Latter-day Faith

In this monologue episode, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon shares some of his recent thinking about the ways Western Christianity has misinterpreted (or ignored) his actual teachings in such a way that we have the rise of Christian Nationalism, increased Patriarchy, name calling, scapegoating, devastating harm to individuals and families, and the notion that Christians have the right to pass judgment on everything! Dan approaches these issues by first asking if Christianity is right about its views that the primary problem in the world is sin (particularly individual sin), which therefore requires a "Savior" to overcome the effects of it and allow us to be "saved." Dan takes us through a fast survey of other religious traditions that don't see "sin" as the primary problem. Eastern traditions don't talk about it in any depth, naming instead things like people being out of harmony with the Tao, out of balance with one's surroundings, suffering because crave things to go the way we want them to but never will, etc. These traditions produce many adherents who are transformed, who see clearly, act harmoniously, are compassionate, eschew violence, and so forth. We Christians might say they are "Christlike," yet we know they became so without any thought of "sin" and "Saviors." So how do we see Jesus and his work differently? As we read scripture, we see that he proposed the two great commandments as forms of "Love." Wholehearted, fully conscious, love. He teaches of the virgins who were able to enter into his presence and why they were allowed. His responses to the temptations in the wilderness reveal much about him and what he is about, while also suggesting for us that we meet the challenges in our lives and fearfulness in the same way. He talks about the Kingdom of God being "within" us--not "out there" or a place to go to. And much more. Listen in! See if he makes a compelling argument that Christianity's ability to transform us in Godlike ways requires us to see Jesus and his actual messages in new ways.

This year's Sunday School curriculum is the Old Testament (better titled the Hebrew Bible). And before too long, those of us who follow the Come Follow Me calendar will begin moving into the study of the prophets Isaiah through Malachi. For most Latter-day Saints, this is generally their least favorite months of study. They don't contain much narrative, action, or other things that keep readers' attention. But are there profound lessons to be learned from the prophets and their writings? The wise and powerful writer Richard Rohr thinks so, and this episode features some of his approaches. Latter-day Faith hosts Dan Wotherspoon, Terri Petersen, and Mark Crego have each recently finished his beautiful book, The Tears of Things: Prophetic Wisdom in an Age of Rage and discuss their takeaways from Rohr's book, focusing on the way we presents the prophets as teachers, but also very much themselves "works in progress." Rohr even singles out two Hebrew Bible and one New Testament prophets as "unfinished" prophets. They also focus on one of the primary reminders in Rohr's book that prophets always come from "outside" a communities' power structure. And it must be so, because only someone not tied up in the various hierarchies (whether royal or religious/priestly) can truly look at the consequences/suffering inflicted upon others by their policies, teachings, and rites. It is very hard to worry about organizational and purity concerns and also see the big picture. Hence there is need for wise community members to critique what is happening and to offer paths it might follow to draw closer to its highest ideals and its covenant with God Rohr also argues that, as evidenced by their writings, each of the prophets have and are experiencing what he refers to as the "prophetic wisdom pattern": moving from "order" to "disorder" and then (in most cases) "reorder." When they notice failures in "order" they will become angry, railing on the failures of the leaders and community members. Others will exhibit great suffering themselves (such as in Jeremiah's Lamentations.") It is only after experiencing this great disorder themselves that they can and do begin to offer messages of hope. How can their lives and struggles be examples to us? Inspire us? Call us to learn to be truth-tellers who still very much love their communities? How might we be "faithful" and also voices who critique things in our circles from a place of love? It is rich material. Listen in as Dan, Terri, and Mark try to make sense of some of it!

In this remarkable discussion that is part of the "Women Outside the Garden" series hosted by Teri Petersen, Terri talks with Susannah Clarke about several topics, preeminent among them is "generational trauma." Based on the science of epigenetics, each of us inherit DNA from our ancestors, and carried within it are propensities, temperament, fears, and more. Not all manifest within us, but it is important to understand these as part of our makeup. One of the most difficult things inherent in our genetic makeup are the effects of any unhealed trauma our forbearers they may have experienced. Likewise, our own children will carry within them the effects of our own traumatic experiences. Hence, we are all called to learn how to heal those pieces of us in order to break the negative patterns we inherited. There are many remarkable things about Susannah Clarke, and Teri draws out of her the ways she confronted the effects of her own generational and personal trauma. It is a fascinating story that includes church messaging, divorce, and raising a profoundly disabled child, and her healing path she found through learning to advocate for her daughter as well as herself. Listen in!

Using as launching pad the Western Christian liturgical calendar celebration of Epiphany (the day recognizing Jesus's first revelation to Gentiles--in this case, the Magi) this episode is a discussion between LDF host and co-host Dan Wotherspoon and Mark Crego about the importance of being ready at all times and within any group to share our witness with others. As it says in 1 Peter 3:15: "and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear," Dan and Mark share how we might be able to do this effectively during or after our faith has begun to shift because the once easy "I know" responses no longer feel authentic for us. How do we share what is currently going on with us in language that indicates the "hope" that is still in us? The hosts focus on three situations: speaking with active LDS family and friends, speaking with friends who want to tear down the church, and speaking with outsiders to our tradition. Listen in!

This powerful episode, the 4th in Terri Petersen's series, "Women Outside the Garden," features an interview she did with Tonia Toole, who is the founder of a non-profit organization, Holding Out Help, that assists individuals in leaving polygamous communities in Utah. In it, Tonia shares her personal journey, including her experience with cancer and how it led her to this work. She described the various polygamous sects in Utah, the challenges faced by those leaving these communities, and the services provided by Holding Out Help. Tonia emphasized the importance of kindness and understanding towards those from polygamous backgrounds and expressed concerns about the decriminalization of polygamy in Utah. The interview also highlights the resilience and strength of those leaving polygamous communities. Listen in! Learn Much! Be Inspired!

Many Latter-day Saints long for a more inclusive church, including less of an emphasis on doctrines in favor of learning to listen better to each other and open our hearts to more diverse points of view. They are bored by and are unmoved by certainty. They want a deeper connection with the Divine (however they picture that). They want to be heard and understood for who they are and not feel they have to perform the role of "perfect" Mormon. This episode looks closely at the concept of "Big Tent" Mormonism. How can we help bring it about? What are the main obstacles standing in the way of us learning to be more welcoming to everyone? How can we broaden awareness of faith struggles and talk about them in genuine ways (and not just offering quick responses and rushing to get back to the lesson)? Listen in as LDF host Dan Wotherspoon engages with show regular Terri Petersen and the wise historian and church watcher Greg Prince! We think you will really enjoy the conversation!

Many Latter-day Saints long for a more inclusive church, including less of an emphasis on doctrines in favor of learning to listen better to each other and open our hearts to more diverse points of view. They are bored by and are unmoved by certainty. They want a deeper connection with the Divine (however they picture that). They want to be heard and understood for who they are and not feel they have to perform the role of "perfect" Mormon. This episode looks closely at the concept of "Big Tent" Mormonism. How can we help bring it about? What are the main obstacles standing in the way of us learning to be more welcoming to everyone? How can we broaden awareness of faith struggles and talk about them in genuine ways (and not just offering quick responses and rushing to get back to the lesson)? Listen in as LDF host Dan Wotherspoon engages with show regular Terri Petersen and the wise historian and church watcher Greg Prince! We think you will really enjoy the conversation!

"Hope" is a term often associated with Christmas. "A thrill of hope, a weary world rejoices..." "The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight." But what is "hope"? And how is it tied to Jesus's birth and life? Is hope an expectation of a particular outcome, or is it something deeper--perhaps a quality manifest in the character of God as displayed by Jesus. So often in Christian culture, hope is tied to the hope for salvation and life with God after we've died. But that makes hope mostly a "then" thing rather than a character trait for the "nows" of our lives. We want hope "now"! In this episode, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon and his friend and one of his partners in the Faith Journey Foundation, Mark Crego, discuss hope from multiple angles. What is disclosed about God in the nativity narratives? Would "liberation" be a better word than "salvation" when discussing the power of Jesus's example in our lives (here and now without worries about life after this one)? Their discussion might be a bit difficult for some Latter-day Saints who want Jesus to be "Christ" right from birth and someone who who rescues us from our pain and travail? But both Mark and Dan work from the perspectives inherent in LDS sensibilities about ourselves as already divine, as another introduction of God into the world. They find that emphasizing Jesus of "humble birth" and a very human life to be much more powerful than Jesus as categorically different than the rest of us humans. Ultimately, it feels more hopeful that understanding Jesus as totally "other" than us. We think you will enjoy this discussion and its connections to "hope" throughout! Listen in!

This episode is a far-ranging conversation between "Women Outside the Garden" host Terri Petersen and the co-hosts of the Meno-Moms podcast, Alyson Deussen and Susie Augenstein. In it, both Alyson and Susie share their LDS backgrounds and journeys toward wider views and deeper happiness. And how there are many things that they "just don't care about anymore." They talk about things that are extremely painful, but also what they've learned along the way. Overall, it's a fun, beautiful, and incredibly insightful episode. Listen in!

In this episode, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon follows up on Episode 223 that focused on obstacles that we face when we encounter surprising or disturbing things about scripture by focusing on its mythic elements. What is myth? What it its purpose? How can we appreciate it for its insights into life's biggest questions and themes, as well as the archetypal truths illustrated in such stories, along with their insights into human nature. Dan spends time talking about myth within scripture but then goes to mythic stories we all likely know, suggesting reasons we should value those as well. Listen in!

In the second episode of our special series, "Women Outside the Garden", host Terri Petersen interviewed an amazing Substack content provider Stephanie G., discussing women and priesthood power. In a church culture that emphasizes patriarchal authority embodied by "keys", Stephanie presents a parable of how a young princess is given a new car, but never really given the keys to operate it. It's a refreshing look at how our systems of authority and control can have a toxic effect on women in the church, and what we can do about it. Stephanie has discovered she can find access to Jesus without the need for "keys" at all. She, along with other women have the power to direct their lives, blessing all with whom they contact. Paradoxically, having her own keys has been able to enhance her family relationships, becoming a true equal partner with her husband in their journey. Stephanie's substack link is here: "More Questions Than Answers" Here is the link to her "Parable of Power and Priesthood"

During faith crises/shifts, one the most difficult things to renegotiate is our relationship with scripture. For most of our lives we have most likely thought that they portrayed an accurate history of things that happened in the past and that they were inspired by God in special ways, allowing them to portray the Divine will for our lives. As we discover scriptural contradictions, begin to question the possibility of miracles portrayed within them, or stumble on parallel stories from other ancient civilizations, their character begins to shift in our eyes. How do we face up to such things and still maintain faith in their messages? Can we still learn from them? Value them? Do we want to, or might it be easier to simply abandon them and allow them no more sway in our lives? In this episode, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon and primary partners in Latter-day Faith and the Faith Journey Foundation Terri Petersen and Mark Crego talk about these struggles and more! All three have gone through (and are still going through) these wrestles. What has been most helpful to each? Has their deep searching yielded perspectives that allow them to still value scripture? Perhaps even more than before? Listen in and find out!

In this short episode, Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon reflects on this week's "No Kings" rallies and an idea that has begun to form in his mind that names something happening over the past decades (and specifically the last six years) that has led to the need for rallies of this type. Drawing very briefly on descriptions of James Fowler's second and third "stages of faith," he wonders if we are seeing an increasing number of people who had found purpose, optimism, and signposts for a healthy spiritual (hallmarks of a third-stage orientation to the world and others) move into despair and the kinds of preoccupations that are more characteristic of stage two: fairness, certainty, reciprocity and an ability to operate without a need for coherence in the stories they believe. Are there ways that this naming might help us clarify a way forward as we encounter and interact with those who seem to have forgotten those things that led to their earlier optimism? He offers one. We hope you have others!

As we announced a couple of weeks ago, the Faith Journey Foundation and Latter-day Faith Podcast are launching a new series of episodes with the title, "Women Outside the Garden," hosted by our wonderful friend and collaborator, Terri Petersen. This episode contains a brief introduction to the series, with Terri outlining what she will (and won't) be doing with WOTG, and mentioning several of the key issues women face within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and why discussions like those that will be forthcoming in this new show are so important. This is a compelling episode in itself and is also a fascinating preview for what lies ahead in the series. You will love it!

Many people feel unsettled these days. There seems to be a general unease in the air, some of it caused by the rapid changes the current president is making, many mean-spirited and cruel. For Latter-day Saints, add in the recent loss of President Nelson and the terrible tragedy in a Michigan chapel, and a sense of uncertainty and impending doom fills many hearts. In this episode, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon and LDF board member Mark Crego speak to this general malaise felt by so many. What is it? How is it manifesting? Is anyone, anywherd feeling settled at all? Most of all, what self-care strategies might help us? Their discussion doesn't contain a lot of answers, but they elucidate the issue, share personal stories, and offer their sense of how we can regain equilibrium. Listen in!

In this episode, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon shares a few thoughts on very important step in our spiritual maturation processes: shifting from a preoccupation with the question, "What is True?" to instead evaluating how various ideas "affect us." Does this or that story or presentation or truth claim expand our vision, make us want to be less judgmental, or transform us in some other good way? Another big focus is on "What can we know anyway?" Is it even possible to "know" what we so often hear people testify that they know? Religious ideas do not translate into knowledge of objective, factual things. Religion and spirituality play in the realm of myth, symbols, archetypes, not hard and fast claims about "this is really how it is." Using personal experiences, a powerful spiritual passage, and a bit of William James and Kathryn Schultz, he makes the case that we put too much emphasis on truth and not enough on growth.

In this episode, Latter-day Faith co-host Terri Petersen shares with us about her life and spiritual journey with all its ups and downs. We get to know her as a perfectionist who loved everything about the church because it had answers to everything and laid out a great set of rules to follow. We then get to know her as a confused and pretty mad Mormon when she encounters issues and has to wrestle with new ideas. She then shares her reasons for continuing to stay engaged while still navigating her spiritual life "outside the garden" that she had once felt so comfortable within. Listen in!

As we refresh our energies after a long summer, Mark Crego and LDF host Dan Wotherspoon take stock a bit about Latter-day Faith, its mission, and what its plans are going forward, including new kinds of offerings ahead. This is an unusual episode in that it contains a conversation that the two were having that Mark suddenly started recording. In addition to reaffirming what they think the podcast and community is about, including why they think "Latter-day" is still an appropriate title, their discussion of faith took them into a detour about Jesus and in what ways his life and emphases can be empowering if seen in a broader way than as "Son of God." They move to the new things ahead, including a new series, "Women Outside the Garden" hosted by Terri Petersen, and then finish with a few reflections on spiritual practices and how their effect on us can help us maintain faith and centering in this changing, confusing, and unstable world. Listen in to this peek into the kinds of things Mark and Dan talk about when no one else is around and aren't planned out in advance. Enjoy!

As we refresh our energies after a long summer, Mark Crego and LDF host Dan Wotherspoon take stock a bit about Latter-day Faith, its mission, and what its plans are going forward, including new kinds of offerings ahead. This is an unusual episode in that it contains a conversation that the two were having that Mark suddenly started recording. In addition to reaffirming what they think the podcast and community is about, including why they think "Latter-day" is still an appropriate title, their discussion of faith took them into a detour about Jesus and in what ways his life and emphases can be empowering if seen in a broader way than as "Son of God." They move to the new things ahead, including a new series, "Women Outside the Garden" hosted by Terri Petersen, and then finish with a few reflections on spiritual practices and how their effect on us can help us maintain faith and centering in this changing, confusing, and unstable world. Listen in to this peek into the kinds of things Mark and Dan talk about when no one else is around and aren't planned out in advance. Enjoy!