Latter-day Faith

This podcast episode, "Women Outside the Garden" number 7, features Terri Peterson sharing a story about a 13th century golden Buddha statue in Thailand that was covered in clay for 700 years to protect it, illustrating how people can cover their true worth with external layers. Terri explains how these protective layers, whether from well-meaning others or self-imposed doubts, can prevent people...

This podcast episode, "Women Outside the Garden" number 7, features Terri Peterson sharing a story about a 13th century golden Buddha statue in Thailand that was covered in clay for 700 years to protect it, illustrating how people can cover their true worth with external layers. Terri explains how these protective layers, whether from well-meaning others or self-imposed doubts, can prevent people...

In many people's minds he word "metaphysics" immediately conjures up thoughts of "woo woo" ideas and "spacy" people those who teach them under the banner of "metaphysics." And much that we find in these spaces indeed seems to be way too far out for most of us. But metaphysics has a larger and longer history, and is, indeed, a long-established branch of philosophy. It is the philosophical quest to...

Most often when we talk about doing "shadow work," we usually focus on pains, wounds, and fears that we've tucked away (in our shadow). We don't see them until we do this kind of inner work but they affect our lives in harmful ways. Carl Jung opened up a new window by recognizing a "golden shadow" that also operates in the deepest, repressed part of our psyche.  A quick overview is that we have wo...

Terri Petersen interviews Heather Pack for our series "women outside the Garden" discussing the concept of "holy disruptors" as those who challenge accepted norms to create long-term solutions.  They explore biblical examples of women who advocated for change against the system of their day, including the Canaanite woman who challenged Jesus' boundaries and the five fatherless daughters who approa...

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...

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' a...

In this remarkable discussion that is part of the "Women Outside the Garden" series hosted by T eri 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 i...

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 al...

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...

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 h...

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 h...

"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 cul...

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 extre...

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...

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...

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 questi...

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...

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...

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 Woth...

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?  Ano...

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...

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...

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...

This terrific episode features a conversation between Kimber Poon and LDF co-host Terri Petersen about moving past our fears about our changing beliefs, attitudes, relationships with the Church, family and friends, and more. Kimber is a teacher, writer, and artist who shares about herself through the somethingforsundays.substack, which is where Terri discovered her. As they talk, Kimber allows us...