Latter-day Faith

We don't like it when situations get complicated. We hate being confused. We want everything to go back to making sense again--and right away. One way to make this happen is to find someone to blame. It's that person's fault. Whew!  We label that person and never again consider them in their wholeness. Reducing someone to a label is a sure way to turn them into an object lesson rather than a complex human being who may a different story to tell rather than the one me make up so we can feel better.  A great example of an attempt like this shows up in the Book of Mormon story of Korihor, labeled "Anti-Christ" and someone who had done evil at Satan's bidding. Through touchstones with personal stories of theirs and other ones we often meet in LDS culture, Terri Petersen, Mark Crego, and LDF host Dan Wotherspoon dive into the Korihor story to name and expand on this basic dynamic of Fear/Blame/Label/Dismiss, and how it can be so harmful in our lives and culture.  What if we interrogate this phenomenon? Might we flip the script on the Korihor story? Who is writing it? Why are they telling it in the way they are? What might be missing from it? With such questions in mind related to the tale of Korihor, could that help us dive deeper into the stories we tell ourselves? And wouldn't it be good to give others the privilege of being more complex than a cautionary tale? We hope you'll find this conversation thought provoking!

We are delighted to welcome Valerie Hamaker back to the show! Early on in the discussion between Valerie and LDF host Dan Wotherspoon, we get caught up about the shake up this past March that was started by church leaders who disapproved of the content of her podcast, Latter-day Struggles. They couldn't understand see how her work was actually a boon for the Mormon community through its forthright conversations about matters troubling Latter-day Saints, and how she worked with them, using her background and skills as a licensed therapist, to see broader perspectives and find healing. Faced wth looming excommunication from the church, she and her husband, Nathan, withdrew their membership. Our main focus in relating a short synopsis of these events is to talk about reactions to the news by Latter-day Struggles listeners and members of discussion groups. Has it affected her work with those seeking understanding and healing. The bulk of the conversation in this episode focuses on how a person can differentiate in healthy ways from family members, institutions like the LDS Church, and most of all our spouses or partners. How can we be ourselves in places and situations in which people don't see things the same way? Why is differentiation so important? Ultimately the conversation focuses on marriage relationships that have been affected by differing views, or from trauma that is hard for a partner to recognize and understand. As couples work through these things in healthy ways, their love and commitment allows them to fully accept each other. Everything about being partnered is a crucible for change and growth! Though it talks about hard things, this conversation is upbeat and optimistic about all of us discovering ourselves and bettering our relationships. Listen in! There is lots of wisdom in this episode.

The hosts delve into personal spiritual journeys within the Latter-day Saint tradition, emphasizing the complexity of faith and identity. They discuss feelings of disconnect among churchgoers and the emotional struggles that arise. The conversation uncovers challenges in confronting church history and truth, highlighting the need for transparency. There's also a focus on belonging, reconciling personal beliefs with community ties, and the importance of safe spaces for vulnerability. Each insight encourages open dialogue and personal growth in navigating these intricate relationships.

Russ Hinckley, author of 'Beyond Belief' and an expert in loyalty programs, brings fresh perspectives on faith and Jesus's teachings. He discusses his new 'Christ Creed,' emphasizing actionable principles like 'Eat with Everyone' and 'Restore Sight and Promote Healing.' Exploring how personal experiences from his career intertwine with spiritual insights, he advocates for faith grounded in actions rather than rigid beliefs. This engaging conversation urges listeners to rethink inclusivity, community, and the deeper meaning behind their spiritual practices.

In this wonderful episode, writer Stephanie G shares with Terri Petersen her experiences as a Latter-day Saint in a patriarchal system. Together, she and Terri mourn what was lost to them through the church's purity and modesty culture, leading to body image issues, irrational notions that they are in charge of men's thoughts, and more. In another section, they discuss the frequent rhetoric from men about their needing women, but only for the service they provide, and never their ideas and self empowerment. They also talk about how many women feel "unsafe" in situations in which they are forced to counsel or be interviewed by men. A particularly poignant section is introduced by Stephanie G reading parts of an essay describing her feeling compelled to engage in a temple assignment while she was postpartum, with her body aching to be with her child, including having her breasts leak onto her body and through a temple shield. Her descriptions are powerful reminders about the war between what we think we must do and what women's bodies, their temples, are compelling them to care about. They also talk about what advice they would give to their younger selves, focusing primarily on claiming God's grace and giving grace to themselves. They talk about messages they inherited from having to face the prospect of living polygamy and how it complicates for the church its messaging about Heavenly Mother. Stephanie G also shares ways that she imaginatively inserts the Mother God into scriptural and other stories that have left her out. They close with a discussion about dealing with their anger over experiences stolen from them through their imbibing messages that support patriarchy and women's secondary importance in God's plan. How are they now trying to use that anger more productively as they continue to engage with Mormonism. This is a rich and powerful episode! Don't miss it!

Many of this show's listeners are aware of the incredible podcast, "At Last She Said It." Its co-hosts, Susan Hinckley and Cynthia Winward, are long-time friends personally and have been on this show several times. They are always insightful and well-spoken, but we are so excited that they now have moved from the spoken to the written word. In this episode, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon and LDF board member Mark Crego celebrate with them the very recent release of their book, At Last She Said It: Honest Conversations about Faith, Church, and Everything in Between (Signature Books, 2025).   Through a great conversation, we learn what went on behind the scenes from conception to completion of the book, with a focus on what it includes and why. At every step, Cynthia and Susan give background on the book's five sections and the essays and dialogues within them. We discuss why they have chosen on the podcast and now in the book to discuss openly many of the "p-words" that women (and more and more, men) have long had difficulty with, among them patriarchy, priesthood, presiding, and polygamy. The book also features essays other difficult topics (and we have discussions on some of them), including God, Grace, Obedience, Fear, Worthiness, the Temple, and "when women are the problem." All in all, the book contains twenty-six essays, all of which discuss their subjects in ways that are personal and self-revelatory as well as insightful. Don't miss this conversation among old friends that not only features important things but also easy banter and laughs! Join in the fun!

We are in a time of profound divisions, where our religions and particularly our politics are tearing the very fabric of our society. How can we continue like this? How does our faith survive when so many within our religious communities are in conflict with each other? How do we heal this rift? In this episode, Terri Petersen interviews Ben Heaton, sharing their insights from years of meditation and yoga practice in the Hindu tradition. Terri was intrigued by an essay Ben wrote on a Facebook group focused on the "Inner Path", and it gave her hope that by embracing ideas in the Bhagavad Gita, we might find a way to heal our divides.

We had yet another LDS General Conference this past weekend--the semi-annual tradition of listening to the talks that will inform our sacrament meetings as well as priesthood and Relief Society meetings for the next six months.  Conference is a challenging time for many in faith journey originating in the Latter-day Saint tradition. While our Latter-day Faith podcasts have not tended to focus on Conference, Terri Petersen and Mark Crego were both affected by the recent conference with mixed feelings of the good, the not so good, and perhaps the outright challenging talks. In other words, it was in many ways typical. Terri and Mark take the approach that Conference is kind of a pot-luck dinner: there are some truly helpful talks--delicious dishes, and there are the ones to avoid. Part of the challenge is that we both bring to conference our expectations and hopes for something more, but in the end, we discovered that our attachment to our hopes and expectations can prevent us from truly connecting to the messages that can help us.  Take a listen!

Each person's life journey includes intense wrestles with the matter of "authority." When we are young, we are in a position in which we must defer to another's authority in order to survive. As we grow, we soon become self-conscious, taking into account how we are viewed by others. And in order to fit in, we will often defer our own authority to that of the group. At first it will be to our immediate friends and acquaintances. Heidegger noticed that we give away our authority to larger, more diffuse cultures and societies, referring to it as "the tyranny of the they." In our maturation processes, we hopefully will come to understand these pressures on us and begin to form a firm sense of our own self and can more easily walk our particular path without relying on others for the final word about what we should do and think.  Our religious lives bring extra complications with regard to authority. When we view certain texts or particular leaders as spiritually and ethically authoritative, it becomes even harder to stand our ground because we worry that we might be upsetting God should we stray from its or their directives.  This podcast discusses our views of God and how these are typically quite influential when it comes to whether we yield our authority to these texts and people. Do we view God as completely "other," external to us, and distant, or can we allow ourselves to believe that God is a part of us, intimately caring, compassionate, and ever encouraging us Godward? If the former, we are more likely to allow authority figures more sway, perhaps complete sway, over our thoughts and actions. If the latter, we can typically differentiate from these others and begin to trust our own experiences over their interpretations and directives. Certainly, these will align with each other at times, but when they don't, we will follow our own light. LDF host Dan Wotherspoon is joined by board members Mark Crego and Terri Petersen in a li

In this engaging discussion, Jana Spangler, a graduate of the Living School focused on mysticism, shares insights on deepening our connection with the Divine. Together with interviewer Terri Petersen, they explore the practical aspects of mysticism, emphasizing that everyone has the potential to experience it. The conversation highlights the intersection of personal spirituality and communal practice, questioning whether Mormons can embrace mysticism—a resounding yes! They advocate for transformative spiritual journeys that embrace both joy and healing through direct experience.