Mormon Matters » podcast

98–99: “Middle Way” Mormonism and Women

Dan Wotherspoon — Wed, 23 May 2012 22:28:04 +0000

Mormon Matters episodes 85–86 featured a panel consisting of four men discussing “Middle Way Mormonism,” a term that has been gaining traction as a way to describe a path that some Latter-day Saints are taking in which they attempt to negotiate the tensions that arise when they find themselves believing ideas or valuing certain things differently than what they perceive is a typical LDS position yet still working to remain within and fully engaged with Mormon community life. We now turn to a similar discussion of the “Middle Way” journey, but with women’s voices. What are the common experiences women and men share in aMiddle Wayjourney? What are some of the differences? How can women find their authentic voice and have it be effectively heard in the church’s patriarchal culture? Is their approach to raising children in the LDS community different for their daughters than their sons?

In this two-part episode, Mormon Matters favorite Chelsea Robarge Fife moderates a wonderful, practical, and insightful panel discussion featuring Claudia Bushman, Jana Riess, and Jennifer Finlayson-Fife. How do they negotiate the tensions that come when one is walking a path somewhat out of the norm? Why do they do it? What is it about Mormonism that they see or focus on that compels them to stay fully involved with Mormon issues and ward life when so many other women and men choose to disengage? This discussion is full of stories, laughs, sighs—and deep wisdom. This is an episode both women and men will enjoy and gain much from!

Please join in the discussion below!

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Links:

Beginnings New (Website with excellent resources for Young Women’s leaders)

WAVE website (Women Advocating for Voice and Equality)

Amazon link to Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis, by Lauren Winner (mentioned in the podcast by Jana Riess, who also read a few excerpts)

96–97: Mormonism and Its History—Past, Present, and Future

Dan Wotherspoon — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:41:36 +0000

Every religion has many dilemmas when it comes to its history. How does a group incorporate the idea of a God or Universal force or will that acts in the development of that group and/or the unfolding of world events when such things are not acceptable claims in academic disciplines? How does a tradition balance the doing of history for the purposes of community and faith building through the creation and maintenance of a shared story with other ideals, such as telling the truth about missteps and all the humanness and frailties that are also present in each event? Should a religion’s history be told primarily in terms of what its founders and leaders do, or should the focus be on how it is received and lived among adherents in different social situations? What is a group’s responsibility toward making records and documents public that were originally intended only for private purposes?

In this two-part episode, historians Ben Park, Matthew Bowman, and Ron Barney join Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon in a discussion of the way Mormonism has negotiated these dilemmas in the past, as well as how it seems to be facing them now and into the near future. What kinds of progress have been made in the relationship between the Church and the academic community? How has the Church professionalized its history division while still honoring the role of history and sacred narrative for vital community cohesion and faith? What are some of the debates and who have been the major players in shaping the place Mormonism finds itself now in relationship to its own history and the presentation of its history?

Mixed into all of these inquiries are also explorations of the relationship between history and faith crisis, including the ways that that panelists themselves negotiation the tensions between human frailty and divine workings? The discussion also goes a bit broader into the immediate horizon of Mormon studies in general. What is happening now and how might the increased interest in Mormonism from all sorts of academic disciplines affect our understanding of the Mormon story going forth? The panel also reflects briefly on the leadership tenure of Elder Marlin K. Jensen as Church Historian, who will be stepping down from this role in the next few months.

We invite you to listen and then join in the discussion below!

94–95: Suicide

Dan Wotherspoon — Wed, 02 May 2012 02:55:19 +0000

Suicide affects all of us, and involves so many devastating emotions. Grief (as one of the panelists refers to it, a very “complicated” form of grief), guilt (“What did I do wrong?” “I should have seen signs and intervened”), and, often, an element of concern for the deceased’s soul state (“Can they ever be forgiven?” “Were they accountable when they did this?”).

In this two-part episode, panelists Natasha Helfer Parker, Charn Burton, and Nicholas Maughn join Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon in an thorough discussion of suicide—offering education about its primary causes (what to look for if the person has given subtle clues about her or his intentions, how to best serve and be present for loved ones of the person who died, its many ripple effects pertaining to marriages and other relationships, survivor’s own mental health, etc.)—confronting bad information, cultural attitudes, and harmful theology, and suggesting helpful and healing notions about God and the type of universe in which we live. The discussion concerns all aspects of suicide and is conscious of the phenomena as a whole, but in the second part especially speaks directly to particular Mormon teachings—the hopeful ones as well as the ones that deserve being confronted and sent into oblivion. This is a very personal episode with powerful things in it for every person.

We look forward to your joining in the conversation below.

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Links and Helps:

Elder M. Russell Ballard, “Suicide: Some Things We Know, and Some We Do Not” (Ensign, October 1987)

The Mormon Therapist (Mental Health and Straight Talking about Difficult Subjects blog by panelist Natasha Helfer Parker)

The Trevor Project (Crisis and suicide prevention organization especially for LGBTQ youth)

Suicide Hotlines you can call when you’re in crisis or are with someone in crisis

Fundraising for Suicide Prevention through community walks

92–93: Can Mormon Theology Affirm Homosexual Relationships Now and in the Eternities?

Dan Wotherspoon — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 20:30:18 +0000

Like many other religious traditions today, Mormonism is wrestling with questions raised by homosexuality. And while both LDS rhetoric and many members’ affirmation of homosexuals as beloved children of God to embrace as fellow citizens in the household of faith are moving forward in many ways, these developments have been fed primarily by the inroads being made through political and pastoral discourse. Very little attention has yet been paid to theological questions raised by these relationships. Can Mormon theology accommodate homosexual relationships into its larger views of the cosmos, God, and divine sociality?

In a groundbreaking article in the Winter 2011 issue of Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Taylor Petrey outlines several key areas in which Mormon thought might be able to be understood as capable of affirming homosexual relationships in the eternities in the same way it does heterosexual couples. Petrey finds possible room for important conversation in three main discussion areas: (1) LDS views of how we each are said to be literal spirit “children” of Heavenly Parents, re-examining the assumption that spirit conception and birth processes are analogous to that of humans; (2) the various ways Mormons now or in the past have practiced “sealing” as a way of building families, including creating many types of kinship relationships that do not involve bloodlines or the possibility of the relationships involving biological reproduction; and (3) the claims, ingrained most recently by “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” that gender is eternal.

In laying out many important questions in these areas, Petrey provides a great service to the Mormon tradition. It is now up to us to actually have these vital discussions–which is what this podcast attempts to do and encourage. In this episode, Petrey and Dialogue editor Kristine Haglund join Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon in introducing the article’s key questions and then engaging them and LDS theological possibilities in vigorous ways. It’s a high level discussion very much worth listening in on and then having with those in one’s circle of acquaintances. And also here in the comments section, of course!

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LINKS:

Taylor G. Petrey, “Toward a Post-Heterosexual Mormon Theology,” Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 44, no 4 (Winter 2011): 106-141.

Letter to the Editor by Joseph M. Spencer in the following issue:

Selected blog discussions of the article:

At By Common Consent

At Times and Seasons

At Zelophehad’s Daughters

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91: Cleanflix and What Its Story Reveals about Mormon Culture

Dan Wotherspoon — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 05:26:31 +0000

The documentary film Cleanflix tells the story of the dramatic rise and fall of businesses (based primarily in Utah) that rented and sold versions of Hollywood movies in which they had edited out bad language, nudity, sex scenes, gore, graphic violence, and anything else that they considered not a match for community standards. In telling the story from its origins to the court case that declared the practices as in violation of copyright agreements to the continuing saga of stores that refused to shut down even after the businesses were declared illegal, the film highlights deeply embedded attitudes in Mormon culture. What are the peculiar aspects of Mormonism that helped give rise to an industry that seemed fully intent on exploiting moral gray areas: letter versus spirit of gospel teachings, trying to eliminate guilt for wanting to be “part of” the world rather than fully “apart from” it, judging ones views of the value of certain art forms and messages as superior to that of the persons who created the art in the first place?

In this episode, Cleanflix filmmakers Joshua Ligairi and Andrew James, join Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon and panelists Richard Dutcher and Brent Beal for a lively discussion of these and many other aspects of this story. Could this industry have arisen and grown to be as huge as it became anywhere other than inUtah? Why do so many Latter-day Saints seem incapable of contextualizing artistic choices, failing to see that sometimes a swear word does not simply reveal a lack of linguistic imagination or that nudity is not always presented in order to excite libido? What doctrinal or cultural messages make it hard for many Mormons to want to really explore the human condition–including its dark and difficult aspects–in ways that film is ideally suited to?

We look forward to you listening and then sharing below your ideas on these and the many other areas explored in this fascinating film and discussion.

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Cleanflix is now available on DVD! http://www.cleanflixthemovie.com/

It is also available through iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, and Video On Demand.

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Richard Dutcher’s film Falling will be playing in Salt Lake City at the Broadway Center Theatre beginning 27 April.

Please attend the premiere that evening, or any other showing especially that weekend. Box office performance in the opening days determines its chances to stay in the theaters extra weeks, plus its ability to attract theaters to play in around the country.

89–90: Latter-day Saint “Mid-Singles” Experience

Dan Wotherspoon — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 19:44:01 +0000

The LDS Church recently restructured its “singles” wards, effectively shutting them off to unmarried people who are 31 years old or above. In many ways, this move formalized even more than previously the “limbo” of sorts that unmarried but still quite young Mormons find themselves in with relation to their church. Do they best fit or will they be most edified in “family” wards or huge “mid-singles” wards that weekly draw as large a crowd as a typical stake conference? Are they to be seen and celebrated as the highly accomplished, dynamic, active creators of meaningful lives that most of them are, or are they best understood as delayed developers, people to be pitied for the spouse and family that they lack? They don’t “fit” the LDS-idealized mold, that’s for sure (even as single-in-one’s-thirties is becoming more and more typical in society in general).

What is it like to be a “mid-single” in today’s Mormonism? How does their liminal status affect their relationships with themselves, with those they date and associate with at church and in their day-to-day lives, with God? How do they negotiate the challenges of celibacy and sexual desires when most persons in their age group are having sex? How do the issues of divorce and the prospects of marrying someone who already has children come into play in their thinking? All the panelists in this podcast discuss how Mormon mid-singles are forced to confront faith and church issues that perhaps never come up for married Latter-day Saints who live more typically normative Mormon lives. Are the some advantages to facing up to faith questions when one is single? Advantages to delaying marriage until much later than what is typical in LDS culture?

In this podcast, three dynamic LDS mid-singles—Lauren Johnson, Garred Lentz, and Jenny Morrow—join Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon in discussing these and other issues facing them and others in this type of LDS limbo. They offer open-hearted, insightful perspectives that will connect with others in their cohort, with those who love and associate with mid-singles, and in their humanness and connections with life journeying in general, with all of us. Another group of amazing hearts to learn from and be inspired by!

Please listen and then join in the conversation below!

87–88: Pacific Island Mormon Identities

Dan Wotherspoon — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 18:03:48 +0000

This two-part episode features a fascinating, dynamic, and soaring discussion that takes us into the experiences, cultures, and elements of the worldviews of Latter-day Saints from Pacific Island nations. We learn pieces of the history of two of these nations as it relates to the LDS Church taking hold there, what elements resonate with those who are from the “islands of the sea” (D&C 1:1; 2 Nephi 29:11), and the ways that Mormonism integrates into the daily lives of, especially, Maori and Tongan Saints–including places where Polynesian culture does not allow white Mormon practices and ways of seeing to penetrate, such as with the ceremonial use of kava, notions of family and various power dynamics within families, and funeral practices. In letting us into their lives and perspectives, the panelists also take us deep into the experience of forming identities shaped by both Polynesian and white cultures, which also allows us to see very clearly how there truly are no “neutral” spaces–how “whiteness” carries values and perspectives that are often invisible if not explored through the comparative process. In this Mormon Matters episode, we are privileged to have powerful and open yet charitable guides into these (often wonderfully evocative) tensions.

Some of the specific topics discussed in this episode: Polynesian views of passages in the Book of Mormon that seem to tie darker skin with unrighteousness; the Church-run Polynesian Cultural Center, “performing indigenity,” and both the difficult tensions some experience related to different modesty standards as well as the positive ways that performing culture for entertainment purposes can lead to increased opportunities for people from these island nations; mixed views among Tongan Mormons about the film The Other Side of Heaven; the hyper-sexualization and sometimes infantilizing of Polynesian peoples; how gender roles often play out in much more balanced ways in Maori and Tongan cultures than they do in typical U.S. Mormonism; grieving styles; and some of the consequences for Polynesian youth in Utah and the U.S. of identity diminishment from language loss and separation from one’s family’s roots and cultural history. Then in the podcast’s transcendent final twenty-five minutes, we are privileged to hear firsthand from our panelists telling about their lives and work exactly what it means to claim an identity and embrace the responsibilities that come with that choice.

This episode features panelists Gina Colvin, a Maori Latter-day Saint living and teaching in New Zealand, and Anapesi Ka’ili and Luana Uluave, two Tongans with strong roots in both Tongan families and Utah Mormonism who share a great love for the gospel and each part of their identity but also have wonderful independent perspectives. Mormon Matters friend Joanna Brooks and host Dan Wotherspoon facilitate the discussion, but they are mostly simply thrilled to play a small part in bringing this discusion to listeners. One of the best Mormon Matters episodes of all time–informative, humbling, inspiring!

Please listen and join the conversation in the comments section below!

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Link to Gina Colvin’s blog, KiwiMormon

85–86: “Middle Way” Mormonism

Dan Wotherspoon — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 00:35:48 +0000

For many Mormons, their faith and relationship to the LDS Church has forever changed from what they were growing up. And this is how it should be. We’re all called to growth and to assuming responsibility for our own life choices, including the most compelling vision of what existence is all about, how we want to live, with whom do we want to associate, what it is that brings us (or promises us, we sense if we keep going) the greatest joy. In the faith and spirituality arena, religions all contain visions of what it means to be a fully flourishing human being (including, for some, divine potentialities), and they outline practices and create communities designed to help foster growth toward their particular vision. The rub comes when communities and leaders, out of utility (trying to meet the needs of the most people or its especially fragile members), or from fear, ideals of protective love, or simply being deeply engaged in day-to-day operations fail to encourage the kind of maturation that life (and even their community’s highest teachings) points people toward. What is someone in the community to do when the greatest focus is on the spiritual needs of children and others who seem to need continuing dependence upon the institution when they themselves are ready to venture into new views, enter into that new relationship with the institution and its founding scriptures, sacred narratives, and communal forms? How does this person live into greater richness when all the messaging seems to call for “safety” within the fold or continued reliance on others’ wisdom and authority?

This seems to be one of the main crossroads faced by listeners to and conversation partners within this and other Open Stories Foundation podcasts and online forums, as well as other places in the LDS “bloggernacle.” In these discussions, the term “Middle Way Mormonism” has arisen (though not without its limitations as a term) as a way to describe the path that some are attempting, which is to negotiate the tensions between no longer accepting all the foundational claims and narratives in their simplest formulations, feeling the need to develop one’s own authentic faith and mature relationship with the LDS church and family members who may not yet feel the same call to explore the rich thickets of ideas and stories and sensibilities that don’t fully align with institutional forms, yet still hoping to remain within and fully engage the Mormon community. It is a path in between the extremes of pure conforming and giving primary responsibility for our religious ideals and the direction we walk to others, and formally leaving Mormonism.

In this episode, Scott Holley hosts a panel discussion on the possibilities, promises, and perils involved in the attempt to live and flourish within these tensions. On the panel are Jared Anderson, Andrew Ainsworth, and Mormon Matters’ usual host Dan Wotherspoon, who, along with Scott, have each spent a great deal of time and concentrated effort in seeking the ideal balance for them. Following a framing that takes them into Middle Way tensions regarding beliefs, behaviors, and ones sense of belonging, what are the prices they see someone is called to pay when she or he walks a path outside the tradition’s well-worn center groove? What are the rewards of staying engaged with a community that one finds oneself out of sync with? What better way might be out there for someone who chooses to disengage from Mormonism? Where are the signs of hope for greater peace and comfort, and where are places of support found for those who choose a Middle Way Mormon walk?

This episode features four different temperaments, four different journeys. Every one who listens will have their unique stories to tell, as well–and we hope you all will in the comments section! We also promise that we’ll soon host similar discussions with those whose social locations differ from the four white, straight men who constitute this panel.

Matters of the Heart 2: On “Masturbatory Rage”: A Theatrical Call to Repentance

Dan Wotherspoon — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 16:29:13 +0000

ON “MASTURBATORY RAGE”: A THEATRICAL CALL TO REPENTANCE
By Allan Davis

In this episode of Matters of the Heart, Allan Davis shares a short meditation about a call to repentance related to his transitioning relationship to Mormonism that he received last fall while attending the theatrical performance of a play called Church. A great listen for all who are undergoing the process of re-evaluating their own religious identity and stance related to their childhood faith and religious community. And everyone must, of course, listen to find out what the author means by “masturbatory rage”!

83-84: Creating Spaces for Non-Traditional Latter-day Saints

Dan Wotherspoon — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 05:02:03 +0000

This episode explores both the difficulties of creating more comfortable spaces for unorthodox Mormons in wards, stakes, and families, as well as the benefits. What are some of the tensions that arise in LDS communities when engaging those who hold less-literal beliefs or embody idiosyncratic approaches to spirituality, religion, and community norms? What are some positive ways the community or family can welcome and honor those persons? How might these Latter-day Saints assist in their own positive and joyful integration? What are the benefits of having persons from many points on the spectrum be fully integrated in a community?

In this two-part episode, Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon and panelists Meredith Lesueur, Ronda Callister, and Kevin Elkington share experiences and perspectives gained as non-normative Mormons who choose to remain engaged in their LDS wards even as they are recognized by many ward members as being somewhat non-traditional in their approaches? What reasons do they have for choosing to continue to serve, teach, and worship alongside others with whom they might strongly disagree?

Please listen and then share your own stories and experiences in the comments section below!

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Articles/Essays mentioned in podcast:

“The Institutional Church and the Individual” by J. Bonner Ritchie (Sunstone, June 1999)

“Enduring to the End . . . in Joy” by Jim Sawyer (Sunstone, October 2002)

“For Better, For Worse, For Apostasy? How Faith Issues Affect Couple Relationships” by Ronda and Mike Callister, Page and Tom Kimball, Ruth Ogden and John Halstead (Sunstone, November 2006)

81-82: Mormonism and Transhumanism

Dan Wotherspoon — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 04:52:01 +0000

Technological advancements in recent decades have drastically altered human experience, with computing power and many other technologies growing at exponential rates. Our lives will continue to change, and most likely in ways that are presently incomprehensible. “Transhumanism” is a relatively new movement that is carefully considering this immanent future, paying particular concern to how humanity will be changed—for already, and certainly in a more thoroughgoing way than ever before, it is poised to be a primary actor in its own evolution. How can we increase the likelihood that this future will better than the present, that we as transforming, evolving humans (“transhumans”–people on the way to being something more) and societies will become more benevolent, more concerned with alleviating suffering and having compassionate concern for all? And given that many scientists and technological innovators have primarily secular orientations, is there a role for religion and spiritual traditions to inform Transhumanist discussions and help shape this future? What can religious mythologies, terminologies, concepts, and social forms bring to the table that secular-based ethics and perspectives cannot?

Into this fray comes the Mormon Transhumanist Association (MTA), which in 2006 was admitted to the World Transhumanist Association as its first religious special-interest affiliate. MTA leaders, two of them panelists in this podcast, see in Mormonism many sensibilities and views of humanity and God that match well with Transhumanist perspectives. The LDS ideas of eternal progression, including the description of Gods as once being like us and our call to become just like them and emphasis on “worlds without end,” along with its strong naturalism, optimism, universalism, and sense of the importance of community/society building, all make Mormonism a great conversation partner for and bridge-builder between the religious and scientific/technological worlds. Can Mormonism and other religions that have long been discussing human transformation, deification, concern for others, and ways to mitigate human tendencies toward selfishness and evil serve the emerging future well by contributing their energies and ability to move and inspire us to active faith and action in creating a future in which we flourish rather than destroy ourselves?

In this episode, Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon and panelists Tyson Jacobsen, Lincoln Cannon, and Christopher Bradford discuss the future, especially as it is and promises to be even more impacted by technological advancements, along with several other major themes in Transhumanist debates. They discuss the relevance of religion in a world increasingly dominated by science and secularism, and they pay particular attention to how Mormon and other religious concepts and terms can be given new life when informed by Transhumanist themes. They also examine the type of actors the world needs as it hurdles toward completely unprecedented forms of life and sociality.

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ALERT: This episode will be the first introduction to Transhumanism for many, and it is likely to present a significant barrier for some in terms of both new terminology and a startling awakening to where science and technology seem to be taking us. Our strong hope is that listeners will stick with this episode, as the terms and ideas will begin to become more and more familiar. The discussion ultimately ends in a terrific introduction to familiar concepts brought into great new life through considering Transhumanist themes.

A STRONGER WARNING: This episode contains altogether far too many usages of the word “robust,” mostly by the host. He sincerely apologizes!

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Mormon Transhumanist Association website. Includes information about the association’s April 6, 2012 conference in Salt Lake City and that is also available through livestreaming.

The New God Argument website.

“Transfiguration: Parallels and Complements Between Mormonism and Transhumanism” (Sunstone, March 2007)

79-80: How Can We Truly Confront Racism within Mormon Thought and Culture?

Dan Wotherspoon — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 18:29:52 +0000

A recent Washington Post article that discussed the origins and history of Mormonism’s racialized teachings and policies has caused quite a stir, launching important conversations. The article’s most controversial element was the inclusion of comments from BYU religion professor Randy Bott in which he denied that the former LDS ban on black persons holding the priesthood or participating in temple ordinances was racist, as God’s actions were for their benefit. They weren’t ready. Through these restrictions, God was acting as a loving parent, keeping them from having to live at a higher level than they were capable of doing. Church reaction was swift–a news release the next day completely distancing the Church’s position from the justification attempts of Professor Bott, and stating unequivocally that no one knows the reasons for the ban and the church does not sanction any attempts at explaining or justifying it.

Many see the Church’s reaction as a step in the right direction. But is it enough, as it still falls short of disavowing the ban? It does not admit it was a mistake all along. Many claim that to repudiate the ban would come at too high a cost, undermining prophetic authority and calling into question how seriously Latter-day Saints should hold other teachings or policies. Others claim that it’s essential if we are ever going to truly root out racism and racialized thinking in the Church and truly develop mature attitudes toward God and how God works in the world and through prophets. Their sense is that the Church could indeed shift its rhetoric about the nature of the prophetic call to emphasize it as a calling to exhort us to believe in Christ and place our trust in God and eternal principles. They believe that church leaders could still be honored as prophets and apostles even were they to be more open about the difficulties involved in hearing God’s call through the din of culture and inherited, unexamined ideas, allowing that mistakes have and can always be made in these more temporal areas.

Mormon Mattes host Dan Wotherspoon and panelists Marguerite Driessen, Gina Colvin, and Brad Kramer discuss all of these ideas and more. None find the present moment of controversy as pleasant (no one really “likes” having less attractive parts of one’s tradition held up for scrutiny, even ridicule), but all still welcome the chance these developments have given for renewed discussion–and hopefully deep soul-searching and self-examination. Are they seeing this go on? What are the stumblingblocks to this process? What do they see as important elements in paving a way ahead for true repentance and change?

We invite you to listen and share your ideas! This is a vital conversation. We’d love your voice to be involved.

77-78: Recognizing “the Spirit”

Dan Wotherspoon — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 06:47:24 +0000

Most of us were raised with the idea that even amidst all of life’s confusion, if we live in a certain way and follow clear steps to put ourselves in the right frame of mind and heart, we have the right and ability to know for certain God’s will and wisdom for us through communication via the Holy Ghost/Holy Spirit. For many of us, however, as we grow older and encounter various findings in science and psychology about biological and sociological biases, or as we experience disappointments and other types of complexities, our confidence in this simple formula for recognizing and hearing the Spirit, and sometimes even the very existence of this promised Comforter and Guide, begins to wane. Can we ever truly “know” what is true, or what is best for us? If so, how? If not, how can we still live richly and with confidence in the choices we make, as well as our decisions about what life means?

In this two-part episode, Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon and panelists Kristine Haglund, Scott Holley, and Michael Ferguson explore these questions and much more.

In Part 1 (Episode 77), they introduce and discuss findings from brain science and other academic disciplines about how “experience the world.” It might be considered the more “educational” half of the podcast–lots of fascinating information to take in and consider, but until near the end not a lot of direct consideration of the Holy Ghost dilemma.

In Part 2 (Episode 78), they add in an overview of LDS teachings regarding the processes of receiving “personal revelation” and about whether or not we can truly have certainty when we are experiencing a prompting or message from the Holy Spirit versus something more mixed up with our emotions, hopes, dreams, and various cognitive biases. In the final section, the panelists also all share some about how they personally work through this challenging issue of knowing when/if they are experiencing “Spirit,” why even in awareness of all the complicating factors they still don’t move into full-on skepticism, remaining alive to the possibilities for rich and deeper living that are there for exploring in what might be considered the “realm of Spirit.”

We would love to have you join in the conversation in the comments section below!

Matters of Perspective 1: “Godwrestling–Physicality, Conflict, and Redemption in Mormon Doctrine”

Dan Wotherspoon — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 18:29:16 +0000

“GODWRESTLING–PHYSICALITY, CONFLICT, AND REDEMPTION IN MORMON DOCTRINE”
By Rick Jepson

In this inaugural episode of “Matters of Perspective,” Rick Jepson reads his November 2005 Sunstone article, “Godwrestling: Physicality, Conflict, and Redemption in Mormon Doctrine,” which explores through many different angles the transformative power of struggle, both physical and spiritual. It contains one of the most complete discussions in all of Mormon writing of the Genesis story of Jacob’s wrestle with the angel, and links Jacob’s transformation from this intense battle with physical ordeals in the lives of other prophets, especially Joseph Smith, as well as Jesus’s struggle to complete the Atonement. It also examines in wonderful ways Jacob’s and Esau’s difficult relationship, Jacob’s struggle to win the esteem of his father, Isaac, and even some of the reasons it was important for him to break free from the influence of his mother, Rebekah. It also teaches us a ton of fascinating things about wrestling!

This article is a master example of the power of both the personal voice–Jepson reveals a great deal about himself and formative experiences in his life and that of his family–as well as first-rate scholarship. We are so pleased to offer it as the first in the Matters of Perspective series!

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Link to the article (which includes endnotes with many interesting extras).

Matters of the Heart 1: The Elder Daughter

Dan Wotherspoon — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 20:25:43 +0000

THE ELDER DAUGHTER
by Kelly Quinn

In this inaugural episode of Matters of the Heart, Kelly Quinn shares her essay, “The Elder Daughter,” which she wrote after listening to Mormon Matters Episode 51 (“The Dynamics of Guilt and Shame”) that contained a different angle on the Parable of the Prodigal Son than is typically given voice to in LDS discourse. As many biblical scholars suggest, this parable might better be referred to as the Parable of the Two Lost Sons. In this essay, Quinn discusses her own embodiment of many of the same qualities of that parable’s elder brother and the role that the Atonement has played in helping her journey toward greater peace and wholeness.

We invite your comments below!

75–76: Communicating About the Temple

Dan Wotherspoon — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 06:07:26 +0000

Mormon temple practices have come under renewed scrutiny recently as it has come to public attention that Mitt Romney’s father-in-law, a known non-religious person, had recently had temple ordinances performed on his behalf, and, in an even more emotionally charged case, that the names of the parents of well-known concentration camp survivor and Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal had been submitted for having baptism and other temple ordinances performed for them vicariously. (After recording this episode, we have learned that famous concentration camp victim, Anne Frank, has also just had temple work performed on her behalf in the LDS temple in theDominican Republic.) These events have ignited a new round of controversy over the Mormon practice of proxy ordinances for the dead, especially as theLDSChurchand Jewish leaders have several times come to strong agreement that no temple work would be done for Holocaust victims unless they were direct ancestors of contemporary Latter-day Saints. Given these pledges, how did this happen again? What is the nature of the submission processes that allow violations like this to occasionally still take place? Are there ways to stop it from happening again? In addition to the uproar over these breaches of agreements, these recent incidents have once more stirred strong feelings, as well as revealed a great deal of confusion, about just what it “means” for someone to have had their temple work performed for them after they are dead. It also has highlighted confusion on the part of both Jews and Mormons about why the other group can’t really understand their position on the impropriety or propriety of performing these ordinances.

In this episode, Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon and panelists Jana Riess, Jared Anderson, Charles Randall Paul, and Jennifer Rooney White tackle these topics and share some great insights. But more important than discussing these recent events and confusions, the panelists explore many ways that Mormons might use this current moment to learn to better communicate about LDS temple work to those both outside and inside the faith–and arrive at several provocative ideas. Much to chew on in this episode!

After listening to the episode’s two parts, we invite you to contribute to a great conversation in the comments section below.

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Link to Sunstone article by Charles Randall Paul, “The Sacred Secret Open to All: Ye Are Gods”

Post-recording session Deseret News article on LDS Church now considering taking church disciplinary action against those who submit names against the policies.

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74: Writing Mormon Lives

Dan Wotherspoon — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:59:07 +0000

Phyllis Barber and Joanna Brooks are two of Mormonism’s bravest voices, writers of memoirs in which they offer us privileged glimpses of their inner lives, their comings of age in all the kinds of awkwardness that entails, including learning how to inhabit their bodies and sexuality in healthy ways, tensions between the path indicated by LDS narratives and the various other possibilities suggested by other stories that surround them, struggles with theological ideas and legacies that are especially difficult for women, their searches for place in and peace with the tradition and people into which they were born and “cultured.” Their memoirs serve their own Mormon people through telling Mormon stories that offer companionship to other Latter-day Saints who have been shaped by the same or similar ideas, rituals, and messages–both the ennobling ones and those that miss the mark, even sometimes harm. These books and these writers’ willingness to be exposed personally as well as to share an insider’s view of Mormon teachings and rituals also serve as powerful bridges to those outside the LDS community. Through their intimate depictions of the particularity of their Mormon upbringings and lives, these books provide connection to what is universal in human experience. It is in this way that we truly do become “no more strangers and foreigners.”

We trust that you will enjoy this far-ranging but very personal visit with these two remarkable writers and powerful human beings. Comment in the section below. Share your stories. Let’s connect!

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Invite wonderful companions into your life! Support these writers!

Below are Amazon.com links to their books. Also check out Kindle and Nook options for some of them. They are also available through certain other mercantile sites.

PHYLLIS BARBER:

Raw Edges: A Memoir

How I Got Cultured: A Nevada Memoir

(For Phyllis’s out-of-print books, she recommends contacting Benchmark Books)

JOANNA BROOKS:

The Book of Mormon Girl: Stories from an American Faith

73: “And the Survey Says…!”: Reflections on Mormon Disaffection, Marlin Jensen’s Remarks, Recent Articles on Mormonism’s Challenge in Better Facing Its History

Dan Wotherspoon — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 06:03:05 +0000

This episode is an attempt to aid in processing the current moment in which various Mormon-watching communities are beginning to digest the preliminary results that have recently been released from the Open Stories Foundation survey about why Mormons leave the church, which comes on the heels of remarks made in December at Utah State University by LDS Church Historian Elder Marlin Jensen and reported on in numerous recent news stories in which he reflects on the current disaffection crisis and the Church’s plans to help address it. What does the survey suggest? How might the LDS Church move ahead more effectively–and how might we as members of these online communities assist in claiming a greater space within Mormonism for a more accurate telling of its history and an acceptance of a wider variety of ways of orienting toward Mormonism’s scriptures and shaping narratives? What are some tools or framings that might be helpful to those who through these news stories (and others yet to come as more results are released) might be hearing about are deciding to truly examine many of the complexities of church history and doctrine for the first time?

Joining Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon in reflecting on this current moment are podcast veterans, professor, blogger, and LDS commentator Joanna Brooks, professor and holder of the Leonard J. Arrington Chair of Mormon History and Culture at Utah State University Philip Barlow, and first-time podcast guest and business strategist Scott Holley, who served as a key analyst for the survey.

We hope you’ll enjoy the discussion and will share your thoughts in the comment section below!

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Links to Sources:

Preliminary results of Open Stories Foundation Survey

Joanna Brooks Religion Dispatches blog post on Mormonism facing its history

Reuters article reporting on Elder Marlin Jensen’s remarks at Utah State University

Salt Lake Tribune article about topics under discussion in this podcast

Deseret News article about topics under discussion in this podcast

Carrie Sheffield Washington Post essay on LDS Church in need of reform

72: Effecting Change in the Church

Dan Wotherspoon — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 03:59:50 +0000

This episode features panelists who all are deeply involved with theLDSChurch, yet from their position of involvement in, and love and affection for, the church and those they worship and serve with, each of them acts as an agent for change. As one of the panelists, Carol Lynn Pearson, suggests in the podcast, don’t we all want to be a blessing to those we love? But while the idea of bringing about “change” being a way of “blessing” others flows easily from Carol Lynn and the other panelists, these two don’t equate this way for many Latter-day Saints who, like most people, don’t naturally embrace change, and when it comes to change in the church view any and all course corrections as solely for general leaders to instigate.

In this podcast, Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon and panelists Chelsea Robarge Fife, Chelsea Shields Strayer, and Carol Lynn Pearson reflect on ways to help mitigate this idea of waiting to be directed and to instead act in ways that model love, build trust, and effectively bring about positive shifts in LDS culture, emphases, and beyond. In this far-ranging discussion, they discuss tips and share stories, successes, and failures in their lives as change agents. What are the secrets to the kind of confidence they have that it is their right, and even duty, to work for greater tolerance and awareness, and less harm?

We invite you to share your own stories, best practices, fears, or whatever else you’d care to share in the comments section below.

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Links to supplemental reading and listening:

Item on Carol Lynn Pearson’s website about work going on in the Oakland California Stake toward better understanding and loving our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters.

Carol Lynn Pearson’s “A Walk in Pink Moccasins”

Patheos podcast, The Round Table, featuring Chelsea Shields Strayer and heads of other LDS women’s organizations and blogs.

Armand Mauss essay, “Alternate Voices: The Calling and Its Implications.” Classic Sunstone essay reflecting on finding a comfortable niche in Mormonism as an “alternate voice.” Includes his “decalogue for dissenters,” ten commandments (tips) for both surviving and being effective outside the LDS mainstream.

71: Make Love AND War!: Maintaining Positive Relationships During Faith Transitions—A Spiritual Framing

Dan Wotherspoon — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:47:20 +0000

This is an expanded version of the talk Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon gave at the Houston Region Mormon Stories Support Community conference held 20-21 January 2012. Using the biblical accounts of Jacob and the angel, and Jacob and Esau, as key texts, and organized around the central image of a “wrestling match” being simultaneously a fight but also an embrace, along with the idea of the close ties between making love and making war, the talk is geared toward providing ways of thinking about faith crises in positive ways–as integral parts of the larger human developmental journey–and then allowing those kinds of encouragements to work on our hearts and minds in a manner that will allow us to make peace with God (even if we totally end up thinking about or experiencing God or Truth and/or the spiritual path in new ways), church, friends and family who may be struggling with our pulling away from them in terms of having a shared worldview, as well as, even most importantly, ourselves. From this place of greater centeredness, achieved only as we go through the life and death match and agonizing processes of coming to fully center authority in ourselves and our own deep and genuine experiences rather than by giving that authority over to others–persons, institutions, and texts–we will be able to joyfully interact once more with loved ones. They may still not “understand” what we have (and are still) going through, but most of them will not be able to resist us in our greater, more peaceful and happier incarnation forever. And even if they continue to do so, we will be fed by a deep sense of peace and connection and groundedness in spirit that we will be able to be patient and still lovingly interact with them.

We are called to the arena. God/Spirit/Our highest self is ready and encouraging us to fight–and through that fight to love more deeply. Will we answer the bugle’s call?

Note from Dan Wotherspoon: This was produced as a narrated slide show, and the end result is far too long! I get this! I totally didn’t expect it to take this long to say all that I wanted to say. It is not a comfortable thing for me to play the role of “sage on the stage” and be in front speaking. I’m far more interested in serving as a vehicle for others to step into the forefront to share their insights; I far prefer the kinds of conversations I host in a typical Mormon Matters episode. But when all was said and done with this crazy process of recording the things I would have liked to say if I’d had the time to do it at the Houston conference, I have to admit that it did feel good to “put out there” in sort of a big chunk many of the things that animate my life and journey within Mormonism and in my own personal wrestles. I hope it doesn’t come across as too self-indulgent to present these ideas at such great length. I promise this will not become a habit! Back to panel discussions next week!

Link to Rick Jepson article, “Godwrestling: Physicality, Conflict, and Redemption in Mormon Doctrine” (Sunstone, November 2005)

70: Is the World Getting Worse?

Dan Wotherspoon — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 04:51:29 +0000

We hear them all the time, statements about the world “going to hell in a hand basket,” sighs and longings for “the good old days,” warnings of rampant moral decay and declarations to all who want to follow God that they are living in “enemy territory.” For those prone to depression and anxiety, such framings of the world and today’s moral and spiritual state exacerbate their struggles. For children, these notions feed fears and cause some to wonder if this world is really worth engaging. There are also dozens of other subtle ways that these kinds of assessments can act against our emotional, spiritual, and physical health and well-being. The most tragic aspect of these sorts of pessimistic framings is that according to studies from many fields, the data does not prove this tale of hopeless, inevitable continual decay to be justified. Violence is down, freedom is up, and scores of other social health and happiness indexes largely show things trending in positive directions. If this is true, how, then, should we think about the apocalypticism that affects so much discussion in both the world and in Mormonism?

In this episode, Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon and panelists—LDS therapists Natasha Helfer Parker and Marybeth Raynes, and philosopher and intellectual historian James McLachlan—discuss these messages and their persistence, the strength of the evidence for their accuracy, and their effects on people in general and those prone to depression and anxiety in particular. As all the panelists recognize, it is important to strike a healthy balance between optimism and pessimism, and there is a strong need for everyone to be alert to dangers and take reasonable steps for their protection. But for those who haven’t found this balance (or for those who love someone like this), they offer suggestions for how people might learn to concentrate on different, more positive messages. They also discuss possible ways we might talk with and offer fresh framings about the world situation to our children and loved ones who are overly wrought with doomsday fears.

If it’s possible to “enjoy” a discussion about apocalyptic anxiety, we hope you will do just that! And then please join in the conversation in the comments discussion below.

69: Patriarchal Blessings

Dan Wotherspoon — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 02:12:46 +0000

One of Mormonism’s unique features is the patriarchal blessing in which LDS church members–generally mid-teens or older, though there is no official age limit–are given the chance to have hands laid upon their heads by an experienced and humble priesthood leader who has been set apart as a “patriarch” and to receive from him words of wisdom, inspiration, encouragement, guidance, and in many cases, prophetic-type pronouncements about possibilities for their lives, with some of these statements quite specific or unique. Most Latter-day Saints consider their patriarchal blessings wonderful treasures in their lives, and as containing words (as panelist Richard Bushman says in this episode) that are “set apart from other words” and seen as God’s words just for us. They are, as he says, words that can galvanize our powers, direct us, humble us, and make us better people.

There is, however, quite an air of mystery around patriarchal blessings, and because of their unique character and the felt sense of sacredness surrounding them, many Latter-day Saints add expectations about what these blessings are that are perhaps not warranted. Some see them as absolute predictors of future events or straight-from-God declarations about their past lives as spirits before mortality. As a result, some who have previously taken statements in their blessings (or the blessings of others) to be literal, “this and this is going to happen” kinds of pronouncements, become quite troubled when events do not unfold exactly as the blessing suggested–or at least they felt it suggested according to the reading they brought to it or the expectations they had about the nature of these blessings.

In this Mormon Matters episode, we have the privilege of having a wonderfully fresh and engaging discussion with Richard Bushman, a well-known and distinguished historian who from 1989 until a few years ago also served as a stake patriarch. He, in interaction with podcast host Dan Wotherspoon and panelist Jared Anderson, generously offers his perspectives on just what patriarchal blessings are–and what they are not. In what way are they “prophecy”–and he does not back down from that term!–but also what are our responsibilities in working with all words of God, even prophecy (which, he is very adamant about, are all mediated by human minds)? How might someone re-frame what they see as a patriarchal blessing’s promise–such as being alive at the time of Christ’s return–that has “failed”? He also shares much about his own calling to be a patriarch and what the experience of giving patriarchal blessings is like for him. He explores his sense of what it means to declare someone’s “lineage” through one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Jared Anderson, in this section as well as an earlier framing of biblical precedents for patriarchal blessings and prophecies offers a wonderful reminder of the history of Israel and the “lost tribes,” along with fascinating insights into certain lines of argument in today’s biblical scholarship that both complicate and possibly free up for some people expectations about literal descent or what is going on when the Bible seems to contain passages that predict the future. Finally, the panelists discuss the idea of pre-existence in Mormon thought that often finds its way into patriarchal blessings through the words of some patriarchs who declare things about recipients’ “valiancy” during the War in Heaven or refer to some other aspect of pre-earth existence. If some people are declared to have been especially valiant, is the flip-side true that many others were not? Evil has often been done with such ideas, so this notion offers a good opportunity for an important wrestle–one that this discussion delivers, and one that we hope (along with many other themes in this episode) will continue to play out in the blog comments below.

67–68: The Happiness Puzzle

Dan Wotherspoon — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 01:54:10 +0000

What seems like something very simple to answer–”What is happiness?” or even, “What makes me happy?”–turns out to be anything but easy. How much do our expectations or pre-conceived ideas about what will make us happy come into play? How does the number of choices we have affect satisfaction with our lives? How much of our happiness level reflects what we experience in the moments of our lives versus how we reflect upon our experiences–the stories we tell about them? How much do our relationships with family, loved ones, and people we enjoy being around contribute to our feelings of well-being? What about a sense of purpose, whether it be on a small and personal scale or something more cosmic in scope? And more specific to Mormon Stories audience members, how tied to our happiness is our relationship to institutions such as theLDSChurch? Do people with different temperaments generally find more or less satisfaction within the church–and how natural or important is it to continually renegotiate boundaries between ourselves and institutional forces that might work against the deepening of our self-understanding or our relationship with the divine and other factors that contribute to our contentment and how fully we flourish emotionally and spiritually?

In this two-episode discussion–the questions, ideas, and opinions were too big for just one!–Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon and panelists Jared Anderson, Greg Rockwell, and KC Kern engage in a far-ranging and sometimes quite intense discussion about happiness in its theoretical and scientific glory, as well as in the more personal push and pull of the panelists’ interactions with Mormonism. These episodes present a lot to chew on, and the panelists each represent four distinct personalities and ways of engaging the church and LDS community in their own pursuits of happiness. But in the end, the only thing that is clear is that happiness is a huge puzzle that all of us must put together for ourselves.

Episode 67 contains the more theoretical portion of the discussions of happiness, what is being shown by scientific and sociological studies, as well as the key role of temperament in someone’s perception of their happiness (and especially as it might relate to spirituality and comfort within institutions that have the capacity to be all-encompassing if one lets them).

Episode 68 features the panelists personal stories and takes on Mormon-specific questions and how they pursue their happiness outside or inside the LDS church through their different ways of relating to it in their own journeys toward joy.

Even at 3-plus hours when you add up both parts, there is still much more to say and wrestle with, so we very much hope you’ll listen and engage in the discussion below!

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Links to interesting things that informed much of the general discussion:

Daniel Kahneman, “The Riddle of Experience Vs. Memory” (TED talk)

Dan Gilbert, “Why Are We Happy?” (TED talk)

Barry Schwartz, “The Paradox of Choice” (TED talk)

Paul Zak: “Trust, Morality–and Oxytocin” (TED talk)

Dan Ariely, “Are We in Control of Our Own Decisions?” (TED talk)

“Pursuing Happiness.” (On Being episode). Discussion of happiness hosted by Krista Tippett and featuring His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Seyyed Hossein Nasr (Muslim scholar), Bishop Katharin Jefferts Schori (Episcopal Church), and Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks (Jewish leader in the U.K.).

Andrew Weil: “Spontaneous Happiness: Our Nature-Deficit Disorder” (originally in Newsweek)

On Iron Rod and Liahona Temperaments

Richard D. Poll, “What the Gospel Means to People Like Me” (Sermon printed in Dialogue in which he introduces the idea of two LDS temperaments: Iron Rods and Liahonas)

Harold B. Lee, “The Iron Rod” (April 1971 General Conference address in which he seems to directly criticize ideas in the Poll talk: “Do the revelations of God give us a handrail to the kingdom of God, as the Lord’s messenger told Lehi, or merely a compass?”)

Richard D. Poll, “Liahona and Iron Rod Revisited” (Remarks published in Dialogue in 1983 in which Poll assesses the impact of his categories in Mormon discussion, as well as how they seemed to be playing out in the church at that time)

66: Spiritual Secrets of Addiction Recovery

Dan Wotherspoon — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 06:32:46 +0000

As the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous discovered, something profound can happen when addicts invite God or a power higher than themselves into their lives and efforts at recovery. Through understanding addiction as a symptom of spiritual “dis-ease” and addressing recovery as an attempt to restore a healthy balance between one’s own ego and desires to run things versus the will and wisdom of God or the universe, AA and its Big Book and Twelve-Step offspring programs have saved countless lives. What are the spiritual principles at work in addiction recovery? Do addicts at their wits’ and wills’ ends discover secrets that are also at work in others’ vital spiritual lives? Can non-addicts increase their own spirituality from interacting with recovering addicts and applying Big Book insights in their own spiritual journeys? However one ends up viewing the answers to these question, it’s undeniable that powerful things happen in addiction recovery work that are worth close examination (along, of course, with proper celebration of the returns to joy in recovering addicts’ lives).

In this podcast, Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon and recovering addicts “Keith,” “John,” and “Bill” discuss addiction and recovery, AA’s Twelve Steps, and the spiritual powers that seem to be unleashed in the interaction of addicts sharing and teaching another. They also introduce and discuss the LDS Church’s Addition and Recovery Program (ARP) that is modeled after AA’s Twelve Steps but which has also adapted–in some ways successfully but still needing additional development–its approach to better match Mormon gospel teachings and to handle special concerns that arise when recovery programs become affiliated with institutions. The panel also discusses the special challenges Latter-day Saints often face in recovery, but also how the unprecedented levels of honesty and disclosure that operate in recovery work can help build even stronger LDS communities.

Minute for minute, and right up to the very end, this is one of the most insight-packed of all Mormon Matters episodes. We hope you will enjoy it, learn from and feel blessed by it, and then share it. Oh yeah, and also discuss it in the comments section below!

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Links to Resources, Books, and Discussions
(Listeners, please suggest others!)

LDS Church’s “Addiction and Recovery Program”

Heart t’ Heart (independently run 12-Step program geared primarily toward Latter-day Saints)

“The Spirituality of Addiction and Recovery” episode of the Speaking of Faith podcast (now On Being)

The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous (Amazon link)

The Spirituality of Imperfection: Modern Wisdom from Classic Stories, by Ernest Kurtz and Katherine Ketcha (Amazon link)

He Did Deliver Me from Bondage, by Colleen C. Harrison (Amazon link)

Willpower Is Not Enough: Why We Don’t Succeed at Change, by A. Dean Byrd (Amazon link)

65: LDS Views on Christ’s Second Coming and the End Times

Dan Wotherspoon — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 02:00:09 +0000

Elder Boyd K. Packer’s October 2011 General Conference encouragement to youth to not fear that because of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ they will not have a chance to have a full life, including having children and grandchildren, is the latest in what seems to be a trend among LDS leaders to de-emphasize the kind of apocalyptic thinking that was prevalent among Mormons even just a few decades ago. Yet class discussions during recent lessons in the priesthood and Relief Society manuals on the signs of the Second Coming, what will happen upon Christ’s return, the Millennium, and the Final Judgment all reveal that “we are living in the end times” thinking is still very much alive and well within Mormonism, with those doing most of the talking in classes still seeming to believe Christ’s coming and world’s end is immanent–perhaps even within their own lifetimes. Clearly it’s time for major discussions on this subject!

What are the scriptural roots of the Christian expectation of Christ’s second coming? How do these match up with apocalyptic visions from other traditions? What unique ideas do Mormons bring to end-times thinking? Is the violent vision of the world’s end set in stone, or are there chances for human beings to change the outcome? If someone feels like she or he cannot believe scripture and teachings about the Second Coming literally, are there still positive framings about preparing for the end of the world or the idea of Christ coming that they might be able to adopt?

In this episode, Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon and panelists Jared Anderson, Charles Randall Paul, and Kenton Karrasch dive deep into all of these issues and many others! It’s a big subject and a long-ish episode, but the recording still only scratches the surface. We hope you will listen and then contribute to a vibrant additional discussion in the comments section below!

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Additional Reading:

“Watching,” by V. Stanley Benfell III. (This is the essay Dan refers to in the podcast relating to watching for Christ in others.)