Latter-day Faith

This past week, the wonderful Mormon mental, spiritual, and sex therapist Natasha Helfer Parker was scheduled to defend herself in a membership council called by the stake presidency in her former stake in Kansas (even though she had moved to Salt Lake City sixteen months earlier). Six friends, including Jana Spangler and Jody England Hansen , two of the women in this podcast episode, were also sc...

Matt Jones has been a faithful Latter-day Saint his entire life, recently serving as a bishop. Yet in the years leading up and into his calling, he struggled with his beliefs regarding Jesus. What he had previously thought about Jesus as son of God and all that follows from that stance, he could no longer affirm. Ultimately, he relaxed and simply let his worries and doubts fall from the front of h...

In this brief but powerful discussion, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon is joined by the wonderful Kajsa Berlin-Kaufusi for a discussion of Easter, as especially the idea of how we can lean more deeply and intently into the cycle of dying and rebirthing that this holiday features. There are many wonderful teachings around Easter, and the participants honor those and the focuses that are typically presente...

I'm excited to offer as an encore one of the earliest LDF podcast episodes. It is one that really highlights the mission of Latter-day Faith, which is to encourage listeners in taking their faith journeys into new spiritual terrain. The offerings in this episode are great reminders that we can't think our way to genuine peace and compassion, patience and hope, nor can we rely on our own willpower...

This is a fascinating podcast episode that talks about religion and Mormonism in an unfamiliar yet insightful way. Our guide is Latter-day Faith podcast favorite Stephen Carter who draws parallels between the physical technologies we use all the time, including to this listen to this podcast, and "social technologies" that, like the other, are set up to bring about certain results. He and LDF host...

This episode celebrates Carol Lynn Pearson 's recent book, Finding Mother God: Poems to Heal the World , but does so much more. Carol Lynn and Kathryn Sonntag join LDF host Dan Wotherspoon to talk about the deep ache that not only we, but also our societies and the world, have to fully reclaim the presence and energies of the Mother (Divine Feminine, Mother Creator, Nature, Wisdom, Mother in Heave...

The notion of "gifts of the spirit" is very familiar within Christianity, and perhaps even more in Mormonism as its books of scripture include two additional enumerations of the list first found in I Corinthians 12. Yet, how well do we understand the notion of gifts, especially the ones in Paul's (and other) lists? Additionally, even given our familiarity with the idea of these gifts, do we stop s...

The notion of "gifts of the spirit" is very familiar within Christianity, and perhaps even more in Mormonism as its books of scripture include two additional enumerations of the list first found in I Corinthians 12. Yet, how well do we understand the notion of gifts, especially the ones in Paul's (and other) lists? Additionally, even given our familiarity with the idea of these gifts, do we stop s...

It's is so easy for us to sit in the proverbial catbird seat and scream for others to be accountable for their words, actions, lifestyles, etc. But what about our accountability for these same things? And to what and about what are we accountable? In what ways does the notion of accountability keep us from recognizing God's hand in our lives, and, even more so, the call and yearning of our deepest...

The thoughtful and brilliant Fiona and Terryl Givens have just launched a new book titled "All Things New: Rethinking Sin, Salvation, and Everything in Between." And it's terrific. In this episode, they and LDF host Dan Wotherspoon talk about the ideas in the book and how these feed into a beautiful whole, a reality we can trust and that leads us to a clearer vision of God and ourselves. When we b...

The thoughtful and brilliant Fiona and Terryl Givens have just launched a new book titled "All Things New: Rethinking Sin, Salvation, and Everything in Between." And it's terrific. In this episode, they and LDF host Dan Wotherspoon talk about the ideas in the book and how these feed into a beautiful whole, a reality we can trust and that leads us to a clearer vision of God and ourselves. When we b...

We constantly hear phrases such as "Come unto Christ" or "We mush gain a personal relationship with Jesus Christ." But when we think about these words as they are hurriedly dashed off, they really don't mean much if we've never given place for them within our own inner lives, never experienced the gifts and grounding that they are pointing toward. In an effort to add deep perspective to Jesus and...

We constantly hear phrases such as "Come unto Christ" or "We mush gain a personal relationship with Jesus Christ." But when we think about these words as they are hurriedly dashed off, they really don't mean much if we've never given place for them within our own inner lives, never experienced the gifts and grounding that they are pointing toward. In an effort to add deep perspective to Jesus and...

TW: Suicide is discussed at length in this episode. If you feel it wouldn't be healthy for you to listen in, please don't. Should you feel that no one in your life can be trusted with all that you are going through, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Hotline, 800-273-8255, or hurry to schedule an appointment with a recommended therapist. _____ Grieving a dead loved one is always d...

LDS general conference ended just four days ago, and we thought it important to highlight different talks and messages from it that have applicability to the Latter-day Faith emphasis on inner work/inner transformation. One such talk this conference was President Nelson's Sunday morning address, "Let God Prevail." In this episode, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon is joined by a terrific panel of Lyndsay P...

Please enjoy this Encore release of a fascinating podcast from November 2019. In the October 2019 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as the year before at a BYU Women's Conference, Elder Gerrit W. Gong  of the Quorum of the Twelve introduced the phrase, "covenant belonging." In doing so, he offered us a term that suggests much deeper meaning is embedded...

We hear people throughout the religious world use the language of "blessings" when something difficult in their lives is resolved in a wonderful and, what seems to them somewhat mysterious, way. For some who are attuned to trying to experience the heartbeat of the cosmos, we will hear about all of life as a blessing, the very large and very small, all the good and all the bad, light and dark, life...

We're excited to present Part 2 of the discussion about deconstructing and reconstructing faith between Caleb Jones and LDF host Dan Wotherspoon . The conversation in this one turns to some of the trends that are showing up in the religious world that definitely need attention if Mormonism is to have a better chance of keeping its young adults, especially, and also a wide variety of Latter-day Sai...

Ultimately this is an episode about faith journeys, but one that focuses on opening ourselves to change--including the type of elements that lead us into deconstruction of previously held and cherished ideas. It features a discussion with Caleb Jones , whose temperament and interests led him to take a very thoughtful and thorough approach to faith reconstruction. As is teased in the beginning of t...

I am joined this week by three wonderful guests-- Kathryn Sonntag , Jim Smithson , and Dave Longhurst --in talking about the concept and potential reality of Zion. How does this idea motivate each of us? How do we understand scriptures that speak of Zion being a state in which people are of "one heart and one mind"? About what it means to "live in righteousness"? And about what it means and how do...

At this time of energetic protesting of police brutality and renewed pushes toward justice, fairness, and the reform of systems and mindsets that work against black Americans, it is important those of us who are working toward these goals understand as much as we can about the black community, including the history and lives of the individuals who were subjected to slavery and its many horrors. On...

The most urgent call in today's time of pandemic and highly energized demonstrations against racial injustice is for each of us to take stock of ourselves and approach with humility and a repentant heart not only the tragedy and outrage permeating the safety of our internal worlds, but also the beautiful visions for paths to ahead that are being offered. If we are to rise to this moment, we must n...

At one and the same time, in today's U.S. culture, as well as around the world, the majority of people are coming together in this time of pandemic and efforts to reform racial injustice, while also, when it comes to politics, most observers report a level of hostile polarization that we have rarely seen. Animosity toward those we disagree with is high. And then there's religion, which at its core...

Latter-day Saints who are experiencing shifts in their faith and spiritual understandings often begin to ask questions about religious practices, including ordinances that we are taught as being essential to our salvation. Here is an important group of D&C verses that seems to suggest just that: And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdo...

This episode and the previous one features the third and fourth discussions on the topic of Evil by a panel comprised of Latter-day Faith host Dan Wotherspoon and the wonderful and brilliant Kathryn Sonntag and Danny Kofoed . Part 3: The focus in this section is turning back to the scriptures, Jesus's time, the language he spoke, and the agrarian society he taught to open ourselves up to new defin...