Mormon Discussion Podcast

In this episode we tackle the tough issue of what is blind obedience and what is our responsibility in both adhereing to our perception of right and wrong and still sustaining the brethren in their callings a Prophets, Seers, and Revelators.  Are we indeed supposed to follow prophets even when they are wrong.  We hit this and more on today’s episode of the Mormon Discussion Podcast.  Please consider becoming a subscriber today by visiting https://mormondiscussion.podbean.com/premium-signup https://www.lds.org/liahona/1981/06/fourteen-fundamentals-in-following-the-prophet?lang=eng https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2002/04/faith-obedience?lang=eng https://www.lds.org/broadcasts/article/ces-devotionals/2013/01/what-is-truth?lang=eng http://en.fairmormon.org/Mormonism_and_doctrine/Changing https://familysearch.org/photos/stories/824169 http://books.google.com/books?id=fFEoAAAAYAAJ&dq=The+Latter-Day+Saints%27+Millennial+Star+Volume+14&pg=PA593#v=onepage&q&f=false  —–>  start on page 594 right hand side http://www.mormonchronicle.com/img/Ezra-Taft-Benson-and-Mormon-Political-Conflicts.pdf  —> start on page 77 The post 092: Blind Obedience appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

We sit down with LDS historian Mark Staker.   We talk at length about the Historical setting in Kirtland, Ohio where more documented revelations occurred in this dispensation then any other place.  We talk about the Kirtland Safety Society Bank, Elsa Johnson’s miraculous healing, the role of early LDS Bishops, the Law of Consecration, and Symonds Rider http://www.amazon.com/Hearken-Ye-People-Historical-Revelations-ebook/dp/B006R6JF4I http://www.amazon.com/Hearken-Ye-People-Historical-Revelations/dp/158958113X Best Book Award – Mormon History Association Best Book Award – John Whitmer Historical Association Mark Lyman Staker has a Ph.D., Cultural anthropology from the University of Florida. Mark began work as curator of the Museum of Church History and Art in Salt Lake City in 1993. For more than twelve years Mark has been involved in historic sites restoration and nineteenth-century expressions of the Latter-day Saint experience. He received the J. Talmage Jones Award of Excellence for an Outstanding Article on Mormon History from the Mormon History Association and has been involved in numerous museum exhibits. He and his wife, Kimberly L. Staker, are the parents of seven children and live in West Bountiful, Utah. Mark Staker is the author of Hearken, O Ye People: The Historical Setting of Joseph Smith’s Ohio Revelations. The post 091: Mark Staker: Church History in Ohio appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

Today we talk about what power and Authority Women have in the Church.  We use Elder Oaks April 2014 talk as a guide to show that maybe things are not quite what we thought they were.  That Women have a much bigger piece of the Priesthood pie than we are used to saying.  I think this talk was much more meat filled and gracious than many at first thought took notice. https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/the-keys-and-authority-of-the-priesthood?lang=eng The post 090: Elder Oaks: the Sisters’ Power and Authority appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

Today I sit down with Prof. Charles Harrell, author of “This is My Doctrine”.  His book takes a historical look at the development of Mormon Doctrines within LDS theology.  His books helps us first learn and then cope with the complex ways in which LDS Theology and Doctrine developed.  We discuss how to define the word Doctrine, How to define scripture, how to deal with the inaccurate ways we define our Doctrine, and how to cope with the nuance of it all. Bro. Harrell has also been on MormonStories and a recurring series on Old Testament Scripture and others on MormonMatters Amazon Link to purchase his book http://improvementera.com/2011/04/down-the-rabbit-hole-a-review-of-charles-harrells-this-is-my-doctrine-the-development-of-mormon-theology/ http://bycommonconsent.com/2011/09/10/this-is-my-doctrine/ The post 089: Charlie Harrell: This is my Doctrine appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

In our effort to discuss other faiths, we sit down today with Ricky a member of the raelism faith.  Rael (pictured above) is their leader and he was visited by being not from our world.  He claims they showed him how they created mankind, what is expected of humankind, and he also had dinner with Jesus and Joseph Smith on another planet.  While certainly different and even strange, much of what Ricky said had a familiar ring in it.  Ricky himself was a Latter-Day Saint prior to joining the Raelian Faith. http://www.rael.org/home http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ra%C3%ABlism http://usa.raelians.org/ The post 088: Raelism: Faith of the Elohim appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

Vickey is a songwriter/producer, vocalist, and professional speaker, who has spoken for more than two decades Church Education Systems, including BYU Education Week and Best of Especially for Youth.  She is a Billboard award winning songwriter, with hundreds of songs to her credit.  Her compositions include the theme songs for the Special Olympics program (state by state selection), the Make A Wish Foundation,  and the Especially For Youth program of the Church. Her collaborative projects for the LDS market include “Women at the Well” with Kenneth Cope and “My Beloved Christ” with Randy Kartchner. Vickey has contributed to numerous EFY albums over the years and is a prolific writer of columns and books. Her latest CD is “He Restoreth My Soul: Hymns of Hope & Peace”.  She has a Masters degree in Interpersonal Communications. Vickey’s experiences include venues from participation with a nationally touring Repertory Theater Company to Symphony Halls to corporate conventions throughout the U.S. She spent several years teaching Positive Choice programs for public school systems throughout the U.S. and Canada. Vickey and her husband Dean are the parents of eight children. They love hanging out with their children and grandchildren, and serving in their ward and stake callings. Contact Vickey directly at Vickey@goodnessmatters.com http://www.goodnessmatters.com/ http://www.ldsmag.com/article/423?ac=1 http://www.ldsmag.com/author/vickey-pahnke-taylor The post 087: Vickey Pahnke Taylor: Goodness Matters appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

Jim McConkie sits down with us to share with us his reflections of being a McConkie, helping us understand his uncle Elder Bruce R. McConkie, and his recent book “Looking at the Doctrine and Covenants Again for the Very First Time”.  Jim’s gospel insights and his approach to tough issues will be a help to many that struggle.  This interview will be a blessing to many. http://www.amazon.com/Looking-Doctrine-Covenants-Again-First/dp/1434102947 http://deseretbook.com/Looking-Doctrine-Covenants-Again-Very-First-Time-James-W-McConkie-II/i/5097175 http://www.lds.org/church/news/son-shares-the-legacy-of-elder-bruce-r-mcconkie?lang=eng https://history.lds.org/event/joseph-fielding-mcconkie-speaks-about-bruce-r-mcconkie?lang=eng http://www.lds.org/ensign/1985/06/elder-bruce-r-mcconkie-preacher-of-righteousness http://www.lds.org/ensign/1973/01/elder-bruce-r-mcconkie-of-the-council-of-the-twelve?lang=eng https://www.sunstonemagazine.com/pdf/047-08-13.pdf “Growing up as a son of Bruce R. McConkie and a grandson of Joseph Fielding Smith had its moments. One of the experiences that my brothers and sisters and I shared regularly was to listen to people make disparaging remarks about our father or grandfather in Sunday School or other church classes. You could pretty well depend on the fact that if someone quoted either Elder McConkie or President Smith, that someone else would immediately respond with some kind of an insulting retort. I don’t think it bothered any of us to have someone disagree with our father or grandfather, we just couldn’t understand why the disagreement seemed so mean-spirited.” – Joseph Fielding McConkie The post 086: Jim McConkie: Reflections of Church and Family appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_D._Poll http://www.zionsbest.com/people.html Richard Douglas Poll (April 23, 1918 – April 27, 1994) was an American historian, academic, author and member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). His liberal religiosity influenced his notable metaphor about “Iron Rod” vs. “Liahona” LDS Church members. Poll wrote on various topics in Latter-day Saint history and thought. His religious approach was influenced by his studies at TCU, where he examined and rejected creationism, scriptural literalism, and prophetic infallibility. He remembered one professor saying “the purpose of religion is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.” In 1963, Poll prepared a paper called “What the Church Means to People Like Me”, which he delivered in the Palo Alto Ward sacrament meeting in August 1967 and published in Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. The paper drew upon Book of Mormon imagery. In Lehi and Nephi’s vision, people held onto an “iron rod” that followed a single path to salvation. In another story, a mysterious instrument, called the “Liahona”, pointed righteous travelers toward their destination. Poll’s paper set up a dichotomy between church members who see the gospel as clear and exact, or “hold to the Iron Rod”, and those who follow the guidance of the church as a compass to lead their lives. He explained: “The Iron Rod Saint does not look for questions but for answers, and in the gospel he finds or is confident that he can find the answer to every important question. The Liahona Saint, on the other hand, is preoccupied with questions and skeptical of answers; he finds in the gospel answers to enough important questions so that he can function purposefully without answers to the rest.” The subject caught the attention of LDS intellectuals and leaders, becoming a poignant metaphor in cultural discourse. It would become Poll’s best known article, and was in republished several other times. The post 085: Richard Poll: Iron Rodders and Liahonas appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

Today we sit down with LDS apologist Kevin Christensen. He is a Lifetime LDS member. Born and raised in Utah he served in the England-Leeds mission. His has made his living as a technical writer since 1984and resides Pittsburgh, PA. Kevin shares this information about his faith and those works of his and others that have deep apologetic value. “”””My testimony was cemented in 1973, during my third reading of the Book of Mormon, upon reading Ether 12:39. A reading of Hugh Nibley’s An Approach to the Book of Mormon while on my Mission turned me towards apologetics. I’ve published a dozen essays for FARMS, a dozen in the Meridian online magazine, a few articles and letters in Sunstone. I’ve published in Dialogue and, in collaboration with Margaret Barker, in Joseph Smith Jr., edited by Terryl Givens and Reid Nelson, published by Oxford University Press. I’ve written three reviews for the Interpreter, including “Sophic Box and Mantic Vista”. I’ve published a couple of essays with FAIR, including a detailed study of “Biblical Keys for Discerning True and False Prophets” which demonstrates to me, at least, that Joseph Smith’s critics ignore the bulk of the keys, and often repeat the mistakes and arguments offered by Biblical critics of Biblical prophets. http://en.fairmormon.org/Biblical_Keys_for_Discerning_True_and_False_Prophets I find Thomas Kuhn’s The Structure of Scientific Revolutions very helpful in understanding debates about things LDS. Several of my essays quote his work, and I’ve compared it to Alma 32. I also use Ian Barbour’s wonderful Myths, Models, and Paradigms: A Comparative Study of Science and Religion. See, for instance “Paradigms Crossed” here: http://publications.maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/fullscreen/?pub=1436&index=8 I give my orientation to spiritual experiences, both LDS and otherwise, in a Meridan essay called “A Model of Mormon Spiritual Experience.” Alas the Meridian links are broken now, but here is a new link to a pdf. http://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/22100469/model_of_experience.pdf I often cite the Perry Scheme for Cognitive and Ethical Growth, to which I was introduced by this email from Veda Hale, back when I lived in Kansas, and participated on the AML List: http://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/22100469/Perry%20Scheme.pdf My best known essays are those which explore the Margaret Barker’s First Temple theology relative to the Book of Mormon. http://www.thinlyveiled.com/kchristensen.htm I like Hugh Nibley’s comment that if we have answers to the Terrible Questions, (Where do we come from? Why are we here? Is this all there is? Is Jesus the Christ? What comes after? How can we know?), much of the rest is trivial in comparison.”””” The post 084: Kevin Christensen: Discerning True Prophets appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.

Today we sit down with Nancy Phippen Browne. She is the author of “Help Thou Mine Unbelief”, a book designed to be a life raft to those with doubts and who are struggling with faith. We talk about False assumptions, shifting paradigms, and what it means to be a “Doubting Thomas”. We also talk about how to make changes to get back on the right track and to begin to lead with faith and optimism once again. Nancy Phippen Browne is a retired journalist who has worked as an investigative reporter and editor for various newspapers and magazines across the country, including the Church News. Her writing background also took her into the field of public relations and marketing. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1989 from the University of Wisconsin, River Falls, served a full-time mission to Colorado, and has actively served in ward and stake callings throughout her life. While this is her first book, she is also a freelance writer, with articles appearing in a variety of publications, including the Ensign and This People magazine. Browne and her husband, Raymond Browne, reside in St. George, Utah. Between them, they have seven children and 20 grandchildren. http://www.nancyphippenbrowne.com/ Her books can be found at the following places. “Help Thou Mine Unbelief” at Amazon “Help Thou Mine Unbelief” at Barnes and Noble The post 083: Nancy Phippen Browne: Help Thou Mine Unbelief appeared first on Mormon Discussion by Bill Reel.