life, as wonderful gateways to spiritual exploration and transformative experiences.
In this Latter-day Faith podcast episode, host Dan Wotherspoon is joined by evolutionary biology professor T. Heath Ogden in an effort to focus on the spiritual sensibilities that go hand in hand with evolution as the creative force that brings forth change, increased complexity, specialization, and the ever-widening diversity that is produced through its quiet but powerful work. They don't delve here into the nuts and bolts of the basic processes (so no real biology lessons here) as much as engage each other in an effort to convey how their understandings and acceptance of this process have enriched their spiritual understandings and vitality for life, including a greater appreciation for their fellow beings as also part of this pathway to growth, development, and flourishing.
There is a spirituality in the study of nature and in immersion in the natural world that, when experienced, changes us, grounds us, and brings forth in us greater compassion, gratitude, and also a greater appreciation for all life and its significance--including our own lives. Toward the end of the discussion, they also wrestle together about how the concept and reality of God might or might not enhance and inform, or perhaps distract and obscure, all the wondrous views of life and energy that are ours to experience, should we allow ourselves to do so.
We hope you'll listen in!
Here at the beginning of both a new year and new decade, Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon reflects on the spiritual concept of "renewal" and ways we might keep that notion and its power active in our lives. He reflects on the opportunities that our calendar (primarily the Christian calendar in this case) provides for us to renew, to gather energy afresh, and to release what is worn down, not working, and that does not represent our highest ideals. The rituals that precede these special days/seasons even allow us to mimic this deterioration in fun but symbolically potent ways. Dan also takes us into the heart of what renewal means and how it is best instantiated within our core selves through daily spiritual practice that allows us to tap into far deeper sources of energy and greater abilities than what our simple will-power alone can provide. (Insert your own instances when your "resolutions" didn't last much past the first few days of the year or season.)
This show continues the conversation with Phil McLemore, a yogi in the lineage of Paramahansa Yogananda and also a Latter-day Saint, this time focusing on Christmas and its various symbols and opportunities for better understanding Jesus and, more widely, Christ, the divine consciousness of God in every part of creation. Phil and Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon first discuss the importance of understanding things related to our divine development through myth and symbology rather than worrying if this or that story or account of something miraculous really happened historically. It's an important shift to make, allowing us to read scripture, situations, others, and all of life with new and fresh eyes, for in each of these is much we can draw on in our journeys.
Mary, mother of Jesus, and the divine feminine then take front stage as Phil pulls wonderful wisdom from every aspect of what she represents as a virgin, as pregnant with Christ consciousness, as giving birth, and much more. What does the inn represent? What about the cave/stable? How can we look at the shepherds and the wise men/magi (and their gifts) more expansively? Elizabeth and Mary, each carrying in her womb a powerful, God-conscious child can be seen as much more than simply cousins communing together during their pregnancies. Plus more!
Yogi Phil then takes us into greater depth, sharing some of the teachings and practices of Yogananda in relation to Christmas, and he then offers us a powerful meditative practice that will help take us deep in the meaning of this holy season and the patterns and archetypes playing themselves out in its stories and symbols, and even more importantly, within each of us as we journey toward divine consciousness and communion. Will we allow ourselves to be open to its many gifts?
Following up on the recent "Wisdom Jesus" show, this two-part episode features the wonderful yogi Phil McLemore offering extended insights in some of the things talked about in that conversation but also taking us deeper into the heart of what Jesus was really teaching and what his life actually means in relation to the notion of Atonement and our lives. In conversation with Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon, Phil teaches us about the "perennial philosophy" that underlies all spiritual traditions and shows how Jesus's life and messaging align perfectly with each of its elements. He also takes us through his own spiritual development journey and how the insights he has have come through direct experiences with the Divine.
In the second of the two episodes, they move the conversation into what has often been referred to as the "dark night of the soul." What does this mean? Does everyone on a spiritual journey experience what is often characterized as the terror of losing one's identity? Are there more helpful ways of discussing the type of surrender of our "small" selves to the eternal, glorious identities that we are, and to a love that surpasses all understanding?
You won't want to miss this conversation!
Following up on the recent "Wisdom Jesus" show, this two-part episode features the wonderful yogi Phil McLemore offering extended insights in some of the things talked about in that conversation but also taking us deeper into the heart of what Jesus was really teaching and what his life actually means in relation to the notion of Atonement and our lives. In conversation with Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon, Phil teaches us about the "perennial philosophy" that underlies all spiritual traditions and shows how Jesus's life and messaging align perfectly with each of its elements. He also takes us through his own spiritual development journey and how the insights he has have come through direct experiences with the Divine.
In the second of the two episodes, they move the conversation into what has often been referred to as the "dark night of the soul." What does this mean? Does everyone on a spiritual journey experience terror about losing her or his identity? Are there more helpful ways of discussing the type of surrender of our "small" selves to the eternal, glorious identities that we are, and to a love that surpasses all understanding?
You won't want to miss this episode!
In this episode, highly experienced family therapist, Julie Keanaaina introduces a model known as the Stages of Change that has been found to be very helpful in not only addiction therapy but applied more widely, and then she and Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon move to compare its categories/levels with those laid out by Stages of Faith author James Fowler as adult stages of faith and worldview development. It's an instructive and fascinating conversation about mental states and physical action that is part teaching, part conversation, part personal storytelling, and all terrific and insightful.
The Stages of Change have (without calling each by the names discussed in the podcast) been adapted into a wonderful poem by Portia Nelson that is shared in the episode:
Autobiography in 5 Short Chapters
Chapter I
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost ... I am helpless.
It isn't my fault.
It takes me forever to find a way out.
Chapter II
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don't see it.
I fall in again.
I can't believe I am in the same place.
But it isn't my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.
Chapter III
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in ... it's a habit.
My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.
Chapter IV
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.
Chapter V
I walk down another street.
Listen in! You'll find a lot that will cause you to think with more focus about our lives, issues, changes, and our faith journeys.
Rebekah Simon-Peter is a Christian teacher from a Jewish background who specializes in helping clergy (and anyone who feels "called" by God to do something "kingdom oriented") to "dream like Jesus." We are excited to have her on Latter-day Faith where she and host Dan Wotherspoon explore together what a Jesus-like dream looks like. In likely the most inspirational LDF episode to date, they draw from and discuss elements of Rebekah's new book, Dream Like Jesus: Deepen Your Faith and Bright the Impossible to Life (Market Square Publishing, 2019), to ask us all if we are dreaming big enough, involving our communities, as well as trying to do our part, like Jesus, in bringing the kingdom of heaven to earth. Rebekah is so remarkably powerful that it is not hard to believe that we can, in partnership with God, do in this world far more than we have ever imagined!
Listen in! You'll likely be returning to this episode often!
A common refrain we hear in Christianity today is someone claiming something like this: "There are those who think of Jesus is merely a great teacher of morals or wisdom. But we know he is actually the Son of God and Savior of the world!" It is a binary, either/or proposition intended to discourage people from exploring the deeper, wisdom teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. Well, in this episode, Jana Spangler, Thomas McConkie, and LDF host Dan Wotherspoon turn their attention to those sayings and parables and types of consciousness that are, indeed, best read and understood through wisdom and contemplative lenses. Each panelist tells her or his own "Jesus story," and also talks about various scriptural passages and insights that only come truly alive when approaching Jesus in this way. It's a wonderful conversation, followed by beautiful centering exercise led by Thomas.
Listen in! Be ready to re-embrace a powerful and even more compelling Jesus!
In two October 2019 General Conference talks, President Dallin H. Oaks shared thoughts about what constitutes church "doctrine," limiting it to what is taught by the entire First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve. He also shared that we too often think we know more about things, such as the afterlife, than we actually do.
This episode was prompted by his talks, and it features a conversation between Charles R. Harrell (Charley), author of the wonderful book "This is My Doctrine": The Development of Mormon Theology, and Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon. The two of them speak of many things, some at the meta level, such as why so many people want there to be settled doctrines, and showing that this is a desire that never has nor can ever be fulfilled. Doctrine, like revelation/inspiration, evolves because human beings are active participants in the process of trying to discern God's truth and will, and in then teaching what they feel inspired to, all the while burdened with leadership concerns such as protecting and warning the Saints, as well as their own biases and imaginations. Finally, Harrell and Wotherspoon go particular, speaking of the development of ideas about God and Godhead, showing that even this most fundamental concern of religion has undergone many iterations (and perhaps is on the cusp or an even more profound change than what has happened in the past).
Listen in! You'll learn and have cause to think a lot!
Brittney Lowe Hartley has just published a long-awaited book, Mormon Philosophy Simplified: An Easy LDS Approach to Classic Philosophical Questions. In this episode, she joins Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon to discuss the book, its contents, and to dive into several of Mormonism's interesting, and, to many, expansive and ennobling angles on questions such as the nature of existence itself, the problem of evil, Atonement, Sin, Grace, Free Will, Gender, Ethics, and more. In addition, Brittney shares a terrific exegesis on the often-troubling story of Nephi slaying Laban, and they hint at a beautiful telling of the story of the Good Samaritan that is contained in the book's epilogue. All throughout they wax enthusiastically about the importance of philosophy and theology and how these disciplines can help all of us on our spiritual journeys, aiding in clarifying our intellectual and spiritual foundations and core values.
You will love this conversation! Dig in!
In the October 2019 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as the previous year at a conference at BYU, Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve introduced the phrase, "covenant belonging." In doing so, he offered us a term that suggests much deeper meaning is embedded in the now-common phrase, "covenant path." His messages about what covenant belonging might mean are absolutely beautiful and empowering.
Sensing this richness, Faith Journey Foundation board member and frequent guest on Latter-day Faith (and Mormon Matters previously) Mark Crego and LDF host Dan Wotherspoon came together for the discussion that is featured in this episode. In it, Mark takes us through the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) in order to discern the nature of the Covenant that God made with Israel. Moving from Adam to Noah to Abraham and Moses, he demonstrates that although each figure's covenant with God had different specifics, each still falls under the larger framework of Covenant (singular). This one Covenant is that God will be our God, and we will always be His/Her/Their people. It's a fundamental fact for every person on earth, and it is not a covenant of "works" but of "grace." The Covenant undermines the typical quid pro quo understanding of most Latter-day Saints that suggests that IF we keep our covenants (plural) THEN we will receive God's blessing/approval/reward. The Covenant, however, is not a transactional agreement. Through dynamic and excellent scriptural exegesis, Mark unpacks for us how the idea of God always considering Israel (and we are all Israel--those who wrestle with the Divine) as God's own has been present all throughout the Biblical narrative, ultimately repeated in the teachings of, and made manifest in the flesh by, Jesus Christ. God longs for us to come closer and be more intimate with Divine powers and life, magnifying our joys all along the way.
This episode's discussion is an example of how scriptural and pastoral theology can serve to enrich and clarify our own sense of who we are, drawing into the notion of the Covenant all persons regardless of their religion or no-religion, and shows that is it not contingent upon where a person might be along his/her/their faith path. The episode will likely be one that you will want to listen to more than once. What it unfolds is a thrilling vision, and affirms to us the inspiration that Elder Gong received (through his study and wrestles) as absolutely worth hearing and considering.
Listen in!
Mental illness and other mental health issues are common among the human population, including among those who attend church and wrestle with religious questions. Sufferers may struggle to feel beloved and "seen" within their faith communities. In this episode, Susan Hinckley and I talk about our experiences growing up in homes deeply affected by mental illness. We also discuss the ongoing challenge of navigating these illnesses in our personal lives, as well as ways we each feel blessed by our unique difficulties and the wrestles into which they have led us. We explore some of the reasons mental illness is perhaps considered more taboo and something to hide within religious (including Mormon) communities. What theological hurdles does mental illness bring into play? How might it create real or assumed distance from other members of our congregations? We talk about bright spots that indicate an effort to normalize these struggles for Latter-day Saints, but also dive into the challenging effects of mental illness on personal spirituality and one's sense of connection with the Divine. This is a very personal episode but one we hope you'll connect with, and share with anyone who might benefit from an open discussion of this topic. We'd love to foster increased awareness and conversation—in our homes, church communities, and within ourselves.
With quite a bit of help from the early twentieth century intellectual giant William James, in this episode host Dan Wotherspoon introduces two framings that assisted him greatly when his faith first began to shift. One is a model that contains four characteristics of religious/mystical/direct experience and helps differentiate such events from emotional experiences or other day-to-day moments when we feel close to God, feel God or the Spirit is "with" us, comforting us, etc. The second is the down-to-earth way that James, a skeptic by nature (but one who chooses to go where ever the evidence seems to lead rather than trying to fit what he sees and experiences into certain already-circumscribed and confining boxes), speaks about religion and its power in human lives. And he does this without feeling the need to get specific and express the dynamics of religious experiences in terms of "God's" actions in the world and in us. Wotherspoon introduces James' term, the MORE, as a much broader and yet very powerful category to elucidate that "something" that is beyond what our physical senses and intellectual faculties can touch. James speaks of an "intimacy" with this MORE that far exceeds that which we experience through other means. It's beautiful, and it's very helpful for anyone who feels uncomfortable or triggered by God-talk or typical spiritual/religious terminology. It can even help us explain to more traditionally believing family and friends what is going on within ourselves as we wrestle, and do it in ways that they might be able to understand and not be offended by. Please give this episode a listen!
This episode takes on the topic of healing, but foremost through the sharing of two healing journeys and the new world and sense of self that can open up when we find the courage to explore those messages and wounds that we pick up through life that distort our vision of reality, and especially our own sense of self worth. Too often, we choose to keep on functioning with certain stories of ourselves and others simply because they are known to us, they form the world we know that isn't great but at least it's predictable. Luckily God/Life/Love keep serving up to us invitations to go inside and figure out what is hidden in the shadows so we might heal from negative experiences and integrate in healthy ways the lessons and perspectives these have given us. Sometimes it is great love that causes us to start exploring our patterns and views, but far more often it takes great suffering and finding ourselves at the end of our own resources to deal with it that forces us to confront what we've tried so hard to hide from ourselves and others. That's not what we went to hear, but it is pretty close to universally true. In the discussion you are about to listen to, Carma Hyde and Shelly Wilkinson, two wonderful and brave women who have chosen to risk being vulnerable about their healing journeys, share sadnesses and messages and events in their past that have led them to seek and eventually find peace through going inward, facing shadows, and trusting that light and love would be with them all the way through. Both have now emerged as healers themselves, with one of them, Shelly, formally becoming a sought-out healer in the Salt Lake Valley. In addition to hearing their stories, we got to a more objective view, drawing from all our experiences to reflect on aspects of healing in general. Please listen in! You'll be glad you did! Dan
Kajsa Berlin-Kaufusi is a wonderful example of someone whose spiritual connection has guided her and encouraged her even through her many spiritual wrestles. She has a varied and rich background, familial as well as scholarly, and in addition to being a mom of three, she teaches Ancient Scripture courses at the BYU Salt Lake Center. I know you'll very much enjoy getting to know her and learning about the various ways she has come to be able to bring together her faith and academic understandings, in addition to multi-cultural and multi-religious experiences.
She is powerful, and our discussion throughout highlights again and again just how vital it is that we first and foremost ground ourselves in and remain connected with the Divine. I believe you will also find fascinating the way she approaches scripture in her college classrooms, as well as those times in which personal and institutional revelations don't mesh. She is a great model for thoughtful, prayerful, soulful wrestling alongside a deep commitment to engagement and service in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Please listen in!
This episode follows up on the notion that we are experiencing a transition time in today's Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during which the outlines of one dominant way of being Mormon, thinking Mormon, living Mormon is losing sway, with another, a more experiential way, slowly rising and establishing itself as here to stay. Two great conversationalists, active church members, and astute trend watchers, Susan Hinckley and Mark Crego, join LDF host Dan Wotherspoon to share reactions to the earlier podcast and its proposal. What did they hear about the proposal? What were their own reactions to it and how it was presented? How have they experienced the shift in their own wards or circles? What cautions do they have for those who feel called to be part of this movement to model new ways of interacting at church and in other typically Mormon settings they find themselves in? The episode is also full of broad themes that go beyond just the paradigm model, such as stepping into our own spiritual development, learning to experience God/Christ and speak of these in language that doesn't move into "correlation speak," and the call to be patient in trusting the slow work of God. Please listen in and comment below!
This short(ish) episode contains the announcement of a change to the upcoming Latter-day Faith retreat for October 11th to 13th. Natasha Helfer Parker cannot be part of that event, so Jana Spangler, Jody England Hansen, and LDF host Dan Wotherspoon have re-designed it to focus more on spirituality, development, possibilities for reframing what we had previously experienced only in limited ways, various spiritual practices, and more. And though the episode was launched because of the changes needed for the upcoming event, the panelists all try to make what they share here relevant for those who might not even be able to consider coming to the retreat. What are some of the larger issues at play in LDS lives and faith journeys that serve as excellent jumping off points for our own spiritual reflections?
Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon goes solo this week to talk about some of the dynamics he sees at play in today's Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Specifically, he utilizes the language of paradigm shifts to try to make sense of this current period, arguing that what we see fits the pattern often found when an all-encompassing vision of "the way things are" (a very strong, well-articulated paradigm that a majority of people think, react, and think out of) begins to show its limits when it can't any longer reach and satisfy the curiosity and priorities and values of people who have begun to operate from a different paradigm. Ideally, this is a natural process and does not have to fraught with conflict, with the result being the instantiation of a new paradigm that honors and builds on the strengths of the previous one even as it shows how much "more" can be discovered and explored via the new one. What cracks are beginning to show themselves in today's current LDS paradigm? What is happening to reassure members of the church that today's paradigm can explain and still inspire, protect, and bring peace at this time. What things are signaling that the current reactions are not at all satisfactory, and that the paradigm needs expanding to accommodate new data, events, trends, discoveries, and enrichments? If someone is experiencing tension with the old paradigm but does not want to abandon it or the church it dominates, what can they do to assist in a smooth transition from the one to the other? What are some of the values and methodologies and blessings that lie at the core of the new paradigm? This presentation is intended as a beginning to a discussion and does not pretend to be polished and well-articulated. Observations, hunches, sensibilities, and hopefulness are its hallmark, and Dan invites you all to suggest, challenge, tweak, and in any way you'd like become an active voice in identifying the issues and assisting in making a stronger case for the needs showing themselves in today's church dynamics. Or, again, fight back. Propose alternative visions that frame things differently. However you react, please share!
Expanding on several previous Latter-day Faith episodes that centered on scripture or the concept of Zion, our discussion this week revolves around several elements in LDS scripture and early church teachings that shifts our thinking regarding these areas in wonderful ways. Guided by the brilliant Brittney Hartley, we explore how we need to create a better balance between the scriptural teachings about Zion being brought down "from above" as well as up "from beneath." (D&C 84:100) The vast majority of teachings about creating Zion have been driven by church leaders and through top-down pronouncements, even to the point of talking about how Zion should be "administered"! Instead, Brittney asks what would it mean to take seriously gathering Zion from below? You don't want to miss this discussion! It is very frank about current failings, including really missing the point in how we understand 2 Nephi 29's critique about "A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible," but it is also full of optimism and very practical steps we might take to restore proper balance and become the kind of church needed today in this pivotal time of increasing disaffiliation among members, and especially among the rising generations.
For so many of us whose religious world views have begun to shift, and previous ways of viewing various elements of what we had been taking for granted start to become less stable, scripture is one of the components for which we can easily lose affection and appreciation. But rather than abandon our reading and study practices altogether, there are approaches to it that match well with what our journeys have prepared us be able to engage. One such method is the focus of this episode, an Ignacian spiritual practice/approach to scripture. (We’d already introduced another practice, lectio divina in Episode 014, but the Ignacian method is quite different from that.) Our guide into this practice is Mark Crego, a regular guest on Latter-day Faith podcast as well as Mormon Matters. In this discussion with host Dan Wotherspoon, Mark briefly introduces us to Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus, which came to be known as Jesuits and that is a recognized monastic order in Catholicism, one that places high value on education, scholarship, and science while at the same time nurturing deep self-reflection and enlivened spirituality. (The current pope, Francis, is the first Jesuit to receive that ordination.) Mark then takes us into a few more elements of the Jesuit worldview and what they hold as the highest goal of a human life, but his main focus in the Ignacian practice of imaginatively entering into scriptural stories (settings, persons, what and who else is there that the scripture isn’t mentioning) that can lead into insights and personal transformation that can gained through a practice of this type. In the course of the conversation, he and Dan briefly reflect on ways we might shift our understandings of the Adam and Eve story, and then Mark shares a powerful piece he wrote about his experiences and transformations of insight and how he came to understand himself differently as he practices this approach during Holy Week 2017. It is gorgeous, rich, emotional, discerning, and not to be missed. From it and a closing few minutes that re-introduce the various steps in the Ignacian method, you will be able to gain both a delicious taste of and some know-how about this practice and what it can yield. Dive in!
In this episode, Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon goes solo this time to talk about the aspect of "surrendering" or "yielding" or "allowing" the Divine to work in us. He asserts that if we allow the idea that God is all in all and in and through everything, including ourselves, and if we seek to abide in and be influenced by our spiritual center that exists "in" God and is God, we will be able to grow spiritually in ways our minds and plans and goals can't even imagine, as experiencing deep abiding in God is far richer than these can ever touch. From there, he moves into aspects of surrender and yielding, and reveals through various LDS scripture how deeply embedded this practice is, this stance of allowing something more than what our dualistic minds and beliefs can change us in our very core. If "ideas about" God or aspects of the universe as describe in religions language are increasingly feeling constrictive and impotent, let this episode and its focus on experiencing God sink in a bit. You'll be intrigued and hopefully motivated to trust the deepest calls of our soul.
This episode features an interview with the wonderful Kim McCall about the concept (and small instantiations) of Zion, and especially how it activates and animates his soul and spiritual life. Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon gets into sharing mode about it, as well. Kim’s recent reflections on Zion were prompted by his being asked this past year to give a sacrament meeting talk on the Second Coming, a topic Kim wasn’t at all enthusiastic to speak on. (Neither would many of us, we suspect!) But then, as he further queried his heart and mind, he found a way into the topic: Zion and how it animated so many early Latter-day Saints’ focus and efforts and unified extremely diverse people with genuine purpose and a sense of call to prepare a community to which Christ would feel comfortable returning. Kim shared his beautiful heart with his ward, at the Salt Lake Sunstone Symposium this past week, and even more in this episode. The conversation here also explores what it means to have a “good will,” as well as how we can each catch the vision of Zion and go about implementing it in our portions of this world despite a world and mindsets that do not (yet?) hold much space for such things, and even work against them.
This is a terrific episode! Please jump in and then share your own vision of Zion and tales of bringing these ideals into your spheres of influence.