Mormon Discussion Podcast

Today we talk about rameumptom and how we use the pulpit in Church.  The Zoramites used the rameumptom as a place to stand and proclaim to God their gratitude for making them more favorable and as a soapbox for proclaiming one’s “rightness” and “Righteousness”.  We take a look as our culture in terms of talks and testimonies and see if there is anything we can learn from the our good friends the Zoramites.  In refelction, they may not be all that much different from us. http://emp.byui.edu/marrottr/thankamony.pdf https://mormondiscussions.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=11584&p=289549 The post 137: Our Own Little Rameumptoms appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

Today I sit down with Faith Development Author, Margaret Placentra Johnston.  We discuss here book, Faith Beyond Belief: Stories of Good People Who Left Their Church Behind.  Margaret hits on so many points of faith transition that will ring familiar to your journey.  Taking beliefs more allegorical, dealing with tension, Trusting your truth over the community, doubt vs certainity, and the why we should press on rather than leave faith all together. Her book – Faith Beyond Belief: Stories of Good People Who Left Their Church Behind The Book’s Website – http://www.faithbeyondbelief-book.com/ Her Blog – Faith Beyond Belief The post 136: Margaret Placentra Johnston: Faith Beyond Belief appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

Today I read Spencer Fluhman’s talk “Faith in the Past: Church History in an Information Age” At the end I share a few thoughts about what the main takeaways were.     The post 135: Spencer Fluhman’s talk “Faith In The Past” appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

Today Jon Westover returns to the Podcast to have a discussion with me regarding Theories of Development.   We Discuss James Fowler’s Stages of Faith, William G. Perry’s Scheme of Cognitive and Ethical Development, and Jon Paulien’s Stages of Religious Faith.  We talk about the Dark Night of The Soul and how one can safely transition through one’s faith with more confidence, empathy, understanding, and the tools to assist you. http://faculty.plts.edu/gpence/html/fowler.htm http://www.jmu.edu/geology/evolutionarysystems/protected/handouts/willperry2.pdf http://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/22100469/Perry%20Scheme.pdf http://www.thebattleofarmageddon.com/stages_of_faith.pdf http://www.faithformationlearningexchange.net/uploads/sites/2/5/2/4/6/5246709/faith_development__faith_formation_-_keeley.pdf The post 134: Jon Westover and Bill Reel on Faith Transitions appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

Today I sit down with Brian Whitney, LDS Scholar.  Brian has worked with the Church History Department, has worked with Community of Christ on historical projects, and has his own project “Mormonism In Context”.   He truly is one of the up and coming young LDS scholars in Mormonism.  Brian talks about his website and how it can be a resource to help those in disillusion of Mormonism to begin to open up the the deeper historical context, something needed if we are to reconstruct our faith while maintaining a testimony.  Please support my friend Brian Whitney and do yourself a favor and Check out “Mormonism in Context” https://mormonismincontext.com/ The Mormon People PBS The Mormons The post 133: Brian Whitney: Mormonism In Context appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

Today we discuss Elder Ballard’s 2001 October Conference Talk “Doctrine of Inclusion” and we add to it with Elder Oak’s recent conference talk in October 2014, “Loving Others and Living with Differences”.   Using these talks we try to dispel some cultural things we do as Mormons that hurt others and marginalize unnecessarily.  Inclusion is a Doctrine!!! https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2001/10/doctrine-of-inclusion?lang=eng https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/loving-others-and-living-with-differences?lang=eng   The post 132: Doctrine of Inclusion appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

A short recap of the Vegas Trip.  So Awesome… To Clay & Heather and Chris & Dawn – Thank you so much.  You were so Gracious.  Tracey – I am so glad to have spoken to you and to get to know you. To all three families, you have such awesome kids.  To the 35ish who showed up Saturday evening…. God bless each of you and know you have a friend in me.  What fun.  I have not had that much “Mormon” fun in 10 years….. you made me feel like family and you made me feel at home.  I even had crab legs and general tsao’s chicken for breakfast one morning…. amazing.  Well what happens in Vegas usually stays in Vegas but today we make a small exception as we recap the trip out west and push for more of these.  Short and sweet but hopefully a encouragement for what greater things we can accomplish!!! The post 131: Short Recap of the Trip to Vegas appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

Today we sit down with LDS author and scholar Samuel M. Brown, author of “In Heaven As It Is On Earth”.  We talk about death in Joseph Smith’s culture, Alvin’s Death, Treasure Hunting and Sacrificial circles, and unique views of death that would be strange to us but the norm for Joseph’s culture. http://samuelbrown.net/ Find his book on amazon by clicking here http://www.mormonwiki.com/Samuel_M._Brown https://mormonscholarstestify.org/1735/samuel-brown The post 130: Samuel Brown: Holy Dying appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

Today we talk about James Fowler’s Stages of Faith but we do so using two perspectives that have built on Fowler.  As a background for our episode we use the following articles http://www.faithformationlearningexchange.net http://www.thebattleofarmageddon.com/stages_of_faith.pdf With these as a backdrop we will discuss how hard the Dark Night of the Soul is but also show it is a call to God rather than a push to discard him and your faith. Other Resources Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning (1981) ISBN 0-06-062866-9 Becoming Adult, Becoming Christian: Adult Development and Christian Faith (1984) (revised 1999 ISBN 0-7879-5134-X) To See the Kingdom: The Theological Vision of H. Richard Niebuhr (1974), ISBN 978-0-687-42300-2 Faith Development and Pastoral Care (1987) ISBN 0-8006-1739-8 Weaving the New Creation: Stages of Faith and the Public Church (1991) ISBN 0-06-062845-6 Faithful Change: The Personal and Public Challenges of Postmodern Life (1996) ISBN 978-0-687-01730-0 The post 129: Dark Night of the Soul appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

Today I sit down with Jeff Olsen, who share with us his Near Death Experience and how it has affected him and his faith.  We talk generally about NDE’s (Near Death Experiences) and what we are to make of them.  Are they real?  Is it the Brain firing synapses as one last ditch effort to save itself?  Or perhaps, is it possible, that they are indeed real?  Jeff and I make the case that there is something divine going on, so join us as we try to make sense of it all.  This is one that will touch your heart!!! To consider purchasing Jeff’s Books please click the Title of the Book below to be directed to them “”I Knew Their Hearts: The Amazing True Story of Jeff Olsen’s Journey Beyond the Veil to Learn the Silent Language of the Heart”” “”Beyond Mile Marker 80: Choosing Joy After Tragic Loss”” The post 128: Jeff Olsen: Near Death Experiences appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.