Mormon Discussion Podcast: Leading With Faith

Many of us that leave the LDS church have experienced shame or guilt associated with the religion. Today, Erika Nordfelt, director and therapist at Greenstone Counseling, joins Scott on the podcast to talk about her time working at the BYUI counseling department and her religious deconstruction. Erika brings excellent insight to the discussion around shame and guilt as she observed it in the stude...

Last week we discussed working at the MTC and experiencing a faith crisis with the wonderful Megan Spence. Megan worked as an instructor at the Missionary Training Center, during her time at BYU. While working for the church, she went through a faith crisis. Today we continue the conversation and dive deeper into some of Megan’s experiences while working for the church. Please consider becoming a...

Today, Megan Spence joins the podcast to share her story with the audience. Megan worked as an instructor at the Missionary Training Center during her time at BYU. While working for the church, she went through a faith crisis. In this episode, we discuss her time at the MTC and some of the details of her faith transition. Please consider becoming a monthly recurring donor to the podcast.

After three weeks of discussing the logical problem of Evil, this episode will cover a few listener comments on the subject. One commenter, as if through their own seer stone, knew where Scott would take this subject four weeks in advance. The Brothers Karamazov offers a fascinating conclusion to the discussion. This book by Fyodor Dostoevsky is often cited as a succinct explanation of the problem...

The LDS version of the premortal existence fundamentally changes how the LDS faith approaches the problem of evil. In traditional Christianity, evil is introduced into existence at the garden of Eden, but the LDS faith has a much different version of this concept. In this episode, Scott covers a few passages of the Doctrine and Covenants, as well as the King Follet Discourse to illustrate how the...

How does the Book of Mormon address the problem of evil? In this episode, Scott covers a few passages in the Book of Mormon that explain why evil exists in the world. The Book of Mormon codifies into scripture some of the theodicies of the past, but also adds interesting developments to the conversation.  Larsen, V. (2015). A Mormon Theodicy: Jacob and the Problem of Evil.  Interpreter:...

Why is there evil? Is deity compatible with the suffering that we observe in the world around us? In today’s episode, Scott introduces the listeners to the problem of evil. This episode is a brief primer on the subject to open the discussion on Mormon responses to the problem of evil in later episodes. Please consider becoming a monthly recurring donor to the podcast.

Today’s episode is a rebroadcast of a recent Mormon Stories Podcast Episode featuring Scott as a guest host. In early December 2022, John invited Scott to Mormon Stories to discuss some recent episodes.  John and Scott discuss Brian Harris, a recent guest on Rameumptom Ruminations who was an employee at church headquarters in the correlation department. Brian offers us a chance to pull...

After guest hosting an episode with John Dehlin on Mormon Stories Podcast, many new listeners began working through Scott’s catalog of episodes. Today, Scott will respond directly to some of the comments he received on the Mormon Stories episode. Please consider becoming a monthly recurring donor to the podcast.

Many people stay engaged with the LDS church after deconstructing their faith, but that relationship looks different for everyone. In this episode, Scott brings on Patrick Mason to discuss nuanced membership within the LDS church. What does faithful dissent look like, or how can a member express their unorthodox position with their congregation? Patrick Mason is the Leonard J. Arrington Chair of M...

After a short break, Scott returns to the podcast. Many people that leave the LDS faith are warned against leaving with threats of an unhappy life. “Your family will fall apart,” or “You’ll face incredible challenges in the workplace.” They uphold the idea that the problem of suffering only exists outside of the faith. In this episode, he discusses some of his mental...

Is the Devil in the New Testament portrayed any differently than the Satan of the Old Testament? In this episode, Scott finishes a short series covering the Devil by focusing on the New Testament. Do not skip out on episodes 74 and 75 . Those two establish key groundwork to understand this episode.  Sources Stokes, Ryan E.  The Satan: How God’s Executioner Became the Enemy . Willia...

What is the origin of the word Satan? Do these earliest passages that use the term Satan match modern LDS beliefs about the devil? Sources Stokes, Ryan E.  The Satan: How God’s Executioner Became the Enemy . William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2019. Please consider becoming a monthly recurring donor to the podcast.

Lucifer in the LDS faith is vastly different from other interpretations of the character. How does this version differ from that found in the Bible, or in other literature? In today’s episode, Kajsa Berlin-Kaufusi joins Scott to compare different versions of the Son of the Morning. Kajsa is a former faculty member at BYU in the ancient scripture department. If you haven’t listened to K...

Should an atheist post-Mormon engage with spirituality after deconstruction? What does mourning the loss of a loved one look like post-faith, or how can we make sense of suffering outside the constraints of religious ideology? In this episode, Brittney Hartley from the Almost Awakened Podcast comes onto the show to discuss her new course on spiritual reconstruction. Please consider becoming a mont...

This episode continues the series by reviewing the book No Man Knows My History by Fawn Brodie. Julia from Analyzing Mormonism returns to the discussion with her eye for detail. This section covers chapters 22 through 27. In this last section, we cover the last years in Nauvoo, Joseph’s presidential campaign, and the events leading up to his death. No Man Knows My History Review Part 1 No Ma...

Nolan returns to the podcast this week to continue the discussion on the Welfare and Self Reliance program of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. If you missed last week’s discussion check it out here . In this episode, we pick up the discussion where we left off discussing the Perpetual Education Fund and we transition into a fascinating pilot program to help Missionaries trans...

In this very special episode, Scott interviews a former full-time employee of the church who worked for the church in the Welfare and Self Reliance department overseas in a developing country. Today’s episode is part one of a two-part interview series. Be sure to check back next week as they continue their discussion. Nolan, the interviewee, wishes to remain anonymous. In the discussion, the...

This episode is in response to a few comments on the previous discussions about morality. One commenter offered an excellent criticism of the way Scott presented the concepts around the dichotomy of good and evil or right and wrong. The other discussed how their TBM family would have responded to Divine Command Theory. Please consider becoming a monthly recurring donor to the podcast.

On the heels of exploring bad reasoning for uncomfortable commandments, Scott dives into the infamous statement made by Elder Oaks regarding apologies. Do we take the statement out of context? Yes, but reading it in context does not make it better. Sources: Salt Lake Tribune YouTube Please consider becoming a monthly recurring donor to the podcast.

The infamous Happiness Letter offers a glimpse into the morality used to justify the practice of Polygamy. In the letter, Joseph Smith uses an argument that will sound very familiar to the listeners of the previous episode. What implications does Joseph Smith’s logic have on right and wrong? Please Consider becoming a monthly recurring donor to the podcast.

How can you be a moral person without God? Friends and Family pose this question to those of us that deconstruct religion and leave it behind. They cannot comprehend a code of morals that does not involve Deity. In this episode, Scott covers some problems with Divine Command Theory and where the theology of Mormonism lines up with the  Euthyphro  Dilemma.  Please consider becoming a monthly recurr...

Can the Church be changed into something I can see myself proudly a part of again, or is it too far gone to save? A listener messaged Rameumptom Ruminations with direct questions about what to do after a religious deconstruction. In this episode, Scott discusses the dichotomy of control as it relates to podcasting about the LDS church. Episode 032: The Dichotomy of Control and the Power of Could P...

In this episode, Scott joins the podcast Hie to Kolob and Beyond for a discussion on the prisoner’s dilemma. The tragedy of Antigone has interesting parallels to the story of King Noah and current events in the Modern Church. Please Consider becoming a monthly recurring donor to the podcast.

My last episode garnered excellent comments from listeners and warranted an episode dedicated to what you have to say. In this episode, we’ll hear how both believing and non-believing listeners responded to the relationship between revelation and surveys. Scott will be in Utah in late September. If you’re interested in getting together for dinner or drinks follow this link and we&#8217...