Photo Credit: Mini Malist The shadow and light of the church are a part of the same story. Integrating the suffering and the healing that the church created is part of our necessary preparation for the next part of our journey. Acceptance of our past life in church with its blessings is a wholesome alternative to staying locked in the fight with what has been.  In which case, there’s no freedom to move on.  The post 382: Accepting the Shadow and Light of the Church first appeared on A Thoughtful Faith Podcast ..read more

It’s one thing to know that letting go is possible and even necessary.  But it’s another to stand at the threshold of leaving without feeling fear.  Most of us will carry some fear.  In this episode I discuss the DNA of Mormon fear of leaving the church.  Photo Credit: ‘Fear’ by Oliver Degabriele The post 381: The Reconstruction Series: Encountering Fear at the Threshold of Leaving first appeared on A Thoughtful Faith Podcast ..read more

In this episode: Photo Credit: Martin Fisch “Letting go needn’t be feared.  Letting go can become a friend to us, releasing us into the flow of an abundant and growthful life.” The post 380: Letting the Church Go With Graciousness first appeared on A Thoughtful Faith Podcast ..read more

Letting Go by Flippant @Flickr This episode opens up the last chapters of my time as host of A Thoughtful Faith Podcast.  I aim to hang up the mic at the end of 2022. The remainder of my time with the podcast will be devoted to the question of faith reconstruction and in exploring  how to have a good church ending and an even better spiritual beginning. The post 379: The Beginning of the End: Gina Colvin first appeared on A Thoughtful Faith Podcast ..read more

Some years ago, Tali Aitofi found Mormon podcasts and became hooked.  But Tali isn’t Mormon, he’s Pentecostal.  Yet, his own spiritual and religious journey has played out with the hum of Mormon faith crises in the background. Tali recently came out as gay; he left his family church, and is currently suffering from a life threatening illness.  All of this has caused deep and searching questions.   Tali joins me to talk about his life journey and how the Netflix series Midnight Mass spoke to his larger questions about church, God, Jesus, shame and forgiveness. Th ..read more

Painter and documentary film maker Nathan Florence joins me to discuss ‘Bright Spark: The Reconciliation of Trevor Southey’ For eleven years, artist  Nathan Florence documented Trevor Southey’s life with his heart and with his lens in order to tell an unfolding story that ended in Trevor’s death in 2015.  It’s an unusual documentary, but nonetheless affecting because like a painting it constantly unfolds. The film is a soft place among the polarized voices of LDS folk in and out of the church because it has no agenda beyond the story of art as an expression of the deepest musin ..read more

Photo Credit: Ganymedes Costagravas The 2022 A Thoughtful Faith Podcast season kicks off with a conversation about faith deconstruction and life reconstruction! Utah based life coach, Jana Spangler, reflects on her extensive work with Mormons who are in the thick of deconstruction and reconstruction. She argues that being in healthy relationship with our bodies will yield precisely the wisdom we need to make critical life decisions. The post 376: Doing Our Inner Work: Jana Spangler first appeared on A Thoughtful Faith Podcast ..read more

If you love Christmas, then this episode isn’t for you.  Credit: Kevin Dooley @flickr But, if you or someone you know doesn’t approach Christmas with merriment and cheer, then this conversation between me and my good friend Nicola Petty might be worth listening to. Both of us are avowed Grinches. As a concession to those who have to put up with our annual disagreeableness, we try to identify our points of dislike for Xmas.  We tackle the question, ‘Can Christmas be redeemed?’ The post 375: Let's Cancel Christmas! Nicola Petty first appeared on A Thoughtful Faith Podcast ..read more

Photo Credit theilr@flickr At Syracuse University, moral injury is defined as, “… the damage done to one’s conscience or moral compass when that person perpetrates, witnesses, or fails to prevent acts that transgress one’s own moral beliefs, values, or ethical codes of conduct.” In this episode, clinical psychologist Dr. Sean Aaron joins me to discuss moral injury. Many coming from the LDS tradition have been taught to spiritually bypass our gut reactions to practices or doctrines, chalking our doubts up to our personal failings and faithlessness. Dr Sean Aaron draws on the concept of moral in ..read more

CC Photo Credit: Leonard J. Matthews@Flickr Child sexual abuse in the church is pernicious and confounding. Why anyone purporting to be Christian would sexually abuse a child is beyond the imagination of many. Yet it happens, and far too often to be dismissed. The Royal Commissions of Inquiry into Sexual Abuse in Ireland and Australia, and currently being conducted in New Zealand, have resulted in powerful evidence-based recommendations for best practices that keep children safe from predatory behaviour in faith-based institutions. Despite the extent, breadth and thoroughness of these inquiri ..read more