Mormon Discussion Podcast

Gina Colvin, the host of “A Thoughtful Faith” podcast  and Bill Reel , host of “Mormon Discussion Podcast” get together for a chat about what it takes to still be engaged in the LDS Church when so many of their friends have left.   They discuss the development of their young testimonies but reflect on how difficult it has become in recent years to love the church with the same enthusiasm they once had.  They consider how the LDS Church could be better for those who crave a deeper and a kinder experience at church.  They also consider their futures as Mormons. The post 270: Still on the Pews: A Heart to Heart: Gina Colvin and Bill Reel appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

Today Chris and Clay join me again for a round-table discussion about the eleven witnesses to the Book of Mormon.  We talk at length about our assumptions that the Three Witnesses has a spiritual event, that the Eight Witnesses had a physical event, whether their experience was consistent, and how the Institutional Church may have expressed certainty about the boundaries and constructs of their experience when in the end all these assumptions may in fact be problematic and paradoxical.   RESOURCES:   Websites http://www.jefflindsay.com/LDSFAQ/witnesses.html http://signaturebooks.com/book-of-mormon-witnesses-revisited/ http://www.boap.org/LDS/Early-Saints/BOM-Witn.html http://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1385&context=jbms http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865644606/15-witnesses-to-the-Book-of-Mormon.html http://www.mormonthink.com/vogelwitnesses.htm http://www.scottwoodward.org/Talks/html/z-Scholarly%20Articles/AndersonRL_BookOfMormonWitnesses.html http://mit.irr.org/facts-on-book-of-mormon-witnesses-part-2 https://knowhy.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/who-are-the-few-who-were-permitted-to-see-the-plates https://journeyoffaithfilms.com/about-the-book-of-mormon/joseph-smith-the-three-witnesses/three-and-eight-witnesses http://www.truthiseternal.com/bomw.html https://www.mormoninterpreter.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2016/06/peterson-v20-2016-pp247-260-PDF.pdf http://lifeafter.org/book-of-mormon-witnesses/http://www.moroni10.com/witnesses/golden_plates.html   Books Marvin Hill’s book on Joseph Smith Dan Vogel’s Early documents Vol I Richard Anderson on the Witnesses Grant Palmer’s book on Mormon Origins Joseph Smith Papers   The post 269: The Book of Mormon Witnesses appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

Today you get to meet the Walker’s.  A Family in the midst of their own faith journey willing to open up and share their experience.  Today is their first episode.  Today your offered an opportunity to “walk a mile in their shoes”.   They are vulnerable.  They are honest.  And they lay their lives on the table for you and I to gain insight and perspective not only into their faith transition but also into our own.  I introduce to you…. My friends…. The Walkers. The post Walk a Mile In Our Shoes: 001: Meet The Walker’s appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

****Episode Warning**** : This episode discusses in a raw way  the trauma and abuse in Mormonism.  For those who feel triggered by such a conversation please avoid or at least avoid listening to this alone.  This episode should be listened with others who honor and validate your faith journey.  People whom you can press pause and have healthy conversation around our communal trauma.  This episode also contains explicit language.  Please do not listen around children or if you are sensitive to such display of raw emotion which is at the surface today.  I try to pride myself on generally clean language but today my emotion is at a breaking point.  I sense that those who have been through this pain will fully understand why it had to be stated this way.  For those who haven’t…. I apologize upfront. It has culminated.  The pain is raw.  The trauma is noticeable in me and in this community.  It has to stop.  We can’t keep telling the stories of others and preventing them from telling their own story.  Mormonism is culpable but at every turn it tells those who have experienced the trauma that it is you and me who somehow did something or didn’t do something to get here.  To avoid accountability is abusive and only magnifies the trauma.  To tell those you have hurt that they can not voice their story and instead you will tell it for them and tell it incorrectly is abusive.  It must stop.  Today it stops.  Today…… it ……. ends! The post 268: The Spiritual Trauma of Mormonism appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

Today we want to update the listeners on the direction of the podcast and Mormon Discussion as an umbrella for various programs. Today we hit in 15 minutes the highlighted changes and needs of the program going forward. Our shift to becoming an umbrella that hosts multiple podcast series. Our financial report for 2016 Our increased need for financial support to support our growth and outreach Our growth in listenership, downloads, and as a charitable organization. Our deep appreciation for you as a listener and for those who financially support the podcast. The post Mormon Discussion Update: Where We’re Going!!!!! appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

Today’s episode tackles the expanding space of Book of Mormon Historicity.  We share the words of Jared Hickman, Patrick Mason, Richard Bushman, Sam Brown, Grant Hardy, Elder Oaks, and Elder Holland.  We talk today about the space that is seemingly being created in this very moment.  Do we see how unique of a moment we are in.  The very scholars in the Church who are looked at by Church leadership as faithful informed voices are all at once enlarging the tent as they advocate that a non-historical belief in the Book of Mormon is a faithful space to hols that it can absolutely be a saving belief.  The tent is being enlarged right before your very eyes.  The question becomes if top leadership is open to helping Bishops and Stake Presidents to also see this ground as faithful saving ground for one to hold.  Time will tell.   RESOURCES: Elder Oaks On Historicity Elder Holland PBS including Historicity Grant Hardy On a non-literal saving faith Patrick Mason on the truth cart Richard Bushman on 19th century material Sam Brown on translation and historicity    The post 267: Book Of Mormon Historicity appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

Recently we have released two published items.  One was an audio program titled “To Our Loved Ones, The struggle is Real” which audibly walks people into the issues so they can have compassion and empathy for those who struggling.   The second is a document titled “Mormon Primer” and it does the same thing.  It walks folks into the messiness of Mormonism hoping to create compassion, empathy, and understanding.  Would you please consider sharing these two items.  My hope is that these will be helpful to you on your journey.  My hope is these will be resources you see as helpful and useful.  LASTLY….  Would you please consider clicking the first URL below and HELPING me by making suggested edits to the Mormon Primer to improve sentence structure and wording and to make it more objective, more fair, and more comprehensive.  Feel free to submit entire new sections and feel free to make only a small edit or two.  Please consider helping today.  Thank you! RESOURCES: Mormon Primer Document where suggested edits can be made https://docs.google.com/document/d/1F3DfEx1xR3BGIDcfg8UBvwCeDu-mRaljvYp7gMfoqQg/edit?usp=sharing Mormon Primer shareable copy https://mormonprimer.com/ To Our Loved Ones, The Struggle is Real audio https://mormondiscussions.org/mdpodcast/2017/02/loved-ones-struggle-real/   The post 266: The “Mormon Primer” Document and “The Struggle is Real” Audio appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

Today I sit down with Chris Bloxham and we go into the details of 7 little known but interesting Church Discipline actions in LDS Church history.  Some of these stories include facts and humor that may be deemed as offensive or upsetting and we suggest that listeners be sure to not have children around and if the listener themselves are sensitive to such this may be an episode you want to avoid.  That said buckle up your seat belt…. sit back…. this is going to be a blast. Dear Podcast listeners we hope to hear your feedback on this episode by leaving a comment here or on social media where this episode was shared. RESOURCES: Gary James Bergera, “Transgression in the LDS Community, Part 1” JMH, Summer 2011 Why I would like to have lunch with Amy Brown Lyman Amy Brown Lyman Journal of Mormon Thought Gary Bergera article (page 98) Homosexual Patriarch Joseph Fielding Smith George P Lee’s letter to the First Presidency  George P Lee story in detail The Mormon Passage of George D Watt James C Brewster and Money Diggging A little history involving Brewster Helmuth Hubener Helmuth Hubener 2nd article Info on Carrington   The post 265: Excommunication Extravaganza appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

I was broken.  I was mad.  I was frustrated.  I was sad.   I was at an impasse and I prayed for the Church to create real space for truth seeking.  Please….. Please……  Make a safe space…….  I need you and hope for you to truly honor my questions by having a vulnerable conversation about them.  Please hear my heart.  Please hear my soul.  I am begging for you to be real with me and all the others who are hurting. First Presidency Statement: We understand from time to time church members will have questions about church doctrine, history or practice. Members are always free to ask such questions and earnestly seek greater understanding. We feel special concern, however, for members who distance themselves from church doctrine or practice and, by advocacy, encourage others to follow them. Simply asking questions has never constituted apostasy. Apostasy is repeatedly acting in clear, open and deliberate public opposition to the church or its faithful leaders, or persisting, after receiving counsel, in teaching false doctrine. (June 28, 2014, First Presidency Statement) RESOURCES Questions Are Honored Blog Post Questions and Apostasy   (This Episode in a different version released to the public on May 1st 2017.  It had been recorded in January 2017.  Due to my discomfort as I re-listened to it in part due to its tone, the episode was pulled and edited and re-released.  Over the next 24 hours, I edited a few small portions and re-recorded some sections.  I believe this version is more in line with the tone I want the podcast to convey while speaking vulnerably to the hurt and pain of those in a faith transition) The message I read “My real dilemma comes when the church holds tightly to its need to be correct, its need to be consistent and its need to claim ‘unchangeable doctrine’ despite mistakes, inconsistencies, and doctrines that change. Let’s look at what the church is doing now. The church has rolled out essays containing statements that will be surprising to members. They did so without any acknowledgment that this information is new and/or contradicts past curriculum. They put forth essays containing information that in the past would only have been available in the anti-Mormon literature they told members NOT to read and the church expects members to accept it as if it had been available all along and as if it is consistent with previous teachings. The subtle message to members is this: Information we previously told you was anti-Mormon, we are now telling you is true. We are not going to explain why we misled you in the past. We are not going to apologize for our error.  Even, though you now realize that you lied to others because you trusted us, we take no responsibility. Still, we expect you to trust us now and in the future. And we expect you to be honest in your dealings. The method in which the church released these essays – without any acknowledgement that they contain information different than what they taught (and what they previously asked members to teach) – feels like a type of mental and spiritual abuse.  The fact that these essays have been released without giving extra training and help to Bishops and Gospel Doctrine teachers seems unwise at best, and unethical at worst. The church has presented these essays in a way that implies members should be okay with this new information. If a person is confused, the implication is that something is wrong with the member, not the information or the way it was presented. The reality is that this is traumatic information for many people. Many feel lied to by the church. The church has completely placed the burden of reconciling this information on the shoulders of its people while it maintains a stance that there is nothing to reconcile. And this burden will continue with our current curriculum – with these essays silently inserted – week after week…[Most] people are not leaving the church because of problems with Church history. [Most] are leaving because of issues of trust. They are leaving because they were taught one thing in their youth and are being told something completely different now with the expectation they can continue believing that nothing has changed. Most people cannot do that in a way that maintains integrity – let alone sanity!!!” Now, I would also add these thoughts: Anyone who has read the essays knows that something significant has changed, something at least as significant as the change in 1978. Yet as leaders are largely silent, some wards teach the old narrative while some wards are trying to bring in bits and pieces of the new. Nobody knows exactly what to do. The issue here is more than one of trust. The new narrative has changed reality for many of us. And it’s getting in the way of our relationships because some members believe one reality while other members believe another. The post 264: Gone Are The Days….. (Version 2) appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

Today Mormon Discussion Podcast and Radio Free Mormon combine our thoughts into a two part Conference Review of the April 2017 General Conference.  We look back in part one at Saturday’s Sessions and in Part two we hit on the Sunday Sessions along with some themes that run throughout conference.  We hope you enjoy The post April 2017 General Conference Review Pt 2 appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.