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Mormon Matters - (Dan Wotherspoon ARCHIVE)

Mormon Matters was a weekly podcast that explored Mormon current events, pop culture, politics and spirituality. Dan retired from Mormon Matters Podcast in 2019 and now hosts a podcast called "Latter-day Faith" that can be found here: http://podcast.latterdayfaith.org/
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Mormon Matters - (Dan Wotherspoon ARCHIVE)
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Now displaying: April, 2015
Apr 29, 2015
This episode is the second installment in the Mormon Matters "Encountering Other Traditions" series that explores the fruits that come from bringing Mormonism into dialogue with other faiths. The focus of this conversation is an exploration of Mormon and Catholic connections as well as differences, and the ways that intimacy with the other tradition can enhance one’s understanding and spiritual life. Panelists Fiona Givens and Mark de St. Aubin, two cradle Catholics who converted to Mormonism while they were young adults, along with Mathew Schmalz, a Catholic scholar of religions with a strong interest in Mormonism, are wonderful guides. In what ways has their familiarity with both traditions enriched their worldviews and spirituality? What do they see that they might not otherwise notice? Where there are differences, do these lead to in any way to "holy envy"?
Apr 22, 2015
In speaking at the April 2015 General Conference about the Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, Elder Jeffrey Holland boldly stated that "the simple truth is that we cannot fully comprehend the Atonement and Resurrection of Christ and we will not adequately appreciate the unique purpose of His birth or His death--in other words, there is no way to truly celebrate Christmas or Easter--without understanding that there was an actual Adam and Eve who fell from an actual Eden, with all the consequences that fall carried with it”" In making such a strong claim about the importance of a literal understanding of the Garden story, he caught many Latter-day Saints off guard. Do genuine, transformative faith in and appreciation for the Atonement, Resurrection, and the many other gifts that we can experience through the gospel of Jesus Christ require literal understandings of the Fall exactly as described in scripture? Can one still attain and sustain transcendent faith if one understands them as powerful, even if not literal, stories? In this episode, Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon along with three good friends--David Bokovoy, Stephen Carter, and Bill Turnbull--discuss their reactions to the direction taken in Elder Holland’s remarks, as well as their own journeys with the issue of whether or not scriptural accounts should be seen primarily through a literal vs. figurative lens? How would one know which is appropriate, and in which instances? What is gained and what is lost when one views scripture literally? Can we find ways to value both ways of reading and exploring scriptural texts? And what about when we teach scriptural stories in LDS devotional settings? Is it possible that within these contexts our teaching scriptural characters and stories as real people and literal events can be very helpful in eliciting potentially transformative spiritual experiences, and we can therefore feel un-conflicted about doing so, whereas when speaking in more academic settings it would be more appropriate, yet no less contra the accounts, to teach more metaphorical and figurative readings? These are just a few of many questions and issues the panelists address in this podcast.
Apr 8, 2015
At the April 2015 General Conference, several church members took the unusual step of voicing opposition during the sustaining of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve. Frustrated with the lack of dialogue between the church’s top leaders and those with questions about church doctrines, or who hope to help leaders see the negative effects of certain teachings, practices, or types of rhetoric, members of "Any Opposed" felt that being vocal about their dissatisfaction--even at the risk of disruption of a well-known and sacred ritual--was worth the negative pushback they would receive. Surely much went on within the hearts of those who performed this action that brought them to a point in their thinking processes where they felt so voiceless that they saw this ritual moment as one of the only ways they might ever be heard. In this podcast, co-released by Mormon Matters, A Thoughtful Faith, and Mormon Mental Health, Dan Wotherspoon, Gina Colvin, and Natasha Helfer Parker (the hosts of these podcasts) discuss the issue of voice within today’s church. What are the institutional factors that lead to difficulties being heard, especially when our experience or views do not fit within the mainstream? What are cultural forces as play? But, most importantly, are there ideas, framings, skills, and disciplines we might undertake to become more effective in conveying our observations and feelings about things even when the contemporary church and culture is not ideally suited for discussions of difficult issues? How have the hosts found the strength, courage, and abilities to speak up and still be seen (by most members) as faithful, active, and constructive voices within today’s Mormonism?
Apr 1, 2015
We bring our faith crises to word most often through expressions about our no longer "believing" this or that teaching. We’ve been confronted with evidence that challenges a truth claim or leads us to no longer unquestionably follow leaders or our current life scripts, and we naturally concentrate our attention on those claims that are now called into question. For complex reasons, some of us seem to have higher tolerances for uncertainty than others, while for others of us this questioning of previously held notions quickly turns to active "disbelief" and even outright rejection of our faith tradition: "If it’s wrong on this front, it’s certainly wrong on many others." But, are there deeper, existential-level questions we might ask that are obscured by the fact that we concentrate so much on--and make so many decisions about our faith engagement based upon--"beliefs"? What else might be underlying our current discomfort that we aren’t seeing and meeting head-on because we pose questions to ourselves mostly at the level of belief/unbelief? In this two-part episode, Phil Barlow and Carlisle Hunsaker join Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon for a fascinating and multi-layered conversation about these additional questions. In the course of it, they interrogate choices about believing and not believing from multiple angles. What are some of the factors that lead to active "unbelief"? But what might we not see and experience should we choose that stance? What are the essential ingredients for a fully flourishing life? Could experiences in the church that leave many feeling unfulfilled in these areas be a major (albeit largely un-examined and un-spoken) factor in our choices to change our engagement or affiliation with our faith tradition? Featuring personal sharing, along with examinations of these and many other angles, this is a terrific conversation you will likely choose to listen to multiple times.
Apr 1, 2015
We bring our faith crises to word most often through expressions about our no longer "believing" this or that teaching. We’ve been confronted with evidence that challenges a truth claim or leads us to no longer unquestionably follow leaders or our current life scripts, and we naturally concentrate our attention on those claims that are now called into question. For complex reasons, some of us seem to have higher tolerances for uncertainty than others, while for others of us this questioning of previously held notions quickly turns to active "disbelief" and even outright rejection of our faith tradition: "If it’s wrong on this front, it’s certainly wrong on many others." But, are there deeper, existential-level questions we might ask that are obscured by the fact that we concentrate so much on--and make so many decisions about our faith engagement based upon--"beliefs"? What else might be underlying our current discomfort that we aren’t seeing and meeting head-on because we pose questions to ourselves mostly at the level of belief/unbelief? In this two-part episode, Phil Barlow and Carlisle Hunsaker join Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon for a fascinating and multi-layered conversation about these additional questions. In the course of it, they interrogate choices about believing and not believing from multiple angles. What are some of the factors that lead to active "unbelief"? But what might we not see and experience should we choose that stance? What are the essential ingredients for a fully flourishing life? Could experiences in the church that leave many feeling unfulfilled in these areas be a major (albeit largely un-examined and un-spoken) factor in our choices to change our engagement or affiliation with our faith tradition? Featuring personal sharing, along with examinations of these and many other angles, this is a terrific conversation you will likely choose to listen to multiple times.
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