This episode arrives on the heels of the release of a marvelous short video, “Do Better, which features LGBT+ Latter-day Saints and allies sharing reflections and experiences from their Mormon upbringing and interactions with its culture. The video originated in the mind of heart of Lisa Scott, who, with assistance from a network of friends and volunteers, brought it forth into the world. It is already gathering many views and is being shared widely. The video is a vehicle for positive change in Mormon thinking and culture.
Richard Ostler was recently released after serving as a bishop of a Utah Young Single Adult ward. Within his calling, Richard came to know and truly listen to the faith and goodness of young LGBT+ adults, including their intense pain and suffering arising in to some degree from Mormon teachings and cultural attitudes. He has now founded the organization “Listen, Learn, & Love,” which in its online presence serves as a resource for LGBT+ Mormons, and Richard also speaks frequently at events by invitation or via his own initiative.
More than just the focus on Lisa’s video, Richard’s outreach, and LGBT+ issues, this episode also tries to encourage all of us to each find “our” passion--that thing (issue, insight, need) that our life has somehow been calling us to engage with, and to then act on that in whatever way we feel inspired to do. So many times we in Mormonism feel as if we need “permission” from a Church leader before acting purely from our own initiative. Our hope in this discussion is to emphasize and help empower every one of us to never be afraid to do good in the world, to act to open hearts and minds, and assist with difficult situations or circumstances ourselves. It can take any of many forms. Let’s do some good!
This is an encore presentation of a two-part Mormon Matters episode first recorded in March 2015.
Of course, we all know that Mormonism is a "religion." But do we always think about it through the lenses of such a big and diverse category? Among those who are born into and/or otherwise live and experience the world primarily through the lenses of Mormonism, most often their focus is on our tradition's “truth claims” as well as the pathway it lays out for “salvation.” And for them, the LDS Church is most often defined in terms of the prophetically guided institution that sets forth its beliefs and practices, and authorizes participation in its sacred ordinances. But like every other religion, Mormonism is more than just these things. It is a key element in identity formation; it articulates core spiritual and ethical values and suggests, either formally or through Mormon cultural influences, how its members should think and act about key matters of the day. In general, it is the primary contributor to a worldview that provides its adherents a sense of orientation and direction in what can often feel like an overwhelmingly chaotic world.
In this two-part episode, religion scholars Laurie Maffly-Kipp and Doe Daughtrey, and classics scholar Margaret Toscano, join Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon to discuss “religion” in a way that opens our eyes to these larger categories (myth, ritual, scripture, ecclesiastical structure, etc.) and the ways that religions influence lives, and to then discusses elements of Mormonism that these broad topic areas help illustrate in particularity. What can we learn and realize about Mormonism when it is seen through comparative lenses? How typical is Mormonism among other traditions in its historical and current-day wrestling with social and cultural issues such as gender, sexuality, race, scripture and sacred texts, women, and authority structures? Can we move from the "truth box" into brighter, richer, more transformative territory? And much more!
This is an encore presentation of a two-part Mormon Matters episode first recorded in March 2015.
Of course, we all know that Mormonism is a "religion." But do we always think about it through the lenses of such a big and diverse category? Among those who are born into and/or otherwise live and experience the world primarily through the lenses of Mormonism, most often their focus is on our tradition's “truth claims” as well as the pathway it lays out for “salvation.” And for them, the LDS Church is most often defined in terms of the prophetically guided institution that sets forth its beliefs and practices, and authorizes participation in its sacred ordinances. But like every other religion, Mormonism is more than just these things. It is a key element in identity formation; it articulates core spiritual and ethical values and suggests, either formally or through Mormon cultural influences, how its members should think and act about key matters of the day. In general, it is the primary contributor to a worldview that provides its adherents a sense of orientation and direction in what can often feel like an overwhelmingly chaotic world.
In this two-part episode, religion scholars Laurie Maffly-Kipp and Doe Daughtrey, and classics scholar Margaret Toscano, join Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon to discuss “religion” in a way that opens our eyes to these larger categories (myth, ritual, scripture, ecclesiastical structure, etc.) and the ways that religions influence lives, and to then discusses elements of Mormonism that these broad topic areas help illustrate in particularity. What can we learn and realize about Mormonism when it is seen through comparative lenses? How typical is Mormonism among other traditions in its historical and current-day wrestling with social and cultural issues such as gender, sexuality, race, scripture and sacred texts, women, and authority structures? Can we move from the "truth box" into brighter, richer, more transformative territory? And much more!
Most Mormon Matters listeners are, as consumers of LDS-related websites, blogs, podcasts, Reddits, Facebook groups, and other social media platforms, enmeshed in the world of “uncorrelated Mormonism.” Whatever is happening in any part of the Mormon world, most of us have ready access, not only to the news but also a great number of comments—many of them hastily made and most without attempts to present a balanced viewpoint. On any given day, we have at our disposal in these uncorrelated spaces (as well as in official church platforms) more information and opinions than anyone might possibly consume with any chance at enjoying the richness of the various items in the feast, which leaves us with the exasperated question, voiced by Stephen Carter in this podcast, “What do we do with all this?”
This episode centers on one of Mormonism’s most important clearinghouses for highlighting, amplifying, and steering us to good discussions of things related to the Restoration that began with Joseph Smith: Sunstone. In its magazine and symposiums, Sunstone brings together the voices of people from all over the Mormon spectrum to share “their” story, to offer chances for all of us to truly “meet” each other and to digest more slowly and with a much better signal-to-noise ratio things happening within wider Mormonism. There is certainly much content about the organization and its upcoming Salt Lake Sunstone symposium (July 25-28) in this discussion with Sunstone’s executive director Lindsay Hansen Park and publications director Stephen Carter, but it also features much broader reflections on the story and changes in emphases of Mormonism’s nearly 200-year history of discussions, especially in its uncorrelated sector. How have the questions changed through the years? What tasks were more important during other periods of Mormon history than what seems to be needed now?
Through listening to these thoughtful, articulate leaders in Mormon discussions, we are given explicit permission to locate ourselves “as ourselves,” as our own “threads in the Mormon tapestry” (the symposium’s theme this year). Lindsay and Stephen offer 10,000-foot views of Mormon discussions taking place “at the margins,” as well as share very personally about their attempts to find and be themselves in today’s wider Restoration world. And, yes, you’ll also hear specifics about what is coming soon to the Sunstone symposium and that will be available for you to read or listen to shortly after the event ends. If you are overwhelmed by all that is going on within the uncorrelated Mormon spaces you engage with, let Sunstone be an oasis for you—a place to stop, rest, and sample in slower, more personal ways, the ideas and writings of many who are wrestling, just like you, with “What do I do with” all this information?
Most Mormon Matters listeners are, as consumers of LDS-related websites, blogs, podcasts, Reddits, Facebook groups, and other social media platforms, enmeshed in the world of “uncorrelated Mormonism.” Whatever is happening in any part of the Mormon world, most of us have ready access, not only to the news but also a great number of comments—many of them hastily made and most without attempts to present a balanced viewpoint. On any given day, we have at our disposal in these uncorrelated spaces (as well as in official church platforms) more information and opinions than anyone might possibly consume with any chance at enjoying the richness of the various items in the feast, which leaves us with the exasperated question, voiced by Stephen Carter in this podcast, “What do we do with all this?”
This episode centers on one of Mormonism’s most important clearinghouses for highlighting, amplifying, and steering us to good discussions of things related to the Restoration that began with Joseph Smith: Sunstone. In its magazine and symposiums, Sunstone brings together the voices of people from all over the Mormon spectrum to share “their” story, to offer chances for all of us to truly “meet” each other and to digest more slowly and with a much better signal-to-noise ratio things happening within wider Mormonism. There is certainly much content about the organization and its upcoming Salt Lake Sunstone symposium (July 25-28) in this discussion with Sunstone’s executive director Lindsay Hansen Park and publications director Stephen Carter, but it also features much broader reflections on the story and changes in emphases of Mormonism’s nearly 200-year history of discussions, especially in its uncorrelated sector. How have the questions changed through the years? What tasks were more important during other periods of Mormon history than what seems to be needed now?
Through listening to these thoughtful, articulate leaders in Mormon discussions, we are given explicit permission to locate ourselves “as ourselves,” as our own “threads in the Mormon tapestry” (the symposium’s theme this year). Lindsay and Stephen offer 10,000-foot views of Mormon discussions taking place “at the margins,” as well as share very personally about their attempts to find and be themselves in today’s wider Restoration world. And, yes, you’ll also hear specifics about what is coming soon to the Sunstone symposium and that will be available for you to read or listen to shortly after the event ends. If you are overwhelmed by all that is going on within the uncorrelated Mormon spaces you engage with, let Sunstone be an oasis for you—a place to stop, rest, and sample in slower, more personal ways, the ideas and writings of many who are wrestling, just like you, with “What do I do with” all this information?
On July 2nd, a terrific new book was released by Oxford University Press: She Preached the Word: Women's Ordination in Modern America. Co-authored by Benjamin R. Knoll and Cammie Jo Bolin, it shares and analyzes the findings from new surveys, along with qualitative interviews, about how people in the U.S. and within specific congregations and traditions view women's ordination, and especially about women being the primary leader (pastor, rabbi, priest, etc.) within a congregation. The results are interesting, and in some cases very surprising. And though the book reports on social science studies and can't admonish, advise, or cheerlead for any particular stance or leadership structure, most Mormon Matters listeners, we believe, will be quite encouraged by the results.
This episode features the book's authors, Ben and Cammie Jo, in conversation with Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon, in a far-ranging discussion of the book, its origins, findings, and analyses. It speaks of many, many factors that influenced the data, ranging from views of scripture, political leanings, economic status, race, gender, education, and much more. One factor ends up standing above all others in influencing views. Please listen and find out what it is! And even though Mormonism is only mentioned a few times within the pages of the book, and only a small number of Latter-day Saints were interviewed, with each finding shared herein, Mormon listeners should be able to draw parallels and divergences with what is discussed, with either outcome becoming an impetus for more thinking and imagining. Part 2 of the discussion (Episode 493), focuses primarily on Mormonism and various aspects of its views of priesthood and leadership, along with its culture that is both conservative but also able to pivot and move quite effectively whenever a new direction is decided upon. These in dialogue with certain findings and social scientific theories yield rich veins for continued discussion.
On July 2nd, a terrific new book was released by Oxford University Press: She Preached the Word: Women's Ordination in Modern America. Co-authored by Benjamin R. Knoll and Cammie Jo Bolin, it shares and analyzes the findings from new surveys, along with qualitative interviews, about how people in the U.S. and within specific congregations and traditions view women's ordination, and especially about women being the primary leader (pastor, rabbi, priest, etc.) within a congregation. The results are interesting, and in some cases very surprising. And though the book reports on social science studies and can't admonish, advise, or cheerlead for any particular stance or leadership structure, most Mormon Matters listeners, we believe, will be quite encouraged by the results.
This episode features the book's authors, Ben and Cammie Jo, in conversation with Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon, in a far-ranging discussion of the book, its origins, findings, and analyses. It speaks of many, many factors that influenced the data, ranging from views of scripture, political leanings, economic status, race, gender, education, and much more. One factor ends up standing above all others in influencing views. Please listen and find out what it is! And even though Mormonism is only mentioned a few times within the pages of the book, and only a small number of Latter-day Saints were interviewed, with each finding shared herein, Mormon listeners should be able to draw parallels and divergences with what is discussed, with either outcome becoming an impetus for more thinking and imagining. Part 2 of the discussion (Episode 493), focuses primarily on Mormonism and various aspects of its views of priesthood and leadership, along with its culture that is both conservative but also able to pivot and move quite effectively whenever a new direction is decided upon. These in dialogue with certain findings and social scientific theories yield rich veins for continued discussion.