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!