Latter Day Struggles 395: We Need to Stop Calling Growth a Sin in the LDS Church
Series title: Mormon Faith Crisis—Progression, Not Pathology [Part II of III]
In today's episode Valerie and guest researcher Jeff Strong explore why people in the same LDS congregation can experience church so differently, depending on where they are in their faith journey. They introduce Jeff’s model of six faith mindsets—seekers, cultivators, protectors, avoiders, connectors, and explorers—each representing valid and meaningful ways of engaging faith.
The problem? That many of these healthy and normal ways of engaging with one's faith journey are pathologized within the LDS culture at both local and general levels. Valerie and Jeff hope that research like Jeff's and platforms like Latter Day Struggles will place growth where it actually belongs--as normal, natural, and precisely what each of us are here on this earth to do.
Timestamps:
00:00 – Introduction and Welcome
00:22 – Series Overview and Jeff's Background
01:18 – Exploring Church Demographics and Tensions
02:45 – Review of Previous Episode
04:00 – Cultural Causes of Tension
05:30 – The Weight of Disaffiliation
07:00 – Research Methodology and Data Collection
07:58 – Strengths of LDS Culture
09:45 – Personal Reflections on Community
11:35 – Weaknesses of LDS Culture
13:20 – The Soil Metaphor for Culture
15:00 – The River Metaphor: Rigidity vs. Chaos
17:10 – The Impact of Cultural Rigidity
18:45 – The Struggle for Belonging
20:09 – Stages of Faith Development
22:00 – Simplicity and Complexity Explained
23:45 – Perplexity and Harmony Explained
25:30 – Faith Journeys and Community Reactions
27:00 – The Pain of Being Misunderstood
28:22 – Personal Faith Journeys
29:47 – The Garden of Eden Metaphor
30:47 – Pathologizing Growth in Faith
32:00 – The Need for Community Support
33:09 – Community and Belonging
33:52 – Brian McLaren's Model in Scriptures
35:30 – The Arc of Human Spiritual Growth
37:25 – Understanding Different Faith Mindsets
39:00 – Disparities in Perceptions of Christ-Centeredness
40:30 – The Loneliness of Nonconformity
42:04 – Introducing the Six Segments
44:00 – Descriptions of Each Segment
46:00 – The Dynamic Nature of Faith Mindsets
47:00 – Encouragement for Self-Reflection
48:24 – Conclusion and Next Steps
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